CAR2X communication system, apparatus and method

• US 10,511,667 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2017
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Zettler, Thomas, Gstoettenbauer, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Timothy X
• Application Number:
  US15/409,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20170214746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 342 58
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/32 using transmission of continuous waves, whether amplitude-, frequency-, or phase-modulated, or unmodulated
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/343 using sawtooth modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/345 using triangular modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/006 using shared front-end circuitry, e.g. antennas G01S13/765, G01S13/825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems and methods for communicating between a first device and a second device are provided. Distance control circuitry including at least one transceiver is used to transmit and receive distance control signals and to detect a distance between the first device and a remote object based on a transmitted distance control signal and a received distance control signal reflected by the remote object. Communication circuitry coupled to the transceiver is used to modulate user data of the first device onto a transmitted distance control signal and/or to extract user data from a distance control signal received from the second device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communicating between a first device and a second device, comprising:

distance control circuitry comprising at least one transceiver configured to transmit and receive distance control signals and to detect a distance between the first device and a remote object based on a first transmitted distance control signal and a first received distance control signal reflected by the remote object; and

communication circuitry coupled to the transceiver and configured to modulate first user data of the first device onto a second transmitted distance control signal, and to extract second user data from a second received distance control signal received from the second device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distance control circuitry is configured to detect the distance during a distance detection period, and the communication circuitry is configured to modulate the first user data and extract the second user data during a data communication period.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the distance detection period and the data communication period are non-overlapping time periods.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the data communication period comprises a data transmission period and a data reception period.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data transmission period and the data reception period are non-overlapping time periods.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the data communication period is arranged between two consecutive distance detection periods.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second device is a remote device, and the communication circuitry is configured to communicate with the remote device in accordance with a predefined multiple access method.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit the distance control signal as a single carrier signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distance control circuitry is configured to use the distance control signals from the group selected from radar signals, lidar signals, and ultrasonic signals.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured as a Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar transceiver to use FMCW radar signals, comprising a plurality of FMCW ramp sequences, as the distance control signals.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to modulate a phase or an amplitude of the second transmitted distance control signal based on the first user data and to demodulate a phase or an amplitude of the second received distance control signal to extract the second user data.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second transmitted distance control signal comprises a first plurality of FMCW ramp sequences, the second received distance control signal comprises a second plurality of FMCW ramp sequences, and

the communication circuitry is configured to modulate the first user data of the first device onto the second transmitted distance control signal during a data communication period between two consecutive FMCW ramp sequences of the second transmitted distance control signal, and configured to extract the second user data from the second received distance control signal received from the second device during a data communication period between two consecutive FMCW ramp sequences of the second received distance control signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit the second transmitted distance control signal and receive the second received distance control signal with a constant predefined frequency during the communication period.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna array coupled to the at least one transceiver for directional signal transmission or reception.

15. A motor vehicle, comprising:

distance control circuitry comprising at least one transceiver configured to transmit and receive Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar signals as distance control signals and to detect a distance between the motor vehicle and a remote object based on a first transmitted distance control signal and a first received distance control signal reflected by the remote object; and

communication circuitry coupled to the transceiver and configured to modulate first user data onto a second transmitted distance control signal during a first data communication period between two consecutive FMCW ramp sequences of the second transmitted distance control signal, and configured to extract second user data from a second received distance control signal received from a remote device during a second data communication period between two consecutive FMCW ramp sequences of the second received distance control signal.

16. A method for Car2X communication, comprising:

detecting, during a distance detection period, a distance between a motor vehicle and a remote object based on a first distance control transmit signal and a first distance control receive signal reflected by the remote object; and

during data communication period;

modulating first user data onto the first distance control transmit signal;

and

receiving a second distance control transmit signal from a remote device and extracting second user data from the received second distance control transmit signal of the remote device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein detecting the distance comprises using a first Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar signal comprising a first plurality of FMCW ramp sequences as the first distance control transmit signal, and

wherein the received second distance control transmit signal is a second FMCW radar signal comprising a second plurality of FMCW ramp sequences.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

modulating comprises modulating the first user data onto the first distance control transmit signal during a data transmission period between two consecutive FMCW frequency ramp sequences of the first distance control transmit signal, and

extracting comprises extracting the second user data from the second distance control transmit signal received from the remote device during a data reception period between two consecutive FMCW frequency ramp sequences of the received second distance control transmit signal received from the remote device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting the distance control transmit signal and receiving the distance control transmit signal received from the remote device using a predefined and constant single frequency.