Vehicle arrangement for contactless communication between vehicle and mobile communication device

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (200) for a vehicle (10) for contactless communication between the vehicle (10) and a mobile communication device (20), preferably for NFC communication between the vehicle (10) and a mobile identification transmitter (20), comprising: an electronic processing device (210), which is designed to transmit and receive communication signals via an antenna (220); the invention relates to a filter arrangement (300) for filtering out signals outside the contactless communication frequency range, the filter arrangement (300) having a first resonant circuit (310) electrically connected to a processing device (210) and a second resonant circuit (320) integrated with an antenna (220), at least one electrical tap (265) being provided in the first resonant circuit (310), the first resonant circuit is coupled to the second resonant circuit in order to transmit the communication signal from the first resonant circuit to at least one receiving terminal (254) of the processing device (210) for reception.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device as defined in detail in the preamble of claim 1. The invention also relates to a method for producing the device.

[0002] Existing technology It is known in the prior art that contactless communication can be used in vehicles, for example for authentication and unlocking of the vehicle. To this end, a mobile communication device such as a smartphone or an NFC card is usually placed against an antenna integrated into the vehicle door handle to transmit the required data.

[0003] However, ensuring sufficient reliability and sensitivity is often a challenge when manufacturing electronic devices used for communications. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to at least partially remedy the above-mentioned disadvantages. In particular, the object of the present invention is to improve the reliability and / or sensitivity of communications.

[0005] The subject matter of the present invention is a device having the features of claim 1 and a method having the features of claim 15. Further features and details of the invention are set forth in the corresponding dependent claims, the description, and the drawings. Features and details described in conjunction with the device according to the invention naturally also apply to the method according to the invention, and vice versa. Therefore, reference is always made to each other in the disclosure of the various aspects of the invention.

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention relates in particular to a device for a vehicle, preferably an electronic device and / or circuit device, for contactless communication between the vehicle and a mobile communication device, preferably NFC communication between the vehicle and a mobile device (e.g., an identification transmitter and / or a smartphone and / or an NFC card). The mobile communication device can be designed as a mobile radio device (e.g., a smartphone) or a card. To enable authentication on the vehicle, the communication device can also contain security information (e.g., a key). This communication can be used for activation, particularly for vehicle authentication, vehicle unlocking, and / or door opening. The device according to the present invention can thus form part of a vehicle security and / or opening and / or unlocking system, which can itself be protected. Furthermore, this communication can be used to transmit data required for the aforementioned applications. To this end, the information to be transmitted (e.g., security information) can be stored in a data memory of the communication device, read by its electronic chip, and (if necessary) actively transmitted to the device according to the present invention. Systems comprising the communication device and the device according to the present invention can also be protected.

[0007] The device according to the invention can have an electronic processing device for generating and / or sending and / or receiving communication signals via an antenna.

[0008] Furthermore, the device according to the present invention may include a filter device for filtering (preferably bandpass filtering) signals outside the contactless communication frequency range. To this end, the filter device may include a first resonant circuit, which is preferably electrically connected to the processing device. The filter device may also include a second resonant circuit, which is preferably integrated with an antenna. The resonant circuit can electrically couple the processing device to the antenna.

[0009] According to the present invention, at least one electrical tap is provided in the first resonant circuit to transmit the communication signal from the tap to at least one receiving port of the processing device for reception, and preferably decouples the communication signal in this manner for reception. This has the advantage that the tap in the first resonant circuit (particularly upstream of the coupling capacitor) can significantly increase the sensitivity and reliability of the processing device in receiving and evaluating the communication signal.

[0010] It is conceivable that the processing device and the antenna can be arranged on different circuit boards of the device. In other words, the device according to the present invention can be designed as a multi-component device and preferably has at least two or exactly two structurally independent circuit boards. Each circuit board can also be housed in its own housing and / or surrounded by an electrical and / or moisture barrier and / or potting material. In order to still achieve an electrical connection between the antenna and the processing device, a transmission device can be provided, in particular for transmitting communication signals. This transmission device can be designed to electrically connect the circuit boards to each other. The transmission device can be designed to arrange the antenna on the vehicle in a spatially flexible manner and at a certain distance from the processing device. In other words, the transmission device can be designed to arrange the antenna on the vehicle at a flexible and / or variable distance from the processing device. This significantly increases the flexibility of vehicle installation, as the positioning of the antenna is no longer limited to the door handle. Instead, the vehicle can be operated without a door handle, and / or the door can be opened using a communication signal.

