JP2009100288A - Vehicular communication module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular communication module which is compact and has a communication capability over a prescribed capability including a self transmission function. <P>SOLUTION: A power reception antenna 10 for an electronic number display 1 to be a vehicular communication module receives a power signal 501 from road-side vehicles 200 and 300 and a power receiving circuit 11 generates a charge signal by rectifying the power signal 501. A charging capacitor 12 is charged by the charge signal. The charge is performed even when RF communication is not performed when the power signal 501 is received. An RF transceiver circuit 13 of the electronic number display 1 is started according to a control signal 502A from the road-side vehicle 300, generates an information signal 502B, and transmits the information signal 502B to the road-side vehicle 300. Also, the RF transceiver circuit 13 self transmits the information signal 502B without receiving a control signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle communication module that wirelessly communicates vehicle information with a roadside machine.

  Currently, a vehicle communication module for wirelessly transmitting vehicle information to roadside devices installed on the road has been developed, and a representative one is an electronic license plate. The electronic number display is installed on the back surface of a plate-like number plate mounted on the vehicle. As a basic configuration, the electronic number display includes a wireless communication antenna that performs wireless communication with a roadside device and a wireless communication unit that is connected to the antenna. And the electronic number display has an active type and a passive type according to a drive method.

  As shown in Patent Document 1, the active electronic number display includes a power supply unit, and drives the wireless communication unit with power from the power supply.

On the other hand, a passive electronic number display does not include a power supply unit, and drives a wireless communication unit using a wireless power signal from a roadside device as a power source.
JP 2004-258970 A

  However, since the active electronic number display originally has a built-in power supply unit, when the power supply unit reaches the end of its life, power cannot be supplied and communication becomes impossible. In addition, when the communication becomes impossible in this way, the power supply unit has to be replaced, but the replacement work takes time. Therefore, the power supply unit should have a capacity as large as possible. However, as the capacity increases, the size of the power supply unit itself must be increased, resulting in problems in the mounting space on the license plate and the appearance.

  On the other hand, the passive electronic number display does not require a power supply unit and can be miniaturized, but can only perform wireless communication when receiving a power signal from a roadside device. For this reason, the power capacity is reduced, the communication distance is shortened, the communication speed is reduced, and the amount of data that can be communicated is reduced.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle communication module that solves the problems of the active type and the passive type described above and has a communication capability exceeding a predetermined capability including a self-transmitting function while being small in size. It is in.

  The present invention relates to a vehicle communication module that is mounted on a vehicle and wirelessly communicates information on the vehicle with a roadside machine. The vehicle communication module according to the present invention is capable of generating a charging signal by always receiving a wireless communication means for performing wireless communication with a roadside device including a transmission on the own device side and a power generation enable signal from the outside. A power supply receiving unit that is configured by a circuit and generates a charging signal when receiving a power generation enable signal, and a charging unit that is charged by the charging signal and supplies power during communication of the wireless communication unit.

  In this configuration, the power supply receiving unit generates a charging signal when it receives some power generation enable signal from the outside regardless of whether the wireless communication unit is performing wireless communication with the roadside device. That is, the power supply receiving unit always generates a charging signal when receiving a radio wave signal that can generate a charging signal. Thereby, the charging means is charged even at times other than wireless communication.

  In the vehicle communication module of the present invention, the vehicle includes a vehicle-less device for keyless entry. The power supply receiving means receives the radio wave signal transmitted from the keyless entry vehicle-mounted device as a power generation possible signal.

  In this configuration, if the vehicle-less device for keyless entry is installed in the vehicle, the radio signal for the keyless entry system is received, and the power receiving unit generates the charging signal.

  In addition, the vehicle communication module of the present invention includes self-power generation means for generating a charging signal by self-power generation according to the movement of the vehicle.

  In this configuration, when the vehicle, which is originally a means of movement, moves, self-power generation is performed and a charging signal is generated. Thereby, charging other than a radio signal is performed.

  Further, in the vehicle communication module of the present invention, the power supply receiving means includes a power receiving coil that receives a signal capable of generating power, and the power receiving coil is formed by winding a winding member around a core material made of a magnetic material, The winding member and the core member are installed so that the relative positions change according to the movement of the vehicle.

  In this configuration, the core material made of a magnetic material moves relative to the winding member due to the movement of the vehicle, and an induced electromotive force is generated. The induced electromotive force is used as a charging signal. Further, since this coil is a power receiving coil of the power receiving means, the power receiving means also has a function of a self power generating means.

