While there are currently military and other specialty vehicles that utilize geo-stationary satellite tracking technologies with large radomes, none exists in low-profile form or without modifications in the vehicle contour.

"Delphi's antenna development opens the door to satellite TV reception for rear seat entertainment in vehicles, which will eventually benefit vehicle makers, passengers and content providers," said Dr. Dick Lind, director of advanced engineering at Delphi Electronics & Safety.

"We are showing an unprecedented passenger car technology that provides consistent broadband reception from a satellite to help enable crystal-clear TV viewing similar to what you see in your home."

The Delphi vehicle demonstrates antenna technology that is fully integrated into the roof of a current model, luxury sport utility vehicle. Delphi's satellite antenna reception system delivers excellent performance in all regions of the continental United States and is thin enough to fit between the roofline and the interior headliner.

The demonstration vehicle uses multiple 7-inch television screens with radio frequency (RF) headsets for rear passengers. Each of the passenger positions can select between satellite TV, DVD and video games.

"There are probably not many consumers or any manufacturers that would accept traditional satellite dishes sprouting from the roof of their vehicles," Lind said. "Our solution was to integrate the antenna system into the roof of the vehicle without affecting headroom, safety or aerodynamics. In addition, we made it transparent to the consumer to give the vehicle a true original equipment appearance."

Since existing geo-stationary satellites are intended for reception by stationary platforms, Delphi had to design an antenna system that is fully steerable in both horizontal plane and elevation to consistently track the satellite as the vehicle changes directions and attitudes.

"After several years of development, we are very pleased to have a workable system that we believe will be commercial in coming years," Lind said. Delphi worked with Motia, a fabless semiconductor company focused on enabling smart antennas for wireless systems providers. Motia engineered the innovative elevation scanning, antenna element and microwave electronics to complete the project.

Significant advances in vehicle attitude sensing, satellite discrimination techniques, and sensor fusion have helped Delphi achieve sufficient accuracy for the system to work. The mechanical maneuvers of the antenna associated with beam steering do not add any perceptible noise into the passenger compartment or electromagnetic interference to other vehicle systems.

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