[0011] It is also conceivable that contactless communication could serve as backup communication, supplementing the vehicle's primary communication. Primary communication could, for example, be implemented as UWB (Ultra-Wideband) or Bluetooth. Furthermore, primary communication could differ from backup communication in terms of communication technology. Specifically, backup and primary communication could redundantly provide the same functionality, such as vehicle authentication and / or unlocking and / or door opening. The processing equipment and antennas of the apparatus according to the present invention could be dedicated to backup communication. Different antennas could be used for primary and backup communication.

[0012] The vehicle is, for example, a motor vehicle, preferably a passenger car and / or a truck. Furthermore, the vehicle can be designed as an autonomous vehicle and / or a vehicle without door handles. The device according to the present invention can be designed to be mounted on the driver's and / or passenger's door of the vehicle.

[0013] Furthermore, within the scope of the present invention, the transmission medium can optionally be designed as a twisted-pair cable, preferably a twisted-pair cable, and more preferably an unshielded twisted-pair cable. This allows for particularly advantageous transmission performance of the communication signals transmitted via the transmission medium in terms of quality and electromagnetic compatibility. Alternatively, the cable can be designed as a coaxial cable. It is also advantageous if the transmission medium has a length between 0.1 and 2 meters, preferably between 0.5 and 1.5 meters, and more preferably between 0.75 and 1 meter. This allows for flexible placement of the antenna, for example, on a vehicle door.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electrical tap can be electrically connected to at least one coupling capacitor. The first resonant circuit and the second resonant circuit can be coupled to each other via the at least one coupling capacitor to convert the communication signal in the first resonant circuit from a first signal form to a second signal form in the second resonant circuit, and / or to convert the communication signal from a first voltage level to a second voltage level, in particular, an antenna voltage applied to an antenna. The tap can be designed to tap the communication signal for reception in the first signal form and / or at the first voltage level. Preferably, the first voltage level is lower than the second voltage level, and preferably, the second voltage level is at least twice the first voltage level. Advantageously, the present invention can provide a peak-to-peak value of the first voltage level within a range of 5 V to 35 V, preferably within a range of 7 V to 22 V, and a peak-to-peak value of the second voltage level within a range of 20 V to 100 V, preferably within a range of 40 V to 60 V. The first voltage level can optionally be provided or measured in the first resonant circuit, and / or the second voltage level can optionally be provided or measured in the second resonant circuit.

[0015] Within the scope of the present invention, a voltage divider, preferably in the form of a voltage divider, can be preferably provided at the respective receiving terminal to reduce the voltage tapped at the electrical tap and provide it in a reduced form to the receiving terminal. The respective voltage divider can be designed to provide a voltage of a maximum of 5 V, in particular a maximum of 3 V, preferably approximately 2.8 V, at the receiving end. The respective voltage divider can, for example, consist of two resistors or two capacitors.

[0016] Optionally, the device according to the present invention can be designed to transmit and receive communication signals differentially between the processing device and the antenna, preferably through an at least partially symmetrical circuit design of the device or filter device according to the present invention. To this end, electrical taps can be symmetrically arranged in the first resonant circuit, preferably for symmetrically decoupling the communication signal. In other words, two taps can be provided to decouple the communication signal in pairs from the symmetrical lines of the device. Differential transmission refers, in particular, to a signal transmission method in which a signal is separated into a positive component and a negative component and transmitted via separate (symmetrical) lines. This method is robust to interference and improves signal transmission quality.

[0017] Alternatively, at least one first receiving port and one second receiving port of the processing device may be configured as at least one receiving port. In this case, at least one first tap and one second tap may be provided in the first resonant circuit as at least one electrical tap. Furthermore, the first tap may be electrically connected to the first receiving terminal via a first voltage divider, and the second tap may be electrically connected to the second receiving terminal via a second voltage divider, so that the communication signal is differentially transmitted to the receiving terminal of the processing device for reception.

[0018] Furthermore, within the scope of the present invention, it is conceivable that the respective taps are also electrically connected to the respective transmit ports of the processing device via respective low-pass filters (preferably RLC low-pass filters), and / or the respective taps are also electrically connected to the second resonant circuit via respective coupling capacitors. The coupling capacitors can also serve as part of the second resonant circuit and, if necessary, also contribute to converting the signal shape and / or voltage level of the communication signal.

[0019] According to another advantageous feature, at least two transmit ports and at least two receive ports can be provided, electrically connected to the antenna via at least one transmission path, for differential transmission of communication signals between the processing device and the antenna. Furthermore, within the scope of the present invention, it is advantageous if the processing device is designed to evaluate amplitude and / or phase variations of the communication signals received at the receive ports to determine the data being transmitted via the communication. This is particularly advantageous in that the communication signal is tapped at a location where amplitude and / or phase variations can be particularly sensitively detected.

