JP2007129641A - On-vehicle antenna attachment device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle antenna attachment device which can attach a thin antenna assembly capable of being installed and used on an approximately horizontal plane, to the surface of a windshield or the like without damaging the sensitivity and designability of the assembly. <P>SOLUTION: One of the external surfaces of the on-vehicle antenna attachment device 1 is an attaching face 1a to be attached to the windshield 20, and the device is used by fitting to it the thin antenna assembly 10 which does not become obstructive even if installed on a dashboard. This attachment device 1 is provided with an antenna housing space 2 in which the antenna assembly 10 is housed, elastic pieces 3 which allow engagement protrusions 3a to elastically touch the antenna assembly 10 in the housing space 2 to position and hold the antenna assembly, a height raising portion 4 for separating the housing space 2 from the attaching face 1a by a predetermined amount, and engagement hooks 5 formed projecting from the inclined face 4a of a side part of the height raising portion 4. A coaxial cable 17 drawn out from the antenna assembly 10 is drawn around along the inclined face 4a, and is held with the engagement hooks 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle antenna mounting device used for mounting an antenna device on a glass surface in a vehicle interior, and in particular, an antenna device that can be installed on a substantially horizontal surface such as a dashboard is mounted on a glass surface such as a windshield. The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted antenna mounting apparatus that is suitable for use.

  In recent years, the number of automobiles having an ETC (automatic toll collection system) antenna or a GPS (global positioning system) antenna installed in a vehicle interior has increased rapidly. In this type of antenna device, an antenna element such as a patch antenna is housed in a radome made of synthetic resin, and the other end of a signal cable such as a coaxial cable having one end connected to an external circuit is located in the radome. Connected to the antenna element. In addition, this type of antenna device is installed on a substantially horizontal surface such as a dashboard in a passenger compartment or on a glass surface such as a windshield. In either case, the antenna device does not get in the way and the antenna element An installation location where radio waves are radiated upward or obliquely upward is selected as appropriate.

  That is, since the radiation conductor of the antenna element is arranged at the uppermost part in the radome, in the case of an antenna device mounted on a substantially horizontal plane such as a dashboard, the radiation conductor is made by using the bottom surface of the radome as a mounting surface. Can be directed upwards. In the case of an antenna device attached to an inclined glass surface such as a windshield, the radiation conductor can be directed obliquely upward by using the top surface of the radome as an attachment surface.

  By the way, if the installation location of the same antenna device can be arbitrarily selected according to the user's preference, the passenger compartment space, etc., the convenience is greatly improved and it is convenient. However, the antenna device used by installing on the dashboard is the mounting surface on the bottom surface of the radome, whereas the antenna device used by installing on the glass surface is the mounting surface on the top surface of the radome, If the antenna device is to be installed alone, the surface opposite to the radome mounting surface cannot be used as a decorative surface, and the appearance is significantly impaired.

Thus, conventionally, a technique has been proposed in which a cover member that can be externally mounted on both the top surface side and the bottom surface side of the antenna device is used, and the surface opposite to the radome mounting surface is covered with this cover member (for example, a patent) Reference 1). According to such a conventional proposal, by selecting either the bottom surface or the top surface of the radome as the mounting surface according to the installation location of the antenna device, it is good to install on the dashboard or on the glass surface. The antenna sensitivity can be expected, and the design property can be secured by covering the surface opposite to the mounting surface of the radome with a cover member.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-228802 (page 4-8, FIG. 6)

  If the cover member is employed as in the conventional proposal described above, the same antenna device can be installed in different postures. However, the antenna device installed on a substantially horizontal plane such as a dashboard is intended to be thin. In addition, it is necessary to reduce the distance between the top surface of the radome and the antenna element as much as possible. Therefore, when this antenna device is installed on a glass surface such as a windshield, the influence of the glass is too great and the antenna sensitivity is lowered. In other words, if the dielectric glass is arranged close to the radiation conductor of the antenna element, the antenna characteristics will change and the sensitivity will be reduced. However, if the antenna element is configured to be sufficiently separated from the glass surface, the overall height of the antenna device, including the radome, will increase. It will be difficult to do.

  The present invention has been made in view of the actual situation of the prior art, and its purpose is to provide a thin antenna device that can be installed and used on a substantially horizontal plane, such as a windshield without impairing sensitivity or design. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle-mounted antenna mounting device that can be mounted on a glass surface.

