Vehicle mirror housing antenna assembly

• US 20080001834A1
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Morris, Daniel, Livengood, William, Harris, Brett, Yegin, Korkut
• Granted Patent: US 7,609,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/713
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1261 with antennae

Abstract

An antenna assembly is disclosed. The antenna assembly includes an externally-located vehicular mirror housing and an antenna assembly. The externally-located vehicular mirror housing includes a cable exit passage. The antenna assembly includes at least one antenna element mounted on a circuit board. The antenna assembly is located within the externally-located vehicular mirror housing. The cable exit passage passes an antenna cable extending from the circuit board and into the vehicle cabin.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. An antenna system, comprising:

a mirror housing located externally on a first portion of an automotive vehicle, said housing including a cable exit passage; and

a first antenna assembly including at least one antenna element mounted on a circuit board, wherein the antenna assembly is located within the externally-located vehicular mirror housing, wherein the cable exit passage passes an antenna cable extending from the circuit board and into the vehicle cabin; and

a second antenna assembly located on a second portion of said vehicle, said first and second antennas operatively coupled to a common signal receiving device.

15. The antenna system according to claim 14, wherein the driver and/or passenger mirror housing generally comprises a plastic material.

16. The antenna system according to claim 14, wherein the at least one antenna element is a dielectric or wire antenna.

17. The antenna system according to claim 14 further comprising a low noise amplifier located inside a circuit board.

18. The antenna system according to claim 14, wherein the at least one antenna element is a patch antenna element.

19. The antenna system according to claim 18, wherein the patch antenna receives SDARS frequencies.

20. The antenna system according to claim 18, wherein the patch antenna receives GPS frequencies.

21. The antenna system according to claim 14, wherein the mirror housing further comprising at least one mounting boss that retains a mirror frame.

22. The antenna system according to claim 21, wherein the mirror frame comprises a circuit board retaining portion that maintains the circuit board at an elevation angle.

23. The antenna system according to claim 21, wherein the circuit board further comprises a lip portion positioned about the mirror frame and at least one mounting boss to retain the circuit board to the mirror housing.

24. The antenna system according to claim 18, wherein a complementary pair of patch antennas are each located in driver- and passenger-side vehicular mirror housings so as to operate as part of a diversity antenna application to provide uninterrupted reception of the satellite signals.

25. The antenna system according to claim 14, wherein the at least one antenna element is selected from the group consisting of a normal mode helical antenna, an inductively loaded monopole antenna, a loop antenna, and a microstripline antenna printed on a circuit board.

26. The antenna system according to claim 23, receives and transmits PCS/AMPS, RKE, TPM, and AM/FM frequencies.

27. A diversity antenna system for an automotive vehicle, said system comprising:

at least one first antenna disposed within a mirror housing located externally on a first portion of an associated vehicle;

at least one second antenna located on a second portion of said vehicle; and

means for operatively coupling said first and second antennas to a common signal receiving device.