Patent ID: 7679500

Claim:
Wireless vehicular sensing system comprising: a radio frequency access control system including a plurality of antennas distributed within the vehicle and at least one radio frequency transceiver coupled to said plurality of antennas for effecting radio frequency interrogations of radio frequency access permission devices via said plurality of antennas in response to operator invoked interrogation requests; and a plurality of radio frequency sensors distributed within the vehicle and associated with systems other than vehicle access control; said at least one radio frequency transceiver effecting radio frequency interrogations of said plurality of radio frequency sensors via said plurality of antennas in response to system invoked interrogation requests; each of the antennas comprising a leaky waveguide antenna including an elongated conductor for providing one of electric power and electric ground to a device electrically connected to a wiring distribution center in the vehicle; and the at least one radio frequency transceiver positioned proximal to the wiring distribution center to effect near-field coupling via air link to source the conductors with radio frequency energy and receive from the conductors radio frequency energy.