Vehicle exterior mirror with antenna

• US 6,259,412 B1
• Filed: 09/23/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Britax Geco SA
• Original Assignee: Britax Geco SA
• Inventors: Duroux, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, SHIH CHAO
• Application Number:
  US09/404,101
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/711, 343/712, 343/713
• US Class Current: 343/713
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1261 with antennae

Abstract

An exterior rear view mirror for a motor vehicle comprises a case containing a reflective member and an antenna, consisting of an electrically conductive layer on a surface of the case, for transmitting and/or receiving radio frequency electromagnetic radiation. The electrically conductive layer has at least one zone having its periphery shaped in accordance with the frequency of said electromagnetic radiation.

Claims

1. An exterior rear view mirror for a motor vehicle comprising a mirror case of non-metallic plastic material, said mirror case having an interior, an interior surface and a front opening, a reflective member mounted on said mirror case in said front opening, a plurality of different antennas mounted in said mirror case independent of and unattached to said reflective member, each of said plurality of different antennas being for receiving and/or transmitting radio frequency signals of different frequencies, and at least one of said antennas being an electrically conductive layer on said interior surface.

2. The rear view mirror according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive layer comprises foil secured to said mirror case by adhesive.

3. The rear view mirror according to claim 1 including an exterior cover member for said mirror case and wherein the electrically conductive layer comprises a metal insert molded into one of the mirror case and cover member.

4. The rear view mirror according to claim 1, wherein the mirror case is formed as a co-moulding of two different plastic materials, only one of which is capable of accepting surface metallization, and the conductive layer comprises metallization deposited on the plastic material that is capable of accepting surface metallization.

5. The rear view mirror according to claim 1 wherein one of said antennas is for transmitting and receiving mobile telephone signals.

6. The rear view mirror according to claim 1 wherein one of said antennas is for receiving FM radio signals.

7. The rear view mirror according to claim 1 wherein one of said antennas is for receiving global positioning system signals.

8. The rear view mirror according to claim 1 having wherein said mirror is on a vehicle having electrically operated door locks and one of said antennas is for remote operation of the car door locks.

9. The rear view mirror according to claim 1 wherein one of said antennas is for transmitting and/or receiving signals for an automatic road toll accounting system.

10. An exterior rear view mirror for a motor vehicle comprising a mirror case of non-metallic plastic material containing a reflective member and a plurality of antennas for transmitting and/or receiving radio frequency electromagnetic radiation of a plurality of predetermined different frequencies, said mirror case having a surface and said antennas including a plurality of independent electrically conductive layers on said surface of said mirror case, said electrically conductive layers being independent of and unattached to said reflective member, and at least one of said electrically conductive layers having a physical shape that includes an antenna dimension that is proportional to one of said predetermined frequencies of said electromagnetic radiation.

11. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 said of one said predetermined frequencies has a wavelength and said antenna dimension is the antenna length which is substantially equal to about three tenths of said wavelength.

12. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 wherein said mirror case includes a curved surface portion on which at least one of said electrically conductive layers is located, said curved surface portion being shaped to provide said one electrically conductive layer with a physical shape of a part-conical antenna, the half cone angle θ

of which is related to the length l, the feed-point impedance Zo and the wavelength λ

by the formula;

13. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 wherein the mirror case has an inside surface and at least one of the electrically conductive layers is located on the inside surface of the mirror case.

14. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 wherein the mirror case includes an exterior cover member with an inner surface and at least one of the electrically conductive layers is applied to the inner surface of said exterior cover member.

15. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 wherein said mirror case has an outer surface, an exterior cover member for said mirror case, and at least one of the electrically conductive layers being located on a part of the outer surface of the mirror case which is enclosed by the cover member.

16. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 wherein at least one of the electrically conductive layers comprises foil secured to said mirror case by adhesive.

17. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 including an exterior cover member for said mirror case and wherein at least one of the electrically conductive layers comprises a metal insert molded into one of the mirror case and cover member.

18. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 wherein the mirror case is formed as a co-moulding of two different plastic materials, only one of which is capable of accepting surface metallization, and at least one of the conductive layers comprises metallization deposited on the plastic material that is capable of accepting surface metallization.

19. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 wherein one of said antennas is for transmitting and receiving mobile telephone signals.

20. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 wherein one of said antennas is for receiving FM radio signals.

21. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 wherein one of said antennas is for receiving global positioning system signals.

22. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 having wherein said mirror is on a vehicle having electrically operated door locks and one of said antennas is for remote operation of the car door locks.

23. The rear view mirror according to claim 10 wherein one of said antennas is for transmitting and/or receiving signals for an automatic road toll accounting system.

24. An exterior rear view mirror for a motor vehicle comprising a mirror case of non-metallic plastic material containing a reflective member and a first antenna for transmitting and/or receiving radio frequency electromagnetic radiation of a predetermined frequency, said mirror case having a surface and said first antenna comprising an electrically conductive layer on said surface of said mirror case, said electrically conductive layer having a physical shape that includes an antenna dimension that is proportional to said predetermined frequency of said electromagnetic radiation, and a second antenna located within said mirror case, said second antenna being a self-supporting rigid member.

25. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 wherein said predetermined frequency has a wavelength and said antenna dimension is the antenna length which is substantially equal to about three tenths of said wavelength.

26. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 wherein said mirror case includes a curved surface portion on which said electrically conductive layer is located, said curved surface portion being shaped to provide said electrically conductive layer with a physical shape of a part-conical antenna, the half cone angle θ

of which is related to the length l, the feed-point impedance Zo and the wavelength λ

by the formula;

27. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 wherein the mirror case has an inside surface and the electrically conductive layer is located on the inside surface of the mirror case.

28. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 wherein the mirror case has an exterior cover member with an inner surface and the electrically conductive layer is applied to the inner surface of said exterior cover member.

29. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 wherein said mirror case has an outer surface, an exterior cover member for said mirror case, and the conductive layer being located on a part of the outer surface of the mirror case which is enclosed by the cover member.

30. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 wherein the electrically conductive layer comprises foil secured to said mirror case by adhesive.

31. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 including an exterior cover member for said mirror case and wherein the electrically conductive layer comprises a metal insert molded into one of the mirror case and cover member.

32. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 wherein the mirror case is formed as a co-moulding of two different plastic materials, only one of which is capable of accepting surface metallization, and the conductive layer comprises metallization deposited on the surface of the plastic material that is capable of accepting metallization.

33. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 wherein one of said antennas is for transmitting and receiving mobile telephone signals.

34. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 wherein one of said antennas is for receiving FM radio signals.

35. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 wherein one of said antennas is for receiving global positioning system signals.

36. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 wherein said mirror is on a vehicle having electrically operated door locks and one of said antennas is for remote operation of the car door locks.

37. The rear view mirror according to claim 24 wherein one of said antennas is for transmitting and/or receiving signals for an automatic road toll accounting system.