Patent Publication Number: US-2021184721-A1

Title: Compensator Module, Control Module, Data Transfer System and Method For Operating A Data Transfer System

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) of German Patent Application No. 102019134013.6, filed on Dec. 11, 2019. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a data transfer system and, more particularly, to a compensator module of a data transfer system. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A compensator module for compensating a cable loss is known in the prior art. 
     SUMMARY 
     A compensator module includes a wanted-signal connection for transferring a plurality of wanted signals, a radio-frequency module for amplifying the wanted signals, a control-data connection for receiving a plurality of control data, and a processing unit processing the control data and driving the radio-frequency module. The control-data connection is connected to a digital data network. The processing unit switches the radio-frequency module between a compensator-module transmit operating mode and a compensator-module receive operating mode according to the control data. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a data transfer system according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a radio-frequency module of a compensator module of the data transfer system; and 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a system receive operating mode and a system transmit operating mode of the data transfer system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S) 
     Features and exemplary embodiments as well as advantages of the present disclosure will be explained in detail with respect to the drawings. It is understood that the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited by the description of the following embodiments. It should furthermore be understood that some or all of the features described in the following may also be combined in alternative ways. 
       FIG. 1  shows a block diagram of a data transfer system  10  according to an embodiment. The data transfer system  10  may be arranged in a motor vehicle, for example, and may be used for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, for example. The data transfer system  10  includes a control module  100  and a compensator module  200 . The control module  100  and the compensator module  200  can be arranged separately from one another at different positions in a motor vehicle. 
     The control module  100 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , includes a transfer unit  130 . The transfer unit  130  can include a baseband processor, for example. The transfer unit  130  is designed to emit and receive radio-frequency wanted signals  610 . The transfer unit  130  emits and receives the radio-frequency wanted signals  610  alternately in time. If the control module  100  is in a control-module transmit operating mode  810 , which is shown schematically in  FIG. 3 , then the transfer unit  130  of the control module  100  is emitting wanted signals  610 . If the control module  100  is in a control-module receive operating mode  811 , which is shown schematically in  FIG. 3 , then the transfer unit  130  of the control module  100  is receiving the wanted signals  610 . The control-module transmit operating mode  810  and the control-module receive operating mode  811  alternate in time. The wanted signals  610  may lie, for example, in an ultra high frequency (UHF) transmit frequency band or a super high frequency (SHF) transmit frequency band, for instance in a transmit frequency band that includes a frequency of 5.9 GHz. 
     The control module  100  has a wanted-signal connection  110 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The control module  100  is connected via the wanted-signal connection  110  to an antenna cable  600 . The antenna cable  600  may be a coaxial cable, for instance. The transfer unit  130  is connected to the wanted-signal connection  110  such that the transfer unit  130  can emit and receive the wanted signals  610  via the wanted-signal connection  110 . 
     The control module  100  also includes a control-data connection  120 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The control module  100  is connected via the control-data connection  120  to a digital data network  500 . The digital data network  500  may be an Ethernet-based data network, a media oriented systems transport (MOST) data network or a controller area network (CAN) data network, for example. This advantageously makes it possible to transfer the control data  510  via a data network that already exists for other purposes, allowing the compensator module  200  to be installed particularly simply and economically. The control module  100  can exchange data via the digital data network  500  with other modules that are likewise connected to the digital data network  500 . 
     The transfer unit  130  of the control module  100  is designed to emit via the control-data connection  120  control data  510  that indicates whether the control module  100  is in the control-module transmit operating mode  810  or in the control-module receive operating mode  811 . For this purpose, the transfer unit  130  of the control module  100  can emit corresponding control data  510  via the control-data connection  120  whenever there is a change between the control-module transmit operating mode  810  and the control-module receive operating mode  811 . The transfer unit  130  of the control module  100  can also emit control data  510  periodically indicating whether, at that precise time at which the control data  510  is being emitted, the control module  100  is in the control-module transmit operating mode  810  or in the control-module receive operating mode  811 . 
     As  FIG. 1  shows, the compensator module  200  has a wanted-signal connection  210 , a radio-frequency module  300 , and an antenna  250 . The wanted-signal connection  210  of the compensator module  200  is connected to the antenna cable  600 . The wanted-signal connection  210  of the compensator module  200  is thereby connected via the antenna cable  600  to the wanted-signal connection  110  of the control module  100 . The radio-frequency module  300  of the compensator module  200  is connected to the wanted-signal connection  210  and to the antenna  250 , and is arranged between the wanted-signal connection  210  and the antenna  250 . Compensation of cable losses that is performed by the compensator module  200  advantageously takes place close to the antenna  250 . 
