Motor vehicle-mounted radio wave receiving GPS apparatus requiring no drill holes for mounting

• US 5,161,255 A
• Filed: 01/24/1991
• Issued: 11/03/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Electronic Corporation (Pioneer Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Electronic Corporation (Pioneer Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H.
• Application Number:
  US07/645,527
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 455/269, 455/280, 455/281, 455/189, 455/346, 455/345, 455/343, 455/7, 455/11, 455/12, 455/152.1, 343/700 MS, 343/711, 343/712, 343/713, 343/715, 343/717
• US Class Current: 455/345
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1285 with capacitive feeding through the windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3233 particular used as part of a sensor or in a security system, e.g. for automotive radar, navigation systems

Abstract

The microstrip antenna embodying the present invention employs a dielectric material that forms part of a motor vehicle body shell as a dielectric composing element thereof. The motor vehicle-mounted GPS receiver comprising an outer unit, an inner unit, a wireless signal transfer device for transferring signals between the outer unit and the inner unit, and a power source for supplying an electric power to the outer unit, whereby the signal transfer device is provided by a radio receiver installed in the inner unit or by a coupling capacitor consisting of a pair of flat plates and the dielectric motor vehicle body shell sandwiched therebetween. According to the present invention, there is no need of providing the finished motor vehicles with through holes and it is quite simple to equip the finished motor vehicle with the GPS receiver.

Claims

1. A GPS receiver for a motor vehiclemounted GPS apparatus comprising:

an outer unit mounted at the outside of the motor vehicle body shell including an antenna for receiving radio waves from artificial satellites and a preamplifier for amplifying the received signal;

an inner unit located inside the motor vehicle body shell including a demodulator for demodulating the received signal to derive a required information therefrom and a computer for determining a self-position from the demodulated signal;

signal transfer means for transferring signals between said outer unit and inner unit by utilizing no wire; and

a power source mounted at the outside of the motor vehicle body shell for supplying an electric power to said outer unit, said power source comprising a solar cell and a secondary battery.

2. A GPS receiver for a motor vehicle-mounted GPS apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signal transfer means comprises a radio wave transmitter contained in said outer unit and a radio wave receiver contained in said inner unit.

3. A GPS receiver for a motor vehicle-mounted GPS apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signal transfer means comprises a light wave transmitter contained in said outer unit and a light wave receiver contained in said inner unit.

4. A GPS receiver for a motor vehicle-mounted GPS apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signal transfer means comprises an ultrasonic sound transmitter contained in said outer unit and an ultrasonic sound receiver contained in said inner unit.

5. A GPS receiver for a motor vehicle-mounted GPS apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signal transfer means comprises a pair of diametrically opposed plane electrodes sandwiching a dielectric material that forms part of motor vehicle body shell.

7. A GPS receiver as claimed in claims 1, 2, 6, 3, 4, or 5, wherein said antenna comprises, a first conductive thin film which functions as an antenna element attached to one side of a thin dielectric plate and a second conductive thin film which functions as a ground plane attached to the other side of the thin dielectric plate, being characterized in that:

said thin dielectric plate consists of a dielectric material that forms part of a motor vehicle body shell.

8. A GPS receiver as claimed in claim 7, wherein said second conductive thin film is a transparent electrode.

9. A GPS receiver as claimed in claim 7, wherein said second conductive thin film is a metal wire mesh electrode.

6. A GPS receiver for a motor vehicle-mounted GPS apparatus comprising:

an outer unit mounted at the outside of the motor vehicle body shell including an antenna for receiving radio waves from artificial satellites and a preamplifier for amplifying the received signal;

an inner unit located inside the motor vehicle body shell including a demodulator for demodulating the received signal to derive a required information therefrom and a computer for determining a self-position from the demodulated signal;

signal transfer means for transferring signals between said outer unit and inner unit by utilizing no wire, said signal transfer means comprising a radio wave transmitter contained in said outer unit for transmitting a radio wave, and a radio wave receiver contained in said inner unit for receiving the transmitted radio wave; and

a power source mounted at the outside of the motor vehicle body shell for supplying an electric power to said outer unit, wherein said radio wave is different in frequency from that of the received satellite signal.