EP-4737275-A1 - VEHICLE PILLAR ASSEMBLY AND VEHICLE

EP4737275A1EP 4737275 A1EP4737275 A1EP 4737275A1EP-4737275-A1

Abstract

A vehicle pillar assembly (100) is provided, including an exterior trim panel (10), a near field communication (NFC) antenna module (20), and an NFC circuit board (30). The exterior trim panel (10) has an inner surface (12) facing an interior of a vehicle (1000). The NFC antenna module (20) is connected to the inner surface (12). The NFC circuit board (30) is located on a side of the exterior trim panel (10) facing the interior of the vehicle (1000). The NFC antenna module (20) and the NFC circuit board (30) are structurally separated from each other, and the NFC antenna module (20) is electrically connected to the NFC circuit board (30) via an electrical connection member. The NFC circuit board and the NFC antenna module are designed to be separate from each other, which avoids disadvantages of integrated NFC modules, such as occupying excessive mounting space and weakening the strength of a side enclosing sheet metal of the pillar assembly. A vehicle is further provided.

Inventors

CHEN, XIAONAN
LIN, Yucai
WANG, LI
LIN, CHUNSHAN

Assignees

Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20240808

Claims (13)

A vehicle pillar assembly for a vehicle, comprising an exterior trim panel, a near field communication (NFC) antenna module, and an NFC circuit board; wherein the exterior trim panel has an inner surface facing an interior of the vehicle; wherein the NFC antenna module is connected to the inner surface, the NFC circuit board is located on a side of the exterior trim panel facing the interior of the vehicle, the NFC antenna module and the NFC circuit board are structurally separated from each other, and the NFC antenna module is electrically connected to the NFC circuit board via an electrical connection member.
The vehicle pillar assembly according to claim 1, wherein the NFC antenna module comprises a protective member and an NFC antenna coil, wherein the NFC antenna coil is mounted and fixed to the protective member, and the protective member is connected to the inner surface.
The vehicle pillar assembly according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle pillar assembly comprises a protective shell, wherein the protective shell covers the NFC antenna module and the NFC circuit board and is fixedly connected to the inner surface, and the protective shell and the exterior trim panel encapsulate the NFC antenna module and the NFC circuit board.
The vehicle pillar assembly according to claim 3, wherein the NFC circuit board is fixedly connected to a surface of the protective member away from the exterior trim panel, and the NFC circuit board is electrically connected to the NFC antenna coil.
The vehicle pillar assembly according to claim 3, wherein the protective shell has a bottom wall and a side wall, wherein the side wall surrounds a periphery of a side of the bottom wall, the bottom wall is opposite to and spaced apart from the exterior trim panel, and a surface of the side wall away from the bottom wall is fixedly connected to the inner surface; and the NFC circuit board is fixedly connected to a surface of the bottom wall facing the exterior trim panel and is spaced apart from the NFC antenna module, and the NFC circuit board is electrically connected to the NFC antenna coil.
The vehicle pillar assembly according to claim 3, wherein the NFC circuit board is fixedly connected to the inner surface and is disposed parallel to and spaced apart from the NFC antenna module, and the NFC circuit board is electrically connected to the NFC antenna coil.
The vehicle pillar assembly according to claim 2, wherein the protective member comprises a first protective layer and a second protective layer, wherein in a thickness direction of the vehicle pillar assembly, the first protective layer is stacked on and fixed to the second protective layer, the first protective layer is connected to the inner surface, the second protective layer is disposed on a side of the first protective layer away from the exterior trim panel, and the NFC antenna coil is connected between the first protective layer and the second protective layer.
The vehicle pillar assembly according to claim 7, wherein the first protective layer and the second protective layer are both ink coatings; the first protective layer is coated on the inner surface, the NFC antenna coil is coated on a surface of the first protective layer facing away from the exterior trim panel, and the second protective layer is coated on the surface of the first protective layer facing away from the exterior trim panel and covers the antenna coil.
The vehicle pillar assembly according to claim 7, wherein the first protective layer and the second protective layer are both flexible printed circuits (FPCs) or insulating films, and the NFC antenna coil is clamped or coated between the first protective layer and the second protective layer.
The vehicle pillar assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the exterior trim panel is made of plastic, or the exterior trim panel is made of glass, or the exterior trim panel is made of glass ceramic.
The vehicle pillar assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the NFC antenna coil comprises a body, and the body is formed by printing with conductive silver paste, or formed by wrapping a copper wire.
The vehicle pillar assembly according to claim 7, wherein the first protective layer and the second protective layer are both insulating films, the exterior trim panel is made of plastic, and the first protective layer, the second protective layer, and the exterior trim panel are integrally formed through injection molding.
A vehicle, comprising the vehicle pillar assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the pillar assembly is connected between an upper beam and a lower beam of the vehicle.

