Concealed CFRP Vehicle Chassis Antenna Cavity

A concealed vehicular carbon fiber reinforced polymer cavity in the roof that contains antennas is proposed, prototyped, and measured. Compared to state-of-the-art roof-mounted shark-fin modules, this offers significantly more room for antennas and radio frequency hardware, thus enabling a smooth transition of vehicular connectivity towards 5G. Three antennas were prototyped and embedded in the cavity: two laser direct structured antennas (inverted-F antenna for 2 GHz, monopole for 5.9 GHz), as well as a broadband conical monopole antenna milled from brass that characterizes the feasible frequency range from 2 to 6 GHz by measurement. It is shown that near-omnidirectional radiation from the concealed automotive antenna cavity is achievable.