Automobile windshield antenna incorporating windshield heater

• US 5,285,048 A
• Filed: 02/05/1992
• Issued: 02/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harada Kogyo KK
• Original Assignee: Harada Kogyo KK
• Inventors: Nakase, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Reynolds, Bruce A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jeffery, John A.
• Application Number:
  US07/831,183
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 219/203, 219/522, 343/704, 343/711, 343/712, 343/713, 343/729
• US Class Current: 219/203
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1271 for mounting on windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1278 in association with heating wires or layers

Abstract

An automobile antenna including a defogging heater wire and a conductor combined into a simple structure to accomplish a good FM reception. A capacitor which effects high-frequency grounding of the terminals of a defogging heater wire is installed between the terminals and a vehicle body; alternately, FM choke coils can be installed which prevents the heater wire from receiving high-frequency signals from a power source of the heater wire. The heater wire which resonates in the FM frequency band but not in the AM frequency band is inductively and capacitively coupled to the conductor which is installed on the surface of the window glass and resonates in the FM frequency band but not in the AM frequency band. The heater wire and conductor are installed in such a positional relationship that a double resonance is created.

Claims

1. An automobile windshield antenna for receiving a first reception frequency band and a second reception frequency band, said antenna comprising:

a defogging heater wire which resonates in said first reception frequency band but not in said second reception frequency band, a terminal of said heater wire being grounded in terms of high-frequency by a capacitor or insulated in terms of high-frequency from a power supply circuit by a choke coil for said first reception frequency band, and

a conductor which is installed in said window glass and has an output terminal, said conductor being resonant in said first reception frequency band but not in said second reception frequency band,

wherein said heater wire and conductor are installed in such a positional relationship that said heater wire and conductor are inductively and capacitively coupled together in said first reception frequency band, thus forming a state of double resonance, said heater wire and conductor are respectively capable of reception in said first reception frequency band, and said heater wire and conductor are electrically not coupled in said second reception frequency band so that reception of said second reception frequency band is accomplished only by said conductor.

2. An automobile windshield antenna according to claim 1, wherein said first reception frequency band encompasses FM broadcast frequencies and said second reception frequency band encompasses AM broadcast frequencies.

3. An automobile windshield antenna according to claim 1 wherein:

said heater wire has a dimension by which said heater wire resonates independently in said first reception frequency band; and

said conductor has a dimension by which said conductor resonates independently in said first reception band.

4. An automobile windshield antenna according to claim 1, wherein said heater wire and said conductor are substantially critically coupled in said first reception frequency band.

5. An automobile windshield antenna according to claim 1, wherein said output terminal of said conductor is connected directly to a feeder.

6. An automobile windshield antenna according to claim 1, wherein:

said heater wire, involving a resonance frequency adjusting inductor or capacitor, resonates in said first reception frequency band; and

said conductor, involving a resonance frequency adjusting inductor or capacitor, resonates in said first reception frequency band.

7. An automobile windshield antenna according to claim 1, wherein said output terminal of said conductor is connected to a feeder via a compensating circuit which includes a matching circuit for said first reception frequency band and an active impedance converter which converts high antenna impedance for said second reception frequency band into a low impedance.