Tire-Integrated Antennas for Wireless Sensors in Automotive Applications

This work provides an examination of the applicability of RF antennas in tire-based wireless sensors for wireless communication and RF energy harvesting. Following the literature review, meander dipole and log periodic antennas designed for operation at 915 MHz on Rogers RO4350B substrate were deployed in a styrene-butadiene rubber enclosure, a stationary vehicle tire and a rotating bicycle tire for examination in the aspects of communication and RF energy harvesting. In communication with integrated RFID IC chips, the antennas demonstrated a minimum read performance of 1.21 and 3.6 successful interrogations per second at a read distance of two meters while within the inner air layer of the rotating bicycle and stationary vehicle tires respectively. Integrated with a three stage Dickson charge pump energy harvester and placed 0.5 meters from a 20 dBm RF source, the meander dipole and log periodic antennas respectively harvested power reaching 53.66 microwatts and 47.05 microwatts at peak, deemed feasible for supporting digital components such as sensors or microcontrollers. If fully developed, the successful harvest of RF power in the tire environment is capable of greatly benefiting the TPMS sector currently dependent on battery power, offering deliverance from device lifespan issues and cost-effective manufacturing within the automotive field.