“There’s no such thing as a favorable wind if you don’t know what port you’re heading for,” is Christian Schneider’s motto. This maritime analogy from an inventor involved primarily in automotive electronics might appear surprising at first sight. But what he’s mainly trying to express is the need for thorough familiarization with fields of research and the persistence needed to pursue objectives if one wants to achieve innovative improvements.
Schneider receives the 2006 Inventor Award for work in a number of areas, including vehicle antennas used for all wireless applications in cars. They ensure that services both inside and outside the vehicle are supplied with the necessary data and are avail-able at all times. The quality of mobile phone reception and Bluetooth and WLAN con-nections inside the vehicle typically depend on this. As things are at present, several antennas are necessary for this wide range of functions, each of which has to be connected to its particular receiving device. The consequence is increased installation costs and potential mutual interference of the individual antennas.