JP4407824B2 - Antenna device and antenna waterproof structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an antenna device that receives a GPS signal transmitted from a GPS satellite, and in particular, a waterproof packing (packing member) and a bottom plate are screwed to a top cover, and the waterproof packing is attached to the top cover by screw tightening pressure. The present invention relates to an antenna waterproof structure that maintains a waterproof function by pressing.

  In recent years, a system that receives signal waves transmitted from a plurality of artificial satellites orbiting the earth orbit by a receiver and detects the current position of the receiver itself based on information contained in the received signal waves, so-called pan-Earth Positioning systems are becoming popular. Such a system is generally called GPS (Global Positioning System) in countries such as Japan and the United States of America, and generally uses a GPS satellite managed by the United States Department of Defense. Similar systems include “Galileo” used in Europe and “Gronas” used in Russia. Here, a positioning system using an artificial satellite, an artificial satellite used in the positioning system, a signal wave transmitted from the artificial satellite, a receiver that receives the signal wave, and the like are respectively referred to as GPS and GPS for convenience. It will be referred to as a satellite, GPS signal, GPS receiver, or the like.

  The GPS can detect the current position of the GPS receiver itself with high accuracy and almost real time. For this reason, GPS is mainly used for applications in which a GPS receiver is mounted on a mobile body such as an automobile, an aircraft, or a mobile phone and the current position of the mobile body is measured.

  Currently, so-called in-vehicle GPS receivers suitable for use in automobiles are rapidly spreading. When a GPS receiver is mounted on a vehicle, a GPS receiving antenna device for receiving GPS signals is installed outside the vehicle, for example, on a roof. Such an antenna device for GPS reception is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

  Hereinafter, a conventional antenna device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The conventional antenna device 100 includes an antenna case 103, an antenna module 104, a packing member 105, and a signal line 106. The antenna case 103 is configured by joining a dome-shaped top cover 101 and a bottom plate 102. The antenna module 104 is accommodated in the top cover 101. The packing member 105 is disposed at a joint portion between the top cover 101 and the bottom plate 102 to ensure adhesion of the antenna case 103. The signal line 106 is connected to the antenna module 104.

  The antenna module 104 includes an antenna element 110 and a circuit board 111. The antenna element 110 is formed with an antenna that receives a GPS signal transmitted from a GPS satellite. On the circuit board 111, a circuit (hereinafter referred to as a signal processing circuit) that performs various signal processing such as signal amplification on the GPS signal received by the antenna element 110 is formed. The antenna element 110 and the circuit board 111 are joined by a double-sided tape 112 or the like.

  The circuit board 111 is connected to a signal line 113 for extracting a GPS signal to the outside of the antenna case 103. In addition, a shield case 114 for shielding the signal processing circuit is attached to the circuit board 111 on the main surface opposite to the side where the antenna element 110 is disposed. The signal line 113 is drawn to the outside through a notch 101 a formed in the top cover 101. A gasket 115 is attached at a position corresponding to the notch 101a.

  The antenna device 100 is integrally joined by screwing the top cover 101 and the bottom plate 102 with four screws 120 in a state where the antenna module 104 and the packing member 105 are housed in the internal space of the top cover 101. It becomes.

  The bottom plate 102 is formed with two recesses 102a (only one is shown in FIG. 1). Permanent magnets (not shown) are disposed in these recesses 102a. These permanent magnets are arranged to attract and fix the antenna device 100 to the roof of the automobile. A name plate 121 made of an aluminum thin plate on which the model number and name of the antenna device 100 are written is disposed on the main surface facing the outside of the bottom plate 102. A transparent resin sheet 122 is attached to cover the name plate 121 and to prevent damage to the roof of the automobile over substantially the entire main surface of the bottom plate 102.

  The conventional antenna device 100 employs a waterproof structure as described below. That is, in the waterproof structure of the conventional antenna device 100, the packing member 105 and the bottom plate 102 are screwed to the top cover 101 with the four screws 120, and the screw fastening as shown by the arrow A in FIG. The packing member 105 is pressed against the tip end portion 101b-1 of the waterproof rib 101b formed on the top cover 101 by pressure, and the waterproof function of the antenna device 100 is maintained. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2A, the tip 101b-1 of the waterproof rib 101b and the packing member 105 come into contact with each other. The tip 101b-1 of the prevention rib 101b has a flat shape as shown in FIG.

JP 2001-68912 A

  As described above, in the waterproof structure of the conventional antenna device 100, the tip portion 101b-1 of the waterproof rib 101b formed on the top cover 101 has a flat shape. Therefore, if the screw tightening pressure A by the screw 120 is large, a gap may be formed between the tip portion 101b-1 of the waterproof rib 101b and the packing member 105, as shown in FIG. That is, the contact area between the tip 101b-1 of the waterproof rib 101b and the packing member 105 is reduced. As a result, the waterproof function by the packing member 105 may be reduced.

  Therefore, the subject of this invention is providing the antenna apparatus which can improve a waterproof function.