[0020] The electrical tap can also simultaneously serve as a measurement point and / or calibration point for the design of the filter device, so as to parameterize the filter device at least partially based on physical or simulated current measurements at the measurement point and / or calibration point, preferably for adjusting the frequency response of the filter device with respect to the amplitude and / or current consumption of the filter device, preferably for adjusting a local minimum in the frequency response of the measured current (in particular a current notch) and / or a local minimum in the current consumption (in particular power consumption) around the center frequency of the filter device. For example, the current measurement can be performed by measuring the current flowing through the resistive element of the low-pass filter of the first resonant circuit.

[0021] The filter device can also be designed such that, in the frequency response of the filter device, the current consumption has a local minimum substantially near the center frequency of the filter device. This has the advantage that power consumption can be significantly reduced within the relevant frequency range of the communication signal.

[0022] Furthermore, within the scope of the present invention, it is conceivable to design the filter device such that its amplitude-frequency response within the passband is designed to be a substantially symmetrical curve around the center frequency of the filter device. It is also conceivable to design the amplitude-frequency response of the filter device within the passband such that the bandwidth of the filter device is at least 1 MHz, preferably at least 2 MHz, more preferably at least 3 MHz, and particularly preferably at least 4 MHz. Furthermore, it is conceivable to set the coupling factor substantially equal to the attenuation of the filter device, preferably setting the normalized coupling factor substantially to 1.

[0023] Advantageously, within the scope of the present invention, the resonant circuit can be designed as a low-pass filter, and preferably, at least one or both resonant circuits each have a resistive element and / or a coil element and / or a capacitor element. The resistive element can be designed as a resistor and / or the coil element can be designed as an inductor, each of which can optionally be designed as a discrete electronic component.

[0024] Another advantage within the scope of the present invention is achieved if the processing device is designed to be connected to the vehicle's authentication and / or door opening device so as to initiate automatic movement of the vehicle door from a closed position to an open position based on a received communication signal, thereby allowing clearance for further manual opening of the door. This device is preferably at least partially located on the vehicle door. For example, this movement can be achieved by a motor operatively connected to the vehicle door. The connection between the processing device and the authentication and / or door opening device can be achieved, for example, via a corresponding interface of the processing device (preferably a wired or wireless interface). It is conceivable that the processing device could trigger the authentication and / or door opening device based on the received communication signal to control the movement of the vehicle door. This may require authentication, wherein the received communication signal can be cryptographically evaluated by the authentication and / or door opening device.

[0025] The present invention also relates to a method for producing a device according to the invention, comprising the following steps: providing at least a portion of the device; measuring and / or simulating at least a portion of the device to determine a frequency response of the filter device; Based on the measurement and / or simulation results, a filter arrangement is designed for filtering the communication signal.

[0026] The method according to the invention thus has the same advantages as those described in detail with reference to the device according to the invention. For example, measurements can be carried out using known measurement technology methods to determine current and / or voltage and / or power. The results of the measurements or simulations can then be used to design the electronic components of the filter device. To this end, for example, the frequency response of the filter device can be simulated or measured using different component parameterizations in order to achieve the desired frequency response. Further advantages, features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The features mentioned in the claims and the description may be essential to the invention individually or in any combination. They indicate: FIG1 shows a schematic side view of a vehicle and a vehicle door having a device according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0027] FIG2 shows a schematic top view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG3 shows an exemplary frequency response of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] FIG4 shows a schematic diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] FIG5 shows a schematic and simplified circuit diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figures 1, 2, and 5 illustrate an apparatus 200 for a vehicle 10, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, for contactless communication between the vehicle 10 and a mobile communication device 20. Furthermore, apparatus 200 may include an electronic processing device 210, which is designed to send and receive communication signals via an antenna 220. This means that processing device 210 is capable of generating (and receiving) electrical signals that control the antenna to emit an electromagnetic field. Mobile communication device 20 can influence this electromagnetic field to facilitate communication, particularly data transmission. Processing device 210 is, for example, designed as an integrated circuit. For this purpose, a so-called "NFC reader" can be used as processing device 210.

