CN106898856B - Multiband vehicle-mounted antenna assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A multi-band vehicle-mounted antenna assembly. Exemplary embodiments of a multi-band vehicle antenna assembly are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, a multi-band vehicle-mounted antenna assembly generally includes: a chassis; a radome configured to be coupled to the chassis such that the radome and the chassis collectively define an interior space; and an antenna positionable within the interior space. The antenna may include: a substrate; a first antenna element coupled to and/or supported by the substrate; and a second antenna element coupled to and/or supported by the substrate. The first antenna element may be configured to be operable at ground frequencies and/or AM (amplitude modulation), FM (frequency modulation), DAB (digital audio broadcasting), and DMB (digital multimedia broadcasting) frequencies. The second antenna element may be configured to be operable at cellular frequencies and/or 3 rd generation (3G) and 4 th generation (4G) frequencies.

Description

Multiband vehicle-mounted antenna assembly

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to multi-band vehicle antenna assemblies.

Background

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.

Various different types of antennas are used in the automotive industry, including AM/FM radio antennas, satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS) antennas, global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antennas, cellular antennas, and the like. Multiband antenna assemblies are also commonly used in the automotive industry. A multi-band antenna assembly typically includes multiple antennas for covering and operating in multiple frequency ranges.

Automotive antennas may be mounted or installed on a vehicle surface, such as a measured roof, trunk or hood, to help ensure that the antenna has an unobstructed view in the air or in a direction toward the zenith. The antenna may be connected (e.g., via a coaxial cable, etc.) to one or more electronic devices (e.g., a wireless receiver, a touch screen display, a navigation device, a cellular telephone, etc.) within the passenger compartment of the vehicle such that the multi-band antenna assembly is operable to transmit signals to and/or receive signals from the electronic devices within the vehicle.

Disclosure of Invention

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

Exemplary embodiments of a multi-band vehicle antenna assembly are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, a multi-band vehicle-mounted antenna assembly generally includes: a chassis; a radome configured to be coupled to the chassis such that the radome and the chassis collectively define an interior space; and an antenna positionable within the interior space.

The antenna may include: a substrate; a first antenna element coupled to and/or supported by the substrate; and a second antenna element coupled to and/or supported by the substrate. The first antenna element may be configured to be operable at ground frequencies and/or AM (amplitude modulation), FM (frequency modulation), DAB (digital audio broadcasting), and DMB (digital multimedia broadcasting) frequencies. The second antenna element may be configured to be operable at cellular frequencies and/or 3 rd generation (3G) and 4 th generation (4G) frequencies.

The first antenna element may be configured to be operable at AM/FM/DABIII/DMB frequencies. The second antenna element may be configured to be operable at 3G/4G frequencies.

The first antenna element may be configured to be operable at frequencies from about 535 kilohertz (kHz) to about 1605kHz, from about 88 megahertz (MHz) to about 108MHz, from about 174MHz to about 240MHz, and from about 174MHz to about 216 MHz. The second antenna element may be configured to be operable at frequencies from about 698MHz to about 960MHz and from about 1710MHz to about 2690 MHz.

The substrate may include a printed circuit board having first and second opposing sides. The first antenna element may comprise a helical antenna element extending along and through a portion of the printed circuit board. The second antenna element may include a conductive trace along the first side of the printed circuit board.

The helical antenna element may comprise a plurality of rectangular coils. The conductive trace may include a plurality of vertical sections that are generally parallel to each other and a plurality of horizontal sections that are generally parallel to each other and generally perpendicular to the vertical sections. The printed circuit board may have a height of about 50 millimeters, a width of about 40 millimeters, and a thickness of about 3.2 millimeters.

The radome may have a shark fin structure. And, the multi-band vehicle antenna assembly may be a shark fin antenna assembly.

The multi-band vehicle-mounted antenna assembly is configured to be mounted to a body wall of a vehicle.

