Arrangement for a vehicle for contactless communication between the vehicle and a mobile communication means

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement (200) for a vehicle (10) for contactless communication between the vehicle (10) and a mobile communication means (20), preferably for NFC communication of the vehicle (10) with a mobile identification transmitter (20), comprising: an electronic processing device (210) which is designed to transmit and receive a communication signal via an antenna (220). According to the invention, the processing device (210) and the antenna (220) are provided on different circuit boards (251, 252), wherein a transmission means (240) is provided in order to electrically connect the circuit boards (251, 252) to one another and to arrange the antenna (220) on the vehicle (10) in a spatially flexible manner and at a distance from the processing device (210).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Arrangement for a vehicle for contactless communication between the vehicle and a mobile communication device

[0003] The present invention relates to an arrangement according to the type defined in more detail in the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a manufacturing and assembly method for the arrangement.

[0004] State of the art

[0005] It is known from the prior art that contactless communication can be used in vehicles, for example, for authentication and unlocking the vehicle. This typically involves holding a mobile communication device such as a smartphone or an NFC card against an antenna integrated into a vehicle door handle so that the necessary data can be transmitted.

[0006] However, a disadvantage of the current state of the art is that the attachment of the antenna to the vehicle is very limited, especially to the mounting options provided by a door handle.

[0007] Disclosure of the invention

[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to at least partially remedy the disadvantages described above. In particular, the present invention is to enable an improved and more flexible attachment of the antenna for communication on the vehicle.

[0009] The invention relates to an arrangement having the features of claim 1, a method having the features of claim 14, and a method having the features of claim 15. Further features and details of the invention emerge from the respective subclaims, the description, and the drawings. Features and details described in connection with the arrangement according to the invention naturally also apply in connection with the respective method according to the invention, and vice versa, so that with regard to the disclosure of the individual aspects of the invention, reference is always made to each other.

[0010] The subject matter of the invention is, in particular, an arrangement, preferably an electronic arrangement and / or circuit arrangement, for a vehicle for contactless communication between the vehicle and a mobile communication means, preferably for NFC communication of the vehicle with a mobile device such as an identification transmitter and / or smartphone and / or an NFC card. The mobile communication means can thus be designed as a mobile radio device such as a smartphone or as a card. In order to enable authentication on the vehicle, the communication means can further comprise security information such as a secret key or the like. The communication can be provided to initiate unlocking of the vehicle and / or opening of a vehicle door and / or the like, in particular based on the authentication on the vehicle.Accordingly, the arrangement according to the invention can also be part of a security and / or opening and / or unlocking system of the vehicle, which can also be protected as such. Furthermore, the communication can serve for the data transfer required for the aforementioned applications. For this purpose, information to be transmitted, such as security information, can be stored in a data memory of the communication means and read out by an electronic chip of the communication means and—if necessary, actively—transmitted to the arrangement according to the invention. A system comprising the communication means and the arrangement according to the invention can also be protected.

[0011] The arrangement according to the invention can comprise an electronic processing device designed to generate and / or transmit and / or receive a communication signal via an antenna. However, the processing device and the antenna can be provided on different circuit boards of the arrangement. In other words, the arrangement according to the invention can be designed in multiple parts and preferably comprise at least or exactly two structurally separate circuit boards. It is also possible for each of the circuit boards to be housed in its own housing and / or surrounded by electrical and / or moisture insulation and / or a potting compound.

[0012] To nevertheless enable an electrical connection between the antenna and the processing device, a transmission means can be provided, in particular for transmitting the communication signal. Accordingly, the transmission means can be designed to electrically connect the circuit boards to one another. A special feature here is that the transmission means can simultaneously be designed to arrange the antenna on the vehicle in a spatially flexible manner and at a distance from the processing device. In other words, the transmission means can be designed to arrange the antenna on the vehicle at a flexible and / or variable distance from the processing device. This enables a significant improvement in the flexibility of attachment to the vehicle, so that the positioning of the antenna is no longer limited to the door handle.Rather, it can be provided that the vehicle does not have a door handle and / or that the door can be opened using communication.

[0013] It is possible for the transmission means to be designed to transmit the communication signal between the processing device and the antenna via the electrical connection of the circuit boards and / or to provide it to the processing device for reception. This is possible, for example, by the transmission means forming part of an electrical transmission path provided between the transmit and receive terminals of the processing device and the antenna.

[0014] It is further conceivable for the contactless communication to be provided as backup communication and thus as secondary communication in addition to the vehicle's primary communication. The primary communication can be implemented, for example, as UWB (ultra-wideband) or Bluetooth communication. Furthermore, the primary communication can differ from the backup communication in terms of communication technology. In particular, the backup and primary communication can redundantly provide the same function, e.g., authentication and / or unlocking and / or door opening on the vehicle. The processing device and the antenna of the arrangement according to the invention can be provided exclusively for backup communication. The primary and backup communication can use different antennas.

