Vehicle antenna device and method of using and manufacturing same

Abstract

A vehicle antenna system comprising a plurality of directional antenna elements (23, 24) mountably arranged in a distributed array around a vehicle (20) facing away from the vehicle (20), and power supply means configured to supply power to the directional antenna elements (23, 24) in phase with one another. The antenna system further comprises an omnidirectional antenna (21) mountably arranged on the vehicle (20), the power supply means further configured to supply power to the omnidirectional antenna (21) in phase with the directional antenna elements (23, 24), thereby achieving a composite radiation performance suitable for communications applications, radiating away from the vehicle (20). The present invention also relates to methods of using and manufacturing the vehicle antenna system.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of vehicle mounted or integrated communication antennas. [Background technology]

[0002] Vehicle-based wireless communication systems are used to transmit and receive signals over range distances and for a variety of purposes: radio signals are received over relatively long distances to enable in-vehicle entertainment or security systems, wireless signals are communicated between vehicles in smart navigation systems, and relatively short-range signals are transmitted and received in autonomous (driverless) and sensor-assisted vehicles to provide a driving experience. All of these applications require vehicle-mounted or integrated communication antennas.

[0003] Vehicle antenna arrangements are particularly prevalent on wheeled vehicles, such as automobiles, lorries and motorbikes. Traditionally, these antenna arrangements consisted of roof-mounted monopole antennas that allowed communications to be performed on any vehicle. However, because these antennas offered relatively low-gain performance and were ungainly, the desire for better looking vehicles has led to them now being replaced by compact "shark fin" roof-mounted antennas and other integrated omnidirectional antennas. Despite these improvements in aesthetics, they remain inherently low-gain performance, which is further compromised by the shadowing effects of complex platforms (e.g., vehicles fitted with roof bars or other obstacles to radiation performance).

[0004] In the technical field of autonomous or sensor-assisted vehicles, high-precision interrogation of the vehicle's surroundings is necessary to generate accurate warnings and guidance directions for the vehicle and / or driver. This requires that the vehicle communication system is able to distinguish between signals transmitted or received in a particular direction. For example, when considering an automatic braking sensor or a parking sensor, the signal must be clearly received from the front or rear of the vehicle, respectively. Therefore, omnidirectional antennas are not well suited for these applications. Directional antennas mounted on the relevant side of the vehicle (e.g., bumper) provide a relatively high gain solution to this requirement. However, in order to obtain inherent directivity, nulls in the angular reception range are unavoidable, which makes communication impossible or weakened in some directions. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an alternative vehicle antenna arrangement which alleviates these problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a vehicle antenna arrangement comprising a plurality of directional antenna elements arranged for mounting in a distributed array around a vehicle facing away from the vehicle, and power supply means arranged for supplying power in phase to the directional antenna elements, the vehicle antenna arrangement further comprising an omnidirectional antenna arranged for mounting on the vehicle, the power supply means further arranged for supplying power to the omnidirectional antenna in phase with the directional antenna elements, wherein in use the omnidirectional antenna and the directional antenna elements provide a combined radiation performance radiating away from the vehicle. When the directional antenna elements are driven in phase their respective radiation fields combine to produce a high gain radiation pattern (compared to a conventional omnidirectional antenna) which concentrates the radiated power away from the vehicle. Since the amount of power apparent at the receiver is directly proportional to the gain of the transmitting antenna, increasing the gain actually means that the required input power of the transmitting antenna can be reduced to obtain a constant power at the receiver. Alternatively, high gain can be used to achieve long distance communication or communication by reflected waves. However, the composite radiation pattern is sensitive to the electrical spacing (spacing in wavelengths) of the directional antenna elements. To achieve a composite radiation pattern that is substantially continuous / stable with angle (without nulling effects that seriously impair communication performance), the physical separation of the antenna elements needs to exceed 2.5m at some frequencies. For many vehicles, this is not achievable (e.g., in automobiles), so that the composite radiation pattern actually exhibits a series of gain peaks and gain nulls with angle. These nulls can have a significant adverse effect on communication performance. The inventor has discovered that these nulls in communication antennas can be mitigated by augmenting an array of directional antenna elements with an in-phase omnidirectional antenna.The omnidirectional antenna "fills in" nulls, if any, in the composite radiation pattern to produce smooth angular communication accuracy. The overall in-phase combination of directional and omnidirectional antenna elements results in a vehicle antenna arrangement that provides significantly increased gain performance (due to the directional antenna elements) without compromising overall angular coverage (due to the omnidirectional antennas). Such an antenna arrangement improves long and short range communications from the vehicle. The composite angle performance may be continuous or may vary over time. The composite angle performance may be said to be omnidirectional or continuous over angular sub-regions or sub-ranges.

