LG Electronics, having strengthened its investment in the automotive business, is set to showcase a new generation of transparent automotive antennas at CES 2024. The company's entry into the automotive antenna market is expected to expand its business in the automotive communication component sector for applications like remote data processing.
According to reports from Seoul Economic Daily and ZD Net Korea, LG recently announced that it's joining forces with global automotive glass company Saint-Gobain Sekurit to present a transparent antenna to automobile manufacturers.
With the automobile market developing toward software-defined vehicles (SDV), where various content can be enjoyed, a communication environment capable of transmitting large amounts of data in real time has become increasingly important. As a new communication technology solution, transparent antennas have garnered attention.
Transparent antennas are thin film antennas incorporated into glass. The two companies have jointly developed two types of modular antennas, on-glass and in-glass, to be applied in various glass and automobile designs.
In contrast to traditional shark-fin antennas, an advantage of the transparent antenna is its expandability which allows it to be attached to multiple glass surfaces of vehicles. Its size can be adjusted according to the automobile manufacturers' demand. By supporting multiple communication methods like 5G, satellite, and GPS, it ensures uninterrupted connectivity even with increased communication volume.
Additionally, because transparent antennas don't have protruding parts like shark-fin antennas, they help realize streamlined designs and can be utilized on glass sunroofs.
During its R&D process of transparent antennas, LG has obtained over 80 patents, including antenna transparency design and transparent electrode material technology. Its collaboration with Saint-Gobain Sekurit to establish operational processes for incorporating transparent antennas into glass has increased the completeness of the product.
Eun Seok-hyun, the head of LG's Vehicle Solutions (VS) business, stated that through the strategic collaboration with Saint-Gobain Sekurit, transparent antennas have passed the real vehicle verification and are acknowledged for their differentiated communication performance.
By entering the automotive antenna market, LG aims to expand its market presence in automotive communication components, particularly in areas like remote data processing. According to estimates by market research firm Strategy Analytics, LG secured the top spot in the automotive communication module remote data processing market in the third quarter of 2023 with a market share of 23.8%.
