MINIATURE ANTENNA FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20090237313A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A3-Advanced Automotive Antennas
• Original Assignee: Advanced Automotive Antennas, S.L. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Martinez Ortigosa, Enrique
• Granted Patent: US 7,868,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/713
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1271 for mounting on windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3266 using the mirror of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3275 mounted on a horizontal surface of the vehicle, e.g. on roof, hood, trunk
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/36 Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; Particular materials used therewithH01Q1/08, H01Q1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142

Abstract

The present invention relates to a miniature antenna for a motor vehicle. The antenna may, for example, be a printed board miniature radio antenna for AM/FM signal reception. The antenna may, for example, be placed in an internal mirror of a motor vehicle or on an exterior surface of the motor vehicle, such as the vehicle'"'"'s roof. The antenna is shaped as a curve of conductive material in which the geometry of at least a part of said curve comprises a space-filling curve or a grid dimension curve.

Claims

1-33. -33. (canceled)

34. An antenna system for motor vehicles comprising at least one antenna shaped as a curve of conductive material, characterized in that the geometry of at least a part of said curve comprises a space-filling curve or a grid dimension curve, said curve having a box-counting dimension or grid dimension larger than 1.5, wherein the antenna could be enclosed within a sphere having a radius smaller than 50 cm.

35. Antenna system according to claim 34 wherein the curve includes at least two portions having different box-counting dimension or different grid-dimension.

36. Antenna system according to claim 34 or claim 35 wherein the box-counting dimension or the grid dimension is larger than 1.7 or 1.9.

50. Antenna system according to any of the claims 34 to 49 wherein the shape of the curve is not self-similar.

51. Antenna system according to of the claims 34 to 49 wherein at least part of the antenna curve is shaped as a Hilbert curve.

60. Antenna system according to any of the claims 34 to 59 wherein at least one antenna is adapted to operate at AM (LW:

150 kHz-279 kHz and MW;

530 kHz-1710 kHz) Japan and European FM band (78 MHz-108 MHz).

52. Antenna system according to claim wherein the radius of the sphere is smaller than λ

/10, or smaller than λ

/20 or smaller than λ

/40, at the center of the FM band or other radio or wireless communication service.