CA1234620A - Electrical signal separating device having isolating and matching circuitry - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT
ELECTRICAL SIGNAL SEPARATING DEVICE HAVING
ISOLATING AND MATCHING CIRCUITRY
An electrically heatable window of a motor vehicle can be used as an efficient VHF receiving aerial. Isolating circuitry, which may include one or more bifilar coils (L1, L2) is used to separate RF signals from the heater D.C. power supply circuit, and matching circuitry is used to match the window heating element to an aerial input impedance of an aerial feeder circuit of the radio receiver. In one embodiment, the matching circuitry (L3, C5) is such as to give series resonance near the centre of the VHF
band. In a second embodiment the matching circuitry (L1, Ca) is such as to give parallel resonance near the centre of the VHF band. In a third embodiment the matching circuitry (L1, C1, L3, C2) is such as to give resonance in two passbands near the centre of the VHF band. The third embodiment can be used for transmitting as well as receiving.

Description

- 1 - 9L~3~6~

ELECTRICAL SIGNAL SEPARATING DEVICE HAVING ISOLA~ING
AND MATCHING CIRC~ITRY
- BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of electrical 5. signal separating devices or isolating and matching devices which are utilised to enable a heating element means of an Plectrically heatable window, i.e. a motor vehicle heated rear window Idefroster) unit not designed specifically to be an antenna or aerial and essentially aperiodic and 10. non-resonant at RF frequencies, to be used as an efficient radio frequency transmitting or receiving aerial, while permitting the window unit to be used simultaneously (if so desired) for a heating (demisting) purpose.
Xropielnicki U.S. Patent 4,086,594 discloses a device 15. in the field of the present invention and provides an electrical signal separating device for separating a radio signal from the heating current of an electrically heated window, and includes the usage of an isolating or blocking circuit which comprises two mutually coupled coils arranged 20. so as to providehigh impedance paths forin~phase fluctuating currents but low resistance paths for currents flowing from a motor vehicle d.c. power supply, whereby the mutually coupled coil arrangement effectively blocks the radlo fre-quency signals while passing the Gurrent from the d.c.
power supply to the heating element, such referenced device 25. being used to enable a heated rear window of a motor vehicle to be used as a radio aerial and for heating purposes.

- 2 - ~3~

Another device in the field of the present invention is Kropielnicki U.S. Patent NoO 4,422,077 the disclosure of which provides an improvement of the above-referenced prior Kropielnicki U.S. Patent.
5. Such improvement relates to enabling th~ use of a motor vehicle electrically heated window as a transmitting or receiving aerial at AM or VHF/FM wavelengths, and includes matching and tuning circuitry being operative to effectively match the impedance of the window heating element to an 10. aerial feeder circuit of a transmitter so that efficient VHF transmission, from the motor vehicle electrically heated window of signals receiv~d at an aerial input terminal, is effected; this disclosed improvement further incorporating, in combination, isolating circuitry comprising mutually 15. coupled coils.
The present invention provides further advantageous and improved embodiments in this field of invention and ~urther provides specific improvements of the devices disclosed in the above-referenced U.S. Patents, which 20. improvements pertain, in particular, to improved isolating and/or matching circuitry embodiments which have significant advantages over the prior art recited hereinabove.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF T~E INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, novel isolating and matching devices are provided to enable a 25. heating element of a motor vehicle electrically heatable window not designed specifically to be an antenna or aerial and essentially aperiodic and non-resonant at RF

~;23~6~

frequencies, to be used as either an efficient receiving aerial or transmitting aerial in the VHF band.
More specifically, the present inven-tion provides specific improved embodiments which are defined and dis-tinctly set forth hereinafter as VHF matching devices of a series, shunt, or split passband kind or type Accordingly, in a first aspect of the invention, a Series VHF Matching embodiment is provided wherein the match ing circuitry thereof includes input circuit means, oper-atively connected with isolating circuitry and said heating element, which is operable to bring the heating element to series resonance near the center of the VHF band; whereby, via this disclosed isolating and matching device, the motor vehicle electrically heatable window forms together with such input circuit means a series resonance in the VHF band and becomes usable as an efficient VHF receiving aerial. Further provided in such matching circuitry is a parallel resonant circuit means directly coupled with such input circuit means to form therewith a near-optimum matching circuit.
A second aspect of the invention is provided by a Shunt VHF Matching embodiment, which includes matching cir-cuitry having an input circuit means operatively connected with isolating circuitry and the heating element of a motor vehicle electrically heatable window and is operable with an inductance of the isolating circuitry to bring the heating element to resonance near the center of the VHF band; where-by, via such isolating and matching device, a motor vehicle electrically heatable window forms together with such input 6~