The multiband vehicle-mounted antenna assembly is configured to be placed and fixedly mounted to a vehicle body wall after being inserted into a mounting hole of the vehicle body wall from an outside of the vehicle and being clamped from an inside of a cabin.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Drawings

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle antenna assembly according to an exemplary embodiment, including an AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna in an interior space defined by or between a base or chassis and a radome or cover having a shark fin structure;

fig. 2 is a perspective view of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna shown in fig. 1;

fig. 3 is a view of a first side of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna shown in fig. 1 and 2;

fig. 4 is a view of an opposite second side of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna shown in fig. 2 and 3;

fig. 5 is a diagram of a side edge of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna shown in fig. 2, 3 and 4, and shows an example thickness dimension in millimeters (mm);

fig. 6 is another view of the first side of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna shown in fig. 3, and shows example height and width dimensions in millimeters (mm);

fig. 7 is a graph of cellular antenna return loss (S1, 1) in decibels (dB) versus frequency in gigahertz (GHz) for the computer simulation model of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna shown in fig. 2-6;

fig. 8 is a graph of cellular antenna Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) versus frequency (GHz) for a computer simulation model of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna shown in fig. 2-6;

fig. 9 shows the radiation patterns of the cellular antenna gains (total) at theta=90°, at 0.69GHz, 0.96GHz, 1.71GHz and 2.69GHz for the computer simulation model of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna shown in fig. 2 to 6 on a one meter diameter ground plane;

fig. 10 is a graph of FM antenna return loss (S2, 2) in decibels (dB) versus frequency (GHz) in gigahertz for a computer simulation model of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna shown in fig. 2-6;

fig. 11 is a graph of FM antenna VSWR versus frequency (GHz) for a computer simulation model of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna shown in fig. 2-6; and

fig. 12 shows radiation patterns of FM antenna gains (total) at theta=90°, at 0.086GHz, 0.093GHz, 0.098GHz, 0.103GHz and 0.108GHz for computer simulation models of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antennas shown in fig. 2 to 6 on a one meter diameter ground plane.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Detailed Description

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The inventors of the present invention realized that many OEM (original equipment manufacturer) customers want small-sized AM/FM/3G/4G shark fin vehicle antenna assemblies. However, the vehicle antenna commonly used for receiving AM/FM/3G/4G signals is a whip antenna or a glass antenna. The inventors of the present invention have thus recognized a need for a small-sized shark fin in-vehicle antenna assembly operable with terrestrial signals, frequencies or frequency bands (e.g., AM (amplitude modulation), FM (frequency modulation), DAB (digital audio broadcasting), DMB (digital multimedia broadcasting), etc.), as well as cellular signals, frequencies or frequency bands (e.g., third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), etc.).

Having appreciated the above, the inventors developed and disclosed herein exemplary embodiments of a multi-band vehicle antenna assembly or system including a relatively small antenna operable at ground frequencies and cellular frequencies (the antenna may be integrated or included in a shark fin antenna type). In an exemplary embodiment, the antenna may operate at AM, FM, DABIII, DMB, 3G and 4G frequencies. In such exemplary embodiments, the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna and/or the vehicle antenna assembly including these antennas may provide or have one or more (but not necessarily any or all) of the following features, such as good electrical antenna performance (e.g., better than some existing antennas, etc.), better appearance, smaller shape, relatively low component cost, relatively low manufacturing process cost, relatively simple or uncomplicated structure, and/or relatively simple or uncomplicated manufacturing process that allows for lower manufacturing cost.

Exemplary embodiments include an antenna configured to receive AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G signals. The antenna may be included in a multi-band vehicle-mounted shark fin antenna assembly configured for mounting to a vehicle body wall. The antenna includes antenna elements or electrical conductors (e.g., conductive traces, conductive lines, other conductive materials, etc.) on or along first and second (or opposite) sides of a substrate or board (e.g., printed Circuit Board (PCB) material including FR4 composite material, etc.).

For example, the antenna may include a first antenna element or electrical conductor including conductive traces (e.g., copper, etc.) on or along (e.g., etched along, etc.) first and second opposite sides of the PCB. The conductive traces on or along the first side of the PCB may be electrically connected or interconnected to the conductive traces on or along the second side of the PCB (e.g., by plated through holes or vias, etc.) such that the conductive traces are disposed (e.g., wrapped, around, spiral, coiled, etc.) around portions of the PCB and define helical antenna elements (e.g., rectangular coils or spirals, etc.) extending along portions of the length or height of the PCB. During operation of the antenna, the conductive trace may operate as a monopole antenna and/or may define an inductive loading portion of an AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna.