[0007] A vehicle antenna arrangement is an antenna configured to be used to transmit wireless signals from a vehicle or receive wireless signals at a vehicle. The antenna forming the antenna arrangement is vehicle mountable, i.e. attached to the vehicle or integrated within the body of the vehicle. The antenna may be attached to the vehicle by adhesives, screws or bolts, welds, or other fastening means. The antenna may be removable to allow replacement or servicing. In terms of functionality, the mounting of the antenna must be sufficient to keep the antenna installed on the vehicle when the vehicle is in use. In particular, a directional antenna element may be mounted to point away from the vehicle.

[0008] A directional antenna is an antenna with a directional characteristic, i.e., it is not isotropic or omnidirectional. This is often achieved by providing a ground plane that reflects radiation from one hemisphere into the other. Directional antenna array structures require precision construction, in part because the selected operating frequency affects the angular coverage, which can adjust the overall radiation pattern of the distributed array. The direction in which the directional antenna radiates with the highest gain is considered to be the antenna boresight. In accordance with the present invention, directional antennas can be mounted such that their boresights point away from the vehicle. A distributed array of directional antenna elements may be distributed around a portion of the vehicle or around the entire vehicle.

[0009] The power supply means may include the vehicle's own on-board battery, which powers the signal generating means electrically connected to the antenna. This is preferred as it allows the vehicle antenna device to be easily retrofitted to the vehicle. However, additional power sources may be incorporated to increase the radiated power or the operating duration. The power supply means may further include a power divider that directs the power to the directional antenna elements and the omnidirectional antenna equally or in some other ratio. The power supply means delivers in-phase power, meaning that each antenna receives power with a zero degree phase difference relative to the other antennas. The power supply means further includes various cables that are required to be electrically connected to the antennas.

[0010] In contrast to a directional antenna, an omnidirectional antenna radiates in all directions within a geometric plane, and in the best mode of the present invention, an omnidirectional antenna may be considered as an antenna that radiates substantially uniformly in all directions.

[0011] Some embodiments of the vehicle antenna arrangement may operate over a specific subrange of angles. For example, an array of directional antenna elements may provide a "comb" radiation pattern with a series of high gain peaks and nulls in the hemisphere forward from the vehicle. In this case, an omnidirectional antenna may provide a "buried" effect on the nulls when powered in phase with the directional antenna elements. The rear hemisphere radiation pattern of the omnidirectional antenna may be attenuated, for example, by a frequency absorbing surface. However, in a preferred embodiment, the composite radiation performance is fully omnidirectional, i.e., the directional antenna elements are configured to operate in phase with each other and have respective directional radiation patterns that are configured to focus radiated power away from the vehicle and to combine with each other to provide an overall substantially omnidirectional performance that radiates away from the vehicle, and the omnidirectional antennas are combined in phase with the directional antenna elements to complement the radiation performance by compensating for any nulls in the composite radiation pattern. This allows consistent communication to be achieved in any direction, particularly in any orientation, when transmitting or receiving from the vehicle.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the directional antenna element is a directional planar antenna element. Planar antenna elements are thin, therefore, aesthetically pleasing, and easily integrated into or on a vehicle body. Planar antennas are also said to be easy to manufacture. In an even more preferred embodiment, the directional antenna element is a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) element, each PIFA element having a ground plate and a radiating top plate. Many planar antennas are omnidirectional, but can only operate as directional antennas when equipped with a ground plate. However, this makes the operating band of the planar antenna a very narrow frequency band. In contrast, PIFA elements can be fabricated to have broadband operation; for example, the resonant frequency and fractional bandwidth of the PIFA can be carefully optimized by varying the dimensions of the PIFA, as described in Chattha HT et al., "An empirical equation for predicting the resonant frequency of planar inverted-F antennas," IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation letters, August 2009, Vol. 8, 856-860.