circuit means A parallel resonant means in the VHF band and becomes usable as an efficient VHF receiving aerial. Further included in such matching circuitry is a parallel resonant circuit means operable with the beforementioned input circuit means and isolating circuitry and heating element to form therewith a VHF broad-band matching characteristic circuit.
A third aspect of the invention provides a Split Passband Matching embodiment, which affords an isolating and matching device having circuit means for providing two VHF
passbands, one centered on a predetermined VHF transmit fre-quency and the other centered on a predetermined VHF receive frequency; whereby, via such isolating and matching device, a motor vehicle electrically heatable window becomes usable as an efficient VHF transmitting and/or receiving aerial. In this embodiment, isolating circuit means includes means to bring a heating element to parallel resonance near the center of the VHF band, and matching circuit means is provided which includes series resonator means to produce a series resonance near the center of the VHF band, second series resonator means operable to produce a second series resonance near the center of the VHF band and circuit means for providing two VHF passbands and including two series resonant means, one being series resonant at a predetermined VHF transmit fre-quency and the other being series resonant at a predetermined VHF receive frequency, such two series resonant means being connected in parallel with each other and connected between the beforementioned second series resonator means and an aerial feeder circuit of a transmit/receive unit~

3~
With respect to the above-described embodiments, a more full and clear explanation will be had by reference to the hereinbelow described drawings of the inven-tion and the following detailed description of the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a simplified block diagram of the Series VHF Matching embodiment;
FIG. 2 depicts a detailed schematic diagram of the Series VHF Matching embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in block 10diagram form;
FIG. 3 shows a simplified block diagram of the Shunt VHF Matching embodiment;
FIG. 4 depicts a detailed schematic diagram of the Shunt VHF Matching embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in block 15diagram form;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the Split Passband Matching embodiment, and FIG. 6 shows a modified isolating circuit inductor.
Referring first to FIG. 1, there is illustrated 20therein a Series VHF Matching embodiment of the present invention.
For the sake of convenience, the operation of the device depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described herein-after in four sections.
25Signal Frequency input and matching circuit~ A
motor vehicle electrically heated window and its heating element (not shown) are isolated from a motor vehicle D.C.
power supply means, connectable at the top of C3, at signal frequencies of interest by two bi-filar coil circuit means Ll 3~

