Antenna device for vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure achieves both a countermeasure against water immersion and improvement in maintainability. A vehicle antenna device mounted on a roof of a vehicle is provided with: an antenna capable of transmitting and receiving radio waves; a cover that accommodates the antenna and opens to the outer surface of the roof; and a pad adhered to the outer surface of the roof. A bolt hole capable of accommodating a bolt is formed in a surface of the antenna facing an outer surface of the roof, and a bolt inserted into the bolt hole from an inner surface of the roof through a through hole formed in the roof is fastened to the bolt hole, whereby the cover is pressed against the pad.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a vehicle antenna device that is assembled to a roof of a vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] A vehicle antenna device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 has an antenna that can transmit and receive various electric waves, a cover that is assembled so as to cover the antenna, and a gasket that is assembled to an inner periphery of the cover so as to be interposed between the cover and the roof. According to Patent Literature 1, the gasket is brought into contact with the roof by inserting and fastening a bolt from an inner side of the roof to a fastening hole of the antenna in a state where the gasket and the antenna are assembled to the inner side of the cover, whereby the vehicle antenna device is assembled to the roof.

[0003] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT LITERATURE

[0005] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-19304 SUMMARY

[0006] In the structure of the vehicle antenna device, improvement for preventing water from being infiltrated into the vehicle and the vehicle antenna device is required. On the other hand, sometimes the antenna becomes difficult to be detached from the roof due to the countermeasure for preventing water infiltration, and the maintainability of the antenna is impaired. The present specification proposes a technology that seeks to achieve a balance between the countermeasure for preventing water infiltration and the maintainability, in view of such a situation.

[0007] The present specification discloses a vehicle antenna device that is assembled to a roof of a vehicle. The vehicle antenna device has an antenna that can transmit and receive electric waves, a cover that houses the antenna and opens to an outer surface of the roof, and a gasket that is bonded to the outer surface of the roof. A bolt hole that can accommodate a bolt is formed in a surface of the antenna that opposes the outer surface of the roof. The vehicle antenna device is configured such that the bolt inserted into the bolt hole from an inner surface of the roof through a through hole formed in the roof is fastened to the bolt hole, whereby the cover is pressed against the gasket.

[0008] According to the configuration, since the gasket is bonded to the roof, water can be prevented from being infiltrated between the roof and the gasket. Furthermore, the cover that houses the antenna is pressed against the gasket that is bonded to the roof only by fastening of the bolt, so the cover can be easily detached from the roof, and the maintenance of the antenna becomes easy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of the vehicle antenna device.

[0010] Figure 2 is a split perspective view of a portion of the vehicle antenna device.

[0011] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view simply showing a case where the antenna device for a vehicle is attached to a roof by a bolt.

[0012] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view simply showing a case where the antenna device for a vehicle is attached to a roof by a bolt.

[0013] Figure 5 is a view showing a gasket of one example attached to a roof from an upper viewpoint.

[0014] Figure 6 is a view showing a gasket of another example attached to a roof from an upper viewpoint.

[0015] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] 1: vehicle; 2: roof; 3: recess; 4: outer surface; 5: inner surface; 6: through-hole; 10: antenna device for a vehicle; 20: antenna; 21: lower surface; 22: bolt hole; 30: cover; 30a: opening; 40: gasket; 50: bolt; 60: adhesive layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Each drawing is merely an example, and the present embodiment is not limited to the contents shown in the drawings. In addition, since each drawing is an example, a part thereof is omitted.

[0018] Figure 1 An appearance of the antenna device for a vehicle 10 is simply shown by a perspective view. Figure 2 A part of the constitution of the antenna device for a vehicle 10 is simply shown by an exploded perspective view. In each drawing, an up-down direction, a front-rear direction, and a left-right direction of the product are shown together.

[0019] The antenna device for a vehicle 10 roughly includes an antenna 20, a cover 30, and a gasket 40. In Figure 1 the cover 30 and the gasket 40 are shown, and in Figure 2 the antenna 20 and the cover 30 are shown. Note that, regarding the antenna 20 and the cover 30, the description related to an antenna inner machine and an antenna cover disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be appropriately referred to, and thus the description is extremely simply made in the present specification.

[0020] The antenna 20 is an antenna capable of transmitting and receiving various electric waves (e.g., radio broadcast waves, television broadcast waves, GPS (Global Positioning System) electric waves, portable telephone electric waves, ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) electric waves, etc.), and is composed of an antenna main body and an antenna substrate electrically connected to the antenna main body and having various electric circuits. A bolt hole 22 capable of accommodating a bolt 50 described later is formed in a lower surface 21 of the antenna 20. The lower surface 21 of the antenna 20 corresponds to one example of a surface of the antenna 20 opposed to the outer surface 4 of the roof 2.

[0021] The cover 30 is, for example, shaped so as to gradually widen from the front side toward the rear side, and is shaped so as to rise in a streamlined shape from the front side toward the rear side. That is, the cover 30 is shaped in a so-called shark fin shape. The lower side of the cover 30 is an opening 30a, and the inside of the cover 30 is a housing space capable of covering the antenna 20. The cover 30 is, for example, integrally formed of a synthetic resin having rigidity.