The conductive traces on or along the first and second sides of the PCB may be configured to be operable at AM/FM frequencies (e.g., AM band from 535 kilohertz (kHz) to 1605kHz and FM band from 88MHz to 108MHz, etc.) and DABIII/DMB frequencies (e.g., DABIII band from 174MHz to 240MHz and DMB band from 174MHz to 216MHz, etc.). The conductive traces on or along the first and second sides of the PCB may be used for both the corresponding AM/FM frequencies and DABIII/DMB frequencies.

The antenna may also include a second antenna element or electrical conductor comprising a conductive material (e.g., a conductive planar, flat and/or sheet-like material, conductive traces, etc.) along the first side of the PCB. The second antenna element may also be used as a monopole antenna during operation. The second antenna element may be configured to be operable at 3G and 4G frequencies (e.g., from about 698MHz to about 960MHz, and from about 1710MHz to about 2690MHz, etc.).

In some exemplary embodiments, the multi-band vehicle antenna assembly includes one or more additional antennas operable within one or more frequency bands other than the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G frequency bands. For example, the multi-band vehicle-mounted shark fin antenna assembly may be configured to function as a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna assembly operable within AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G frequency bands via AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antennas (e.g., 104, etc.) disclosed herein and operable within one or more other frequency bands associated with, for example, cellular communications, wi-Fi, DSRC (dedicated short range communications), satellite signals, terrestrial signals, remote Keyless Entry (RKE), etc. For example, the multi-band vehicle-mounted shark fin antenna assembly may include one or more antennas operable as MIMO, LTE (long term evolution) cellular antennas. Additionally or alternatively, the multi-band vehicle-mounted shark fin antenna assembly may include one or more satellite antennas, such as a patch antenna (patch antenna) operable with satellite digital audio broadcasting service (SDARS) (e.g., sirius XM satellite broadcasting, etc.), a satellite navigation system patch antenna operable with Global Positioning System (GPS) or global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), etc.

Referring now to the drawings, fig. 1 illustrates an in-vehicle antenna assembly 100 embodying one or more aspects of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1, the vehicle antenna assembly 100 includes an antenna 104, a base or chassis 108, and a radome or cover 112. The antenna 104 is disposed in an interior space defined jointly by or between the base 108 and the radome 112. The radome 112 has a shark fin shape such that the antenna assembly 100 may also be referred to as a shark fin antenna. In alternative embodiments, antenna 104 may be used with other antenna components or systems.

As shown in fig. 2, 3 and 4, the antenna 104 includes a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 114 (broadly, a substrate) having a first side 116 and a second opposite (or oppositely facing) side 118. Antenna 104 includes a plurality of antenna elements (broadly, electrical conductors) along a first side 116 and a second side 118 of PCB 114. For example, PCB114 may include an FR4 composite including a woven fiberglass cloth with an epoxy binder as a flame retardant. Also by way of example, the antenna element may include a conductive trace or wire (e.g., copper, etc.).

The plurality of antenna elements includes a first electrical conductor 120 and a second electrical conductor 124. The first electrical conductor 120 is configured to be operable under ground signals, frequencies or frequency bands (e.g., AM (amplitude modulation), FM (frequency modulation), DAB (digital audio broadcasting), DMB (digital multimedia broadcasting), etc.). The second electrical conductor 124 is configured to be operable at cellular signals, frequencies, or frequency bands (e.g., third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), etc.).

