System or systems for using a serial group ID address for tunable antennas of a vehicle

Abstract

A system or systems for using a serial group ID address for active / tunable vehicle antennas. The systems may include at least one antenna and one or more tuners. The systems may further include one or more identical antennas, and each antenna may include at least two tuners, and / or each antenna may include three or more tuners. A method or methods that provide one or more tuners, one or more impedance tuners, one or more aperture tuners, a radio frequency (RF) multiplexer, an RF diplexer, a connectivity hub module, one or more cables, or one or more components. A connectivity hub module (CHM) sends commands specifying which RF bands to move to and which impedance tuners and / or aperture tuners to move to.Each of the voter can work on the same serial group IDs or one or more serial group IDs.

Description

Introduction

[0001] This disclosure relates to a serial group ID address for active / tunable vehicle antennas. Currently, no technologies exist for serial group ID addresses for active / tunable vehicle antennas.

[0002] EP 3 661 075 A1 describes phased-array systems, integrated high-frequency circuits, and related methods. Integrated high-frequency circuits determine phase, delay, or amplitude settings for high-frequency signals based on common information received from a control unit and chip-specific information.

[0003] US 2020 / 0335866A1 describes a cost-effective implementation and simplified digital signal control and synchronization for a multi-beam phased-array antenna. The multi-beam phased-array antenna is implemented with a stack comprising: 1) an antenna substrate aperture containing embedded antenna elements and a third layer of the signal combiner / splitter and distribution network; 2) an interposer substrate providing a second layer of the signal combiner / splitter and distribution network, as well as the carrier for the BPU ICs; and 3) BPU ICs containing the multitude of phased-array front-end processing units and a first layer of the signal combiner / splitter and distribution unit. The third layer of the signal combiner / splitter and distribution network is combined with the antenna on the same substrate, eliminating the need for expensive miniature RF connectors. Description of the invention

[0004] The invention is defined by the claims.

[0005] According to the invention, a system or systems for a serial group ID address for active / tunable antennas of a vehicle or a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium on which instructions are recorded are provided. The systems comprise at least one antenna and one or more tuners, each of the grouped tuners configuring the same serial group ID address. The systems further comprise one or more identical antennas, and each antenna comprises at least two tuners.

[0006] Each antenna can include three or more tuners. Generally, each tuner can operate on one or more of the same serial group IDs—note that these can be different group IDs for different sets of tuners. Furthermore, these group IDs can share a single user ID address.

[0007] The systems may further include the provision of one or more tuners, one or more impedance tuners, one or more aperture tuners, the provision of a radio frequency (RF) multiplexer or an RF diplexer, the provision of a connectivity hub module, the provision of one or more cables, the provision of one or more components, including, without limitation: resistors, capacitors, inductors (coil, choke, choke), diodes, LEDs, transistors, crystals, oscillators and / or connectors, and may implement a serial group ID address for tunable vehicle antennas.

[0008] This can involve one or more Connectivity Hub Modules (CHMs) sending commands specifying which RF bands to move to and which impedance tuners and / or aperture tuners to move to. Generally, each tuner can operate on one or more of the same serial group IDs—note that these can be different group IDs for different sets of tuners. Furthermore, these group IDs can share a single user ID address.

[0009] The aforementioned features and advantages, as well as other features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best ways of carrying out the disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Brief description of the drawings Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic view of a vehicle and a mobile or other communication system that may be connected to one or more clouds. Fig. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram for a group ID address for active / tunable vehicle antennas. Fig. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram for a group ID address for active / tunable vehicle antennas. Fig. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating serial commands, showing two sets of serial commands: one with multiple commands, each for a unique user ID address, and one with a single command using a group ID address (for all grouped users). Fig. Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of a procedure or procedures for a serial group ID address for active / tunable vehicle antennas. Detailed description

[0010] Referring to the drawings, identical reference symbols refer to similar components wherever possible. Generally, group ID addresses for active / tunable vehicle antennas, active smart antennas, or active antenna solutions combine a passive antenna element and active components such as RF (radio frequency) switches, diodes, or transistors, and a driver or software to control the circuit. These tuners are controlled via a serial bus; generally, each tuner has its own user ID address. Alternatively, tuners can share a common ID address, called a group ID address. This system would be unique because all grouped tuners would be assigned the same ID address and operate in the same state.This would be unambiguous, since the grouped ID tuners could be from different antennas and / or different tuner types, but would operate in the same state.

