Antenna system for electric vehicles and electric vehicles including such an antenna system

Abstract

The present invention relates to an antenna system (111) for an electric vehicle (10), the electric vehicle (10) comprising a photovoltaic module (110) including an array of photovoltaic cells configured to convert solar radiation into electrical energy. The antenna system (111) includes at least one antenna screen-printed onto the photovoltaic module (110). Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: Antenna system for electric vehicles and electric vehicles comprising such an antenna system. Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to antenna systems for electric vehicles, particularly for electric automobiles. The present invention also relates to a wireless communication system for electric vehicles. Technological background

[0002] Modern vehicles incorporate numerous means of radio wave communication, each requiring one or more antennas. It is known to position one or more antennas on the roof of a vehicle, for example inside a device shaped like a shark fin.

[0003] With the rise of electric vehicles, new technologies are emerging to improve their range. For example, some manufacturers offer electric vehicles equipped with a photovoltaic module or panel that recharges the vehicle's traction battery using solar radiation reaching the module. Mounting such a photovoltaic module on the roof of the electric vehicle reduces the space required for antenna installation, particularly shark fin antennas. Summary of the present invention

[0004] One object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the problems of the technological background described above.

[0005] An object of the present invention is, for example, to improve the integration of an antenna system in an electric vehicle equipped with a photovoltaic module.

[0006] According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to an antenna system for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle comprising a photovoltaic module including a set of photovoltaic cells configured to transform solar radiation into electrical energy, the antenna system comprising at least one antenna and being characterized in that at least one antenna is screen-printed on the photovoltaic module.

[0007] Integrating one or more antennas by screen printing onto the photovoltaic module, that is, onto one of the elements forming the photovoltaic module, allows the electric vehicle to have an antenna system directly integrated into a component of the electric vehicle, namely the photovoltaic module. This also reduces the drag of the electric vehicle, as the antenna system does not exceed more of the vehicle as is the case for classic shark fin type antennas for example.

[0008] According to one variant, at least one antenna is connected to a radio frequency servicing box, known as BSRF, of the electric vehicle via a wired connection.

[0009] According to another variant, the BSRF is integrated into the photovoltaic module.

[0010] According to a further variant, at least one antenna is screen-printed on a protective layer of the photovoltaic module configured to protect the entire set of photovoltaic cells, the protective layer being made of a transparent material and arranged on one face of the photovoltaic module in contact with an external environment of the electric vehicle.

[0011] According to yet another variant, at least one antenna is screen-printed on an upper face of the protective layer oriented towards the external environment.

[0012] According to an additional variant, at least one antenna is screen-printed on an underside of the protective layer facing inwards towards the electric vehicle.

[0013] According to another variant, the antenna system comprises a plurality of antennas configured to radiate and / or receive radio waves in one or more of the following frequency bands: - low frequency; - average frequency; - high frequency; - very high frequency; - ultra-high frequency; and - super high frequency.

[0014] According to a further variant, the antenna system comprises: - an antenna configured for receiving radio waves from a frequency modulation broadcasting system; and / or - an antenna configured for receiving radio waves from a digital broadcasting system; and / or - an antenna configured to receive radio waves from a satellite internet system; and / or - an antenna configured to receive radio waves from a terrestrial cellular mobile network; and / or - an antenna configured for receiving radio waves from a satellite geolocation system.

[0015] According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to an electric vehicle, for example of the automobile type, comprising a photovoltaic module and the antenna system as described above according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0016] According to one variant, the electric vehicle further includes a radio frequency servicing unit, called BSRF, connected in communication to a computer of an infotainment system of the electric vehicle. Brief description of the figures

[0017] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the particular and non-limiting embodiments of the present invention below, with reference to the attached Figures 1 to 3, in which:

[0018] [Fig-1] schematically illustrates an electric vehicle, according to an example of particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] [Fig.2] schematically illustrates an antenna system of the electric vehicle of [Fig.1], according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] [Fig.3] schematically illustrates a radio frequency servicing box connected to the antenna system of [Fig.2], according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. Description of examples of achievements

[0021] An electric vehicle antenna system and an electric vehicle comprising such an antenna system will now be described in what follows with joint reference to Figures 1 to 3. The same elements are identified with the same reference signs throughout the description that follows.

