Vehicle roof mount antenna

• US 6,791,501 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2002
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harada Industry Company Limited, Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Harada Industry Company Limited, Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Otsuka, Hitoshi, Inomata, Morihiro, Kohinata, Junichi, Shigefuji, Yasuyuki, Maeda, Hiroyuki, Shinkawa, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Assistant Examiner(s): A, MINH D
• Application Number:
  US10/315,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20030112191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 343/715, 343/878, 343/882, 343/906, 343/713, 343/900, 343/903
• US Class Current: 343/715
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/084 Pivotable antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1214 through a wall
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3275 mounted on a horizontal surface of the vehicle, e.g. on roof, hood, trunk

Abstract

The present invention includes an antenna rod, an antenna base which attaches the antenna rod so as to be capable of swiveling, a joint assembly which consists of a cylindrical member in an axial direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the rod at one end of the antenna rod, a pair of pivotal support portions provided so as to confront an upper portion of the antenna base so as to mount the joint assembly on a pivot in a swiveling manner, and a torsion spring which is provided with respect to the joint assembly and automatically returns the joint assembly to a predetermined swiveling position by giving the elasticity of itself even if a swiveling position of the joint assembly is changed due to an external force applied to the antenna rod.

Claims

1. A vehicle roof mount antenna comprising:

an antenna rod;

an antenna base to which the antenna rod is attached in a manner so that the antenna rod is swivelable;

a joint portion which is provided at one end of the antenna rod and which comprises a cylindrical member having an axial direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the rod;

a pair of first and second pivotal support portions provided to confront an upper portion of the antenna base to mount the joint portion on a pivot in a swiveling manner;

a bolt and a nut which are inserted into a through hole provided in the first one of the pair of the pivotal support portions, which pierce the joint portion and the second one of the pair of pivotal support portions, and which are fastened together; and

a spring mechanism which is provided with respect to the joint portion in the antenna base, and which automatically returns the joint portion and the antenna rod to a predetermined swiveling position in accordance with an elasticity of the spring mechanism, even if a swiveling position of the joint portion and the antenna rod is changed by an external force applied to the antenna rod.

2. The vehicle roof mount antenna according to claim 1, wherein the spring mechanism comprises a torsion spring which is coaxially arranged with respect to the joint portion, and wherein the spring mechanism has a first end fixed to an antenna base side and a second end fixed to a joint portion side.

3. The vehicle roof mount antenna according to claim 2, further comprising a cylindrical guide member which is provided in the torsion spring coaxially with the spring and the bolt, and which restricts partial reduction in inside diameter caused by entrainment of the torsion spring.

4. The vehicle roof antenna according to claim 2, wherein the spring mechanism also includes a holding mechanism which maintains the joint portion at a position where a swiveling angle of the joint portion is set at a predetermined position.

5. The vehicle roof mount antenna according to claim 1, wherein the spring mechanism comprises a torsion spring which is coaxially arranged with respect to the joint portion, and wherein the spring mechanism has both ends attached in accordance with two swiveling directions of the joint portion.

6. The vehicle roof mount antenna according to claim 5, further comprising a cylindrical guide member which is provided in the torsion spring coaxially with the spring and the bolt, and which restricts partial reduction in inside diameter caused by entrainment of the torsion spring.

7. The vehicle roof antenna according to claim 5, wherein the spring mechanism also includes a holding mechanism which maintains the joint portion at a position where a swiveling angle of the joint portion is set at a predetermined position.

8. The vehicle roof mount antenna according to claim 1, wherein the spring mechanism comprises a pair of coil springs each of which has a first end attached to the joint portion and a second end which is brought into contact with a wall surface in the antenna base by swiveling of the joint portion.

9. The vehicle roof antenna according to claim 8, wherein the spring mechanism also includes a holding mechanism which maintains the joint portion at a position where a swiveling angle of the joint portion is set at a predetermined position.

10. The vehicle roof mount antenna according to claim 1, wherein the spring mechanism comprises a coil spring having a first end attached to the joint portion and a second end fixed in the antenna base.

11. The vehicle roof antenna according to claim 10, wherein the spring mechanism also includes a holding mechanism which maintains the joint portion at a position where a swiveling angle of the joint portion is set at a predetermined position.

12. The vehicle roof mount antenna according to claim 1, wherein the spring mechanism includes:

a coil spring attached in such a manner that an axial direction thereof is parallel to a radial direction of a swiveling surface of the joint portion;

a slide member having a first end in contact with the coil spring and to which a force is given by elasticity of the coil spring; and

a slide wall with which a second end of the slide member is in contact, which is formed in the antenna base, and which has a shape which weakens the elasticity of the coil spring to a lowest level when a swiveling angle of the joint portion is set at a predetermined position.

13. The vehicle roof antenna according to claim 12, wherein the spring mechanism also includes a holding mechanism which maintains the joint portion at a position where the swiveling angle of the joint portion is set at a predetermined position.

14. The vehicle roof antenna according to claim 1, wherein the spring mechanism includes a holding mechanism which maintains the joint portion at a position where a swiveling angle of the joint portion is set at a predetermined position.