and L2, which may be bifilar chokes. Ll has a ferrite rod core and is substantially or approximately self-resonant in the VHF range, while L2 comprises a ferrite pot core and pro-vides a high impedance at frequencies in the AM band.
Capacitor C3 provides further decoupling of the depicted heater supply line connected at the top of the same.
Capacitors Cl and C2 effectively couple the depicted two paths to the terminal leads of a window heater element in parallel at signal frequencies. Components L3, C5, together with the leakage inductance of a tapped coil L4, are arranged to bring the electrically heatable window and/or its heating element to series resonance near the center of the VHF band.
This series resonant characteristic, together with a parallel-resonant circuit L4-C7, form a near-optimum matching circuit which couples the terminal leads of the heating ele-ment to the input of a VHF amplifier circuit means designated TR2. Component C5, connected in series between L3 and tapped coil L4, has a compromise value and operates to effectively block AM signals from the VHF amplifier input and, in this regard, a small value is desired to reduce the capacitance loading of the depicted AM amplifier input, but an exces-sively low value would increase the reactance slope of the series resonance at VHF and reduce the obtainable bandwidth and performance. The impedance characteristic of Ll is such that VHF signals are effectively blocked, but AM signals are freely passed and are coupled to AM amplifier means TR3 by capacitor C4.
VHF amplifier. Junction FET TR2 operates in a .
grounded-gate circuit at signal frequency, bypassing being provided by capacitor C~. The source S of TR2 is directly 3~6~
coupled to a beforementioned input matching circuit or, as shown, in FIG. 2, to the junction of L4-C7. The drain D is coupled to the RF output circuit line having an aeriaL ter-minal (not shown) for connection to an aerial feeder circuit of a radio receiver, by inductor L5, which resonates with the drain capacitance, together with strays, near VHF band-center and provides near optimum matching between the impedance of the cable feeding and connected to a radio receiver, an exemplary impedance being 100 Q, and the drain of FET TR2.
Capacitor C9 blocks the amplifier supply voltage at the drain from the RF signal output line, the amplifier supply voltage being connected to the circuit at the depicted +12 V point at the right-hand side of L8.
AM band amplifier. Bi-polar transistor TR3 acts as an emitter-follower stage, its base being connected to AM in-put coupling capacitor C4 via resistor Rl while its output is coupled from its emitter to the RF output line connection to a radio receiver via blocking capacitor C10 and ferrite in-ductor or choke L67. L7 is a self-resonant in the VHF range and effectively prevents the low output impedance of AM
amplifier TR3 from loading the output of VHF amplifier TR2.
The reactance of VHF OlltpUt capacitor C9 is sufficiently high in the AM range to block AM signals from entering the VHF
amplifier drain supply. Resistor Rl serves to prevent high frequency parasitic oscillations in the AM amplifier circuit and Rl could be replaced by two separate resistors connected in series with each other for convenience in a printed cir-cuit board layout of this circuit, the values of such series connected resistors being 47 Qeach.
Bias-supply circuits. In order to reduce the sen-sitivity of the operating parameters of the unit depicted in L6~
Figs. 1 and 2, to supply voltage variations and to fet par-ameter variations, the section of this circuit centred on zener diode Dl and transistor TRl, together with associated resistors R5 and R3, act to provide a stable bias-supply vol-tage which is connected to the gate of TR2 and to the base of TR3, via R4, with a current source being connected to the source S of TR2. Negligible variations of the operating par-ameters of the depicted amplifier circuits occur within the normal range of supply voltage variations experienced in a motor vehicle. Noise and interference possibly occurring with the power supply voltage, supplied at the depicted point from a motor vehicle d.c. power supply or other appropriate source, is rejected by filter components L8, a ferrite in-ductor, and Cll. Zener diode D3 provides protection from possible large voltage transients and reverse polarity con-nections on the supply voltage. Further with respect to filter components L8 and Cll, the produced filtered supply voltage therefrom is connected directly to the collector of AM amplifier TR3 and, via VHF ferrite inductor or choke L6, to the drain D of TR2. Two further protective devices are incorporated in the circuit embodiment of Figure 2, namely, a neon tube element and diode D2, which are connected as shown in order to give protection in the event o~ static discharge occurring at the heater element of a motor vehicle electric-ally heatable window unit during any individual or simul-taneous operation or function thereof.
With respect to the above-described isolating circuit means of this embodiment, this includes mutually coupled coils which may comprise a bifilar winding, a toroidal or U-shaped core wound with two identical mutually 1~3~6~2~
coupled coils. Other modifications and variations of the depicted isolating circuitry may now become apparent to those skilled in the art and, for example, a mutually coupled coil circuit means could be substituted for bifilar component L2 in a closed magnetic circuit form.
Accordingly, the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 enables a heating element of a motor vehicle electrically heatable window, not designed specifically to be an antenna or aerial and essentially aperiodic and non-resonant at RF
frequencies, to become usable as an efficient VHF receiving aerial, and to afford reception of AM signals by an appro-priate receiver.
Ll and L2 are depicted as ferrite-cored bifilar coil arrangements, one having a ferrite rod core and the other having a ferrite pot core, as set forth above.
Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, a Shunt VHF Match-ing embodiment is shown therein. A most significant aspect of the Shunt Matching embodiment, as compared to the Series Matching embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, is the mod-ified form of the VHF matching circuitry and its connectionto and with the isolating circuitry. Depending on the dimen-sions and detailed arrangement of a motor vehicle electric-ally heatable window unit, and on the frequency range of a desired VHF band of interest, it may be more convenient to operate a motor vehicle electrically heatable window unit, used as an antenna, as a parallel resonant circuit when incorporating it in the overall matching circuit. In this regard, bifilar inductor Ll is arranged in parallel with the window heater via its terminal leads to achieve resonance in the center of the VHF band.
For the sake of convenience, the operation of the - 1 o - ~L~3~

device depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 will be described herein-after in four sections.
Signal frequency input and matching _ circuit.
Depending on the dimensions and detailed arrangement of a motor vehicle electrically heated window unit and its con-venience in relation to the pattern of the heater element, i.e., the size, shape, and position of the window unit and its heating element on a specific vehicle, it is, as stated above, more convenient to operate the window unit as a paral-lel resonant circuit. To this end, the inductance of bifilarcoil means Ll, together with the reactance of 68 pF capacitor Ca, are arranged and connected with each other and the window heater unit to bring the same to resonance near the center of the VHF band. Capacitor Ca is a compromise in its value design since too small a value will result in increased susceptance slope and loss of bandwidth/performance in the VHF band; and, a large value for this capacitor will jeopardize AM performance. For the sake of explanation, it may be stated that the above-described operation of Ll and Ca produce a parallel resonance near VHF band center, which is formed at the heater terminal lead connections. This paral-lel resonance is coupled by capacitor C5 to a second parallel resonance circuit means L4-C7 in such a way that a broad-band matching characteristic is formed. The actual values of the beforementioned components Ll, L4, C5 and C7 and Ca may vary depending upon the vehicle model and/or the shape and size of -the electrically heatable window unit.
V~F amplifier. Junction FET T2 operates in a grounded-gate circuit at a signal frequency, bypassing of the same being provided by capacitor C8. The source S of T2 is directly coupled to the beforementioned components of the matching circuitry and, in particular, to tapped coil L4. The drain of T2 is coupled to the RF output circuit line, which includes an aerial terminal (not shown), by ferrite inductor L5, which resonates with the drain capacitance, together with 5 strays, near VHF band-center and effectively provides near optimum matching between the impedance of the cable feeding a radio receiver, or the impedance of an aerial feeder circuit of the same, which could be approximately 100~, and the drain of T2. Capacitor C9 blocks the amplifier supply voltage at the drain side of T2 from the RF signal output circuit line, such amplifier supply voltage being inputted as shown in FIG.

4 at a 12 volt connection point to the right-side of L8.
AM band amplifier. FET T3 acts as a source fol-lower stage, its gate G being connected to input coupling capacitor C4 via reslstor Rl, while its output, drain side D, is coupled from its Source to the RF output connector line via a blocking capacitor C10 and a ferrite inductor L7, which may be a choke. L7 is self-resonant in the VHF range and effectively prevents the low output impedance of AM amplifier means T3 from loading the output of VHF amplifier means T2.
The reactance of VHF output capacitor C9 is sufficiently high in the low frequency AM range to block AM signals from enter-ing the VHF amplifier T2 drain supply. Resistor Rl serves to prevent the occurrence of high frequency parasitic oscil-25 lations in the AM amplifier circuit of T3.
Bias-supply circuits. In order to reduce the sensitivity of the operating parameters of the depicted embodiment to supply voltage variations and to FET parameter - 12 - ~ ~3~

variations, the section of the circui~ centred on zener diode Dl and bi-polar transistor T1, together with associatedresistors R3 and R5, act to provide a stable bias voltage supply, which is connected to the gates of T2 and T3, with a current source

5. being connected to the source S of T2, as shown in Figure 4.
Negligible variations of the operating parameters of the depicted amplifier circuits occur within the normal range of supply voltage variations experienced in a motor vehicle. Noise and interference on the motor vehicle d.c. power supply, or an 10. equivalent amplifier supply voltage means, is rejected by filter components L8 and C11. Zener diode D3 provides protection from possible large voltage transients and reverse polarity connections on the amplifier supply voltage. The filtered amplifier supply voltage is connected, as shown, to AM amplifier 15. means T3, and via VHF ferrite inductor or choke L6, to the drain D of VHF amplifier T2. A further protective device is incorporated, this being diode D2 to give protection in the event of a static discharge occurring at or within the elec-trically heated window unit and its heating element, during 20. the operation of the same.
Accordingly, the shunt matching embodiment depicted in Figures 3 and 4 provides: isolating circuitry effectively coupled in parallel with terminal leads of a heating element of a motor vehicle electrically heatable window and also connected 25- to a motor vehicle d.c. power supply, which circuitry is operable to permit passage of heating current from the power supply to the heating element while isolating or blocking passage of RF
signals from the heating element to the power supply; matching - 13 - ~ ~3~