[0032] The communication can be implemented as near-field communication (NFC). Therefore, the communication signal can be an NFC signal. In this case, the communication can be based on the generation of an electromagnetic field, specifically using the electromagnetic field to transmit data through communication. As an NFC-enabled communication device, the mobile communication device 20 can influence (i.e., detune) at least one resonant circuit in the device 200 through inductive coupling, thereby transmitting data. The processing device 210 can detect this influence and evaluate it, for example, evaluating the detuning and modulation of electrical characteristics such as the amplitude and / or phase of the communication signal. Based on this evaluation, the transmitted data can be determined. For example, load modulation and / or amplitude shift keying (ASK) and / or modulation of the voltage amplitude and phase at the antenna 220 can be used to influence and / or modulate the communication signal.

[0033] Figure 1 shows an example where device 200 can be at least partially mounted on vehicle door 11. As can be seen, processing device 210 and antenna 220 can be mounted at different locations on vehicle 10, even spatially separated. Thus, antenna 220 can be mounted outside door 11, for example, on B-pillar 12, while processing device 210 is mounted inside the door. In this case, electrical signal transmission can still be established via transmission device 240 (e.g., a cable).

[0034] Figure 2 shows that the processing device 210 and antenna 220 can be located on different circuit boards 251 and 252, which can be electrically connected or interconnected via a transmission device 240. This allows for flexible spatial placement of the antenna 220, maintaining a certain distance from the processing device 210 on the vehicle 10, and in particular, flexible placement on the vehicle 10. For example, according to Figure 1 , the antenna 220 can be located on the B-pillar 12 of the vehicle 10, while the processing device 210 can be spatially separated from it, located within the door 11, or can be located on other vehicle components. The antenna 220 can be formed on the second circuit board 252 as a PCB antenna (i.e., in particular, a printed antenna) or as a conductor track on a circuit board.

[0035] Mobile communication device 20 can be configured as an identification transmitter 20, thereby enabling identification and / or authentication of vehicle 10. "Mobile" refers to the fact that communication device 20 is portable, for example, capable of being carried by a user. Mobile communication device 20 can be specifically configured as a mobile identification transmitter 20, such as an NFC card and / or a smartphone.

[0036] The mobile communication device 20 can store security information, for example in a non-volatile manner, which is then transmitted to the vehicle 10 via communication and evaluated based on the communication signals. For example, the processing device 210 of the apparatus 200 is connected to the authentication and / or door opening device 30, schematically shown in FIG1 , for signal and / or data transmission. This enables authentication based on the received communication signals, and / or unlocking of the vehicle 10 upon successful authentication, and / or movement of the vehicle door 11 from a closed position 41 to an open position 42 (with the open position 42 indicated by dashed lines when the door 11 is in this position). This movement can be sufficient to release a gap 45, allowing further manual opening of the door 11. This also has the advantage of eliminating the need for a door handle on the vehicle door 11. The gap 45 can be understood as a gap in the door through which a hand can reach to grasp and move the door 11. To this end, a gripping device for the vehicle door 11 can be provided in the released gap 45, for example, to replace a door handle and / or provide a more comfortable grip. In particular, the gripping means can be designed with a rounded surface for easier gripping.

[0037] To enable flexible placement of antenna 220 to accommodate the layout of processing device 210 while achieving good EMC (electromagnetic compatibility, i.e., minimal electromagnetic field radiation) characteristics, transmission device 240 can be designed as a twisted-pair cable, preferably a twisted-pair cable, and more preferably an unshielded twisted-pair cable. Alternatively, transmission device 240 can be designed as a coaxial cable. However, twisted-pair cables have an electrical configuration particularly well-suited for the intended application, as further detailed in Figure 5.

[0038] Furthermore, a filter device 300 may be provided for filtering the communication signal, preferably performing bandpass filtering. Figures 2 and 5 illustrate filter device 300 in greater detail. In this case, transmission device 240 and preferably at least part of antenna 220 may form part of filter device 300. Specifically, this refers to the electrical properties of transmission device 240 and preferably antenna 220, such as inductance and / or capacitance, which can be considered parameters of filter device 300. These electrical properties can therefore be used to parameterize filter device 300 and / or influence its center frequency, cutoff frequency, and / or bandwidth. In this case, filter device 300 can be designed to filter, specifically to attenuate and / or suppress, signals outside the contactless communication frequency range, for example, as a bandpass filter. To this end, the center frequency is particularly preferably approximately 13.56 MHz, and / or the bandwidth can be at least 1.8 MHz, particularly at least 2 MHz.