[0022] The terms "first," "second" (or "firsts," "seconds"), etc., are used in this document by arbitrary convention to allow for the identification and distinction of different elements (such as operations, means, etc.) implemented in the embodiments described below. Such elements may be distinct or correspond to a single element, depending on the embodiment.

[0023] According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, the antenna system of an electric vehicle equipped with a photovoltaic module, also called a solar panel, photovoltaic solar panel or photovoltaic panel, includes at least one antenna screen-printed on the photovoltaic module, that is to say on an element of the photovoltaic module.

[0024] A photovoltaic module comprises a set of photovoltaic cells configured to transform solar radiation into electrical energy, which electrical energy can be used to recharge a traction battery of the electric vehicle and / or to power one or more electrical organs, components or systems of the electric vehicle.

[0025] Such a screen-printed antenna corresponds to the radiating part of means for receiving or capturing radio frequency signals, the radiating part being formed of screen-printed conductive lines on the photovoltaic module, for example on a glazed part or on a layer of transparent material of the photovoltaic module.

[0026] Radio frequency signals are for example in a frequency band belonging to High Frequencies (HF, between 3 MHz and 30 MHz), Very High Frequencies (VHF, between 30 MHz and 300 MHz), Ultra High Frequencies (UHF, between 300 MHz and 3 GHz) and / or Super High Frequencies (SHF, between 3 GHz and 30 GHz).

[0027] Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an electric vehicle 10, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] An electric vehicle within the meaning of the present invention, such as the electric vehicle 10, corresponds to a vehicle powered by at least one electric vehicle, that is to say, a vehicle comprising only one or more electric motors to the exclusion of any internal combustion engine, or a vehicle comprising one or more electric motors and an internal combustion engine, such a vehicle being called a hybrid vehicle. The first vehicle 11 thus corresponds, for example, to a land vehicle, for example, a car, a truck, a bus.

[0029] The electric motor(s) of the electric vehicle 10 are supplied with electrical energy by a traction battery of the electric vehicle 10.

[0030] The electric vehicle 10 is advantageously equipped with one or more photovoltaic modules arranged on the body of the electric vehicle 10 or forming part of the body of the electric vehicle 10.

[0031] According to a particular embodiment corresponding to the example in [Fig. 1], the electric vehicle 10 comprises a photovoltaic module 110 arranged on the roof (also called the canopy) of the electric vehicle 10. The photovoltaic module 110 is, for example, fixed to the bodywork element forming the roof of the electric vehicle 10. According to another example, the photovoltaic module 110 forms the roof of the electric vehicle 10. According to this other example, the photovoltaic module 110 corresponds, for example, to a transparent or semi-transparent photovoltaic panel serving as the glass roof of the electric vehicle 10. Such a transparent photovoltaic module or panel is known to those skilled in the art and is also called photovoltaic glazing or photovoltaic glass.

[0032] A photovoltaic module, also called a photovoltaic solar module or photovoltaic solar panel, is also known to those skilled in the art. Such a photovoltaic module comprises a set of photovoltaic cells connected in series and encapsulated between two protective layers, as described below in more detail with reference to [Fig. 2]. The photovoltaic cells are made from semiconductors having properties adapted to allow each photovoltaic cell to convert a portion of the solar irradiation (or solar radiation) received. Such a transformation is known as the photovoltaic effect. Direct current is used to recharge the traction battery of the electric vehicle 10 or to power one or more electrical systems of the electric vehicle 10, for example the cabin air conditioning system, the infotainment system, known as IVI (In-Vehicle Infotainment), or any other system, component or organ operating on electrical energy.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the photovoltaic module 110 is arranged on the hood of the electric vehicle 10 or on any other bodywork element of the electric vehicle 10. According to yet another embodiment, the electric vehicle 10 comprises several photovoltaic modules arranged on different parts of the electric vehicle 10 or forming different parts or different bodywork elements of the electric vehicle 10.

