Abstract
The invention relates to an antenna system (1) having a housing (2), in which a printed circuit board is provided, and at least one antenna element (8), the at least one antenna element (8) being arranged inside a cover. A motherboard (11) without an antenna element (8) is preferably arranged inside the housing (2), an antenna circuit board (12) is provided at a distance from the motherboard (11), outside the housing (2), and the at least one antenna element (8) is arranged on the antenna circuit board (12).
Claims
1. An antenna system comprising: a housing; a circuit board held in the housing; a cover separate from the housing; an antenna element in the cover and outside the housing; and a primary circuit board inside the housing and spaced from the one antenna element.
2. The antenna system defined in claim 1, wherein the primary circuit board does not carry an antenna element, the system further comprising: an antenna circuit board outside the housing, spaced from the primary circuit board, and carrying the antenna element.
3. The antenna system defined in claim 2, wherein the housing has at least one aperture, the system further comprising: means for connecting the primary circuit board through the aperture to the antenna circuit board.
4. The antenna system defined in claim 3, wherein the means for connecting the primary circuit board to the antenna circuit board includes one plug connector and the antenna circuit board (12) has another plug connector fittable with the one plug connector.
5. The antenna system defined in claim 1, further comprising: an outer cover holding the antenna circuit board and the antenna element.
6. The antenna system defined in claim 5, wherein the outer cover is formed over its entire surface with an aperture for the insertion of the antenna circuit board.
7. The antenna system defined in 5, wherein the outer cover is formed by with struts, with recesses between the struts, and with an aperture for the insertion of the antenna circuit board and the antenna element.
8. The antenna system defined in claim 2, wherein the antenna circuit board is provided with and fastened by connectors to the primary circuit board or to the housing (2).
9. The antenna system defined in claim 1, further comprising: a cap fitted over the outer cover.
10. In combination with a vehicle having a body panel, an antenna system having a housing, a circuit board held in the housing, a cover separate from the housing; an antenna element inside the cover, a primary circuit board without any antenna element inside the housing on one side of the body panel of the vehicle, and an antenna circuit board on the other side of the body panel of the vehicle, spaced from the primary circuit board, outside the housing, and carrying the antenna element.
11. The combination defined in claim 10, wherein the body panel has an aperture for passing through means for connecting the primary circuit board to the antenna circuit board.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0011] The invention is described and explained in further detail below with reference to the figures in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view from above of the invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view from below of the invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a detail perspective view from above of a variant of the invention; and
[0015] FIG. 4 is a section through another variant of the invention.
p SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] As a preferred application of the antenna system according to the invention, the drawing shows the installation thereof in a vehicle.
[0017] A vehicle is therefore preferred that has an antenna system having a housing holding a circuit board and at least one antenna element that is provided inside a cover, a primary circuit board without antenna element being provided inside the housing provided on one side of a body panel of the vehicle, and an antenna circuit board provided on the other side of the body panel of the vehicle is provided so as to be spaced from the primary circuit board and outside the housing, with the at least one antenna element being provided on the antenna circuit board.
[0018] Although this application of the antenna system according to the invention in a vehicle is preferred and the following description applies particularly to this particular application, it is not limited thereto. FIG. 1 shows, insofar as shown in detail, a three-dimensional view of an antenna system 1 having a housing 2. In this application of the antenna system 1, a cap 3 is provided that can be seen from the outside when viewing the vehicle (for example, on the roof of the vehicle). Moreover, the antenna system 1 has an outer cover 4. An upper face of the housing is indicated at 5, and a lower face of the optional cap 3 at 6. An outer edge rim the outer cover 4 is shown at 7.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a view from another perspective of the antenna system 1 in which the elements already described in FIG. 1 can be seen.
[0020] FIG. 3 shows a partial detailed view of the antenna system 1 as in FIGS. 1 and 2. In particular, it can be seen here that an antenna element projects upward past the upper face 5 of the housing 2. Although only one antenna element 8 is shown schematically, several antenna elements of the same type or of different types can also be present.
[0021] It can therefore be understood from FIG. 3 that an antenna circuit board that is not shown here is provided with the at least one antenna element 8 inside the outer cover 4. This offers the advantage that the at least one antenna element 8 is protected from external influences. These external influences can be mechanical disturbances during assembly or storage of the antenna system 1. Particularly if no cap 3 is present, the outer cover 4 can also protect the at least one antenna element 8 from external influences such as rain, snow, wind, and the like during operation of the vehicle. In this case, the outer cover 4 is shaped over its entire (external) surface as a aperture (directed downward toward the housing 2) for the insertion of the antenna circuit board with the at least one antenna element 8. In this case, the outer cover 4 forms a cap into which the at least one antenna element 8 or even several antenna elements can be inserted from below and in which the outer cover 4, if it is embodied so as to cover the entire surface, i.e., closed, seals an aperture in a body panel of the vehicle toward the outside when it is passed through the aperture in the body panel.
[0022] FIG. 3 shows the alternative, in which the outer cover 4 is formed by struts 9 with interposed recesses 10 and has an aperture for the insertion of the antenna circuit board with the at least one antenna element 8. Such a strut-like outer cover 4 offers mechanical protection for the underlying elements, particularly the at least one antenna element 8 as well as the antenna circuit board. Since such a strut-like outer cover 4 does not protect from water, moisture, snow, dirt particles, and the like, it is necessary for the cap shown in FIG. 3 to also be slipped over the outer cover 4 after installation of the antenna system 1 has been completed. It is conceivable here to attach both the outer cover 4 and the cap 3 to the housing 2, thereby installing the entire antenna system as a module. It is also conceivable, however, for the outer cover 4 to be fixed to the housing 5 and for this module to be installed, in which case the cap 3 is subsequently installed in order to provide complete protection for the underlying elements.