[0022] The cover 30 houses the antenna 20, and is open to the outer surface 4, i.e., the lower side, of the roof 2. Although details are omitted, engaging portions such as claws for engaging with each other are appropriately formed in the inner surface of the cover 30 and the antenna 20, and the antenna 20 is assembled to the inside of the cover 30 using these engaging portions.

[0023] The gasket 40 is, for example, integrally formed of a synthetic resin (e.g., rubber, elastomer, etc.) having flexibility. The gasket 40 can be said to be one kind of a seal member interposed between the cover 30 and the roof 2.

[0024] Figure 3 And Figure 4 The case in which the vehicle antenna device 10 is fitted to the roof 2 of the vehicle 1 is simply shown by a cross-sectional view. According to the present embodiment, the roof 2 is formed in a so-called sunroof shape, and a portion of the roof 2 is a recessed portion 3 slightly depressed downward. The outer surface 4 of the roof 2 is substantially flat in a range corresponding to the bottom surface of the recessed portion 3. The vehicle antenna device 10 is fitted to the bottom surface of such a recessed portion 3. Figure 3 Figure 4 The outer surface 4 of the roof 2 is substantially flat in a range corresponding to the bottom surface of the recessed portion 3. The vehicle antenna device 10 is fitted to the bottom surface of such a recessed portion 3.

[0025] The gasket 40 is adhered to the outer surface 4 of the roof 2. Reference numeral 60 denotes an adhesive layer 60 formed of an adhesive. The adhesive layer 60 has water repellency. That is, the gasket 40 is fixed to the outer surface 4 of the roof 2 by the adhesive layer 60. A through hole 6 penetrating between the outer surface 4 and an inner surface 5 of the roof 2 is formed in the recessed portion 3 of the roof 2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the cover 30 housing the antenna 20 is placed on the gasket 40 in the recessed portion 3 in such a manner that the position of the bolt hole 22 coincides with the position of the through hole 6. Figure 3 The gasket 40 is adhered to the outer surface 4 of the roof 2. Reference numeral 60 denotes an adhesive layer 60 formed of an adhesive. The adhesive layer 60 has water repellency. That is, the gasket 40 is fixed to the outer surface 4 of the roof 2 by the adhesive layer 60. A through hole 6 penetrating between the outer surface 4 and an inner surface 5 of the roof 2 is formed in the recessed portion 3 of the roof 2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the cover 30 housing the antenna 20 is placed on the gasket 40 in the recessed portion 3 in such a manner that the position of the bolt hole 22 coincides with the position of the through hole 6.​

[0026] And, as shown in Figure 4 , the bolt 50 is inserted from the inner surface 5 of the roof 2 through the through-hole 6 to the bolt hole 22, and the bolt 50 is fastened to the bolt hole 22. At this time, the bolt 50 also passes through the adhesive layer 60 and the gasket 40. Alternatively, the gasket 40 and the adhesive layer 60 that adhere the gasket 40 to the roof 2 can not be formed at the position where the bolt 50 passes through. Thus, by screwing and fastening the bolt 50 to the bolt hole 22, the cover 30 is pressed against the gasket 40, and in this state, the cover 30 and the antenna 20 are assembled to the roof 2.

[0027] Note that, in the examples of Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the lower surface 21 of the antenna 20 has a further downwardly protruding protruding portion 23, and the bolt hole 22 is formed on the inner side of the protruding portion 23. Also, the bolt 50 inserted from the inner surface 5 of the roof 2 is fastened to the bolt hole 22 in a state where the protruding portion 23 is embedded in the through-hole 6 of the roof 2. However, it is not necessary for the lower surface 21 of the antenna 20 to have the protruding portion 23 in which the bolt hole 22 is formed on the inner side. The bolt 50 can be fastened to the bolt hole 22 in a state where the roof 2 and the gasket 40 are sandwiched between the bolt 50 and the lower surface 21 of the antenna 20, and thus the bolt hole 22 can be a hole formed in the flat lower surface 21 as in the example of Figure 2 .

[0028] When the bolt 50 has been fastened to the bolt hole 22, the opening end portion 31 of the cover 30 in which the opening 30a is formed and / or the vicinity of the opening end portion 31 abuts against the gasket 40. According to the examples of Figure 3 , Figure 4 , a protruding portion 41 that protrudes toward the cover 30 is formed on the edge of the gasket 40. Also, the protruding portion 41 is embedded in the recessed portion 32 formed in the opening end portion 31 of the cover 30 in a press-fitted manner. Thus, the gasket 40 and the cover 30 can also have a structure in which, when the gasket 40 and the cover 30 are pressed against each other, the recessed and protruding portions that are formed in advance in them are engaged with each other, and thus the gasket 40 and the cover 30 are more firmly combined.

