Cross-platform universal tire pressure monitoring sensor

• US 10,173,481 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2016
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wegmann automotive GmbH & Co. KG (Government of France)
• Original Assignee: Wegmann automotive GmbH & Co. KG (Government of France)
• Inventors: Wicher, Bartlomiej, Riemann, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jha, Abdhesh K
• Application Number:
  US15/370,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20170158000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 23/0455 Transmission control of wireless signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0471 System initialisation, e.g. upload or calibration of operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations

Abstract

A tire pressure monitoring sensor comprises an environmental pressure sensor, a non-volatile memory for storing a first program and a second program, a processing unit for executing the first program, a communication module including a wireless transmitter for transmitting at least one parameter indicative of conditions within a tire and a wireless or wired receiver for loading the second program into the non-volatile memory and a battery for powering the sensor. The second program contains a sensor operation description which is used by the first program.

Claims

1. A tire pressure monitoring sensor comprising:

a sensor configured to measure at least one parameter indicative of at least one condition within a tire,

a non-volatile memory configured to store a first program code and a second program code,

a processing unit configured to execute the first program code,

a communication module containing a wireless transmitter, the wireless transmitter configured to transmit tire condition related information,

a receiver configured to load the second program code into tangible, non-volatile and non-transitory memory, and

a battery configured to power the sensor,

wherein the second program code comprises an intermediate language (IL) and

the first program code comprises i) a runtime interpreter for interpreting the intermediate language of the second program code, ii) an upload manager configured to load the second program code into said memory, iii) a system manager configured for general system management tasks and including at least one of a power manager, a timer unit, and a task scheduler.

2. A tire pressure monitoring sensor programming system comprising a tire pressure monitoring sensor according to claim 1, wherein a programming unit is provided, the programming unit further comprising:

a microcontroller or microprocessor,

a memory containing information about vehicles and at least one intermediate language (IL) or domain specific language (DSL) program.

3. A tire pressure monitoring sensor programming system according to claim 2, further comprising

at least one compiler configured to compile domain specific language into the at least one intermediate language.

4. A method of operating a tire pressure monitoring sensor, the method comprising the steps of:

loading an intermediate language program code into non-volatile memory of a tire pressure monitoring sensor, and

interpreting the intermediate language program code by a runtime interpreter contained in a first program code, said runtime interpreter configured to interpret an intermediate language contained in a second program code,

wherein the first program code comprises an upload manager configured to load the second program code into said memory, and a system manager configured for general system management tasks and including at least one of a power manager, a timer unit, and a task scheduler.

5. A method of configuring a tire pressure monitoring sensor, the method comprising:

(i) selecting an intermediate language (IL) program adapted to a specific vehicle and loading the intermediate language program into non-volatile memory of a tire pressure monitoring sensor,

Or

(ii) selecting a domain specific language (DSL) program adapted to a specific vehicle, compiling the domain specific language into the intermediate language (IL) program and loading the intermediate language program into a non-volatile memory of a tire pressure monitoring sensor,

wherein said loading includes loading the intermediate language program with the use of an upload manager contained in a first program code, the first program code further comprising i) a runtime interpreter configured to interpret the IL program, and ii) a system manager configured to perform general system management tasks.