[0013] In some embodiments including PIFA elements, the PIFA elements each include at least one parasitic radiator disposed on each respective ground plane. The parasitic radiators increase the impedance bandwidth of the antenna. In these embodiments, each parasitic radiator is configured with a predetermined height, a predetermined width, and a predetermined positioning on each PIFA element. The PIFA elements may include one or more parasitic radiators depending on the desired operating bandwidth.

[0014] Preferably, in some embodiments including PIFA elements, each element has a support post attached between its respective ground plate and the top plate, the support post being made of an insulating material. This provides physical support to the top plate and improves the resistance of the PIFA element to vibration and shock experienced when mounted in a vehicle. Even more preferably, the support post is made of nylon, which is an affordable and relatively inexpensive insulating material that can be machined to provide support posts of various sizes and dimensions. The term "post" is not intended to be limiting in terms of physical dimensions, but is instead used to functionally describe the structure that supports the top plate from the ground plate.

[0015] In some embodiments, each directional antenna element is dual polarized. This can be implemented by each antenna element exhibiting two orthogonal linear polarizations. This increases data bandwidth by enabling two central channels, but equally provides communication capabilities in multipath / clutter environments, where received signals may exhibit unpredictable polarizations due to interactions with obstacles in the environment during transmission. Dual polarized directional antenna elements can be implemented, for example, by rotating two coplanar antenna elements to remain coplanar, but generally perpendicular in the same geometric plane. In particular, vertical linear polarization is more effective than horizontal linear polarization in achieving communication close to the ground. In contrast, horizontal linear polarization is more effective in coupling radiation into the earth. Thus, by providing both linear and horizontal polarization, both effects can be achieved with the same antenna system.

[0016] Each directional antenna element is preferably housed in a respective radome, for example made of hardened plastic. This protects the antenna elements from breakage or damage due to abrasion or other direct contact with other surfaces. It is important that the radome itself is transparent to radiation at the frequencies at which the antenna elements are intended to operate. To avoid movement of the directional antenna elements within the radome, the directional antenna elements may be mounted within the radome using adhesives, screws, bolts or other attachment means.

[0017] In some embodiments, the power supply means includes a power divider electrically connected to each of the directional antenna elements and the omnidirectional antenna. Each of the directional antenna elements and the omnidirectional antenna may be provided with an electrical conductor (e.g., a coaxial line) that allows electrical connection to the power supply means. A common power source (e.g., a car battery) may be coupled to a signal generating means that may drive all of the antennas in the antenna arrangement to facilitate in-phase (zero degrees phase) operation. In these embodiments, a power divider is required that may distribute the input power equally to each of the directional antenna elements and the omnidirectional antenna or distribute the power in some other ratio, but with zero phase difference. In a variant embodiment, the power supply means includes a first and a second power supply source electrically connected to the directional antenna elements and the omnidirectional antenna, respectively, and the first power supply means and the second power supply source are synchronized with each other. Each power supply source may include a signal generating means. Separate power sources allow for increased operating time, but impose the logistical burden of having to transport multiple power sources on board the vehicle.

[0018] In some embodiments, the power supply further includes a transceiver, thus allowing transmission and reception of signals, depending on the application. Signal processing capabilities may also be provided to process and combine received signals.

[0019] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a vehicle antenna arrangement according to the first aspect of the invention. The vehicle of the invention exhibits increased gain performance during wireless communication while maintaining continuous angular radiation performance. The vehicle benefiting from the invention may be a vehicle (wheeled vehicle), such as a car, lorry or motorbike or a tracked vehicle, and such vehicle may utilize the vehicle antenna arrangement for long range communication or short range environmental sensing / autonomous navigation and decision making. The vehicle antenna arrangement may in some embodiments be powered by the vehicle's on-board battery and signal generating means, and the directional antenna elements and the omni-directional antenna are externally mounted on the vehicle. This means that the vehicle can be retrofitted with retrofit communication capabilities with reduced effort and cost.

