Device intended for a motor vehicle for connection to a tachograph unit and corresponding system

Abstract

Device for a motor vehicle for connection to a tachograph unit and corresponding system This device (10) for a motor vehicle has a housing (100) with a circuit board (400) arranged in the housing, the housing (100) having an upper housing shell (200) and a lower housing shell (300). The upper housing shell (200) is connected to the lower housing shell (300). The device has a plurality of antennas (130), a first antenna (130) being arranged at the housing (100). A second antenna is arranged on an edge of a longitudinal side of the circuit board (400), and a third antenna is arranged in a ribbon format on the circuit board (400). Figure for abstract: Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: Device for a motor vehicle for connection to a tachograph unit and corresponding system

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for a motor vehicle which has a plurality of antennas. Furthermore, the invention relates to a system provided with such a device and a tachograph unit.

[0002] Tachograph units, also referred to as tachographs, for example, which are installed in a motor vehicle and record data from the motor vehicle and optionally send this data by means of a mobile device or can receive data from an external device, are known.

[0003] Furthermore, a device for a motor vehicle which has a housing for receiving a circuit board and an antenna in a plurality of versions is known according to the state of the art, in particular communication units and telematics modules.

[0004] Such devices have a housing provided with a circuit board arranged in the housing, the housing having, for example, an upper housing shell and a lower housing shell. The upper housing shell is connected to the lower housing shell in order to hold the circuit board received therein as well as other electronic components, such as, for example, an antenna, in the mounting space of the housing as compact as possible. The antenna is here arranged in the housing and preferably on the circuit board.

[0005] In this case, it is a disadvantage that on such devices of the state of the art, the antenna arranged in the housing or on the board, respectively, can be disturbed by other electronic components, and the signal of the antenna can thus be deteriorated.

[0006] The present invention is based on the object of providing a device of the type mentioned at the beginning, in which an antenna system consisting of several antennas is arranged in the device so that it is possible to cover by means of the antennas frequency bands different from each other, in which furthermore the antennas can be arranged relative to each other in as small a mounting space as possible. Furthermore, the invention is based on the object of creating a system provided with such a device.

[0007] According to the invention, the object is achieved by a device intended for a motor vehicle in that the device has a housing provided with a plate arranged in the housing,

[0008] wherein the housing has an upper housing shell and a lower housing shell, and the upper housing shell is connected to the lower housing shell. The device has a plurality of antennas which can for example also be referred to as an antenna system, wherein a first antenna is arranged at the housing, in particular a surface of an inner face of the housing. A second antenna is arranged on an edge of a longitudinal side of the board, and a third antenna is arranged in a sheet on the board.

[0009] The device according to the invention may in particular be a communication unit. Specifically, the communication unit may be, for example, a telematics unit.

[0010] With the device according to the invention, the technical arrangement of the three antennas as an antenna system is particularly advantageous so as to achieve a high efficiency and thus the best possible radiation and reception of signals and data. The antennas do not affect each other in their operation and effect, and stable operation and the highest possible efficiency of the signal intensity of the individual antennas are therefore given. In particular, better decoupling of the antennas from one another can be achieved when an orthogonal positioning of the second antenna relative to the first antenna and the third antenna is carried out. The first antenna can be arranged at the housing, in particular a surface of the inner side of the housing.Furthermore, due to their arrangement, the antennas are not affected or disturbed by other electronic components that are installed in the device. The invention involves high efficiency and decoupling of the individual antennas from each other, the invention at the same time requiring only a small mounting space.

[0011] According to an advantageous configuration of the invention, the first antenna is arranged on the inner face of the housing, the antenna being held on the surface of the inner face of the upper housing shell of the housing and / or on the surface of the inner face of the lower housing shell of the housing.

[0012] An advantage is that the arrangement of the first antenna on the inner side of the upper housing shell or the inner side of the lower housing shell, respectively, allows the best possible capacitive loading of the antenna to be achieved. This is particularly true when the first antenna covers lower frequency bands, for example between 791 MHz and 960 MHz. Furthermore, due to the arrangement of the first antenna in the housing, stable operation and high signal strength efficiency are achieved.

[0013] Preferably, the first antenna is here arranged and held by form-fitting complementarity on the upper housing shell or the lower housing shell, respectively. In an alternative embodiment, or where appropriate additionally, the antenna may be held by adhesion or material bonding to the upper housing shell or the lower housing shell, respectively.

[0014] The first antenna can here be mounted and held on a surface of the inner face of the upper housing shell of the housing or the lower housing shell, respectively. In principle, the first antenna could also be mounted and held on a surface of the outer face of the upper housing shell of the housing or the lower housing shell, respectively. However, in the described embodiment, a mounting of the first antenna on the surface of the inner face of the housing is particularly advantageous.

