Vehicle antenna

Abstract

A vehicle antenna has a housing with a circumferential seal, wherein a plurality of spring supports are provided on the underside of the housing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an antenna for a vehicle having a housing having a seal surrounding the edge of the housing. Background Technology

[0002] Such antennas are known, for example, as top-mounted antennas and are typically bolted to an opening in the vehicle body. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle antenna that can be manufactured at a particularly low cost and can be installed in a short time, especially without tools.

[0004] This objective is achieved by a vehicle antenna that can be installed without tools. The antenna has a housing with a seal surrounding its edge, and multiple spring supports are provided on the bottom side of the housing, allowing it to be securely locked into an opening in the vehicle body. The spring supports have annular portions, particularly U-shaped ones, that open towards the bottom side of the housing.

[0005] The vehicle antenna according to the present invention can be manufactured at a very low cost because no clamps, mounting brackets, bolts, or other fasteners are required when installing the vehicle antenna. The combination of a seal surrounding the outer periphery of the housing and a spring bracket prevents liquid or moisture from seeping into the vehicle body opening after the antenna is inserted. Simultaneously, installation is very quick and simple, as the vehicle antenna or its housing is simply pressed into the vehicle body opening, securing and sealing the antenna within it. The annular portion, open towards the bottom of the housing, allows for tool-free and sealed insertion into the vehicle body opening. Furthermore, the annular portion also serves as a sliding surface when inserting the vehicle antenna into the opening.

[0006] Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are described in detail in the specification and drawings.

[0007] In a first advantageous embodiment, the spring bracket can be integrally manufactured with a base plate made of metal. This embodiment not only enables low-cost manufacturing but also allows for conductive connections between the antenna, the base plate, all spring brackets, and the vehicle body, because after the antenna is installed, the spring bracket is flush against the edge of the vehicle body opening, thereby establishing electrical contact.

[0008] According to another advantageous embodiment, the base plate can be a stamped and bent part, which reduces manufacturing costs.

[0009] According to another advantageous embodiment, in a top view, the base plate can be polygonal, for example, quadrilateral or approximately triangular, wherein at least one spring bracket is provided on each side of the base plate. In principle, the base plate can have any shape, for example, circular or approximately rectangular with at least one rounded narrow side. By providing at least one spring bracket on each side, secure installation in any situation can be ensured. In the case of an approximately circular or elliptical base plate, it is advantageous that the spring brackets are evenly spaced along the circumference.

[0010] According to another advantageous embodiment, at least one insertion groove is provided on the upper side of the housing, into which a tool can be inserted to remove the vehicle antenna. Thus, during removal, for example, a screwdriver can be inserted into the insertion groove to pry the vehicle antenna out of the vehicle body opening. In this case, it is advantageous that the vehicle antenna can be reversibly installed in the vehicle body opening, i.e., after installation, the vehicle antenna can be removed from the vehicle body opening again without damaging the vehicle antenna and the vehicle.

[0011] According to another advantageous embodiment, the planar portion of the housing is designed as a stop surface for each spring bracket, wherein each spring bracket is supported on the housing. Thus, the spring brackets can be manufactured with a relatively thin material because, after the vehicle antenna is inserted into the vehicle body opening, the stop surface ensures that the spring bracket cannot be further bent in the area of ​​the stop surface. The stop surface thus applies a reaction force to the closely fitting spring bracket. The stop surface is sized such that the elastic force exerted by the spring bracket itself can securely and sealingly hold the vehicle antenna within the vehicle body opening.

[0012] According to another advantageous embodiment, the annular portion has perforations, and more particularly, the perforations are completely surrounded by the material of the spring bracket. Thus, the spring bracket is intentionally weakened in its annular region to achieve better bending performance, thereby allowing the vehicle antenna to be easily inserted into the vehicle body opening.

[0013] According to another advantageous embodiment, the free end of at least one spring bracket is bent multiple times, particularly in the direction of the housing. Thus, based on the manufacturing of the spring bracket, it is possible for the free end of the spring bracket to slide along the edge of the opening when the vehicle antenna is first installed in the vehicle body opening, experiencing maximum total pressure at the bending point during further insertion, and then slightly relaxing again.

