Motor vehicle with antenna window with improved radiation and reception characteristics

• US 5,898,407 A
• Filed: 09/03/1996
• Issued: 04/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pilkington Automotive Deutschland GmbH (Pilkington PLC)
• Original Assignee: Flachglas Automotive GmbH
• Inventors: Piorek, Helmut, Niklewski, Hans-Jurgen, Baranski, Detlef, Paulus, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, THO GIA
• Application Number:
  US08/707,111
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 343/713, 343/712, 343/711, 343/704, 343/767, 343/770, 343/769
• US Class Current: 343/713
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10005 laminated safety glass or glazing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10761 containing vinyl acetal
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10788 containing ethylene vinylacetate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2367/00 Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1271 for mounting on windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas

Abstract

A motor vehicle, especially a passenger vehicle, has a metallic body provided with a window opening receiving an antenna window. The antenna window has inner and outer panes bonded together by a bonding layer with an optically-transparent electrically-conductive solar central coating reducing transmission in at least a part of the solar energy range. At least one edge of the window is left free from the coating and in this region a slot antenna is formed. At least at one additional edge, the coating runs to that edge and is overlapped by the framing portion of the vehicle body and is coupled with a high-frequency coupling to the coating.

Claims

1. An automotive vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body formed with a window opening framed by a metallic border;

an antenna window in said opening and secured to said body, said antenna window comprising;

an inner pane,

an outer pane,

a bonding layer between said inner pane and said outer pane, and

an electrically conductive optically transparent solar control coating capable of reducing solar energy transmission in at least one portion of the solar energy spectrum,

said solar control coating being set back from at least one edge of said window opening to define along said edge a coating-free strip-like slot region, said solar control coating running to at least one other edge of said antenna window and overlapping said metallic border at said at least one other edge and being high-frequency-coupled to said metallic border at said at least one other edge; and

means for electrically contacting said solar control coating and said one edge of said window opening adjacent to the coating free strip-like slot region whereby a slot antenna is formed.

2. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said bonding layer is a foil laminate of a first bonding foil, a foil provided with said electrically conductive optically transparent solar control coating and a second bonding foil, said foil with said control coating being cut shorter than said second bonding foil.

3. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said slot region has a width of 3 mm to 200 mm.

4. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said slot region has a length of at least 400 mm.

5. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said slot region is symmetrical with respect to a center of said window opening.

6. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said slot region extends from one side of the antenna window to an opposite side thereof.

7. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said solar control coating extends to edges of said antenna window on all sides thereof except from an upper side of said antenna window.

8. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said slot region is formed at an upper side of said antenna window, a lower side of said antenna window being formed with another slot region provided with a further slot antenna.

9. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1, further comprising a capacitive coupling element on said antenna window for coupling radio frequency energy into and out of said antenna window and overlapping said solar control coating adjacent said slot region.

10. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 9 wherein said coupling element crosses with at least one conductor at said slot region.

11. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1, further comprising a single coupling element on said antenna window for coupling radio frequency energy into and out of said antenna window and located in a region of a center of length of said slot region.

12. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of coupling elements on said antenna window for coupling radio frequency energy into and out of said antenna window and spaced apart along the length of said slot region.

13. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1, further comprising an AM antenna disposed in said slot region and extending over at least part of the length thereof.

14. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1, further comprising additional antenna elements disposed in said slot region and connected for transmission and reception of high frequency waves for at least one of mobile radio, television and global positioning satellite communications.

15. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 14 wherein said slot antenna is configured for a frequency range of about 50 to 300 MHz and said additional antenna elements are configured for a frequency range of about 300 MHz to 2 GHz.

16. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1, further comprising means for connecting at least part of said electrically conductive optically transparent solar control coating to a source of direct current for electrically heating said antenna window for defrosting and deicing thereof.

17. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1, further comprising heating conductors in said antenna window spaced from said electrically conductive optically transparent solar control coating and forming a heating field for electrically heating said antenna window for defrosting and deicing thereof.

18. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said antenna window is so connected as to form part of a diversity system.

19. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 18 wherein said antenna window is provided with a plurality of variable impedance coupling elements connected for transmission and reception of high frequency waves and forming with the antenna window part of a parametric diversity system.

20. The automotive vehicle defined in claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive optically transparent solar control coating is subdivided into a plurality of fields, at least one of said fields being formed and connected as a slot antenna.