[0015] The vehicle is designed, for example, as a motor vehicle, preferably as a passenger car and / or a truck. Furthermore, the vehicle can be designed as an autonomous and / or door-handle-less vehicle. It is possible for the arrangement according to the invention to be designed for attachment to a driver's and / or passenger door of the vehicle.

[0016] The transmission means, like the two circuit boards, can be enclosed in its own insulation. Furthermore, the transmission means can be detachably connected to the first circuit board, e.g., via an electrical connector or the like. The transmission means can be elastic and / or flexible to allow flexible positioning of the second circuit board or the antenna relative to the first circuit board.

[0017] Furthermore, it is optionally possible within the scope of the invention for the transmission medium to be designed as a cable with twisted wire pairs, preferably as a twisted pair cable, more preferably as an unshielded twisted pair cable. This enables particularly advantageous transmission of the communication signal in terms of quality and EMC properties through the transmission medium. Alternatively, the cable can also be designed as a coaxial cable. The use of an unshielded twisted pair cable has the further advantage that a separate supply of a ground potential to the second circuit board can be dispensed with. Furthermore, the use of a twisted pair cable offers an advantage when using differential transmission of the communication signal. In particular, the cable can provide common-mode rejection in order to be less sensitive to common-mode interference.The cable can consist of at least two, three, or four twisted pairs of insulated electrical wires, thus ensuring high interference immunity and EMC performance. The wires can be made of copper and have a diameter of, for example, 0.4 to 0.8 millimeters. The pairs can be twisted with a specific torque, e.g., between 1.0 and 2.5 newton meters (Nm).

[0018] Furthermore, it is advantageous if, within the scope of the invention, the transmission means has a length between 0.1 m and 2 m, preferably between 0.5 m and 1.5 m, preferably between 0.75 m and 1 m. This allows for a flexible arrangement of the antenna, e.g., on a vehicle door.

[0019] Optionally, it is conceivable that a filter arrangement, in particular in the form of an electrical filter, is provided for filtering and preferably bandpass filtering the communication signal. For this purpose, the filter arrangement can be designed to filter out frequencies from the communication signal that lie outside a frequency spectrum for contactless communication. The transmission means and preferably at least partially the antenna can be part of the filter arrangement (in particular due to their inherent electrical properties), so that in particular an inductance and / or a capacitance of the transmission means and preferably of the antenna parameterizes the filter arrangement and / or influences a center frequency and / or cutoff frequencies and / or a bandwidth of the filter arrangement. This has the advantage that separate, discrete electronic components can be dispensed with or their dimensions can be reduced.Thus, the electrical properties of the transmission medium and / or the antenna are also taken into account in particular when designing the filter arrangement. In this way, the filter arrangement can be designed particularly efficiently for filtering signals outside a frequency range for contactless communication, thus enabling reliable communication with improved EMC. Furthermore, the center frequency of the filter arrangement can be substantially 13.56 MHz and / or the bandwidth of the filter arrangement can be at least 1.8 MHz, in particular at least 2 MHz. Advantageously, the invention can provide for the filter arrangement to have a first resonant circuit and a second resonant circuit, which are connected to one another via at least one coupling capacitor. The first resonant circuit can be connected to a first of the printed circuit boards, and the second resonant circuit can be connected at least partially or completely, and if necessary.The at least one coupling capacitor can also be provided on a second of the circuit boards. Thus, the coupling capacitor can be arranged as close as possible to the antenna, and a voltage increase caused by the second resonant circuit can only be carried out on the second circuit board.

[0020] According to a further possibility, the filter arrangement can have a first resonant circuit and a second resonant circuit, which are connected to one another via at least one coupling capacitor. The first resonant circuit can be formed on a first of the circuit boards, and the second resonant circuit can be formed at least partially by the transmission medium. Furthermore, the at least one coupling capacitor can be provided on the first of the circuit boards. This allows for as few as possible, or even no, electronic components to be provided on the second circuit board, which would need to be parameterized to design the filter arrangement.

[0021] It is also conceivable to dispense with a resistor, preferably in the form of a discrete component, between the at least one coupling capacitor and the antenna, preferably in the second resonant circuit. In other words, a direct, equipotential electrical connection and / or a capacitor and / or an inductance can be provided between the at least one coupling capacitor and the antenna, but no resistor, in order to optimize power consumption—particularly via the transmission medium.

[0022] For example, it can be provided that a filter arrangement is provided for filtering and preferably bandpass filtering the communication signal. The filter arrangement can be designed such that a magnitude frequency response of the filter arrangement in the passband is designed with a substantially symmetrical curve around a center frequency of the filter arrangement. It is also possible for the magnitude frequency response of the filter arrangement in the passband to be set with a curve such that the bandwidth of the filter arrangement is at least 1 MHz, preferably at least 2 MHz, more preferably at least 3 MHz, particularly preferably at least 4 MHz. Furthermore, it is conceivable that a coupling factor is substantially equal to an attenuation of the filter arrangement, preferably a normalized coupling factor is set to substantially 1.It may be advantageous, within the scope of the invention, if the antenna on the second circuit board is embodied as a PCB antenna, i.e., in particular, by conductor tracks of the second circuit board. In particular, the resonant circuits can also be implemented at least partially by discrete electronic components, but possibly also by the lines of the transmission medium and / or the conductor tracks of the antenna. The components can be soldered onto the circuit boards. PCB stands for Printed Circuit Board.

