Infrared (IR) communication device for motor vehicles

• US 7,236,103 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Efkon AG (Strabag Se)
• Original Assignee: Efkon AG (Strabag Se)
• Inventors: Pammer, Raimund, Boh, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US10/539,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20060115274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 340/928, 340/942, 701/117, 348/148, 348/149, 705/13
• US Class Current: 340/928
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1127 using two distinct parallel optical paths

Abstract

A motor vehicle infrared (IR) communication device (2) for an electronic fee-charging system, comprising IR transmitting and receiving elements (9) arranged in a housing (4) and oriented according to a first direction (10), which first direction (10) extends at least substantially in a vertical longitudinal plane of the motor vehicle when the communication device (2) is in a state installed in a motor vehicle, and transmitting and receiving electronics (36, 37); further IR elements (13) oriented at least according to a second direction (14) are additionally arranged in the housing (4), this second direction (14) being oriented towards a side, relative to the first direction (10), or to the vertical longitudinal plane, respectively.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle infrared (IR) communication device (2) preferably for an electronic fee-charging system, comprising IR transmitting and receiving elements (9) arranged in a housing (4) and oriented according to a first direction (10), which first direction extends at least substantially in the travel direction of the motor vehicle when the communication device (2) is in a state installed in a motor vehicle, and comprising further IR elements (13) additionally arranged in the housing (4) and oriented at least according to a second direction (14), this second direction (14) being oriented towards one side, relative to the first direction (10), and transmitting and receiving electronics (36, 37), wherein, as further IR elements (13) oriented in the second direction (14), only IR transmitting elements are provided, and in that for the IR receiving elements (9) oriented in the first direction (10), a directional characteristic (11) which is sufficiently broad also for receiving in the lateral direction is provided.

2. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the directional characteristic (11) of the IR receiving elements (9) oriented in the first direction has a half value angle of from ±

50°

to ±

75°

, preferably approximately ±

60°

.

3. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the IR elements (13) oriented in the second direction (14) partly comprise a first, narrower far field directional characteristic (21) and for at least one other part comprise a second, wider near field directional characteristic (22) overlapping the first directional characteristic.

4. A communication device according to claim 3, wherein the at least two overlapping directional characteristics (21, 22) overlap each other in a pre-determined mixing ratio, of approximately 2:

1, the mixing ratio being determined by at least one of the respective number of IR elements (13) or the pre-determined amount of the current flowing therethrough.

5. A communication device according to claim 3, wherein the narrower far field directional characteristic (21) has a half-value angle of approximately ±

10°

.

6. A communication device according to claim 3, wherein the wider near field directional characteristic (22) has a half-value angle of approximately ±

20°

.

7. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein the second direction (14) defines an azimuth angle with the first direction, seen in top view, of from 35°

to 55°

preferably approximately 45°

.

8. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein a data discriminator (32′

) determining the type of received data is connected to the receiving electronics (37), to which different data processing circuits (49, 51) are connected to which the respective data are supplied in dependence on the data type determination.

9. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein a memory (53) for predetermined messages is associated to a data processing circuit (51) and in that data transmitted in the second direction (14) from a different motor vehicle communication device, received via the IR receiving elements (9) and supplied by the receiving electronics (37) to the data processing circuit (51) comprise address information for reading out the respective messages from the memory (53).

10. A communication device according to claim 9, comprising at least one of an optic or acoustic reproduction unit (52) for the messages.

11. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein a data processing circuit (49) is associated to a fee charging unit (50) as well as connected to the transmission electronics (36.1) for returning data relating to fees charged in the second direction (14).