[0020] Directional antenna elements may be mounted to the vehicle in many ways (on or inside the vehicle structure), but preferably the directional antenna elements are mounted to the vehicle so as to radiate in the azimuth plane away from the vehicle, providing angular radiation coverage in a direction out of the vehicle that is most appropriate for autonomous navigation and / or in-vehicle or long range communications.

[0021] In some embodiments, the vehicle has a vehicle antenna arrangement with four directional antenna elements. This results in a directional antenna element system that can be mounted on each of the main outward facing sides (front / rear / left / right) of the vehicle, so that an array of directional antenna elements can radiate in each main outward direction. However, it is even more preferred that the directional antenna elements are provided in pairs on opposite sides of the vehicle, in particular on the front and rear sides of the vehicle. By providing a pair of (two complementary) directional antenna elements on one side of the vehicle, two element arrays are created, and when powered in phase, two element array radiation patterns are obtained. This results in radiation performance in each outward direction. By placing pairs of elements on opposite sides of the vehicle, each pair operates as a two-element array with minimal interference from the other two element arrays (their spatial and angular separation should be maximized since the element pairs are oriented to face in opposite directions). In these embodiments, the omni-directional antenna "fills in" any nulls in the radiation pattern of the two element array of directional antenna elements, while also providing radiation coverage in the direction outside the vehicle, in the mounting orientation of the directional antenna.

[0022] In another embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the vehicle antenna arrangement has four directional antenna elements, so that a larger vehicle, such as a lorry, can be equipped with a directional antenna element approach or a smaller vehicle can have additional high gain performance more evenly distributed around the vehicle.

[0023] Each of the directional antenna elements is preferably located adjacent the top edge of the vehicle, so that the directional antenna elements are positioned as far away from the ground or other terrain as is practically achievable, which helps to reduce propagation losses given a given frequency and distance. The top edge may be, for example, where the side of a car meets the hood or where the side of a lorry meets the roof.

[0024] In some embodiments, the omni-directional antenna and the directional antenna elements are mounted on the vehicle at different heights, thereby achieving spatial diversity between the omni-directional antenna and the directional antenna elements in addition to pattern diversity. Optimally, the omni-directional antenna is mounted on the roof of the vehicle with the directional antenna elements mounted vertically on the lower portion of the vehicle.

[0025] Optionally, the directional antenna elements are mounted so as to be equally spaced around the vehicle, thereby producing a symmetric radiation pattern with radiation substantially omnidirectionally away from the vehicle.

[0026] The vehicle on which the vehicle antenna arrangement is mounted may be any vehicle, but the most practical application envisaged comprises cars (wheeled vehicles). The antenna arrangement provides improved radiation performance in a relatively compact manner and solves the problems associated with closely spaced directional antenna elements. It is therefore believed that the present invention will find most application in vehicles with limited space, such as automobiles, lorries, motorbikes and other vehicles.

[0027] According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided the use of an omnidirectional antenna and a plurality of directional antenna elements on a vehicle, characterized in that the omnidirectional antenna and the directional antenna elements are powered in phase to provide a combined radiation performance in the direction away from the vehicle. Prior art antenna arrangements for vehicles have either omnidirectional antennas oriented for wide angular coverage or directional antennas oriented for concentrated short-range interrogation of the vehicle environment or obstacles. The inventors have solved the problems surrounding omnidirectional antennas by providing directional antennas on the vehicle as an array, and further solved the array nulls by combining such an array with an omnidirectional antenna. The in-phase combination provides a more continuous and stable angular coverage, which may be an omnidirectional coverage.

[0028] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of communicating to or from a vehicle comprising the steps of providing a vehicle having a vehicle antenna arrangement according to the first aspect of the invention and transmitting or receiving wireless communication signals using the vehicle antenna arrangement, the method providing high gain wireless communication to or from the vehicle and compensating for nulling effects which arise when antennas are mounted in close spatial proximity.