[0023] Furthermore, it is conceivable that a filter arrangement of the arrangement according to the invention is provided for filtering, and preferably bandpass filtering, the communication signal. The filter arrangement is designed such that, in the frequency response of the filter arrangement or of the arrangement according to the invention, a current consumption has a local minimum substantially around a center frequency of the filter arrangement. This has the advantage that power consumption can be significantly reduced in the relevant frequency range for the communication signal. This can also enable the use of a particularly long transmission medium.

[0024] Furthermore, within the scope of the invention, it is conceivable that a filter arrangement is provided for filtering, and in particular bandpass filtering, the communication signal. This filter arrangement has two resonant circuits provided on different circuit boards, one of the resonant circuits being designed to convert a square-wave signal into a sine-wave signal. In particular, the signal output by the processing device can be substantially rectangular and thus correspond to the square-wave signal that is first converted into the sine-wave signal, i.e., the substantially sinusoidal signal, by the antenna for generating an electromagnetic field for communication.

[0025] Furthermore, within the scope of the invention, it is conceivable for the processing device to have at least two transmit ports and at least two receive ports, which are connected to the antenna via at least one transmission path, in particular a symmetrical path, in order to transmit the communication signal differentially between the processing device and the antenna. The transmission path can, for example, be formed by symmetrically designed lines of the first circuit board and the transmission means. Differential transmission refers in particular to a method of signal transmission in which a signal is divided into a positive and negative component, which are transmitted via separate lines. This method is robust against disturbances and interference and improves the transmission quality of the signal.A further advantage can be achieved within the scope of the invention if the antenna, preferably the entire (second) circuit board of the antenna, is designed to be floating with respect to an electrical reference potential, in particular ground. This provides the advantage that a separate ground line is not required. Alternatively, a ground line can be routed to the second circuit board, e.g., when using a coaxial cable or a shielded twisted pair cable as the transmission medium.

[0026] Furthermore, it can be provided that the processing device is or can be connected to an authentication and / or door-opening device for the vehicle or of the vehicle. As a result, based on the received communication signal, a movement of a vehicle door from a closed position to an open position can be initiated in order to thereby clear a gap for further manual opening of the vehicle door, wherein the arrangement is preferably arranged at least partially on the vehicle door. The movement can be enabled, for example, by a motor that is operatively connected to the vehicle door. The connection of the processing device to the authentication and / or door-opening device can be enabled, for example, via a corresponding interface of the processing device, preferably wired or wireless.It is conceivable that the authentication and / or door-opening device can be triggered by the processing device based on the received communication signal to control the movement of the vehicle door. This may require authentication, during which the received communication signal may be cryptographically evaluated by the authentication and / or door-opening device.

[0027] The invention also relates to a method for producing an arrangement according to the invention, comprising the following steps:

[0028] Providing the processing device and the antenna on the two different circuit boards, one of the circuit boards being connected to the transmission means in order to electrically connect the antenna to the transmission means, measuring the transmission means and the antenna connected thereto as a coherent electrical component with regard to their electrical, preferably capacitive and / or inductive and / or ohmic, properties,

[0029] - Designing a filter arrangement for filtering and preferably bandpass filtering the communication signal based on the measurement. The method according to the invention thus offers the same advantages as have been described in detail with reference to an arrangement according to the invention. The measurement can be carried out, for example, using known measurement technology methods for determining an ohmic resistance and / or inductance and / or capacitance. In this case, it can be provided that the antenna and the transmission medium are not measured individually, but as a coherent electrical component. A result of the measurement can subsequently be used in the design of the other electronic components of the filter arrangement. For this purpose, a simulation or measurement of the frequency response of the filter arrangement with different parameterization of the components can be carried out, for example, in order to achieve the desired frequency response.

[0030] The invention also relates to a method for assembling an arrangement according to the invention and / or an arrangement manufactured according to the manufacturing method according to the invention, comprising the following assembly steps:

[0031] Fixing the first circuit board at a first desired location on the vehicle, moving the second circuit board relative to the first circuit board, in that the second circuit board is flexibly and / or variably positionable connected to the first circuit board via the transmission means in order to fix the second circuit board at a second desired location on the vehicle.

[0032] The second desired location can be outside the vehicle door, e.g., on a B-pillar of the vehicle. The first desired location can be on or inside the vehicle door, for example.

[0033] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, which describes embodiments of the invention in detail with reference to the drawings. The features mentioned in the claims and in the description may be essential to the invention individually or in any combination. They show:

[0034] Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle and a vehicle door with an arrangement according to embodiments of the invention,

[0035] Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of an arrangement according to embodiments of the invention in a plan view,

[0036] Fig. 3 shows an exemplary frequency response of an arrangement according to embodiments of the invention, Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of a manufacturing and assembly method according to embodiments of the invention,

[0037] Fig. 5 is a schematic and simplified circuit diagram of an arrangement according to embodiments of the invention.

