US5751227A — Communication system for vehicles

Claim 1

Independent Claim 125 words

A communication system for vehicles, said system comprising: an antenna unit disposed over a road for setting a communication area by operating at a specified oscillation frequency; an antenna element provided within the antenna unit, said antenna element including a center patch and an end patch, a transmission line connecting the center patch and the end patch and a power supply terminal connected to the transmission line, an impedance of said end patch as seen from said power supply terminal being higher than an impedance of said center patch as seen from said power supply terminal, for sending an interrogatory signal to a vehicle; and a communication controlling means provided within the antenna unit for controlling transmission and receipt of signals at the antenna unit.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 125 words

A communication system for vehicles, said system comprising: an antenna unit disposed over a road for setting a communication area by operating at a specified oscillation frequency; an antenna element provided within the antenna unit, said antenna element including a center patch and an end patch, a transmission line connecting the center patch and the end patch and a power supply terminal connected to the transmission line, an impedance of said end patch as seen from said power supply terminal being higher than an impedance of said center patch as seen from said power supply terminal, for sending an interrogatory signal to a vehicle; and a communication controlling means provided within the antenna unit for controlling transmission and receipt of signals at the antenna unit.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 27 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the number and layout of the patches are determined according to a range of the communication area.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 53 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit comprises a first antenna element setting a communicable area beneath a part where the antenna unit is disposed, and a second antenna element setting a communicable area on a side farther than the communicable area of the first antenna element.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 27 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the antenna elements comprises a direction adjusting means for adjusting a setting direction of the communication area.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 35 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit is provided for plurality over the road, and transmission frequency and transmission timing thereof differ from each other between adjoining antenna units.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 19 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element is composed of a microstrip antenna.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 36 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit is disposed on a toll road and the communication system is so constructed as to exchange toll collection data necessary for traffic therethrough.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 30 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the communication area has a length dimension approximately as much as or less than a length dimension of a vehicle.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 68 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, further comprising: a gantry disposed over said road, said antenna unit being disposed on said gantry; wherein a communication area covered by said antenna unit includes a main lobe having a portion disposed in a path of a communicable portion of said vehicle and a side lobe disposed apart from said path of said communicable portion of said vehicle.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 18 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said end part includes at least one patch.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 27 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said end part has a communication area having a portion disposed in a path of said vehicle.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 25 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said end part is connected to said power supply route independently of said central part.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 34 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said communication controlling means is further for controlling transmission and receipt of signals at the antenna unit at least partially via said end part.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 86 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one additional center patch, said center patch and said at least one center patch being electrically connected to one another by a first portion of said transmission line; and at least one additional end patch, said end patch and said at least one additional end patch each being connected to a respective one of said center patch and said at least one additional center patch by a second portion of said transmission line.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 33 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 14, wherein an impedance of said second portion of said transmission line is higher than an impedance of said first portion of said transmission line.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 39 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle mounted responder mounted on the vehicle for transmitting a response signal by modulating and reflecting unmodulated carrier waves received following the receipt of the interrogatory signal.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 109 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 16, wherein: the communication controlling means is so constructed that the plurality of antenna units repetitively output pilot interrogatory signals with a specified time interval, and that the antenna unit received a pilot response signal from a certain vehicle mounted responder of all the plurality of antenna units subsequently transmits the interrogatory signal to communicate with the certain vehicle mounted responder; and the vehicle mounted responder comprises a vehicle mounted response controlling means for outputting the pilot response signal to counter the pilot interrogatory signal upon receipt thereof and transmits the response signal in response to the interrogatory signal subsequently received.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 47 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 17, wherein the vehicle mounted response controlling means transmits the response signal with a timing of a time slot selected at random from among a plurality of time slots when the vehicle mounted responder receives the pilot interrogatory signal.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 188 words

A communication system for vehicles, said system comprising: an antenna unit disposed over a road for setting a communication area by operating at a specified oscillation frequency; an antenna element provided within the antenna unit, said antenna element including a center patch and an end patch, a transmission line connecting the center patch and the end patch and a power supply terminal connected to the transmission line, an impedance of said end patch as seen from said power supply terminal being different from an impedance of said center patch as seen from said power supply terminal, for sending an interrogatory signal to a vehicle, a portion of said interrogatory signal sent from said center patch being greater than a portion of said interrogatory signal sent from said end patch; a communication controlling means provided within the antenna unit for controlling transmission and receipt of signals at the antenna unit; wherein a communication area covered by said antenna unit includes a main lobe disposed at a position to be communicable with said vehicle and a side lobe disposed at a position where it is not communicable with said vehicle.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 188 words

A communication system for vehicles, said system comprising: an antenna unit disposed over a road for setting a communication area by operating at a specified oscillation frequency; an antenna element provided within the antenna unit, said antenna element including a center patch and an end patch, a transmission line connecting the center patch and the end patch and a power supply terminal connected to the transmission line, an impedance of said end patch as seen from said power supply terminal being different from an impedance of said center patch as seen from said power supply terminal, for sending an interrogatory signal to a vehicle, a portion of said interrogatory signal sent from said center patch being greater than a portion of said interrogatory signal sent from said end patch; a communication controlling means provided within the antenna unit for controlling transmission and receipt of signals at the antenna unit; wherein a communication area covered by said antenna unit includes a main lobe disposed at a position to be communicable with said vehicle and a side lobe disposed at a position where it is not communicable with said vehicle.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 86 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 19, further comprising: at least one additional center patch, said center patch and said at least one center patch being electrically connected to one another by a first portion of said transmission line; and at least one additional end patch, said end patch and said at least one additional end patch each being connected to a respective one of said center patch and said at least one additional center patch by a second portion of said transmission line.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 33 words

A communication system for vehicles according to claim 20, wherein an impedance of said second portion of said transmission line is higher than an impedance of said first portion of said transmission line.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2001-05-11	2001-11-10	2002-05-12	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2005-05-11	2005-11-10	2006-05-12	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2009-05-11	2009-11-10	2010-05-12	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Communication system for vehicles

Abstract

Inventors

Bibliographic Details

Claims Analysis

References Cited (Backward Citations)

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Assigned Categories & Tags

Assign Category Tag