COMBINATION EXTERNAL VEHICLE ANTENNA HOUSING AND INSTALLATION METHOD

• US 20180287250A1
• Filed: 04/02/2018
• Published: 10/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magnadyne Corporation
• Original Assignee: Magnadyne Corporation
• Inventors: CAREN, Barry L., HOCKET, Mark Edward, WONG, CM, YEH, Wentsan
• Granted Patent: US 10,622,709 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3275 mounted on a horizontal surface of the vehicle, e.g. on roof, hood, trunk
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/42 Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An antenna housing facilitates retrofitting a repeater/router and/or an LTE antenna on a vehicle. The combination antenna housing comprises a housing including a base adapted to be assembled to the vehicle, an intermediate portion, and an upper antenna enclosure portion for a radio and television antenna. A method for providing a vehicle with one or more communication links includes the steps of first assembling a plurality of cables within a wall of the vehicle that extend from inside the vehicle to a location on a roof of the vehicle. A radio and television antenna is attached to one or more of the cables within the combination antenna housing. An extra cable is secured inside the housing without electrically connecting the extra cable to another device until after assembly of the vehicle is completed.

Claims

1. A combination antenna apparatus assembled to an exterior location on a vehicle comprising:

a base attached to the exterior location; and

a housing detachably connected to the base, wherein the housing defines an enclosed area above the base that is adapted to receive a repeater/router.

2. The combination antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing includes an upper antenna enclosure portion provided above the enclosed area that is adapted to receive the repeater/router and further comprising:

a radio/television antenna enclosed within the upper antenna enclosure portion.

3. The combination antenna apparatus of claim 1 and wherein the repeater/router is adapted to communicate with a rebroadcaster at a location within the vehicle.

4. The combination antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base includes an outer flange adapted to be attached to the exterior location with fasteners, a raised ring inside the outer flange, wherein the raised ring defines a cup-shaped cavity inside the raised ring and below the enclosed area.

5. The combination antenna apparatus of claim 4 and a conduit extending into the cavity and above the raised ring, wherein cables are routed through the conduit for connection to a plurality of antennas inside the apparatus.

6. The combination antenna apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:

seal assembled to the raised ring that seals around the cavity.

7. The combination antenna apparatus of claim 6 wherein the housing includes a lower surface that has a rib that engages the seal when the housing is attached to the base, and wherein the rib engages the seal when the housing is detachably connected to the base.

8. The combination antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein the repeater/router is enclosed within the housing, and wherein a rebroadcaster is disposed outside of the combination antenna apparatus and is wirelessly connected to the repeater/router.

9. The combination antenna apparatus of claim 1 wherein the repeater/router is enclosed within the housing, and wherein a rebroadcaster is disposed outside of the combination antenna apparatus and is connected by a cable to the LAN antenna.

10. The combination antenna apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

an LTE antenna disposed within the housing and connected through a cable to an LTE booster disposed inside the vehicle.

11. The combination antenna apparatus of claim 10 wherein the exterior location is a roof of the vehicle and an LTE antenna is attached to the roof by attaching the LTE antenna to a conduit extending into the cavity, wherein cables are routed through the conduit for connection to a plurality of antennas inside the apparatus.

12. A method of providing a vehicle with one or more communication links comprising:

assembling a plurality of cables within a wall of the vehicle that extend from inside the vehicle to an exterior location on the vehicle;

attaching a first antenna to a first one of the cables, wherein the first antenna is provided within a housing assembled to the exterior location on the vehicle;

providing a second one of the cables inside the housing without electrically connecting the second one of the cables to another apparatus in the housing; and

completing assembly of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the housing has at least two portions, the method further comprising:

opening the housing by at least partially separating the at least two portions of the housing after completing assembly of the vehicle;

assembling a repeater/router inside the housing and attaching the second one of the cables to the repeater/router to provide power to the repeater/router; and

providing a rebroadcaster that receives signals from the repeater/router and retransmits the signal.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the rebroadcaster is disposed within the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein a third one of the cables is connected between a LTE antenna and an LTE booster, wherein the third cable is connected to the LTE antenna after the housing is opened and after completing assembly of the vehicle.

16. A LAN system comprising:

an access point router that sends and receives LAN signals;

a housing adapted to be attached to a vehicle that encloses a television antenna, a radio antenna, and a repeater/router that sends and receives secondary LAN signals between the access point router and the repeater/router, the housing including a base attached to the vehicle and an enclosure portion that is detachably secured to the base; and

a LAN enabled device being adapted to selectively—

send and receive LAN signals between the LAN enabled device and the access point, or

send and receive secondary LAN signals between the LAN enabled device and the repeater/router disposed in the housing.

17. The LAN system of claim 16 further comprising:

a rebroadcaster disposed inside the vehicle that is adapted to send and receive the secondary LAN signals from the repeater/router in the housing, and wherein the LAN enabled device is adapted to send and receive signals to and from the rebroadcaster.

18. The LAN system of claim 17 wherein the secondary LAN signals from the repeater/router in the housing are transmitted through a cable extending between the repeater/router and the rebroadcaster.

19. The LAN system of claim 16 wherein an extra cable is installed in the vehicle when the vehicle is assembled, and wherein the enclosure portion is at least partially removed from the base to install the repeater/router on the base as a retrofit with the enclosure portion being reattached to the base after the repeater/router is installed.

20. The LAN system of claim 16 further comprising:

a passive antenna including an outside portion disposed outside the vehicle and an inner portion disposed inside the vehicle, wherein the secondary LAN signals from the repeater/router in the housing are passively transmitted through the passive antenna between the repeater/router and the LAN enabled device.

21. A long-term evolution (LTE) system comprising:

a cellular system that sends and receives primary mobile phone/cell phone data signals;

a housing adapted to be attached to a vehicle that encloses a television antenna, a radio antenna, and an LTE antenna for receiving primary mobile phone/cell phone data signals, the housing including a base attached to the vehicle and an enclosure portion that is detachably connected to the base; and

a mobile phone/cell phone data signal booster disposed inside the vehicle and connected to the LTE antenna, wherein the mobile phone/cell phone data signal booster is adapted to send and receive secondary mobile phone signal/cell phone data signals between a cell phone and the mobile phone/cell phone data signal booster and a cell phone.