[0039] Filter device 300 can also be configured as a bandpass filter, comprising a first resonant circuit 310 and a second resonant circuit 320. Resonant circuits 310 and 320 can be interconnected via at least one coupling capacitor. This also means that the at least one coupling capacitor is part of second resonant circuit 320 and electrically couples second resonant circuit 320 to first resonant circuit 310. Furthermore, one of resonant circuits 310 and 320, particularly second resonant circuit 320, preferably at least partially includes at least one coupling capacitor and can be designed to convert a square wave signal into a sinusoidal wave signal. Thus, the communication signal can first be generated as a square wave signal by processing device 210, and then, based on the signal conversion, antenna 220 can be driven by the sinusoidal wave signal.

[0040] In Figure 5, the first resonant circuit 310, taking a differential configuration as an example, consists of inductors LR1 and LR2 and resistors RR1 and RR2 (the symbols are displayed uniformly regardless of whether the components represent resistors, capacitors, or coils; coils may also be referred to as inductors). Inductors LR1 and LR2, resistors RR1 and RR2, and coupling capacitors CK1, CK2, and CK1' and CK2' may be provided as discrete components. The second resonant circuit 320 may be formed by a capacitor C and, optionally, a resistor R and / or an inductor L. Resistor R and inductor L may not be provided as discrete components, but rather as electrical characteristics of antenna 220. The electrical characteristics of transmission device 240 may also be used to construct second resonant circuit 320. Furthermore, it is conceivable that at least a portion of second resonant circuit 320 is also provided on the first circuit board, particularly as a discrete component.

[0041] Various variations are contemplated for the placement of the at least one coupling capacitor CK1, CK2 or CK1', CK2'. For example, differential signal transmission is assumed below, and therefore two coupling capacitors are used. To this end, the processing device 210 may have at least two transmit connections 255 and at least two receive connections 254 (see Figure 2), which are electrically connected to the antenna 220 via at least one transmission path 256.

[0042] According to a first variation, the first resonant circuit 310 can be provided on the first circuit board 251 of the two circuit boards 251 and 252, while the second resonant circuit 320 and coupling capacitors CK1' and CK2' can be provided on the second circuit board 252 of the two circuit boards 251 and 252. In this variation, the capacitors CK1' and CK2' shown in dashed lines in Figure 5 replace the capacitors CK1 and CK2 shown in solid lines on the first circuit board 251 (thus, capacitors CK1 and CK2 are not required in this variation). This approach has the advantage of lowering the voltage applied to the transmission medium 240, and voltage and signal conversion only occurs at the antenna 220 after the communication signal has been transmitted through the transmission device 240.

[0043] According to another variation, the first resonant circuit 310 can be formed on the first circuit board 251 of the circuit boards 251 and 252, while the second resonant circuit 320 can be formed at least partially by the transmission medium 240. The coupling capacitors CK1 and CK2 can be provided on the first circuit board 251 of the circuit boards 251 and 252 (in this case, the capacitors CK1' and CK2' shown in dashed lines are not required). This has the advantage of omitting the coupling capacitors CK1' and CK2', and possibly even eliminating the need for discrete components on the second circuit board 252. This makes the design of the second circuit board 252 simpler and more versatile. FIG3 shows an example of the frequency response G of filter device 300 under amplitude A and current consumption I (i.e., power consumption). Amplitude A can be determined by measuring the voltage at terminal 253 (e.g., points P1 and P2 in FIG5 ), and current consumption I can be determined by measuring the current I flowing through resistor RR1 (e.g., point PT in FIG5 ), at different frequencies f. It can be seen that filter device 300 can be designed such that its absolute frequency response G, i.e., curve V shown for amplitude A, is substantially symmetrical about the center frequency FO of filter device 300 in passband D, and / or such that curve V is arranged in passband D such that the bandwidth B of filter device 300 is at least 1 MHz, preferably at least 2 MHz, more preferably at least 3 MHz, and particularly preferably at least 4 MHz, and / or such that curve V has a substantially constant decrease or constant increase about the center frequency FO of filter device 300.

[0044] The aforementioned characteristics of filter device 300 have the following advantages: the set passband D and / or bandwidth B have a certain tolerance to frequency deviations. The coupling factor of filter device 300 can also be substantially equal to the attenuation of filter device 300. Preferably, the normalized coupling factor is set to substantially 1. The normalized coupling factor is specifically defined as the ratio of the coupling factor to the attenuation. This enables a particularly favorable frequency response, thereby achieving filtering that is robust to component tolerances.