[0015] An advantage here is that the first antenna can be mounted in the housing already during a manufacturing process of the upper housing shell or the lower housing shell, respectively, which eliminates additional assembly costs. A further advantage is that the antenna has a firm seat on the upper housing shell or the lower housing shell, respectively.

[0016] Furthermore, an advantage is that a defective antenna can be replaced quickly and, above all, easily without damaging other components when changing the antenna. For this purpose, it is sufficient to detach the upper housing shell from the lower housing shell in order to allow the antenna to be changed.

[0017] The above-mentioned advantages also apply to one or more antennas mounted on the inner face of the upper housing shell or the lower housing shell, respectively.

[0018] According to an advantageous configuration of the invention, the first antenna has two antenna elements, a first antenna element being arranged at the upper housing shell and a second antenna element being arranged at the lower housing shell.

[0019] The use of multiple antennas, for example per transmitter or receiver, is also called antenna diversity in radio technology. The resulting diversity of antennas helps to reduce disruptive interference.

[0020] An advantage is that the use of two antenna elements for the first antenna, a first antenna element being arranged in the upper housing shell and a second antenna element being arranged in the lower housing shell, reduces disruptive interference and optimizes the signal quality of the first antenna.

[0021] According to another advantageous configuration of the invention, the first antenna is produced in the form of a mobile telephone antenna.

[0022] The mobile telephone antenna may preferably be a PIF antenna (PIFA), the abbreviation meaning in English "planar inverted F-shaped antenna". The PIF antenna is a particularly compact antenna which can find application in mobile telephone devices.

[0023] The PIF antenna represents by its structure an open microstrip antenna, also called patch antenna. It has a particularly flat construction form and can be manufactured very economically. The high-frequency properties are determined mainly by the geometry and arrangement. By using a PIF antenna, the device according to the invention can be configured in a particularly compact manner.

[0024] In the simplest form of construction, PIFA construction forms can be designed at their resonance point for a single frequency band. However, with suitable configurations, the antenna can also be used for several frequency bands.

[0025] PIF antennas have a geometrically regular, F-shaped basic pattern. The concrete dimensions depend on the resonance frequency and the respective installation situation. Several of these antennas can also be combined spatially. The F-shape that gives them their name is visible in a side view and is formed like a lying letter F from a feed line, a lateral shunt to a ground plane and an upper antenna surface.

[0026] Mobile phone antennas are used in particular for the LTE ("long range evolution", also called 4G), 5G and 6G mobile phone standards.

[0027] According to the advantageous configuration described above, the first antenna is composed of two antenna elements. The first antenna element is arranged on the upper housing shell, and the second antenna element is arranged on the lower housing shell. The antenna elements can be connected to each other at a feed point and can be separated from each other by a ground plane of the circuit board. They preferably have resonances in different frequency ranges relevant for mobile telephony. By means of two coupled resonances, the lower frequency range of the first antenna is located, for example, between 700 MHz and 960 MHz, in particular, for example, at 791 MHz and 960 MHz, in which a resonance is produced by the first antenna element in the upper housing shell and a resonance is produced by the second antenna element in the lower housing shell.

[0028] In particular, the first antenna may have, depending on the configuration, several frequency bands, in which preferably a lower frequency range is located between 791 MHz and 960 MHz, an intermediate frequency range is located between 1710 MHz and 2170 MHz, and a higher frequency range is located between 2490 MHz and 2690 MHz.

[0029] The first antenna is preferably implemented as a planar inverted F antenna (PIFA). It allows a preferred frequency selection to be achieved particularly well.

[0030] An advantage is that due to the arrangement of the first antenna in the upper housing shell or the second antenna in the lower housing shell, a consistently high transmission and reception quality is possible.

[0031] In another advantageous configuration of the invention, the first antenna has an antenna terminal, the antenna terminal being made elastically and being connected in an electrically conductive manner to the plate.

[0032] Here, an antenna terminal designates a connecting means by means of which an electrically conductive connection is preferably established between the antenna terminal of the antenna and the circuit board to be connected. In a preferred embodiment, the antenna terminal presses on a contact means arranged on the circuit board and thus establishes a connection between the antenna and the circuit board in order to preferably transmit a signal.

[0033] An advantage of said embodiment consists in that the antenna terminal of the first antenna establishes constant contact with the plate in that the antenna terminal presses on the contact means applied to the plate and comes into contact with it without the antenna terminal losing the connection with the contact means and therefore with the plate during operation of the device according to the invention.

[0034] Where appropriate, the first antenna has a first and a second antenna terminal, wherein the first and second antenna terminals respectively bear on a contact means applied to the plate and come into electrical contact with it. The first antenna may also be composed of two antenna elements, wherein preferably each antenna element has a first and a second antenna terminal, and each of the antenna terminals respectively bears on a contact means applied to the plate and comes into contact with it. Preferably, the first and second antenna terminals may be made elastically.