[0038] In the following figures, identical reference numerals are used for the same technical features, even in different embodiments.

[0039] 1 and 2 as well as Fig. 5 show, according to embodiments of the invention, an arrangement 200 for a vehicle 10 for contactless communication between the vehicle 10 and a mobile communication means 20. Furthermore, an electronic processing device 210 of the arrangement 200 can be provided, which is designed to transmit and receive a communication signal via an antenna 220. This can mean that the processing device 210 is capable of generating (and receiving) an electrical signal by which the antenna is controlled in order to output an electromagnetic field. The electromagnetic field can then be influenced by the mobile communication means 20 for communication and in particular for data transmission. The processing device 210 is designed, for example, as an integrated circuit. For this purpose, a so-called "NFC reader," for example, can be used as the processing device 210.

[0040] The communication can be implemented as near-field communication (NFC). Accordingly, the communication signal can be an NFC signal. In this case, the communication can be based on an electromagnetic field being generated and, in particular, used to transmit data by means of the communication. The mobile communication means 20, as an NFC-capable communication means, can be capable of influencing (i.e., detuning) at least one resonant circuit of the arrangement 200 by means of inductive coupling and thereby carrying out the data transmission. The processing device 210 can detect this influence and evaluate it, for example, with regard to the detuning and a modulation of the electrical properties such as the amplitude and / or phase of the communication signal. The transmitted data can be determined on the basis of this evaluation.For influencing and / or modulating the communication signal, for example, load modulation and / or amplitude shift keying (ASK) and / or modulation of the amplitude and phase of an electrical voltage at the antenna 220 can be used.

[0041] Fig. 1 shows, by way of example, that the arrangement 200 can be arranged at least partially on a vehicle door 11. It can be seen that the processing device 210 and the antenna 220 can also be arranged spatially separated at different positions on the vehicle 10. Thus, it is also possible for the antenna 220 to be mounted outside the vehicle door 11, e.g., on a B-pillar 12, and the processing device 210 to be mounted inside the vehicle door. In this case, a connection for electrical signal transmission is still possible via a transmission means 240, which is designed, for example, as an electrical cable.

[0042] In Fig. 2 it can be seen that the processing device 210 and the antenna 220 can be provided on different circuit boards 251, 252, which are electrically connectable or connected to one another by the transmission means 240. This makes it possible for the antenna 220 to be arranged spatially flexibly and at a distance, i.e. in particular with a flexible distance, from the processing device 210 on the vehicle 10. For example, according to Fig. 1, the antenna 220 can be arranged on the B-pillar 12 of the vehicle 10 and the processing device 210 can be arranged spatially separated therefrom in the interior of the vehicle door 11 or alternatively on another vehicle component. The antenna 220 can be formed on the second circuit board 252 as a PCB antenna, i.e. in particular as a printed antenna or as an antenna in the form of conductor tracks on the circuit board.

[0043] The mobile communication means 20 can be configured as an identification transmitter 20 and thus be capable of performing identification and / or authentication on the vehicle 10. "Mobile" can refer to the fact that the communication means 20 is portable and can thus be carried by a user, for example. Specifically, the mobile communication means 20 can be configured as a mobile identification transmitter 20, such as an NFC card and / or a smartphone.

[0044] The mobile communication means 20 can have security information, e.g., stored in a non-volatile manner, which is transmitted via the communication to the vehicle 10 and evaluated there based on the communication signal. For example, for this purpose, the processing device 210 of the arrangement 200 is connected to an authentication and / or door opening device 30, shown schematically in Fig. 1, for signal and / or data transmission. This enables authentication based on the received communication signal and / or, upon successful authentication, unlocking of the vehicle 10 and / or movement of the vehicle door 11 from a closed position 41 to an open position 42 (the latter is visualized by the door 11 in this position as a dashed line). The movement can occur to the extent that a gap 45 is released for further manual opening of the vehicle door 11.This has the further advantage that a door handle for the vehicle door 11 can be dispensed with. The gap 45 can be understood, in particular, as a door gap into which a hand can be inserted to grip and move the door 11. For this purpose, a gripping device for the vehicle door 11 can also be provided in the exposed gap 45, which, for example, replaces a door handle and / or enables comfortable gripping of the door 11. In particular, the gripping device can be designed such that a rounded surface is provided for gripping.

[0045] To enable a flexible arrangement of the antenna 220 with respect to the arrangement of the processing device 210, while simultaneously achieving favorable EMC (electromagnetic compatibility, i.e., in particular, the lowest possible radiation of an electromagnetic field) properties, the transmission means 240 can be designed as a cable with twisted wire pairs, preferably as a twisted-pair cable, preferably as an unshielded twisted-pair cable. Another alternative is to design the transmission means 240 as a coaxial cable. However, a twisted-pair cable has a particularly positive electrical configuration for the intended application, as shown in further detail in Fig. 5.