  In order to achieve the above object, an in-vehicle antenna mounting device according to the present invention is a box-shaped body in which one surface of an outer surface is a mounting surface that can be mounted on a glass surface of a vehicle, and an antenna housing space that is open on the side. And an antenna holding means for positioning and holding the antenna device inserted from the opening in the antenna storage space, and a raised portion provided between the mounting surface and the antenna storage space, The antenna storage space is configured to be separated from the mounting surface by a predetermined amount.

  The in-vehicle antenna mounting device configured in this way is provided with a raised portion between the mounting surface mounted on the glass surface and the antenna storage space in which the antenna device is stored, so that the antenna device in the antenna storage space is made of glass. Since consideration is given so as not to be too close to the surface, there is no possibility that the antenna characteristics will change greatly due to the influence of glass as a dielectric, and good sensitivity can be expected. Moreover, since this attachment apparatus can make the surface on the opposite side to an attachment surface into a decoration surface, it is easy to ensure the design property. That is, by using this attachment device, it is possible to attach a thin antenna device that does not get in the way even when installed on a substantially horizontal surface to a glass surface such as a windshield without impairing sensitivity and design.

  In the above configuration, an engagement hook protrudes from the outer surface of the side portion of the raised portion adjacent to the opening end of the antenna storage space, and the signal cable derived from the antenna device in the antenna storage space is engaged. If it is configured to be held on the hook and routed to the glass surface of the vehicle, the signal cable such as a coaxial cable will not flutter near the connection end with the antenna device. This is preferable because there is no possibility of generating abnormal noise due to vibration or hindering signal transmission.

  In this case, if the portion extending from the open end of the antenna storage space to the mounting surface through the side of the raised portion is formed as an acute inclined surface, and the engaging hook protrudes from the inclined surface, Since the signal cable routed along the glass surface such as the windshield from the circuit can be led to the antenna housing space through the inclined surface of the in-vehicle antenna mounting device without being bent greatly, this signal cable is used. -It is preferable that an excessive bending stress does not act on the bull.

  In any of the above-described configurations, the antenna holding means is formed of a cantilevered elastic piece having an engaging protrusion, and the antenna device inserted into the antenna storage space from the opening is interposed through the engaging protrusion. The antenna device can be inserted into the antenna housing space if the elastic piece is pushed and bent and the antenna device housed in the antenna housing space is locked in elastic contact with the engaging protrusion. When the antenna device gets over the engaging protrusion of the elastic piece, snap-in mounting can be performed in which the antenna device is elastically biased by the engaging protrusion and automatically held in the antenna housing space. Accordingly, it is preferable that the antenna device can be easily assembled into the vehicle-mounted antenna mounting device, and that the antenna device in the antenna housing space can be reliably prevented from being displaced or dropped.

  In the in-vehicle antenna mounting device of the present invention, since a raised portion is provided between the mounting surface and the antenna storage space, the antenna device in the storage space is considered not to be too close to the glass surface. The antenna characteristics are not likely to change significantly due to the influence of glass as a body, and good sensitivity can be expected. Also, the surface opposite to the mounting surface can be used as a decorative surface, so that the design is easy to ensure. That is, if a thin antenna device that is installed on a substantially horizontal surface such as a dashboard and does not get in the way is attached to a glass surface such as a windshield by using this attachment device, there is no risk that the sensitivity and design will be impaired. As a result, the installation location of the antenna device can be arbitrarily selected, and convenience is enhanced.

  An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state immediately before the antenna device is incorporated into the vehicle-mounted antenna mounting device according to the embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the antenna device is incorporated in the mounting device shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. It is.

  The in-vehicle antenna attachment device 1 according to the present embodiment is an attachment used when the antenna device 10 is attached to a windshield 20 (see FIG. 5) of a vehicle. The in-vehicle antenna attachment device 1 has an outer surface. This is a synthetic resin box-like body in which one surface is a mounting surface 1a attached to the windshield 20 and the other surface opposite to the mounting surface 1a is a decorative surface 1b. The antenna device 10 is a thin ETC antenna that does not get in the way even when installed on the dashboard.

