# US 9,438,280 B2 · In-vehicle communication apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,438,280 B2 - Document ID: US9438280B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/898,713 - Filed: 2014-05-22 - Published: 2016-05-19 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-06-18 - Assignees: Denso Corporation - Applicants: Denso Corporation - Inventors: Yasumune Yukizaki; Tadao Suzuki; Yuji Sugimoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438280B2 ## CPC - H04B 1/0458: {Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages (matching circuits in general H03H)} - H03F 1/0205: {in transistor amplifiers} - H03F 1/0211: {with control of the supply voltage or current} - H03F 3/19: with semiconductor devices only - H03F 3/195: in integrated circuits - H03F 3/24: of transmitter output stages - H03F 3/245: {with semiconductor devices only} - H04B 1/3877: Arrangements for enabling portable transceivers to be used in a fixed position, e.g. cradles or boosters - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - H03F 2200/451: the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier - H04B 2001/0416: {having gain or transmission power control} - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H03F: AMPLIFIERS - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract An in-vehicle communication apparatus includes an antenna module, and a wireless communication device physically separated from the antenna module and connected to the antenna module through a coaxial cable. The antenna module includes an antenna, and a transmission amplifier of the antenna. The wireless communication device includes a power generation portion that supplies a power driving the antenna module, a signal generation portion that generates a transmission signal, a power superimposition portion that superimposes the transmission signal on the power supplied from the power generation portion, and transmits a superimposed power to the transmission amplifier, a current detection portion that detects a consumption current value from the power, a correspondence relationship hold portion that holds a correspondence relationship between the consumption current value and an output power value, and a regulation portion that adjusts the transmission signal to maintain the output power value at a predetermined power value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An in-vehicle communication apparatus comprising: an antenna module; and a wireless communication device that is physically separated from the antenna module and connected to the antenna module through a coaxial cable, wherein: the antenna module includes an antenna, and a transmission amplifier of the antenna; the wireless communication device includes a power generation portion that supplies a power driving the antenna module, a signal generation portion that generates a transmission signal to be transmitted from the antenna, a power superimposition portion that superimposes the transmission signal generated by the signal generation portion on the power supplied from the power generation portion, and transmits a superimposed power to the transmission amplifier through the coaxial cable, a current detection portion that detects a consumption current value of the transmission amplifier from the power that is supplied from the power generation portion to the transmission amplifier, a correspondence relationship hold portion that holds a correspondence relationship between the consumption current value of the transmission amplifier and an output power value of the transmission amplifier in advance, and a regulation portion that adjusts the transmission signal generated by the signal generation portion to maintain the output power value of the transmission amplifier at a predetermined power value, the output power value being obtained with reference to the correspondence relationship held in the correspondence relationship hold portion based on the consumption current value of the transmission amplifier detected by the current detection portion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The in-vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the wireless communication device further includes a temperature acquisition portion that acquires an estimation temperature detected by a temperature sensor that detects the estimation temperature in a region except for an interior of the antenna module, the estimation temperature estimating an ambient temperature of the transmission amplifier; the correspondence relationship hold portion holds a temperature specific correspondence relationship that is any one of the correspondence relationship and a correction value of the correspondence relationship for the estimation temperature, and the correspondence relationship for the estimation temperature in advance; and the regulation portion adjusts the transmission signal generated by the signal generation portion to maintain the output power value of the transmission amplifier at a predetermined power value, the output power value being obtained with reference to the temperature specific correspondence relationship based on the consumption current value of the transmission amplifier, which is detected by the current detection portion, and the estimation temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The in-vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the correspondence relationship hold portion holds a duty ratio specific correspondence relationship that is any one of the correspondence relationship and a correction value of the correspondence relationship for each of duty ratios of the transmission signal, and the correspondence relationship for each of the duty ratios in advance; and the regulation portion adjusts the transmission signal generated by the signal generation portion to maintain the output power value of the transmission amplifier at a predetermined power value, the output power value being obtained with reference to the duty ratio specific correspondence relationship based on the consumption current value of the transmission amplifier, which is detected by the current detection portion, and the duty ratio of the transmission signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The in-vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the regulation portion refers, as the consumption current value of the transmission amplifier, the consumption current value detected by the current detection portion at a time point of transmitting a short preamble portion of the transmission signal from the signal generation portion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The in-vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the regulation portion refers, as the consumption current value of the transmission amplifier, an average of the consumption current value detected by the current detection portion at respective time points corresponding to a plurality of points of a transmission packet of the transmission signal transmitted from the signal generation portion. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The in-vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: the regulation portion refers, as the consumption current value of the transmission amplifier, an average of the consumption current value detected by the current detection portion at respective time points corresponding to a plurality of points of one transmission packet of the transmission signal transmitted from the signal generation portion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The in-vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: the regulation portion refers, as the consumption current value of the transmission amplifier, an average of the consumption current value detected by the current detection portion at respective time points corresponding to a plurality of points of a plurality of transmission packets of the transmission signal transmitted from the signal generation portion. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The in-vehicle communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the regulation portion refers, as the consumption current value of the transmission amplifier, an average of the consumption current value detected by the current detection portion at respective time points corresponding to an identical point of each of a plurality of transmission packets of the transmission signal transmitted from the signal generation portion.