[0046] Furthermore, it is possible to provide a filter arrangement 300 for filtering, and preferably bandpass filtering, the communication signal. The filter arrangement 300 is shown in further detail in Fig. 2 and Fig. 5. The transmission means 240 and preferably at least partially the antenna 220 can be part of the filter arrangement 300. In particular, this relates to electrical properties such as an inductance and / or a capacitance of the transmission means 240 and preferably of the antenna 220, which can thus be regarded as parameters of the filter arrangement 300. Thus, it is possible to parameterize the filter arrangement 300 using these electrical properties and / or to influence a center frequency and / or cutoff frequencies and / or a bandwidth of the filter arrangement 300.The filter arrangement 300 can be designed for filtering, i.e., in particular, attenuating and / or suppressing, signals outside a frequency range for contactless communication, e.g., as a bandpass filter. For this purpose, the center frequency can particularly preferably be substantially 13.56 MHz and / or the bandwidth can be at least 1.8 MHz, in particular at least 2 MHz.

[0047] The filter arrangement 300 can further be configured as a bandpass filter by having a first resonant circuit 310 and a second resonant circuit 320. The resonant circuits 310, 320 can be connected to one another via at least one coupling capacitor. This can also mean that the at least one coupling capacitor is part of the second resonant circuit 320 and electrically couples the second resonant circuit 320 to the first resonant circuit 310. Furthermore, one of the resonant circuits 310, 320, in particular the second resonant circuit 320, preferably at least partially the at least one coupling capacitor, can be designed to convert a square-wave signal into a sine-wave signal. Accordingly, the communication signal can first be generated by the processing device 210 as a square-wave signal, and then, based on the signal conversion, the antenna 220 can be driven by a sine-wave signal.

[0048] In Fig. 5, the first resonant circuit 310 is formed, by way of example, in a differential configuration by the inductors LR1, LR2 and the resistors RR1, RR2 (the symbols are represented uniformly, regardless of whether the components represented thereby are resistors, capacitors, or coils; coils can also be referred to as inductances). The inductors LR1, LR2 and the resistors RR1, RR2, as well as the coupling capacitors CK1, CK2 and CK1', CK2', can be provided as discrete components. The second resonant circuit 320 can be formed by the capacitor C and, if appropriate, the resistor R and / or the inductor L, wherein the resistor R and the inductor L can, if appropriate, not be provided as discrete components but as electrical properties of the antenna 220. It is also possible for the electrical properties of the transmission medium 240 to be used to form the second resonant circuit 320.Furthermore, it is conceivable that at least a part of the second resonant circuit 320 is also provided on the first circuit board, in particular as discrete components.

[0049] Various variants are conceivable for the arrangement of the at least one coupling capacitor CK1, CK2 or CK1', CK2'. The following assumes, for example, differential signal transmission and, accordingly, two coupling capacitors. For this purpose, the processing device 210 can have at least two transmit ports 255 and at least two receive ports 254 (see Fig. 2), which are electrically connected to the antenna 220 via at least one transmission path 256.

[0050] According to a first variant, the first resonant circuit 310 can be provided on a first 251 of the circuit boards 251, 252, and the second resonant circuit 320 and the coupling capacitors CK1', CK2' can be provided on a second 252 of the circuit boards 251, 252. This variant is illustrated in Fig. 5 such that instead of the capacitors CK1, CK2 shown in solid lines on the first circuit board 251, the capacitors CK1', CK2' shown in dashed lines on the second circuit board 252 are used (the capacitors CK1, CK2 are thus not required in this variant). This has the advantage that a lower voltage is applied to the transmission means 240, and the voltage and signal conversion only takes place at the antenna 220 after the communication signal has been transmitted via the transmission means 240.

[0051] According to a further variant, the first resonant circuit 310 can be formed on a first 251 of the circuit boards 251, 252, and the second resonant circuit 320 can be formed at least partially by the transmission means 240. The coupling capacitors CK1, CK2 can be provided on the first 251 of the circuit boards 251, 252 (in this case, the capacitors CK1', CK2' shown in the dashed line are not required). This has the advantage that the attachment of the coupling capacitors CK1', CK2' and possibly even the attachment of discrete components to the second circuit board 252 can be dispensed with entirely. This enables a structurally simpler and more generic design of the second circuit board 252.

[0052] Fig. 3 shows an exemplary frequency response G of the filter arrangement 300 for an amplitude A and a current consumption I (i.e., the current consumption). The amplitude A can be determined, for example, by a voltage measurement of the electrical voltage at the terminals 253 (e.g., at points P1 and P2 in Fig. 5) and / or the current consumption I by a current measurement of the electrical current I through the resistor RR1 (e.g., at point PT in Fig. 5) for different frequencies f. It can be seen that the filter arrangement 300 can be designed such that the absolute frequency response G of the filter arrangement 300, i.e.the illustrated curve V of the amplitude A: is designed in the passband D with a substantially symmetrical curve V around a center frequency F0 of the filter arrangement 300, and / or is set in the passband D with a curve V such that the bandwidth B of the filter arrangement 300 is at least 1 MHz, preferably at least 2 MHz, more preferably at least 3 MHz, particularly preferably at least 4 MHz, and / or has a substantially constantly falling or constantly rising curve V around a center frequency F0 of the filter arrangement 300.

