Communications: radio wave antennas – Antennas – With vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-06
2002-11-26
Ho, Tan (Department: 2821)
Communications: radio wave antennas
Antennas
With vehicle
C343S882000, C343S888000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06486842
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-169227, filed Jun. 6, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pivottable connection configuration of a retractable roof mounted antenna, especially for an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1
illustrates a conventional retractable automobile roof mounted antenna
10
.
FIG. 1
shows an antenna rod
11
, an antenna base
12
, a coaxial cable
13
extending from the bottom face of the antenna base, and a connecting plug
14
provided to the end portion of the coaxial cable
13
so as to connect the antenna with a tuner of the automobile on which the antenna is mounted.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the antenna rod
11
has a retractable configuration that can be fixed at three positions, i.e., at 0°, 60°, and 180° to the antenna base
12
. The antenna rod
11
is configured such that a user can feel proper click resistance so as to firmly fix the antenna rod at respective positions.
FIG. 2
illustrates the specific structure for giving the click resistance to the roof mounted antenna shown in
FIG. 1
, especially to the pivottable connection member thereof.
The antenna rod
11
shown in
FIG. 2
is provided at the proximal end portion with a cylindrical joint assembly
21
the axis direction of which is orthogonal to the axis direction of the antenna rod
11
. The joint assembly
21
of the antenna rod
11
is engaged to the upper portion of the antenna base
12
so as to fix it to the antenna base by integrally fastening them with a bolt
22
or the like.
More specifically, one end portion (the left side portion shown in the illustration) of the joint assembly
21
has a terminal formed of a metal plate as a cover thereof. The terminal moves and contacts a terminal member
12
b
(described later) provided to the antenna base
12
so as to be electrically connected to the terminal member
12
b
. A coil spring
23
is to be introduced into an opening on the side of the other one end portion of the joint assembly
21
through a washer
24
in order to hold a click case assembly
25
in the joint assembly
21
.
The upper portion of the antenna base
12
has a pair of banks so as to place the antenna base
12
therebetween. One of the banks (the right side portion shown in the illustration) has a hexagonal hole
12
a
in the wall thereof. Another one of the banks (the left side portion shown in the illustration) is formed as a terminal
12
b
having a hole formed in a size such that the bolt
22
can pass through it.
The joint assembly
21
is placed between the pair of the banks such that an O-ring
26
is held between the terminal
12
b
and the joint assembly
21
. In this condition, the click case assembly
25
holding the spring
23
and the washer
24
therein is put into the joint assembly
21
from the outside of the hexagonal hole
12
a
. A bolt
22
having a hexagonal click plate
27
to penetrate it is introduced into the hexagonal hole
12
a
of the antenna base
12
from the outside to pass through the pair of the banks. The end tip of the bolt
22
projecting from the wall of the bank as the terminal
12
b
of the antenna base
12
is fastened with a nut
30
via a washer
28
and a spring washer
29
to fix it. By fabricating the components in this manner, the antenna rod
11
and the antenna base
12
can be integrally assembled.
The click case assembly
25
has recesses and convexes on the outer surface to be engaged with the recesses and convexes formed on the inner wall of the joint assembly
21
. With this structure, the click case assembly is prevented from rotating in the circumferential direction.
In the same manner, the click plate
27
is also prevented by its own hexagonal shape from rotating in the circumferential direction, although it moves in the hexagonal hole
12
a
in the axis.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, the click case assembly
25
has a hole
251
formed by pressing in the central portion of the outer face of the bottom on which the click case assembly
25
contacts the click plate
27
, such that the bolt
22
passes through it. A plate
25
having a pair of hemispherical convex portions
252
and
252
spaced apart by 180° and opposing across the hole
251
is put into the bottom of the click assembly
25
.
On the other hand, the click plate
27
contacting the plate
25
a
of the click case assembly
25
, more precisely, comprises the hexagonal plate and a disk the circumference to inscribe the hexagonal circumference of the plate, which are integrally formed. To illustrate the more specific structure of the disk, the disk face contacting the click assembly
25
is shown in FIG.
3
. As shown in the drawing, the disk is made of a cut thick aluminum plate, i.e., so-called cutout. The disk has a hole
271
in the central portion so as to introduce the bolt
22
, and two pairs of grooves
272
and
272
,
273
and
273
, respectively spaced apart by
180
° and opposing across the hole
271
. The grooves
272
and
272
and the grooves
273
and
273
are shifted from each other by 60° as a central angle on the hole
271
as a center.
With the above-mentioned structure, in contacting the plate
25
a
of the click case assembly
25
with the click plate
27
, the convex portions
252
and
252
of the click case assembly
25
shift to either of the grooves
272
and
272
and the grooves
273
and
273
due to the rotation of the antenna rod
11
. In this manner, the convex portions
252
and
252
of the click case assembly
25
are engaged with either of the grooves
272
and
272
and the grooves
273
and
273
, to generate the click resistance.
By virtue of this structure, the contacting force between the plate
25
a
of the click case assembly
25
and the click plate
27
, and the contacting force between the terminal
12
b
of the antenna base
12
and the joint assembly holding the O-ring
26
therebetween are adjusted by the elasticity of the coil spring
23
in accordance with the fastening force of the nut
30
fastening the bolt
22
. The click torque and the electric connection between the terminals thus depend on the adjustment of the contacting forces.
With the above-mentioned pivottable connection configuration of the retractable roof mounted antenna
10
, the click torque according to the elasticity of the coil spring
23
and the fastening force of the nut
30
is generated by engaging the convex portions
252
and
252
formed in the plate
25
a
of the click case assembly
25
and the grooves
272
and
272
and the grooves
273
and
273
in the click plate
27
fixed to the hexagonal hole
12
a
of the antenna base
12
.
FIG. 4
shows the rear side of the joint assembly
21
, which is not shown in
FIG. 2. A
terminal face
21
a
on which the joint assembly
21
contacts the terminal
12
b
has a plurality of, e.g., three hemispherical convex portions
211
,
211
, and
211
formed to strengthen the electric connection. The click torque is also generated between the hemispherical convex portions
211
,
211
, and
211
and the terminal
12
b
of the antenna base
12
. The hemispherical convex portions
211
,
211
, and
211
frictionally contact and slides on the terminal
12
b
to connect with the terminal
12
b
. By this connection, the antenna signal obtained by the antenna rod
11
is transmitted to the coaxial cable
13
via the antenna base
12
.
With this structure, however, the portion for generating the click torque and the portion for transmitting the antenna signal need to be formed in different manufacturing processes. Especially, the click plate
27
is formed by cutting, which increases the manufacturing cost thereof, and the manufacturing cost of the antenna will be increased.
Further, the terminal face
21
a
of the joint assembly
21
is pressed by the terminal
21
b
of the antenna base
21
by the elasticity of the coil spring
2
Harada Industry Co. Ltd.
Ho Tan
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
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