[0014] Furthermore, it is advantageous that at least one spring bracket has three or more flat planar portions that are angled to each other, which cause different compressions of the spring bracket when the vehicle antenna is inserted into the body opening.

[0015] According to another advantageous embodiment, particularly good fixation of the vehicle antenna can be achieved by providing at least one spring bracket on each side of the base plate and at least two spring brackets on each of the two opposite sides.

[0016] According to another advantageous embodiment, the seal is the only seal for the vehicle antenna, wherein, in particular, the seal is made of silicone foam. This material has proven to be particularly advantageous, ensuring both good sealing performance and easy insertion of the antenna.

[0017] According to another aspect of the invention, the invention also relates to a vehicle having a vehicle antenna of the type described above. Furthermore, it is understood that the vehicle antenna described in this invention is obviously also applicable to aircraft and ships. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings and advantageous embodiments.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a 3D diagram of the vehicle's antenna.

[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An enlarged side view of the vehicle's antenna.

[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 and Figure 2 A three-dimensional view of the base plate of the vehicle antenna.

[0022] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 An enlarged partial view of the floor plate, which is installed in an opening in the vehicle body. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Figure 1 A vehicle antenna is shown, particularly one that can be installed without tools. The vehicle antenna has a housing 10 comprising an upper portion 12 and a lower portion 14, which are fixedly connected to each other, for example, by threads or snap-fit ​​connections. Electrical and / or electronic components of the antenna can be housed within the housing 10, and an antenna connector 16 is provided on the bottom side of the lower portion 14, through which antenna signals can be output from the housing.

[0024] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the upper portion 12 of the housing slightly protrudes beyond the outer edge of the lower portion 14. An annular seal 18 is provided in the transition region between the upper portion 12 and the lower portion 14. The seal 18 extends beyond the outer edge of the housing 10, and more specifically, it extends between the outer periphery of the upper portion 12 and the outer periphery of the lower portion 14. For example, the seal 18 may be made of silicone foam.

[0025] In particular, the seal 18 can also be manufactured integrally with the housing 10 via a two-component process, and especially integrally with the upper part 12. Reference numeral 11 indicates a central rib arranged circumferentially along the housing 10.

[0026] In the illustrated embodiment, the seal 18 does not protrude from the housing 10 or the upper portion 12 at its outer edge. Instead, the seal 18 is flush with the upper portion 12 at the transition between the upper portion 12 and the upper portion 12.

[0027] In addition, the housing 10 is provided with a plurality of spring brackets 20 on its bottom side, through which the housing 10 can be sealed and fastened to the vehicle body 22. Figure 4 In the opening of the housing 12, the spring force of the spring bracket 20 points away from the housing 12.

[0028] In the illustrated embodiment, from a top-down view, the vehicle antenna is designed as a rectangle, with two spring supports 20 on each of the two long sides and one spring support 20 on each short side. In this embodiment, all spring supports 20 are U-shaped and have downwardly opening annular portions, integrally manufactured with a base plate 24 made of metal, which is designed as a stamped and bent piece. In particular, as... Figure 3 As shown, the base plate 24 has a groove 26 and multiple openings 28. The groove 26 is for the antenna connector 16. The mounting bolts 30 can pass through these openings 28 to tighten the base plate 24 to the housing 10.

[0029] The antenna can be easily and securely secured in the opening of the vehicle body 22 by screwing the base plate 24 to the housing 10, by pressing the antenna into the opening from above. This initially presses all the spring brackets 20 inwards towards the housing 12, and upon full insertion, the spring brackets 20 slightly spring back, thus holding the vehicle antenna securely and securely within the opening of the vehicle body 22. In this configuration, the spring brackets rest against the edge of the opening on the vehicle body 22. Figure 4 This state is shown. On the other hand, each spring bracket 20 is supported on the housing 10 by a portion of the annular portion 36 extending from the base plate 24.