According to the present invention, an antenna case (13) in which a top cover (11) and a bottom plate (12) are joined, an antenna module (14) housed in the top cover and receiving radio waves, A packing member (15) disposed at a joint between the top cover and the bottom plate to secure the sealing performance of the antenna module, and a screw member for fastening the packing member and the bottom plate to the top cover. In the antenna device provided with a plurality of screws (26), the top cover has a waterproof rib (11b) with which a tip portion (11b-1) abuts the packing member, and the waterproof rib (11b) Has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the antenna module (14) is accommodated in the accommodating portion (11c) surrounded by the waterproof rib. The packing member (15), said base portion which covers the entire back surface of the antenna module (14) has a (15a), the distal end portion of the waterproof rib is substantially parallel to the surface of the base portion of the packing member There is obtained an antenna device (10) characterized by having a flat-shaped portion extending to the side and an inclined portion formed by chamfering the outer peripheral edge on the side opposite to the housing portion.

The antenna device (10) may be an antenna device for receiving a GPS signal as the radio wave.

Further, according to the present invention, the waterproof packing (15) and the bottom plate (12) are screwed to the top cover (11) that houses the antenna module (14), and the waterproof packing is attached to the top cover by screw tightening pressure. In the antenna waterproof structure that maintains a waterproof function by pressing against a cover, the top cover has a waterproof rib (11b) with which a tip end portion (11b-1) abuts the waterproof packing, and the waterproof rib (11b) The antenna module (14) is accommodated in an accommodating portion (11c) surrounded by the waterproof rib, and the waterproof packing (15) is formed on the antenna module (14). base unit to cover the entire back surface has a (15a), the distal end portion of the waterproof rib, by the screw clamping pressure, wherein a waterproof rib tip waterproof packings Has a shape which can not be a gap between the shape of the waterproof rib tip (11b-1), the surface substantially parallel to the extending of the base portion of the waterproof packing (15) An antenna waterproof structure having an existing flat shape and an inclined shape formed by chamfering the outer peripheral edge of the tip of the waterproof rib on the side opposite to the housing portion (11c) is obtained.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the said parenthesis is attached | subjected in order to make an understanding of this invention easy, and it is only an example, and of course is not limited to these.

In the present invention, since the outer peripheral edge of the tip of the waterproof rib opposite to the housing portion that houses the antenna module is chamfered, the gap between the tip of the waterproof rib and the packing member is eliminated, and the tip of the waterproof rib The contact area between the gasket and the packing member can be increased. As a result, there is an effect that the prevention function can be improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  With reference to FIG. 3, an antenna device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The illustrated antenna device 10 is an antenna device for receiving GPS signals.

  The antenna device 10 includes an antenna case 13, an antenna module 14, a packing member 15, and a signal line 16. The antenna case 13 is configured by joining a dome-shaped top cover 11 and a bottom plate 12. The antenna module 14 is accommodated in the top cover 11. The packing member 15 is disposed at a joint portion between the top cover 11 and the bottom cover 12 to ensure adhesion of the antenna case 13. In addition, since the packing member 15 also fulfills a waterproof function, it is also called a waterproof packing. The signal line 16 is connected to the antenna module 14.

  The antenna module 14 includes an antenna element 20 and a circuit board 21. The antenna element 20 is formed with an antenna that receives GPS signals transmitted from GPS satellites. On the circuit board 21, a circuit (hereinafter referred to as a signal processing circuit) that performs various signal processing such as signal amplification on the GPS signal received by the antenna element 20 is formed. The antenna element 20 and the circuit board 21 are joined by a double-sided tape 22 or the like.

  Connected to the circuit board 21 is a signal line 16 for extracting a GPS signal to the outside of the antenna case 13. A shield case 24 for shielding the signal processing circuit is attached to the circuit board 21 on the main surface opposite to the side where the antenna element 20 is disposed. The signal line 16 is drawn out through a notch (described later) formed in the top cover 11.

  The antenna device 10 is joined and integrated by screwing the top cover 11 and the bottom plate 12 with three screws 26 in a state where the antenna module 14 and the packing member 15 are housed in the internal space of the top cover 11. Is done.

  The packing member 15 is made of a resin material such as EPDM rubber. The packing member 15 includes a base portion 15 a that covers the entire surface of the antenna module 14, and a gasket portion 15 b that covers the outer periphery of the signal line 16 at the position of the notch formed in the top cover 11.

  The bottom plate 12 has a single recess 12a at the center. A permanent magnet 30 is disposed in the recess 12a. The permanent magnet 30 is disposed for attracting and fixing the antenna device 10 to the roof of the automobile. A resin sheet 31 is attached to the main surface facing the outside of the bottom plate 12 for the purpose of preventing damage to the roof of the automobile over substantially the entire main surface. The resin sheet 31 is printed with the model number and name of the antenna device 10.

  The configuration of the top cover 11 will be described with reference to FIG. 4A is a bottom view of the top cover 11, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. It is sectional drawing.

  The top cover 11 has an accommodating portion 11c surrounded by a substantially rectangular tubular waterproof rib 11b. The accommodating portion 11 c accommodates the box-shaped antenna module 14. Further, projecting members 11d are provided at four locations integrally with the inner wall of the top cover 11 inside the accommodating portion 11c. These projecting members 11d are provided at positions where they contact the vicinity of the four corners of the antenna element 20.