[0034] The electric vehicle 10 further comprises an antenna system 111 including one or more antennas. Each antenna of the antenna system is advantageously screen-printed onto the photovoltaic module 110, for example in a defined area of ​​the photovoltaic module 110. When the antenna system 111 comprises several antennas, these are, for example, screen-printed in a delimited area of ​​the photovoltaic module 110 so as to be grouped on only a part of the photovoltaic module 110. According to another example, the antennas are screen-printed so as to be spatially distributed on the photovoltaic module 110, in different areas of the photovoltaic module 110.

[0035] For each antenna of the antenna system 111, the screen-printed antenna element is composed of conductive lines (for example, microstrip lines) arranged to resonate at the frequency or in the frequency band for which the antenna is configured to receive the radio frequency signal emitted by a transmitter.

[0036] Each antenna of the antenna system 111 is, for example, screen-printed on one of the transparent or semi-transparent layers of the photovoltaic module 110. The conductive lines forming the antenna are, for example, screen-printed on a face directly exposed to solar radiation (i.e., on the face of this layer oriented towards the outside of the photovoltaic module 110, i.e. towards the external environment of the electric vehicle 10) or on an opposite face oriented towards the photovoltaic cells (i.e., on the face of this layer oriented towards the inside of the photovoltaic module 110, i.e. towards the internal environment of the electric vehicle 10).

[0037] The conductive lines forming the antenna are, for example, screen-printed in such a way as to minimize the overlap of the photovoltaic cells of the photovoltaic module 110 (i.e., to minimize the shadow cast by the conductive lines on the photovoltaic cells) to maximize the solar radiation reaching the photovoltaic cells. According to another embodiment, the conductive lines forming the antenna are screen-printed without taking into account the constraint related to minimizing the overlap of the photovoltaic cells: due to the small thickness of the screen-printed conductive lines (for example less than 1 mm, for example equal to 0.5 or 0.8 mm), the shadow cast by these conductive lines is negligible and does not alter, or only very slightly alters, the efficiency of the photovoltaic cells.

[0038] Each antenna of the antenna system 111 is configured to radiate and / or receive radio waves in one or more of the following frequency bands, depending on the use made of the antenna: - low frequency, that is to say between 30 kHz and 300 kHz; - medium frequency, that is to say between 300 kHz and 3 MHz; - high frequency, i.e. between 3 MHz and 30 MHz; - very high frequency, i.e. between 30 MHz and 300 MHz; - ultra-high frequency, that is, between 300 MHz and 3 GHz; and - super high frequency, that is to say between 3 GHz and 30 GHz.

[0039] The arrangement of the antenna system 111 on or within the photovoltaic module does not cause interference due to the frequencies used. Even if the direct current generated by the photovoltaic module 110 needed to be converted into alternating current, the frequency of such alternating current (for example, 50 Hz) would be much lower than the frequencies received by the antenna(s) of the antenna system 111.

