Passive repeater for forwarding radio signals from interior to exterior of a housing including insertable antenna

• US 9,882,625 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2015
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co.KG (INA-Holding Schaeffler GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co.KG (INA-Holding Schaeffler GmbH & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Gluck, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Sobutka, Philip
• Application Number:
  US15/125,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20170099094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 455 7- 25
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/145 Passive relay systems

Abstract

The invention relates to a passive repeater for forwarding radio signals from a first device having a radio interface to a second device having a radio interface, wherein the passive repeater is configured to forward radio signals between an interior of a housing, which has a housing wall acting as a radio barrier, and an exterior, through the housing wall, wherein the passive repeater has a first antenna and a second antenna for this purpose, which are connected to each other by a passive and galvanic coupling, and wherein the first antenna can be arranged in the interior and the second antenna can be arranged in the exterior, and the passive coupling can be carried out through an opening in the housing wall, and wherein the first antenna can be inserted into the interior from the exterior through the opening and/or the second antenna can be withdrawn from the interior to the exterior through the opening. The invention further relates to a radio system having such a passive repeater, to a vehicle having such a repeater or such a radio system, to a bearing having such a repeater or such a radio system, and to a use of such a repeater or such a radio system.

Claims

1. A passive repeater for forwarding radio signals from a first device with a radio interface to a second device with a radio interface, wherein the passive repeater is designed to forward the radio signals between an interior of a housing that has a housing wall acting as a radio barrier and an exterior through the housing wall, the passive repeater comprises a first antenna and a second antenna which are connected to each other by a passive and galvanic coupling, the first antenna is arrangeable in the interior and the second antenna is arrangeable in the exterior and the passive and galvanic coupling is realized through an opening in the housing wall, wherein the first antenna is insertable from the exterior through the opening into the interior or the second antenna is led out from the interior through the opening to the exterior, and one of the antennas or both of the antennas are formed from an elastic material and are configured to move from (a) a folded configuration during insertion through the opening to (b) an unfolded configuration after insertion through the opening.

2. The passive repeater according to claim 1, wherein the antennas and the passive and galvanic coupling are formed from a common, continuous electrically conductive component or from a common, continuous strand.

3. The passive repeater according to claim 1, wherein the passive repeater has a holder and the two antennas are arranged on the holder.

4. The passive repeater according to claim 3, wherein both of the antennas are preassembled on the holder.

5. The passive repeater according to claim 3, wherein the holder is inserted into the opening coming from one direction, that is, either from the interior or from the exterior.

6. The passive repeater according to claim 3, wherein the holder is held in a self-fixing manner in the opening.

7. The passive repeater according to claim 3, wherein the holder has a holder opening and the passive and galvanic coupling runs through the holder opening.

8. A radio system with a first device with a radio interface and a second device with a radio interface, the radio system comprising a passive repeater, and the first device with the radio interface and the second device with the radio interface exchange data via the passive repeater,

the passive repeater is designed to forward the radio signals between an interior of a housing that has a housing wall acting as a radio barrier and an exterior through the housing wall, the passive repeater comprises a first antenna and a second antenna which are connected to each other by a passive and galvanic coupling, the first antenna is arrangeable in the interior and the second antenna is arrangeable in the exterior and the passive and galvanic coupling is realized through an opening in the housing wall, wherein the first antenna is insertable from the exterior through the opening into the interior or the second antenna is led out from the interior through the opening to the exterior, and one of the antennas or both of the antennas are formed from an elastic material,

wherein the housing is a vehicle component and the first antenna is arranged in the interior of the vehicle component and the second antenna is arranged in the exterior, and the passive and galvanic coupling is realized through the opening which is located in a vehicle component wall,

wherein the vehicle is a bicycle, the vehicle component is a frame tube of the bicycle, and the opening of the vehicle component wall is an opening in a wall of the frame tube, and the first device with the radio interface is arranged in the frame tube of the bicycle and the passive repeater is inserted into the opening.

9. The radio system according to claim 8, wherein the frame tube is the seat tube of the bicycle and the opening in which the passive repeater is at least one of inserted in an upper half of the seat tube or is directed forward toward a handlebar of the bicycle.

10. The radio system according to claim 8, wherein the first device with radio interface is a switch actuator or a control unit for an electrical bicycle drive motor.

11. A passive repeater for forwarding radio signals from a first device with a radio interface to a second device with a radio interface, wherein the passive repeater is designed to forward the radio signals between an interior of a housing that has a housing wall acting as a radio barrier and an exterior through the housing wall, the passive repeater comprises a first antenna and a second antenna which are connected to each other by a passive and galvanic coupling, the first antenna is arrangeable in the interior and the second antenna is arrangeable in the exterior and the passive and galvanic coupling is realized through an opening in the housing wall, wherein the first antenna is insertable from the exterior through the opening into the interior or the second antenna is led out from the interior through the opening to the exterior, and one of the antennas or both of the antennas are formed from an elastic material, wherein the housing is a bearing housing and the first antenna is arranged in the interior of the bearing housing and the second antenna is arranged in the exterior and the passive and galvanic coupling is realized through the opening that is located in a bearing housing wall.