[0029] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a vehicle having a vehicle antenna arrangement comprising the steps of providing a vehicle with a power supply means, mounting a plurality of directional antenna elements in a distributed array about the vehicle, mounting an omni-directional antenna to the vehicle, electrically connecting the directional antenna elements and the omni-directional antenna to a power supply means, and configuring the power supply means to power the omni-directional antenna and the directional antenna elements in phase with each other, thereby allowing a vehicle antenna arrangement with improved power delivery to be incorporated into the vehicle without sacrificing consistency of angular coverage.

[0030] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a planar inverted-F antenna for use in a vehicle antenna device, the planar inverted-F antenna having a ground plate and a radiating top plate, the radiating top plate being supported from the ground plate by a non-conductive support post. The support post may be made of nylon. By providing the support post, the position of the radiating top plate from the ground plate is maintained when the PIFA is mounted on and used with a vehicle. Vibrations and rattles experienced in the vehicle environment may cause deformation or damage to the antenna element. This may have an adverse effect on communication performance. By providing the support post, the planar inverted-F antenna has high resistance to such environments.

[0031] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a prior art omnidirectional antenna mounted on a vehicle. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B is a representation of the field strength profile for the prior art omnidirectional antenna of FIG. 1A. [Figure 2A] 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a vehicle having a vehicle antenna apparatus; [Figure 2B] 2B is a representation of the field strength profile for the vehicle antenna arrangement of FIG. 2A. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of one embodiment of a PIFA element used in a vehicle antenna device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] 1A is a perspective view of an example of a prior art omnidirectional antenna 10 mounted on the roof 11 of a vehicle 12. The omnidirectional antenna 10 is mounted approximately at the center of the roof 11 and projects vertically from the roof. The omnidirectional antenna 10 is a conventional whip-type monopole antenna that radiates in all directions out of the vehicle 12. The omnidirectional antenna 10 is considered to have low gain.

[0034] Figure 1B is a representation of a field strength profile 13 for the prior art omni-directional antenna shown in Figure 1A. Profile 13 is a polar plot showing field strength 14 at multiple ranges 15 and azimuth angles 16 from a vehicle mounted antenna arrangement 17. Profile 13 indicates a substantially continuous field strength with angle. For example, approximately the same field strength 19 is achieved at approximately the same range 18 from the vehicle antenna arrangement 17.

[0035] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of one embodiment of a vehicle 20 equipped with a vehicle antenna arrangement. The vehicle antenna arrangement itself includes an omnidirectional antenna 21 mounted on the roof 22 of the vehicle 20. The omnidirectional antenna 21 is mounted substantially in the center of the roof 22. The omnidirectional antenna 21 is also a conventional antenna as shown in FIG. 1A. In addition to the omnidirectional antenna 21, a first pair of directional antennas 23 is also provided that is surface mounted on the front of the vehicle 20. The first pair of directional antennas 23 is mounted on the front of the vehicle 20 adjacent the hood. The first pair of directional antennas 23 is also mounted toward the front corner of the vehicle 20. For most vehicles 20, the first pair of directional antennas 23 will be located near the headlights in this position without interfering with them. A second pair of directional antennas 24 is also shown mounted on the rear side of the vehicle 20. The front and rear sides of the vehicle 20 face in opposite outward directions. The second pair of directional antennas 24 is mounted at the same height as the first pair of directional antennas 23, and the directional antennas can be considered to be located in the same geometric plane. Both the first pair of directional antennas 23 and the second pair of directional antennas 24 are arranged to radiate outward from the vehicle 20. The remaining sides of the vehicle 20 are devoid of antenna elements. A total of four directional antenna elements are used in this embodiment. The directional antenna elements forming the pairs 23, 24 are of the same polarization. Each pair 23, 24 of directional antenna elements forms two element arrays. The pairs 23, 24 are powered in phase with each other and with the omni-directional antenna 21. The power supply means (not shown) includes a power divider that equally divides the power from the signal generating means, which is itself powered from the battery of the vehicle 20. Each of the directional antennas in pair 23, 24 constitutes a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) mounted within a radome (e.g. made of hardened plastic). Coaxial cables are used to connect the PIFA to a power source.

