GB2064878A

GB2064878A - Detachable aerial assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2064878A
Application number: GB8037623A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Hearn M R
Current assignee: Hearn M R
Priority date: 1979-11-23
Filing date: 1980-11-24
Publication date: 1981-06-17

Abstract

An aerial assembly for mounting on a vehicle body (4), for example, comprises an aerial having a member (1a) which is removably receiveable in a socket (2) of a base nut (5). Resilient leaves (5a) urge the member (1a) into electrical connection with an aerial feed cable (3) located in the base nut (5) at the base of the socket (2). The aerial may be tiltable about the longitudinal axis of the socket and be clamped in a desired orientation by means of a nut (6). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Detachable aerial assembly The present invention relates to an aerial assembly providing means for detachably installing an aerial in a desired location.

Detachable aerials find particular application with regard to vehicles. Commonly, vehicle aerials are mounted in a telescopic fashion so that they can be brought substantially flush with the vehicle body surface in order to permit, for example, the use of car washes. Further, the telescopic retraction of an aerial requires that it be linear and therefore restricts the design of such aerials.

Detachable aerial assembles of the screw-in type are known. In these assembles, the aerial is provided with a screw thread which allows an end to be screwed into a suitable receiving socket which is mounted in a desired location and is connected with an aerial feed cable. Thereby, electrical connection is made between the aerial and the feed cable. However, these aerial assembles do not facilitate removal.

Further, such aerials may only be mounted at the angle determined by the axis of the receiving socket.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for installing an aerial, irrespective of its shape, in a detachable manner so that removal is facilitated.

Thus according to the present invention there is provided an aerial assembly comprising; an aerial having aerial connection means comprising a male member, and feed cable connection means for establishing electrical connection between an aerial feed cable and said aerial, said feed cable connection means being adapted for mounting in a desired location and comprising a female member having a socket for removably receiving the male member and bias means for urging said male member into electrical connection with the aerial feed cable.

The feed cable connection means may be an integral part of the aerial feed cable or may comprise a member having, for example, a screw threaded socket or clamping means so that the cable may be attached.

A particular embodiment of the present invention further provides the possibility of clamping and securing the aerial at a desired angle with respect to the surface on which it is located. This angle may be in any of a number of directions.

The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1, shows a longitudinal section through a pop-in-type embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2, shows a plan view of a member shown in Figure 12, and Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section through a modified embodiment of that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows an aerial 1 having a ball shaped member 1 a which rests on a partially spherical contact pad 2a which is attached to and in electrical connection with a feed cable 3. The feed cable is mounted to a vehicle body 4, for example, the wing, by means of a base nut 5 whose screw thread mates with a similar thread provided on the outer covering of the feed cable. In addition, an under wing fixing bracket 8 is preferably also provided for securing the cable to the vehicle. This bracket 8 is fixed to the wing and bears against a flange 9 provided on the outer covering of the feed cable, as the base nut 5 is tightened.

A socket 2 is formed above the feed cable contact pad 2a by resilient leaves 5a which extend from the upper surface of the base nut 5, towards its longitudinal axis at an angle to the horizontal. As shown in Figure 4, four leaves 5a are arranged symmetrically around the bore of the base nut 5 however, two or more leaves may be used. In this embodiment, the entire base nut 5 including the leaves 5a is composed of a moulded plastics material. The ball shaped member la is introduced into the socket 2 by pressing the ball member 1 c along the axis of the base nut bore against the resilient leaves 5a. This causes the resilient leaves to move outwards to allow the ball to pass through and then to snap back so as to retain the ball in the socket 2.

A clamping nut 6 provided with a sealing ring 6a which may or may not be integral therewith, threadedly engages with a threaded surface provided on the base nut 5. On tighting, the clamping nut 6 bears against the ball member 1 a/and/or the leaves 5a so as to clamp the ball member in position and at the same time pressing it against the contact pad 2a so as to ensure good electrical contact.

Alternatively, the clamping nut 6 may bear against a flange which extend, radially from the aerial just above the ball member 1 a, in which case, the sealing ring is not necessary. The aerial may be released simply by unscrewing the clamping nut 6 and extracting the ball member la from the socket 2 by force against the resiliency of the leaves 5a.

The embodiment of the base nut 5 shown in Figures 1 and 3 allows the aerial to be clamped so that it is orientated at an angle of up to a2 on either side of the centre line axis of the assembly. Further, on tilting the aerial from the vertical, the portion of the aerial just above the ball shaped member 1 c may be moved, into a gap formed between two adjacent leaves 5a. The number of leaves and hence the number of gaps therebetween will determine the number of directions in which the aerial can be tilted beyond (2X, The provision of the clamping nut 6 is not an essential feature of the invention. In another embodiment of the invention, the resiliency of the leaves 5a of the base nut 5 is sufficient to ensure that the aerial is in good electrical contact with the contact pad 2a and to hold the aerial against lateral displacement. This arrangement further facilitates removal of the aerial.

The ball member la of this latter embodiment is preferably provided with a sealing ring or skirt on its upper surface against which the resilient leaves 5a bear. This ensures that the ball member is held snugly in the socket 2.

In yet another embodiment of the invention which is shown in Figure 3, instead of a clamping nut 6, an annular cap member 16 is provided which mates in press-stud fashion with a rim formed in the base nut 5 about the leaves 5a.

Claims

1. An aerial assembly comprising; an aerial having aerial connection means comprising a male member, and feed cable connection means for establishing electrical connection between an aerial feed cable and said aerial, said feed cable connection means being adapted for mounting in a desired location and comprising a female member having a socket for removably receiving the male member and bias means for urging said male member into electrical connection with the aerial feed cable.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the male member is received in the female member for orientation of the aerial in anyone of a plurality of directions.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein clamping means are provided to clamp the resiliently retained male member in position in the socket of the female member.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein the clamping means comprise an annular member which engages the external surface of the female member and bears against the male member andlor bias means to clamp the male member in position.

5. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bias means comprise a plurality of resilient projections disposed around the mouth of said socket; extending towards the longitudinal axis of the socket and being inclined thereto, the projections resiliently deforming to permit entrance of the male member into said socket.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 5 wherein said resilient projections comprise resilient leaves disposed symmetrically about the mouth of said socket, a gap being provided between adjacent leaves to permit entrance of the portion of the aerial extending from the male member therein.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 5 or 6 wherein said resilient projections and the female member are integral and formed from a plastics material.

8. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the male member is substantially spherical.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 7 further comprising a partially spherical contact pad for a establishing electrical connection between the feed cable and the male member, the male member being sealed on this pad when received in the socket.

10. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said female member is integral with an internally threaded base nut, the longitudinal axis of the nut coinciding with that of the socket, the base nut screwably receiving an externally threaded end of the feed cable to secure the cable at a position at the base of the socket to make electrical connection with the male member when the latter is received in the socket.

11. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a fixing bracket for location on the reverse side of a surface to which the cable connection member is mounted and through which the feed cable passes for connection with the connection member, the fixing bracket being adapted to engage said reverse side of the surface and a flange projecting from the surface of the feed cable.

12. An aerial assembly substantially as herein described with reference to an as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 or without reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.