Antenna housing, a combined antenna and indicator module and a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11283163-B2
Application number	US-202016824048-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2020
Priority date	Sep 20, 2017
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

An antenna housing for mounting on a vehicle or on a vehicle roof surface includes an electrical circuit including at least one source element for emitting luminescent radiation, the at least one source element being located internally within the housing so as not to be visible externally, an indicating element for releasing luminescent radiation received from the at least one source element for viewing externally, and an optical conduit for providing an optical couple between the at least one source element and the indicating element. A combined antenna and indicator module for mounting on a vehicle includes the antenna housing, and a vehicle includes the combined antenna and indicator module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An antenna housing for mounting on a vehicle or on a vehicle roof surface, comprising:
an electrical circuit including at least one source element for emitting luminescent radiation, the at least one source element being located internally within the housing so as not to be visible externally;
an indicating element for releasing luminescent radiation received from the at least one source element for viewing externally; and
an optical conduit for providing an optical couple between the at least one source element and the indicating element,
wherein the optical conduit has a plurality of legs, each of the legs being associated with one source element.

2. The antenna housing as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an electrical circuit receiving recess configured to receive or support the electrical circuit.

3. The antenna housing as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the antenna housing is mounted on a vehicle roof surface such that the recess projects into a corresponding recess or aperture within the vehicle roof surface.

4. The antenna housing as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a vehicle roof surface engaging portion disposed around the electrical circuit receiving recess.

5. The antenna housing as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a window for releasing luminescent radiation with the window being positioned adjacent to the indicator element.

6. The antenna housing as claimed in claim 5 wherein the window allows light transmission of between 5-75% or between 10-75%.

7. The antenna housing as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises an opaque inner layer and a tinted outer layer with the opaque inner layer including the window.

8. The antenna housing as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the indicating element and the optical conduit form part of a light guide, or the light guide has a unitary body.

9. The antenna housing as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one or more of the housing, the source element, the indicating element, the optical conduit, the window, the legs, and the light guide form at least partly at least one lamp unit, wherein the source element forms at least partly at least one light source and/or the indicating element, the optical conduit, the legs and/or the light guide form at least partly at least one light pipe.

10. The antenna housing according to claim 9 , wherein at least one a clear lens, partly formed by the window, encloses at least partly or substantially the housing, the at least one light pipe, the indicating element, the optical conduit, the legs or the light guide, and/or the at least one light source, the lens having an inner surface, an outer surface disposed opposite the inner surface and a continuous transparent and/or translucent coating on the outer surface,
wherein when the at least one light source emits light, the continuous transparent and/or translucent coating is at least partially permeable to at least some light which is emitted by the at least one light source and passed through the lens, and
wherein the at least one light pipe is provided with an inside coating and/or an outside coating and/or faded marks.

11. The antenna housing according to claim 10 , wherein the coating is located on selective locations of the light pipe, optionally in different thicknesses.

12. The antenna housing according to claim 10 , wherein the coating is a hardcoating selected from the group consisting of an organo-silicon, an acrylic, a urethane, melamine, and a SiO x C y H z .

13. The antenna housing according to claim 10 , wherein the coating has a different refractive index compared to the refractive index of the material of the light pipe, the indicating element, the optical conduit, the legs and/or the light guide.

14. The antenna housing according to claim 10 , wherein the faded marks are selected from the group consisting of etches, tints, dyings, additives, reflecting materials, scattering materials, or optics moulded into the light pipe.

15. The antenna housing according to claim 10 , wherein the faded marks are introduced into the at least one light pipe by choosing at least one additive for the respective plastic.

16. The antenna housing according to claim 10 , wherein the light pipe, the indicating element, the optical conduit, the legs and/or the light guide is coated at selective locations.

17. The antenna housing according to claim 10 , wherein the lamp unit is produced out of plastic in a three-component injection procedure, and
wherein the refractive index of the plastic of the clear lens is selected to be different from the refractive index of the plastic of the light pipe, the indicating element, the optical conduit, the legs and/or the light guide, the boundary between the clear lens and the at least one light pipe, the indicating element, the optical conduit, the legs and/or the light guide, adjacent to it is at least partly formed with a structure.

18. The antenna housing according to claim 10 , further comprising at least one light foil.

19. The antenna housing according to claim 18 , wherein the light foil is arranged at least partly between the clear lens and at least a part of the at least one light pipe, the indicating element, the optical conduit, the legs and/or the light guide.

20. The antenna housing according to claim 18 , wherein the light foil is extending along at least a part of the clear lens.

21. The antenna housing of claim 18 , wherein the light source and the light foil fulfil different light functions, at least one of a turn light indicator, a puddle light, a logo light and an approach light.

22. The antenna housing of claim 18 , further comprising at least two source elements and/or light sources fulfilling different light functions including at least one of a turn light indicator, a puddle light, a logo light and an approach light.

23. The antenna housing according to claim 10 , wherein the light pipe, the indicating element, the optical conduit, the legs and/or the light guide is enclosed by the housing and the clear lens.

24. The antenna housing according to claim 10 , wherein the light rays from at least one first light source are subjected to a total reflection at the boundary between the light pipe, the indicating element, the optical conduit, the legs and/or the light guide on one hand, and the clear lens on the other side, outside at least one light decoupling area.

25. The antenna housing of claim 24 , further comprising a plurality of light decoupling regions provided by at least one of the clear lens and the housing.

26. The antenna housing of claim 24 , wherein there is a plurality of at least one of light decoupling directions and light decoupling ranges.

27. The antenna housing of claim 24 , further comprising a plurality of light decoupling regions, with light having different characteristics being decoupled from the different decoupling regions.

28. The antenna housing according to claim 10 , wherein the light rays from a second light source are decoupled along at least a part of the extent of the light pipe, the indicating element, the optical conduit, the legs and/or the light guide.

29. The antenna housing of claim 28 , wherein the light rays decoupled from the light pipe, the indicating element, the optical conduit, the legs and/or the light guide pass at least one of the light foil, the clear lens and the ho

Assignees

• Motherson Innovations Co Ltd

Inventors

• Thoday Sam
• Koehne Shane Randell
• Dekievit Gary
• Nicholson James
• Edwards Scott
• Belcher Simon
• Messenger Jacob Heath
• Field Simon David
• Caruso Dean
• Frank Bill
• Chapman-Winter Mathew
• Negel Raimund
• Schmierer Arne
• Fritz Daniel
• Herrmann Andreas

Classifications

• F21S43/243

  emitting light from one or more of its extremities · CPC title

• B60Q1/0023

  the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera · CPC title

• B60R16/0231

  Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle (monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P) · CPC title

• H01Q1/3275

  mounted on a horizontal surface of the vehicle, e.g. on roof, hood, trunk · CPC title

• H01Q1/44

  using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna {, e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspect}(H01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence) · CPC title