[0035] According to an advantageous configuration of the invention, the second antenna is produced in the form of a GNSS antenna (“global navigation satellite System” antenna).

[0036] This has the advantage that the GNSS antenna placed in the device can be implemented for navigation, vehicle location or for fleet management.

[0037] Advantageously, the GNSS antenna can be implemented as an inverted F antenna (IFA) in order to improve selection. Here, a fundamental resonance in the GNSS band and an associated loop resonance are located well above the used frequency ranges of all antennas integrated in the device according to the invention.

[0038] The second antenna may preferably have a frequency range between 1559 MHz and 1610 MHz, the frequency range of the second antenna being able to be located between a lower and intermediate frequency range of the first antenna.

[0039] A further advantage can be achieved in that the inverted F antenna has a compact design so that the antenna can contribute to a particularly compact construction form of the device according to the invention. Inverted F antennas are particularly suitable for wireless communication systems.

[0040] According to an advantageous configuration of the invention, the second antenna is produced in the form of a flexible printed circuit board.

[0041] Flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs), which are also called flexible boards or flexible circuits, are printed circuit boards based, for example, on polyimide films. Electrically conductive tapes and components are applied to these films. Flexible printed circuit boards are preferably composed of several layers of flexible polyimide materials, which offer additional configuration freedom.

[0042] The second antenna, which is implemented in particular as a GNSS antenna, is preferably arranged as a polarized antenna, in particular linearly, vertically on one side of the board and is implemented as a flexible printed circuit board. With this positioning of the second antenna, the necessary implementation and decoupling from all antennas integrated in the device are advantageously achieved.

[0043] An advantage is that the second antenna is implemented in the form of flexible printed circuit boards, and due to its effective size offers a considerable weight reduction in comparison with rigid printed circuit boards.

[0044] Another advantage is that flexible printed circuit boards can be bent, which allows greater freedom in configuration and application. Flexible printed circuit boards can also be installed in very small devices or have an irregular shape, which is not possible with rigid printed circuit boards. The second antenna, which is designed as a flexible printed circuit board, has the additional advantage of being less prone to damage than rigid printed circuit boards even in very tight space conditions, since it can be bent so that even after assembly, reliable operation of the antenna is ensured.

[0045] According to another advantageous configuration of the invention, the third antenna is produced in the form of a Bluetooth antenna and / or a Wifi antenna.

[0046] Bluetooth is a standard for wireless communication that is used for transmitting and receiving near-field radio waves. Advantageously, the Bluetooth radio standard allows data to be exchanged between two devices over short distances in the near field. The Bluetooth antenna is therefore designed for communication over a short distance, while a Wi-Fi antenna can also have a greater range.

[0047] The third antenna, which may be implemented as a Bluetooth antenna, may preferably have a frequency range between 2400 MHz and 2480 MHz, the frequency range of the third antenna being able to be located for example between an intermediate and upper frequency range of the first antenna and above a frequency range of the second antenna.

[0048] A Wi-Fi antenna focuses a signal and amplifies it in one direction. Preferably, a Wi-Fi antenna allows signals to be received at a greater distance and at a specific point.

[0049] In another advantageous configuration of the invention, the third antenna is applied to a surface of the plate and is rigidly connected to the plate.

[0050] In this case, the third antenna can be arranged on a surface of an upper face of the plate and / or a surface of a lower face of the plate and can be connected thereto.

[0051] With a rigid application of electronic components on a board, the electronic components are for example soldered directly onto the copper surface of the board. Unlike bridges, the electronic components are not inserted by means of wire connections through the board and soldered.

[0052] An advantage is that the third antenna does not require any wiring through holes in the board. Instead, the component is soldered directly to the intended location on the board. This results in a significantly smaller footprint than conventional bridges.

[0053] The third antenna, which is in particular a Bluetooth antenna, preferably covers a single frequency range and higher frequencies, for example between 2400 MHz and 2480 MHz, wherein the antenna is preferably made directly on the printed circuit board and in an area in which a low electric field strength exists on the side of the first and second antennas. Furthermore, the third antenna is preferably oriented such that its high field strength area faces in a direction opposite to the other two antennas (the first and second antennas).

[0054] The third antenna is preferably implemented as an inverted F antenna (IFA) in order to improve selection. The fundamental resonance is here in the band Bluetooth and an associated loop resonance lies well above the used frequency ranges of the first and second antennas.

[0055] Further advantages are that simplified manufacturing of devices with reduced mounting space is possible, and the weight and manufacturing costs are reduced.

[0056] In an advantageous configuration of the invention, the third antenna is applied to opposite faces of the plate and is connected to the plate.

[0057] In this case, the third antenna may be composed of two antenna elements, a first antenna element being applied to a surface of an upper face of the plate and a second antenna element being applied to a surface of a lower face of the plate, and the two antenna elements are connected together to a respective feed point via the plate.