[0023] The outer cover 4 with the struts 9 can be manufactured as a one-piece component, for example by a plastic injection-molding process. The way in which struts 9 and interposed apertures 10 are shaped depends particularly on the mechanical forces acting on the outer cover 4 from outside.
[0024] Finally, FIG. 4 offers a very good sectional view of the construction of the antenna system 1. Here, the construction and installation of the antenna system 1 is explained using the example of a vehicle that is not shown in further detail. It is also conceivable, however, for the basic construction of the antenna system 1 shown in FIG. 4 to be installed elsewhere, i.e. outside the vehicle. A primary circuit board 11 not carrying a single antenna element is provided in the housing 2. The primary circuit board 8 therefore comprises one or more electronic circuits that process signals that are fed to such a circuit so that they can be emitted at high frequency via one antenna element 8. Alternatively or in addition, high-frequency signals that are received via the at least one antenna element 8 can be fed to an associated electronic circuit, prepared and/or processed there, and fed to electronic devices connected downstream. An antenna circuit board 12 is provided so as to be spaced from the primary circuit board 11 and outside the housing 2, with the at least one antenna element 8, preferably several antenna elements 8 as shown in FIG. 4, being provided on the antenna circuit board 12. What is shown is basically that at least one contact point of an electronic circuit on the primary circuit board 11 is fed to a plug connector 13 and, analogously thereto, a contact point (preferably the base point) of an antenna element 8 is fed to a complementary plug connector 14 of the antenna circuit board 12. The electrical connections between electronic circuit on the primary circuit board 11 and associated antenna element 8 on the antenna circuit board 12 are via the two plug connectors 13, 14. Although not shown, the primary circuit board 11 can also have one or more antenna elements, for example for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or the like.
[0025] For a case in which the antenna system 1 is mounted on a vehicle, it is shown that this is done on a body panel 15. For example, the body panel 15 of the vehicle can be a roof, trunk lid, or the like. In order to enable the means for connecting the primary circuit board 11 (more precisely, the electronic circuits thereof) to the antenna circuit board 12 (more precisely, the antenna elements 8 thereof) to be passed through the body panel 15, it is necessary for at least this body panel 15 to have an aperture 16. In addition, the housing 2 also has an aperture, so that the two complementary plug connectors 13, 14 can be passed through the aperture of the body panel 15 and the aperture in the housing 2 in order to be plugged together. It is also conceivable for the plug connector 14 to be provided on the antenna circuit board 12 and for a cable to be fed out of the housing 2 on whose end the plug connector 13 is provided. This increases the flexibility of the installation of the housing 2 beneath the body panel 15. It can also be considered to have the plug connector 13 project out of the housing 2 and for the plug connector 14 to be provided at the end of a cable whose other end is connected to the antenna circuit board 12. It is likewise conceivable for a cable to extend both from the primary circuit board 11 and from the antenna circuit board 12, in which case the plug connectors 13, 14 are each provided at the end of a respective cable. The variants with the cable are advantageous particularly if the housing 2 is not, as shown in FIG. 4, provided in the direct vicinity of the antenna circuit board 12, but rather at a distance therefrom. The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 with the two plug connectors 13, 14 plugged directly together and provided on the primary circuit board 11 and on the antenna circuit board 12 is especially preferred due to the short signal paths associated therewith.
[0026] While not shown, the antenna circuit board 12 is provided and fastened by connectors to the primary circuit board 11 and/or to the housing 2 and/or to the body panel 15. Such connectors such as screws, snap-fit connections, or the like are required in order to make the entire antenna system 1 a one-piece system in its completed state, thus simplifying installation of such a one-piece antenna system 1. For installation, the entire unit (the antenna module) is installed from the inside (the vehicle) to the outside (outside the vehicle), with prelocking being provided by clips.
[0027] For the sake of simplicity, the outer cover 4 is not shown in FIG. 4, but it is present in principle. If the outer cover 4 is embodied so as to cover the entire surface and to have an aperture for insertion of the antenna circuit board 12 with the at least one antenna element 8, an additional outer cover 3 can be omitted. Nonetheless, it can be present in the case of an outer cover 4 that covers the entire surface. In particular, the outer cover 3 is present if the outer cover 4 is formed with struts 9 with interposed recesses 10 as shown in FIG. 3. In these cases, the aperture 16 in the body panel can then be selected so as to be larger and correspond at least to the outer contour 7 of the outer cover 4. This offers the advantage that the outer cover 4 can be passed from below through the aperture 16 in the body panel 5 in order to enable installation of the housing 2 that carries the outer cover 4 underneath the body panel 15. Once this has been done, the cap 3 can be provided and fastened from above on the body panel 15. It is also conceivable for the cap 3 to already be slipped over the outer cover 4 and for the aperture 16 in the body panel 15 to have the outer contour of the cap 3. The antenna system 1 with outer cover 4 and slipped-over cap 3 can then be passed from below through the aperture 16 in the body panel 15 and the housing 2 fastened beneath the body panel 15. Suitable fastening means such as screws, snap-fit connections, adhesive connections, or the like are present for this purpose but not shown in the figures.