[0029] Figure 5 The gasket 40 that is adhered to the roof 2 is shown from a viewpoint from above. However, in Figure 5 and Figure 6 described later, the roof 2 is omitted. The outer peripheral shape of the gasket 40 is substantially equivalent to the outer peripheral shape of the cover 30 when viewed from a viewpoint from above. It can also be that, in the gasket 40, a through-hole 42 for the bolt 50 or the like to pass through is formed at a position corresponding to the through-hole 6 of the roof 2. That is, the gasket 40 shown in Figure 5 covers substantially the entire opening 30a of the cover 30. In Figure 5In the text, the gray edge 43 of the pad 40, for convenience, roughly corresponds to the area that meets the cover 30. Therefore, it can also be understood that at least a portion of the edge 43 of such a pad 40 forms a shape resembling... Figure 3 , Figure 4 The convex portion 41 is shown.

[0030] Alternatively, padding 40 can also be used only. Figure 5 The edge 43 is shown. That is, the padding 40 may only exist within the required range that is in close contact with the opening end 31 and / or the vicinity of the opening end 31 of the cover 30. By setting the padding 40 to the required minimum range, the consumption of raw materials can be saved.

[0031] Figure 6 The padding 40, bonded to the roof 2, is shown from an overhead viewpoint and is in contact with... Figure 5 Different examples. In Figure 6 In the text, the description of the edge 43 is omitted. The pad 40 may also be shaped such that multiple perforations 44 are formed in the area inside the area that is in contact with the cover 30 through a perforation process. The presence of such perforations 44 can suppress the occurrence of resonance caused by vibration.

[0032] Thus, according to this embodiment, the vehicle antenna device 10 includes: an antenna 20 capable of transmitting and receiving radio waves; a cover 30 housing the antenna 20 and opening to the outer surface 4 of the roof 2; and a gasket 40 adhered to the outer surface 4 of the roof 2. A bolt hole 22 for accommodating a bolt 50 is formed on the surface of the antenna 20 opposite to the outer surface 4 of the roof 2 (lower surface 21). Furthermore, the vehicle antenna device 10 is configured such that a bolt 50, inserted from the inner surface 5 of the roof 2 through a through hole 6 formed in the roof 2, is fastened to the bolt hole 22, thereby pressing the cover 30 against the gasket 40.

[0033] According to the above configuration, the gasket 40 is bonded to the roof 2 via the adhesive layer 60. Therefore, water can be prevented from seeping in between the roof 2 and the gasket 40, effectively preventing water from seeping into the vehicle 1 and the vehicle antenna device 10. Furthermore, the cover 30, to which the antenna 20 is assembled, is pressed against the gasket 40 bonded to the roof 2 by the tightening of the bolts 50, thus allowing the cover 30 to be easily removed from the roof 2. Therefore, maintenance of the antenna 20 becomes easy. Moreover, the opening end 31 (or its vicinity) of the cover 30 is forcefully pressed against the gasket 40 by the tightening force of the bolts 50, thus preventing water from seeping into the interior of the cover 30 from between the gasket 40 and the cover 30.

[0034] Typically, the curved shape of the roof 2 of vehicle 1 varies depending on the vehicle model; therefore, multiple cover 30s with different part numbers are needed to accommodate the various shapes of the roof 2. Given this situation, such as...Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1, the roof 2 has a portion thereof provided as a recess 3, and the cover 30 of the antenna 20 is fitted to the flat bottom surface of the recess 3. Thus, it is not necessary to prepare various covers 30 to match the curved shape of the roof 2. On the other hand, since a portion of the roof 2 is provided as the recess 3, rainwater and the like easily accumulates, and the problem of water intrusion is easily noticeable. Even for such a situation, according to the technology disclosed in the present specification, since the gasket 40 is bonded to the roof 2, water intrusion between the gasket 40 and the roof 2 can be reliably prevented.

[0035] However, in the present specification, it is not a necessary condition that the roof 2 has the recess 3 and the vehicle antenna device 10 is fitted to the recess 3 in the outer surface 4 of the roof 2.

[0036] The above detailed description has been given of specific examples of the technology disclosed in the present specification, but these are merely examples and do not limit the claims. The technology recited in the claims includes technology obtained by various modifications and changes to the specific examples exemplified above. Furthermore, the technical elements described in the present specification or the drawings singly or through various combinations exhibit technical usefulness and are not limited to the combinations recited in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technology exemplified in the present specification or the drawings simultaneously achieves multiple objects, and achieving one of the objects itself has technical usefulness.

Claims

1. An antenna device for a vehicle, which is installed on a roof of the vehicle, characterized by comprising: The vehicle antenna device includes: an antenna capable of transmitting and receiving electric waves; a cover that houses the antenna and is open to an outer surface of the roof; and a gasket bonded to the outer surface of the roof, a bolt hole capable of accommodating a bolt is formed in a surface of the antenna that opposes the outer surface of the roof, the vehicle antenna device is configured such that the bolt inserted into the bolt hole from an inner surface of the roof through the through hole formed in the roof is fastened to the bolt hole, whereby the cover is pressed against the gasket.

Images