Electronic communications system

• US 7,444,118 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2004
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Nowottnick, Jürgen, Böh, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Simon
• Application Number:
  US10/554,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20070142088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455/193.1, 455/193.2, 4553431-3433, 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 340/10.4, 340/505
• US Class Current: 455/39
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00

Abstract

In order that an electronic communications system (100) equipped with: [a.1] at least one base station (10), to which [a.2] at least one LC resonant circuit (13, 16) [a.2.1] with at least one antenna unit (16) in the form of a coil, and [a.2.2] at least one capacitive unit (13) series-connected to the antenna unit (16) is assigned, which base station (10) is arranged, in particular, on an object to be secured against unauthorized use and/or against unauthorized access, such as on a means of locomotion, on an access system or on an entry system, and [b.1] at least one transponder station (40), to which [b.2] at least one antenna unit (44) in the form of a coil is assigned, which transponder station (40) can be carried by, in particular, an authorized user and/or is designed for the exchanging of data signals (22, 24) with the base station (10), wherein the utilization and/or access entitlement is determined and/or the base station (10) can be controlled accordingly by means of these data signals (22, 24), may be further developed in such a way that it can be relied upon that a detuning of the resonant frequency of the LC resonant circuit (13, 16) no longer occurs, it is proposed that the resonant frequency of the LC resonant circuit (13, 16) is set to a predetermined desired value, and/or calibrated, by means of at least one tuning circuit (17, 18) connected in parallel with the antenna unit (16) and/or in parallel with the capacitive unit (13).

Claims

1. An electronic communications system, equipped with

at least one base station, to which

at least one LC resonant circuit

with at least one antenna unit in the form of a coil, and

at least one capacitive unit series-connected to the antenna unit

is assigned, which base station is arranged, in particular, on an object to be secured against unauthorized use and/or against unauthorized access, such as on a means of locomotion, on an access system or on an entry system, and

at least one transponder station, to which

at least one antenna unit in the form of a coil is assigned, which transponder station can be carried by, in particular, an authorized user and/or is designed for the exchanging of data signals with the base station, wherein the utilization and/or access entitlement is determined and/or the base station can be controlled accordingly by means of these data signals,

characterized in that

connected in parallel with the antenna unit and/or in parallel with the capacitive unit is at least one tuning circuit, equipped with

at least one first element in the form of at least one capacitive unit or in the form of at least one inductive unit, and

at least one regulating resistor, series-connected to the first element, the variable resistance value of which regulating resistor can be controlled in order to set and/or to calibrate the resonant frequency of the LC resonant circuit.

2. A communications system as claimed in claim 1,

characterized in that at least a first resistor is series-connected to the capacitive unit and to the antenna unit, and/or

that at least a second resistor is connected between the antenna unit and the capacitive unit.

9. A regulating method for setting and/or calibrating the resonant frequency of at least one LC resonant circuit which is assigned to at least one electronic communications system as claimed in claim 1, in particular to at least one base unit as claimed in claim 5.

10. A use of at least one electronic communications system as claimed in claim 1, in particular of at least one base unit as claimed in claim 3 and/or in particular of at least one transponder station as claimed in claim 3 for authentication and/or identification purposes and/or to check the entitlement to use, to enter or similar any object to be secured by the communications system, such as a means of locomotion, an access system or an entry system.

12. A communications system as claimed in claim 1 with a base unit as claimed in claim 5,

characterized by at least one D[igital]/A[nalog] converter unit being connected between at least one clock output of the microcontroller unit and the regulating resistor.

3. A transponder station for an electronic communications system, which electronic communications system comprises:

at least one base station, to which

at least one LC resonant circuit

with at least one antenna unit in the form of a coil, and

at least one capacitive unit series-connected to the antenna unit is assigned, which base station is arranged, in particular, on an object to be secured against unauthorized use and/or against unauthorized access, such as on a means of locomotion, on an access system or on an entry system, and

at least one transponder station, to which

at least one antenna unit in the form of a coil is assigned, which transponder station can be carried by, in particular, an authorized user and/or is designed for the exchanging of data signals with the base station wherein the utilization and/or access entitlement is determined and/or the base station can be controlled accordingly by means of these data signals, where

connected in parallel with the antenna unit and/or in parallel with the capacitive unit is at least one tuning circuit, equipped with

at least one first element in the form of at least one capacitive unit or in the form of at least one inductive unit, and

at least one regulating resistor, series-connected to the first element,

the variable resistance value of which regulating resistor can be controlled in order to set and/or to calibrate the resonant frequency of the LC resonant circuit,

characterized by at least one electrical or electronic circuit configuration connected to the antenna unit.

4. A transponder station as claimed in claim 3, characterized by

at least a first resistor being series-connected to the capacitive unit and to the antenna unit and/or

at least a second resistor being connected between the antenna unit and the capacitive unit.

6. A transponder station as claimed in claim 3, characterized by at least one D[igital]/A[nalog] converter unit being connected between at least one clock output of the microcontroller unit and the regulating resistor.

5. A base unit, in particular a transponder communications device, for an electronic communications system, which comprises:

at least one base station, which is assigned to

at least one LC resonant circuit

with at least one antenna unit in the form of a coil and

at least one capacitive unit series-connected to the antenna unit

which base station is arranged, in particular, on an object to be secured against unauthorized use and/or against unauthorized access, such as on a means of locomotion, on an access system or on an entry system, and

at least one transponder station, to which

at least one antenna unit in the form of a coil is assigned, which transponder station can be carried by, in particular, an authorized user and/or is designed for the extension of data signals with the base station, within the utilization and/or access entitlement is determined and/or the base station can be controlled accordingly by means of these data signals, wherein

at least one tuning circuit is connected in parallel with the antenna unit and/or in parallel with the capacitive unit, wherein the at least one tuning circuit comprises;

at least a first element in the form of at least one capacitive unit or in the form of at least one inductive unit, and

at least one regulating resistor, series-connected to the first element, the variable resistance value of which regulating resistor can be controlled in order to set and/or to calibrate the resonant frequency of the LC resonant circuit, characterized by

at least one base station,

at least one microcontroller unit connected to the base station and/or

at least one (analog) interface connected to the microcontroller unit.

11. A base unit as claimed in claim 5, characterized by

at least a first resistor being series-connected to the capacitive unit and the antenna unit and/or

at least a second resistor being connected between the antenna unit and the capacitive unit.

7. A method of operating at least one electronic communications system in which data signals are exchanged between at least one antenna unit, in the form of a coil, of at least one LC resonant circuit assigned to at least one base station, and at least one antenna unit, in the form of a coil, of at least one transponder station,

wherein the base station is arranged, in particular, on an object to be secured against unauthorized use and/or against unauthorized access, such as on a means of locomotion, on an access system or on an entry system, and

wherein the utilization and/or access entitlement is determined and/or the base station is controlled accordingly by means of these data signals,

characterized by the resonant frequency of the LC resonant circuit being set to a predetermined desired value, and/or calibrated, by means of at least one tuning circuit connected in parallel with the antenna unit and/or in parallel with the capacitive unit.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7,

characterized in that, in order to set and/or to calibrate the resonant frequency of the LC resonant circuit, the variable resistance value of at least one regulating resistor of the tuning circuit is regulated.