Tire wheel position detection device and tire pressure monitoring system having the same

• US 10,112,448 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2016
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Okada, Noriaki, Fukuda, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Mustafa, Imran K
• Application Number:
  US15/540,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20180022171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0489 for detecting the actual angular position of the monitoring device while the wheel is turning
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 17/00 Devices or apparatus for measuring tyre pressure or the pressure in other inflated bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A tire wheel position detection device is provided. The tire wheel position detection device includes a transmitter attached to each tire wheel and including a first controller to transmit a frame including unique identification information, and a receiver including a second controller that performs tire wheel position detection through selecting, from the identification informations included in the frames, candidate identification informations indicating candidates to be registered, and identifying, from the candidate identification informations, the candidate identification informations that match the transmitters attached to the tire wheels, and storing the tire wheels and the identification informations of the transmitters in association with each other. Even if the candidate identification information is identified as the ID information of any of the transmitters, the second controller does not readily fix nor register it but makes a provisional fixing and definitely determines and registers it upon determining it is highly likely.

Claims

1. A tire wheel position detection device applied to a vehicle having a vehicle body equipped with a plurality of tire wheels, each of the tire wheels having a tire, the tire wheel position detection device comprising:

a transmitter attached to each of the tire wheels and including a first controller that creates and transmits a frame including unique identification information; and

a receiver attached to the vehicle body and including a second controller that performs tire wheel position detection through

receiving the frames transmitted from the transmitters through a reception antenna, and thereafter,

selecting, from the identification informations included in the frames, candidate identification informations indicating candidates to be registered, and

identifying, from the candidate identification informations, the candidate identification informations that match the transmitters attached to the tire wheels of the vehicle, and

storing the tire wheels and the identification informations of the transmitters attached to the tire wheels in association with each other,

wherein;

the transmitter includes an acceleration sensor that outputs a detection signal based on acceleration including a gravitational acceleration component, the gravitational acceleration component being varied by rotation of the tire wheel attached with the transmitter;

the first controller of the transmitter detects an angle of the transmitter based on the gravitational acceleration component included in the detection signal of the acceleration sensor and repeatedly transmits the frame at time points at which the angle is a predetermined transmission angle where an arbitrary circumferential position of the tire wheel that is centered with respect to a central axis of the tire wheel attached with the transmitter is an angle of 0 degrees;

the second controller of the receiver performs the tire wheel position detection through;

acquiring gear information indicative of tooth positions of gears based on detection signals of tire wheel velocity sensors, the tire wheel velocity sensors detecting passage of teeth of the gears rotating in coordination with the tire wheels, each gear having a circumferential surface with the tooth portions and portions between the tooth portions to alternately exhibit different magnetoresistance values, the tooth portions being conductive bodies;

setting a permissible range of variation based on the tooth positions at a time point of reception of the frame;

when the tooth positions at a time point of reception of the frame after the setting of the permissible range of variation are outside the permissible range of variation, eliminating the tire wheel from tire wheel candidates attached with the transmitter having transmitted the frame; and

identifying and registering a remaining tire wheel as the tire wheel attached with the transmitter having transmitted the frame; and

the second controller includes;

a provisional fixer that, before the registration, makes a provisional fixing of each individual candidate identification information when the tire wheel attached with the transmitter having transmitted the frame is identified based on the tooth positions being within the permissible range of variation;

a post-provisional-fixing determiner that, after the provisional fixing, determines whether the tooth positions at a time point of reception of the frame including the provisionally fixed candidate identification information are within the permissible range of variation;

a counter that, after the provisional fixing, measures the number of receptions of the frame including the provisionally fixed candidate identification information at which the tooth positions continue to remain within the permissible range of variation;

a first determiner that determines whether the number of receptions is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value; and

a register that, when the number of receptions is equal to or greater than the first predetermined value, definitely determines and registers the provisionally fixed candidate identification information as the identification information of the identified tire wheel.