[0045] Furthermore, as can be seen from the frequency response of current I in FIG3 , a current notch can be provided within the center frequency F0 region of filter device 300. This current notch can be implemented as a local minimum in the frequency response of current I. In other words, filter device 300 can be designed such that, in its frequency response, current consumption I substantially has a local minimum near center frequency F0 of filter device 300. For example, this local minimum can be the minimum within the frequency range between lower cutoff frequency G1 and upper cutoff frequency G2. For example, the difference between the lower cutoff frequency and the upper cutoff frequency and center frequency F0 can be at least 500 kHz, at least 1 MHz, at least 2 MHz, or at least 5 MHz, respectively. Current consumption I measured at center frequency F0 can be, for example, less than 0.5 A, preferably less than 0.1 A or less than 0.06 A. According to embodiments of the present invention, the design of filter device 300 has the following advantages: device 200 has very low power consumption. This also allows the transport device 240 to be longer without unduly compromising the performance and / or quality and / or reliability of the device 200. The length of the transport device 240 may be, for example, 0.1 m to 2 m, preferably 0.5 m to 1.5 m, and more preferably 0.75 m to 1 m.

[0046] For the design of the filter device 300 described above, the electrical tap 265 shown in Figure 5 , specifically points PT or P2', can serve as both a measurement point and / or a calibration point. To this end, the filter device 300 can be parameterized based on current measurements at the measurement and / or calibration points. Current measurements are preferably performed while varying the frequency f to detect the frequency response of the amplitude and / or current consumption of the filter device 300 and adjust the parameters of the filter device 300 by varying the frequency. For example, the amplitude A shown in Figure 3 can be determined by measuring the voltage at terminal 253 (e.g., points P1 and P2 in Figure 5 ), and / or the current consumption I can be determined by measuring the current I flowing through resistor RR1 (e.g., point PT in Figure 5 ). Because tap 265 (as described in more detail below) can be used to receive communication signals, the advantage of this measurement is that it can be measured or calibrated directly at the tap point used to receive communication signals. This improves sensitivity when evaluating communication signals.

[0047] Figure 5 illustrates various possible schemes for processing device 210 to receive communication signals. Processing device 210 may be provided with at least one receive terminal 254 and at least one transmit terminal 255. When receiving communication signals differentially, the Rx1 and Rx2 terminals of processing device 210 may function as receive terminal 254, similar to transmit terminals Tx1 and Tx2.

[0048] Furthermore, at least one electrical tap 265 can be provided (particularly in the first resonant circuit 310) to transmit the communication signal from this tap to at least one receiving terminal 254 of the processing device 210 for reception. The respective tap 265 can be designed, for example, as a conductor track and / or contact point and / or an electrical connection representing a node in the circuit structure. For the tap 265 for the communication signal, at least one voltage divider 260 can be provided, or at least two voltage dividers 260 in a differential configuration, which in FIG5 are formed by elements C1, C3 and C2, C4, respectively. These elements can be, for example, resistors to form an ohmic voltage divider 260 or capacitors to form a capacitive voltage divider 260. This allows the voltage and / or current of the communication signal to be adjusted, preferably reduced, so that its electrical characteristics, such as amplitude and phase, can be evaluated at the processing device 210. The position of the tap 265 of the communication signal on the respective voltage divider 260 can have a decisive influence. Figure 5 shows points P1 and P2 as possible voltage taps (dashed lines, omitting the connection of P1' and P2' to the corresponding voltage divider 260 via solid lines). This corresponds (from the perspective of processing device 210) to a tap after coupling capacitors CK1, CK2 (i.e., on the antenna side or in second resonant circuit 320). However, surprisingly, it has proven advantageous to arrange tap 265 at points P1' and P2' (i.e., before coupling capacitors CK1, CK2 or in first resonant circuit 310) (in this case, omitting the connection of points P1, P2 to the corresponding voltage divider 260, as shown). Optionally, tap 265 can be arranged at the same point or potential as the current measurement for adjusting filter arrangement 300 and providing a current notch in the frequency response. This has proven to enable particularly sensitive detection of communication signals at processing device 210, particularly with respect to phase changes.

[0049] 5 shows that the antenna 220 (preferably the entire circuit board 252 of the antenna 220) can be designed to float relative to a reference potential (especially ground). This has the advantage of omitting the need to provide a ground line to the second circuit board 252, thereby simplifying the design.

