Compact vehicle-mounted antenna
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A compact, vehicle-mounted antenna, comprising:
- a base having an upper surface, the upper surface of the base being at least partially covered with a conductive material, thereby forming a ground plane; and
an antenna element positioned on the upper surface of the base, the antenna element comprising;
a platform substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the ground plane,a ground connecting the ground plane to an end of the platform, the ground extending from the ground plane at an angle substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the base, anda feed connecting the base to the platform, a portion of the feed being slanted relative to the base as the feed extends from the base toward the platform,wherein the angle of the feed is adjusted so that the antenna element has a desired height.
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Abstract
A compact, vehicle-mounted antenna is disclosed. In one embodiment, a first and second antenna element are positioned on a conductive ground plane. The antenna elements can comprise platforms supported by a ground and a feed. The antenna elements can be tuned to various bands (e.g., cellular or PCS). At least one additional antenna element (e.g., a GPS receive antenna) can be positioned between the two antenna elements. One of the feeds of the antenna elements can be angled so that the antenna element has a desired height (e.g., a height matching the other antenna element). The antenna elements can be electrically connected to a transmission line via a single feed line.
76 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A compact, vehicle-mounted antenna, comprising:
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a base having an upper surface, the upper surface of the base being at least partially covered with a conductive material, thereby forming a ground plane; and an antenna element positioned on the upper surface of the base, the antenna element comprising; a platform substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the ground plane, a ground connecting the ground plane to an end of the platform, the ground extending from the ground plane at an angle substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the base, and a feed connecting the base to the platform, a portion of the feed being slanted relative to the base as the feed extends from the base toward the platform, wherein the angle of the feed is adjusted so that the antenna element has a desired height. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A compact, vehicle-mounted antenna, comprising:
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a base having an upper surface, the upper surface of the base being at least partially covered with a conductive material, thereby forming a ground planet; and an antenna element positioned on the upper surface of the base, the antenna element comprising; a platform substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the ground plane, a ground connecting the ground plane to an end of the platform, the ground extending from the ground plane at an angle substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the base and a feed connecting the base to the platform, a portion of the feed being slanted relative to the base as the feed extends from the base toward the platform, wherein the antenna is positioned within a portion of a roof rack of a vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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13. A compact, vehicle-mounted antenna, comprising:
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a ground conductor; and an antenna element coupled to the ground conductor, the antenna element having a platform substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the ground conductor, the platform having a radiating lip that projects outwardly over an edge of the ground conductor by a predetermined distance, the platform being supported above the ground conductor by a ground and a feed, wherein the radiating lip forms a capacitive coupling with the edge of the ground conductor, the capacitive coupling partially contributing to an impedance of the antenna element. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. A compact, vehicle-mounted antenna, comprising:
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a first antenna element configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic transmissions in a first band, the first antenna element having a first feed; a second antenna element configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic transmissions in a second band different than the first band, the second antenna element having a second feed; and a conductive feed line electrically coupling a transmission line to the first feed and the second feed, wherein a length of the feed line between the first feed and the second feed creates an impedance such that the second antenna element appears to be substantially an open circuit in the first band. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A vehicle-mounted, multiband antenna, comprising:
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a base having a conductive ground surface; a first antenna element positioned on the base and being configured to receive and transmit electromagnetic radiation in a first band, the first antenna element comprising a first support, a first feed, and a first platform substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the ground surface, the first platform having an inward-facing end and an outward-facing end; a second antenna element positioned on the base and being configured to receive and transmit electromagnetic radiation in a second band different than the first band, the second antenna element comprising a second support, a second feed, and a second platform substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the ground surface, the second platform also having an inward- facing end and an outward-facing end, the first and second antenna elements being positioned on the base such that the outward- facing ends of the first and second antenna elements face substantially opposite directions; and at least one additional antenna element positioned substantially between the first antenna element and the second antenna element, the additional antenna element being configured to receive and/or transmit electromagnetic radiation in one or more additional bands. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A vehicle-mounted, communicating antenna, comprising:
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a first antenna element for communicating over a first wavelength range; a second antenna element for communicating over a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range, the second antenna element being separated from and in general axial alignment with the first antenna element; and a third antenna element positioned between and in general axial alignment with the first and second antenna elements, and the first and second antenna elements are tuned, shaped, and/or positioned relative to each other to reduce loss of performance, wherein the first and second antenna elements are oppositely oriented to increase electrical isolation relative to each other; wherein the first and second antenna elements are tuned, shaped, and/or positioned relative to each other to reduce loss of performance. - View Dependent Claims (41)
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Specification