[0058] An advantage is that the use of two antenna elements which together form the third antenna reduces disruptive interference and optimizes the signal quality of the third antenna.

[0059] Alternatively, the third antenna may also be composed of two antennas of identical construction, a first third antenna and a second third antenna, wherein the first third antenna is applied to a surface of an upper face of the plate and the second third antenna is applied to a surface of a lower face of the plate. The first third antenna and the second third antenna, which together form the third antenna, are here arranged on opposite faces on the plate in parallel to each other and are connected together at a respective feed point via the plate.

[0060] An advantage is that stable operation and high efficiency and thus optimal radiation and reception of signals and data are achieved due to the use of two antennas of identical construction which form the third antenna.

[0061] According to an advantageous configuration of the invention, a battery in the housing on the board is arranged in such a way that a capacitive influence of the battery on the antennas is minimized.

[0062] Advantageously, due to the arrangement of the battery, the antennas arranged and installed in the device are disturbed and affected as little as possible in terms of their operation and mode of action. The battery installed on the board can also be an accumulator.

[0063] According to another advantageous configuration of the invention, at least one shielding sheet is arranged in the device, which makes it possible to protect at least one of the antennas against disturbance by electronic components arranged on the board.

[0064] An advantage is that said at least one shielding plate protects said at least one antenna from electromagnetic dispersion and interference as well as from disturbing influences. As a result, disturbing influences on the antenna or - with suitable arrangement and / or design of the shielding plate or shielding plates - on several or all antennas are minimized and interference-free signal transmission and signal processing and electromagnetic compatibility are thus optimized.

[0065] A further advantage is that the shielding plate or shielding plates not only minimize disturbing influences by potentially disturbing parts of the electronics in the device, but that the shielding plate or shielding plates are also used to achieve capacitive loading of the antennas installed in the device and thereby more easily achieve the necessary electrical lengths of the antennas.

[0066] In another advantageous configuration of the invention, the first antenna, the second antenna and the third antenna make it possible to cover in total frequency bands in a range from 791 to 2690, in which in particular the first antenna covers frequency bands from 791 to 960 and / or from 1710 MHz to 2170 MHz and / or from 2490 MHz to 2690 MHz and / or the second antenna covers frequency bands from 1559 MHz to 1610 MHz and / or the third antenna covers frequency bands from 2400 MHz to 2480 MHz.

[0067] An advantage is that due to the different frequency bands that are used by the first, second and third antennas, a consistently high transmission and reception quality of the individual antennas is made possible, so that the quality of the individual antennas for transmitting and receiving signals is improved and the individual antennas do not interfere with each other and therefore do not affect each other in their operation.

[0068] The above features and advantages may also be valid for the system described below.

[0069] According to another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided which comprises a tachograph unit and a device according to at least one of the configurations described above, the device being connected to the tachograph unit using a connecting means, in particular electrical.

[0070] According to an advantageous configuration of the invention, the device is further connected to the tachograph unit using an interface adapter component arranged between the connecting means and the tachograph unit.

[0071] According to another advantageous configuration of the invention the connecting means or the connecting means together with the interface adapter component is produced so that the tachograph unit can serve as a mass-increasing element of the device.

[0072] An advantage is that the tachograph unit serves as a mass increasing element for a device according to the invention connected thereto and the antennas arranged in the device, so that an improved efficiency and thus an optimal radiation and reception of signals and data from the antennas arranged in the device is achieved. The mass increasing element ensures a high and constant transmission and reception quality of the antennas arranged in the device, so that the quality of the antennas for transmitting and receiving signals is improved.

[0073] According to another advantageous configuration of the invention, the connecting means or the connecting means and the interface adapter component of the device establish a reliable RF connection with the tachograph unit.

[0074] An advantage is that due to the arrangement of the battery in the device, the battery has been decoupled from the radio frequency (RF) and its capacitive influence on the antennas has been minimized. The arrangement of the battery is important in particular for the first and second antenna. Due to the advantageous configuration, the arrangement of the battery in the device, the connecting means or the connecting means and the interface adapter component of the device establish a reliable RF connection with the tachograph unit.

[0075] The device according to the invention finds its use for example in a motor vehicle, preferably for mounting at a tachograph unit in a heavy goods vehicle. Accordingly, the system according to the invention is preferably used in a motor vehicle, in particular a heavy goods vehicle, in an installed state.

[0076] Advantageous developments of the invention also emerge from the particularities of the following description as well as from the figures.