[0050] Another feature of the embodiment shown in Figure 5 is that at least one tap 265 can be integrated into the first resonant circuit 310. The differential signal transmission provided in the illustrated example is achieved through the circuit symmetry of the apparatus 200. Therefore, the at least one receiving terminal 254 can include at least or exactly one first Rx1 and one second Rx2 receiving terminal 254 of the processing device 210. Accordingly, at least or exactly one first P1' and one second P2' tap 265 can be provided in the first resonant circuit 310 as at least one electrical tap 265. The two electrical taps 265 can be electrically connected to different ones of the coupling capacitors CK1 and CK2. The first tap P1' can also be electrically connected to the first receiving terminal Rx1 via first voltage dividers C1 and C3, while the second tap P2' can be electrically connected to the second receiving terminal Rx2 via second voltage dividers C2 and C4, thereby differentially transmitting the received communication signal to the receiving terminal 254 of the processing device 210. The respective taps 265 may also be electrically connected to the respective transmit terminals Tx1 , Tx2 of the processing device 210 via respective low-pass filters LR1 , RR1 , LR2 , RR2 (preferably RLC low-pass filters).

[0051] Furthermore, the first resonant circuit 310 and the second resonant circuit 320 can be coupled to each other via at least one coupling capacitor CK1, CK2 to convert the communication signal from a first signal form in the first resonant circuit 310 to a second signal form in the second resonant circuit 320, and / or to convert the communication signal from a first voltage level to a second voltage level. The corresponding tap 265 can be configured to tap the communication signal for reception in the first signal form and / or first voltage level. The first signal form can substantially correspond to a square wave signal, the second signal form can substantially correspond to a sinusoidal signal, and / or the peak-to-peak value of the first voltage level can be in the range of 5 V to 15 V, preferably in the range of 7 V to 12 V, and the peak-to-peak value of the second voltage level can be in the range of 20 V to 80 V, preferably in the range of 40 V to 60 V.

[0052] Figure 5 Also shown is the arrangement of components (preferably capacitors CP3 and CP4) on first circuit board 251. These components may also be part of filter device 300. To achieve the same functionality, an alternative arrangement of these components on second circuit board 252 is indicated by dashed lines CP3' and CP4'. In both cases, a ground or reference potential connection is optional and is also indicated by dashed lines.

[0053] FIG4 illustrates a method 100 for producing a device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. According to a first method step 101, at least a portion of the device 200, such as a filter device 300, may be provided. Subsequently, according to a second method step 102, at least one or a portion of the device 200 may be measured and / or simulated to determine the frequency response of the filter device 300. Then, in a third method step 103, the filter device 300 may be designed for filtering communication signals based on the measurement and / or simulation results.

[0054] The above explanation of the embodiment only describes the present invention within the scope of examples. Of course, as long as it is technically feasible, the various features in the embodiment can be freely combined without departing from the scope of the present invention. Reference numerals

[0055] 10 vehicles 11 Car Door 12 B-pillar 20 Communication equipment, identification transmitter 30 Authentication device 41 Close position 42 Open Position 45 gap 100 Manufacturing Method 110 Assembly Method 200 devices 210 Processing Equipment 220 Antenna 240 Transmission Device 251 First Circuit Board 252 Second Circuit Board 253 terminal 254 receiving terminal 255 Send terminal 256 transmission paths 260 Voltage Divider 265 tap 300 filter device 310 First Resonance Circuit 320 Second Resonance Circuit 251, 252 circuit boards f frequency A amplitude B Bandwidth D Passband F0 center frequency G Amplitude-frequency response G1 lower cutoff frequency G2 upper cutoff frequency I Current CK1, CK2 coupling capacitors S Current Sink V-curve.

Claims

1. An apparatus (200) for a vehicle (10) for contactless communication between the vehicle (10) and a mobile communication device (20), preferably for NFC communication between the vehicle (10) and a mobile identification transmitter (20), comprising: an electronic processing device (210) designed to send and receive communication signals via an antenna (220); A filter device (300) for filtering signals outside a contactless communication frequency range, wherein the filter device (300) comprises a first resonant circuit (310) electrically connected to a processing device (210) and a second resonant circuit (320) integrated with an antenna (220), and is characterized in that at least one electrical tap (265) is provided in the first resonant circuit (310) so as to transmit a communication signal from the first resonant circuit to at least one receiving terminal (254) of the processing device (210) for reception.

2. The device (200) according to claim 1, characterized in that The electrical tap (265) is electrically connected to at least one coupling capacitor (CK1, CK2), wherein the first resonant circuit (310) and the second resonant circuit (320) are coupled to each other via the at least one coupling capacitor (CK1, CK2) to convert the communication signal from a first signal form in the first resonant circuit (310) to a second signal form in the second resonant circuit (320), and / or to convert the communication signal from a first voltage level to a second voltage level, wherein the tap (265) is configured to tap the communication signal so as to be received in the first signal form and / or the first voltage level.

