Reception antenna of tire pressure monitoring system using radiating leakage coaxial cable

• US 7,081,868 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2004
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hyundai AMCO Company Limited (Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai AMCO Company Limited (Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kwon, Dae Hyuk, Na, Heu Kyong, Lee, Won Jo, Choi, Sang Hoon, Kim, Sang Kook, Cho, Hang Kee, Chun, Dong Pil
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoang V.
• Application Number:
  US10/967,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20050128156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 343/873, 343/897, 343/711, 343/713, 340/438, 340/445, 340/447
• US Class Current: 343/897
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/04985 using straps surrounding the rims
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2241 used in or for vehicle tyres
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/203 Leaky coaxial lines

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reception antenna structure of a tire pressure monitoring system. The reception antenna is implemented using a cable-type antenna connected to a receiver of the tire pressure monitoring system. The cable-type antenna enables a mounting position of the antenna to be freely changed and improves a reception rate for measured data about temperature and pressure of a tire, that is modulated into data in the UHF band and transmitted to the outside of the tire in a wireless manner by a transmitter. According to the present invention, the reception antenna of a tire pressure monitoring system is implemented using a radiating leakage coaxial cable so as to enable the position of the antenna to be freely changed, so that, when tire pressure data is measured by a temperature and pressure sensor included in the transmitter within the tire and then transmitted through a tire pressure monitoring transmitter in a wireless manner, the reception sensitivity for the measured data is improved, thus increasing the reliability of the data measured at the tire, and guaranteeing the stability of the tire on the basis of the reliability of the reception sensitivity for the measured data.

Claims

1. A reception antenna of a tire pressure monitoring system, the system having a sensor for measuring internal temperature and pressure of at least one tire, a transmitter for modulating data measured by the sensor into data in an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band, and transmitting the modulated data to an outside of the tire in a wireless manner, a receiver for receiving the measured data transmitted from the transmitter in a wireless manner, and a display unit for displaying the measured data received by the receiver on a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen to allow a diver to monitor the measured data, wherein:

the reception antenna is implemented using a cable-type antenna connected to the receiver, the cable-type antenna enabling a mounting position of the antenna to be freely changed and improving a reception rate for the measured data about the temperature and pressure of a tire, that is modulated into the data in the UHF band and transmitted to the outside of the tire in a wireless manner by the transmitter;

wherein the cable-type antenna comprises;

a radiating leakage coaxial cable, which has grooves formed at regular intervals in a corrugated outer conductor, which surrounds a dielectric, and thus operates in a wide frequency band so that the antenna receives the measured data at the tire by a wireless transmission from the transmitter while forming a gain pattern with sufficient intensity regardless of the mounting position of the antenna; and

a matching terminal for performing termination impedance matching when the radiating leakage coaxial cable receives the measured data.

2. The reception antenna of the tire pressure monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the radiating leakage coaxial cable is arranged at a position closest to the tire and then directly connected to the receiver.

3. The reception antenna of the tire pressure monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein:

the radiating leakage coaxial cable is divided and separately arranged with respect to the respective tires depending on arrangement of the tires; and

the radiating leakage coaxial cable is connected to the receiver through a leakage coaxial cable, in which slots are formed to be alternately arranged in a longitudinal direction on either side of an outer conductor and which is only operated in a specific frequency band, so as to transmit measured data signals in the UHF band to the receiver without attenuation, when the radiating leakage coaxial cable is spaced apart from the receiver due to the arrangement thereof.

4. The reception antenna of the tire pressure monitoring system according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the radiating leakage coaxial cable, the matching terminal and the leakage coaxial cable are constructed so that contact portions between the radiating leakage coaxial cable and the matching terminal and between the radiating leakage coaxial cable and the leakage coaxial cable are waterproofed by a waterproofing material, such as a urethane waterproofing material, an elastic coating waterproofing material or anti-dewing paint, so as to prevent an occurrence of a phenomenon in which deformation or corrosion due to external factors, such as moisture and dust, as well as external physical impacts, is generated and thus a lifespan of the antenna is shortened.