Toyota has unveiled a concept car at this week's North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Tuesday. The car has been developed with satellite internet technology capable of getting online from anywhere. It is free from a bulky dish antenna or a mechanical system to track satellites.
Toyota has adopted the flat antenna technology from Kymeta, a Washington based Electronics Company. Toyota and Kymeta have been working together for more than two years on internet connectivity of automobile.
However, the concept has been first implemented into a Mirai, Toyota's first ever hydrogen- powered passenger car. The antenna is set atop the roof of the car, reports PC World.
A number of vehicles are already outfitted through simple satellite receivers for SiriusXM radio and other devices. Kymeta's technology is believed to support much higher data rates than conventional satellite technologies.
The flat antenna technology is capable of widening the coverage area. It may enable global development of connected vehicles sharing the same communication standards beyond national borders. Toyota has expressed its excitement over Kymeta's flat antenna technology capable of solving the challenge for vehicle based satellite communications, reports Left Lane quoting Toyota senior managing officer Shigeki Tomoyama.
The prototype communication system is capable of downloading satellite data at 50 megabits per second, far better than typical LTE wireless service. The transmission speed is expected to rise past the gigabit-per-second mark within a few years, reports Geek Wire.
'Mirai Creation Investment Limited Partnership' is reported to provide strategic investment support to push the initiative ahead. Toyota has participated in the Japan based venture. The venture provides an investment of $ 62 million including contribution from Mirai.
The car antennas are 6-inch-wide with six-sided panels that can be installed as modules in a car's roof. The system requires less than 10 watts of power. Higher bandwidth may also be available through setting more modules over the roof top.
The Mirai trial still appears in the early testing stages. However, Toyota has committed to install data communication modules in a wider range of vehicles.
All major automakers are working to further develop vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications. Both of these may serve important roles in transition of vehicles towards autonomous and semi autonomous operations.
Toyota has equipped its Mirai with flat antenna technology developed by Kymeta, a Washington based electronics company. 'Mirai Creation Investment Limited Partnership' is a Japan based venture worth $ 62 million at which Toyota participates. However, all major automakers are working on further development of V2V and V2I technologies for transition of vehicles towards autonomous operations.
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