  The configuration of the in-vehicle antenna mounting device 1 will be described in detail. The mounting device 1 includes an antenna housing space 2 in which the antenna device 10 is housed, and an engagement protrusion 3 a that is elastic to the antenna device 10 in the antenna housing space 2. A pair of elastic pieces 3 held in contact with each other, a raised portion 4 provided between the mounting surface 1a and the antenna storage space 2, and an open end 2a of the antenna storage space 2 adjacent to the outer surface of the raised portion 4 And a pair of engaging hooks 5 projecting from the inclined surface 4a. The ceiling surface of the antenna storage space 2 corresponds to the bottom surface of the partition plate 4b of the raised portion 4, and a cantilevered elastic piece 3 is formed on a part of the partition plate 4b. The elastic piece 3 has a free end on the opening end 2a side of the antenna housing space 2, and an engaging protrusion 3a that protrudes toward the antenna housing space 2 is formed in the middle of the elastic piece 3 (see FIG. 5). ). The height of the raised portion 4 is set to a size that allows the antenna device 10 in the antenna storage space 2 to be separated from the mounting surface 1a by a predetermined amount. The inclined surface 4 a of the raised portion 4 is inclined at an angle (acute angle) smaller than a right angle with respect to the mounting surface 1 a, and the coaxial cable 17 connected to the antenna device 10 in the antenna storage space 2. Is routed to the windshield 20 along the inclined surface 4a. Then, the coaxial cable 17 along the inclined surface 4 a is press-fitted into the gap between the pair of engagement hooks 5, whereby the coaxial cable 17 is engaged between the antenna device 10 and the windshield 20. Is supposed to be retained. Although not shown in the figure, in the antenna housing space 2, a restricting protrusion that restricts the position of the antenna device 10 protrudes at an end opposite to the opening end 2a. The restricting protrusion and the elastic piece The antenna device 10 is held in the antenna housing space 2 by being sandwiched between the three engaging protrusions 3a.

  The procedure for incorporating the antenna device 10 into the antenna housing space 2 of the in-vehicle antenna mounting device 1 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 1, what is the side of the antenna device 10 to which the coaxial cable 17 is connected? The opposite end is inserted into the antenna storage space 2 from the opening end 2a. When the antenna device 10 is inserted into the antenna storage space 2 by a predetermined amount, the antenna device 10 comes into contact with the engaging protrusion 3a of the elastic piece 3, so that when the antenna device 10 is inserted as it is, the elastic piece is interposed via the engaging protrusion 3a. 3 is pushed and bent. When the further inserted antenna device 10 gets over the engaging protrusion 3a, the antenna device 10 is elastically urged by the engaging protrusion 3a by the elastic force of the elastic piece 3, and between the restricting protrusions. It will be in the state pinched by. That is, the antenna device 10 can be easily incorporated into the antenna housing space 2 by snap-in mounting, and the engaging protrusion 3a always elastically contacts the antenna device 10 in the housing space 2, Positional displacement and dropout of the antenna device 10 can be reliably prevented.

  Next, the configuration of the antenna device 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, this antenna device 10 is schematically configured by housing a patch antenna structure antenna element (sheet metal patch antenna) 12 inside a synthetic resin radome 11 and is derived from an external circuit via a connector 18. The coaxial cable 17 is connected to the antenna element 12 within the radome 11. The radome 11 is configured by combining an upper case 11a and a lower case 11b, and the cases 11a and 11b hold the antenna element 12 by sandwiching appropriate portions of a ground conductor plate 14 described later. The antenna element 12 includes a radiating conductor plate 13 made of a metal flat plate having an opening 13a at the center, a ground conductor plate 14 made of a metal flat plate arranged at a predetermined interval from the radiating conductor plate 13, and a radiating conductor. A plurality of mounting legs 15 extending from the inner peripheral edge of the plate 13 to the ground conductor plate 14 side, and a power supply terminal 16 extending substantially parallel to the mounting legs 15 from the power feeding portion of the radiating conductor plate 13. Composed. The ground conductor plate 14 has a larger diameter than the radiating conductor plate 13, and the radiating conductor plate 13 is supported on the ground conductor plate 14 by soldering the tip of each mounting leg 15 to the ground conductor plate 14. The power supply terminal 16 is kept in contact with the ground conductor plate 14, and the front end of the power supply terminal 16 is soldered to the inner conductor of the coaxial cable 17. The outer conductor of the coaxial cable 17 is soldered to the ground conductor plate 14.

