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

• US 10,052,921 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Bettecken, Juergen, Skotnitzki, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Zhen Y
• Application Number:
  US15/126,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20170106706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 340447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0488 Movement sensor, e.g. for sensing angular speed, acceleration or centripetal force

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for locating the installation position of at least two wheels (2a-2d) on a vehicle (1). A first radio signal of a first first sensor (4a) which is mounted on a wheel and a second radio signal of a second first sensor (4b) which is mounted on another wheel of the at least two wheels are received. Furthermore, a first measurement value of a first second sensor, which measures an angular position of a first wheel, is received, and a second measurement value of a second second sensor (5c), which measures an angular position of a second wheel of the at least two wheels, is received. If a first phase position of the first radio signal remains within a specified tolerance range in relation to the first measurement value and a second phase position of the first radio signal remains within a specified tolerance range in relation to the second measurement value, a unique allocation by means of an angular comparison is not possible such that the installation position of the sensors or the paired wheels is located by means of a field strength measurement (FS4a, FS4c) of the first radio signal (S4a) and the second (S4c) radio signal.

Claims

1. A method for localizing an installation position of at least two wheels on a vehicle, comprising the steps:

receiving a first radio signal of a first first sensor mounted on one wheel of the at least two wheels, wherein the first radio signal indicates a position of the wheel;

receiving a second radio signal of a second first sensor mounted on a further wheel of the at least two wheels, wherein the second radio signal indicates a position of the further wheel;

receiving a first measurement value of a first second sensor that measures an angular position of a first wheel of the at least two wheels and that is associated with a certain first point of the vehicle;

receiving a second measurement value of a second second sensor that measures the angular position of a second wheel of the at least two wheels and that is associated with a certain second point of the vehicle;

determining a first phase position of the first radio signal relative to the first measurement value, as well as determining a second phase position of the first radio signal relative to the second measurement value; and

,

if the first phase position and the second phase position each remain within a predetermined tolerance range in a predetermined observation interval, determining the installation position of the at least two wheels by measuring a field strength of the first radio signal and a field strength of the second radio signal by means of a receiving device on the vehicle, wherein the respective measured field strength characterizes a distance of the receiving device on the vehicle from the first first sensor and from the second first sensor,

wherein the predetermined observation interval contains at least one of a predetermined number of revolutions of at least one of the first wheel and the second wheel of the at least two wheels and a predetermined time interval.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if one of the first phase position or the second phase position does not remain within the predetermined tolerance range in the predetermined observation interval, the first first sensor is associated with the one of the first second sensor or the second second sensor of which the associated phase position remains within the predetermined tolerance range in the predetermined observation interval.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first first sensor transmits the first radio signal in a predefinable position of the wheel and/or the second first sensor transmits the second radio signal in a predefinable position of the further wheel.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the predefinable position is selected from the group consisting of an angular position of the wheel relative to space, an entry of a point on the circumference of the wheel into a wheel contact area, an exit of a point on the circumference of the wheel from the wheel contact area and a point on the circumference of the wheel reaching a center of the wheel contact area.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined observation interval is selected so that it contains a predetermined number of revolutions of the first wheel or of the second wheel of the at least two wheels.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the occurrence of a certain operating situation of the vehicle is awaited for determining the predetermined observation interval.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving device on the vehicle is disposed asymmetrically relative to and close to the at least two wheels.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first radio signal and the second radio signal are transmitted with a predetermined equal transmission power.

12. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing a program causing a control unit for an arrangement for localizing an installation position of at least two wheels on a vehicle to perform a method as claimed in claim 1 when the program is executed by the control unit, the control unit comprising:

a first input configured to receive a first radio signal of a first first sensor mounted on one wheel of the at least two wheels, wherein the first radio signal indicates a position of the wheel, as well as to receive a second radio signal of a second first sensor mounted on a further wheel of the at least two wheels, wherein the second radio signal indicates a position of the further wheel;

a second input configured to receive a first measurement value of a first second sensor that measures an angular position of a first wheel of the at least two wheels and that is associated with a certain first position of the vehicle, and configured to receive a second measurement value of a second second sensor that measures the angular position of a second wheel of the at least two wheels and that is associated with a certain second point of the vehicle;

