Antenna assembly and antenna structure with improved signal-to-noise ratio

• US 9,929,464 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Vortmeier, Gunther, Degen, Christoph, Droste, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pierre, Peguy Jean
• Application Number:
  US13/581,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20130141289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,478 Days
• Field of Search: 343711, 343713
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1285 with capacitive feeding through the windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/27 Adaptation for use in or on movable bodies H01Q1/08, H01Q1/12, H01Q1/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/44 using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna , e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspectH01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/48 Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/50 Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors

Abstract

An antenna assembly including: an insulating substrate; a conductive coating covering a surface of the substrate at least section-wise and serving at least section-wise as a planar antenna receiving electromagnetic waves; a first coupling electrode electrically coupled to the conductive coating extracting useful signals from the planar antenna; a source of interference disposed such that interfering signals can be received by the planar antenna; an electrically conductive ground; and a second coupling electrode electrically coupled to the conductive coating coupling out interfering signals received by the planar antenna from the planar antenna. The second coupling electrode includes a first coupling surface and the conductive structure includes a second coupling surface capacitively coupled to the first coupling surface, the two coupling surfaces configured to selectively allow passage of a frequency range corresponding to the interfering signals to be extracted from the planar antenna.

Claims

1. An antenna assembly, comprising:

at least one electrically insulating substrate;

an electrically conductive structure defining a ground;

at least one electrically conductive transparent coating, which covers more than 70% of a surface of the substrate and serves as a planar antenna to receive electromagnetic signals comprising first signals in a frequency range of first and second terrestrial broadcast bands and second signals in a frequency range of third to fifth terrestrial broadcast bands;

at least one first coupling electrode galvanically or capacitively connected to the conductive coating to couple out the first signals from the planar antenna, the first coupling electrode being electrically coupled to an unshielded, linear antenna conductor, which serves as a linear antenna to receive electromagnetic waves, the linear antenna conductor being situated outside an area that is projected by orthogonal parallel projection onto the planar antenna serving as the projection area, by which one antenna foot point of the linear antenna becomes a common antenna foot point of the linear and planar antenna;

at least one second coupling electrode galvanically connected to the conductive coating to couple out the second signals from the planar antenna,

wherein the at least one second coupling electrode is implemented in the form of a protruding edge section of the conductive coating,

wherein the at least one second coupling electrode includes a first coupling surface and the conductive structure includes a second coupling surface capacitively coupled to the first coupling surface, and

wherein sizes of the first and second coupling surfaces and a distance between the first and second coupling surfaces are configured such that they selectively allow passage of the second signals.

2. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second coupling electrode is disposed near the first coupling electrode.

3. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second coupling electrode is disposed between a source of interference area zone of the conductive coating, whose points are at a distance as short as possible from the at least one source of interference, and the first coupling electrode.

4. An antenna assembly according to claim 3, wherein the at least one second coupling electrode is at a distance from the source of interference area zone that is less than one fourth of a minimum wavelength of the interfering signal.

5. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein a geometric distance between the at least one second coupling electrode and a source of interference area zone of the conductive coating, whose points are at a distance as short as possible from the at least one source of interference, is less than a geometric distance between the first coupling electrode and the source of interference area zone.

6. An antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein the capacitively coupled coupling surfaces of the at least one second coupling electrode and the conductive structure are configured such that they selectively allow passage of a frequency range above 170 MHz.

7. An antenna structure, comprising:

at least one electrically insulating substrate;

at least one electrically conductive transparent coating, which covers more than 70% of a surface of the substrate and serves as a planar antenna to receive electromagnetic signals comprising first signals in a frequency range of first and second terrestrial broadcast bands and second signals in a frequency range of third to fifth terrestrial broadcast bands;

at least one first coupling electrode electrically coupled to the conductive coating to couple out the first signals, wherein the first coupling electrode is electrically coupled to an unshielded, linear antenna conductor, which serves as a linear antenna to receive electromagnetic waves, wherein the linear antenna conductor is situated outside an area that is projected by orthogonal parallel projection on the planar antenna serving as the projection area, by which one antenna foot point of the linear antenna becomes a common antenna foot point of the linear and planar antenna;

at least one second coupling electrode galvanically connected to the conductive coating to couple out the second signals,

wherein the at least one second coupling electrode is implemented in the form of a protruding edge section of the conductive coating,

wherein the at least one second coupling electrode includes a first coupling surface that is configured to be capacitively coupled to a second coupling surface of an electrically conductive structure defining an electrical ground, and

wherein the sizes of the coupling surfaces and a distance between the coupling surface is configured such that they selectively allows passage of the second signals.

8. A use of an antenna structure according to claim 7 as a functional individual piece and as a built-in part in furniture, devices, and buildings, as well as in means of transportation for travel on land, in air, or on water, or in motor vehicles, or as a windshield, a rear window, a side window, and/or a glass roof.

9. A method for operation of an antenna assembly, comprising:

receiving of signals by a planar antenna, which is implemented in a form of an electrically conductive transparent coating applied on at least one electrically insulating substrate, which covers more than 70% of a surface of the substrate, the signals comprising first signals in a frequency range of first and second terrestrial broadcast bands and second signals in a frequency range of third to fifth terrestrial broadcast bands;

coupling out of the first signals from the planar antenna by a first coupling electrode galvanically or capacitively connected to the coating, wherein the first coupling electrode is electrically coupled to an unshielded, linear antenna conductor, which serves as a linear antenna to couple electromagnetic waves, wherein the linear antenna conductor is situated outside an area that is protected by orthogonal parallel projection onto the planar antenna serving as the projection area, by which one antenna foot point of the linear antenna becomes a common antenna foot point of the linear and planar antenna;

selectively coupling out of the second signals from the planar antenna by a second coupling electrode galvanically connected to the coating, which second coupling electrode is implemented in the form of a protruding edge section of the conductive coating and is capacitively coupled to a conductive structure defining a ground wherein the second coupling electrode includes a first coupling surface and the conductive structure includes a second coupling surface capacitively coupled to the first coupling surface, and

wherein the sizes of the coupling surfaces and a distance between the coupling surfaces are configured such that they selectively allow passage of the second signals.