Rooftop Antenna Base Foot Channel for Coaxial Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional motor vehicle rooftop antennas require significant installation space below the roof and experience issues with mechanical stability and electrical connections, often necessitating long coaxial lines and complex mounting procedures.
Innovation Solution
A rooftop antenna design featuring a vertical HF plug-type connection unit with coaxial lines that are soldered to a printed circuit board via small pins, utilizing the antenna chassis as both a mechanical fastening and shielding element, allowing for direct plugging and minimizing the need for separate coaxial lines and reducing tolerance errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If conventional mounting procedures with separate coaxial lines are used, then electrical connections can be established, but the device complexity and installation space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the coaxial line integration directly into the antenna housing structure, eliminating separate coaxial lines and their associated connectors. The housing itself serves as the mounting structure, integrating mechanical support and electrical connection functions into a single unified component, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining connection reliability through direct soldered connections.
2Length of stationary object
If long coaxial lines are used to connect antenna elements, then electrical connections are achieved, but installation space and potential tolerance errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the separate coaxial lines from the system by integrating the connection function directly into the housing structure. This removal of unnecessary intermediate components shortens the signal path, reduces installation space requirements, and minimizes cumulative tolerance errors that would otherwise accumulate along the length of separate coaxial lines.
3Stability of the object's composition
If significant installation space below the roof is allocated, then mounting stability is improved, but the antenna height increases which may not be feasible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a vertical mounting approach (requiring significant space below the roof) to a horizontal integration approach where the antenna housing is mounted directly on the roof surface. This dimensional change allows the antenna elements to be positioned in the plane of the housing rather than requiring deep vertical clearance, achieving mounting stability through surface attachment while minimizing the vertical profile.
4Reliability
If separate coaxial lines and connectors are used, then electrical connections are established, but the number of components and potential failure points increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components (coaxial lines, connectors, mounting brackets) into a single integrated housing structure. This consolidation reduces the total number of components and potential failure points, thereby improving connection reliability while simplifying the overall device architecture through direct soldered connections within the housing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design achieves high mechanical stability and efficient electrical connections while minimizing installation space and eliminating the need for long coaxial lines, ensuring reliable operation and improved HF properties.
Implementation Method 1
coaxial lines which are soldered to a printed circuit board via small pins
Data Source
AI summary
An improved rooftop antenna is characterized, inter alia, by the following features: the base (7) has a protruding base foot part (17) on the base lower side (7e) of said base; the base foot part (17) is formed integrally with the remaining part of the base (7) or connected thereto and is electrically conductive or coated, together with the base (7), with an electrically conductive layer; the base foot part (17) has a channel (117), which passes through the foot part (17) transversely and preferably perpendicular to the base (7) in a plug-in and joining direction (Z) for accommodating the at least one coaxial line (21); and the coaxial line (21) is inserted into the at least one channel (117) of the base foot part (17) in such a way that at least one section of the outer circumference of the outer conductor (27) of the coaxial line (21) is pressed mechanically with the electrically conductive inner wall of the channel (117) of the base foot part (17) and DC contact is thereby made therewith.