Antenna module for vehicle

#This application claims the benefit under 35 USC §119(a)-(d) of German Application No. 10 2011 117 976.7 filed Nov. 9, 2011 and German Application No. 10 2012 002 953.5 filed Feb. 16, 2012, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference.

#1. Field of the Invention

#The invention relates to an antenna module for a vehicle, in particular a vehicle roof antenna module.

#Further details of the present invention are described in the drawing on the basis of schematically illustrated exemplary embodiments.

#FIG. 1 shows a vehicle body part having a first, upper assembly of a first antenna module according to the present invention inserted therein;

#FIG. 2 shows a lower assembly of the first antenna module;

#FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional side view of an upper assembly 1 of an antenna module 2 according to the present invention. The upper assembly 1 is held in a cutout 3 of a vehicle body part 4, which is shown in section, wherein the vehicle body part 4 is implemented as a vehicle body roof plate 5 and a body 6 of the first, upper assembly 1 is additionally fixed using a fastening means 7 on the vehicle body part 4. The first, upper assembly 1 comprises, in addition to the body 6, which forms a housing, a first circuit board 8, a vertically aligned printed circuit board 9 having two antennas 10a, 10b, and a first, upper contact part 11. The first, upper contact part 11 is implemented as a multipolar contact part and is arranged on a lower side 9b of the printed circuit board 9. The body 6 of the first, upper assembly 1 is embodied as a shielding part made of diecast zinc or a material having comparable suitability. The body 6 has a first interior 12, in which the first circuit board 8 is arranged, wherein the printed circuit board 9 extends through an upper slot 13 out of the body 6, and wherein the first, upper contact part 11 extends downward through a lower slot 14 in the direction of a vehicle interior 15. In a lower region, the body 6 is also formed as a guide 16, which is used for coupling the lower assembly 17 shown in FIG. 2 on the first, upper assembly 1. Furthermore, the first, upper assembly 1 comprises a casing 18, which is indicated by dashed lines. This casing is implemented from plastic and ensures good aerodynamics of the antenna module and protects the vertically aligned printed circuit board 9 and the antennas 10a, 10b, respectively, from weathering influences. A travel direction of a vehicle 19, in which the antenna module 2 is installed, is indicated by an arrow x. According to embodiment variants (not shown), the upper assembly comprises, in addition to a first circuit board 8 and a vertically aligned printed circuit board 9, further printed circuit boards preferably having a total of up to seven antennas, and/or the lower assembly comprises, in addition to the second lower circuit board 21, at least one further circuit board.

#FIG. 2 shows the above-mentioned lower assembly 17 in a schematic, sectional side view. The lower assembly 17 comprises a fastening means 20, a second, lower circuit board 21, a second, lower contact part 22, and a housing 23. The second, lower contact part 22 is fastened on an upper side 21a of the second, lower circuit board 21. The fastening means 20 is implemented as a fastening plate 24, which has an upwardly pointing locking lug 25 on an upper side 24a. On a lower side 24b, the fastening plate 24 has a recess 26. The recess 26 is adapted to a catch pin 27, which is guided in the housing 23 and is pressed by a spring 28 against the lower side 24b of the fastening plate. Furthermore, a projection 29, which forms a grip edge 31 with a shoulder 30, is implemented on a lower side 23b of the housing 23. A contact surface F32 used as a support surface 32 is implemented laterally on the fastening plate 24. The lower assembly 17 is divided into a first structural unit 33 and a second structural unit 34. The first structural unit 33 comprises the fastening means 20, implemented as a fastening plate 24 in this case. The second structural unit 34 comprises the housing 23, the circuit board 21 received therein, the contact part 22 fixed on the circuit board 21, and the catch pin 27 mounted in the housing 23.

#In FIG. 3, the antenna module 2 is now shown with lower assembly 17 fixed on the first, upper assembly 1, wherein the two contact parts, first, upper contact part 11 and second lower contact part 22, (hereinafter contact parts 11 and 22), are in a first position S1, in which they have a distance a to one another and are therefore electrically disconnected from one another. The lower assembly 17 was fixed on the first, upper assembly 1 in its position S1, in that the lower assembly 17 was pushed or placed from below in an arrow direction y and then in an arrow direction x on the guide 16, which is visible in the housing 23, which is shown cut away. In this case, the fixing is fully completed when the lower assembly 17 engages with the locking lug 25 of its fastening means 20 in a setback 35 (see also FIG. 1) on the body 6 of the first, upper assembly 1. A cover lug 36 implemented on the fastening means 20 of the lower assembly 17 (see also FIG. 2) protects the contact part 22 from undesired collisions with the first, upper assembly 1 when the lower assembly 17 is placed on the first, upper assembly 1 in this case. Fundamentally, the lower assembly 17 is pushed on in a plane Ex, which is parallel to a planar extension of the vehicle body part 4. An internal casing 37 associated with the vehicle body part 4 is indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 3, so that it is recognizable how the lower assembly is inserted from the right into a cavity 38 between the vehicle body part 4 and the internal casing 37, without the internal casing 37 having to be disconnected or cut off below the cutout 3 implemented in the vehicle body part 4. Rather, an access opening 39, which is indicated by three parallel dashed lines, is sufficient to insert the lower assembly 17 diagonally from below along an arrow line w into the cavity 38 and to perform a fixing therein of the lower assembly 17 on the first, upper assembly 1, which is already fastened on the vehicle body part 5.