[0011] These can simply be called tunable vehicle antennas. There are different types of active / tunable antennas, depending on which parameter is actively changed. Grouping the serial antenna ID addresses—that is, grouping ID addresses—provides various elements for combining or customizing active / tunable vehicle antennas.

[0012] An active antenna is an antenna that contains active electronic components such as transistors, unlike most antennas, which consist only of passive components such as metal rods, capacitors, and inductors. Active antenna designs allow antennas of limited size to have a wider frequency range (bandwidth) than passive antennas and are primarily used in situations where a larger passive antenna is either impractical, as in a portable radio or vehicle, or impossible, as in a suburban residential area with restrictions on large outdoor antennas. It should be noted that tunable antennas exist that are not necessarily active antennas.

[0013] Fig. Figure 1 schematically illustrates a connectivity network or connectivity system 10. The connectivity system 10 comprises numerous components, of which only some are listed and / or shown here. A remote or cellular communication system or cellular network 12, which can be representative of many types of communication protocols, including, without limitation: cellular, satellite, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ultra-wideband (UWB), or other communications recognizable to the average professional.

[0014] A central location 14 is shown in a highly schematic way, but can be representative of many different structures, clouds, servers, or elements, as experts have recognized. The central location 14 represents systems that communicate with some or all of the other systems and / or objects described herein. The central location 14 includes numerous controllers 20. Additionally, the central location 14 can be a back office (BO) of the vehicle manufacturer.

[0015] Several transfer protocols or transfers 16 are schematically illustrated. These transfers 16 can include, without limitation: cellular networks, Wi-Fi, wired networks, over-the-air (OTA), other transport protocols, including machine-to-machine (M2M) or other telematics equipment or other systems recognizable to the average person skilled in the art. M2M systems use point-to-point communications between machines, sensors, and hardware over cellular, Wi-Fi, or wired networks.

[0016] The drawings and figures shown herein are diagrams, are not to scale, and are provided for descriptive purposes only. Therefore, any specific or relative dimensions or orientations shown in the drawings are not to be construed as limiting. Although the disclosure may be illustrated with respect to specific applications or industries, those skilled in the art will recognize the broader applicability of the disclosure. People skilled in the art will recognize that terms such as "above," "below," "upward," "downward," etc., are used descriptively for the figures and do not represent limitations on the scope of the disclosure as defined by the accompanying claims. Any numerical designations such as "first" or "second" are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure in any way.

[0017] Features shown in a figure can be combined with, replaced by, or modified by features shown in any other figure. Unless otherwise specified, no features, elements, or constraints are mutually exclusive. Furthermore, no features, elements, or constraints are essential for operation. Any specific configurations shown in the figures are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the claims or the description.

[0018] The term "vehicle" is broadly applied to any moving platform. Vehicles that may be included in the disclosure include, for example, but are not limited to: passenger or freight vehicles; autonomous vehicles; industrial, construction, and mining equipment; and various types of aircraft.

[0019] All numerical values ​​of parameters (e.g., of quantities or conditions) in this specification, including the appended claims, are to be understood as being modified in all cases by the term "approximately," regardless of whether the term actually precedes the numerical value or not. "Approximately" indicates that the stated numerical value permits a certain degree of inaccuracy (with a certain approximation to the accuracy in the value; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If the inaccuracy provided by "approximately" is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then, as used herein, "approximately" indicates at least variations that may arise from ordinary systems for measuring and using such parameters. Furthermore, the disclosure of ranges includes the disclosure of all values ​​and further subdivided ranges within the entire range.Each value within a range and the endpoints of a range are hereby all disclosed as separate embodiments.

[0020] When used herein, the term "essentially" often refers to relationships that are ideally perfect or complete, but where manufacturing realities prevent absolute perfection. Therefore, "essentially" denotes the typical deviation from perfection. For example, if height A is essentially equal to height B, it may be preferred that the two heights be 100% equivalent, but manufacturing realities are likely to cause the distances to deviate from such perfection. Professionals will recognize the degree of acceptable deviation. For example, and without limitation, covers, areas, or distances may generally be within 10% of perfection for substantial equivalence. Similarly, relative orientations, such as parallel or perpendicular, may generally be considered to be within 5%.