As shown in fig. 2, the first electrical conductor 120 is disposed (e.g., wrapped, around, coiled, etc.) around at least a portion of the PCB 114. The first electrical conductor 120 may include sections or portions (e.g., etched traces) disposed along the first side 116 and the second side 118 of the PCB 114. The first electrical conductor 120 may also include a section or portion that extends through an opening in the PCB 114. In this case, the first electrical conductor 120 may be a single continuous electrical conductor extending along the first and second sides 116, 118 of the PCB114 and through the PCB 114. In alternative embodiments, the first electrical conductor 120 may include separate, discrete, or discrete first and second conductor portions along the respective first and second sides 116, 118 of the PCB114 (e.g., physically and electrically spaced apart from one another such that they do not physically or electrically contact one another, etc.). In such alternative embodiments, the first conductor portion along the first PCB side 116 may be closely, capacitively, or parasitically coupled to the second conductor portion along the second PCB side 118. Alternatively, for example, a first conductor portion along the first PCB side 116 may be electrically connected or interconnected (e.g., by plated vias, through-holes, interconnects, solder within the vias, etc.) to a second conductor portion along the second PCB side 118.

The first electrical conductor 120 may define a helical antenna element (e.g., a rectangular coil or helix, etc.). In the present exemplary embodiment, the first electrical conductor 120 includes a generally parallel linear or straight upwardly inclined section or portion that is connected to a portion or section of the first electrical conductor 120 extending through the PCB114 by a bend point (e.g., a 90 degree bend, etc.). In this example, the first electrical conductor 120 includes 32 sections or portions along each of the left and right sides of the antenna 104 that extend through the PCB114 such that the first electrical conductor 120 defines or includes 32 rectangular coils, loops, or spirals. For example, alternative embodiments may be variously configured with more or less than 32 rectangular coils, loops, spirals, etc.

As shown in fig. 3, the second electrical conductor 124 is disposed along the first side 116 of the PCB 114. The second electrical conductor 124 includes three vertical sections or portions 126, 128, 130 that are generally parallel to one another. The second electrical conductor 124 also includes two horizontal sections or portions 132, 134 that are generally parallel to each other and generally perpendicular to the vertical sections 126, 128, 130. The horizontal section 132 is located between and connects the vertical sections 126, 130. The horizontal section 134 is located between and connects with the vertical sections 126 and 128. In this example, the sections 126, 128, 130, 132, 134 are generally rectangular. Section 126 extends (e.g., linearly, vertically, etc.) between the bottom and top of PCB 114.

During operation, the first electrical conductor or antenna element 120 may define an inductive loading portion of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna 104 along the first side 116 and the second side 118 of the PCB 114. The first electrical conductor 120 and the second electrical conductor 124 (or antenna elements 120, 124) may each operate as a monopole antenna with inductive and capacitive loading. Additionally, in the exemplary embodiment, first electrical conductor 120 and second electrical conductor 124 are not in physical or electrical contact with each other. Conversely, the first electrical conductor 120 and the second electrical conductor 124 may be configured to couple to each other near ground, capacitively, or parasitically.

With continued reference to fig. 2, 3, and 4, the first electrical conductor (or antenna element) 120 includes an end 136 that extends out of the bottom of the PCB 114. The end 136 may be used, for example, as an output or port of the first antenna element 120 for outputting the received AM/FM/DABIII/DMB signal. The second electrical conductor (or antenna element) 124 includes an end 140 that extends out of the bottom of the PCB 114. The end 140 may be used, for example, as an output or port of the second antenna element 124 for outputting the received 3G/4G signal.

As shown in fig. 1, antenna 104 may be coupled (e.g., soldered, etc.) to PCB 144 (fig. 1) such that PCB114 of antenna 104 is substantially perpendicular to PCB 144.PCB 144 may be coupled to chassis 108 by mechanical fasteners or the like. Additionally, the PCB114 of the antenna 104 may include tab portions that extend downward and interconnect within corresponding slots or openings of the PCB 144 to help position and/or couple the PCB114 of the antenna 104 to the PCB 144. The respective ends 136, 140 (fig. 2) of the first and second antenna elements 120, 124 may be electrically connected (e.g., soldered, etc.) to the PCB 144.

Fig. 5 and 6 provide example dimensions in millimeters (mm) for PCB114 of antenna 104. As shown, PCB114 may have a height of about 50mm, a width of about 40mm, a thickness of about 3.2 mm. These dimensions are provided for illustration purposes only, as in other embodiments the antenna 104 may be configured differently (e.g., larger, smaller, different shapes, layout with different traces, etc.).

