Transmission And/Or Reception Device Which Is Intended To Be Mounted To A Vehicle Wheel And A Housing For One Such Device

Abstract

The invention provides a transmission and/or reception device for mounting on a wheel of a vehicle and a housing for such a device. The device includes a tire information device configured to provide information relating to a tire. A transmitter/receiver is electrically connected to the tire information device. An antenna is electrically connected to the transmitter/receiver for transmitting and/or receiving radio frequency signals. A housing is configured to house the tire information device and the transmitter/receiver. The antenna is formed by winding a cable on an outside face of the housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood on reading the following description, given purely by way of example, and made with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of the front of a vehicle seen from the side and provided with a device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed diagram of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an axial section diagram of a wheel of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1, provided with a device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a radial section diagram of the wheel shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a detailed diagram in longitudinal section of the device shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows the front of a vehicle, given overall reference 10. The vehicle 10, which is a car in the example shown, has mounted assemblies, each having a wheel 14 carrying a tire 16, with only the front-right assembly 12 being shown. When mounted on the car 10, the assembly 12 is located in a wheel arch 18.

The vehicle has an antenna 20 situated in the vicinity of the wheel arch 18 and designed to interact with a device 22 carried by the wheel 14. The device 22, which is shown in detail in FIG. 2, comprises a pressure sensor 24 coupled to a transmission and/or reception device 26. The transmission and/or reception device 26 comprises electronic transmitter/receiver 28 together with an antenna 30.

The pressure sensor 24 and the electronic transmitter/receiver 28 are integrated in a housing 22 having an outside face 34 that supports the antenna 30. The housing 22 is of elongate, prismatic shape and is fixed in an assembly groove of the wheel 14, so that its long dimension extends substantially along an ortho-radial axis of the wheel 14, as can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, i.e., an axis that is at right angles to a radius and to the axis of the wheel.

The antenna 30 comprises a cable 36, for example made of copper, which is wound around the housing 22 so as to form a solenoid. When the device 26 is mounted on the wheel 14, the solenoid is oriented along an ortho-radial axis of the wheel 14.

In order to protect the cable 36 while the tire is being mounted on the wheel, the outside face 34 of the housing includes grooves 38, as shown in FIG. 5. The grooves 38 are formed by spaces left empty between ribs 40 formed on the outside face 34 of the housing 22. The grooves 38 are shaped to receive the cable 36 fully, so that the cable is protected by the ribs 40 between the grooves 38 against possible contact. To further improve protection of the cable 36, an outer protective film 42 of heat-shrink material covers the outside face 34 of the housing 22.

Alternatively, the protection of the loops of the antenna 30 can be obtained by molding, for example by injection molding, of the assembly housing 22 and antenna 30. The material constitutive of the molded layer may be identical to the material of the housing.

Claims

1-16. (canceled)

17. A transmission and/or reception device for mounting on a wheel of a vehicle, the device comprising: a tire information device configured to provide information relating to a tire;a transmitter/receiver electrically connected to the tire information device;an antenna electrically connected to the transmitter/receiver for transmitting and/or receiving radio frequency signals; anda housing configured to house the tire information device and the transmitter/receiver,wherein the antenna is formed by a cable wound around an outside face of the housing.

18. A device according to claim 17, wherein the outside face of the housing is shaped to protect the antenna.

19. A device according to claim 17, wherein the housing is shaped to be positioned on the wheel in such a manner that the wound cable forms a solenoid that is oriented along an ortho-radial axis of the wheel.

20. A device according to claim 17, wherein the outside face of the housing includes grooves configured to receive the cable.

21. A device according to claim 20, wherein at least one of the grooves is shaped to receive the cable fully, in such a manner that the cable is protected by the ridges between the grooves against possible contact.

22. A device according to claim 20, wherein the grooves are formed by spaces between ribs formed on the outside face of the housing.

23. A device according to claim 17, including an outer protective film covering the antenna formed on the outside face of the housing.

24. A device according to claim 23, wherein the film comprises a heat-shrink plastic material.

25. A device according to claim 24, wherein the film comprises at least one of polyethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

26. A device according to claim 23, wherein the film comprises at least one of polypropylene, polyphenylene sulphide (PPS), and polyamide

27. A device according to claim 17, wherein an outside protecting layer is molded onto the antenna formed on the outside face of the housing.

28. A device according to claim 27, wherein the molded outside protective layer comprises the same material as the housing.

29. A device according to claim 27, wherein the molded outside protective layer is obtained by injection molding a thermosetting material

30. A device according to claim 29, wherein the thermosetting material comprises at least one of epoxy resin, phenolic resin, polycarbonate, polyurethane, polyamide, vinyl ester, and polyester.

31. A device according to claim 27, wherein the molded outside protective layer comprises polyphthalamide (PPA).

32. A device according to claim 17, wherein the tire information device comprises a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure inside a tire mounted on the wheel.

33. A housing for a transmission and/or reception device configured to be mounted to a vehicle wheel, the transmission and/or reception device including an antenna, the housing comprising: an interior portion for housing the transmission and/or reception device; andan outside face shaped to support a cable forming the antenna,wherein the outside face is shaped to support a cable wrapped around the housing in a solenoidal arrangement.

34. A housing according to claim 33, shaped to be positioned on the wheel in such a manner that the wound cable forms a solenoid oriented along an ortho-radial axis of the wheel.

35. A housing according to claim 33, wherein the outside face of the housing comprises grooves suitable for receiving the cable.

36. A housing according to claim 35, wherein at least one of the grooves is shaped to receive the cable fully, in such a manner that the cable is protected by the ridges between the grooves against possible contact.

37. A device according to claim 36, wherein the grooves are formed by spaces between ribs formed on the outside face of the housing.