Wireless communication arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9509063-B2
Application number	US-201314064532-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2013
Priority date	Oct 30, 2012
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

A wireless communication arrangement ( 100 a ) with multiple antennas for a vehicle includes a first printed circuit board ( 110 ) having a modem unit ( 111 ) and a radiating antenna element ( 113 ); a second printed circuit board ( 120 ) having a radiating antenna element ( 123 ); an interface unit ( 112 ) disposed on the first printed circuit board ( 110 ) and/or the second printed circuit board ( 120 ); and a main bendable portion ( 130 ) bendably and electrically connecting the first printed circuit board ( 110 ) and the second primed circuit board ( 120 ) to each other. The first printed circuit board ( 110 ) and the second printed circuit board ( 120 ) are mountable on an outer surface of a vehicle in non-horizontal orientation with respect to said outer surface, with the first printed circuit board ( 110 ) and the second printed circuit board ( 120 ) forming a convex like shape in a horizontal direction via bending of the main bendable portion ( 130 ).

First claim

We claim:

1. A wireless communication apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:
a first rigid printed circuit board;
a first modem unit disposed on the first rigid printed circuit board;
at least one radiating antenna element at least partly embedded in the first rigid printed circuit board;
a second rigid printed circuit board;
at least one radiating antenna element at least partly embedded in the second rigid printed circuit board;
at least one interface unit disposed on at least one of the first rigid printed circuit board or the second rigid printed circuit board; and
a main bendable portion bendably and electrically connecting the first rigid printed circuit board and the second rigid printed circuit board, wherein
the first rigid printed circuit board and the second rigid printed circuit board are configured to be mountable on an outer surface of a vehicle in non-horizontal positions with respect to a mounting area of the outer surface, with the first rigid printed circuit board and the second rigid printed circuit board forming a convex like shape in a horizontal direction via bending of the main bendable portion, and
at least one of the first rigid printed circuit board or the second rigid printed circuit board comprise at least one additional bendable portion, which is bendable at least one of inwards and outwards with respect to the convex like shape.

2. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the non-horizontal positions are substantially vertical positions.

3. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second modem unit disposed on at least one of the first rigid printed circuit board or the second rigid printed circuit board.

4. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one radiating antenna element in the first rigid printed circuit board and at least one radiating antenna element in the second rigid printed circuit board are located substantially opposite to each other in the convex like shape.

5. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one additional bendable portion is located at an end portion of the at least one of the first rigid printed circuit board or the second printed circuit board opposite to an end to which the main bendable portion is connected.

6. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the radiating antenna elements in at least one of the first rigid printed circuit board and the second rigid printed circuit board is at least partly embedded in one of the additional bendable portions of the respective rigid printed circuit board.

7. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a bending radius of the convex like shape is utilized to optimize predetermined quality parameters of the wireless communication apparatus.

8. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the predetermined quality parameters comprise at least one of efficiency, radiation patterns, or envelope correlation.

9. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the convex like shape is one of a substantially V-like shape or a substantially U-like shape.

10. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
a plurality of radiating antenna elements embedded in the first rigid printed circuit board.

11. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
a plurality of radiating antenna elements embedded in the second rigid printed circuit board.

12. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one radiating antenna element comprises at least one of a cellular antenna element, a Wi-Fi antenna element or a Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna element.

13. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature outside of the vehicle.

14. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a light sensor configured to detect an amount of light outside of the vehicle.

15. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a rain sensor configured to detect rain.

16. A wireless communication apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:
a first rigid printed circuit board;
a first modem unit disposed on the first rigid printed circuit board;
at least one radiating antenna element at least partly embedded in the first rigid printed circuit board;
a second rigid printed circuit board;
at least one radiating antenna element at least partly embedded in the second rigid printed circuit board;
at least one interface unit disposed on at least one of the first rigid printed circuit board or the second rigid printed circuit board; and
a main bendable portion bendably and electrically connecting the first rigid printed circuit board and the second rigid printed circuit board, wherein
the first rigid printed circuit board and the second rigid printed circuit board are configured to be mountable on an outer surface of a vehicle in non-horizontal positions with respect to a mounting area of the outer surface, with the first rigid printed circuit board and the second rigid printed circuit board forming a convex like shape in a horizontal direction via bending of the main bendable portion, and
a vehicle light element is arranged between the first rigid printed circuit board and the second rigid printed circuit board at an open end of the convex like shape.

17. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the at least one radiating antenna element comprises at least one of a cellular antenna element, a Wi-Fi antenna element or a Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna element.

18. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein at least one of the first rigid printed circuit board or the second rigid printed circuit board comprise at least one additional bendable portion, which is bendable at least one of inwards and outwards with respect to the convex like shape.

19. The wireless communication apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:
a first rigid printed circuit board;
a first modem unit disposed on the first rigid printed circuit board;
at least one radiating antenna element at least partly embedded in the first rigid printed circuit board;
a second rigid printed circuit board;
a second modem unit disposed on the second rigid printed circuit board;
at least one radiating antenna element at least partly embedded in the second rigid printed circuit board;
at least one interface unit disposed on at least one of the first rigid printed circuit board or the second rigid printed circuit board; and
a main bendable portion bendably and electrically connecting the first rigid printed circuit board and the second rigid printed circuit board, wherein
the first rigid printed circuit board and the second rigid printed circuit board are configured to be mountable on an outer surface of a vehicle in non-horizontal positions with respect to a mounting area of the outer surface, with the first rigid printed circuit board and the second rigid printed circuit board forming a convex like shape in a horizontal direction via bending of the main bendable portion, and
the first modem unit and the second modem unit share at least two of the at least one radiating antenna elements for at least one of MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) and di

Assignees

• Broadcom Corp

Inventors

• Rousu Seppo
• Kaipainen Yrjo
• Kaltiokallio Kim
• Autti Marko Tapio

Classifications

• H01Q21/28 Primary

  Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems {(multiple beam H01Q25/00)} · CPC title

• Y10T29/49018

  with other electrical component · CPC title

• H01Q1/3275

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