  The charging means of the vehicle communication module according to the present invention comprises a capacitor.

  In this configuration, since the charging means is a capacitor, the size can be easily reduced.

  The charging means of the vehicle communication module of the present invention is a secondary battery.

  In this configuration, it is possible to configure a charging unit having a larger capacity than a charging unit using a capacitor.

  In addition, the vehicle communication module of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle license plate.

  According to the present invention, since charging is performed by the charging means even when wireless communication is not being performed, it is possible to always store power of a predetermined level or more. As a result, communication with a communication capability of a predetermined level or higher including self-calling becomes possible. Furthermore, a power supply unit composed of a primary battery or the like is not required. As a result, it is possible to realize a vehicle communication module having a communication capability that is not less than a predetermined capability while being small.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the case of a keyless entry-equipped vehicle, the charging means is charged using the radio signal for keyless entry, so that charging can be performed more effectively.

  In addition, according to the present invention, by providing the self-power generating means, the number of methods for charging the charging means is further increased, and effective charging can be performed.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the power receiving unit also serves as the self-power generating unit, the configuration including the self-power generating unit can be reduced in size.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the charging means is a capacitor, the size can be further reduced.

  Moreover, according to this invention, since a charging means is a general secondary battery, it can be made large capacity compared with a capacitor | condenser.

A vehicle communication module according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each of the following embodiments including this embodiment, an electronic number display will be described as an example of the vehicle communication module.
1A is a functional block diagram of the electronic number display 1, FIG. 1B is a main functional block diagram of the roadside device 300, and FIG. 1C is a main functional block diagram of the roadside device 200. .

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining functions of the electronic number display of the present embodiment. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a state in which the vehicle 100 is approaching the roadside device 200 that transmits only the power signal in the system using the electronic number display, and FIG. 2C is a diagram showing the power signal and the control / information. It is a figure which shows the state which the vehicle 100 approached the roadside machine 300 which transmits a signal. 2B is a functional block diagram of the roadside device 200 and the electronic number display 1 in the state of (A), and FIG. 2D is a functional block diagram of the roadside device 300 and the electronic number in the state of (B). It is a functional block diagram with the display 1. FIG.

  The electronic number display 1 is installed on a number plate that is mounted on the front and rear of the vehicle 100.

The electronic number display 1 includes a power receiving antenna 10, a power receiving circuit 11, a charging capacitor 12, an RF transceiver circuit 13, and an RF communication antenna 14.
The power receiving antenna 10 includes a power receiving coil, receives a radio signal from the outside, and outputs it to the power receiving circuit 11. Here, the power receiving antenna 10 receives at least power signals from the roadside devices 200 and 300, and receives other power signals as long as they are receivable on the antenna structure, and outputs them to the power receiving circuit 11. .

The power receiving circuit 11 includes, for example, a diode connected to the power receiving coil, generates a charging signal by rectifying the input power signal, and outputs the charging signal to the charging capacitor 12.
The charging capacitor 12 is charged by inputting a charging signal and supplies power to the RF transmission / reception circuit 13. By using the capacitor for charging as described above, the space of the charging unit can be reduced.
When the RF transmission / reception circuit 13 operates by supplying power from the charging capacitor 12 and receives a control signal from the roadside device 300 via the RF communication antenna 14, the RF transmission / reception circuit 13 generates an information signal including vehicle information of the host vehicle 100. And transmitted from the RF communication antenna 14. Further, the RF transmission / reception circuit 13 can transmit an information signal by itself without receiving a control signal from the roadside device 300.

  The RF communication antenna 14 receives a control signal from the roadside device 300 and outputs it to the RF transmission / reception circuit 13, and transmits an information signal from the RF transmission / reception circuit 13 to the outside including the roadside device 300.

  The roadside machine 300 includes a power transmission antenna 20, a power transmission circuit 21, an RF transmission / reception circuit 23, and an RF communication antenna 24. The power transmission circuit 21 generates a power signal for the electronic number display and outputs it to the power transmission antenna 20. The power transmission antenna 20 transmits a power signal to the outside. The RF transmission / reception circuit 23 generates a control signal and outputs the control signal to the RF communication antenna 24. The RF transmission / reception circuit 23 inputs an information signal from the RF communication antenna 24 and inputs the information signal to a subsequent circuit (not shown) or an external information center. Etc. The RF communication antenna 24 transmits a control signal from the RF transmission / reception circuit 23 to the outside, receives an information signal from the outside, and outputs it to the RF transmission / reception circuit 23.