     The compensator module  200  is designed such that in a compensator-module transmit operating mode  820  of the compensator module  200 , which operating mode is shown schematically in  FIG. 3 , it receives via the wanted-signal connection  210  of the compensator module  200  wanted signals  610  emitted by the control module  100  via the wanted-signal connection  110  of the control module  100  and the antenna cable  600 , and it emits said wanted signals via the antenna  250  of the compensator module  200 . In addition, the compensator module  200  is designed such that in a compensator-module receive operating mode  821  of the compensator module  200 , which operating mode is shown schematically in  FIG. 3 , it receives wanted signals  610  via the antenna  250  of the compensator module  200 , and transfers these wanted signals to the control module  100  via the radio-frequency module  300 , the wanted-signal connection  210  of the compensator module  200 , the antenna cable  600  and the wanted-signal connection  110  of the control module  100 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a block diagram of the radio-frequency module  300  of the compensator module  200  without the other components of the compensator module  200 . The radio-frequency module  300  of the compensator module  200  has a transmit path  310 , via which the wanted signals  610  are routed from the wanted-signal connection  210  to the antenna  250  in the compensator-module transmit operating mode  820 . The radio-frequency module  300  also comprises a receive path  320 , via which the wanted signals  610  are routed from the antenna  250  to the wanted-signal connection  210  in the compensator-module receive operating mode  821 . 
     The antenna cable  600  arranged between the control module  100  and the compensator module  200  of the data transfer system  10  may have a long length, for instance a length of several meters. As a result, in the control-module transmit operating mode  810  of the control module  100 , wanted signals  610  emitted by the control module  100  are attenuated or weakened in the antenna cable  600 . This attenuation of the wanted signals  610  must be compensated in the compensator module  200  in order that the wanted signals  610  can be emitted via the antenna  250  of the compensator module  200  at a specified signal strength. 
     In order to compensate the attenuation of the wanted signals  610  emitted by the control module  100  that occurs in the antenna cable  600 , the wanted signals  610  are amplified in the radio-frequency module  300  of the compensator module  200 . In the example shown schematically in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the radio-frequency module  300  has for this purpose a power amplifier  330  arranged in the transmit path  310 . The radio-frequency module  300  could also comprise other and/or additional amplifiers, however. In addition, the radio-frequency module  300  could comprise, for example, an attenuator arranged in the transmit path  310  and having an adjustable attenuation, as an effective means of adapting the amplification of the wanted signals  610  performed by the radio-frequency module  300  to suit different cable attenuations. 
     In the example shown schematically in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the radio-frequency module  300  of the compensator module  200  also has a low-noise amplifier  340  arranged in the receive path  320  of the radio-frequency module  300 . The low-noise amplifier  340  is intended to amplify, in the compensator-module receive operating mode  821  of the compensator module  200 , the wanted signals  610  received via the antenna  250 , before the wanted signals  610  are passed to the control module  100  via the wanted-signal connection  210  of the compensator module  200 , the antenna cable  600  and the wanted-signal connection  110  of the control module  100 . The radio-frequency module  300  could alternatively also comprise other or additional amplifiers and components arranged in the receive path  320 . The low-noise amplifier  340  can also be omitted or can be bypassed. 
     The compensator module  200  has a control-data connection  220  and a processing unit  400 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The control-data connection  220  is connected to the digital data network  500 , to which the control-data connection  120  of the control module  100  is also connected. The control module  100  and the compensator module  200  are thereby connected to one another via the digital data network  500  and can exchange data via the digital data network  500 . 
     The processing unit  400  of the compensator module  200  can comprise a processor or a microcontroller. The processing unit  400  is designed to receive, via the control-data connection  220  of the compensator module  200 , and process the control data  510  emitted by the control module  100 , which control data indicates whether the control module  100  is in the control-module transmit operating mode  810  or in the control-module receive operating mode  811 . The processing unit  400  is designed to switch the compensator module  200  between the compensator-module transmit operating mode  820  and the compensator-module receive operating mode  821  according to the received control data  510 . In this process, the processing unit  400  switches the compensator module  200  into the compensator-module transmit operating mode  820  if the control data  510  received from the control module  100  indicates that the control module  100  is in the control-module transmit operating mode  810 . In a corresponding manner, the processing unit  400  switches the compensator module  200  into the compensator-module receive operating mode  821  if the control data  510  received from the control module  100  indicates that the control module  100  is in the control-module receive operating mode  811 . In the compensator module  200 , the control data  510  is transferred separately from the wanted signals  610 . The compensator module  200  can thereby advantageously have a particularly simple design. 
