Telecommunications device for motor vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to a telecommunications device for a motor vehicle comprising a computer processing module (5) including a first identification module (6) for access to a first telecommunications network and a second identification module (7) for access to a second telecommunications network, a first radio frequency module (9, 10) configured to interface between the computer processing module and the first telecommunications network, a second radio frequency module (11, 12) configured to interface between the computer processing module and the second telecommunications network, characterized in that the computer processing module and the first radio frequency module are made on a first printed circuit board (2) and in that the second radio frequency module is made on a second printed circuit board (3) separate from the first printed circuit board.

Description

Title of the invention: Telecommunications device for a motor vehicle Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of telecommunications, and in particular the technical field of telecommunications established from motor vehicles. The invention relates in particular to a telecommunications device for a motor vehicle. Technological background

[0002] In the above field, it is known to equip vehicles with telecommunications devices which allow access to one or more telecommunications networks, in particular in order to receive or make calls, access the Internet, operate satellite positioning systems, or communicate with other vehicles or road infrastructures. These devices are known by the English acronym NAD (for “Network Access Device”).

[0003] The complexity of these modules, linked in particular to their numerous functionalities, can make their integration on printed circuit boards difficult and generate problems during their operation. In particular, the high number of modules with which certain devices are equipped requires the use of printed circuit boards having large dimensions, and therefore more prone to deformation. The risk of deterioration of the circuit that it supports is therefore significant. In addition, the integration density of the various components of these devices can hinder the good heat dissipation of the module. In particular, the heat released by certain modules in operation can be absorbed by other inactive modules, and accelerate their deterioration. Finally, the large number of components makes it difficult to make optimal connections between the modules.For example, some modules may be too far apart from each other, or too far from other elements of the vehicle. Summary of the invention .

[0004] The invention provides a solution to the above-mentioned problems by proposing a telecommunications device which has an advantageous arrangement.

[0005] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a telecommunications device for a motor vehicle comprising a computer processing module, or software processing module, comprising a first identification module for access to a first telecommunications network and a second identification module for access to a second telecommunications network, a first radiofrequency module configured to interface between the processing module computer and the first telecommunications network, a second radio frequency module configured to interface between the computer processing module and the second telecommunications network, in which the computer processing module and the first radio frequency module are produced on a first printed circuit board and in which the second radio frequency module is produced on a second printed circuit board separate from the first printed circuit board.

[0006] The distribution of the telecommunications device on two separate printed circuit boards advantageously makes it possible to reduce the integration density of the components, to thermally isolate the components or modules of each of the boards, and allows greater flexibility in the design of the device. In particular, it allows users of the device, for example motor vehicle manufacturers, to make one of the radiofrequency modules optional, by deactivating it or by choosing not to integrate it into the vehicle.

[0007] According to one embodiment, each printed circuit board has a maximum dimension less than or equal to 45 millimeters.

[0008] A reduced size of the printed circuit boards advantageously makes it possible to limit their deformation.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the second radiofrequency module is connected to the computer processing module via a serial peripheral interface.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the second radiofrequency module and the computer processing module are connected via a link allowing a flow rate of 10 Gbps at a frequency of 50 GHz.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the second radiofrequency module and the computer processing module are connected by a data bus whose length is less than 150 millimeters.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board are separated by a distance of less than 50 millimeters.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the computer processing module is configured to simultaneously access the first telecommunications network and the second telecommunications network.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the telecommunications device is configured to establish communications according to the 5G standard.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the computer processing unit is configured to implement communications according to V2X technology via the second user identification module and the second radio frequency module.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the second radiofrequency module is connected to the computer processing module via a data bus. Brief description of the figures

[0017] Furthermore, various other characteristics of the invention emerge from the appended description given with reference to the drawings which illustrate non-limiting forms of embodiment of the invention and where:

[0018] [Fig-1] illustrates a motor vehicle equipped with a communication system according to the invention,

[0019] [Fig.2] is a schematic view of the telecommunications device of [Fig.l],

[0020] [Fig.3] is a more detailed schematic view of one embodiment of the device telecommunications according to the invention.