[0036] FIG. 2B is a representation of a field strength profile 25 for the vehicle antenna system shown in FIG. 2A. Profile 25 is a polar plot showing field strength 26 at multiple ranges 27 and azimuth angles 28 from a vehicle mounted antenna system 29. Profile 25 indicates multiple peaks in radiated performance 32 having relatively high field strength 33. These peaks 32 result from the paired directional antenna elements 23, 24 of FIG. 2A and are a result of a significant technological advance in performance compared to the prior art example shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The nulls between the peaks 32 in FIG. 2B are filled with a radiated baseline performance 30 of field strength 31. This is a result of the omnidirectional antenna 21 of FIG. 2A. The omnidirectional antenna 21 mitigates many of the nulls that would otherwise be found in an array of directional antenna elements in relatively close spatial proximity. The inventors have discovered that a 5-9 dB increase in radiated performance can be achieved from the vehicle 20 compared to the prior art while maintaining substantially continuous current radiated performance with angle.

[0037] In use, the pair of directional antenna elements 23,24 and the omni-directional antenna 21 are driven by powering means with in-phase signals. The phase relationship between the signals received by each antenna is important in determining how the respective electromagnetic fields combine with each other and interact with each other. Due to the in-phase powering of the directional antenna element pairs 23,24, the radiation pattern from each pair 23,24 is the product of the radiation pattern of the single directional antenna element forming each pair 23,24 multiplied by the now two-element array 2-element array factor. This results in a composite high-gain radiation pattern from each pair 23,24 of directional antenna elements. Due to the spatial proximity of the directional antenna elements in each pair 23,24, the composite radiation pattern is not smooth, i.e., such composite radiation pattern will have a significant number of nulls in performance at certain radiation angles. These patterns are therefore not considered to be stable or substantially continuous with angle. This "comb" radiation pattern is further compensated for by powering the omnidirectional antenna 21 in phase with the pair of directional antenna elements 23, 24. The radiation pattern from the omnidirectional antenna 21 reduces the nulls in the radiation pattern from the pair of directional antenna elements 23, 24. Thus, the combined antenna arrangement can have improved power delivery due to the use of the directional antenna element pair 23, 24 while remaining substantially continuous with angular omnidirectional performance due to the use of the omnidirectional antenna 21. All antennas are considered to be coherent, but the omnidirectional antenna 21 and the pair of directional antenna elements 23, 24 are located at different heights, for example above ground level. This provides spatial diversity properties that can be exploited for some applications.

[0038] Although the embodiment shown in Figures 2A and 2B uses four directional antenna elements, it has been found that an embodiment using six directional antenna elements also provides a technological improvement in terms of radiation performance compared to a stand-alone omnidirectional antenna. The exact number of directional antenna elements used can be determined from the beamwidth of each directional antenna at the selected operating frequency. For example, if directional antenna elements with very narrow beamwidths are used, a larger number of elements are required to ensure high radiated power performance over the entire angular range. In addition, depending on the operating frequency, nulls in the directional antenna element array pattern may become more important, further demonstrating the benefits of combining in-phase omnidirectional antennas. The directional antenna elements in any embodiment may be equally spaced around the vehicle.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a side view of one embodiment of a PIFA antenna element 34 for use in a vehicle antenna system. The PIFA element 34 has a ground plate 35 parallel to but spaced apart from a radiating top plate 36. Both the ground plate 35 and the top plate 36 are made of metal and are rectangular in shape. Located between and around the ground plate 35 and the top plate 36 are a shorting pin 38 and a feed plate 37. In this view, the shorting pin 38 is seen to be located in front of the feed plate 37. These are known features of a PIFA that may be configured according to the requirements of the use. This view also shows a support pillar 39. The support pillar 39 is cylindrical and spans the gap between the ground plate 35 and the top plate 36. The support pillar 39 partially supports the weight of the top plate 36 and maintains the separation between the top plate 36 and the ground plate 35. The support pillar 39 is located near the edge of the top plate 36 adjacent to the shorting pin 38 and the feed plate 37. The support posts 39 are made of nylon and are screwed to the top plate 36 and ground plate 35. PIFA elements typically have a top plate that is often unsupported on all but one edge. The only supported edge may be supported by the feed plate and shorting pin, which are themselves merely weakly welded to the top plate. During use on a vehicle, such "overhanging" top plates may become dislodged from their feed plates and shorting pins as a result of vibration or rattle. If such PIFAs do not suddenly break, they may deform and adversely affect performance. The provision of non-conductive support posts 39 alleviates this problem.