[0040] According to a particular example, the antenna system 111 comprises a plurality of antennas, namely: - an antenna configured for receiving radio waves from a frequency modulation (FM) broadcasting system, the radio frequency signals emitted in such a system belonging to the very high frequency band (for example, in the frequency band between 87.5 and 108 MHz); and / or - an antenna configured for receiving radio waves from a digital broadcasting system, known as DAB or DAB+ (from the English "Digital Audio Broadcasting" or in French "Radio numérique terrestre"), the radio frequency signals emitted in such a system belonging to the very high frequency band (for example, in the frequency band between 174 and 240 MHz); and / or - an antenna configured to receive radio waves from a satellite internet system, the radio frequency signals emitted in such a system belonging to the super high frequency band; and / or - an antenna configured to receive radio waves from a terrestrial cellular mobile network, for example a 4G or 5G LTE network, the radio frequency signals emitted in such a system belonging to the super high frequency or ultra high frequency band (for example, 3.5 GHz for 5G); and / or - a dual-band antenna configured for the capture of radio waves from a satellite geolocation system, known as a GNSS system (from the English "Global Navigation Satellite System" or in French "Système de emplacement par satellite"), the radio frequency signals emitted in such a system belonging to the ultra-high frequency band (for example the frequencies equal to 1227.60 MHz and 1575.42 MHz).

[0041] According to one embodiment, the antenna system further comprises one or more antennas from among: - one or more antennas for communication with a wireless local area network, for example Wifi®; - one or more antennas for communication with a Bluetooth® network; and - one or more antennas for communicating signals in a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) wireless communication system according to the 3GPP LTE-V2X protocol or according to ITS G5 based on IEEE 802.11p.

[0042] Each antenna of the antenna system 111 is connected via a wired link to a communication unit such as a Telematic Control Unit (TCU), Autonomous Telematics Box (BTA), Radio Frequency Servicing Box (BSRF), or Radio Transmission Box Module (RTBM), the connection being, for example, coaxial. The communication unit is, for example, located in the passenger compartment of the electric vehicle 10, for example, in the passenger compartment under the roof of the electric vehicle 10. According to another example, the communication unit is integrated into or included within the photovoltaic module 110.

[0043] The communication unit, which corresponds to a computer of the electric vehicle 10, is connected to a set of other computers of the electric vehicle 10, including the IVI computer, to form the network or embedded system of the electric vehicle 10. These computers, including the communication unit and the IVI computer, form, for example, a multiplexed architecture for providing various services useful for the proper functioning of the electric vehicle 10 and for assisting the driver and / or passengers of the vehicle in controlling the electric vehicle 10. The computers communicate and exchange data with each other via one or more computer buses, for example, a communication bus of type CAN data bus (from the English "Controller Area Network" or in French "Réseau de contrôlers"), CAN FD (from the English "Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate" or in French "Réseau de contrôlers à débit de données flexible"), FlexRay (according to the ISO 17458 standard), LIN (from the English "Local Interconnect Network" or in French "Réseau interconnecté local") or Ethernet (according to the ISO / IEC 802-3 standard).

[0044] Fig. 2 schematically illustrates the photovoltaic module 110, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] The photovoltaic module 110 is formed of a plurality of layers 21 to 25 according to the particular example of [Fig.2]. The number of layers forming the photovoltaic module 110 is not limited to 5 as in the example of [Fig.2] but can include 3 or 4 layers depending on the type of photovoltaic module used.

[0046] The photovoltaic module 110 is described from the upper layer 21 to the lower layer 25, the upper layer 21 corresponding to the layer exposed to the external environment and the lower layer 25 corresponding to the layer closest to the roof or to the layer forming the roof of the passenger compartment of the electric vehicle 10 when the photovoltaic module 110 acts as the roof of the electric vehicle 10.

[0047] The layers are arranged parallel to each other, or essentially parallel, and orthogonally to a vertical axis 'Y' corresponding to the vertical axis of the electric vehicle 10 oriented towards the top of the electric vehicle 10.