[0077] For a better understanding of the principles of the present invention, embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be explained in more detail with the aid of the figures. The same reference numerals are used in the figures for identical elements or elements having the same effect and will not necessarily be described again for each figure. It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and that the features described may also be combined or modified without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

[0078] On the drawings:

[0079] [Fig. 1] [Fig. 1] shows a sectional representation of a device for a vehicle automobile,

[0080] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] shows an upper housing shell with stop elements,

[0081] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] shows an upper face of a plate with an arrangement of a second and a third antenna, as well as a shielding plate,

[0082] [Fig.4] [Fig.4] shows a second antenna element of a first antenna, arranged in a lower housing shell,

[0083] [Fig.5] [Fig.5] shows a first antenna element of a first antenna, arranged in an upper housing shell,

[0084] [Fig.6] [Fig.6] shows a lower face of the board with an arrangement of a battery,

[0085] [Fig.7] [Fig.7] shows a tachograph unit with a device according to [Fig.l], and

[0086] [Fig.8] [Fig.8] shows a system with a tachograph unit and a device.

[0087] [Fig.l] shows a sectional representation of a rear face 120 of a housing 100 of a device 10 for a motor vehicle. In [Fig.l], the housing 100 is shown fully assembled after the installation of a plate 400. In this case, the housing 100 has an upper housing shell 200 and a lower housing shell 300 which are connected together by stop elements. Here, the stop elements, as shown in [Fig. 5], are composed of a first stop device 210, 211, 212, 213, 214 on the upper housing shell 200, and as shown in [Fig. 4], a second stop device 310, 311, 312, 313, 314 on the lower housing shell 300. By assembling the upper housing shell 200 with the lower housing shell 300, the stop elements corresponding to each other engage with each other and at the same time retain the plate 400 in the housing 100.Here, the plate 400 can be placed during assembly, either in the upper housing shell 200 or in the lower housing shell 300.

[0088] The upper housing shell 200 and / or the lower housing shell 300 are configured such that at least one first antenna 130 is arranged on the inner face of the housing 100. Preferably, the antenna 130 is configured such that it has two antenna elements 220, 320, the first antenna element 220 being arranged in the upper housing shell 200, and the second antenna element 320 being arranged in the lower housing shell 300. In addition, the first antenna element 220 has two antenna terminals 230, 231, and the second antenna element 320 has two antenna terminals 330, 331.

[0089] For example, the second antenna element 320 is laid flat on the inner face of the lower housing shell 300 and is securely connected thereto by a fastening means 340. Here, the antenna terminals 330, 331 are made such that they are placed at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the second antenna element 320 so that the antenna terminals 330, 331 are arranged perpendicular to the antenna element 320 and the lower housing shell 300. The same principle applies to the arrangement and alignment of the first antenna element 220 in the upper housing shell 200, as shown in [Fig.5].

[0090] In the final mounting position of the upper housing shell 200 with the lower housing shell 300 and the plate 400 positioned therein, the first antenna element 220 arranged in the upper housing shell 200 is aligned, for example, with the antenna terminals 230, 231 in parallel to the plate 400, so that in a resilient embodiment of the antenna terminals 230, 231 of the first antenna element 220, the antenna terminals 230, 231 bear in the mounting direction Y on resilient contact means 470, 471 and come into contact with them, which are arranged on an upper face 410 of the plate 400. As a result, an electrically conductive connection with the plate 400 between the antenna terminals 230, 231 of the first antenna element 220 of the first antenna 130 is established and made possible by means of the contact means 470, 471. The same principle applies to the second antenna element 320.The second antenna element 320 arranged in the lower housing shell 300 with the antenna terminals 330, 331 is aligned parallel to the board 400, so that in a resilient embodiment of the antenna terminals 330, 331 of the second antenna element 320, the antenna terminals 330, 331 bear opposite to the mounting direction Y on resilient contact means 472, 473 and come into contact with these which are arranged on a lower face 420 of the board 400. As a result, as already described, an electrically conductive connection to the board 400 between the antenna terminals 330, 331 of the second antenna element 320 is established and made possible via the contact means 472, 473.

[0091] The housing 100 has a front face 110. The front face 110 is shown by way of example and comprises the connecting means 480 not shown in [Fig. 1], which is connected to the board 400 and is shown in [Fig. 3]. In the assembled state of the upper housing shell 200 with the lower housing shell 300, the connecting means 480 is extended from the housing 100 at the front face 110, so that the device 10 is connected via the connecting means 480 to an interface adapter component 140 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) which is mounted on the device 10 and can, for example, be connected to a tachograph of a vehicle.

[0092] The interface adapter component 140 is here located between the connecting means 480 of the device 10 and the tachograph unit 600, so that the device 10 is connected to the tachograph unit 600 and the device 10 is securely located on the tachograph unit 600. For this purpose, a connector of the interface adapter component 480 is for example mounted on the connecting means 480. The plug-in connection can here be composed for example of a two-part plug-in connection. The connecting means 480 can for example be a ribbon cable. The ribbon cable here has a first connector, the first connector being part of the two-part plug-in connection. The first connector on the flat cable here forms the complementary component to a second connector of the two-part plug-in connection, in which the second connector represents a part of the interface adapter component 140 and thus connects and holds together the connecting means 480 of the device 10 and the interface adapter component 140. The interface adapter component 140 thus connects the device 10 electrically and mechanically to the tachograph unit 600.