2. The tire wheel position detection device according to claim 1, wherein:

the second controller includes;

a provisionally-fixing count determiner that determines whether a plurality of the provisionally fixed candidate identification informations exist, and

a second determiner that, when the number of provisionally fixed candidate identification informations is determined to be two or more, determines whether the number of receptions is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value, the second predetermined value being greater than the first predetermined value; and

when the number of receptions is determined to be equal to or greater than the second predetermined value, the register definitely determines and registers the provisionally fixed candidate identification information as the identification information of the identified tire wheel.

5. A tire pressure monitoring system comprising

a tire wheel position detection device recited in claim 1,

wherein:

the transmitter includes a sensing section that outputs a detection signal based on pressure of the tire attached to each of the tire wheels, allows the first controller to perform signal processing on the detection signal of the sensing section, stores tire pressure information derived from the detection signal in the frame, and transmits the frame to the receiver; and

the receiver causes the second controller to detect the pressure of the tire attached to each of the tire wheels from the tire pressure information.

3. A tire wheel position detection device applied to a vehicle having a vehicle body equipped with a plurality of tire wheels, each of the tire wheels having a tire, the tire wheel position detection device comprising:

a transmitter attached to each of the tire wheels and including a first controller that creates and transmits a frame including unique identification information; and

a receiver attached to the vehicle body and including a second controller that performs tire wheel position detection through;

receiving the frames transmitted from the transmitters through a reception antenna, and thereafter

selecting, from the identification informations included in the frame, candidate identification informations indicating candidates to be registered, and

identifying, from the candidate identification informations, the candidate identification informations that match the transmitters attached to the tire wheels of the vehicle, and

storing the tire wheels and the identification informations of the transmitters attached to the tire wheels in association with each other,

wherein

the transmitter includes an acceleration sensor that outputs a detection signal based on acceleration including a gravitational acceleration component, the gravitational acceleration component being varied by rotation of the tire wheel attached with the transmitter;

the first controller of the transmitter detects an angle of the transmitter based on the gravitational acceleration component included in the detection signal of the acceleration sensor and repeatedly transmits the frame at time points at which the angle is a predetermined transmission angle where an arbitrary circumferential position of the tire wheel that is centered with respect to the central axis of the tire wheel attached with the transmitter is an angle of 0 degrees;

the second controller of the receiver performs the tire wheel position detection through;

acquiring gear information indicative of tooth positions of gears based on detection signals of tire wheel velocity sensors detecting passage of teeth of the gears rotating in coordination with the tire wheels, each gear having a circumferential surface with tooth portions and portions between the teeth to alternately exhibit different magnetoresistance values, the tooth portions being conductive bodies;

setting a permissible range of variation based on the tooth positions at a time point of reception of the frame;

when the tooth positions at a time point of reception of the frame after the setting of the permissible range of variation are outside the permissible range of variation, eliminating the tire wheel from tire wheel candidates attached with the transmitter having transmitted the frame; and

identifying and registering a remaining tire wheel as the tire wheel attached with the transmitter having transmitted the frame; and

the second controller includes;

a provisional fixer that, before the registration, makes a provisional fixing of each individual candidate identification information when the tire wheel attached with the transmitter having transmitted the frame is identified based on the tooth positions being within the permissible range of variation;

a post-provisional-fixing determiner that, after the provisional fixing, determines whether the tooth positions at a time point of reception of the frame including the provisionally fixed candidate identification information are within the permissible range of variation;

a counter that, after the provisional fixing, measures the number of receptions of the frame including the provisionally fixed candidate identification information at which the tooth positions continue to remain within the permissible range of variation;

a count difference determiner that, when a plurality of the provisionally fixed candidate identification informations exist, determines whether a difference between the greatest number of receptions and the second greatest number of receptions among the respective numbers of receptions of the frames including the provisionally fixed candidate identification informations, is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; and

a register that, when the difference is determined to be equal to or greater than the predetermined value, definitely determines and registers the candidate identification information exhibiting the greatest number of receptions as the identification information of the identified tire wheel.

4. The tire wheel position detection device according to claim 3, wherein,

when it is determined for each of the tire wheels that the difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the register definitely determines and registers the candidate identification information exhibiting the greatest number of receptions as the identification information of the identified tire wheel.