Patent Grant
8941544
This application relates to and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-178412 filed on Jul. 8, 2008, the entire disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle roof mount antenna detachably mounted on a vehicle roof, and more particularly to a vehicle roof mount antenna improving waterproofness and dustproofness.
2. Description of the Related Art
A vehicle roof mount antenna typically has a pad on a contact surface with a vehicle roof. The pad has an annular rib (flange) made of an elastic material so as to improve waterproofness and dustproofness. The installation pressure of a boss brings the annular rib of the pad into press contact with the vehicle roof, thereby ensuring the waterproofness and dustproofness of the vehicle roof mount antenna.
For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2005-102031) discloses an antenna for an automobile. The antenna has a pad in which a plurality of substantially triangular-shaped ribs are provided for waterproofness and thereby prevents entering of rain water and the like.
In such a vehicle roof mount antenna using a pad having an annular rib, when the installation pressure is used to bring the annular rib into press contact with the vehicle roof, the annular rib is deformed to be tightly attached to the vehicle roof. At this time, a pressing force corresponding to the deformation amount is given to the vehicle roof. When the pressing force is excessively large, a problem that the vehicle roof is deformed arises. Further, when the installation pressure of the boss is reduced so as not to cause the deformation of the vehicle roof, the waterproofness and the dustproofness which are the intended functions of the annular rib cannot be ensured satisfactorily.
Recently, a reduction in the weight of a vehicle body is now an important trend, and along with the weight reduction, the thickness of the vehicle roof has been reduced. Therefore, the problem of the deformation of the vehicle roof has become more prominent.
The vehicle roof typically has a slight curved surface shape, so that the deformation amount of the annular rib may become nonuniform throughout the entire circumference of the annular rib at some position on which the vehicle roof mount antenna is mounted. In particular, there is a gap between the annular rib that is away from the boss and the vehicle roof, so that satisfactory waterproofness and dustproofness cannot be ensured.
An object of the present invention, therefore, is to overcome the problems existing in the prior art, and to provide a roof mount antenna device which does not cause a vehicle roof to be deformed even when the vehicle roof on which the roof mount antenna device is mounted has a small thickness and which is capable of ensuring satisfactory waterproofness and dustproofness even when the vehicle roof on which the roof mount antenna device is mounted has a curved surface shape.
To achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle roof mount antenna detachably mounted on a vehicle roof, comprising: an antenna cover; an antenna base covered by the antenna cover; a boss used for fixing the vehicle roof mount antenna to the vehicle roof; a pad having a boss hole through which the boss penetrates and disposed between the antenna base and the vehicle roof; an annular rib made of an elastic material and provided on the vehicle roof side surface of the pad, which is inclined from the boss hole toward a periphery of the pad in a state where the vehicle roof mount antenna is fixed to the vehicle roof; and an annular groove portion provided at a position where the pressing force of the annular rib against the vehicle roof can be reduced.
The annular groove portion may be provided in the pad at the inner peripheral edge and/or outer peripheral edge of the annular rib.
The annular rib may be provided at the peripheral edge of the boss hole, and the annular groove portion may be provided in the pad at the outer peripheral edge of the annular rib.
The annular rib may include a first rib provided at the peripheral edge of the boss hole and a second rib provided around the first rib, and the annular groove portion may include a first groove portion provided in the pad at the outer peripheral edge of the first rib and a second groove portion provided in the pad at the outer peripheral edge of the second rib.
The annular rib may further include a peripheral edge rib provided at the peripheral edge of the pad, and the annular groove portion may further include a peripheral edge groove portion provided in the pad at the inner peripheral edge of the peripheral edge rib.
The annular rib may have a cross-section of a tapered shape as viewed in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the pad on the vehicle roof side.
The annular rib may have a cross-section of a shed roof shape as viewed in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the pad on the vehicle roof side.
In a state where the vehicle roof mount antenna is fixed to the vehicle roof, the width of the annular groove portion may be designed such that the tip portion of the annular rib does not go over the annular groove portion and the depth thereof may be designed such that the annular rib does not contact the bottom portion of the annular groove portion.
In the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention, the pressing force of the annular rib against the vehicle roof, which is applied when the annular rib is brought into press contact with the vehicle roof, can be reduced. Thus, even when the vehicle roof on which the roof mount antenna device is mounted has a small thickness, it is possible to prevent the vehicle roof from being deformed while ensuring waterproofness and dustproofness. Further, satisfactory waterproofness and dustproofness can be ensured even when the vehicle roof mount antenna is mounted on a vehicle roof having a curved surface shape.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The antenna cover 1 defines the appearance of the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention. The shape of the antenna cover of the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention is not limited to that shown in the drawings, but may be modified depending on the intended function or design.
The antenna base 2 is covered by the antenna cover 1. A circuit board, an antenna, and the like are mounted on the antenna base 2. The shape of the antenna base of the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention is not limited to that shown in the drawings, but may be modified depending on the shape of the antenna cover.
The boss 3 is a member used for fixing the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention to a vehicle roof R. For example, the boss 3 is so formed as to protrude from the antenna base 2, as shown in the drawings. However, the configuration of the boss of the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention is not limited to this, but may be so formed as to protrude from the antenna cover. The boss 3 is inserted into a hole formed in the vehicle roof R and is fixed by a bolt or the like (not shown) from the vehicle interior side, whereby the vehicle roof mount antenna is fixed to the vehicle roof R. The boss 3 has a hollow structure and is used also for introducing a cable or the like into the inside of the vehicle.