[0021] It should be noted that in these figures the structural and / or functional elements common to the different variants may have the same references.

[0022] A telecommunications system SYS comprising a motor vehicle V equipped with a telecommunications device 1 according to the invention is illustrated in [Fig.l]. The telecommunications system comprises a first remote network DN1 and a second remote network DN2 with which the telecommunications device is able to communicate. Here, the telecommunications device is configured to establish communications with the networks DN1 and DN2 according to the 5G standard.

[0023] The telecommunications device 1 allows the vehicle to communicate with an EV part of its environment, in particular certain road infrastructures and certain motor vehicles equipped with suitable telecommunications devices. For example, here, the telecommunications device 1 is configured to implement communications according to V2X technology.

[0024] The telecommunications device 1 is configured to establish multi-band communications with the DN1 and DN2 networks, in particular according to the 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G standards and is adapted to implement multiplexing of the MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) type, for example of the 4x4 type in the downlink and of the 2x2 type in the uplink. The device 1 makes it possible in particular to establish communications which have a flow rate of at least 1 Gbps.

[0025] Furthermore, the telecommunications device makes it possible to implement MF-GNSS technology (“Multi-Frequency Global Navigation Satellite System” in French), in particular by establishing communication with an NS satellite navigation system in order to establish the speed and position of the vehicle in real time.

[0026] As illustrated in [Fig.2], the telecommunications device 1 comprises a first printed circuit board 2 and a second printed circuit board 3. The printed circuit boards are here rectangular in shape, and more precisely rectangular in shape square, with a maximum dimension of 45 millimeters and a few millimeters thick. Here, the first printed circuit board is a square with a side of 45 millimeters and the second printed circuit board is a square with a side of 32 millimeters. Both printed circuit boards 2 and 3 have a stack of conductive layers, for example copper layers, and insulating layers, for example epoxy resin reinforced with glass fibers.

[0027] The first integrated circuit card 2, or main card, comprises a power management module 4 configured to receive a power signal, here a power signal supplied by the vehicle, and to power the various components of the telecommunications device 1 after possibly transforming the power signal.

[0028] The first printed circuit board 2 comprises a computer processing module 5, here a modem comprising a microprocessor and a memory, configured to control the telecommunications operations of the device 1. The computer processing module 5 is of the DSDA type (“Dual SIM, Dual Active” in English), that is to say that it allows two identification modules to operate simultaneously for access to the network, here a first identification module 6 allowing access to the first telecommunications network DN1 and a second identification module 7 allowing access to the second telecommunications network DN2. Here, the identification modules 6 and 7 are electronic chips connected to the first printed circuit board 2, for example chips of the eSIM type (“embedded Subscriber Identity Module” in English, “integrated subscriber identity module” in French).

[0029] A memory module 8 configured to store data and a clock module 14 configured to generate a clock signal allowing the timing of the operations carried out by the computer processing unit are also produced on the first printed circuit board 2.

[0030] The first printed circuit board 2 comprises a first radio frequency module 9, 10 configured to provide the interface between the computer processing module 5 and the first telecommunications network DN1. The first radio frequency module comprises a first transmission-reception module 9, configured to perform operations on the transmitted and received signals, in particular analog-digital conversion operations and signal shaping operations, and a first antenna module 10, or FEM module (Front End Module), which comprises in particular one or more antenna connectors, power amplifiers, transmission / reception filters and switches.

[0031] The second printed circuit board 3 comprises a second radiofrequency module 11, 12 configured to provide the interface between the computer processing module 5 and the second telecommunications network DN2. The second radiofrequency module comprises a second transceiver module 11 configured to perform operations on the transmitted and received signals, in particular analog-digital conversion operations and reshaping operations, and a second antenna module 12, or FEM module, which comprises in particular one or more antenna connectors, power amplifiers, transmission / reception filters and switches.

