Ford Motor Company Limited

Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

Andrew Adrian

Bruce R Jones

Timothy J Talty

Robert Arnold Schuessler

Tamara Jean Nordstrom

John F Kennedy

James D Brake

George F Tannery, Iv

Danny N Korovesis

Joseph Michael Huk

Dilip K Pithadia

An in-glass antenna system for a window with adjustable impedance for impedance matching. The in-glass antenna system includes an in-glass slot antenna that is defined by an upper portion, a lower portion and two respective side portions. An in-glass impedance matching circuit is connected to the slot antenna, wherein the impedance matching circuit adjusts the impedance of said slot antenna.

In-glass antenna element matching

Uniform and concentrated radio broadcast signals are obtained employing an antenna structure which uses separate antenna conductors on opposite sides of a radio reception area. The antenna conductors perform similarly to the plates of a capacitor. Highly efficient antenna performance results. In a preferred embodiment wherein the antennas are used for radio testing inside a vehicle assembly plant, the track or carrier structure of the vehicle assembly line provides one of the antenna conductors.

Radio frequency broadcast system for enclosed spaces

A vehicular radio reception antenna is concealed within a body trim piece such as a spoiler or a luggage rack. A supporting body panel is utilized as a ground plane and a conductive loop is concealed within the trim piece. A transmission line connects two opposite sides of the resulting slot. Capacitors are used to connect the conducting loop to the sheet metal ground plane in order to form a dual slot/monopole antenna for receiving both FM and AM signals. An integrated mounting structure provides both mechanical and electrical connection of the trim piece and antenna in a single integrated assembly part.

Mounting structure for combined automotive trim accessory and antenna

A method for detecting an electrical connection between an antenna system and a receiver for a motor vehicle, the receiver having an automatic gain control with a variable impedance and a PIN diode connected therebetween, includes the steps of increasing the variable impedance of the automatic gain control, measuring signal strength of a signal received from the antenna system, decreasing the variable impedance of the automatic gain control, measuring the signal strength of the signal receiving from the antenna system, correlating the signal strength to the variable impedance to generate a correlation, and determining whether the antenna system is electrically connected to the receiver based on the correlation of the signal strength to the variable impedance.

Method for detecting electrical connection between antenna and receiver

A vehicular radio reception antenna is concealed within a body trim piece such as a spoiler or a luggage rack. A supporting body panel is utilized as a ground plane and a conductive loop is concealed within the trim piece. A transmission line connects two opposite sides of the resulting slot. Capacitors are used to connect the conducting loop to the sheet metal ground plane in order to form a dual slot/monopole antenna for receiving both FM and AM signals.

Vehicular slot antenna concealed in exterior trim accessory

A motor vehicle antenna system is disclosed for receiving electromagnetically radiated signals in the FM radio broadcast frequency range. The antenna system includes a magnetic current receiving, conformal, substantially rectangular truncated slot antenna. The slot antenna is defined in part by a substantially horizontal portion of a conductive periphery of a window opening of the motor vehicle. The slot antenna is further defined in part by a conductive trace integral with a glazing panel mounted in the window opening. The conductive trace extends horizontally a distance equal to one-half a wavelength in the FM broadcast frequency band. The ends of the trace are effectively connected to the conductive periphery of the window opening. An electrical lead is provided for carrying signals from the slot antenna to a radio receiver, having a first conductor connected to the conductive window periphery and a second conductor coupled to the slot antenna, such as by a network feed structure integral with the windshield, optionally forming an electrical junction with the trace. The side points of the trace are effectively connected to the conductive periphery, e.g., by direct physical connection using an electrical lead, or by providing vertically-extending end traces parallel and proximate to opposite vertical portions of the electrically conductive periphery of the window opening.

Motor vehicle antenna systems

An automotive antenna system for receiving FM broadcast band radio signals includes a conformal antenna and a glazing panel having an electrically conductive coating. A conductive trace integrated with a front windshield panel, for example, forms an active slot antenna which is connected by a coaxial cable to the automobile's FM radio receiver. A transparent conductive layer is applied over a substantial portion of the rear window opening which is typically dimensioned such that it would otherwise be resonant within the FM broadcast band and parasitically coupled to the active antenna, which would cause the active antenna to have an undesirable directional pattern. The transparent layer has a sufficiently high conductivity and is applied over a sufficiently large portion of the resonant window opening to substantially reduce or eliminate resonances within the FM broadcast band.

Method and apparatus for eliminating resonance in a vehicle antenna

A low-loss RF coupler for testing a cellular telephone through the antenna mount has a base with a hole large enough to fit over said antenna mount and a ground plane extending over a surface of the base. The hole has a contact portion which is electrically isolated from the ground plane by an airgap. A pair of transmission lines is provided, one having a signal portion electrically connected from the contact portion to the test equipment and the other having a ground portion electrically connected from the ground plane to the test equipment.

Growing community of inventors

Dexter, MI, United States of America

Andrew Adrian