Claims

1. 1. A vehicle antenna arrangement comprising a plurality of directional antenna elements arranged for mounting about a vehicle in a direction facing away from the vehicle, and power supply means arranged to supply power in phase with each other to the directional antenna elements, the plurality of directional antenna elements being mounted about the vehicle in an array, the vehicle antenna arrangement further comprising an omni-directional antenna arranged to be mountable to the vehicle, the power supply means being further configured to supply power to the omni-directional antenna in phase with the directional antenna elements; The directional antenna elements are arranged to operate in phase with each other to provide a composite radiation performance that is substantially omnidirectional performance radiating in a direction away from the vehicle, and in use, the omnidirectional antenna and the directional antenna elements provide an omnidirectional composite radiation performance radiating in a direction away from the vehicle.

2. 2. The vehicle antenna arrangement of claim 1, wherein said directional antenna element is a directional planar antenna element.

3. 3. The vehicle antenna system of claim 2, wherein said directional antenna elements are planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) elements, each PIFA element having a ground plane and a radiating top plate.

4. 4. The vehicle antenna system of claim 3, wherein each of said PIFA elements includes at least one parasitic radiator disposed on a respective ground plane.

5. 5. The vehicle antenna apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of said PIFA elements includes a support post mounted between said respective ground plane and said radiating top plate, said support post being made of insulating material.

6. 6. The vehicle antenna system of claim 5, wherein said support mast is made of nylon.

7. Vehicle antenna arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each directional antenna element is dual polarised.

8. 8. The vehicle antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each directional antenna element is housed within a corresponding radome.

9. The vehicle antenna arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said power supply means comprises a power divider electrically connected to each of said directional antenna element and said omni-directional antenna.

10. The vehicle antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the power supply means includes a first power source and a second power source electrically connected to the directional antenna element and the omnidirectional antenna, respectively, and the first and second power sources are synchronized with each other.

11. The vehicle antenna arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the power supply means comprises a transceiver.

12. A vehicle comprising the vehicle antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. 13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the directional antenna elements are mounted on the vehicle to radiate in an azimuth plane away from the vehicle.

14. 14. A vehicle as claimed in claim 12 or 13, comprising four directional antenna elements.

15. 15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the directional antenna elements are provided in pairs on opposite sides of the vehicle.

16. 14. A vehicle as claimed in claim 12 or 13, having six directional antenna elements.

17. A vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein each of the directional antenna elements is disposed adjacent an uppermost edge of the vehicle.

18. A vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the omni-directional antenna and the directional antenna element are mounted on the vehicle so as to be located at different heights relative to each other.

19. A vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 18, wherein the directional antenna elements are arranged to be equidistantly spaced around the vehicle.

20. The vehicle according to any one of claims 12 to 19, wherein the vehicle is a car.

21. 1. A method of communication to or from a vehicle, comprising: a) providing a vehicle having the vehicle antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 11; and b) transmitting or receiving wireless communication signals using said vehicle antenna apparatus.

22. A method for manufacturing a vehicle having a vehicle antenna device, comprising the steps of: a) providing a vehicle equipped with a power supply means; b) mounting a plurality of directional antenna elements about the vehicle, the plurality of directional antenna elements being mounted in an array about the vehicle and positioned to provide a combined radiation performance of substantially omnidirectional performance radiating in a direction away from the vehicle; c) mounting an omni-directional antenna on said vehicle; d) electrically connecting said directional antenna element and said omni-directional antenna to said power supply means; and e) configuring said power supply means to power said omnidirectional antenna and said directional antenna elements in phase with each other so that, in use, said omnidirectional antenna and said directional antenna elements provide an omnidirectional combined radiation performance radiating in a direction away from the vehicle.

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