[0093] [Fig. 2] shows an embodiment of the upper housing shell 200. In an exemplary embodiment, the upper housing shell 200 is designed with several locking devices 213, 214 which are arranged along the contour of the underside of the upper housing shell 200 in the assembly direction Y with the lower housing shell 300. Here, for example, a first locking device 213 of the upper housing shell engages after assembly with the lower housing shell 300 in a second locking device 313 of the lower housing shell 300. The upper housing shell 200 further has a front face 250.On the front side 250, after mounting the upper housing shell 200 with the lower housing shell 300 and the circuit board 400 received therein, an interface adapter component 140 in the form of a plug-in device for connecting the device 10, for example, to a tachograph unit 600 can be mounted.

[0094] [Fig. 3] shows the board 400 with a connecting means 480 shown by way of example on a front face 490 of the board 400. The connecting means 480 can here be for example a flat connector to be connected to a connector not shown of an interface adapter component 140 and further to a tachograph unit 600. In an exemplary embodiment, the board 400 is shown in a pre-assembly position. [Fig. 3] shows the contact means 470, 471 arranged, preferably rigidly, on the upper face 410 of the plate 400 and a third antenna 450 which is designed as a Bluetooth antenna or a Wifi antenna and is arranged directly on the upper face 410 of the plate 400. The third antenna 450 may for example also have two antenna elements, one of the antenna elements being arranged on the upper face 410, and the other antenna element being arranged on the lower face 420 of the plate 400.

[0095] In an exemplary embodiment, [Fig. 3] shows a second antenna 440 arranged on a longitudinal side 430 of the plate 400 and which is produced as a GNSS antenna. The GNSS antenna is here preferably produced as a flexible printed circuit board and incorporated for example on the connection side in the structure of the plate 400.

[0096] Furthermore, [Fig. 3] shows a shielding plate 500 on the upper face 410 of the board 400 which is mounted, in particular on the board 400, to avoid a reduction in the sensitivity of the system to potentially interfering electronic components, and is used to obtain a capacitive load of the antennas 130, 440, 450 arranged in the device 10. As a result, it is possible to advantageously obtain desired electrical lengths of the antennas 130, 440, 450. This point is relevant in particular for the first antenna 130 which is implemented as a mobile telephone antenna since the mobile telephone antenna has the lowest resonant frequency.

[0097] [Fig. 4] shows an embodiment of the lower housing shell 300 in a pre-assembly position. In an exemplary embodiment, on the inner face 360 ​​of the housing 100, a second antenna element 320 of the first antenna 130 is arranged in the lower housing shell 300. The second antenna element 320 shows a first antenna terminal 330 and a second antenna terminal 331. The antenna element 320 is securely connected by a fastening means 340 to the lower housing shell 300.

[0098] In an exemplary embodiment, the lower housing shell 300 is formed with a plurality of stop devices 310, 311, 312, 313, 314 which are arranged inwardly along the contour of the upper face of the lower housing shell 300 opposite the mounting direction Y with the upper housing shell 200. When mounting the device 10, the circuit board 400 is preferably placed in the lower housing shell 300. Then, the antenna terminals 330, 331 of the antenna element 320 press on or come into contact with contact means 472, 473 arranged on the lower face 420 of the circuit board 400, as shown in [Fig. 1], and establish an electrically conductive connection. The lower housing shell 300 further has a front face 350 which is part of the front face 110 of the housing 100 together with the front face 250 of the upper housing shell 200.

[0099] [Fig. 5] shows an embodiment of the upper housing shell 200 in a pre-assembly position. In an exemplary embodiment, on the inner side of the housing 260, a first antenna element 220 of the first antenna 130 is arranged in the upper housing shell 200. The antenna element 220 shows a first antenna terminal 230 and a second antenna terminal 231. The second antenna element 220 is securely connected by a fastening means 240 to the upper housing shell 200. In an exemplary embodiment, the upper housing shell 200 is designed with several stop devices 210, 211, 212, 213, 214 which are arranged along the contour of the underside of the upper housing shell 200. housing in the mounting direction Y with the lower housing shell 300. The upper housing shell 200 further has a front face 250.