[0032] The computer processing module 5, the power supply module 4 and the clock module 14 are produced on the first integrated circuit card 2 but are common to the entire device. Thus, links 13 allow the sending of control, data, power supply and clock signals from the first integrated circuit card to the second integrated circuit card.

[0033] Here, the links 13 are implemented in the form of high-speed interface buses (HSI, "High Speed ​​Interface", according to the usual English acronym). Preferably, the links 13 allow a flow rate of at least 10 Gbps at a frequency of at least 5 GHz. The bus connecting the two printed circuit boards 2, 3 has a maximum dimension of 50 millimeters, for example here 40 millimeters, so as to ensure a total connection (i.e. a connection comprising the bus and the conductive tracks of the) maximum between the modules of 150 millimeters.

[0034] The links 13 further have an impedance of between 75 ohms and 110 ohms and a maximum differential insertion loss of -6 dB.

[0035] [Fig. 3] illustrates in greater detail an embodiment of the device 1. The elements common to the embodiments described previously bear the same reference and will not be described again.

[0036] In this embodiment, the telecommunications device 1 comprises nine antenna connectors, of which five antenna connectors are included in the first antenna module 10 and four antenna connectors are included in the second antenna module 12.

[0037] The first antenna module 10 comprises - a first antenna connector antl, or main antenna connector, or primary antenna, which has good performance, in particular a high antenna gain, compared to the other antennas of the first antenna module 10; - a second ant2 antenna connector, or secondary antenna connector, or diversity antenna; - a third antenna connector ant3 and a fourth antenna connector ant4 which allow the implementation of carrier aggregation operations; - an additional antO antenna connector which is dedicated to communications with the NS satellite navigation system.

[0038] The second antenna module 12 comprises two antenna connectors ant5 and ant6 dedicated to communications with the second network DN2 and two antenna connectors ant7 and ant8 dedicated to V2X operations.

[0039] In this embodiment, the first printed circuit board 2 and the second printed circuit board 3 each respectively comprise a first interface module 15 and a second interface module 16 to which a single link bus 17 is connected, enabling communication of the power supply, clock and control signals between the two printed circuit boards 2 and 3.

[0040] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein in connection with Figures 1 to 3 and various other modifications may be made to the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Claims

1. Telecommunications device for a motor vehicle (V) comprising a computer processing module (5) comprising a first identification module (6) for access to a first telecommunications network (DN1) and a second identification module (7) for access to a second telecommunications network (DN2), a first radiofrequency module (9, 10) configured to interface between the computer processing module (5) and the first telecommunications network (DN1), a second radiofrequency module (11, 12) configured to interface between the computer processing module (5) and the second telecommunications network (DN2), the computer processing module (5) and the first radiofrequency module (9, 10) being produced on a first printed circuit board (2) and the second radiofrequency module (11, 12) being produced on a second printed circuit board (3) separate from the first printed circuit board (2),the computer processing module (5) is configured to simultaneously access the first telecommunications network (DN1) and the second telecommunications network (DN2).

2. Device according to claim 1, in which each printed circuit board (2, 3) has a maximum dimension less than or equal to 45 millimeters.

3. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the second radio frequency module (11, 12) is connected to the computer processing module (5) via a serial peripheral interface (13; 17).

4. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the second radiofrequency module (11, 12) and the computer processing module (5) are connected via a link (13; 17) allowing a flow rate of 10 Gbps at a frequency of 5 GHz.

5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the second radiofrequency module (11, 12) and the computer processing module (5) are connected by a data bus (13; 17) whose length is less than 150 millimeters.

6. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the first printed circuit board (2) and the second printed circuit board (3) are separated by a distance of less than 50 mil-

7. meters. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the computer processing unit (5) is configured to implement communications according to V2X technology via the second identification module (7) and the second radio frequency module (11, 12).

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