  The roadside device 200 is obtained by omitting the RF transmission / reception circuit 23 and the RF communication antenna 24 in the roadside device 300, and transmits only a power signal.

  Next, the system operation of the electronic number display system realized by the vehicle 100 equipped with the electronic number display 1 having such a configuration and the roadside devices 200 and 300 will be described. In the following description, a case where an information signal is transmitted from the electronic number display 1 when a control signal is received from the roadside device 300 is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of roadside machines are arranged at a predetermined interval on the roadside of the road. At this time, all the roadside devices do not need to be the roadside device 300 including the RF transmission / reception circuit 23, and the roadside devices 200 and the roadside devices 300 are arranged to be mixed.

  When the vehicle 100 equipped with the electronic number display 1 approaches the roadside device 200, the power receiving antenna 10 of the electronic number display 1 receives the power signal 501 from the roadside device 200 and outputs it to the receiving circuit 11. The power receiving circuit 11 generates a charging signal from the power signal 501 and charges the charging capacitor 12. At this time, since a control signal is not transmitted from the roadside device 200, the RF transmission / reception circuit 13 of the electronic number display 1 is in a standby state and is not activated to generate an information signal. Therefore, there is almost no output from the charging capacitor 12, and the battery is almost unilaterally charged. That is, the amount of charge can be simply increased.

  When the vehicle 100 passes the roadside machine 200 and approaches the roadside machine 300, the electronic number display 1 receives the control signal 502A from the roadside machine 300 by the RF transmission / reception circuit 13, and operates. At this time, the RF transmission / reception circuit 13 receives power supply from the charging capacitor 12 and executes an information signal generation process. The RF transmission / reception circuit 13 outputs an information signal, and the RF communication antenna 14 transmits the information signal 502B to the roadside device 300. When the roadside device 300 receives the information signal 502B by the RF transmission / reception circuit 23 via the RF communication antenna 24, the roadside device 300 outputs the information signal 502B to the subsequent circuit, the information center, or the like as described above.

  As described above, with the configuration of the present embodiment, the electronic number display 1 is charged even during non-RF communication, so that it is activated for generating an information signal after receiving a power signal as in the conventional passive type. The information signal can be transmitted with a quick response. In addition, since the amount of power used for transmission can be increased, the amount of information is larger than that of the passive type, and high-speed communication is possible. Furthermore, transmission from the own device is also possible.

  Note that the electronic number display 1 can be charged during the information signal generation process as in the case of the roadside device 200. A decrease in charge amount can be further suppressed.

  In addition, since the configuration of the present embodiment does not require a power supply unit such as a primary battery used in a conventional active type, there is a need to replace it when the power supply unit reaches the end of its life. It is possible to save and maintain a more maintenance-free electronic number display.

  Further, the power receiving antenna and the power receiving circuit have a simple configuration, and a small electronic number display can be easily configured by using a charging capacitor.

Next, an electronic number display according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the electronic number display according to the second embodiment.

  The vehicle 100 of this embodiment includes a keyless entry vehicle-mounted device 15 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.

  The keyless entry vehicle-mounted device 15 includes a keyless LF circuit 16 and a keyless antenna 17. The keyless LF circuit generates a keyless control signal and supplies it to the keyless antenna 17. The keyless antenna 17 periodically transmits the keyless control signal 510 to the outside for communication with the keyless entry portable device.

  The power receiving antenna 10 of the electronic number display 1 has a position and configuration capable of receiving a keyless control signal, and outputs the received keyless control signal to the power receiving circuit 11. The power receiving circuit 11 rectifies the keyless control signal to generate a charging signal and charges the charging capacitor 12.

  With such a configuration, if the vehicle is equipped with keyless control, the charging capacitor 12 can be charged during the keyless control process. Thereby, the charging capacitor 12 can be charged more efficiently.

Next, an electronic number display according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the electronic number display according to the third embodiment.
The vehicle 100 according to the present embodiment includes a transmission circuit 103 and an antenna 102 connected to the in-vehicle battery 101 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment. The transmission circuit 103 converts the power output from the in-vehicle battery 101 into a radio wave signal 520 and radiates it from the antenna 102. The transmission circuit 103 includes a transmission circuit such as 135 kHz.
The antenna 102 and the power receiving antenna 10 of the electronic number display 1 are installed in such a manner that the radio wave signal 520 reaches the power receiving antenna 10 by spatial propagation due to electromagnetic coupling, and the radio wave signal 520 is received by the power receiving antenna 10. Received at. The power receiving antenna 10 rectifies the received radio wave signal 520 to generate a charging signal, and charges the charging capacitor 12.