circuitry operable to effectively match the impedance of the heating element to an aerial input impedance of an aerial feeder circuit of a receiver device to thereby effect ef~icient VHF signal reception, such matching circuitry having an input 5. circuit means Ca, operatively connected with isolating circuitry and the heating element and operable with an inductance of the isolating circuitry to bring the heating element to resonance near the center of the VHF band, whereby, the motor vehicle electrically heatable window forms together with such input 10. circuit means a parallel resonant means in the VHF band and becomes usable as an efficient VHF receiving aerial; matching circuitry including a parallel resonance circuit means operable with the beforementioned inputcircuitmeans,isolatingcircuitry and heating element, to form therewith a VHF broad-band matching 15. characteristic circuit; isolating circuitry including biilar coil circuit means and, as shown, two bifilar coil arrangements, one (L1) being air-cored, and the other (L2) haviny a ferrite pot core; VHF band amplifier means connected with the before-mentioned parallel resonance circuit means; AM band amplifier 20. means to afford reception of AM signals by a receiver device;
and, bias-supply circuit means for both the VHF band and AM
band amplifier means.
Varia~ions and modifications of the shunt matching embodiment will now become apparent to those skilled in the 5. art and, in this regard, the isolating circuitry c~uld include mutually coupled coils which may comprise a bifilar winding, a toroidal or U-shaped core wound with two identical mutually Coupled coils, which type o~ device could be substituted for L2, in a closed magnetic circuit.

- 14 - ~ ~3~

As set forth above, both the series and shunt VHF matching embodiments include matching circuitry means which operate to effectively match the impedance of a motor vehicle electrically heatable window heating element to an aerial input impedance of an aerial feeder circuit of a radio receiver, to thereby effect efficient VHF signal reception. Further in this regard, the VHF band amplifier means of each of these embodiments also serves to accomplish this purpose in the manner in which the operation of the same has been described hereinabove. The VHF
10. amplifying transistor is chosen for its low noise factor and the matching circuit is designed to present a source impedance to this device which is as close as possible to its optimum low-noise source impedance.
It will be noted that for the sake of clarity in under-15. standing the similarities and differences of the shunt matchingand series matching embodiments, functionally equivalent components of the same have been designated like component enumerations in Figures 4 and 2, respectively.
~ith further regard to Figure 4, the following is provided 20. to set forth component value designations and descriptions, as designed for the depicted embodiment:
Ll 4~4 turns, 9.5mm diameter, 1.6mm wire;
L2 10-1/2~10-1/2 turns in 3Omm ferrite pop core, 1.4mm wire, 1.2-1.~mH;
25. L4 4-~4 turns r 0.5mm wire, 6mm diameter;

L5 8 turns-resonant at 98 MHz in circuit;
L6 16 turns-self-resonant at 98 MHz in circuit;
L8 lmH choke inductor.

The abo~e values are specific for a particular model.

- 15 - ~23 ~6 ~

The hereinaboVe set forth embodiments for series matching and shunt matching and, in particular, their respective matching circuit arrangements, could, in principle, be used to couple a window heater antenna to a VHF transmitter/receiver unit, 5. provided that the required overall bandwidth is not excessive.
However, it should be recognised that satisfactory/efficient operation of a VHF transmitter may normally demand a better quality of match than that which may be acceptable for a receiver. Thus, depending on the natural resona~ce of the 10. heater antenna (and its connecting leads to the matching circuit) at the frequency band of interest, and on the separation of the VHF transmit and receive frequencies, it may prove difficult to achieve satisfactory and efficient performance if a matching device or circuitry having a single passband is employed. The 15. hereinbefore set forth series matching embodiment may be used for a window element that is naturally series-resonant and the disclosed shur.t matching embodiment may be used with window elements which is naturally shunt-resonant over the VHF band.
In both cases, the embodiments have been designed for abroad-band 20.VHF reception of approximately 88-108MHz, and an AM broadcast band of 0.15-1.6MHz.
With respect to the possible difficulty in achieving satis-factory/efficient performance of matching circuitry having a single passband, a third aspect of the invention is provided 25. in Figure 5 which depicts a split passband matching embodiment.
Referring to Figure 5, the depicted embodimen~ provides an isolating and matching device having two passbands which may be designed to give improved performance in the neighbourhood Of relatively widely separated transmit and receive frequencies, i ~ 6~6~
i .- - 16 -i.e. 82 and 98 MHz, as in the present example. In this embodiment, an isolating circuit means L1l which comprises an air-cored bifilar inductor device, provides a path for the ~ window heater supplied power from a motor vehicle d.c. power ¦ ~.supply or demister power supply means, and such isolating circuit means is also designed to bring the heating element of the window heater to parallel resonance near the center of the VHF band. Such bifilar arrangement may also be designed to ~ring the heating element to parallel resonanc~ near the center lO.or mean frequency of two predetermined transmit and receive irequencies. _ _ . /