[0021] The control 20 includes, for example, and without limitation, a non-generalised electronic control device with a pre-programmed digital computer or processor, a memory, storage or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium used to store data such as control logic, instructions, lookup tables, etc., and a variety of input / output peripheral devices, ports or other communication protocols.

[0022] Furthermore, the controller 20 can include or communicate with a variety of sensors. The controller 20 is configured to execute or implement all control logic or instructions described herein and can communicate with any of the sensors described herein or be detectable by persons skilled in the art.

[0023] Each of the systems described herein can be executed by one or more controllers 20. It should be noted that this algorithm can generally run on less expensive controllers 20. A vehicle 22 is in Fig. 1 is shown, but there may be other vehicles 22 that are not shown.

[0024] It should be noted that a generalized antenna 24 or antennas 24 are shown generally attached to the vehicle 22 and are shown in a highly schematic way, as is the mobile network 12, the central site 14 and the transfer protocols 16 in Fig. 1. It should be mentioned that one or more additional tuners 26 can be used - the tuners 26 are highly schematic in Fig. 1 shown - and can be impedance tuners or aperture tuners, as described below.

[0025] The antennas 24 can have impedance tuners 28 and / or aperture tuners 30. The impedance tuners 28 can, without restriction, encompass: the bandwidth of the antennas 24, so that a uniform insertion loss and a uniform return loss can be achieved at several frequencies for both the transmit and receive directions; or, due to a widening of the bandwidth, unwanted frequencies are allowed to pass through; to stop this, RF filtering is used.The impedance tuners 28 may further comprise, without limitation: the impedance tuner and antennas 24 forming an equivalent RLC, which may be an electrical circuit containing a resistor (R), an inductor (L), and a capacitor (C); and / or the impedance tuners 28 contributing to enhance the power transfer between the antennas 24 and the RFFE (radio frequency front end); and / or may require external passive components for bypassing; or may require filtering. It should be noted that the impedance tuners 28 may also include RF matching networks.

[0026] The aperture tuners 30 can, without restriction, include one or more switches, which must have low loss to avoid degrading the antenna radiation efficiency; or the switches can be of the shunt type or series type—or others recognizable to the average person—the shunt type being widely used due to lower ohmic loss than the series type, thus enabling high radiation efficiency. The aperture tuners 30 can further, without restriction, include: These systems enable the 5G system with the antennas 24 to switch between frequencies in two ways: the individual resonance can be tuned either capacitively or inductively, and / or the aperture switch plus the antennas 24 act like the RLC circuit, similar to the aperture tuning described above. These circuits can modify the natural frequencies of the antennas 24.The Aperture Tuners 30 can also include RF matching networks.

[0027] Using the aperture tuners 30, the electrical length of the ground limb of the antennas 24 is adjusted to shift the resonance of the operating band. This may require sufficient electronic circuitry for external bypass, but generally does not require filtering. The aperture tuners 30 can help to increase the isotropic sensitivity and radiated power, which can be achieved by optimizing the efficiencies for transmit / receive frequencies.

[0028] Some 32 (RF) multiplexers combine several filters into a common connection to create a multi-channel module. The multiplexer does the same thing with three or more lines instead of two. In electronics, a multiplexer, also known as a data selector, is a device that selects between multiple analog or digital input signals and routes the selected input to a single output line. The selection is made via a separate set of digital inputs known as select lines, and multiple inputs and only one output are used to receive signals coming from multiple acquisition networks. Its block diagram consists of two parts: a distribution system called a distributor, and a group of filters that can be individually adjusted to meet low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, or band-stop requirements.

[0029] Some Diplexers 34 are passive (RF) filter components with three terminals that allow the sharing of a common antenna between two different frequency bands. Diplexers 34 combine two lines, each with different frequencies, into a single line. Two terminals—e.g., L and H—are multiplexed onto a third terminal—e.g., S. The signals at terminals L and H occupy disjoint frequency bands. Consequently, the signals at L and H can coexist at terminal S without interfering with each other. This technology allows transmitters operating on different frequencies to use the same antennas 24, and each band can both transmit and receive. This can be any type of antenna 24, including, without limitation, tunable and / or active antennas.

