Automobile antenna

• US 4,811,024 A
• Filed: 10/16/1985
• Issued: 03/07/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kondo, Hiroshi, Ohe, Junzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wise, Robert E.
• Application Number:
  US06/788,219
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 343/711, 343/712, 343/713
• US Class Current: 343/712
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3283 side-mounted antennas, e.g. bumper-mounted, door-mounted mounted on windscreens H01Q1/1271
• 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

The present invention provides an automobile antenna system for detecting high-frequency surface currents induced on the vehicle body by external broadcast waves and supplying the detected signals to various built-in receivers. The automobile antenna system includes a high-frequency pick-up device positioned on the vehicle body at a pillar along the length thereof at which there is less noise and the density of the broadcast waves is increased.

Claims

1. An antenna system disposed within a hollow pillar of an automobile body, the hollow pillar having an opening, said antenna system being provided for picking up high frequency signals, said antenna system comprising:

loop antenna means provided for electromagnetically detecting a magnetic flux formed by high-frequency surface currents flowing concentratedly in an edge surface of the opening in the hollow pillar;

a casing made of electrically conductive material for shielding an external electromagnetic field and for encasing said loop antenna means, said casing including an opening formed in one side through which only one side of said loop antenna means is externally exposed, said casing being disposed within the hollow pillar in which the high-frequency surface currents flow, said casing and said loop antenna means comprising a high-frequency pick-up means; and

mounting means for mounting said casing, encasing said loop antenna means, within the hollow pillar such that said one side of said loop antenna means and the opening in said casing extends along the length of the hollow pillar opposite to and in close proximity to the edge surface of the opening in the hollow pillar.

2. An antenna system as in claim 1 said high-frequency pick-up means being provided for receiving broadcast waves belonging to frequency bands equal to or higher than 50 MHz.

3. An antenna system as in claim 1 wherein said high-frequency pick-up means is inserted into and attached to the interior of the pillar through an opening formed in a pillar leg plate, said loop antenna means being positioned in close proximity to the pillar leg plate.

4. An antenna system as in claim 1 said mounting means including:

a pair of brackets for clamping said high-frequency pickup means at two sides thereof, each of said brackets having one end thereof rigidly fasted to a marginal edge portion of the automobile body; and

an automobile body connecting piece which is connected to the automobile body and to which said pair of brackets clamping said high-frequency pickup means therebetween are secured, such that said loop antenna means of said high-frequency pickup means opposes the marginal edge portion of the automobile body.