Determination of wheel sensor position using radio frequency detectors in an automotive remote tire monitor system

• US 20030080860A1
• Filed: 10/29/2001
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensata Technologies Incorporated (Sensata Technologies Holding Plc)
• Original Assignee: Schrader-Bridgeport International Incorporated (Pacific Industrial Company Limited)
• Inventors: Stewart, William David, Boudaoud, Idir, McClelland, Thomas David Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 6,882,270 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/442
• 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 23/0444 Antenna structures, control or arrangements thereof, e.g. for directional antennas, diversity antenna, antenna multiplexing or antennas integrated in fenders

Abstract

A tire monitor system and method rely on only two RF detector mounted on the vehicle, one in close proximity to one of the front wheels and the other in close proximity to one of the rear wheels. An RF detector can distinguish between its local transmitter and the other transmitter on the same axle by the amount of signal received. Every time the controller decodes transmitted RF data, the controller looks to see if and which RF detector has detected the transmission. The controller can then determine over a short period of time which sensor identifier belongs to which corner of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A tire monitor method comprising:

at a detector, detecting transmissions from two or more tire monitors; and

based on a signal parameter for the radio transmissions, identifying a source tire monitor position.

2. The tire monitor method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining an amount of signal received; and

determining the signal parameter based on the amount of signal received.

3. The tire monitor method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a number of received transmissions from each of the two or more tire monitors; and

determining the signal parameter based on the number of received transmissions.

4. The tire monitor method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a rate of received transmissions from each of the two or more tire monitors; and

determining the signal parameter based on the rate of received transmissions.

5. The tire monitor method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining the signal parameter for the transmissions from a first tire monitor;

determining the signal parameter for the transmissions from a second tire monitor; and

comparing the signal parameters to determine the source tire monitor position.

6. The tire monitor method of claim 5 further comprising:

counting received transmissions from the first tire monitor;

counting received transmissions from the second tire monitor; and

comparing the transmission counts to determine source tire monitor position.

7. A remote tire monitoring method comprising:

receiving transmissions from a first plurality of tire monitors of a vehicle;

for each received transmission, receiving an activity signal from one detector of a second plurality of detectors, the second plurality less than the first plurality;

determining a signal quality parameter for transmissions from each of the first plurality of tire monitors; and

based on the signal quality parameter, associating reach of the first plurality of transmissions with a detector of the second plurality of detectors.

8. The remote tire monitoring method of claim 7 wherein determining a signal quality parameter comprises:

determining identification information for a source tire monitor for each transmission;

using the identification information, counting transmissions received from each source tire monitor, the signal quality parameter being based on number of received transmissions.

9. A remote tire monitoring method comprising:

receiving transmissions associated with each of front and rear wheels of a vehicle;

for each transmission, receiving an activity signal from one of a rear detector associated with one of the rear wheels of the vehicle and a front detector associated with one of the front wheels of the vehicle;

based on the received transmissions, detecting identification information of a transmitting tire monitor for each received transmission;

for each received transmission, incrementing a counter associated with the transmitting tire monitor;

when a counter threshold has been exceeded, comparing counter values associated with the transmitting tire monitor to identify a front two tire monitors associated with front wheels of the vehicles and a rear two tire monitors associated with rear wheels of the vehicle;

based on the counter values, identify a right tire monitor and a left tire monitor of the front two tire monitors and right and left tire monitor of the rear two tire monitors.

10. A remote tire monitor system comprising:

a first plurality of tire monitors associated with wheels of a vehicle and configured for transmission of information;

a second plurality of detectors, each detector associated with a pair of tire monitors to detect transmissions from the pair of tire monitors and produce a detected transmission indication; and

a control unit coupled with the plurality of detectors to receive detected transmission indications, the control unit configured to receive tire monitor transmissions and associate a transmitting tire monitors with positions on the vehicle based on the received detected transmission indications.

11. The remote tire monitor system of claim 10 wherein the control unit is configured to count the received detected transmission indications from respective detectors and associate counts with respective detectors and, based on the counts, associate the pairs of tire monitors with the respective detectors.

12. The remote tire monitor system of claim 11 wherein the control unit is configured to associate respective tire monitors of the pairs of tire monitors with respective positions on the vehicle based on the counts and predetermined position of the respective detectors.

13. The remote tire monitor system of claim 11 wherein the control unit comprises a processor means for counting received detected transmission indications from respective detectors and memory means for storing the counts.

14. A remote tire monitor system comprising:

tire monitors mountable on wheels of a vehicle and configured for radio transmissions of tire data;

radio detectors, each radio detector being configured to detect radio transmissions from tire monitors according to proximity to the tire monitors and produce an indication of a detected transmission, a first radio detector being positioned near one of a first pair of tire monitors and a second radio detector being positioned near a second pair of tire monitors on the vehicle, each radio detector being positioned proximate one tire monitor of its respective pair of tire monitors and positioned distal the other tire monitor of its respective pair of tire monitors; and

a control unit which receives the radio transmissions and which is coupled with the radio detectors to count the indications produced by respective tire monitors, the control unit determining respective positions of the tire monitors on the vehicle based on counts of the indications.