Patent Application
20240405411
The present disclosure relates to an antenna for motor vehicles, and to a motor vehicle comprising such an antenna.
The antenna according to the disclosure is particularly suitable for being used with cars, for example mounted on the roof of a car, and will be described here by making reference to such application without intending anyhow to limit its possible application to other types of motor vehicles, such as for example buses, trucks, commercial vehicles, et cetera.
As known, antennas intended to be mounted on the roof or on another external surface of a motor vehicle basically comprise a functional part, consisting of a plurality of appropriately configured and assembled components that are adapted to accomplish the mounting and operation of the antenna, and a purely aesthetic part, typically a cover or canopy, configured for example in the shape of a shark fin, which is adapted to be coupled to the functional part, and whose purpose is to ensure the maintenance of adequate aesthetics of the motor vehicle once the antenna has been installed.
Usually, the functional part comprises a plurality of antennas or radiating elements that can transceive data and signals of different type with other vehicles, pedestrians, with fixed devices and communication structures, according to different standards and related fields of frequencies which have been introduced over the years, such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting), RF, GPS, FM, etc.
Although antennas currently on the market allow fulfilling the functions for which they are designed, there are some aspects worth of improvements.
In particular, the presence of several radiating elements placed unavoidably close to each other in the cramped space offered by the cover leads to problems related to the effective quality of the transceived signals due to the possible coupling between signals afferent to two or more radiating elements and interfering with each other.
Therefore, there is need and desire to provide an improved antenna for motor vehicles.
Accordingly, in one example there is provided an antenna for a motor vehicle, comprising:
According to some examples, the antenna according to the present disclosure may comprise one or more of the following features, which may be combined in any technical feasible combination:
According to another example, there is also provided a motor vehicle comprising at least one antenna which comprises:
Particular embodiments of the disclosure form the subject matter of the dependent claims, the contents of which are intended to be considered an integral part of this description.
Further characteristics and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description that follows, which is provided purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
It should be noted that in the detailed description that follows, identical or similar components, either from a structural and/or functional point of view, may have the same or different reference numerals, regardless of whether they are shown in different embodiments of the present disclosure or in distinct parts.
It should also be noted that, in order to clearly and concisely describe the present disclosure, the drawings may not necessarily be to scale and certain features of the disclosure may be shown in somewhat schematic form.
Further, when the term “adapted” or “organized” or “configured” or “shaped”, or a similar term is used in the present document while referring to any component as a whole, or to any part of a component, or to a combination of components, it has to be understood that it means and encompasses correspondingly either the structure, and/or configuration and/or form and/or positioning.
In addition, when the term “substantial” or “substantially” is used herein, it has to be understood as encompassing an actual variation of plus or minus 5% with respect to what indicated as a reference value, direction or position, and when the terms transversal or transversally are hereby used, they have to be understood as encompassing a direction non-parallel to the reference part(s) or direction(s)/axis they refer to, and perpendicularity has to be considered a specific case of transverse direction.
Finally, in the following description and claims, the numeral ordinals first, second, etc., will be used only for the sake of clarity of description and in no way they should be understood as limiting for whatsoever reason, nor that the order should be exactly the one described in the illustrated exemplary embodiments.
The antenna 100 according to the disclosure comprises at least:
In particular, according to a possible embodiment, the first radiating element 10, which is operatively connected to the first printed circuit board 5, is configured to receive/transmit signals of analog type, e.g., in FM (Frequency Modulation) mode.
In accordance with this embodiment, the second radiating element 20, which is also operatively connected to the first printed circuit board 5, is configured to receive/transmit digital-type signals, e.g., according to the DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) mode or technique.
The mounting plate 1 is made of metal material, e.g., zamac alloy, and has a front edge 2, a back edge 3, and two side edges 4 which extend from the back edge 3 converging toward each other going to form the front edge 2, having, for example, a pointed shape.
In practice, in such embodiment, the mounting plate 1 has as a whole a shape, seen in plan view from above or below, configured like the base of an iron.
In one possible embodiment, the body of the mounting plate 1, has, for example in a substantially central area, i.e., the area where the first printed circuit board 5 is placed, a compartment or housing space, delimited on the top by the first printed circuit board 5 and along the other sides by contour walls of the mounting plate 1 itself, in which cables, various electronic components, etc., can be housed.
As illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of
The cover 40 is used also in the embodiments of
Clearly, depending on the applications, other components may be accommodated within the space provided by the cavity of the cover 40, e.g., gaskets, other elements suitable for transceiving signals, etc.; for example, an additional component 7 configured for transceiving GPS signals is illustrated in the embodiments of
The mounting of the mounting plate 1 on the roof or on a suitable mounting surface of a motor vehicle, and the connection of the cover 40 to the same mounting plate 1, are carried out in a manner known or easily implemented by a person skilled in the art, and in any case not relevant to the present disclosure, and therefore not described herein in detail.
Usefully, in the antenna 100 according to the disclosure, the first radiating element 10 comprises a printed circuit board 12, hereinafter referred to as the second printed circuit board 12 for descriptive clarity, which is connected at a first end portion thereof 13, i.e., at a lower end portion thereof, to the first printed circuit board 5 and rises from the first printed circuit board 5 itself along a direction substantially perpendicular to the first printed circuit board 5, e.g., a substantially vertical direction, indicated in
The second printed circuit board 12 comprises a first track 14 made of an electrically conducting material which has an end portion 16 connected to the first printed circuit board 5 and extends, starting from said end portion 16, on the second printed circuit board 12, along a substantially helical or serpentine path, up to a first height H1.
Such height H1 is measured from the top surface of the first printed circuit board 5 along said direction substantially perpendicular to the first printed circuit board (the substantially vertical direction X).
