Circuit and method for contact-less transmission

• US 7,639,095 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tyco Electronics Belgium EC BVBA (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Belgium EC BVBA (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Siotto, Michael, Fryns, Joeri, Ocket, Tom, Van Cauwenberge, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang; Joseph
• Application Number:
  US11/468,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20070070951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104, 307/10.1, 331/151, 331/113.R, 331/117.R, 331/144
• US Class Current: 331/151
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/027 between relatively movable parts of the vehicle, e.g. between steering wheel and column devices for measuring, signalling or controlling tyre pressure or temperature specially adapted for mounting on vehicles B60C23/00

Abstract

A system includes a first and second circuit electromagnetically coupled to establish a contact-less transmission, for example, between a vehicle body and a removable seat of the vehicle body. The first circuit includes a first inductor and the second circuit includes a second inductor. In order to detect in the first circuit the status of one or more input signals of the second circuit, the second circuit includes a signal generating portion including a resistor and a capacitor that generates, a time-pulsed signal. The second circuit is adapted to set a value of at least one of the resistor and the capacitor based on a sensed parameter and sets a duty cycle of the time-pulsed signal based on a value of at least one of the resistor and the capacitor. The time-pulsed signal changes a load of the second circuit over time which can be detected in the first circuit.

Claims

1. A system having a circuit comprising:

a resonant portion including an inductor and a capacitor;

a signal generating portion that generates a time-pulsed signal, the signal generating portion including a resistor and a capacitor;

the circuit being adapted to set a value of at least one of the resistor and the capacitor of the signal generating portion based on a sensed parameter; and

the circuit being adapted to set a duty cycle of the time-pulsed signal based on the value of at least one of the resistor and the capacitor of the signal generating portion.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal generating portion is an astable multivibrator circuit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the astable multivibrator circuit includes at least two bipolar transistors and at least two of the resistors, each of the resistors being connected to a base of one of the bipolar transistors.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the astable multivibrator circuit includes at least two field-effect transistors and at least two of the resistors, each of the resistors being connected to a gate of one of the field-effect transistors.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the duty cycle is dependant on a ratio of a resistance of the resistor and a capacitance of the capacitor of the signal generating portion.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the astable multivibrator circuit includes at least two transistors and a further transistor adapted to be switched conductively when one of the two transistors is switched conductively.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a rectifying element that rectifies an output signal of the resonant portion.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a further circuit, the further circuit having a first inductor coupled to the inductor of the resonant circuit, the first inductor being electromagnetically coupled to the inductor of the resonant portion to establish a contact-less transmission there between.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the further circuit is connected to a signal generator and is adapted to generate an exciting signal that excites the resonant portion.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the further circuit is adapted to detect a signal transmitted by the circuit and is adapted to determine a sensed parameter based on the signal.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the circuit is adapted to transmit an output signal to the further circuit in response to the exciting signal, the output signal being dependant on a sensed parameter.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the circuit is arranged on a removable seat of a vehicle and the further circuit is arranged on the vehicle body.

13. A system having a circuit comprising:

a resonant portion including an inductor and a capacitor connected in series;

a signal generating portion that generates a pulse, the signal generating portion including a resistor and a capacitor;

the circuit being adapted to set a value of at least one of the resistor and the capacitor of the signal generating portion based on a sensed parameter; and

the circuit being adapted to set a time constant or an amplitude of the pulse based on the value at least one of the resistor and the capacitor of the signal generating portion.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a rectifying element that rectifies an output signal of the resonant portion.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising a further circuit, the further circuit having a first inductor coupled to the inductor of the resonant portion, the first inductor being electromagnetically coupled to the inductor of the resonant portion to establish a contact-less transmission there between.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the further circuit is connected to a signal generator and is adapted to generate an exciting signal that excites the resonant portion.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the further circuit is adapted to detect a signal transmitted by the circuit and is adapted to determine a sensed parameter based on the signal.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the circuit is adapted to transmit an output signal to the further circuit in response to the exciting signal, the output signal being dependant on a sensed parameter.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the circuit is arranged on a removable seat of a vehicle and the further circuit is arranged on the vehicle body.

20. A method of electromagnetically coupling a circuit to a further circuit to establish a contact-less transmission there between, comprising the steps of:

providing the circuit with a signal generating portion having a resistor and a capacitor;

generating a time-pulsed signal;

setting a value of at least one of the resistor and the capacitor of the signal generating portion based on a sensed parameter; and

setting a duty cycle of the time-pulsed signal based on a value of at least one of the resistor and the capacitor.

21. A method of electromagnetically coupling a circuit to a further circuit to establish a contact-less transmission, comprising the steps of:

providing the circuit with a signal generating portion having a resistor and a capacitor;

generating a pulse;

setting a value of at least one of the resistor and the capacitor of the signal generating portion based on a sensed parameter; and

setting a time constant or an amplitude of the pulse based on a value of at least one of the resistor and the capacitor.