[0053] The described properties of the filter arrangement 300 have the advantage that the set passband D and / or the bandwidth B has a tolerance for frequency deviations. It is also possible for a coupling factor of the filter arrangement 300 to be substantially equal to an attenuation of the filter arrangement 300, preferably a normalized coupling factor is set to substantially 1. The normalized coupling factor is defined in particular as the ratio of the coupling factor to the attenuation. This enables a particularly advantageous frequency response and thus filtering that is robust with respect to component tolerances. Furthermore, it can be seen in the frequency response of the current I in Fig. 3 that a current notch can be provided in the region of the center frequency FO of the filter arrangement 300. The current notch can be embodied as a local minimum in the frequency response of the current I.In other words, the filter arrangement 300 can be designed such that, in the frequency response of the filter arrangement 300, a current consumption I has a local minimum substantially around a center frequency F0 of the filter arrangement 300. The local minimum can, for example, be a minimum for the frequency range between the lower cutoff frequency G1 and the upper cutoff frequency G2. The lower and upper cutoff frequencies each have, for example, a difference of at least 500 kHz or at least 1 MHz or at least 2 MHz or at least 5 MHz from the center frequency F0. The measured current consumption I at the center frequency F0 is, for example, below 0.5 A, preferably below 0.1 A or below 0.06 A. The described design of the filter arrangement 300 has the advantage that the power consumption of the arrangement 200 is very low according to embodiments of the invention.This further allows the transmission means 240 to be longer without excessively compromising the performance and / or quality and / or reliability of the assembly 200. The transmission means 240 can, for example, have a length of 0.1 m to 2 m, preferably 0.5 m to 1.5 m, and more preferably 0.75 m to 1 m.

[0054] For the design of the filter arrangement 300 described above, for example, an electrical tap 265 shown in Fig. 5 and thus in particular the point PT or P2' can be used simultaneously as a measuring and / or calibration point. For this purpose, the filter arrangement 300 can be parameterized based on a current measurement at the measuring and / or calibration point. Preferably, the current measurement can be carried out while simultaneously varying the frequency f in order to record a frequency response with regard to an amplitude and / or a current consumption of the filter arrangement 300 and to adjust it by changing the parameters for the filter arrangement 300. For this purpose, the amplitude A shown in Fig. 3 can be determined, for example, by a voltage measurement of the electrical voltage at the terminals 253 (e.g., at points P1 and P2 in Fig. 5) and / or the current consumption I by a current measurement of the electrical current I through the resistor RR1 (e.g., at point PT in Fig. 5).Since the tap 265, as will be described in more detail below, can be provided for receiving the communication signal, the described measurement has the advantage that it is measured or calibrated directly at the point at which the communication signal is tapped for reception. This can improve the sensitivity when evaluating the communication signal. Fig. 5 shows that various variants are also possible for the reception of the communication signal by the processing device 210. At least one receive port 254 and at least one transmit port 255 of the processing device 210 can be provided. In the case of differential reception of the communication signal, the ports Rx1 and Rx2 of the processing device 210 can be used as receive ports 254, analogous to the transmit ports Tx1, Tx2.

[0055] Furthermore, it is possible for at least one electrical tap 265 to be provided—in particular in the first resonant circuit 310—in order to transmit the communication signal from it for reception to the at least one receiving terminal 254 of the processing device 210. The respective tap 265 can be designed, for example, as a conductor track and / or a contact point and / or as an electrical connection that represents a node in the circuit structure. For the tap 265 of the communication signal, at least one and, in a differential structure, at least two voltage dividers 260 can be provided, which are provided in Fig. 5 by the components C1, C3 and C2, C4, respectively. The components can, for example, be resistors to form an ohmic voltage divider 260, or capacitors to form a capacitive voltage divider 260.In this way, the communication signal can be adjusted and preferably reduced in terms of voltage and / or current so that it can be evaluated at the processing device 210 with regard to its electrical properties such as amplitude and phase. The position of the tap 265 of the communication signal by the respective voltage divider 260 can have a decisive influence. Fig. 5 shows the points P1 and P2, which are considered as possible voltage taps (dashed line, whereby the connection of P1' and P2' to the corresponding voltage divider 260 via the solid line is omitted). This corresponds to a tap (from the perspective of the processing device 210) after the coupling capacitors CK1, CK2, i.e., on the antenna side or in the second resonant circuit 320.However, it has surprisingly proven advantageous to place the tap 265 at points P1' and P2', i.e., upstream of the coupling capacitors CK1, CK2, or in the first resonant circuit 310 (in this case, the connection of points P1, P2 to the corresponding voltage divider 260 according to the dashed lines is omitted). Optionally, the tap 265 is thus located at the same point or the same potential at which the current measurement for adjusting the filter arrangement 300 is performed and the current notch in the frequency response is provided. This has been found to enable particularly sensitive detection of the communication signal at the processing device 210, particularly with regard to detecting phase changes.

