DETECTION AND NEAR-FIELD COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20130244577A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive France (Continental AG), Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive France (Continental AG), Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: CHEIKH, Mohamed
• Granted Patent: US 8,929,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10128 the step consisting of detection of the presence of one or more record carriers in the vicinity of the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3241 particular used in keyless entry systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3283 side-mounted antennas, e.g. bumper-mounted, door-mounted mounted on windscreens H01Q1/1271
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/00 Combinations of primary active antenna elements and units with secondary devices, e.g. with quasi-optical devices, for giving the antenna a desired directional characteristic combination of horns with slotted waveguide array H01Q13/0233
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/29 Combinations of different interacting antenna units for giving a desired directional characteristic H01Q25/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop

Abstract

A detection and near-field communication device for detecting the approach of a portable device integrating a near-field communication antenna for communicating with the portable device, includes:

a printed circuit including: an upper face oriented toward the portable device and a lower face, a microcontroller, a near-field reader, a detection module, a near-field communication antenna, situated on a face of the printed circuit having a first surface and being linked to the near-field reader;

a plurality of resonators made of copper wire windings, printed on a face of the printed circuit, covering a surface substantially identical to the first surface;

the resonators including frequency adjustment elements so as to resonate at the near-field communication frequency; and

the resonators generating a voltage variation across their terminals and being connected to the detection module to detect the approach of the portable device.

Claims

1. A detection and near-field communication device (D) for detecting the approach of a portable device integrating a near-field communication antenna for communicating with said portable device, the detection and near-field communication device (D) comprising:

a printed circuit (70), comprising;

an upper face (F_S), oriented toward the portable device and a lower face (F_I) oriented on the opposite side from the upper face (F_S),

a microcontroller (30),

a near-field reader (60), and

a detection module (50),

a near-field communication antenna (20), situated on a face (F_S) of the printed circuit (70) having a surface (S) and a center (0), and being linked to the near-field reader (60),

said detection and near-field communication device (D) being characterized in that it furthermore comprises;

a plurality of resonators (40a, 40b, 40c, 40d) made of copper wire windings, printed on a face (F_I) of the printed circuit, covering a surface (S1) substantially identical to the surface (S) of the communication antenna (20),

said resonators (40a, 40b, 40c, 40d) comprising frequency adjustment means so as to resonate at the near-field communication frequency,

and said resonators (40a, 40b, 40b, 40c) generating a voltage variation across their terminals (Δ

Va, Δ

Vb, Δ

Vc, Δ

Vd) and being connected to the detection module (50) to detect the approach of the portable device.

2. The detection and near-field communication device (D) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the communication antenna (20) is situated on the upper face (F_S) of the printed circuit (70) which is oriented toward the portable device and in that the plurality of resonators (40a, 40b, 40c, 40d) is situated on the lower face (F_I) of the printed circuit (70).

3. The detection and near-field communication device (D) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the frequency adjustment means comprise an adaptation capacitor (Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd).

4. The detection and near-field communication device (D) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the frequency adjustment means consist of a number of copper wire windings.

5. The detection and near-field communication device (D) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of resonators (40a, 40b, 40c, 40d) is distributed in a homogeneous manner over the surface (S) of the communication antenna (20).

6. The detection and near-field communication device (D) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of resonators (40a, 40b, 40c, 40d) is distributed in a symmetric manner with respect to a longitudinal axis (X-X′

) and with respect to a transverse axis (Y-Y′

) passing through the communication antenna (20) at its center (0).

7. The detection and near-field communication device (D) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it is integrated into a vehicle door handle (P).

8. An automotive vehicle comprising a detection and near-field communication device (D) as claimed in claim 1.

9. The detection and near-field communication device (D) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the frequency adjustment means comprise an adaptation capacitor (Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd).

10. The detection and near-field communication device (D) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the frequency adjustment means consist of a number of copper wire windings.

11. The detection and near-field communication device (D) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the plurality of resonators (40a, 40b, 40c, 40d) is distributed in a homogeneous manner over the surface (S) of the communication antenna (20).

12. detection and near-field communication device (D) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the plurality of resonators (40a, 40b, 40c, 40d) is distributed in a symmetric manner with respect to a longitudinal axis (X-X′

) and with respect to a transverse axis (Y-Y′

) passing through the communication antenna (20) at its center (0).