Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Richard D Zerod

Richard William Kautz

Gregory Roger Hamel

George F Tannery, Iv

Mohamman-Reza S Movahhed

A method is disclosed for dynamically testing a radio system having output terminals connectable to a speaker system in a motor vehicle wherein the method utilizes a dynamometer, a transverse electromagnetic cell, a signal generator and a signal analyzer and includes the steps of placing the motor vehicle in the transverse electromagnetic cell, connecting the output terminals to the signal analyzer, operating the motor vehicle on the dynamometer inside the transverse electromagnetic cell, generating a signal using the signal generator, transmitting the signal from the signal generator to the transverse electromagnetic cell, emitting the signal onto the motor vehicle, and measuring an output signal generated by the radio system at the output terminals using the signal analyzer.

Method for dynamically testing radio systems for the motor vehicle

A concealed antenna system for motor vehicle radios replaces a radio chassis preamplifier with a remote radio frequency amplifier packaged with a filter module adjacent the antenna conductors to reduce the noise floor before transmitting the signal by a highly capacitive cable to the radio chassis. The dynamic range of the antenna system is improved by an automatic gain control feedback signal from the radio chassis to the RF amplifier so that the gain of the amplifier is reduced in the presence of a strong AM signal. Preferably the antenna conductors comprise embedded conductors in an insulating panel of a motor vehicle such as the vehicle rear window, and the AM conductor may be conveniently provided by the heater grid for the window panel.

Concealed antenna system with remote variable gain RF amplifier

An audio system having a main chassis including an audio preamplifier and a remote chassis including a power amplifier has a clipping level detector circuit in the remote chassis for detecting the onset of clipping by the power amplifier and has a gain control element in the main chassis for controlling the gain of the preamplifier. Thus, clipping distortion is eliminated without introduction of other distortion and while preserving the spectral balance of the audio signal.

Audio amplifier limiting for a remote power amplifier

An audio system having a main chassis including an audio preamplifier and a remote chassis including a power amplifier has a clipping level detector circuit in the remote chassis for detecting the onset of clipping by the power amplifier and has a gain control element in the main chassis for controlling the gain of the preamplifier. An extra control line in the wiring harness connecting the main chassis and the remote chassis is avoided by multiplexing the clipping signal and the mute control signal on a single control wire.

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Livonia, MI, United States of America

Richard D Zerod