Automobile antenna system

• US 4,816,837 A
• Filed: 07/31/1986
• Issued: 03/28/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1985
• 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): Le, Hoanganh
• Application Number:
  US06/891,180
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 343/711, 343/712, 343/713, 343/866, 343/895
• US Class Current: 343/713
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3291 mounted in or on other locations inside the vehicle or vehicle body
• 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 disclosed is built in within a vehicle body without any externally protruding portion. It includes an electromagnetic coupling type high-frequency pickup, which has a loop antenna disposed in close proximity to a marginal edge of the vehicle body so as to electromagnetically detect the high-frequency surface currents induced on the vehicle body by external electrical waves.

The loop antenna is formed into a coil of a plurality of turns so that it has a resonance characteristic with respect to frequencies in a broad band by virtue of the self inductance and the parasitic capacitance of the coil.

Claims

1. An automobile antenna system comprising:

a high-frequency pickup which is longitudinally disposed in proximity to and insulated from a marginal edge of a vehicle body of an automobile so as to electromagnetically detect the high-frequency surface currents induced on said vehicle body by broadcast waves;

said high-frequency pickup being provided with a loop antenna consisting of a coil of a plurality of turns on the side facing the marginal edge portion of said vehicle body;

said high-frequency pickup further including a casing fixed to said marginal edge portion of said vehicle body and circuitry provided in said casing, said loop antenna having a spiral coil protruding from said circuitry and being connected thereto.

2. An automobile antenna system according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry includes an impedance matching circuit to which said loop antenna is connected, and an amplifying circuit for amplifying the output of said impedance matching circuit at a high frequency, and the output of said amplifying circuit is supplied to a receiver installed in said vehicle body through a coaxial cable.

3. An automobile antenna system according to claim 1, wherein a variable capacitor is connected to said loop antenna so as to perform fine adjustment of a resonance frequency.

4. An automobile antenna system according to claim 1, further comprising mounting means for mounting the casing of said high-frequency pickup at a peripheral edge portion of a roof panel of said vehicle body.

5. An automobile antenna system according to claim 1, said loop antenna having a coil diameter of about 1 cm.

6. An automobile antenna system according to claim 1, said loop antenna having from 20 to 30 turns in the coil.

7. An automobile antenna system according to claim 1, said loop antenna being coated with insulation.