EP4460871B1 - Antennenmodul für ein fahrzeug - Google Patents

Antennenmodul für ein fahrzeug

Info

Publication number
EP4460871B1
EP4460871B1 EP23707734.2A EP23707734A EP4460871B1 EP 4460871 B1 EP4460871 B1 EP 4460871B1 EP 23707734 A EP23707734 A EP 23707734A EP 4460871 B1 EP4460871 B1 EP 4460871B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
antenna module
antenna
elastic element
board
housing
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Active
Application number
EP23707734.2A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP4460871C0 (de
EP4460871A1 (de
Inventor
Jean-Philippe Bekaert
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Aumovio Germany GmbH
Original Assignee
Continental Automotive Technologies GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Continental Automotive Technologies GmbH filed Critical Continental Automotive Technologies GmbH
Publication of EP4460871A1 publication Critical patent/EP4460871A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP4460871C0 publication Critical patent/EP4460871C0/de
Publication of EP4460871B1 publication Critical patent/EP4460871B1/de
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
    • H01Q1/27—Adaptation for use in or on movable bodies
    • H01Q1/32—Adaptation for use in or on road or rail vehicles
    • H01Q1/325—Adaptation for use in or on road or rail vehicles characterised by the location of the antenna on the vehicle
    • H01Q1/3275—Adaptation for use in or on road or rail vehicles characterised by the location of the antenna on the vehicle mounted on a horizontal surface of the vehicle, e.g. on roof, hood, trunk
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
    • H01Q1/005—Damping of vibrations; Means for reducing wind-induced forces
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
    • H01Q1/12—Supports; Mounting means
    • H01Q1/22—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles
    • H01Q1/2291—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
    • H01Q1/42—Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the field of antennas for road vehicles, and more particularly relates to a vertical antenna module integrated into a roof spoiler of a vehicle.
  • GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System
  • Automotive antennas of this type are typically housed in an antenna box located on the roof of the vehicle and protected by a cover, for example a fin-shaped cover, mounted on a base (see for example EP3761446A1 , US2021/050655A1 , WO2017/178384A1 , FR3092440A3 ).
  • the antenna module comprises a first horizontal printed circuit, on which is arranged vertically at least one second printed circuit comprising one or more particular antenna patterns.
  • the second printed circuit constitutes the antenna itself which can be electrically connected to a face of the first circuit via a connector fixed to the first card, forming a clip into which the second card is inserted.
  • Such a method of connection between the first and second circuits is however bulky and expensive.
  • the second circuit can be connected to the first circuit by soldering.
  • soldering is a delicate operation that complicates the assembly step and poses reliability problems over time, particularly due to vibration phenomena and/or deformations due to temperature changes that can weaken the solder joints.
  • a vehicle antenna module according to claim 1 is provided.
  • the antenna module is notable in that the cover comprises a shell and an elastic element, the elastic element being configured to exert pressure on the upper edge of the second card when the cover is in place on the housing in order to ensure electrical contact between the lower edge of the second card and at least one flexible contact element on the surface of the first card.
  • the flexible contact element with which the lower edge of the second card comes into contact absorbs the play and relative movements of one card in relation to the other, thus ensuring permanent contact.
  • the elastic element placed between the cover and the upper edge of the second card exerts vertical pressure on the second card, ensuring that the lower edge of the second card is pressed against the flexible contact elements arranged on the surface of the first card.
  • the elastic element is configured to exert pressure on the upper edge of the second card via at least one interference presser.
  • the applied element exerts a point force on one or more points of the upper edge of the antenna.
  • the applied force is thus controlled, unlike continuous contact along the length of the upper edge of the antenna, where irregularities in the cutting of the antenna and/or in the molding of the elastic element would make the pressure force exerted and its distribution on the antenna uncertain.
  • the at least one flexible contact element is of the spring finger type.
  • the at least one flexible contact element is made of a conductive elastomer material.
  • a flexible contact made of conductive elastomer also offers greater resistance to the risk of tearing and/or deformation during handling, unlike metal contacts of the Z-spring or clamp type.
  • the second card comprises at least one shoulder forming a stop bearing on the housing to limit the crushing of the at least one flexible contact element by the lower edge of the second card.