- 17 - ~3~ 3 Capacitor C1, together with lead and stray inductance, forms a series resonator means at such center frequency, as does a second series resonator means comprising L3-C2. The effect of the parallel resonance mentioned above, acting with the latter-mentioned series resonant characteristic, is designed to provide and produces a parallel resonant charac-teris-tic in the region of a transmit frequency and also in the region of a receive frequency, which frequencies may be predetermined.
Circuits L4-C3 and L5-C4, which are connected in parallel with each other and connected between the second series resonator means L3-C2 and an aerial terminal (not shown) for connection to an aerial feeder circuit of a transmit/receive unit, provide a series resonant characteristic at each of two frequencies, one or transmission and the other for reception. The transmit/receive unit may be a two-way VHF
communications transceiver device and, with further regard to circuits L4-C3 and L5-C4, one is designed to be series reson-ant at a predetermined VHF transmit frequency and the other is designed to be series resonant at a predetermined V~F
receive frequency. For example, L4--C3 may be designed to be series resonant at 82 MHz for transmit, and L5-C4 may be designed to be series resonant at 98 MHz for receive, as in the present example. The overall characteristic of this circuit embodiment may be designed to give near-optimum matching over two passbands, one centered on a predetermined transmit frequency and the other centered on a predetermined receive frequency.
Accordingly, the split passband matching embodiment of FIG. 5 provides: isolating circuit means operable to per-mit passage of heating current from a power supply to a heat-ing element of a motor vehicle electrically hea-table window while isolating or blocking passage of RF signals from such heating element to the power supply, and this isolating circuit means is also operable in a matching circuit function to bring the window/heating element to parallel resonance near the center of the VHF band; an isolating and matching device having circuit means foi providing two VHF passbands, one centered on a predetermined VHF transmit frequency and the other centered on a predetermined VHF receive frequency, whereby, a motor vehicle electrically heatable window becomes usable as an efficient VHF transmitting and/or receiving aerial; and, matching circuit means including a first series resonator means to produce a series resonance near the center of the VHF band, a second series resonator means connected with said first series resonator means and operable to produce a second series resonance near the center of the VHF
band, circuit means for providing two VHF passbands and two series resonant means included in the circuit means for providing two VHF passbands, one being series resonant at a predetermined VHF transmit frequency and the ohter being series resonant at a predetermined receive frequency; and, wherein the beforementioned parallel resonance acting with the first and/or second series resonance operates to provide a parallel resonance characteristic in the region of a predetermined VHF transmit frequency and in the region of a predetermined VHF receive frequency.
Summarily, the Split Passband Matching embodiment provides an isolating and matching device which is designed to be operable to provide near-optimum matching over two VHF
pass-bands, one for transmission of VHF signals and the other for reception of VHF signals; and, depending on the component and ~ 3~3~ ~

