Multiband radio systems and methods with dual triplexers and single front-to-back end coaxial connector cable

A motor vehicle, comprising:

• a vehicle body including a passenger cabin;
• a plurality of road wheels attached to the vehicle body;
• a prime mover attached to the vehicle body and configured to drive one or more of the road wheels to thereby propel the motor vehicle;
• and
• an amplitude-modulation (AM), frequency-modulation (FM), and digital-audio-broadcasting (DAB) multiband radio system, including:
• a tuner antenna module (TAM) unit mounted on the vehicle body and containing a DAB front end module (FEM) with a DAB antenna configured to receive DAB radio frequency (RF) signals in a DAB RF range, and an AM/FM FEM with an AM antenna configured to receive AM RF signals in an AM RF range and an FM antenna configured to receive FM RF signals in an FM RF range;
• a radio receiver module (RRM) unit located in the passenger cabin and containing a DAB receiver module (RXM) configured to receive and convert the DAB RF signals into DAB audio signals, and an AM/FM RXM configured to receive and convert the AM and FM RF signals into AM/FM audio signals;
• a single coaxial (coax) cable connecting the TAM unit and the RRM unit to thereby transmit therebetween RF signals and direct-current (DC) power;
• a front-end (FE) triplexer unit located in the TAM unit and containing an FE coax node connected to the single coax cable, first and second FE DC output nodes connected to the AM/FM FEM and the DAB FEM, respectively, to transmit thereto the DC power, an FE AM/FM RF node connected to the AM/FM FEM to receive therefrom the AM and FM RF signals, and an FE DAB RF node connected to the DAB FEM to receive therefrom the DAB RF signals, the FE triplexer unit configured to combine the AM, FM, and DAB RF signals for transmission across the single coax cable to the RRM unit;
• and
• a back-end (BE) triplexer unit located in the RRM unit and containing a BE coax node connected to the single coax cable, a BE DC input node connected to a power source to receive therefrom the DC power, a BE AM/FM RF node connected to the AM/FM RXM to transmit thereto the AM and FM RF signals, and a BE DAB RF node connected to the DAB RXM to transmit thereto the DAB RF signals, the BE triplexer unit configured to separate the AM, FM, and DAB RF signals and transmit the combined signals across the single coax cable to the RRM unit.

A method of manufacturing an amplitude-modulation (AM), frequency-modulation (FM), and digital-audio-broadcasting (DAB) multiband radio system, the method comprising:

• assembling a tuner antenna module (TAM) unit including a DAB front end module (FEM) with a DAB antenna configured to receive DAB radio frequency (RF) signals, and an AM/FM FEM with an AM antenna configured to receive AM RF signals and an FM antenna configured to receive FM RF signals;
• assembling a radio receiver module (RRM) unit with a DAB receiver module (RXM) configured to receive and convert the DAB RF signals into DAB audio signals, and an AM/FM RXM configured to receive and convert the AM and FM RF signals into AM/FM audio signals;
• connecting the TAM unit and the RRM unit with only a single coaxial (coax) cable to thereby transmit RF signals between the TAM and RRM units;
• and
• locating a front-end (FE) triplexer unit in the TAM unit, the FE triplexer unit including an FE coax node, an FE AM/FM RF node, and an FE DAB RF node, the FE triplexer unit configured to combine and transmit the AM, FM, and DAB RF signals across the single coax cable;
• connecting the FE coax node to the single coax cable;
• connecting the FE AM/FM RF node to the AM/FM FEM to receive therefrom the AM and FM RF signals;
• and
• connecting the FE DAB RF node to the DAB FEM to receive therefrom the DAB RF signals.