Antenna device

• US 6,075,486 A
• Filed: 01/19/1999
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Hakozaki, Hirotoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOANG V
• Application Number:
  US09/233,094
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700 MS, 343/906, 343/893, 343/713, 343/770, 343/776, 343/DIG. 2
• US Class Current: 343/700.0MS
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3275 mounted on a horizontal surface of the vehicle, e.g. on roof, hood, trunk
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0087 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them

Abstract

An antenna device realized in a small size and at a decreased cost owing to a reduction in the feeder circuits and in the harness portion. The antenna device includes a plurality of antenna units 11 to 18 integrally arranged neighboring each other, and a core unit 20 arranged integrally with said antenna units to feed electric power to said antenna units, wherein each of said antenna units and said core unit has detachable joining/securing portions and connector portions, and each of said antenna units is electrically connected to said core unit via said connector portions. The antenna units required by a user are divided into blocks for each of the functions and are selectively utilized in an aggregated manner.

Claims

1. An antenna device comprising:

a plurality of antenna units integrally arranged neighboring each other; and

a core unit arranged integrally with said antenna units at a central position, to feed electric power to said antenna units;

wherein,

each of said antenna units and said core unit has detachable joining/securing portions and connector portions; and

each of said antenna units is electrically connected to said core unit via said connector portions.

2. An antenna device according to claim 1, wherein provision is made of a case substrate for containing said antenna units and said core unit integrally together, and said case substrate has detachable joining/securing portions and connector portions on surfaces thereof opposed to said antenna units and said core unit.

3. An antenna device according to claim 2, wherein said case substrate has a plurality of accommodation spaces that are divided to individually correspond to said antenna units and said core unit.

4. An antenna device according to claim 2, wherein said case substrate has a mounting portion on the surfaces thereof opposed to an external equipment so as to be secured to said external equipment.

5. An antenna device according to claim 1, wherein said antenna units have separate antenna elements, filter circuits and amplifiers having different characteristics.

6. An antenna device according to claim 1, wherein said core unit has a harness portion for connecting transmission/reception lines and power source lines for said antenna units to an external circuit device in an aggregated manner.

7. An antenna device according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of antenna units include at least any one of an AM antenna unit, an FM antenna unit, a TV antenna unit, a navigation antenna unit, an ETC antenna unit and an amateur wireless antenna unit mounted on a car.

8. An antenna device according to claim 7, wherein said antenna units are arranged in an aggregated manner in a roof module of a vehicle.

9. An antenna device according to claim 7, wherein said antenna units are arranged in an aggregated manner on an upper surface of an inner wall of one of an engine room, trunk room and a roof of a vehicle.

10. An antenna device comprising:

a plurality of antenna units integrally arranged neighboring each other; and

a core unit arranged integrally with said antenna units to feed electric power to said antenna units;

wherein,

each of said antenna units and said core unit has detachable joining/securing portions and connector portions; and

each of said antenna units is electrically connected to said core unit via said connector portions;

wherein the joining/securing portions and the connector portions of each of the antenna units are provided on at least one surface thereof opposed to said core unit, and the joining/securing portions and the connector portions of said core unit are provided on the surfaces thereof opposed to at least one of said antenna units.

11. An antenna device according to claim 10, wherein said antenna units and said core unit have quadrilateral planes, said antenna units are arranged in the form of a matrix with the core unit as a center, the antenna units neighboring said core unit among said antenna units are directly coupled to said core unit via said connector portions, the antenna units that are not neighboring said core unit among said antenna units are directly coupled to other neighboring antenna units via said connector portions and are electrically connected to said core unit via said other antenna units.

12. An antenna device according to claim 10, wherein said core unit has a circular plane, and said antenna units are arranged like a ring along the outer peripheral surface of said core unit with said core unit as a center, and are directly coupled to said core unit via said connector portions.

13. An antenna device according to claim 10, wherein at least either one of said antenna unit and said core unit has a mounting portion on the surface thereof opposed to an external equipment so as to be secured to said external equipment.