Tire information detecting apparatus having improved reception sensitivity

• US 20050264408A1
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Iijima, Kouta
• Application Number:
  US11/136,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20050264408A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals

Abstract

A tire information detecting apparatus includes an interrogator provided to the main body of a vehicle and each of the responders provided to each of the tires of the vehicle and responding to the interrogator. Each of antenna units having an antenna, a mixer, and a branching filter is provided in the vicinity of each of the tires and is connected to the interrogator via cables. The mixer includes an interactive mixer, which has a first port and a second port connected interactively with each other, and a third port. The first port of the mixer is connected to the antenna, the second port is connected to the high frequency side port of the branching filter, the third port is connected to the low frequency side port of the branching filter, and a common port of the branching filter is connected to the cables.

Claims

1. A tire information detecting apparatus comprising:

an interrogator provided to a main body of a vehicle, for sending an interrogation signal including a modulation period and a non-modulation period, and for processing tire information such as tire air pressure;

responders provided to each of the tires in the vehicle, for sending a response signal, in which a tire information signal is superimposed and which has the same frequency as the interrogation signal, to the interrogator through cables in the non-modulation period; and

antenna units including an antenna, a mixer, and a branching filter which are provided in the vicinities of the tires, respectively, and which are connected to the interrogator through the cables,

wherein the mixer includes an interactive mixer which has a first port and a second port connected interactively with each other, and a third port, and

wherein the first port of the mixer is connected to the antenna, the second port is connected to a high frequency side port of the branching filter, the third port is connected to a low frequency side port of the branching filter, and a common port of the branching filter is connected to each of the cables.

2. The tire information detecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the antenna, the mixer, and the branching filter are unitized on the same cable.

3. The tire information detecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the mixer includes a passive type balance mixer using diodes and DC bias voltage is applied to the diodes of the mixer.