Method and arrangement for locating the installation position of wheels in a motor vehicle

• US 10,046,608 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Haas, Thomas, Fischer, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Jen, Ian
• Application Number:
  US15/029,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20160263951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/007 having multiple wheels arranged side by side
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0437 Means for detecting electromagnetic field changes not being part of the signal transmission per se, e.g. strength, direction, propagation or masking
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0488 Movement sensor, e.g. for sensing angular speed, acceleration or centripetal force
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0489 for detecting the actual angular position of the monitoring device while the wheel is turning

Abstract

A method for localizing the installation position of wheels in a motor vehicle having at least a first, second and third wheels, includes allocating respective wheel electronics to the wheels for emitting a radio signal with an identifier and allocating at least one vehicle-side rotational angle sensor to at least a first possible installation position. The installation position of the first wheel is determined by output signals of the rotational angle sensor at a first possible installation position. In addition, the installation position of the second and third wheels is determined by measuring the field strength of radio signals with identifiers of the wheel electronics of the second and third wheels by using a vehicle-side receiving device. In this way, precise determination of the location of the wheel electronics can be performed with minimum expenditure on devices, without having to provide a rotational angle sensor on each wheel.

Claims

1. A method for localizing the installation position of wheels of a vehicle, the method comprising the following steps:

providing the vehicle with at least one first wheel and a second wheel and a third wheel, wheel electronic systems each being allocated to a respective one of the wheels to emit a radio signal with an individual identifier, and a vehicle-side rotational angle sensor allocated to a first possible installation position;

defining an installation position of the at least one first wheel via information sensed by the rotational angle sensor at the first possible installation position;

measuring a field strength of the radio signals with the individual identifiers of the wheel electronic systems of the at least one second and third wheel by using a vehicle-side receiving device; and

determining the installation position of the at least one second and third wheel based on the respectively measured field strength, as a measure of a distance from the vehicle-side receiving device to the wheel electronic system of the at least one second and third wheel, wherein neither angular positions nor rotational speeds of the at least one second and third wheel are taken into account to determine the installation position of the at least one second and third wheel.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, which further comprises initially defining the individual identifier of the wheel at the first possible installation position of the rotational angle sensor, and subsequently determining the installation positions of the wheels not yet localized by using field strength measurement.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle-side receiving device is disposed asymmetrically in terms of distance in relation to the at least one second and third wheel.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one first wheel is disposed on a first wheel axle of the motor vehicle and the at least one second and third wheels are disposed on a second wheel axle of the motor vehicle.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, which further comprises emitting the radio signal with a predefined transmitting power.

6. An arrangement for localizing the installation position of wheels of a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising:

at least one vehicle-side rotational angle sensor for placement in a first possible installation position;

wheel electronic systems each being allocated to at least one first wheel and at least one second and third wheel and being configured to emit a radio signal with an individual identifier;

a vehicle-side receiving device for receiving the radio signals; and

a vehicle-side evaluation device being configured;

to define the installation position of the at least one first wheel via information from the rotational angle sensor in the first possible installation position; and

to determine the installation position of the at least one second and third wheel by measuring a field strength of the radio signals with the individual identifiers of the wheel electronic systems of the at least one second and third wheel at the location of the vehicle-side receiving device, wherein neither angular positions nor rotational speeds of the at least one second and third wheel are taken into account to determine the installation position of the at least one second and third wheel.

7. The arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the evaluation device has a memory for storing all individual identifiers received via the radio signals and a corresponding allocation to the possible installation positions of the allocated wheels.

9. A motor vehicle, comprising:

at least one first and at least one second and third wheel; and

an arrangement for localizing the installation position of the wheels of the motor vehicle according to claim 6.

8. A control device for an arrangement for localizing the installation position of wheels of a motor vehicle, the control device comprising:

a first input for receiving information sensed by a vehicle-side rotational angle sensor for placement in a first possible installation position;

a second input for receiving radio signals emitted with an individual identifier by wheel electronic systems each being allocated to at least one first wheel and at least one second and third wheel; and

an evaluation device being configured;

to define the installation position of the at least one first wheel via the information sensed by the rotational angle sensor at the first possible installation position; and

to determine the installation position of the at least one second and third wheel by measuring a field strength of the radio signals with the individual identifiers of the wheel electronic systems of the at least one second and third wheel at the location of the vehicle-side receiving device, wherein neither angular positions nor rotational speeds of the at least one second and third wheel are taken into account to determine the installation position of the at least one second and third wheel.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a processor in a vehicle having:

at least one first wheel and a second wheel and a third wheel, wheel electronic systems each being allocated to a respective one of the wheels to emit a radio signal with an individual identifier, and a vehicle-side rotational angle sensor allocated to a first possible installation position,

performs the following steps for localizing the installation position of the wheels of the vehicle comprising;

defining the installation position of the at least one first wheel via information sensed by the rotational angle sensor at the first possible installation position;

measuring a field strength of the radio signals with the individual identifiers of the wheel electronic systems of the at least one second and third wheel by using a vehicle-side receiving device; and

determining the respective installation position of the at least one second and third wheel from a respectively measured field strength, as a measure of a distance from the vehicle-side receiving device to the wheel electronic system of the at least one second and third wheel, wherein neither angular positions nor rotational speeds of the at least one second and third wheel are taken into account to determine the installation position of the at least one second and third wheel.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the processor is the control device according to claim 8.