For example, the connection between the second circuit board 12 and the first circuit board 5 is realized by means of one or more feet, for example, two 13A and 13B as illustrated in
In turn, the second radiating element 20 comprises a printed circuit board 22, hereafter referred to as the third printed circuit board 22 for descriptive clarity, which is connected at an end portion 23 thereof, i.e., at a lower end thereof, to the first printed circuit board 5 and rises from the first printed circuit board 5 itself along said substantially perpendicular direction to the first printed circuit board 5, e.g., the substantially vertical direction X.
The third printed circuit board 22 comprises a second track 24, realized in an electrically conductive track material, which has an end portion 26 connected to said first printed circuit board 5 and extends, starting from the end portion 26, on the third printed circuit board 22 along a substantially helical or serpentine path, up to a second height H2.
For example, the connection between the third circuit board 22 and the first circuit board 5 is realized in a manner similar to that of the second circuit board 12, e.g., by means of one or more feet, e.g., two, which are arranged at the lower portion 23 of the third circuit board 22 itself, and are adapted to be inserted and soldered into corresponding slots (not illustrated by figures) arranged on the first circuit board 5.
The second height H2 is also measured from the top surface of the first printed circuit board 5 along said direction substantially perpendicular to the first printed circuit board (the substantially vertical direction X).
The tracks 14 and 24 behave substantially as if they were conducting coils wrapped around the respective boards 12 and 22.
In particular, both the conductive tracks 14 and 24 develop along the substantially helical or serpentine path around a substantially vertical axis (i.e. the one indicated by the vertical direction X).
Usefully, in antenna 100 according to the disclosure, the first radiating element 10 has a maximum height H measured from the top surface of the first printed circuit board 5 substantially perpendicular to the first printed circuit board (the substantially vertical direction X), and the first height H1 of the first conducting track 14 is less than or equal to half of said maximum height H of the first radiating element 10.
In this way, signals related to the first radiating element 10 can be decoupled more effectively from those related to the second radiating element 20.
In a possible embodiment, the first height H1 of the first electrically conducting track 14 is lower than the second height H2 of the second electrically conducting track 24.
In this way, the decoupling between the two radiating elements 10 and 20 is further improved.
For example, in one possible embodiment, both conductive tracks 14 and 24 are made by means of strips of electrically conductive material, e.g., copper, which are arranged along two opposite parallel faces (the faces with larger surface area) of the respective printed circuit boards 12 and 22.
A series of suitably metallized through holes, indicated in
In this way, the metalized holes 17 and 27 and the various strips collectively form the electrically conductive tracks 14 and 24 that run continuously along the respective helical or serpentine path up to the corresponding heights H1 and H2.
Conveniently, according to a possible embodiment, the first radiating element 10 and the second radiating element 20, and in particular the respective circuit boards 12 and 22, are arranged in sequence substantially aligned with each other along a direction joining the front edge 2 and the back edge 3 of the mounting plate 1.
In this way, in addition to having an effective decoupling between the signals afferent to the two different radiating elements 10 and 20, there is also an optimal utilization of the available space inside the cap 40.
In one possible embodiment, as for example illustrated in
The capacitive cap 30 cooperates with the conducting strip 14 and allows optimizing the emissive capabilities of the first radiating element 10.
In one possible embodiment, the capacitive cap 30 comprises at least a center section 31, a first arm 32 and a second arm 33 which extend from opposite parts of the center section 31 diverging from each other, and one or more coupling portions which protrude from at least one of said center section 31 and first and second arms 32, 33.
The one or more coupling portions are configured to allow the mechanical connection of the capacitive cap 30 to the second printed circuit board 12, connection that is then typically rendered stable with a weld.
In particular, according to a possible embodiment, the capacitive cap 30 is made of a single piece of metallic material, e.g. suitably folded to form said central section 31, first and second arms 32 and 33, and one or more coupling portions.
In one possible embodiment, shown for example in
The one or more teeth 38, in the example of
In this way, as, for example, illustrated in
In another possible embodiment, illustrated for example in
In this embodiment, the one or more coupling portions comprise one or more protuberances or teeth, schematically indicated in
In practice, in the various embodiments illustrated, when the capacitive cap 30 is not used, as illustrated, for example, in the embodiment of
When instead the capacitive cap 30 is used, the maximum height H of the first radiating element 10 may alternatively be that reached by the printed circuit board 12 if capacitive cap 30 does not have a portion that extends superiorly to the printed circuit board 12, as is the case, for example, in the embodiment shown in
In addition, at least one protective element 9, formed, for example, by a sponge or a piece of self-adhesive foam, can be placed around the upper portion of the third circuit board 22.
Such a protective element 9 can be placed also directly around the second printed circuit board 12 (see
Clearly, such protective elements 9 can also be used in the embodiment of in
It has been found in practice that the antenna 100 according to the disclosure adequately fulfills its intended scope since it presents a structure that, compared with known solutions, allows decoupling more effectively the signals afferent to the two radiating elements 10 and 20, exploiting in an optimized way the albeit limited space available within the cover 40.
In addition, the antenna 100 has a structure that makes it suitable for use both in new vehicles and to replace antennas already installed on vehicles in use.
Clearly, without prejudice to the principle of the disclosure, the embodiments and details of implementation may vary widely with respect to what has been described and illustrated purely by way of not limiting examples, without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims, including any possible combination, even partial, of the previously described embodiments. For example, the at least one first printed circuit board 5 may comprise two separate boards, and in such a case the first radiating element 10 may be operatively associated with one of the two boards, while the second radiating element 20 may be operatively associated with the other board; the shape and/or positioning of the coupling portions of the capacitive cap may be varied, etc.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102023000011067 | May 2023 | IT | national |