[0030] To enable reversible installation and non-destructive removal of the vehicle antenna, the illustrated embodiment includes multiple insertion grooves 32 into which tools can be inserted to remove the vehicle antenna. These tools include, for example, screwdrivers. In the illustrated embodiment, insertion grooves 32 are provided on all four sides of the upper portion 12, with the openings of the insertion grooves 32 pointing towards the outer periphery of the housing 10. By inserting one or more screwdrivers into the insertion grooves, the antenna can be easily pried out of the vehicle body opening.

[0031] As described above, when the vehicle antenna is inserted into the vehicle body opening, all the spring brackets 20 are initially compressed together. To prevent excessive spring force from the spring brackets 20, the housing 10, especially the lower part 14 of the housing 10, has a flat portion 34 behind each spring bracket 20. Figure 2 The planar portion 34 serves as a stop surface for the tightly fitted spring bracket 20. Therefore, when the vehicle antenna is inserted into the vehicle body opening, only... Figure 4 The outer free arm of the basically U-shaped curved spring bracket 20 is bent, while the right arm, which is connected to the base plate 24 and is basically flat, is close to the lower part 14.

[0032] Figure 4 The left and right views of the spring bracket 20 are shown respectively. It can be observed that the spring bracket 20 is essentially U-shaped, bent into a loop 36, wherein the U-shape opens towards the bottom side of the base plate 24. The annular portion 36 forming the upper side of the spring bracket 20 has an approximately rectangular punch 38 at its center. Figure 4 The perforation is completely surrounded by the material of the spring support 20. Furthermore, the free end, i.e. Figure 4 The left arm of the spring bracket 20 bends multiple times in the direction of the housing 10. Therefore, the spring bracket 20 shown first has a flat planar portion 40 after the annular portion 36, followed by a first bending point K1. At the first bending point K1, the spring bracket 20 bends in the direction of the housing 10, thus immediately followed by a second flat planar portion 42, which transitions to a third flat planar portion 44 via a second bending point K2. In the uninstalled state, the angle between the inner arm 41 and the first flat planar portion 40 is approximately 18° to 22°, particularly approximately 20°, while the angle between the first flat planar portion 40 and the second flat planar portion 42 is approximately 28° to 32°, particularly approximately 30°. The angle between the second flat planar portion 42 and the third flat planar portion 44 is approximately 28° to 32°.

[0033] It is understood that the specific embodiments of the vehicle antenna described above are merely exemplary, and the housing 10 may in principle have any shape.

Claims

1. A vehicle antenna, the vehicle antenna being tool-free to install, the vehicle antenna comprising: The housing (10) has a seal (18) surrounding the edge of the housing (10) and a plurality of spring brackets (20) arranged on the lower side of the housing (10), by means of the spring brackets (20) the housing (10) can be sealed and engaged in a vehicle body opening, wherein the spring brackets (20) have an annular portion (36) open toward the lower side of the housing (10).

2. The vehicle antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The planar portion (34) of the housing (10) is designed as a support surface for each of the spring brackets (20), each of the spring brackets (20) being supported on the housing (10).

3. The vehicle antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The free end of each of the spring supports (20) is bent multiple times in the direction of the housing (10).

4. The vehicle antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the spring supports (20) has three flat planar portions (40, 42, 44) that are angled to each other.

5. The vehicle antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, A perforation (38) is provided in the annular portion (36).

6. The vehicle antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that, The perforation (38) is completely surrounded by the material of the spring support (20).

7. The vehicle antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, From a top-down view, the base plate (24) is quadrilateral, and at least one spring bracket (20) is provided on each side of the base plate (24), and at least two spring brackets (20) are provided on each of the two opposite sides.

8. The vehicle antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one insertion groove (32) is provided on the upper side of the housing (10) and above the seal (18), into which a tool can be inserted to remove the vehicle antenna.

9. The vehicle antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vehicle antenna can be reversibly installed in the vehicle body opening.

10. The vehicle antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The seal (18) is the only seal for the vehicle antenna.

11. The vehicle antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The seal (18) is made of silicone foam.

12. The vehicle antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spring bracket (20) is integrally manufactured with a base plate (24) made of metal, which is a stamped and bent piece.

13. A vehicle having a vehicle antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the vehicle antenna being inserted into an opening in the body (22) of the vehicle.

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