[0048] The photovoltaic module 110 includes, for example: - a first upper layer 21 formed of a transparent material such as glass, such a layer being suitable to protect the photovoltaic module 110, and in particular the photovoltaic cells, from the external environment and external aggressions (for example hail); - a second layer 22 located below the first upper layer 21, this second layer 22 corresponding to a flexible plastic sheet adapted to obtain laminated glass (with the other layers); this second layer 22 is for example made of a copolymer material, for example EVA (Ethylene-vinyl acetate) or POE (Octane-Ethylene); - a third layer 23 located below the second layer 22, this third layer 23 comprising the silicon photovoltaic cells, for example monocrystalline silicon or polycrystalline silicon; - a fourth layer 24 located below the third layer 23, this fourth layer 24 being identical to the second layer 22 to obtain laminated glass; and - a fifth lower layer located below the fourth layer 24 corresponding to a layer made of glass (particularly when the photovoltaic module 110 serves as the roof of the electric vehicle 10) or to a rigid plastic sheet (by example when the photovoltaic module 110 is fixed to the bodywork element forming the roof of the electric vehicle 10).

[0049] According to one particular embodiment, the antenna(s) of the antenna system 111 are screen-printed onto the first upper layer 21, which is arranged on the face of the photovoltaic module 110 that is in contact with the external environment of the electric vehicle 10. The antenna(s) are, for example, screen-printed on the upper face of this first upper layer 21, that is, on the face oriented towards the external environment and in contact with this external environment. According to another embodiment, the antenna(s) are, for example, screen-printed on the lower face (opposite to the upper face) of this first upper layer 21, that is, on the face oriented towards the interior environment of the electric vehicle and in contact with the second layer 22. This other embodiment offers the advantage of protecting the antenna system 111 from weathering occurring in the external environment.

[0050] According to another particular embodiment, the antenna(s) of the antenna system 111 are screen-printed on the lower fifth layer 25 of the photovoltaic module 110, for example on the upper face of this fifth layer 25 which is in contact with the fourth layer 24.

[0051] Each antenna of the antenna system 111 is connected to the communication unit 201 (also called the radio frequency servicing unit, or BSRF) of the electric vehicle 10 via a wired connection. The communication unit 201 is itself connected to the IVI control unit 202 of the electric vehicle 10 via one or more communication buses. The communication unit 201 thus transmits the signals received from the antenna system to the IVI control unit 202, which is responsible for the infotainment system, for example, to play radio content (FM or DAB+) through the speakers of the electric vehicle 10, to display the position of the electric vehicle 10 obtained from the GNSS system on a map of the navigation system displayed on an on-board screen of the electric vehicle 10, to display data obtained from the satellite internet connection or the LTE 4G or 5G terrestrial cellular network on the screen, etc.

[0052] The communication box 201 and / or the IVI computer 202 implement one or more signal processing operations on the signals received from the antenna system, for example signal demodulation, decoding of the data carried by the signals, analog / digital conversion or vice versa digital / analog conversion, one or more filtering operations, etc.

[0053] Figure 3 schematically illustrates a signal or data processing device 3 of an electric vehicle, for example the electric vehicle 10, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. The device 3 corresponds for example to a device embedded in the electric vehicle 10, for example a computer.

[0054] Device 3 is, for example, configured to carry out the operations described opposite Figures 1 and 2. Examples of such a device 3 include, but are not limited to, embedded electronic equipment such as a vehicle's on-board computer, an electronic control unit such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), or a TCU, BSRF, RTBM, or BTA type computer. The elements of device 3, individually or in combination, may be integrated into a single integrated circuit, into several integrated circuits, and / or into discrete components. Device 3 may be implemented in the form of electronic circuits or software (or computer) modules, or a combination of electronic circuits and software modules.

[0055] The device 3 comprises one (or more) processor(s) 30 configured to execute instructions for carrying out operations or processes for receiving radio frequency signals, processing such signals, processing the data carried in these signals, and / or for executing instructions for the software embedded in the device 3. The processor 30 may include integrated memory, an input / output interface, and various circuits known to those skilled in the art. The device 3 further comprises at least one memory 31, for example, volatile and / or non-volatile memory, and / or includes a memory storage device that may include volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM, ROM, PROM, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, flash, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0056] The computer code of the embedded software(s) including the instructions to be loaded and executed by the processor is for example stored on memory 31.

