System for transmitting signals in a motor vehicle

• US 7,574,287 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2005
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lang-Mekra North America LLC
• Original Assignee: Lang-Mekra North America LLC
• Inventors: Plomp, Stephan, Lang, Heinrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Dalena
• Application Number:
  US11/232,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20060064208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/29, 340/825.52, 340/431, 731/16
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0315 using multiplexing techniques multiplexing for transmission of signals G08C15/00; multiplexing for electrical communication in general H04J
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/406 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/408 using a data bus
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

The invention is a system for transmitting signals in a vehicle, comprising a sensor that generates sensor signals, an information display device that receives the sensor signals and a transmission conduit through which the sensor signals are transmitted. The transmission conduit comprises transmission line that may be dedicated for purposes other than transmitting the sensor signals, modulator, demodulator and control device. When the sensor is actuated, the control device acts to detect the presence of current in the transmission line and if present, actuates the modulator thus, modulating the sensor signals prior to their transmission via the transmission line. Simultaneously, the control device actuates the demodulator for demodulating the modulated sensor signals prior to their transmission to the information display device. If, however, current is not detected in the transmission line when the sensor is actuated, the sensor signals are transmitted via the transmission line without being modulated or demodulated.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting sensor signals from a detection device to a receiver in a motor vehicle comprising:

a sensor carried by said motor vehicle for sensing information regarding said motor vehicle and generating said sensor signals representing said information;

an information display device located in a driver cabin of said motor vehicle for receiving said sensor signals and outputting said information represented by said sensor signals; and

a transmission conduit for transmitting said sensor signals from said sensor to said information display device, said transmission conduit including an existing vehicle signal transmission line designated for transmitting vehicle reverse light actuating signals to the reverse light system of the vehicle;

a signal modulator interconnecting said sensor and said pre-existing transmission line for creating modulated sensor signals by modulating said sensor signals for transmission over said pre-existing transmission line;

a signal demodulator interconnecting said pre-existing transmission line and said information display device for demodulating said modulated sensor signals for display on said display device; and

a signal modulation control device interconnecting said modulator and signal demodulator;

wherein said signal modulation control device only actuates said signal modulator to modulate said sensor signals and said signal demodulator to demodulate said modulated sensor signals when said vehicle reverse light actuating signal is present in said pre-existing transmission line so that said sensor signals are transmitted via said pre-existing transmission line simultaneously with said vehicle reverse light actuating signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmission line comprises free current carrying wire.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmission line comprises fiber optic cable.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the information display device is a graphical interface unit.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said information display device outputs said information optically.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said information display device outputs said information acoustically.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein said information display device outputs said information acoustically and optically.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensor is removably mounted to said motor vehicle by a quick mounting device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensor is a distance sensor for determining a distance between said motor vehicle and an object.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensor is a light sensitive sensor in a video camera and said sensor signal is a video signal.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said sensor senses blind spots.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said pre-existing transmission line is coupled with said video camera so that said video camera is actuated simultaneously with the vehicle reverse light system by said vehicle reverse light actuating signal.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensor acts to detect vehicle state magnitudes.

14. A transmission conduit for transmitting sensor signals in a motor vehicle comprising:

a sensor for sensing information regarding said motor vehicle and generating sensor signals representing said information;

a signal modulator for creating modulated sensor signals by modulating said sensor signals for transmission over said transmission conduit;

a signal demodulator for demodulating said modulated sensor signals for display on said display device;

a transmission line interconnecting said signal modulator and said signal demodulator, wherein said transmission line is designated for transmitting signals other than said sensor signals;

an information display device connected to said signal demodulator for receiving and outputting said information represented by said sensor signals;

a signal modulation control device disposed between said signal modulator and said signal demodulator and connected to said transmission line;

whereby

said signal modulation control device detects current in said transmission line and upon detecting said current, said signal modulation control device actuates said signal modulator to modulate said sensor signals prior to being transmitted through said transmission line and to actuate said signal demodulator to demodulate said modulated sensor signals prior to being transmitted from said transmission line to said information display device, allowing said signals to be transmitted through said transmission line simultaneously with said current.

15. The transmission conduit of claim 14, wherein said sensor is actuated when said motor vehicle is in reverse.

16. The transmission conduit of claim 14, wherein said sensor is manually actuated.

17. The transmission conduit of claim 14, further comprising a filter for suppressing interference with said sensor signals.

18. The transmission conduit of claim 14, wherein said transmission line comprises free current carrying wire.

19. The transmission conduit of claim 14, wherein said transmission line comprises fiber optic cable.

20. The transmission conduit of claim 14, wherein said motor vehicle comprises a tractor and a trailer attached to said tractor.

21. The transmission conduit of claim 20, wherein said sensor is carried by one of said tractor and said trailer.