     As a result, the data transfer system  10  comprising the control module  100  and the compensator module  200  is either in a system transmit operating mode  800 , which is shown schematically in  FIG. 3 , or in a system receive operating mode  801 , which is shown schematically in  FIG. 3 . In the system transmit operating mode  800 , the control module  100  is in the control-module transmit operating mode  810 , and the compensator module  200  is in the compensator-module transmit operating mode  820 . In the system receive operating mode  801 , the control module  100  is in the control-module receive operating mode  811 , and the compensator module  200  is in the compensator-module receive operating mode  821 . 
     The switching of the compensator module  200  between the compensator-module transmit operating mode  820  and the compensator-module receive operating mode  821  performed by the processing unit  400  comprises switching the radio-frequency module  300  between the transmit path  310  and the receive path  320 . The switching between the transmit path  310  and the receive path  320  can be performed by a first switch  350  and a second switch  360 , for instance, as shown schematically in  FIG. 2 . In the compensator-module transmit operating mode  820 , the transmit path  310  of the radio-frequency module  300  is active. In the compensator-module receive operating mode  821 , the receive path  320  of the radio-frequency module  300  is active. 
     The compensator module  200  has a voltage-supply connection  230 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , which is intended to be connected to an external voltage-supply unit  900 . The compensator module  200  can obtain a supply voltage from the external voltage-supply unit  900  via the voltage-supply connection  230 , and provide this supply voltage by an internal voltage-supply unit  240  to the components of the compensator module  200 , for instance to the processing unit  400  and to the radio-frequency module  300 . 
     The compensator module  200  can be designed to detect one or more measured values, which it transfers to the processing unit  400  and processes by the processing unit  400 . For example, the compensator module  200  can be designed to detect a temperature of the power amplifier  330 , a temperature of the low-noise amplifier  340  or another temperature. The compensator module  200  can also be designed to determine a signal level of the wanted signals  610  received from the control module  100  in the system transmit operating mode  800 . 
     The compensator module  200  can be designed such that the processing unit  400  drives the radio-frequency module  300  according to one or more detected measured values. For example, the processing unit may adjust a gain of the power amplifier  330  or of the low-noise amplifier  340  or an attenuation of an attenuator of the radio-frequency module  300  according to one or more measured values. 
     It can also be provided that the processing unit  400  transfers one or more detected measured values via the control-data connection  220  and the digital data network  500  to the control module  100  or to other network nodes of the digital data network  500 . 
     The compensator module  200  of the data transfer system  10  may be integrated in a motor vehicle control unit  700  intended for another purpose, or may form part of this control unit  700 . In this case, individual components of the compensator module  200  in the control unit  700  can also be used for other purposes. For example, the control-data connection  220 , the processing unit  400 , the voltage-supply connection  230  and the internal voltage-supply unit  240  can also be used for other functions of the control unit  700 . Thus the internal voltage-supply unit  240  can also supply other components of the control unit  700  with a supply voltage. The processing unit  400  can also drive other components of the control unit  700 . Data other than the control data  510  used by the compensator module  200  can also be exchanged with the digital data network  500  via the control-data connection  220 . 
     The control unit  700  can comprise further components in addition to the described components of the compensator module  200 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the control unit  700  can comprise one or more additional antennas  710 , for instance a mobile communications antenna, a radio antenna and/or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antenna. 
     In the data transfer system  10 , control data  510  can advantageously be exchanged between the control module  100  and the compensator module  200  via the digital data network  500 . At the same time, the control module  100  and the compensator module  200  can exchange wanted data via their wanted-signal connections  110 ,  210 . The separation of wanted signals  610  and control data  510  advantageously allows the compensator module  200  and the control module  100  of this data transfer system  10  to have a particularly simple design. 
     In a method for operating the data transfer system  10 , the control module  100  emits via its control-data connection  120  control data  510  that indicates whether the control module  100  is in the control-module transmit operating mode  810  or in the control-module receive operating mode  811 . The compensator module  200  receives the control data  510  via its control-data connection  120 . The processing unit  400  of the compensator module  200  switches the radio-frequency module  300  of the compensator module  200  between the compensator-module transmit operating mode  810  and the compensator-module receive operating mode  811  according to the control data  510 . This method advantageously allows the data transfer system  10  to be operated particularly simply.