Method for transmitting and/or receiving signals for at least a first and a second different service, particularly in a vehicle

• US 8,410,631 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2008
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Chakam, Guy-Aymar
• Primary Examiner(s): Deberadinis, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US12/746,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20100317337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1
• US Class Current: 307/9.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3241 particular used in keyless entry systems

Abstract

In a method for transmitting and/or receiving signals for at least one first and one second different service, particularly having a large range in a vehicle, at least one first antenna 25′ transmits and/or receives signals for the at least one first or second service, depending on a detectable event, and an antenna module performs this method.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting and/or receiving signals for multiple different types of services via a first antenna internal to a vehicle and a second antenna external to the vehicle, the method comprising:

setting a switch to a first configuration in which both the first antenna internal to the vehicle and the second antenna external to the vehicle are connected to a first communication path in a shared manner, and in which both the first and second antennas are configured to transmit and/or receive signals of a first type of service via the first, shared communication path,

automatically detecting a detectable event, and

in response to detecting the detectable event, automatically setting the switch to second configuration in which (a) the first antenna internal to the vehicle is connected to the first communication path and configured to transmit and/or receive signals of the first type of service via the first communication path, and (b) the second antenna external to the vehicle is connected to a second communication path and configured to transmit and/or receive signals of a second type of service via a second communication path, the second type of service being different than the first type of service.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the result of a query as to whether an authorized person is in the vehicle is used as the detectable event.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein signals of the at least one first or second service, of which the signals, as a function of the detectable event, are not transmitted and/or received via the first antenna, are transmitted and/or received via the second antenna.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signals of the at least one first and second services essentially use the same frequency range.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a mobile telephone service is used as the first service and an access control system service is used as the second service, with the signals of the telephone service at least not being permanently transmitted and/or received via the first vehicle antenna if an authorized person is not located in the vehicle and the telephone service being permanently switched on when an authorized person is located in the vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a third service is connected to the at least one first antenna such that, on occurrence of a further detectable event the at least one first antenna exclusively transmits and/or receives signals for the third service.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein an E-call service is used as the third service.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detection of an accident occurring to the vehicle is used as the further detectable event.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising, with the switch in the first configuration, multiplexing signals transmitted and/or received by the first and second antennas onto the shared first communication path.

10. An antenna module for carrying out a method for transmitting and/or receiving signals for multiple different types of services in a vehicle, comprising:

a first antenna internal to the vehicle and configured transmit and/or receive signals for a first type of service,

second antenna external to the vehicle and configured to transmit and receive signals for the first type of service or a second type of service, depending on the setting of a controllable switch,

the controllable switch being switchable, based on the presence of a detectable event, between;

(a) a first configuration in which both the first antenna internal to the vehicle and the second antenna external to the vehicle are connected to a first communication path for transmitting and/or receiving signals of a first type of service via the first communication path, and

(b) a second configuration in which (a) the first antenna internal to the vehicle is connected to the first communication path and configured to transmit and/or receive signals of the first type of service via the first communication path, and (b) the second antenna external to the vehicle is connected to a second communication path and configured to transmit and/or receive signals of a second type of service via a second communication path, the second type of service being different than the first type of service.

11. The antenna module according to claim 10, wherein the antenna module has a second antenna connected or coupled to a second signal output of the switch whereby, in a switch position of the switch, the first signal input is exclusively connected to the first antenna and the second signal input is exclusively connected to the second antenna.

12. The antenna module according to claim 10, wherein the controllable switch comprises a third signal input for a third available service, whereby the controllable switch also has a third switch position in which the first signal output is only connected to the third signal input.

13. The antenna module according to claim 10, wherein a module for executing the third service is also connected via a coupling device to the first signal input, so that in the first switch position the first signal output is connected to the first signal input.

14. The antenna module according to claim 10, wherein the antenna module is configured to use the result of a query as to whether an authorized person is in the vehicle as the detectable event.

15. The antenna module according to claim 10, wherein the antenna module is configured to transmit and/or receive signals of the at least one first or second service which, as a function of the detectable event, are not transmitted and/or received via the first antenna, via the second antenna.

16. The antenna module according to claim 10, wherein the signals of the at least one first and second services essentially use the same frequency range.

17. The antenna module according to claim 10, wherein the antenna module is configured to use a mobile telephone service as the first service and an access control system service as the second service, with the signals of the telephone service at least not being permanently transmitted and/or received via the first vehicle antenna if an authorized person is not located in the vehicle and the telephone service being permanently switched on when an authorized person is located in the vehicle.

18. The antenna module according to claim 10, wherein a third service is connected to the at least one first antenna such that, on occurrence of a further detectable event the at least one first antenna exclusively transmits and/or receives signals for the third service.

19. The antenna module according to claim 18, wherein an E-call service is used as the third service.

20. The antenna module according to claim 10, wherein the switch is configured, in the first configuration of the switch, to multiplex signals transmitted and/or received by the first and second antennas onto the shared first communication path.