an analyzing device configured to determine a first phase position of the first radio signal relative to the first measurement value and configured to determine a second phase position of the first radio signal relative to the second measurement value, and configured to determine the installation position of the at least two wheels by means of a measured field strength of the first radio signal and a measured field strength of the second radio signal if the first phase position and the second phase position each remain within a predetermined tolerance range in a predetermined observation interval, wherein the respective measured field strength characterizes a distance of the receiving device on the vehicle from the first first sensor and from the second first sensor.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 12, wherein, if one of the first phase position or the second phase position does not remain within the predetermined tolerance range in the predetermined observation interval, the first first sensor is associated with the one of the first second sensor or the second second sensor of which the associated phase position remains within the predetermined tolerance range in the predetermined observation interval.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first first sensor transmits the first radio signal in a predefinable position of the wheel and/or the second first sensor transmits the second radio signal in a predefinable position of the further wheel.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 14, wherein the predefinable position is selected from the group consisting of an angular position of the wheel relative to space, an entry of a point on the circumference of the wheel into a wheel contact area, an exit of a point on the circumference of the wheel from the wheel contact area and a point on the circumference of the wheel reaching a center of the wheel contact area.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 12, wherein the predetermined observation interval is selected so that it contains a predetermined number of revolutions of the first wheel or of the second wheel of the at least two wheels.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 12, wherein the occurrence of a certain operating situation of the vehicle is awaited for determining the predetermined observation interval.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 12, wherein the receiving device on the vehicle is disposed asymmetrically relative to and close to the at least two wheels.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first radio signal and the second radio signal are transmitted with a predetermined equal transmission power.

9. An arrangement for localizing an installation position of at least two wheels on a vehicle, comprising:

a first first sensor mounted on one wheel of the at least two wheels and configured to output a first radio signal, wherein the first radio signal indicates a position of the wheel;

a second first sensor mounted on a further wheel of the at least two wheels and configured to output a second radio signal, wherein the second radio signal indicates a position of the further wheel;

a receiving device on the vehicle configured to receive the first radio signal and the second radio signal;

a first second sensor that is associated with a certain first point of the vehicle and that is configured to measure an angular position of a first wheel of the at least two wheels and to output a corresponding first measurement value;

a second second sensor that is associated with a certain second point of the vehicle and that is configured to measure an angular position of a second wheel of the at least two wheels and to output a corresponding second measurement value;

an analyzing device on the vehicle configured to determine a first phase position of the first radio signal relative to the first measurement value as well as to determine a second phase position of the first radio signal relative to the second measurement value; and

,

if the first phase position and the second phase position each remain within a predetermined tolerance range in a predetermined observation interval, to determine the installation position of the at least two wheels by means of a measured field strength of the first radio signal and a measured field strength of the second radio signal, wherein the respective measured field strength characterizes a distance of the receiving device on the vehicle from the first first sensor and from the second first sensor,

wherein the predetermined observation interval contains at least one of a predetermined number of revolutions of at least one of the first wheel and the second wheel of the at least two wheels and a predetermined time interval.

11. A vehicle comprising:

an arrangement as claimed in claim 9, and

at least two wheels.

20. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9 wherein the first radio signal and the second radio signal are transmitted with a predetermined equal transmission power.

10. A control unit for an arrangement for localizing an installation position of at least two wheels on a vehicle, comprising a first input configured to receive a first radio signal of a first first sensor mounted on one wheel of the at least two wheels, wherein the first radio signal indicates a position of the wheel, as well as for receiving a second radio signal of a second first sensor mounted on a further wheel of the at least two wheels, wherein the second radio signal indicates a position of the further wheel;

a second input configured to receive a first measurement value of a first second sensor that measures an angular position of a first wheel of the at least two wheels and that is associated with a certain first position of the vehicle, as well as for receiving a second measurement value of a second second sensor that measures the angular position of a second wheel of the at least two wheels and that is associated with a certain second point of the vehicle;

an analyzing device configured to determine a first phase position of the first radio signal relative to the first measurement value and configured to determine a second phase position of the first radio signal relative to the second measurement value; and

configured to determine the installation position of the at least two wheels by means of a measured field strength of the first radio signal and a measured field strength of the second radio signal if the first phase position and the second phase position each remain within a predetermined tolerance range in a predetermined observation interval, wherein the respective measured field strength characterizes a distance of the receiving device on the vehicle from the first first sensor and from the second first sensor,

wherein the predetermined observation interval contains at least one of a predetermined number of revolutions of at least one of the first wheel and the second wheel of the at least two wheels and a predetermined time interval.