element values which arise when a scheme of this type is applied or designed for a particular window heater-antenna structure, it may be desirable to introduce impedance transformations and other circuit modifications.
5. It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiments which are described by way of example only.
Thus, for example, AM performance canbe improvedbyexploiting the existing voltage follower stage shown in Figure 2.
10. The input impedance to this stage is high, largel~v governed in this case by the 10~ input bias resistor (R4 in Figure 2).
The AM output at the bifilar coil can therefore be stepped up without severe loading by the emitter follower input.
As shown in Figure 6~ an extra coil is wound on the bifilar 15. winding to produce an auto transformer effect stepping up the AM
voltage presented to the base of the emitter follower. This extra coil is of fine wire (around 0.15mm). The number of turns may vary depending upon the specific circumstances but step up ratios 1:1.5 to 1:2.5 can be considered. An extra coil of 9.5 20- turns will produce a ratio of 1.2 giv:ing a theoretical improvement in signal of about 6dB.
Moreover, although Figures 1 and 2 show an emitter follower AM amplifier with a series-matched embodiment and Figures 3 and ~ show an AM source follower with a shunt-matched embodiment it 25- is to be understood ~hat the opposite arrangements could also be Used (e.g. an AM source follower with a series VHF matching circuit.
Yet further, references to AM and FM as used herein are to g ;2;~6~2~

be construed as convenient references to frequency ranges i.e.
' resPectivelY low/medium frequencies and high/VHF land possibly t even VHF) frequencies- No restriction is necessarily intended on the modulation method used.
With the above described embodiments, in each case it will be understood that an efficient VHF aerial is achieved using a conventional heated window. No physical modification is required.
The adaptation for VHF purposes is achieved electronically ~6ing the isolating and matching circuitry which is connected to the visual input leads of the heating element and can be mounted at any suitable position alongside the window.

ll

Claims (14)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. An isolating and matching device to enable a heating element of a motor vehicle electrically heatable window, not designed specifically to be an aerial and essentially aperiodic and non-resonant at RF frequencies, to be used as a receiving aerial, said device having input leads for connection to a motor vehicle D.C. power supply, output leads for connection to said heating element, an aerial terminal for connection to an aerial feeder circuit of a receiver, isolating circuitry coupled with said input and output leads and operable to permit passage of D.C. power from said input leads to said output leads while isolating or blocking passage of RF signals from said output leads to said input leads, and aerial matching circuitry interposed between said output leads and said aerial terminal characterised in that said matching circuitry is operable to effectively match the impedance of the said heating element to an aerial input impedance of the said aerial feeder circuit thereby to effect efficient VHF signal reception.

2. A device according to claim 1 characterised in that said matching circuitry comprises input circuitry (L3, C5) connected with said isolating circuitry (L1, L2) and to said output leads and operable to bring the said heating element to series resonance near the centre of the VHF band.

3. A device according to claim 1 characterised in that said matching circuitry comprises inout circuitry (L1, Ca) incorporating an inductance (L1) of the said isolating circuitry (L1, L2) and operable to bring the said heating element to parallel resonance near the centre of the VHF band.

4. A device according to claim 2 characterised in that said matching circuitry further includes a parallel resonant circuit (L4, C7).

5. A device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterised in that said isolating circuitry includes at least one bifilar coil (L1, L2).

6. A device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterised in that said isolating circuitry includes a toroidal or U-shaped core wound with two mutually coupled coils of equal but opposite polarity.

7. A device according to claim 4, characterised in that a VHF
band amplifier (TR2, FET T2) is connected with said parallel resonant circuit (L4, C7).

8. A device according to claim 7, characterised in that an AM
band amplifier (TR3, FET T3) is also provided to afford reception of AM
signals by said receiver.

9. A device according to claim 8, characterised in that a bias-supply circuit (D1, T1, R3, R5) is provided for said VHF band and AM band amplifier.

10. A device according to claim 1 for use in conjunction with a VHF
transmitter as well as a receiver, characterised in that said matching circuitry comprises a circuit (L1, C1, L3, C2) for providing two VHF
passbands, one centred on a predetermined VHF transmit frequency and the other centred on a predetermined VHF receive frequency.

11. A device according to claim 10, characterised in that an inductor (L1) of said isolating circuit is used to bring the said heating element to parallel resonance near the centre of the VHF band.

12. A device according to claim 10 characterised in that said matching circuit includes a first series resonator (C1), and a second series resonator (L3, C2), operable to produce series resonance near the centre of the VHF band.

13. A device according to claim 12, characterised in that said matching circuit includes series resonant circuits (L4, C3 and L5, C4) for providing two VHF passbands respectively at a predetermined VHF transmit frequency and a predetermined VHF receive frequency.

14. A device according to claim 13, characterised in that said two series resonant circuits (L4, C3, L5, C4) are connected in parallel with each other and connected between said second series resonator (L3, C2) and said aerial feeder circuit.