[0056] Furthermore, Fig. 5 shows that the antenna 220, preferably the entire circuit board 252 of the antenna 220, can be designed to be floating with respect to an electrical reference potential, in particular ground. This has the advantage that the supply of a ground line to the second circuit board 252 can be omitted, thus simplifying the design.

[0057] A further special feature of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 is the possible integration of the at least one tap 265 into the first resonant circuit 310. The differential signal transmission provided in the example shown is made possible by the circuitry symmetry of the arrangement 200. Therefore, the at least one receive terminal 254 can comprise at least or exactly a first Rx1 and a second Rx2 receive terminal 254 of the processing device 210. Accordingly, at least or exactly a first P1' and a second P2' tap 265 can be provided in the first resonant circuit 310 as the at least one electrical tap 265. The two electrical taps 265 can be electrically connected to different coupling capacitors CK1,CK2.The first tap P1' can further be electrically connected to the first receive terminal Rx1 via a first voltage divider C1, C3, and the second tap P2' can be electrically connected to the second receive terminal Rx2 via a second voltage divider C2, C4, in order to differentially transmit the communication signal for reception to the receive terminals 254 of the processing device 210. The respective tap 265 can additionally be electrically connected to a respective transmit terminal Tx1, Tx2 of the processing device 210 via a respective low-pass filter LR1, RR1, LR2, RR2, preferably an RL low-pass filter.

[0058] Furthermore, the first resonant circuit 310 and the second resonant circuit 320 can be coupled to one another via the at least one coupling capacitor CK1.CK2 in order to convert the communication signal from a first signal shape in the first resonant circuit 310 into a second signal shape in the second resonant circuit 320, and / or to transform the communication signal from a first voltage level to a second voltage level. The respective tap 265 can be designed to tap the communication signal for reception in the first signal shape and / or at the first voltage level. The first signal shape can essentially correspond to a square-wave signal and the second signal shape can essentially correspond to a sinusoidal signal, and / or the first voltage level can have a peak-to-peak value in the range from 5 V to 15 V, preferably in the range from 7 V to 12 V, and the second voltage level can have a peak-to-peak value in the range from 20 V to 80 V, preferably 40 V to 60 V.

[0059] Fig. 4 shows a method 100 according to embodiments of the invention for producing an arrangement 200. According to a first method step 101, the processing device 210 and the antenna 220 can first be provided on the two different circuit boards 251, 252. A second circuit board 251, 252 can be connected to the transmission means 240 in order to electrically connect the antenna 220 to the transmission means 240. Subsequently, according to a second method step 102, the transmission means 240 and the antenna 220 electrically connected thereto can be measured as a coherent electrical component with regard to their electrical, preferably capacitive and / or inductive and / or ohmic, properties. This enables, according to a third method step 103, a design of the filter arrangement 300 for filtering the communication signal based on the measurement.

[0060] Fig. 5 also shows the arrangement of the components, preferably capacitors, CP3 and CP4 on the first circuit board 251. These can also be part of the filter arrangement 300. An alternative positioning of these components on the second circuit board 252 for the same function is shown in dashed lines as CP3' and CP4'. In both cases, the connection to a ground or reference potential is optional, also shown in dashed lines.

[0061] According to a further method 110, an assembly of the arrangement 200 can also be provided, in which, according to a first assembly step 111, the first circuit board 251 is fixed at a first desired location on the vehicle 10, and according to a second assembly step 112, a (in particular manual and / or robot-assisted) movement of the second circuit board 252 relative to the first circuit board 252 is provided. The movement can be enabled by the second circuit board 252 being flexibly connected to the first circuit board 251 via the transmission means 240 in order to fix the second circuit board 251 at a second desired location on the vehicle 10.

[0062] The above explanation of the embodiments describes the present invention exclusively by way of example. Of course, individual features of the embodiments can be freely combined with one another, provided they are technically feasible, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0063] vehicle

[0064] door

[0065] B-pillar

[0066] Means of communication, identification devices

[0067] Authentication device closed position open position

[0068] gap

[0069] Manufacturing process

[0070] Assembly process

[0071] arrangement

[0072] processing device

[0073] antenna

[0074] transmission means first circuit board second circuit board

[0075] Connection

[0076] Reception connections

[0077] Transmission connections

[0078] Transmission path

[0079] voltage divider

[0080] Tap

[0081] Filter arrangement 310 first resonant circuit

[0082] 320 second resonant circuit

[0083] 251 ,252 printed circuit boards f frequency

[0084] A Amplitude

[0085] B bandwidth

[0086] D Passband

[0087] F0 center frequency

[0088] G Magnitude frequency response

[0089] G1 lower limit frequency

[0090] G2 upper limit frequency

[0091] I Current

[0092] CK1.CK2 coupling capacitor

[0093] S current notch

[0094] V Course

Claims

Claims 1. Arrangement (200) for a vehicle (10) for contactless communication between the vehicle (10) and a mobile communication means (20), preferably for NFC communication of the vehicle (10) with a mobile identification transmitter (20), comprising: an electronic processing device (210) which is designed to transmit and receive a communication signal via an antenna (220), characterized in that the processing device (210) and the antenna (220) are provided on different printed circuit boards (251, 252), wherein a transmission means (240) is provided to electrically connect the printed circuit boards (251, 252) to one another and to arrange the antenna (220) on the vehicle (10) in a spatially flexible manner and at a distance from the processing device (210).

