System for an automotive vehicle

• US 7,161,471 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2003
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Inventors: Schulz, Martin, Hornschuh, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US10/442,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20030218381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.36, 340/426.13, 340/426.28, 340/426.27, 340/425.5, 340/310.01, 340/310.06, 340/825.72, 340/426.17, 340/426.1, 340/426.16, 340/825.69, 340/310.11, 340/5.64, 340/5.72, 307/10.1, 701/49, 455/99
• US Class Current: 340/426.36
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3241 particular used in keyless entry systems
• 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 system for a vehicle for receiving and transmitting wireless transmitted radio data that is emitted from outside a vehicle, the system having an antenna for receiving the radio data, a first module disposed within the vehicle, a second module and a transmission line for transmitting the radio data substantially within the vehicle, the antenna of the system being connected to a receiver disposed within the second module such that the radio data is transmittable from the second module to the first module through the transmission line, and the antenna being formed by an electrical line that also forms the ground connection of the second module.

Claims

1. A system for a vehicle for receiving and transmitting wireless transmitted radio data emitted outside said vehicle, comprising:

a first module disposed within said vehicle;

a second module disposed within said vehicle, said second module having a receiver disposed therein;

a transmission line connecting said first and second modules, said transmission line being adapted for transmitting said radio data in the form of a stream of digital data signals from said second module to said first module; and

an antenna connected to said receiver of said second module;

said antenna being an electrical line that functions as a ground connection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmission line is a single wire line and said first and second modules each have one ground connection, said transmission line carrying, in addition to said radio data, supply current for supplying energy between said first and second modules.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said radio data transmitted in the transmission line are a stream of digital data signals.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said system is a keyless, remote control door lock and unlock system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said transmission line runs in a straight line.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmission line has at least one winding adapted to forming an inductor.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said transmission line is wound around a ferrite element.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said ferrite element is a ring-shaped ferrite body.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said inductor is disposed at a certain distance from an input of an antenna amplifier, said certain distance determining the electrical length of the antenna.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said ground connection of said second module is disposed proximate to art antenna amplifier.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said second module is disposed within the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said second module is disposed within the rearview mirror within said vehicle.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said second module is disposed on a column of said vehicle.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said second module is disposed in the instrument panel of said vehicle.

15. A system for a vehicle for receiving and transmitting wireless transmitted radio data emitted outside said vehicle, comprising:

a first module disposed within said vehicle;

a second module having a receiver disposed therein;

a transmission line connecting said first and second modules, said transmission line being adapted for transmitting said radio data from said second module to said first module;

an antenna connected to said receiver of said second module;

said antenna being an electrical line that functions as a ground connection;

wherein said first module is provided with a first circuitry having a current detecting device for detecting current in said transmission line, said first circuitry being connected to a first semiconductor switch, said current detecting device and said first semiconductor switch being adapted for applying a data signal to a control input disposed upstream of said transmission line, said control input being transmitted to en output of said first module, and said second module is provided with a second circuitry being connected to a second semiconductor switch for switching a switching current that is much higher than the supply current supplied through said transmission line to said second module.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said switching current is at least S times higher than said supply current.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said switching current is at least 10 mA.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the maximum supply current is 2 mA.

19. The system of claim 15, said second module comprising an antenna receiver with a microcontroller having a maximum current consumption of 1 mA, an operating cycle of 1:

10 arid an actual operating current no greater than 0.1 mA.

20. The system of claim 15, said second module comprising an antenna receiver capable of performing an operating cycle, signal decoding and transmitter detection.

21. The system of claim 15, further comprising at least two capacitors adapted to act as ESD and EMC protection, one of said capacitors being disposed upstream and the other of sail capacitors being disposed downstream of said transmission line.