Description

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2023109930880, filed August 8, 2023, and entitled "VEHICLE PILLAR ASSEMBLY AND VEHICLE", the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to the field of vehicle technology, and in particular, to a vehicle pillar assembly and a vehicle. BACKGROUND An increasing number of vehicle-door unlocking modules on the market are beginning to adopt near field communication (NFC) technology to achieve functions such as keyless card-tapping unlocking, virtual card unlocking, or identity authentication unlocking. The existing NFC module is typically mounted in a vehicle pillar assembly. However, the existing NFC module occupies excessive mounting space in the vehicle pillar assembly, hindering the mounting of other intelligent devices therein. SUMMARY The disclosure provides a vehicle pillar assembly and a vehicle, aiming to solve the problem of existing NFC modules occupying excessive space. In an aspect, the disclosure provides a vehicle pillar assembly for a vehicle. The vehicle pillar assembly includes an exterior trim panel, a near field communication (NFC) antenna module, and an NFC circuit board. The exterior trim panel has an inner surface facing an interior of the vehicle. The NFC antenna module is connected to the inner surface. The NFC circuit board is located on a side of the exterior trim panel facing the interior of the vehicle. The NFC antenna module and the NFC circuit board are structurally separated from each other, and the NFC antenna module is electrically connected to the NFC circuit board via an electrical connection member. In an embodiment, the NFC antenna module includes a protective member and an NFC antenna coil. The NFC antenna coil is mounted and fixed to the protective member, and the protective member is connected to the inner surface. In an embodiment, the vehicle pillar assembly includes a protective shell. The protective shell covers the NFC antenna module and the NFC circuit board and is fixedly connected to the inner surface. The protective shell and the exterior trim panel encapsulate the NFC antenna module and the NFC circuit board. In an embodiment, the NFC circuit board is fixedly connected to a surface of the protective member away from the exterior trim panel, and the NFC circuit board is electrically connected to the NFC antenna coil. In an embodiment, the protective shell has a bottom wall and a side wall. The side wall surrounds a periphery of a side of the bottom wall, the bottom wall is opposite to and spaced apart from the exterior trim panel, and a surface of the side wall away from the bottom wall is fixedly connected to the inner surface. The NFC circuit board is fixedly connected to a surface of the bottom wall facing the exterior trim panel and is spaced apart from the NFC antenna module, and the NFC circuit board is electrically connected to the NFC antenna coil. In an embodiment, the NFC circuit board is fixedly connected to the inner surface and is disposed parallel to and spaced apart from the NFC antenna module, and the NFC circuit board is electrically connected to the NFC antenna coil. In an embodiment, the protective member includes a first protective layer and a second protective layer. In a thickness direction of the vehicle pillar assembly, the first protective layer is stacked on and fixed to the second protective layer. The first protective layer is connected to the inner surface. The second protective layer is disposed on a side of the first protective layer away from the exterior trim panel. The NFC antenna coil is connected between the first protective layer and the second protective layer. In an embodiment, the first protective layer and the second protective layer are both ink coatings. The first protective layer is coated on the inner surface. The NFC antenna coil is coated on a surface of the first protective layer facing away from the exterior trim panel. The second protective layer is coated on the surface of the first protective layer facing away from the exterior trim panel and covers the antenna coil. In an embodiment, the first protective layer and the second protective layer are both flexible printed circuits (FPCs) or insulating films, and the NFC antenna coil is clamped or coated between the first protective layer and the second protective layer. In an embodiment, the exterior trim panel is made of plastic, or the exterior trim panel is made of glass, or the exterior trim panel is made of glass ceramic. In an embodiment, the NFC antenna coil includes a body, and the body is formed by printing with conductive silver paste, or formed by wrapping a copper wire. In an embodiment, the first protective layer and the second protective layer are both insulating films. The exterior trim panel is made of plastic. The first protective layer, the second protective layer, and the exterior trim panel are integrally formed t