As shown in fig. 1, the radome 112 may provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the antenna assembly 100, and may be configured (e.g., sized, shaped, configured, etc.) with an aerodynamic configuration. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the radome 112 has an aesthetically pleasing, aerodynamic shark fin profile. However, in other embodiments, the antenna assembly may include a cover having a different configuration than illustrated herein (e.g., having a configuration other than a shark fin profile, etc.). Radome 112 may be formed from a wide range of materials within the scope of the present disclosure, such as, for example, polymers, polyurethanes, plastic materials (e.g., polycarbonate blends, polycarbonate-acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-copolymer (PC/ABS) blends, etc.), fiberglass reinforced plastic materials, synthetic resin materials, thermoplastic materials, etc.

Fig. 7 to 12 provide analysis results of computer simulation models for the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna 104 shown in fig. 2 to 6. The results shown in fig. 7-12 are provided for illustration purposes only and not for limitation. In alternative embodiments, the antennas may be configured differently and may have different operational or performance parameters than those shown in fig. 7-12.

More specifically, fig. 7 is a graph of cellular antenna return loss (S1, 1) in decibels (dB) versus frequency in gigahertz (GHz) for the computer simulation model of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna 104 shown in fig. 2-6. Generally, FIG. 7 shows that antenna 104 has a return loss of-2.5 dB or less/better (such as-2.5536 dB at 698MHz, -5.5303dB at 835MHz, -2.5723dB at 960MHz, -10.4953dB at 1710MHz, -12.6916dB at 2170MHz, -11.8025dB at 2300MHz, -11.4299dB at 2690MHz, etc.) for cellular 3G and 4G frequencies from about 698MHz to about 960MHz and from about 1710MHz to about 2690 MHz.

Fig. 8 is a graph of cellular antenna Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) versus frequency (GHz) for a computer simulation model of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna 104 shown in fig. 2-6. Generally, fig. 8 shows that antenna 104 has a good VSWR of less than 2 (such as 1.8518 at 1710MHz, 1.6040 at 2170MHz, 1.6917 at 2300MHz, 1.7331 at 2690MHz, etc.) for cellular frequencies from about 1710MHz to about 2690 MHz.

Fig. 9 shows the radiation pattern of the cellular antenna gain (total) at theta = 90 deg., frequencies of 0.69GHz, 0.96GHz, 1.71GHz and 2.69GHz for the computer simulation model of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna 104 shown in fig. 2 to 6 over a one meter diameter ground plane. Generally, fig. 9 shows that antenna 104 has good overall gain at theta = 90 ° for cellular 3G and 4G frequencies from about 690MHz to about 960MHz and from about 1710MHz to about 2690 MHz.

Fig. 10 is a graph of FM antenna return loss (S2, 2) in decibels (dB) versus frequency in gigahertz (GHz) for the computer simulation model of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna 104 shown in fig. 2-6. Generally, FIG. 10 shows that antenna 104 has good return loss (such as-0.3308 dB at 86MHz, -2.6086dB at 98MHz, -9.5573dB at 103MHz, and-2.7112 dB at 108MHz, etc.) for FM frequencies from about 86MHz to about 108 MHz.

Fig. 11 is a graph of FM antenna VSWR versus frequency (GHz) for a computer simulation model of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna 104 shown in fig. 2-6. In general, fig. 11 shows that antenna 104 has good VSWR (such as 1.9974 at 103 MHz) for FM frequencies. The antenna 104 also has a VSWR of 1.7563 at 256 MHz.

Fig. 12 shows the radiation patterns of FM antenna gains (total) at theta=90°, at frequencies of 86MHz, 93MHz, 98MHz, 103MHz and 108MHz, 6GHz, 1.71GHz and 2.69GHz for the computer simulation models of the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antennas shown in fig. 2 to 6 on a one meter diameter ground plane. In general, fig. 12 shows that antenna 104 has good overall gain at theta=90° for FM frequencies from about 86MHz to about 108 MHz.