  By setting it as such a structure, the capacitor | condenser 12 for charging can be charged with the electric power of the vehicle-mounted battery 101 originally mounted in the vehicle. Thereby, the charging capacitor 12 can be charged more effectively.

Next, an electronic number display according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the main components of the power receiving antenna 10 and the power receiving circuit 11.
As shown in FIG. 5, the power receiving antenna 10 includes a power receiving coil L. The power receiving coil L includes a winding member 150 and a core member 151 made of a magnetic material, and the winding member 150 is wound around the core member 151. At this time, the core member 151 is installed so as to be movable with respect to the winding member 150 according to the movement of the vehicle 100. That is, the vehicle 100 is installed such that the relative positional relationship between the core member 151 and the winding member 150 is different as the vehicle 100 moves or vibrates. By being installed in this way, when the core 151 moves relative to the winding member 150, an induced electromotive force is generated by electromagnetic induction, and a power signal is generated.

  The power receiving circuit 11 includes a diode D, the anode of the diode D is connected to one end of the power receiving coil L, and the cathode of the diode D is connected to the positive electrode side of the charging capacitor 12. The power receiving circuit 11 includes a transmission line that connects the other end of the power receiving coil L and the minus station side of the charging capacitor 12. In such a configuration, the power signal generated by the power receiving coil L is rectified by the diode D and supplied to the charging capacitor 12 as a charging signal. The charging capacitor 12 is charged by this charging signal.

  By setting it as such a structure, more efficient charge can be performed, without providing the electric power supply means different from the basic structure of the electronic number display 1. FIG.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, an example in which a charging capacitor is used has been described. However, a chemical secondary battery or the like may be used instead of the charging capacitor. At this time, in order to prevent overcharge of the secondary battery, it is preferable to provide a protection circuit between the power receiving circuit and the secondary battery. By using the secondary battery in this way, it is possible to charge a relatively large capacity compared to the case of using a charging capacitor.

  In the above description, each radio signal is not specifically described in detail, but it is preferable to use a power saving 300 MHz or 2.5 GHz ISM band. Thereby, consumption of charging power is suppressed.

  In addition, the configuration of the above-described keyless entry vehicle-mounted device 15, the configuration of the on-vehicle battery 102, or the configuration of the power receiving coil L may be provided in a composite manner. .

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the electronic number display 1 of the first embodiment, a main functional block diagram of a roadside machine 300, and a main functional block diagram of a roadside machine 200. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the function of the electronic number display of 1st this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the main structures of the electronic number display which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the main structures of the electronic number display which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating main components of a power receiving antenna 10 and a power receiving circuit 11. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

100-vehicle, 1-electronic number display, 10-power receiving antenna, 11-power receiving circuit, 12-charging capacitor, 13-RF transmission / reception circuit, 14-RF communication antenna, 16-keyless LF circuit, 17-keyless Antenna, 101-vehicle battery, 102-antenna, 200, 300-roadside machine, 20-power transmission antenna, 21-power transmission circuit, 23-RF transmission / reception circuit, 24-RF communication antenna, 501-power signal, 502A- Control signal, 502B-information signal, 510-keyless control signal, 520-radio signal

Claims (7)

A vehicle communication module that is mounted on a vehicle and wirelessly communicates information about the vehicle with a roadside machine,
Wireless communication means including own device side transmission for performing wireless communication with the roadside device;
A power receiving means for generating a charging signal by receiving a power generating signal from outside at all times, and generating the charging signal when receiving the power generating signal;
Charging means that is charged by the charging signal and supplies power during communication of the wireless communication means;
A vehicle communication module comprising: The vehicle includes an on-vehicle device for keyless entry,
2. The electronic number display according to claim 1, wherein the power supply receiving unit receives a radio wave signal transmitted from the keyless entry vehicle-mounted device as the power generation enable signal.   The vehicle communication module according to claim 1, further comprising self-power generation means for generating the charging signal by self-power generation according to the movement of the vehicle. The power supply receiving means includes a power receiving coil that receives the power generation enable signal,
The power receiving coil is formed by winding a winding member around a core made of a magnetic material,
The vehicle communication module according to claim 3, wherein the winding member and the core member are installed such that a relative position changes according to the movement of the vehicle.   The vehicle communication module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the charging means includes a capacitor.   The vehicle communication module according to claim 1, wherein the charging unit is a secondary battery.   The vehicle communication module according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle communication module is mounted on a license plate of the vehicle.

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