Meander Line Antenna for Tire Pressure Sensor Signal Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tire pressure sensors face signal attenuation and detuning issues due to proximity to tire sidewalls and steel belted tires, requiring multiple receiving antennas and affecting signal reliability and installation complexity.
Innovation Solution
A transmitting device with a planar circuit board, sensor, transmitter, and a meander line antenna configuration that minimizes signal attenuation, allowing for reliable data packet transmission with reduced redundancy and power consumption, and a single receiving antenna suffices for multiple tire pressure sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional antennas are used in tire pressure sensors, then the sensor can transmit signals, but the signal suffers from attenuation when passing through tire sidewalls and detuning near rim edges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional three-dimensional helical antenna to a two-dimensional planar meander line antenna. This dimensional reduction allows the antenna to be mounted flat on the circuit board inside the tire, optimizing its position to avoid signal attenuation through sidewalls and detuning near rim edges while maintaining effective signal transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the antenna's geometric parameters by using a meander line configuration with specific dimensions (e.g., 37mm length, 6mm width, 2mm trace width) optimized for the 433 MHz frequency. This parameter optimization ensures the antenna maintains proper impedance and resonance characteristics despite the constrained mounting environment within the tire.
2Reliability
If multiple receiving antennas are deployed to compensate for signal attenuation, then signal reception coverage is improved, but system complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the signal attenuation problem from the receiving system and addresses it at the transmitting end by optimizing the antenna design. By improving the transmitter antenna's performance through planar meander line configuration, the system achieves reliable signal transmission without requiring multiple receiving antennas, thus simplifying the overall system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a standardized planar antenna design that can be replicated across multiple tire pressure sensors. This standardized approach ensures consistent signal transmission performance across all sensors in the system, allowing a single receiving antenna to reliably communicate with multiple transmitters without requiring complex individualized solutions for each sensor.
3Volume of moving object
If the antenna is positioned close to the rim edge to save space, then installation space is optimized, but the antenna becomes detuned
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a planar two-dimensional antenna layout that can be precisely positioned on the circuit board away from the rim edge. The meander line configuration allows the antenna to achieve its required electrical length within the available planar space, maintaining proper tuning without requiring proximity to the rim edge.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates the antenna design directly into the circuit board layout during the manufacturing process. The antenna traces are pre-configured with optimized dimensions and positioning to ensure proper tuning before the sensor is installed in the tire, eliminating the need for post-installation adjustment and ensuring consistent performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances signal reliability across various tire orientations and distances, reducing the need for multiple receiving antennas and simplifying installation, while conserving power and minimizing damage risk.
Implementation Method 1
an antenna mounted on the planar circuit board and in communication with the transmitter for transmitting the signals containing the plurality of packets
Data Source
AI summary
Various examples of a transmitting device with an antenna are disclosed. In one example, a transmitting device comprises a planar circuit board; a sensor mounted on the planar circuit board; a transmitter mounted on the planar circuit board and in communication with the sensor, the transmitter configured to periodically transmit signals containing a plurality of packets; and an antenna mounted on the planar circuit board and in electrical communication with the transmitter for transmitting the signals containing the plurality of packets. The antenna comprises a first end connected to the planar circuit board and a first support section; a meander line section connected to the first support section and a second support section and lying in a plane parallel with the circuit board; a second end connected to the second support section and an electrical ground.