Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Delco Electronics Corporation

Michael Jerome Lewis

Louis Leonard Nagy

Douglas C Martin

A window antenna is provided for receiving electromagnetic radio waves from a motor vehicle. The vehicle has a metallic structure that forms an aperture with a window glass disposed within. The window glass has an upper region and a substantially horizontal top edge that interfaces with the metallic structure. The antenna is formed from an electrically conducting material affixed to the window glass. The antenna includes a horizontally elongate principal element that is substantially parallel to and spaced from the upper edge portion of the window. The principal element electrically connects to a connecting element which extends downwardly therefrom. The connecting element electrically connects to an auxiliary element that is spaced below the principal element by an amount sufficient that no significant coupling is formed therewith.

Automotive radio frequency antenna system

A capacitive grounding system for VHF and UHF antennas (,). An outer shield (,) of a coaxial feed cable (,) is capacitively coupled to a vehicle body panel (,) proximate an edge (,) of the body panel (,) adjacent a vehicle window opening. The feed cable (,) is attached to the body panel (,) by tape (,) or glue. The resulting capacitance between the outer shield (,) and the vehicle body panel (,) provides a very low impedance path for RF signals.

Capacitive grounding system for VHF and UHF antennas

A vehicle window antenna is a transparent, electrically conducting film disposed between the inner and outer glass sheets of a composite window glass. The antenna has a principal element spaced from the upper edge portion of the window aperture and an impedance matching element extending downward from the principal element to essentially cover the visible area of the window and form a slot transmission line with the remaining edge portion of the window aperture parasitically coupled to the principal element. The large area of the antenna provides a large capacitance producing high gain in a commercial AM band. An essentially transparent planar capacitive coupling member made of an electrically conducting material is affixed on an outer surface of the inner window glass. The capacitive coupling member defines a planar area of at least 100 square centimeters plane parallel with an equivalent planar area of the principal element of the antenna to capacitively couple therewith through one glass sheet and the interposed layer of the window glass. The large capacitive coupling area reduces the impedance at commercial FM wavelengths to an insignificant level to prevent the capacitive coupling member from adversely affecting the impedance matching of the impedance matching element of the antenna. The AM gain lost by capacitive coupling of the antenna is at least partially compensated by high AM gain due to the large area of the antenna. An electrically conducting terminal member extends vertically from the capacitive coupling member near the upper edge of the window aperture on an area of the window glass hidden by vehicle trim.

Transparent vehicle window antenna with capacitive connection apparatus

A vehicle has a window opening with a window comprising inner and outer glass layers and an interposed layer. The peripheral edge of the inner glass layer is indented in a notch which exposes an area of the outer glass layer, the space vacated by the notch being filled by an insulating member. A sealing strip, which may be electrically conducting, is disposed within the vehicle across the surface of the inner glass layer and the insulating member. An antenna is disposed between the inner and outer glass layers and has a connecting portion extending onto the exposed area of the outer glass layer. A connecting member has a connecting patch affixed to the connecting portion of the antenna within the exposed area and a feed portion extending therefrom between the insulating member and the notch of the peripheral edge of the inner glass layer to the interior of the vehicle without contacting the sealing strip. If the insulating member has a high dielectric constant, the end of the connecting member of the antenna within the exposed area is spaced away from the peripheral edge of the outer glass layer so as to minimize overlap with the sealing strip and thus capacitive coupling therebetween.

Growing community of inventors

Southfield, MI, United States of America

Michael Jerome Lewis