  • the shoulder abutting the housing limits the vertical travel of the antenna. This controls the crushing of the flexible contact points. This prevents excessive crushing of the flexible contacts from causing permanent deformation of the contact points and impaired electrical continuity. This arrangement improves the reliability of the antenna module.
  • the elastic element is produced by overmolding an internal part of the shell with a thermoplastic elastomer.
  • Overmolding allows for greater positioning accuracy of the flexible element. In addition, it can be produced automatically, unlike an added part, which is particularly difficult to handle by a robot given the required flexibility. This improves the quality and production cost of the antenna module.
  • the elastic element comprises at least one pair of lateral ribs configured to accommodate the upper edge of the second card and limit its lateral movements.
  • the elastic element has a hardness of between 45 and 55 shore A, preferably 50 shore A.
  • the elastomer is further formulated to provide a low dielectric loss tangent so as not to disrupt the operation of the vertical antennas housed by the cover.
  • the invention relates to a vehicle comprising an antenna module as described above.
  • Such a vehicle has at least advantages similar to those conferred on the antenna module described above.
  • the housing 102 is composed of a lower part 200 and an upper part 202 between which is arranged horizontally a main printed circuit board 201, called the motherboard.
  • the lower 200 and upper 202 parts of the housing are for example assembled by a set of screws.
  • the upper part 202 is made of metal in order to ground the module to the vehicle and to shield the junction between the antennas and the main board.
  • the motherboard 201 may be composed of a single board comprising, for example, power supply circuits, baseband signal processing circuits and a radio frequency processing circuit. However, without modifying the invention, the motherboard may be composed of separate boards supporting different circuits.
  • the upper portion 202 of the housing includes a recess 203 through which one or more vertical PCB antennas 205a, 205b protrude.
  • PCB antenna means printed circuit boards on which one or more tracks forming an antenna pattern are traced and/or printed circuit boards comprising one or more three-dimensional antennas, such as a wire extending over the board, a metal element or even a chip antenna.
  • the antenna module may comprise a single antenna 205a.
  • the upper part of the shell 206 and the upper edge of the antenna 205a have a substantially identical profile.
  • the shell 206 being intended to protrude from the roof of a vehicle, its shark fin shape makes it possible to limit aerodynamic disturbances.
  • the shape of the antenna 205a is thus adapted to optimally occupy the interior of the shell 206 and to allow the elastic element 207 to be inserted between the shell 206 and the antenna 205a using a minimum of material.
  • FIG 3 is a longitudinal section of the assembled antenna module, along a section line AA shown in the figure 1 .
  • the flexible contacts 300 are in contact with a conductive portion of the lower edge of the antenna 205a and connected to a circuit of the motherboard. They thus allow electrical continuity between the antenna 205a and the motherboard while allowing relative movement of the antenna 205a with respect to the motherboard 201.
  • the flexible contact points 300 are spring-type contact fingers.
  • the flexible contact points 300 are made of a conductive elastomer material, for example a resilient silicone elastomer loaded with copper particles.
  • the upper edge of the antenna 205a comprises at least one horizontal portion 303 on which a presser 302 applies pressure, so that the pressure is exerted vertically on the card.
  • FIG 4 is an interior view of the cover 101 according to a particular embodiment in which the elastic element 207 and the antenna 205a can be seen.
  • figure 4 shows lateral holding elements, such as a pair of ribs 400, arranged opposite each other and configured to accommodate the PCB antenna 205a and limit its lateral movements.
  • ribs are, for example, 2 to 5 millimeters wide.
  • Such an arrangement allows the upper part of the antenna 205a to be held when the cover 101 is put in place and the damping of vibration phenomena likely to appear in the upper part of the antenna 205a.
  • the insertion of the upper part of the antenna 205a between the ribs when the cover 101 is put in place can be carried out with a controlled mechanical force, thus limiting the stress caused to the boards.
  • FIG 4 shows a conductive part 501 of the lower edge of the antenna 205a intended to establish electrical contact with the flexible contacts 300 of the motherboard described above.
  • the antenna 205b comprises at least one shoulder denoted 206 on the figure 2 configured to rest on the upper part 202 of the case and limit the crushing of a flexible contact referenced 300 on the figure 3 allowing electrical continuity between the antenna 205b and the motherboard 201.
  • the lateral movements of the antenna 205b are limited by holding elements referenced 402 on the figure 4 , such as ribs or tongues, formed by the flexible element 207.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Support Of Aerials (AREA)
  • Details Of Aerials (AREA)