[0030] Fig. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a setup for a serial group ID address for active / tunable vehicle antennas 50 with one or more diplexers 34. Fig. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram for a serial group ID address for active / tunable vehicle antennas 51 with one or more multiplexers 32. Fig. 2- Fig. The three tuners are generally described in the same way. It should be noted that the 28 / 30 tuners can be retuned serially – one after the other, each with its own user address – which may be the normal operating mode.

[0031] This includes at least one connectivity hub module 52 (CHM 52) and first and second cables 54, which can be RF cables and can be in any order. It should be noted that the CHM 52 or the controllers 20 can control the systems. One or more multiplexers 32 or diplexers 34 should be noted, as these can be used interchangeably and / or exchanged for one another. Fig. 2 includes at least 2 of the diplexers 34 and Fig. 3 includes at least 3 of the multiplexers 32. There are at least two antennas 56, in addition to at least two impedance tuners 28 and at least two aperture tuners 30 - it should be noted that each antenna 56 can have an impedance tuner 28 and / or an aperture tuner 30.

[0032] In general, to support the group ID address, all antennas 24 may need to be identical and / or have the same impedance tuners 28 and aperture tuners 30 and operating modes. In some cases, the antennas 24 may not be identical and may have different impedance tuners 28, with different matching networks connected to the impedance tuners 28 and different aperture tuners 30. However, the impedance tuners 28 and aperture tuners 30 must operate in the same state as the first antenna 24. The meaning is that the impedance tuners 28 and aperture tuners 30 must be in the same states, and the antennas 24 may need to be appropriately designed.

[0033] It should be noted that alternative antennas may not operate in the same conditions, which can cause problems for them. This eliminates the ability to use the same tuners in the same conditions, leading to issues.

[0034] Numerous components 58 can be located downstream of the impedance tuners 28 and the aperture tuners 30. These can be any components recognizable to the average person, including, but not limited to: resistors, capacitors, inductors (coil, choke, choke), diodes, LEDs, transistors, crystals, oscillators, and / or connectors. It should be noted that the RF line may be without components or an open RF line without components.

[0035] The same impedance tuner 28 and aperture tuner 30 operate. This means that both tuners 28 / 30 are in the same mode. This can be achieved, for example, with impedance tuner 28 and aperture tuner 30, without restriction, for a four-state tuner: 00, 01, 10, or 11. It should be noted that average professionals will recognize alternative configurations, including other modes, for impedance tuner 28 and aperture tuner 30.

[0036] Other tuners may have alternative states / configurations. The short, dashed lines in Fig. 2- Fig. 3 can, without restriction, be serial bus lines 60 - which can include the power for the tuners 28 / 30 - and the long, dashed lines can, without restriction, be control lines 61, and the solid lines in Fig. 2 can be RF lines 62 without restriction.

[0037] This can be done using the same impedance tuners 28 and aperture tuners 30, and can involve different serial group IDs for different sets of tuners 28 / 30. However, it should be noted that different sets of tuners 28 / 30 will operate in the same modes: 00, 01, 10, or 11 – or others. It is important to note that the tuners 28 / 30 will operate in the same modes even if they are connected to different antennas 56.

[0038] This ensures that the 28 / 30 tuners operate in the same modes—meaning that all 28 / 30 tuners, or groups of 28 / 30 tuners (which may be separated into different groups), operate in the same modes. It should be noted that all 28 / 30 tuners will operate in the same modes, so all 28 / 30 tuners share the same operating state. It should be noted again that different sets of 28 / 30 tuners may operate in different sets of modes, but they will be identical in any group of 28 / 30 tuners operating in the same modes.

[0039] Fig. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating serial commands. Generally, diagram 80 is shown, which is the one with multiple commands, each with a unique user ID address (per tuner). There are several different user IDs in the diagram, including, without limitation: User A command 87, User B command 88, and User C command 89, etc. Each user ID refers to different tuners 28 / 30 (i.e., a different user). Each user command refers to different tuners 28 / 30 (i.e., a different user ID address, accordingly: Tuner A, Tuner B, and Tuner C, etc.).

[0040] In Diagram 81, all the voter(s) (i.e., users) can receive the same group ID address block 84 and the same data command block 86, which differs from Diagram 80. Therefore, the ID address block 84 is unique for each voter (i.e., user), and thus the data command block 86 can move from voter to voter (i.e., user to user). However, Diagram 81 has reduced this to a single group ID address for all grouped voter(s). The first block is the ID address block 84, and the second block is a data command block 86.