[0100] [Fig. 6] shows an exemplary embodiment of the board 400 in a pre-assembly position. Here the connecting means 480 arranged on the front face 490 of the board 400 are shown, as are the contact means 470, 471, 472, 473 arranged on the upper face 410 of the board 400 or on the lower face 420 of the board 400, respectively, and rigidly connected. In addition, [Fig. 6] shows the second antenna 440 which is arranged on a longitudinal side 430 of the board 400. In addition, a battery 460 is arranged on the lower face 420 of the board 400 and is connected thereto. The battery is arranged such that it is appropriately decoupled from radio frequency (RF) and its capacitive influence on the antennas 130, 440, 450 arranged in the device 10 is taken into account and minimized.The arrangement is advantageous in particular for the first antenna 130 which is implemented as a mobile telephone antenna, and for the second antenna 440 which is implemented as a GNSS antenna. In addition, [Fig. 6] shows the shielding plate 500 arranged on the upper face of the plate 410, as described with reference to [Fig. 3].

[0101] [Fig. 7] shows in a front view a system 700 provided with a tachograph unit 600 and a device 10 as described by way of example with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. Along a longitudinal axis L of the device 10, an interface adapter component 140 is plugged onto a front face 110 of the device 10 by means of a plug-in connection. Furthermore, the interface adapter component 140 is removably connected to the front face 110 of the housing 100 of the device 10. The interface adapter component 140 is connected via a connecting means 480 to the device 10, the connecting means 480 being connected to a circuit board 400 which is received in the housing 100 of the device 10.

[0102] As shown in [Fig. 7], the device 10, which is for example a communication unit, is connected and connected by means of the interface adapter component 140 in a rigid but releasable manner to the tachograph unit 600, the device 10 being arranged in the direction of the longitudinal axis L in parallel to a front surface 610 of the tachograph unit 600 having control elements.

[0103] The interface adapter component 140 provided with the device 10 is here mechanically held, for example by means of a plug-in coupling, in the tachograph unit 600, in which a detachable connection is made possible both between the interface adapter 140 and the device 10 and the tachograph unit 600.

[0104] [Fig.8] shows the system 700 with the device 10 connected to the tachograph unit 600 in a schematic representation. Using the interface adapter component 140, the device is connected directly to the tachograph unit tachograph 600 (see [Fig.7]). The device 10 comprises an antenna system and further communication electronics, wherein the antenna system is composed of a first antenna 130, a second antenna 440 and a third antenna 450. The antenna system comprising the antennas 130, 440, 450 has been arranged in the device 10 such that the first antenna 130, the second antenna 440 and the third antenna 450 are decoupled from each other so that the power required of the antenna system is sufficient for the individual antennas 130, 440, 450 to receive data and for data to be sent to a respectively desired receiving point.

[0105] The first antenna 130 is implemented as a mobile telephone antenna, the second antenna 440 is implemented as a GNSS antenna, and the third antenna 450 is implemented as a Bluetooth or Wifi antenna to provide wireless services. This concerns, for example, data transmission between the tachograph unit 600 and a server. A memory unit for data buffering but also for communication with other terminals may be part of the device 10.

[0106] For this purpose, the first antenna 130, which may be composed of two antenna elements 220, 320, is arranged, for example, on the inner face 260 of the upper housing shell 200 and the inner face 360 ​​of the lower housing shell 300 and is connected thereto by respective antenna terminals 230, 231, 330, 331 via respective contact means 470, 471, 472, 473 on the upper face 410 of the board 400 or the lower face 420 of the board 400. In order to enable sufficient decoupling and functionality of the antennas and so that they do not disturb each other or are not disturbed by other electronic components in the device 10, the second antenna 440 is arranged on a longitudinal side 430 of the board 400 and the third antenna 450 is arranged on a surface 410 of the plate 400 (see [Fig.3] and 6).

[0107] The antenna system is preferably designed such that the characteristic modes, size and environment of the tachograph unit as well as the frequency bands of the antennas, the dependencies of the installation location and the radiation efficiency of the antenna system have been taken into account.

[0108] The system 700 provided with a tachograph unit 600 and a device 10 makes it possible to create a combined radiation system, in which the tachograph unit 600 constitutes a mass-increasing element for the device 10 and the antennas 130, 440, 450 arranged therein, and the connecting means 480 and an interface adapter component 140 of the device 10 represent a good radio frequency (RF) connection with the tachograph unit 600.

[0109] The combined radiation system makes it possible to obtain that additional resonances or modes are generated inside the device 10 which exploit the most large mass present due to the tachograph unit 600 and further behave in a complementary manner to the characteristic modes existing with the tachograph unit 600 so that all desired frequency bands are covered. These additional resonances are advantageous in particular for the first antenna (130) which is implemented as a mobile phone antenna since the first antenna (130) has to cover several bands.

