RFID tire belt antenna system and method

• US 7,050,017 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2002
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mineral Lassen LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Mineral Lassen LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Forster, Ian J., King, Patrick F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shih-Chao
• Assistant Examiner(s): VY, HUNG T
• Application Number:
  US10/223,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20050093761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 343/866, 343/873, 343/717, 343711-712, 152/152
• US Class Current: 343/873
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07764 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier attachable to a tire tire temperature or pressur control arrangements, see B60C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2241 used in or for vehicle tyres
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/325 characterised by the location of the antenna on the vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a RFID chip that is contained inside a rubber tire to provide wireless communication of information concerning the tire. For instance, it may be desirable to communicate pressure and temperature information concerning a tire during its manufacture and/or usage. The RFID chip is attached to the inside of the rubber tire and is capacitvely coupled to a conductive belt contained inside the tire to provide an antenna for radio-frequency communications and reception.

Claims

1. A system for communicating information wirelessly with a tire, comprising:

a tire that includes;

an elongated planar surface having an inner side and an outer side forming a circular shape, wherein said elongated planar surface comprises a first outer edge and a second outer edge opposite of said first outer edge;

a first planar side that connects to said first outer edge to form a first inner wall; and

a second planar side that connects to said second outer edge to form a second inner wall;

said elongated planar surface having embedded within at least one conductive belt to add structural integrity to said tire; and

a RFID chip having at least one antenna pin, wherein said RFID chip is attached to said inner side of said tire and wherein said elongated planar surface forms a dielectric between said at least one conductive belt and said RFID chip;

said at least one antenna pin capacitively coupled to said at least one conductive belt to form an antenna for radio-frequency signal communication to and from said RFID chip.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one conductive belt is comprised of a plurality of conductive belts.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said at least one antenna pin is two antenna pins that are capacitively coupled to said plurality of conductive belts to form a dipole antenna.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said plurality of conductive belts form a slot wherein said at least one antenna pin is capacitively coupled to said slot to form a slot antenna.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising at least one conductive component coupled to said pin and coupled to said slot to form said antenna.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said at least one conductive component is two conductive components formed in the shape of a bow tie.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising an electric field generator that generates an electric field across said slot to capacitively couple said electric field to said at least one conductive component.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising an interrogation reader that sends an electronic signal, and wherein said at least one conductive component is comprised of at least two conductive components, and wherein one of said at least two conductive components is asymmetrically shaped with respect to another of said at least two conductive components, and wherein said at least two conductive components act as a dipole antenna when receiving said electronic signal having a first frequency, and wherein said at least two conductive components couple to said slot to form a slot antenna when receiving said electronic signal having a second frequency different than said first frequency.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said slot contains a plurality of self-terminating lengths, wherein said at least two conductive components couple to said slot having a first length to form a slot antenna when receiving said electronic signal having said second frequency, and said at least two conductive components couple to said slot having a second length to form a slot antenna when receiving said electronic signal having a third frequency different than said first and second frequencies.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein said at least one conductive component is comprised of two conductive components that couple to at least one belt from said plurality of conductive belts and to a bead on said tire that form a slot operating as a slot antenna, and wherein said slot between said at least one belt and said bead forms a transmission line for receiving a signal radiated by an interrogation reader to said slot antenna.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one conductive belt is constructed from a material comprised from the group consisting of steel, iron, and aluminum.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one antenna pin is capacitively coupled to said at least one conductive belt to form a monopole antenna.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said RFID chip further comprises a ground pin that is coupled to a ground plane to provide a ground for said RFID chip.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said antenna operates at an operating frequency comprised from the group consisting of UHF and VHF.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said RFID chip operates at an operating frequency from the group consisting of 2.45 GHz, 869 MHz, 915 MHz, and 13.56 MHz.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a nonconductive adhesive that is placed in between said RFID chip and said inner surface to adhesively couple said RFID chip to said inner surface.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said RFID chip wirelessly communicates information concerning said tire, using said antenna, to an interrogation reader.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said information concerning said tire is comprised from the group consisting of pressure of said tire, temperature of said tire, ambient pressure around said tire, and ambient temperature around said tire.

19. A system for communicating information wirelessly with a tire, comprising:

a tire that includes;

an elongated planar surface having an inner side and an outer side forming a circular shape, wherein said elongated planar surface comprises a first outer edge and a second outer edge opposite of said first outer edge;

a first planar side that connects to said first outer edge to form a first inner wall; and

a second planar side that connects to said first outer edge to form a second inner wall;

said first planar side having embedded within at least one conductive belt to add structural integrity to said tire; and

a RFID chip having at least one antenna pin, wherein said RFID chip is attached to said first inner wall of said tire and wherein said first planar side forms a dielectric between said at least one conductive belt and said RFID chip;

said at least one antenna pin capacitively coupled to said at least one conductive belt to form an antenna for radio-frequency signal communication to and from said RFID chip.

20. A system for communicating information wirelessly with a tire, comprising:

a tire that includes;

an elongated planar surface having an inner side and an outer side forming a circular shape, wherein said elongated planar surface comprises a first outer edge and a second outer edge opposite of said first outer edge;

a first planar side that connects to said first outer edge to form a first inner wall; and

a second planar side that connects to said second outer edge to form a second inner wall;

said second planar side having embedded within at least one conductive belt to add structural integrity to said tire; and

a RFID chip having at least one antenna pin, wherein said RFID chip is attached to said second inner wall of said tire and wherein said second planar side forms a dielectric between said at least one conductive belt and said RFID chip;

said at least one antenna pin capacitively coupled to said at least one conductive belt to form an antenna for radio-frequency signal communication to and from said RFID chip.

21. A method of wirelessly communicating information concerning a tire, comprising:

attaching a RFID chip having at least one antenna pin inside a tire;

capacitively coupling said at least one antenna pin to at least one conductive belt contained inside said tire to form an antenna for radio-frequency communications; and

receiving a radio-frequency signal through said antenna.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising back-scattering said radio-frequency signal received through said antenna.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising transmitting a separate radio-frequency signal through said antenna.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said at least one conductive belt is comprised of a plurality of conductive belts.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said capacitively coupling further comprises capacitively coupling said at least one antenna pin to a slot formed by said conductive belts to form a slot antenna.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said at least one antenna pin is comprised of two antenna pins and wherein said step of capacitively coupling further comprises capacitively coupling said two antenna pins to said plurality of conductive belts to form a dipole antenna for radio-frequency communications.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising grounding said RFID chip.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

attaching at least one conductive component to said antenna pin, wherein said at least one conductive belt is comprised of a plurality of conductive belts having a slot formed between said plurality of conductive belts; and

wherein said capacitively coupling further comprises capacitively coupling said at least one conductive component to said slot to form said antenna.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising generating an electric field across said slot to capacitively couple said electric field to said at least one conductive component.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein said at least one conductive component comprises two conductive components, and further comprising:

receiving a signal having a first operating frequency using said slot antenna; and

receiving a signal having a second operating frequency using said two conductive components as a dipole antenna.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising arranging said two conductive components asymmetrically with respect to each other.

32. The method of claim 21, wherein said at least one conductive component comprises two conductive components, and further comprising:

attaching said two conductive components between said at least one conductive belt and a bead on said tire forming a slot to form a slot antenna; and

receiving an electronic signal sent by an interrogation reader that is radiated through said slot formed between said at least one conductive belt and said bead.