[0041] Fig.Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of a procedure 100 or of procedures for a serial group ID address for active / tunable vehicle antennas in one or more vehicles 22. One or more of the systems described herein may be executed by the controller 20, possibly as instructions recorded on a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium, or as other structures or equipment recognizable to persons skilled in the art. All steps described herein may be optional, in addition to those explicitly stated as such, and all described steps may be rearranged or omitted. Each of the systems described herein may store the data at the central location 14 via the connectivity system 10 or other transfer protocols 16.

[0042] Step 110: START. In step 110, procedure 100 is initialized or started. Procedure 100 can begin operation when called by one or more controllers 20, or the CHM 52 can run continuously or iteratively in loops.

[0043] Step 112: CHM sends a serial command. In step 112, procedure 100 sends the serial group ID address for active / tunable vehicle antennas 24 to CHM 52. This can include one or more individual group ID commands.

[0044] Step 114: SERIAL COMMAND THROUGH COAX. In step 114, the procedure 100 sends the control command, which is generally transmitted over RF lines 62 or through the first and second cables 54, which may be coaxial cables. This may also include one or more DC inputs.

[0045] Step 116: CONTROL COMMAND SEPARATED. In step 116, the procedure 100 splits via one or more multiplexers 32 and one or more diplexers 34. This can be done via the first and second cables 54 (RF cables).

[0046] Step 118: MOVING THE TUNERS IN PARALLEL. In step 118, procedure 100 moves the tuners to the same settings. This generally switches the impedance tuner 28 and the aperture tuner 30 to the same state. As described above, this can include, without restriction, 00, 01, 10, or 11. Note that there can be a total of three or more tuners 28 / 30, or four tuners 28 / 30. Note that the impedance tuner 28 and the aperture tuner 30 can each be divided into two groups with their own serial group IDs, allowing the different groups to operate independently.

[0047] This moves the 28 / 30 tuners to a parallel group ID address, so that the 28 / 30 tuners generally all move at the same time. It should also be noted that there may be settings that do not include an aperture tuner 30. Furthermore, it should be noted that there can be between 2 and 12 28 / 30 tuners in the systems described herein.

[0048] Step 122: ANTENNAS RE-TUNED. In step 122, procedure 100 retunes antennas 24. This may involve switching both functions separately via two separate serial group IDs. It should be noted that this can be done through steps that are recognizable to the average technician.

[0049] Step 140: END / LOOP. At step 140, procedure 100 ends or loops. The end / loop may involve returning to the start step 110 or waiting until called to run again, such as by one of the CHM 52, the controllers 20, or another section of the connectivity system 10.

Claims

[1] System or systems for using a serial group ID address for tunable antennas (24) of a vehicle (22), comprising: at least one antenna (24); one or more tuners (26), each of the grouped tuners (26) being configured with the same serial group ID address; and one or more identical antennas (24). wherein each antenna (24) includes at least two tuners (26). [2] System or systems for using a serial group ID address for tunable antennas (24) of a vehicle (22) according to claim 1, wherein each antenna (24) comprises three or more tuners (26). [3] System or systems for using a serial group ID address for tunable antennas (24) of a vehicle (22) according to claim 1, further comprising: one or more impedance tuners (28). [4] System or systems for using a serial group ID address for tunable antennas (24) of a vehicle (22) according to claim 3, further comprising: one or more aperture tuners (30). [5] System or systems for using a serial group ID address for tunable antennas (24) of a vehicle (22) according to claim 4, further comprising: a radio frequency multiplexer (32), RF multiplexer (32); or a radio frequency diplexer (34), RF diplexer (34). [6] System or systems for using a serial group ID address for tunable antennas (24) of a vehicle (22) according to claim 1, further comprising: one or more impedance tuners (28); and one or more aperture tuners (30). [7] System or systems for using a serial group ID address for tunable antennas (24) of a vehicle (22) according to claim 6, further comprising: a radio frequency multiplexer (32), RF multiplexer (32); or a radio frequency diplexer (34), RF diplexer (34). [8] System or systems for using a serial group ID address for tunable antennas (24) of a vehicle (22) according to claim 7, further comprising: a connectivity hub module (52), CHM (52), wherein the connectivity hub module (52) generally controls the systems, each of the tuners (26) operating on one or more of the same serial group IDs.

Images