[0110] Overall, the examples show how the invention makes it possible to simply produce a device and the antennas arranged therein, and how the device can be connected to a tachograph unit in order to achieve the necessary decoupling of the antennas arranged in the device and thus the associated required power of the antennas. Furthermore, the examples show a system provided with such a device and a tachograph unit so as to create a combined radiation system. [YES] Caption

[0112] 10 device

[0113] 100 case

[0114] 110 front face of the housing

[0115] 120 rear face of the housing

[0116] 130 antenna

[0117] 140 interface adapter component

[0118] 200 upper housing shell

[0119] 210 stopping device

[0120] 211 stopping device

[0121] 212 stopping device

[0122] 213 stopping device

[0123] 214 stopping device

[0124] 220 antenna element

[0125] 230 antenna terminal

[0126] 231 antenna terminal

[0127] 240 fixing means

[0128] 250 front face of the upper housing shell

[0129] 260 inner face of the housing

[0130] 300 lower housing shell

[0131] 310 stopping device

[0132] 311 stopping device

[0133] 312 stopping device

[0134] 313 stopping device

[0135] 314 stopping device

[0136] 320 antenna element

[0137] 330 antenna terminal

[0138] 331 antenna terminal

[0139] 340 fixing means

[0140] 350 front face of the lower housing shell

[0141] 360 inner face of the housing

[0142] 400 platinum

[0143] 410 upper face of the plate

[0144] 420 lower face of the plate

[0145] 430 longitudinal side of the plate

[0146] 440 antenna

[0147] 450 antenna

[0148] 460 battery

[0149] 470 means of contact

[0150] 471 means of contact

[0151] 472 means of contact

[0152] 473 means of contact

[0153] 480 connecting means

[0154] 490 front face of the plate

[0155] 500 armor plate

[0156] 600 tachograph unit

[0157] 610 front surface of the actuation unit

[0158] 700 system

[0159] The longitudinal axis

[0160] Y mounting direction

Claims

Claims

1. Device (10) for a motor vehicle, having a housing (100) with a board (400) arranged in the housing, wherein the housing (100) has an upper housing shell (200) and a lower housing shell (300), and the upper housing shell (200) is connected to the lower housing shell (300), wherein the device has a plurality of antennas, wherein a first antenna (130) is arranged at the housing (100), in particular on a surface of an inner face (260, 360) of the housing, wherein a second antenna (440) is arranged on an edge of a longitudinal side (430) of the board, and wherein a third antenna (450) is arranged in a layer on the board (400).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first antenna (130) is arranged on the inner face (260, 360) of the housing (100), the first antenna (130) being held on the surface of the inner face (260) of the upper housing shell (200) of the housing (100) and / or on the surface of the inner face (360) of the lower housing shell (300) of the housing (100).

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the first antenna (130) has two antenna elements (220, 320), a first antenna element (220) being arranged at the upper housing shell (200) and a second antenna element (320) being arranged at the lower housing shell.

4. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first antenna (130) is designed as a mobile telephone antenna.

5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first antenna (130) has an antenna terminal (230, 231, 330, 331), wherein the antenna terminal (230, 231, 330, 331) is made elastically and is connected in an electrically conductive manner to the board (400).

6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the second antenna (440) is implemented as a GNSS antenna.

7. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the second antenna (440) is made as a flexible printed circuit board.

8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the third antenna (450) is implemented as a Bluetooth antenna and / or a Wifi antenna.

9. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the third antenna (450) is applied to a surface of the plate (400) and is rigidly connected to the plate (400).

10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the third antenna (450) is applied on opposite sides of a surface of the plate (410, 420) and is connected to the plate (400).

11. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a battery (460) is arranged in the housing (100) on the board (400) such that a capacitive influence of the battery (460) is minimized on the antennas (220, 320, 440, 450).

12. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 11, characterized in that in the device (10) at least one shielding plate (500) is arranged which protects at least one of the antennas (130, 440, 450) against interference by electronic components arranged on the board (400).

13. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the first antenna (130), the second antenna (440) and the third antenna (450) make it possible to globally cover frequency bands in a range of 791 MHz to 2690 MHz, wherein in particular the first antenna (130) covers frequency bands of 791 MHz to 960 MHz and / or of 1710 MHz to 2170 MHz and / or of 2490 MHz to 2690 MHz and / or the second antenna (440) covers frequency bands of 1559 MHz to 1610 MHz and / or the third antenna (450) covers frequency bands of 2400 MHz to 2480 MHz.

14. System comprising a tachograph unit (600) and a device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the device (10) is connected to the tachograph unit (600) using a connecting means (480).

15. System according to claim 14, characterized in that the device (10) is further connected to the tachograph unit (600) by means of a interface adapter component (140) disposed between the connecting means (480) and the tachograph unit (600).

16. System according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the connecting means (480), or the connecting means (480) together with the interface adapter component (140), is designed in such a way that the tachograph unit (600) can serve as a mass-increasing element of the device (10).

17. System according to any one of the preceding claims 14 to 16, characterized in that with the aid of the connecting means (480), or with the aid of the connecting means (480) and the interface adapter component (140) of the device (10), a reliable RF connection with the tachograph unit (600) can be established.

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