In an exemplary embodiment, the antenna disclosed herein (e.g., antenna 104, etc.) may be integrated into a roof-mounted antenna assembly such that the antenna function, pattern, footprint (footprint), and/or attachment scheme may remain the same or substantially the same, and without significant changes despite having additional antenna functions. For example, the in-vehicle antenna assembly may include an AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna as disclosed herein as well as one or more other different types of antennas (such as one or more of a satellite digital audio broadcasting service (SDARS) antenna, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna, a Wi-Fi antenna, etc.). In this example, the AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G antenna and one or more other antennas may be co-located or mounted on a common base or chassis, and may be positioned under the same radome or cover, which may have a shark fin structure. The in-vehicle antenna assembly may be positioned or mounted on a vehicle surface such as a roof, trunk or hood to help ensure that the antenna has an unobstructed view in the air or in a direction toward the zenith, and to enable the mounting surface of the vehicle to act as the ground plane for the antenna assembly and to improve signal reception. A relatively large size ground plane (e.g., roof, etc.) may improve reception of wireless signals having generally lower frequencies. In addition, the large size of the ground plane is not considered negligible compared to the operating wavelength of the antenna 104. One or more other antennas may be connected (e.g., via coaxial cable, etc.) to one or more electronic devices (e.g., wireless receiver, touch screen display, navigation device, cellular telephone, etc.) within the passenger compartment of the vehicle such that the in-vehicle antenna assembly may be used to transmit signals to and/or receive signals from the electronic devices within the vehicle.

The antennas disclosed herein may be mounted to a wide range of support structures. For example, the antennas disclosed herein may be mounted to supporting structures of buses, trains, planes, bicycles, motorcycles, boats, and other mobile platforms, among other mobile platforms. Accordingly, specific references herein to a motor vehicle or automobile are not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the disclosure to any particular type of support structure or environment.

These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms without the specific details being employed, and that this should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known techniques have not been described in detail. In addition, advantages and improvements that may be realized with one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting to the scope of the present disclosure, as exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may or may not provide all of the above advantages and improvements while still falling within the scope of the present disclosure.

The specific dimensions, specific materials, and/or specific shapes disclosed herein are examples in nature and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure herein of particular values and particular ranges of values for a given parameter does not exclude other values or ranges of values useful in one or more examples disclosed herein. Furthermore, it is contemplated that any two particular values of a particular parameter described herein may define an endpoint of a range of values that may be appropriate for the given parameter (i.e., disclosure of first and second values for the given parameter may be interpreted as disclosing that any value between the first and second values may also be used for the given parameter). For example, if parameter X is exemplified herein as having a value a, and is also exemplified as having a value Z, it is envisioned that parameter X may have a range of values from about a to about Z. Similarly, it is contemplated that the disclosure of two or more ranges of values for a parameter (whether nested, overlapping, or different) encompasses all possible combinations of ranges of values that may be claimed using the endpoints of the disclosed ranges. For example, if parameter X is exemplified herein as having a value in the range of 1-10 or 2-9 or 3-8, it is also contemplated that parameter X may have other ranges including values of 1-9, 1-8, 1-3, 1-2, 2-10, 2-8, 2-3, 3-10, and 3-9.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular may be intended to include the plural as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Unless an order of execution is specifically indicated, the method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as necessarily requiring their execution in the particular order discussed or illustrated herein. It will also be appreciated that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "engaged to," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it can be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements are also interpreted in the same manner (e.g., "between" and "directly between … …", "adjacent … …" and "directly adjacent … …", etc.). As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated items.

The term "about" when applied to a value means some minor inaccuracy (to some extent near the exact value; approximately or reasonably near the value; almost) of calculating or measuring the allowable value. If, for some reason, the imprecision provided by "about" is not otherwise understood in the art with a plain meaning, then "about" as used herein refers to a variation that may be caused at least by the plain method of measuring or utilizing these parameters. For example, the terms "substantially," "about," and "substantially" may be used herein to refer to within manufacturing tolerances. Whether or not modified by the term "about", the claims include equivalents to those amounts.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section could also be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as "within … …," "outside … …," "below … …," "below … …," "below … …," "above … …," "above … …," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. In addition to the orientations depicted in the drawings, the spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "under" or "beneath" other elements or features would then be oriented "over" the other elements or features. Thus, the example term "below" … … can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements, intended or illustrated uses, or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, may be interchanged and used in selected embodiments (even if not explicitly shown or described). The invention can also be modified in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims (8)