3. The device (200) according to claim 2, characterized in that The first signal shape substantially corresponds to a square wave signal, while the second signal shape substantially corresponds to a sinusoidal signal, and / or the first voltage level is lower than the second voltage level, preferably, the second voltage level corresponds to at least twice the first voltage level, and / or the peak-to-peak value of the first voltage level is in the range of 5 V to 35 V, preferably in the range of 7 V to 22 V, while the peak-to-peak value of the second voltage level is in the range of 20 V to 100 V, preferably in the range of 40 V to 60 V.

4. The device (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that A voltage divider (260), preferably in the form of a voltage divider (260), is provided at the corresponding receiving terminal (254) to reduce the voltage tapped at the electrical tap (265) and provide it in reduced form to the receiving terminal (254), wherein the voltage divider (260) is preferably designed to provide a voltage of a maximum of 5 V, in particular a maximum of 3 V, preferably approximately 2.8 V, at the receiving terminal (254).

5. The device (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The device (200) is designed to transmit and receive communication signals between a processing device (210) and an antenna (220) in a differential manner, preferably via an at least partially symmetrical circuit, wherein for this purpose the electrical taps (265) are symmetrically arranged in the first resonant circuit (310) in order to couple out the communication signals symmetrically.

6. The device (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least one first receiving terminal (Rx1) and one second receiving terminal (Rx2) of the processing device (210) are set as the at least one receiving terminal (254), wherein at least one first tap (P1') and one second tap (P2') are set in the first resonant circuit (310) as the at least one electrical tap (265), wherein the first tap (P1') is electrically connected to the first receiving terminal (Rx1) through a first voltage divider (C1, C3), and the second tap (P2') is electrically connected to the second receiving terminal (Rx2) through a second voltage divider (C2, C4), so as to differentially transmit the communication signal to be received to the receiving terminal (254) of the processing device (210).

7. The device (200) according to claim 6, characterized in that The respective taps (265) are also electrically connected to the respective transmit terminals (Tx1, Tx2) of the processing device (210) via respective low-pass filters (LR1, RR1, LR2, RR2), which are preferably RLC low-pass filters, and the respective taps (265) are also electrically connected to the second resonant circuit (320) via respective coupling capacitors (CK1, CK2).

8. The device (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The processing device (210) has at least two transmitting terminals (255) and at least two receiving terminals (254), which are electrically connected to the antenna (220) via at least one transmission path (256) so as to differentially transmit communication signals between the processing device (210) and the antenna (220).

9. The device (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The processing device (210) is used to evaluate the amplitude and / or phase changes of the communication signal received by the receiving terminal (254) to determine the data transmitted via the communication.

10. The device (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The electrical taps (265) are simultaneously designed as measuring points and / or calibration points for designing the filter device (300) so as to parameterize the filter device (300) at least partially based on physical or simulated current measurements at the measuring points and / or calibration points, preferably for adjusting the frequency response of the filter device (300) with respect to the amplitude (A) and / or current consumption (I), preferably for adjusting a local minimum in the frequency response of the measured current around a center frequency (F0) of the filter device (300).

11. The device (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The filter device (300) is designed such that, in the frequency response of the filter device (300), the current consumption (I) has a local minimum substantially around a center frequency (F0) of the filter device (300).

12. The device (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The filter device (300) is designed such that the amplitude frequency response (G) of the filter device (300) within the passband (D) is designed to have a curve (V) that is substantially symmetrical around the center frequency (F0) of the filter device (300), and / or the amplitude frequency response (G) of the filter device (300) within the passband (D) is set by the curve (V) so that the bandwidth (B) of the filter device (300) is at least 1 MHz, preferably at least 2 MHz, more preferably at least 3 MHz, and particularly preferably at least 4 MHz.

13. The device (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The resonant circuits (310, 320) are each designed as a low-pass filter, and preferably, at least one or both of the resonant circuits (310, 320) each include a resistance element (RR1, RR2) and / or a coil element (LR1, LR2) and / or a capacitor element.

14. The device (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The processing device (210) is designed to be connected to an authentication and / or door opening device (30) of the vehicle (10) in order to initiate an automatic movement of the vehicle door (11) from a closed position (41) to an open position (42) based on a received communication signal, thereby releasing a gap (45) for further manual opening of the vehicle door (11), wherein the device (200) is preferably at least partially arranged on the vehicle door (11).

15. A method (100) for producing a device (200) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of: providing (101) at least a portion of the apparatus (200); measuring and / or simulating (102) at least a portion of the device (200) to determine a frequency response of the filter device (300); Based on the measurements and / or simulations, the filter arrangement (300) for filtering the communication signal is designed (103).

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