  The top cover 11 has a gasket receiving portion 11e that receives the gasket portion 15b of the packing member 15, and three screw holes 11f into which the three screws 26 are respectively screwed.

As shown in FIG. 4C, the outer peripheral edge of the tip end portion 11b-1 of the waterproof rib 11b is chamfered. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4C and 5, the tip end portion 11 b-1 of the waterproof rib 11 b extends substantially parallel to the surface of the base portion 15 a of the packing member (waterproof packing) 15. And a slanted portion formed by chamfering the outer peripheral edge on the side opposite to the accommodating portion 11c. The tip end portion 11 b-1 of the waterproof rib 11 b comes into contact with the base portion 15 a of the packing member 15 by screwing with the three screws 26.

  The antenna device 10 having such a configuration employs a waterproof structure as described below. That is, the waterproof structure of the antenna device 10 is such that the packing member 15 and the bottom plate 12 are screwed to the top cover 11 with the three screws 26, and the packing member 15 is waterproofed to the top cover 11 with this screw tightening pressure. The waterproof function is maintained by pressing against the tip 11b-1 of 11b.

Since the outer peripheral edge of the waterproof rib 11b on the side opposite to the accommodating portion 11c of the distal end portion 11b-1 is chamfered, as shown in FIG. 5, there is a possibility that the waterproof rib 11b may be formed by screw tightening pressure by the screw 26. The gap between the front end portion 11b-1 and the packing member 15 can be eliminated. Moreover, since the outer peripheral edge on the opposite side to the accommodating part 11c of the front -end | tip part 11b-1 of the waterproof rib 11b is chamfered, as FIG. 5 shows, the front-end | tip part 11b-1 of the waterproof rib 11b, the packing member 15, and The contact area between the two can be increased, and the waterproof function can be improved.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, it goes without saying that the chamfered shape formed on the outer peripheral edge of the waterproof rib on the side opposite to the housing portion may be a flat surface or a curved surface. Anyway, the shape of the chamfering may be a shape that does not allow a gap to be formed between the tip of the waterproof rib and the packing member due to screw tightening pressure. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the waterproof rib has the shape of a substantially square cylinder, it is not limited to it, A substantially cylindrical shape may be sufficient. Furthermore, the antenna device described in the above embodiment is suitable for an antenna device for receiving GPS signals, but is not limited thereto, and mobile communication for receiving other satellite waves and terrestrial waves. It can also be applied as an antenna device.

It is a schematic exploded view which shows an example of the conventional antenna device. FIGS. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views for explaining the waterproof structure of the antenna device shown in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 1A shows the waterproof structure when the screw tightening pressure is low, and FIG. 1B shows the waterproof structure when the screw tightening pressure is high. . 1 is a schematic exploded view of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4A and 4B are views showing a top cover used in the antenna device shown in FIG. 3, wherein FIG. 4A is a bottom view of the top cover 11 and FIG. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the waterproof structure of the antenna apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Antenna apparatus 11 Top cover 11b Waterproof rib 11b-1 Tip part of waterproof rib 12 Bottom plate 13 Antenna case 14 Antenna module 15 Packing member (waterproof packing)
16 signal line 20 antenna element 21 circuit board 22 double-sided tape 24 shield case 26 screw 30 permanent magnet 31 resin sheet

Claims (3)

An antenna case in which a top cover and a bottom plate are joined;
An antenna module that is housed in the top cover and receives radio waves;
A packing member that is disposed at a joint portion between the top cover and the bottom plate to ensure the sealing performance of the antenna module;
In the antenna device comprising a plurality of screws for screwing the packing member and the bottom plate to the top cover,
The top cover has a waterproof rib whose tip is in contact with the packing member,
The waterproof rib has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the antenna module is accommodated in an accommodating portion surrounded by the waterproof rib,
The packing member has a base portion that covers the entire back surface of the antenna module;
The tip of the waterproof rib has a flat portion extending substantially parallel to the surface of the base portion of the packing member , and an inclined portion formed by chamfering the outer peripheral edge on the opposite side of the housing portion. And an antenna device.   The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna device is an antenna device for receiving a GPS signal as the radio wave. In the antenna waterproof structure that maintains the waterproof function by screwing the waterproof packing and the bottom plate to the top cover that houses the antenna module, and pressing the waterproof packing against the top cover with screw tightening pressure,
The top cover has a waterproof rib whose tip is in contact with the waterproof packing,
The waterproof rib has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the antenna module is accommodated in an accommodating portion surrounded by the waterproof rib,
The waterproof packing has a base portion that covers the entire back surface of the antenna module,
The tip of the waterproof rib is shaped so that there is no gap between the tip of the waterproof rib and the waterproof packing due to the screw tightening pressure,
The shape of the tip of the waterproof rib is chamfered with a flat shape extending substantially parallel to the surface of the base portion of the waterproof packing and the outer peripheral edge of the tip of the waterproof rib opposite to the housing portion. The antenna waterproof structure which consists of the inclined shape formed by doing.

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