[0057] According to various specific and non-limiting embodiments, the device 3 is coupled in communication with other similar devices or systems and / or with communication devices, for example a communication box of type TCU, BSRF, RTBM or BTA, for example via a communication bus or through dedicated input / output ports.

[0058] According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment, the device 3 includes a block 32 of interface elements for communicating with external devices. The interface elements of the block 32 include one or more of the following interfaces: - RF radio frequency interface; - USB interface (from the English "Universal Serial Bus" or "Universal Serial Bus" in French); - HDMI interface (from the English "High Definition Multimedia Interface", or "High Definition Multimedia Interface" in French); - LIN interface (from the English "Local Interconnect Network", or in French "Réseau interconnecté local").

[0059] According to another particular and non-limiting embodiment, the device 3 includes a communication interface 33 which allows communication to be established with other devices (such as other computers in the embedded system) via a communication channel 330. The communication interface 33 corresponds, for example, to a transmitter configured to transmit and receive information and / or data via the communication channel 330. The communication interface 33 corresponds, for example, to a wired network of the CAN (Controller Area Network) type, CAN FD (Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate) type, FlexRay (standardized by ISO 17458) or Ethernet (standardized by ISO / IEC 802-3).

[0060] According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment, the device 3 can provide output signals to one or more external devices, such as a display screen, touch or not, one or more speakers and / or other peripherals (projection system) via respective output interfaces.

[0061] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above but extends to an electric vehicle, for example a motor vehicle, comprising one or more photovoltaic modules and an antenna system integrated into such a photovoltaic module. The electric vehicle further comprises a communication unit connected to the antenna system, and one or more control units, for example an IVI control unit, connected via communication to the communication unit.

Claims

Demands

1. Antenna system (111) for electric vehicle (10), said electric vehicle (10) comprising a photovoltaic module (110) comprising an array of photovoltaic cells configured to convert solar radiation into electrical energy, said antenna system (111) comprising at least one antenna, said antenna system (111) being characterized in that said at least one antenna is screen-printed on said photovoltaic module (110).

2. Antenna system (111) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one antenna is connected to a radio frequency servicing box (201), referred to as BSRF, of said electric vehicle (10) via a wired link.

3. Antenna system according to claim 2, wherein said BSRF (201) is integrated into said photovoltaic module (110).

4. Antenna system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said at least one antenna is screen-printed on a protective layer (21) of said photovoltaic module (110) configured to protect said photovoltaic cell assembly, said upper layer (21) being made of a transparent material and arranged on one face of the photovoltaic module (110) in contact with an external environment of said electric vehicle (10).

5. Antenna system (111) according to claim 4, wherein said at least one antenna is screen-printed on an upper face of said protective layer (21) oriented towards said external environment.

6. Antenna system (111) according to claim 4, wherein said at least one antenna is screen-printed on an underside of said protective layer (21) oriented towards the interior of said electric vehicle (10).

7. Antenna system (111) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, said antenna system (111) comprising a plurality of antennas configured to radiate and / or receive radio waves in one or more of the following frequency bands: - low frequency; - medium frequency; - high frequency; - very high frequency; - ultra high frequency; and - super high frequency.

8. Antenna system (111) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising: - an antenna configured for receiving radio waves from a frequency modulation broadcasting system; and / or - an antenna configured for receiving radio waves from a digital broadcasting system; and / or - an antenna configured for receiving radio waves from a satellite internet system; and / or - an antenna configured for receiving radio waves from a terrestrial cellular mobile network; and / or - an antenna configured for receiving radio waves from a satellite geolocation system.

9. Electric vehicle (10) comprising a photovoltaic module (110) and the antenna system (111) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. Electric vehicle (10) according to claim 9 further comprising a radio frequency servicing unit, referred to as BSRF (201), connected in communication to a computer (202) of an infotainment system of said electric vehicle (10).

Images