The pad 4 has a boss hole 7 through which the boss 3 penetrates and is disposed between the antenna base 2 and the vehicle roof R. The pad 4 is commonly made of an elastic material. However, only the portion corresponding to the annular rib 5 may be made of an elastic material. The pad may cover not only the bottom portion of the antenna base but also the peripheral portion thereof.
The annular rib 5, which is made of an elastic material as described above, is provided on the vehicle roof R side surface of the pad 4. When the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention is fixed to the vehicle roof R, the annular rib 5 is inclined from the boss hole 7 toward a periphery of the pad 4. The specific shape of the annular rib will be described later.
The annular groove portion 6 is provided at a position where the pressing force of the annular rib 5 against the vehicle roof R can be reduced. In the example shown in the drawings, the annular groove portion 6 is provided at the outer peripheral edge at which the annular rib 5 is provided. However, the position at which the annular groove portion 6 of the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention is provided is not limited to the position shown in the drawings, but the annular groove portion 6 may be provided at any position as long as it can reduce the pressing force that the annular rib 5 applies to the vehicle roof. Further, although the cross-section of the annular groove portion 6 as viewed in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the pad 4 on the vehicle roof R side is rectangular in the example shown in the drawings, it is not limited to the rectangular shape but may be a V-shape, a U-shape, or the like.
With reference to
A pressing force corresponding to the deformation amount obtained when the annular rib 5 is crushed becomes smaller as the length of the annular rib 5 from its base to tip becomes larger. In the present invention, the annular groove portion 6 is provided at the outer peripheral edge of the annular rib 5 as described above, so that the length of the annular rib 5 from its base to tip can be increased without changing its height from the surface of the pad 4. Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the pressing force corresponding to the deformation amount of the annular rib 5 while reducing the protrusion amount of the annular rib 5 from the surface of the pad 4.
As described above, when the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention is fixed to the vehicle roof, the annular rib is brought into press contact with the vehicle roof. This state will be described with reference to
With reference to
As shown in
With reference to
The installation position of the annular groove portion of the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention is not limited to the positions shown in the above drawings, but may be positioned at any suitable position as long as the pressing force of the annular rib against the vehicle roof can be reduced.
With reference to
With reference to
The cross-sectional shape of the annular rib of the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention is not limited to the shapes shown in the above examples, but the annular rib may have any cross-sectional shape as long as it has a shape inclined toward the periphery of the pad.
As described above, according to the roof mount antenna device of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the pressing force corresponding to the deformation amount of the annular rib as compared to a case where an annular rib used in a conventional roof mount antenna device is used. Thus, with the use of the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention, a problem that the vehicle roof is deformed can be solved.
Next, a vehicle roof mount antenna according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
Although the second rib 9 is provided continuously from the first groove portion 11 in the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the second embodiment shown in
Although both the first and the second ribs 8 and 9 have a cross-section of the shed roof shape as viewed in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the pad 4 on the vehicle roof R side in
Next, a vehicle roof mount antenna according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
Further, as described above, in the case where the annular rib of the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention is used, the pressing force corresponding to the deformation amount obtained when the annular rib is tightly attached to the vehicle roof can be reduced to a smaller level. Therefore, it is possible to set the deformation amount of the annular rib to a larger level than in the case where an annular rib of a conventional vehicle roof mount antenna is used. Thus, even if the deformation amount of the annular rib becomes nonuniform throughout the entire circumference of the annular rib when the vehicle roof mount antenna is mounted on the vehicle roof having a curved surface shape, there is no gap between the annular rib and the vehicle roof, so that satisfactory waterproofness and dustproofness can be ensured. This is particularly effective for the peripheral edge rib arranged at the farthermost position from the boss hole.
The length of the annular rib of the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention is the length from the bottom of the annular groove portion to the tip of the annular rib. That is, by providing the annular groove portion, it is possible to increase the length of the annular rib from its base to tip while reducing the protrusion amount from the pad surface. Thus, even when the deformation amount of the annular rib is set to a larger value, it is also possible to reduce the height of the vehicle roof mount antenna.
Next, change characteristics of the pressing force of the annular rib of the vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention relative to the deformation amount thereof will be described with reference to
As is clear from
Since the pressing force of the annular rib against the vehicle roof is smaller as compared to that of the annular rib of the conventional vehicle roof mount antenna, it is possible to reduce the deformation of the vehicle roof as compared to the case where the conventional vehicle roof mount antenna is used. Further, it is possible to set the deformation amount of the annular rib to a larger level than in the case where an annular rib of the conventional vehicle roof mount antenna is used, thereby preventing the annular rib from being separated from the vehicle roof, with the result that satisfactory waterproofness and dustproofness can be ensured.
The vehicle roof mount antenna according to the present invention is not limited to the examples shown by the drawings, but various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the number of the annular ribs and the annular groove portions to be provided in the pad may be increased. Further, the shapes of the annular rib or arrangement positions of the annular rib shown in the examples described above may be combined in various ways.
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