MOBILE TELEVISION ANTENNA WITH INTEGRATED UHF DIGITAL BOOSTER

• US 20100117925A1
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Winegard Company
• Original Assignee: Winegard Company
• Inventors: Conrad, Timothy John, McCollum, Gail Edwin
• Granted Patent: US 8,242,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/878
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/42 Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/30 the primary active element being centre-fed and substantially straight, e.g. Yagi antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/12 Parallel arrangements of substantially straight elongated conductive units travelling-wave antennas comprising transmission line loaded with transverse elements H01Q11/02; Yagi antennas H01Q19/30
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them

Abstract

A mobile television antenna having an antenna element outwardly extending from opposing ends of a housing. An UHF digital booster extends perpendicularly from one side of the housing between the opposing ends carrying the antenna element. At least one UHF parasitic antenna element is connected on a boom which is integrally connected to the mobile television antenna housing. The ultra high frequency parasitic antenna element is held in a plane near the plane in which the antenna element is held by the housing.

Claims

1. A mobile television antenna having a housing and an antenna element extending from opposing ends of said housing in combination with an ultra high frequency digital booster having:

a boom, said boom having one end integral with a center of one side of said housing between said opposing ends of said housing, said boom extending from said housing perpendicular to said antenna element;

at least one ultra high frequency parasitic antenna element connected to said boom, said at least one ultra high frequency parasitic antenna element held by said boom in a plane near the a plane in which said antenna element is held by said housing.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said at least one ultra high frequency parasitic antenna element comprises three spaced ultra high frequency parasitic elements connected to said boom.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said at least one ultra high frequency parasitic antenna element has at least one raised rib providing strength in wind and vibration.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said housing has a top half and a bottom half and wherein said one end of said boom is integral with said bottom half of said housing.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said boom and said bottom half of said housing are integrally formed as one piece from plastic material.

9. The combination of claim 7 wherein said bottom half of said housing has a plurality of resilient feet, said plurality of resilient feet stowing said mobile television antenna against a surface and wherein said boom further comprises a resilient boom foot located on an end of said boom opposing said one integral end, said resilient boom foot and said plurality of resilient feet forming a substantially triangular stabilization force between said surface and said combination of said mobile television antenna and said integral ultra high frequency digital booster.

4. A mobile television antenna having a housing, an antenna element extending from opposing ends of said housing, and a plurality of resilient feet extending from a bottom of said housing for stowing the housing against a surface in combination with an ultra high frequency digital booster having:

a boom, said boom having one end integral with a center of one side of said housing between said opposing ends of said housing, said boom extending from said housing perpendicular to said antenna element;

a plurality of ultra high frequency parasitic antenna elements connected to said boom, said plurality of ultra high frequency parasitic antenna elements held by said boom in a plane near a plane in which said antenna element is held by said housing wherein each of said plurality of parasitic antenna elements has at least one raised rib providing structural strength;

a resilient boom foot on said boom, said resilient boom foot and said plurality of resilient feet forming a substantially triangular stabilization force between said surface and said combination of said mobile television antenna and said ultra high frequency digital booster when stowed.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said plurality of ultra high frequency antenna parasitic elements comprises three spaced ultra high frequency parasitic elements connected to said boom.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein each of said at plurality of ultra frequency parasitic antenna elements has two raised ribs providing strength in wind and vibration.

10. The combination of claim 4 wherein said housing has a top half and a bottom half and wherein said one end of said boom is integral with said bottom half of said housing.

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said boom and said bottom half of said housing are integrally formed as one piece from plastic material.

12. The combination of claim 10 wherein said bottom half of said housing has said plurality of resilient feet and wherein said boom further comprises a resilient boom foot located on an end of said boom opposing said one integral end, said resilient boom foot and said plurality of resilient feet forming said substantially triangular stabilization force.

13. A mobile digital television antenna comprising:

a housing, said housing having a top half and a bottom half, said housing top half connected to said housing bottom half;

a television antenna held between said connected housing top and bottom halves, said television antenna having opposing ends extending outwardly from said housing;

said housing bottom half having an integral boom portion, said integral boom portion extending outwardly on and perpendicular to a side of said bottom half of said housing, said boom portion located at a center of said side;

said integral boom portion of said bottom half of said housing having a plurality of ultra high frequency parasitic antenna elements connected perpendicularly to said integral boom portion to orient said plurality of ultra high frequency parasitic antenna elements in a plane near a plane in which said television antenna is held by said housing top and bottom halves, said plurality of ultra high frequency parasitic elements held parallel to said television antenna.

14. The mobile digital television antenna of claim 13 wherein said housing is formed from plastic material and wherein said boom portion and said bottom half of said housing are integrally formed as one piece from said plastic material.

15. The mobile digital television antenna of claim 13 wherein said plurality of ultra high frequency parasitic antenna elements comprise three spaced ultra high frequency elements connected to said boom portion.

16. The mobile digital television antenna of claim 13 wherein each of said plurality of ultra high frequency parasitic antenna elements has at least one raised rib.

17. The mobile digital television antenna of claim 13 wherein each of said plurality of ultra high frequency parasitic antenna elements is aluminum.

18. The mobile digital television antenna of claim 13 wherein said boom portion has at least one pair of structural supports on sides of said boom portion for strengthening said boom portion.

19. The mobile digital television antenna of claim 13 wherein said housing further comprises a plurality of feet on said bottom half of said housing.

20. The mobile digital television antenna of claim 19 wherein said plurality of feet provide substantial triangular stabilization when said mobile digital television antenna is stowed against a support surface.