  Since the overall height of the antenna device 10 configured as described above is suppressed as much as possible, even if it is installed on the dashboard of the vehicle with the bottom surface of the radome 11 (the bottom surface of the lower case 11b) as a mounting surface, it is an obstacle. Never become. Further, the antenna device 10 can be installed on the windshield 20 without any problem by being housed in the antenna housing space 2 of the vehicle-mounted antenna mounting device 1.

  That is, the vehicle-mounted antenna attachment device 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with the raised portion 4 between the attachment surface 1a attached to the windshield 20 and the antenna accommodation space 2 in which the antenna device 10 is accommodated. Since the antenna device 10 in the storage space 2 is considered not to be too close to the windshield 20, it is possible to expect a good sensitivity without the possibility that the antenna characteristics change greatly due to the influence of glass as a dielectric. Moreover, since this attachment apparatus 1 can make the surface on the opposite side to the attachment surface 1a a decoration surface, it is easy to ensure designability, and if it attaches using a back space etc. of a rearview mirror, it will not become obstructive. That is, by using this attachment device 1, the thin antenna device 10 that does not get in the way even when installed on a substantially horizontal plane such as a dashboard can be attached to the windshield 20 without impairing sensitivity or design. Therefore, the installation location of the same antenna device 10 can be arbitrarily selected according to the user's preference, vehicle compartment space, and the like, and convenience is improved.

  Moreover, in the vehicle-mounted antenna attachment device 1 according to the present embodiment, the portion adjacent to the opening end 2a of the antenna storage space 2 on the outer surface of the raised portion 4 is smaller than a right angle with respect to the attachment surface 1a. The inclined surface 4a is inclined, and the coaxial cable 17 connected to the antenna device 10 can be routed to the windshield 20 along the inclined surface 4a. Therefore, there is no possibility that the coaxial cable 17 is bent greatly in the vicinity of the attachment device 1 to generate an excessive bending stress, and the reliability can be improved. Further, since the engaging hook 5 protrudes from the inclined surface 4 a and the coaxial cable 17 can be held by the engaging hook 5, the coaxial cable is interposed between the windshield 20 and the antenna device 10. -There is no risk that the coaxial cable 17 will vibrate while the vehicle is running, and the coaxial cable 17 will vibrate and generate abnormal noise or interfere with signal transmission.

  Needless to say, the in-vehicle antenna mounting device according to the present invention can also be applied as an antenna device other than an ETC antenna, for example, an attachment for installing a GPS antenna on a glass surface. Of course, it is not specified in the above.

It is a perspective view which shows the state just before incorporating an antenna apparatus in the vehicle-mounted antenna attachment apparatus which concerns on the example of embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of this antenna apparatus. It is a top view which shows the state which incorporated this antenna apparatus in the attachment apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 3. It is sectional drawing which follows the VV line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 In-vehicle antenna mounting apparatus 1a Mounting surface 2 Antenna accommodation space 2a Open end 3 Elastic piece 3a Engagement protrusion 4 Raised surface 4a Inclined surface 5 Engagement hook 10 Antenna device 11 Radome 12 Antenna element 13 Radiation conductor plate 14 Ground conductor plate 17 Coaxial cable 20 Windshield

Claims (4)

  A box-shaped body having an outer surface that is an attachment surface that can be attached to a glass surface of a vehicle, and an antenna storage space that is open to the side and an antenna device that is inserted from the opening are positioned in the antenna storage space. It comprises an antenna holding means for holding, and a raised portion provided between the mounting surface and the antenna storage space, and the raised portion separates the antenna storage space from the mounting surface by a predetermined amount. A vehicle-mounted antenna mounting device.   2. The signal cable according to claim 1, wherein an engagement hook is projected from a portion of the outer surface of the side portion of the raised portion adjacent to the opening end of the antenna storage space and is led out from the antenna device in the antenna storage space. A vehicle-mounted antenna mounting device characterized in that a bull is held by the engagement hook and drawn around a glass surface of a vehicle.   3. The method according to claim 2, wherein a portion extending from the open end of the antenna storage space to the mounting surface through a side of the raised portion is formed as an acute inclined surface, and the engaging hook protrudes from the inclined surface. A vehicle-mounted antenna mounting device characterized by the above.   The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the antenna holding means is formed of a cantilevered elastic piece having an engaging protrusion, and is inserted into the antenna housing space from the opening. The elastic piece is pushed and bent through the engaging protrusion, and the antenna device housed in the antenna housing space is locked in an elastic contact state with the engaging protrusion. A vehicle-mounted antenna mounting device.

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