In-vehicle wireless system

• US 8,570,146 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Uno, Hideki, Toda, Shigeyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALAM, MIRZA F
• Application Number:
  US12/491,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20090322475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.2, 340/5.23, 340/5.31, 340/5.64, 340/5.71, 340/825.69, 340/5.7, 340/825.22, 340/525, 340/461, 340/539, 340/825.72, 340/5.62, 455/41.1, 455/68, 455/88, 455/569.2, 455/575.1, 455/90.1, 455/99, 455/151.2, 455/259, 343/895, 343/853
• US Class Current: 340/5.64
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0602 using antenna switching H04B7/0686 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0817 with multiple receivers and antenna path selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity

Abstract

An in-vehicle wireless system, capable of operating at least in a copy mode and a transmission mode, comprises: at least one receiving unit receiving a wireless signal transmitted from a remote control transmitter and demodulates a control code signal; and at least one transmitting unit transmitting wireless signals at a plurality of carrier frequencies; and a control unit controlling so as to obtain a control code from the control code signal and store it in the copy mode, and so as to perform transmitting the modulated wireless signals at all carrier frequencies unique to a plurality of the garage door opening-closing mechanisms or the like. The receiving unit may include a detection circuit connected to a reception antenna directly.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle wireless system that is placed in a vehicle so as to control a plurality of devices including a garage door opening-closing mechanism or household equipment that are remotely controlled by a high-frequency wireless signal, and is capable of operating at least in a copy mode and in a transmission mode, the plurality of devices respectively having predetermined carrier frequencies that are different from each other and unique to the respective devices,

the in-vehicle wireless system comprising:

at least one receiver that receives a wireless signal transmitted from a remote control transmitter for performing control on the garage door opening-closing mechanism or the household equipment through a reception antenna without a tuning circuit, and demodulates a control code signal for detecting only a control code from the received signal;

a transmitter that transmits wireless signals modulated with a single control code at different carrier frequencies through a single transmission antenna; and

a controller that controls the at least one receiver and the transmitter,

wherein the controller, in the copy mode, detects the control code from the control code signal and stores only the control code, and

the controller, in the transmission mode, controls the transmitter to perform transmission of a wireless signal modulated with the stored control code, the transmission of the modulated wireless signal being performed sequentially through the single transmission antenna at all the predetermined carrier frequencies unique to the respective devices, including the garage door opening-closing mechanism or household equipment in accordance with predetermined procedures.

2. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 1, wherein:

the wireless signal transmitted from the remote control transmitter is an ASK-modulated high-frequency signal; and

the receiver includes an envelope detection circuit that is connected to the reception antenna.

3. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 2, wherein:

the receiver further includes a comparator circuit that compares an output signal of the envelope detection circuit with a reference voltage; and

the controller includes a microcontroller that has a digital input having an output signal of the comparator circuit input thereto.

4. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 2, wherein the controller includes a microcontroller that has an analog input having an output signal of the envelope detection circuit input thereto.

5. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller includes a carrier frequency setter that generates a frequency setting signal for selecting the carrier frequency; and

the transmitter includes a voltage controlled oscillator circuit that is controlled with the frequency setting signal, and an output circuit that multiplies the frequency of an output signal of the voltage controlled oscillator circuit and ASK-modulates the output signal.

6. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 5, wherein:

the transmitter further includes a plurality of transmission antennas and an antenna switching circuit that switches between the transmission antennas; and

the controller switches between the transmission antennas to be used by outputting an antenna select signal to the antenna switching circuit.

7. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 6, wherein each of the transmission antennas has a different antenna center frequency or a different transmission wave polarization from the other transmission antennas.

8. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter includes a plurality of transmitters,

each of the transmitters includes a transmission antenna having a different antenna center frequency or a different transmission wave polarization from a transmission antenna of the other transmitters.

9. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter includes a plurality of transmitters,

the transmitters transmit the wireless signals at the same carrier frequency from all the transmitters in turn.

10. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter includes a plurality of transmitters,

the transmitters simultaneously transmit the wireless signals at the different carrier frequencies.

11. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined procedures are carried out to perform transmitting the wireless signals successively in ascending or descending order of the carrier frequency.

12. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined procedures are carried out so that one of two transmitters of the plurality of transmitters performs transmitting the wireless signals successively in ascending order of the carrier frequency, and the other one of the two transmitters performs transmitting the wireless signals successively in descending order of the carrier frequency.

13. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 2, wherein:

the at least one receiver include a plurality of receivers,

each of receivers has a reception antenna having a different reception sensitivity with respect to a center frequency or wave polarization from reception antennas of an other of the receivers; and

the controller detects the control code by selecting or processing the control code signals that are input from the respective receivers.

14. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 6, further comprising

a transmission antenna unit that includes the transmission antennas and is spaced from the output circuit,

wherein:

the transmission antenna unit is connected to the output circuit with a high-frequency cable, the controller includes a circuit that superimposes the antenna select signal as a DC voltage on the high-frequency cable; and

the transmission antenna unit includes the antenna switching circuit that is activated by a value of the DC voltage.

15. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 5, further comprising

a transmission antenna unit that includes the single transmission antenna and is spaced from the output circuit,

wherein:

the transmission antenna unit is connected to the output circuit with a high-frequency cable,

the controller includes a circuit that superimposes an impedance matching signal as a DC voltage on the high-frequency cable, the impedance matching signal being for impedance matching with the single transmission antenna; and

the transmission antenna unit includes the impedance matching circuit that is activated by a value of the DC voltage.

16. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 1, wherein the controller receives data for updating the garage door opening-closing mechanism or household equipment or the control procedures through the receiver, and changes the carrier frequency and/or the control procedures in accordance with the data.

17. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 3, wherein:

the controller includes a carrier frequency setter that generates a frequency setting signal for selecting the carrier frequency; and

the transmitter includes a voltage controlled oscillator circuit that is controlled with the frequency setting signal, and an output circuit that multiplies the frequency of an output signal of the voltage controlled oscillator circuit and ASK-modulates the output signal.

18. The in-vehicle wireless system according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined procedures are carried out to perform transmitting the wireless signals in ascending or descending order of the carrier frequency.