2. Arrangement (200) according to claim 1, characterized in that the transmission means (240) is designed as a cable with twisted wire pairs, preferably as a twisted pair cable, preferably as an unshielded twisted pair cable, wherein preferably the transmission means (240) is designed to transmit the communication signal between the processing device (210) and the antenna (220) via the electrical connection of the printed circuit boards (251, 252) and / or to provide it to the processing device (210) for reception.

3. Arrangement (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a filter arrangement (300) is provided for filtering the communication signal, wherein the transmission means (240) and preferably at least partially the antenna (220) are part of the filter arrangement (300), so that in particular an inductance and / or a capacitance of the transmission means (240) and preferably of the antenna (220) influence a center frequency and / or a bandwidth of the filter arrangement (300), wherein preferably the center frequency is substantially 13.56 MHz and / or the bandwidth is at least 1.8 MHz, in particular at least 2 MHz.

4. Arrangement (200) according to claim 3, characterized in that the filter arrangement (300) has a first resonant circuit (310) and a second resonant circuit (320) which are connected to one another via at least one coupling capacitor (CK1', CK2'), wherein the first resonant circuit (310) is provided on a first (251) of the printed circuit boards (251, 252) and the second resonant circuit (320) and the at least one coupling capacitor (CK1', CK2') are provided on a second (252) of the printed circuit boards (251, 252).

5. Arrangement (200) according to claim 3, characterized in that the filter arrangement (300) has a first resonant circuit (310) and a second resonant circuit (320) which are connected to one another via at least one coupling capacitor (CK1.CK2), wherein the first resonant circuit (310) is formed on a first (251) of the printed circuit boards (251, 252) and the second resonant circuit (320) is formed at least partially by the transmission means (240), and wherein the at least one coupling capacitor (CK1.CK2) is provided on the first (251) of the printed circuit boards (251, 252).

6. Arrangement (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a filter arrangement (300) is provided for bandpass filtering the communication signal, wherein the filter arrangement (300) is designed such that a magnitude frequency response (G) of the filter arrangement (300) in the passband (D) is designed with a substantially symmetrical curve (V) around a center frequency (F0) of the filter arrangement (300), and / or that the magnitude frequency response (G) of the filter arrangement (300) in the passband (D) is set with a curve (V) such that the bandwidth (B) of the filter arrangement (300) is at least 1 MHz, preferably at least 2 MHz, more preferably at least 3 MHz, particularly preferably at least 4 MHz.

7. Arrangement (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the antenna (220) on the second circuit board (252) is designed as a PCB antenna.

8. Arrangement (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmission means (240) has a length between 0.1 m to 2 m, preferably between 0.5 m to 1.5 m, preferably between 0.75 m to 1 m.

9. Arrangement (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a filter arrangement (300) is provided for bandpass filtering the communication signal, wherein the filter arrangement (300) is designed such that in the frequency response of the filter arrangement (300) a current consumption has a local minimum substantially around a center frequency (F0) of the filter arrangement (300).

10. Arrangement (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a filter arrangement (300) is provided for bandpass filtering the communication signal, which filter arrangement has two resonant circuits (310, 320) which are provided on different ones of the printed circuit boards (251, 252), wherein one of the resonant circuits (310, 320) is designed for signal conversion of a square-wave signal into a sine-wave signal.

11. Arrangement (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the processing device (210) has at least two transmitting ports (255) and at least two receiving ports (254) which are connected to the antenna (220) via at least one transmission path (256) in order to transmit the communication signal differentially between the processing device (210) and the antenna (220).

12. Arrangement (200) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the antenna (220), preferably the entire circuit board (252) of the antenna (220), is designed to be floating with respect to an electrical reference potential, in particular ground.

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

14. A method (100) for producing an arrangement (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising the following steps: Providing (101) the processing device (210) and the antenna (220) on the two different circuit boards (251, 252), wherein one (252) of the circuit boards (251, 252) is connected to the transmission means (240) in order to electrically connect the antenna (220) to the transmission means (240), measuring (102) the transmission means (240) and the antenna (220) connected thereto as a coherent electrical component with regard to their electrical, preferably capacitive and / or inductive and / or ohmic, properties, - Designing (103) a filter arrangement (300) for bandpass filtering the communication signal on the basis of the measurement (102).

5. A method (110) for assembling an arrangement (200) according to one of claims 1 to 13 or an arrangement (200) manufactured according to claim 14, comprising the following assembly steps: Fixing (111) the first circuit board (251) at a first desired location on the vehicle (10), Moving (112) the second circuit board (252) relative to the first circuit board (252), in that the second circuit board (252) is flexibly connected to the first circuit board (251) via the transmission means (240) in order to fix the second circuit board (251) at a second desired location on the vehicle (10).

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