Expanded – threaded – driven – headed – tool-deformed – or locked-thr – Washer structure – Including means for retaining washer to fastener
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-13
2003-04-29
Saether, Flemming (Department: 3679)
Expanded, threaded, driven, headed, tool-deformed, or locked-thr
Washer structure
Including means for retaining washer to fastener
C411S544000, C411S149000, C411S163000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06554555
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an antenna-mounting nut for securing an antenna body, which comprises an antenna element, to a vehicle.
BACKGROUND ART
Motor vehicle antennas, which are secured to a panel of a vehicle, are conventionally known. An example of a constitution of a motor vehicle antenna of this kind is shown in FIG.
6
. This motor vehicle antenna, with the part that is mounted on the vehicle panel enlarged, is also shown in FIG.
7
.
As shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7
, an antenna body
100
of an automobile antenna comprises an antenna cover
101
and an element portion
102
that is mounted on antenna cover
101
, and a base
103
is secured to the lower end of antenna cover
101
. A cylindrical protrusion
103
a
is formed on the lower face of this base
103
so as to protrude therefrom, as shown in
FIG. 7
, and antenna body
100
is secured by a mounting nut
106
threadedly engaging on this cylindrical protrusion
103
a
, such that a vehicle panel
110
is interposed therebetween. Here, the base portion of cylindrical protrusion
103
a
is formed as a rectangular protrusion, and a rectangular antenna-mounting hole is formed in vehicle panel
110
, that enables this rectangular protrusion to be inserted therethrough.
Furthermore, an antenna top portion
102
a
of a diameter that is enlarged with respect to element portion
102
is provided at the upper end of element portion
102
. The lower portion of element portion
102
is a molded portion
102
b
that is molded from a synthetic resin that is soft, such as a rubber. It is preferable for this molded portion
102
b
to be provided with an internal wave trap coil that is connected to the element.
Further, when the antenna is subjected to an external force, the soft molded portion
102
b
of the lower portion of element portion
102
prevents damage to element portion
102
, by bending and absorbing the external force applied.
The electrical length from antenna top portion
102
a
of element portion
102
constituted in this way, to the base end portion of antenna body
100
, is, for example, approximately one quarter of an FM radio band wavelength; and the electrical length from the base end portion to the lower end of the wave trap coil, is approximately one quarter of a mobile wireless telephone band wavelength. As a result, in addition to being resonant in a mobile wireless telephone band and the FM radio band, this motor vehicle antenna is capable of receiving radio waves in the AM radio band via the whole area of the antenna body
100
.
Signals of this kind, which are transmitted and received by an element portion
102
are guided out by cables
107
a
,
107
b
that pass through cylindrical protrusion
103
a
. Cable
107
a
is a cable for a mobile wireless telephone and cable
107
b
is a cable for FM/AM radio.
When securing an antenna body
100
of this kind to a vehicle panel
110
, the rectangular protrusion formed on base
103
is inserted into the rectangular antenna-mounting hole formed in vehicle panel
110
, and mounting nut
106
is made to mate threadedly with cylindrical protrusion
103
a
that protrudes from this antenna-mounting hole, and mounting nut
106
is tightened. Antenna body
100
is thus secured such that vehicle panel
110
is interposed therebetween, as shown in FIG.
6
.
Further, a base pad
104
, which is constituted from a resin that is elastic, is mated with base
103
, and an O-ring
105
is inserted so as to mate with cylindrical protrusion
103
a
. Cylindrical protrusion
103
a
is then inserted into the antenna-mounting hole. Through the action of this base pad
104
and O-ring
105
, rainwater and so forth is prevented from penetrating vehicle panel
110
.
Furthermore, mounting nut
106
is constituted from a washer portion of U-shaped cross-section
121
formed with triangular protuberances at the upper end thereof, and from a nut portion
120
that engages threadedly with cylindrical protrusion
103
a
. Further, when mounting nut
106
is fastened onto cylindrical protrusion
103
a
, triangular protuberances engage inside the rear face of vehicle panel
110
and base
103
is thus reliably grounded to vehicle panel
110
.
Further, so that there is no damage to element portion
102
, when collision is made with a rotating brush of a car wash, or the like, when washing the car in a car wash, or when contact is made with the ceiling of a garage or the like when the car is being parked therein, element portion
102
can be made to be removable from antenna cover
101
.
The constitution of the above-mentioned mounting nut
106
that secures antenna body
100
to vehicle panel
110
is shown in detail in FIG.
8
.
As shown in
FIG. 8
, a plurality of triangular protuberances
121
a
are formed at the upper end of washer portion of U-shaped cross-section
121
, and washer portion
121
is caulked to nut portion
120
so as to be integral with nut portion
120
. That is, a screw thread is formed in nut portion
120
that engages threadedly with cylindrical protrusion
103
a
of base
103
, and a plurality of caulking pieces
120
a
are formed on the upper face of nut portion
120
. Further, by placing washer portion
121
on the upper face of nut portion
120
and caulking caulking pieces
120
a
by means of a caulking tool, nut portion
120
and washer portion
121
are made integral. Here, since six caulking pieces
120
a
are provided and disposed in a hexagonal shape, washer portion
121
is capable of rotating with nut portion
120
. For this reason, when nut portion
120
is fastened onto cylindrical protrusion
103
a
, triangular protuberances
121
a
of washer portion
121
rotate, causing stripping of the paint of vehicle panel
110
, thus permitting a reliable grounding of base
103
.
Problems are posed by the conventional motor vehicle antenna as described above, namely, that, when the vehicle panel where the antenna is mounted is deformed, the gap between mounting nut
106
and vehicle panel
110
changes fractionally, and there is a risk of the press-contacting force of mounting nut
106
weakening. When the press-contacting force of mounting nut
106
weakens in this way, the electrical connection between washer portion
121
and vehicle panel
110
becomes unstable, the grounding becomes unreliable, and a grating sound results.
Additionally, since stress is continually applied to base pad
104
and O-ring
105
by the fastening strength of mounting nut
106
, there is a risk that, over the years, the elasticity of base pad
104
and O-ring
105
will weaken under this stress. Similarly here, there is the problem that the press-contacting force of mounting nut
106
weakens, the grounding becomes unreliable, and a grating sound results.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an antenna-mounting nut that is capable of providing the antenna with a reliable grounding, even if the vehicle panel is deformed or the elasticity of the base pad or O-ring should weaken.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In order to resolve the above-mentioned object, a first antenna-mounting nut of the present invention engages threadedly, from the reverse side of the above-mentioned vehicle panel, with the protrusion, on the antenna body, that is inserted into the mounting hole formed in the vehicle panel, and comprises a washer portion, at whose upper end a plurality of serrate protuberances is formed that come into contact with the above-mentioned vehicle panel; a nut portion that engages threadedly with the above-mentioned protrusion; and a joint portion that integrally secures, via a wave washer, the above-mentioned washer portion and above-mentioned nut portion so that same do not rotate with respect to one another, and is characterized in that inclined faces of the above-mentioned serrate protuberances are formed facing in the direction in which the above-mentioned nut portion is fastened onto the above-mentioned protrusion.
Further, a second antenna-mounting nut of the present invention, that is capable of resolving the above-mentioned object, engages th
Connolly Bove & Lodge & Hutz LLP
Nippon Antena Kabushiki Kaisha
Saether Flemming
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