Automobile antenna

• US 4,794,397 A
• Filed: 10/11/1985
• Issued: 12/27/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha 1 Toyota-Cho Toyota-Shi Aichi-Ken Japan
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kondo, Hiroshi, Ohe, Junzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wimer, Michael C.
• Application Number:
  US06/786,865
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 343/711, 343/712, 343/713, 343/743, 343/841, 343/842, 343/741
• US Class Current: 343/712
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3275 mounted on a horizontal surface of the vehicle, e.g. on roof, hood, trunk
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop

Abstract

An automobile antenna system for receiving various broadcast and communication waves without pole antennas projected from an automobile body. The system comprises a high-frequency pickup arranged along the length of a trunk hinge on the vehicle body to detect high-frequency surface currents which are induced on the vehicle body by broadcast waves and which are concentrated onto the trunk hinge.

Claims

1. An automobile antenna system comprising:

a casing having an opening at one side and a portion of said casing being electrostatically shielded;

high-frequency pickup means housed in said casing with a part thereof arranged at a position facing the opening of said casing, for detecting high-frequency surface currents induced on the automobile body by broadcast waves and outputting a signal in response to the detection of the high-frequency surface currents; and

mounting means for mounting said casing to a trunk hinge of the automobile body where the high-frequency surface currents concentratedly flow such that said high-frequency pickup means faces the trunk hinge through the opening in said casing.

2. An automobile antenna system as defined in claim 1 wherein said high-frequency pickup means includes a loop antenna mounted in said casing disposed on the trunk hinge and along the length thereof, said loop antenna being adapted to electromagnetically detect a magnetic flux formed by the high-frequency surface currents flowing in said trunk hinge.

3. An automobile antenna system as defined in claim 1 wherein said high frequency pickup means includes detection electrode means arranged in close proximity with the trunk hinge for detecting high-frequency surface currents by electrostatic coupling between the trunk hinge and said detection electrode means.