Wireless sensor device

• US 8,358,235 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yuanzhu, Dou
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B
• Application Number:
  US12/875,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20110057829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 342/27, 342/28, 342/87, 342/100, 342/114, 342127-129, 342/175
• US Class Current: 342/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/34 using transmission of continuous, frequency-modulated waves while heterodyning the received signal, or a signal derived therefrom, with a locally-generated signal related to the contemporaneously transmitted signal

Abstract

A wireless sensor device includes a transmission signal generation unit that generates a frequency-spread high frequency transmission signal such that a transmission frequency is continuously increased and decreased with a predetermined period, a transmitter antenna that radiates the high frequency transmission signal, a receiver antenna that receives a reflected wave from an object having received the high frequency transmission signal, and outputs a frequency-spread high frequency reception signal, a mixer circuit that receives a part of the high frequency transmission signal as a first frequency-spread high frequency signal, receives the high frequency reception signal as a second frequency-spread high frequency signal, and outputs a DC beat signal by operating as a phase detector when frequencies of the first and second signals coincide with each other, and a DC component extraction circuit that extracts the DC beat signal from an output signal of the mixer circuit.

Claims

1. A wireless sensor device comprising:

a transmission signal generation unit configured to generate a frequency-spread high frequency transmission signal such that a transmission frequency is continuously increased and decreased with a predetermined period;

a transmitter antenna configured to radiate the high frequency transmission signal generated by the transmission signal generation unit;

a receiver antenna configured to receive a reflected wave from an object having received the high frequency transmission signal radiated from the transmitter antenna, and output a frequency-spread high frequency reception signal;

a mixer circuit configured to receive a part of the high frequency transmission signal, which is input to the transmitter antenna, as a first frequency-spread high frequency signal, receive the high frequency reception signal, which is output from the receiver antenna, as a second frequency-spread high frequency signal, and output a DC beat signal by operating as a phase detector when a frequency of the first frequency-spread high frequency signal coincides with a frequency of the second frequency-spread high frequency signal; and

a DC component extraction circuit configured to extract the DC beat signal from an output signal of the mixer circuit.

2. The wireless sensor device according to claim 1, wherein a distance to the object is detected based on the DC beat signal extracted by the DC component extraction circuit.

3. The wireless sensor device according to claim 1, wherein a motion of the object is detected based on variation in the DC beat signal extracted by the DC component extraction circuit.

4. The wireless sensor device according to claim 1, wherein a frequency of the high frequency transmission signal generated by the transmission signal generation unit is linearly increased and decreased, resulting in a repetition of variation of a chopping wave shape.

5. The wireless sensor device according to claim 1, wherein a frequency of the high frequency transmission signal generated by the transmission signal generation unit is repeatedly increased and decreased in a curved manner.

6. The wireless sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission signal generation unit includes:

a frequency spread control circuit configured to generate a voltage control signal having a voltage repeatedly increased and decreased with a period equal to a period of a required high frequency transmission signal; and

an oscillation circuit having an oscillation frequency to be changed according to the control voltage signal applied from the frequency spread control circuit.

7. The wireless sensor device according to claim 6, wherein the oscillation circuit includes a variable capacitance element having capacitance to be changed according to a voltage applied thereto and the oscillation frequency determined by the changed capacitance, and

the voltage control signal is applied to the variable capacitance element to change the oscillation frequency.

8. The wireless sensor device according to claim 6, wherein the oscillation circuit includes a transistor as an oscillation element, and the voltage control signal is applied to a base of the transistor to change the oscillation frequency.

9. The wireless sensor device according to claim 1, wherein a single antenna serves as the transmitter antenna and the receiver antenna.

10. The wireless sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the high frequency transmission signal has a frequency of about 2,400 MHz to about 2,483.5 MHz.