Claims (9)

  1. Antennenmodul (100) für ein Fahrzeug, beinhaltend:
    - ein Gehäuse,
    - eine erste Hauptleiterplatte (201), die horizontal in dem Gehäuse untergebracht ist,
    - mindestens eine zweite Leiterplatte (205a), die eine Hochfrequenzantenne beinhaltet und vertikal auf der ersten Leiterplatte (201) angebracht ist und auf einer Oberseite des Gehäuses vorsteht,
    - eine Abdeckung (101), die an dem Gehäuse angebracht ist und dazu konfiguriert ist, mindestens die zweite Leiterplatte (205a) zu bedecken,
    wobei das Antennenmodul (100) dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, dass die Abdeckung (101) eine Hülle (206) und ein elastisches Element (207) beinhaltet, wobei das elastische Element (207) dazu konfiguriert ist, einen Druck auf den oberen Abschnitt der zweiten Platte (205a) auszuüben, wenn sich die Abdeckung auf dem Gehäuse befindet, um einen elektrischen Kontakt zwischen dem unteren Abschnitt der zweiten Platte (205a) und mindestens einem flexiblen Kontaktelement (300) an der Oberfläche der ersten Platte (201) sicherzustellen.
  2. Antennenmodul nach Anspruch 1, wobei das elastische Element dazu konfiguriert ist, mittels mindestens eines vorspringenden Druckelements einen Druck auf den oberen Abschnitt der zweiten Platte auszuüben.
  3. Antennenmodul nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei das mindestens eine flexible Kontaktelement vom Typ Federfinger ist.
  4. Antennenmodul nach einem der Ansprüche 1 und 2, wobei das mindestens eine flexible Kontaktelement aus einem leitenden Elastomermaterial hergestellt ist.
  5. Antennenmodul nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die zweite Platte mindestens einen Absatz beinhaltet, der einen Anschlag bildet, der an dem Gehäuse zur Anlage kommt, um das Zusammendrücken des mindestens einen flexiblen Kontakts durch den unteren Abschnitt der zweiten Platte zu begrenzen.
  6. Antennenmodul nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei das elastische Element durch Umspritzen eines Innenteils der Hülle mit einem thermoplastischen Elastomer hergestellt wird.
  7. Antennenmodul nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei das elastische Element mindestens ein Paar laterale Rippen beinhaltet, das dazu konfiguriert ist, den oberen Abschnitt der zweiten Platte aufzunehmen und dessen laterale Bewegungen zu begrenzen.
  8. Antennenmodul nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei das elastische Elemente eine Härte zwischen 45 und 55 Shore A aufweist.
  9. Fahrzeug, das ein Antennenmodul nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche beinhaltet.
EP23707734.2A 2022-03-07 2023-03-01 Antennenmodul für ein fahrzeug Active EP4460871B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR2201959A FR3133274B1 (fr) 2022-03-07 2022-03-07 Module d’antenne pour véhicule
PCT/EP2023/055103 WO2023169891A1 (fr) 2022-03-07 2023-03-01 Module d'antenne pour véhicule

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP4460871A1 EP4460871A1 (de) 2024-11-13
EP4460871C0 EP4460871C0 (de) 2025-08-13
EP4460871B1 true EP4460871B1 (de) 2025-08-13

Family

ID=82196729

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP23707734.2A Active EP4460871B1 (de) 2022-03-07 2023-03-01 Antennenmodul für ein fahrzeug

Country Status (8)

Country Link
US (1) US12327912B2 (de)
EP (1) EP4460871B1 (de)
CN (1) CN118830138A (de)
DE (1) DE202023002964U1 (de)
ES (1) ES3049383T3 (de)
FR (1) FR3133274B1 (de)
HU (1) HUE073615T2 (de)
WO (1) WO2023169891A1 (de)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20260045682A1 (en) * 2024-08-08 2026-02-12 Ford Global Technologies, Llc Vehicle antenna assembly with exposed ground plane

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2017178384A1 (fr) * 2016-04-12 2017-10-19 Valeo Comfort And Driving Assistance Module d'antenne(s) pour véhicule automobile comprenant une feuille métallique
JP6881349B2 (ja) * 2018-02-26 2021-06-02 株式会社デンソー 車両用アンテナ装置
DE202020100452U1 (de) * 2019-01-31 2020-03-24 Ask Industries Societa' Per Azioni Antennenmodul für ein Fahrzeug mit gedrucktem Schaltungssystem
JP7356000B2 (ja) * 2019-08-14 2023-10-04 ミツミ電機株式会社 アンテナ装置

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR3133274B1 (fr) 2024-01-19
ES3049383T3 (en) 2025-12-16
EP4460871C0 (de) 2025-08-13
HUE073615T2 (hu) 2026-01-28
DE202023002964U1 (de) 2025-03-27
EP4460871A1 (de) 2024-11-13
WO2023169891A1 (fr) 2023-09-14
FR3133274A1 (fr) 2023-09-08
US20250149780A1 (en) 2025-05-08
CN118830138A (zh) 2024-10-22
US12327912B2 (en) 2025-06-10

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