Power regulator

• US 7,933,324 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Nantz, John S., Ghabra, Riad
• Primary Examiner(s): Payne; David C
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LEON VIET Q
• Application Number:
  US11/421,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20070280376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,791 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 375/238
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 1/0052 using diodes

Abstract

Method and system of power regulating, such as but not limited to attenuating signal power levels. The power regulating being suitable for use in any number of application, environments, and circuits, including but not limited to those associated with a universal garage door opener (UGDO), remote keyless entry (RKE) unit, tire pressure monitor (TPM) unit, and/or a passive entry element. The regulating may be suitable for directly broadcasting the regulated signal and/or communication the regulated signal to other circuit element for further processing.

Claims

1. A signal attenuation circuit, the circuit comprising:

an antenna configured to transmit RF signals received at an input node;

a resistor having a resistance, a first side and a second side, the first side being connected to the input node;

a diode having an anode and a cathode, the anode being connected to the input node;

a capacitor having a first side and a second side, the first side being connected to the cathode and the second side being connected to the resistor;

a microcontroller connected to the second side of the resistor and the second side of the capacitor, the microcontroller being configured to generate a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to control DC biasing of the diode through charging and discharging of the capacitor, the DC biasing of the diode setting a resistance of the diode as a function of a transmission frequency of protocol of the RF signals such that a desired output power level of RF signals transmitted from the antenna is proportional to a voltage drop set by the resistances of the resistor and the diode; and

wherein the microcontroller generates the PWM signal in proportion to a power level difference between a received power level of the RF signals received at the input node and the desired output power level of the RF signals transmitted from the antenna.

2. The circuit of claim 1 further comprising a signal source configured to generate the RF signals of a first power level, the first power level always being greater than the desired output power level, the microcontroller setting the voltage drop to a value sufficient to reduce the first power level to the desired output power level.

3. The circuit of claim 2 wherein the microcontroller is configured to generate the PWM signal as a function of at least one of a transmission frequency of the output, a data protocol of the output, and inputs received by a vehicle control element.

4. The circuit of claim 2 wherein the microcontroller determiners the programming code as a function a universal garage door opener (UGDO) code, remote keyless entry (RKE) code, tire pressure monitor (TPM) code, or a passive entry element code.

5. The circuit of claim 2 wherein the microcontroller measures received power level of the RF signals received at the input node prior to generating the PWM signal.