Wheel position detection device and tire-pressure detection system equipped with same

• US 10,214,060 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Okada, Noriaki, Fukuda, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US15/575,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20180134102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 340442
• 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: G01P 15/00 Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration

Abstract

A wheel position detection device includes: a transmitter in each wheel of a vehicle having a first control unit for transmitting a frame with ID and an acceleration sensor; and a receiver on a vehicle body, including a second control unit for registering the ID in association with the wheel. The first control unit detects a wheel speed, and stores data of the acceleration sensor in the frame. The second control unit includes: a first determination device that determines a condition that the acceleration sensor is not in an on-state; a candidate registration device that registers a candidate of the ID of a spare wheel when the condition is satisfied; a second determination device that determines a travel history of the vehicle; and a registration device that identifies the ID of the spare wheel when the travel history is present, and registers the ID in association with the spare wheel.

Claims

1. A wheel position detection device for a vehicle in which a plurality of wheels including a traveling wheel having a tire and a spare wheel are attached to a vehicle body, the wheel position detection device comprising:

a transmitter that is disposed in each of the plurality of wheels, and includes a first control unit for creating and transmitting a frame with unique identification information; and

a receiver that is disposed on a vehicle body side, and includes a second control unit for performing a wheel position detection to receive the frame transmitted from the transmitter through a reception antenna when shifting to a predetermined registration mode, to identify which wheel the transmitter that transmits the frame is attached to, according to the unique identification information in the frame, and to register the identification information of the transmitter disposed in each of the plurality of wheels in association with one of the plurality of wheels, wherein;

the transmitter includes an acceleration sensor for outputting a detection signal corresponding to an acceleration which varies with a rotation of one of the wheels which the transmitter is attached to, and has a function as a function of the first control unit for detecting a feature that a wheel speed of the one of the wheels which the transmitter is attached to reaches a predetermined speed at which the acceleration sensor is in an on-state to detect the acceleration, and for storing data indicative of a state of the acceleration sensor in the frame based on a detection result of the feature;

the second control unit of the receiver includes;

a first determination device that determines whether the data indicative of the state of the acceleration sensor stored in a received frame satisfies a condition in which the acceleration sensor is not in the on-state;

a candidate registration device that registers a candidate of the identification information of the spare wheel when the first determination device determines that the condition is satisfied;

a second determination device that determines whether a travel history of the vehicle is present after shifting to the registration mode; and

a registration device that identifies the identification information of the spare wheel among registered candidates of the identification information of the spare wheel when the second determination device determines that the travel history is present, and registers the identification information in association with the spare wheel;

the second control unit further includes;

a third determination device that determines whether the identification information stored in the frame is received for a first time when the first determination device determines that the condition is satisfied, and controls the candidate registration device to register the candidate of the identification information of the spare wheel when the identification information stored in the frame is received for the first time;

a reception number adding device that adds a numerical number of receiving times of the identification information stored in the received frame among the candidates of the identification information of the spare wheel already registered in the candidate registration device when the third determination device determines that the identification information is not received for the first time; and

a fourth determination device that determines whether a difference between a maximum numerical number of receiving times, which is a largest numerical number of receiving times, and a second largest numerical number of receiving times among the candidates of the identification information of the spare wheel added by the reception number adding device is equal to or larger than a predetermined value; and

the registration device registers the candidate of the identification information of the spare wheel, which has the maximum numerical number of receiving times, as the identification information of the spare wheel when the fourth determination device determines that the difference is equal to or larger than the predetermined value.

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

the second determination device determines that the travel history is present when a traveling time of the vehicle is equal to or longer than a predetermined time after shifting to the registration mode.

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

the second determination device determines that the travel history is present when the wheel position detection of the traveling wheel is completed after shifting to the registration mode.

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

the fourth determination device determines whether the difference is equal to or larger than three as the predetermined value.

5. A tire pressure detection system comprising:

the wheel position detection device according to claim 1, wherein;

the transmitter further includes a sensing unit for outputting a detection signal corresponding to an air pressure of the tire equipped in each of the plurality of wheels;

the transmitter stores information, relating to the air pressure of the tire obtained by processing the detection signal from the sensing unit through the first control unit, in the frame, and transmits the frame to the receiver; and

the second control unit in the receiver detects the air pressure of the tire equipped in each of the plurality of wheels based on the information relating to the air pressure of the tire.