The present invention generally relates to antenna module assemblies and, more particularly, to an improved fastening structure for an antenna module assembly.
As seen in
Although adequate for most applications, conventional antenna module assemblies 1 have inherent disadvantages. Firstly, the inclusion of the screws 5a, 5b increase cost, assembly labor and introduce inherent quality problems. Secondly, in some designs, metal screws 5a, 5b act as obstructions, which creates nulls in the gain pattern because the antenna located on the circuit board 2 may not be able to see through the head of each screw 5a, 5b extending above the plane of the circuit board 2. Thirdly, because screws 5a, 5b are applied in the design of the antenna module assembly 1, the perimeter of the module, which is seen generally at 6, is increased to accommodate the passage of the screws, particularly the lower screws 5b that pass upwardly into the cover 4. Aside from additional material called for in the design of the antenna module assembly 1 about the perimeter 6, the antenna module assembly 1 itself occupies a larger surface area of a surface it is mounted on, such as, for example, the roof of an automotive vehicle (not shown). From an aesthetic perspective, this particular design for an antenna module assembly 1 is undesirable for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) applications because it may negatively effect automotive roof design or trimming issues. Even further, because the antenna module assemblies 1 may be applied onto different roofs having different contours, the antenna module assemblies 1 may not be universally applied to all vehicles, which would otherwise result in a gap between the antenna module assembly 1 and the roof.
Accordingly, it is therefore desirable to provide an improved antenna module assembly that eliminates the use of applied fasteners to improve antenna performance while also decreasing assembly labor, component cost and quality problems. It is also desirable to provide an improved antenna module assembly that decreases the size of and materials used in manufacturing the module such that the module may be applied to a variety of vehicles, negating the concern of alternate roof design or trimming issues.
The present invention relates to a fastening structure for an antenna module assembly. Accordingly, one embodiment of the invention is directed to a fastening structure for an antenna module assembly that includes a cover, a gasket inner seal, a circuit board including at least one antenna element, and a base. The gasket inner seal is placed over the circuit board. The gasket inner seal and circuit board are intermediately located between the cover and the base. The base includes a plurality of beveled snap-tab receiving portions integrally located about a base perimeter. The beveled snap-tab receiving portions engage an inner perimeter of the cover defined by flexible snap-tabs to fasten and matingly secure the cover to the base.
The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The above described disadvantages are overcome and a number of advantages are realized by the inventive antenna module assembly, which is generally illustrated at 10 in
Although illustrated in a broken view, the wire leads 28 extend through a base side-passage 20b and an outer gasket seal passage 22a, exiting through a retaining clip lower-side passage 24a. The gasket outer seal 22 also includes a secondary passage, which is seen generally at 22b, that receives an alignment boss 20c (
As seen in
Other antennas may be applied in the design of the antenna module assembly 10 as well. For example, the second antenna element 18a, such as a ceramic patch antenna element, is shown on the circuit board 18. The ceramic patch antenna element 18a may receive satellite digital audio radio signals (SDARS), which operates on the 2.32-2.345 GHz band, or alternatively, receive commercial global positioning (GPS) signals, which operates on the 1560-1590 MHz band. If multiple signal band reception is desired, the antenna module assembly 10 may be designed to accommodate multiple ceramic patch antenna elements 18a. For example, one possible implementation of the antenna module assembly 10 may include the first antenna element 12b located in the mast assembly 12, and two ceramic patch antenna elements 18a located on the circuit board 18 to receive AMPS/PCS, SDARS, and GPS signals, respectively. Although not shown, other possible antenna designs that function on any other desirable band may be included in the design of the antenna module assembly 10. For example, digital audio broadcast (DAB) signal, which operates on the 1452-1492 MHz band, may also be included as well.
The cover 14 may include any desirable plastic material, such as a polycarbonate (PC) blend or Polycarbonate-Acrylnitril-Butadien-Styrol-Copolymere (PC/ABS) blend, that is weatherable and durable. For example, one possible embodiment of the invention may include a PC blend that is commercially available and sold under the trade name Geloy™ from General Electric Company Corporation of New York, N.Y. The gasket inner seal 16 preferably comprises a layered structure, such as a three layer structure including a core layer that is laminated on its upper side and lower sides. The core layer is preferably a rigid plastic material, such as polypropylene (PP), and the laminated layers are preferably a pliable material, such as a silicon foam or rubber, that is conformable such that over-travel of the gasket does not negatively effect the seal of the antenna module assembly 10. Alternatively, the gasket inner seal 16 may comprise a single core layer comprising foam with an adhesive layer applied to the upper and lower sides of the foam such that the gasket inner seal 16 is prevented from moving inside of the antenna module assembly 10 from its desired position over the base 20 such that the outer perimeter of the gasket inner seal is within at least 1 mm of the inner wall perimeter of the cover 14.
Referring now to
Once the mast assembly 12 is secured to the cover 14, the gasket inner seal 16 and circuit board 18 are intermediately located between the cover 14 and the base 20. The base 20 is conductive, comprising any desirable metallic material, such as a casted zinc or brass, which may be subsequently plated. For example, one embodiment of the invention may include a base 20 comprising zinc with a trivalent plating. Functionally, the base 20 retains the circuit board 18 about a base shoulder 20d such that the base shoulder 20d adjacently opposes a grounding strip 18c located about the perimeter of the circuit board 18 for electrical coupling.
As best seen in
To provide a secured sealing assembly against moisture or contaminant ingress that may effect operation of components on the circuit board 18, the cover 14 includes ribs, which are seen generally at 46 and 48, that are located about the perimeter of the antenna module assembly 10. The ribs 46, 48 generally extend downwardly from a cover top portion 14c and bite into an upper portion 16a of the gasket inner seal 16. As seen in
As explained above in relation to reducing the overall packaging of the antenna module assembly 10, corners 32 (
Referring specifically now to
Accordingly, an improved antenna module assembly 10 is provided and eliminates the use of applied fasteners, such as metallic screws, to improve antenna performance and quality while also decreasing assembly labor and component cost. The antenna module assembly 10 may also be decreased in size about its overall perimeter by providing mating sets of flexible snap-tabs 14b and snap-tab receiving portions 20e about the cover 14 and base 20 such that the ribs 46, 48, and 20g extending from the cover 14 and base 20 engages the inner gasket seal 16. As a result of reducing the overall packaging size of the antenna module assembly 10, the antenna module assembly 10 may be applied to a variety of vehicles, negating the concern of alternate roof design or trimming issues of a vehicle.
The present invention has been described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that it is possible to embody the invention in specific forms other than those of the exemplary embodiments described above. This may be done without departing from the spirit of the invention. The exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative and should not be considered restrictive in any way. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents, rather than by the preceding description.
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