1. A multi-band vehicle-mounted antenna assembly, the multi-band vehicle-mounted antenna assembly comprising:

a chassis;

a radome configured to be coupled to the chassis such that the radome and the chassis collectively define an interior space; and

an antenna positionable within the interior space, the antenna comprising:

a substrate;

a first antenna element coupled to and/or supported by the base plate, the first antenna element configured to be operable at ground frequencies and/or amplitude modulation AM, frequency modulation FM, digital audio broadcasting DAB, and digital multimedia broadcasting DMB frequencies; and

a second antenna element coupled to and/or supported by the substrate, the second antenna element configured to be operable at cellular frequencies and/or 3 rd generation 3G and 4 th generation 4G frequencies,

wherein:

the substrate includes a printed circuit board having opposite first and second sides;

the first antenna element includes a helical antenna element extending along and through a portion of the printed circuit board; and

the second antenna element includes a conductive trace along the first side of the printed circuit board.

2. The multi-band vehicle-mounted antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the first antenna element is configured to be operable at AM/FM/DABIII/DMB frequencies; and

the second antenna element is configured to be operable at a 3G/4G frequency.

3. The multi-band vehicle-mounted antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the first antenna element is configured to be operable at frequencies from 535 kilohertz to 1605kHz, 88 megahertz to 108MHz, 174MHz to 240MHz, and 174MHz to 216 MHz; and

the second antenna element is configured to be operable at frequencies from 698MHz to 960MHz and from 1710MHz to 2690 MHz.

4. The multi-band vehicle-mounted antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the helical antenna element comprises a plurality of rectangular coils; and/or

The conductive trace includes a plurality of vertical sections that are substantially parallel to each other, and a plurality of horizontal sections that are substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the vertical sections; and/or

The printed circuit board has a height of 50mm, a width of 40mm and a thickness of 3.2 mm.

5. The multi-band vehicle-mounted antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein: the multiband vehicle-mounted antenna assembly is configured to be placed and fixedly mounted to a body wall of a vehicle after being inserted into a mounting hole of the body wall of the vehicle from an outside of the vehicle and being clamped from an inner cabin side of the vehicle.

6. A shark fin antenna assembly for mounting to a vehicle body wall, the shark fin antenna assembly comprising:

a chassis;

a radome having a shark fin structure, the radome being coupled to the chassis such that the radome and the chassis collectively define an interior space; and

an antenna located within the interior space and configured to be operable at the following frequencies:

AM/FM/DABIII/DMB/3G/4G frequencies; and/or

Frequencies from 535 kHz to 1605kHz, from 88MHz to 108MHz, from 174MHz to 240MHz, from 174MHz to 216MHz, from 698MHz to 960MHz, and from 1710MHz to 2690MHz,

wherein, the antenna includes:

a substrate comprising a printed circuit board having opposed first and second sides;

a first electrical conductor coupled to and/or supported by the substrate, the first electrical conductor configured to be operable at AM/FM/DABIII/DMB frequencies from 535 kHz to 1605kHz, from 88MHz to 108MHz, from 174MHz to 240MHz, and from 174MHz to 216MHz, the first electrical conductor including a helical antenna element extending along and through a portion of the printed circuit board; and

a second electrical conductor coupled to and/or supported by the substrate, the second electrical conductor configured to be operable at 3G/4G frequencies from 698MHz to 960MHz and from 1710MHz to 2690MHz, the second electrical conductor including conductive traces along the first side of the printed circuit board.

7. The shark fin antenna assembly of claim 6, wherein:

the helical antenna element comprises a plurality of rectangular coils; and/or

The conductive trace includes a plurality of vertical sections that are substantially parallel to each other, and a plurality of horizontal sections that are substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the vertical sections; and/or

The printed circuit board has a height of 50mm, a width of 40mm and a thickness of 3.2 mm.

8. The shark fin antenna assembly according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: the shark fin antenna assembly is configured to be placed and fixedly mounted to a body wall of a vehicle after being inserted into a mounting hole of the body wall of the vehicle from an outside of the vehicle and clamped from an interior cabin side of the vehicle.