Tire pressure monitoring apparatus and process

• US 20040217854A1
• Filed: 01/21/2004
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ito, Kazuhiko, Hirohama, Tetsuro, Nakayama, Suguru
• Granted Patent: US 6,941,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/445
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0464 to avoid signal interference
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0466 with signals sent by transmitters mounted on adjacent vehicles

Abstract

A tire pressure monitoring apparatus includes transmitter units provided, respectively, for sensing tire pressures of a vehicle, and receiver units for receiving wireless signals from the transmitter units. A tire pressure monitoring controller registers tire identification code transmitted from each transmitter unit, by measuring signal strengths of wireless signals, and comparing the signal strengths.

Claims

1. A tire pressure monitoring apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transmitter units provided, respectively, for tires of a vehicle, each of the transmitter units includes a pressure sensor to sense a tire pressure of the corresponding one of the tires to determine a sensed tire pressure, and a transmitting device to transmit a wireless signal to covey information on the sensed tire pressure and a tire identification code for identifying the corresponding one of the tires;

a receiving section provided in the vehicle and arranged to receive the wireless signals from the transmitter units, the receiving section including a plurality of receiver units each provided near a unique one of the tires of the vehicle; and

a controller to register the tire identification code of each tire, the controller being configured;

to measure signal strengths of wireless signals when the wireless signals are received by the receiving section; and

to register the tire identification code of each tire by comparing the signal strengths.

2. The tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when a plurality of the receiver units receive wireless signals containing an unregistered tire identification code, the controller compares strengths of radio waves received as the wireless signals containing the unregistered tire identification code by the receiver units, and registers the unregistered tire identification code at a tire position of the receiver unit receiving the wireless signal containing the unregistered tire identification code with a greatest radio wave strength.

3. The tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured:

to measure a reception level of each of data sets contained in a wireless signal received by one of the receiver units;

to calculate a level difference of each data set between the reception level and a predetermined level threshold;

to calculate a sum of the level differences of the data sets;

to examine whether the sum of the level differences is greater than a predetermined sum threshold(S8); and

to register the tire identification code of the wireless signal when the sum of the level differences is greater than the predetermined sum threshold.

4. The tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the transmitter units is configured to produce a wireless signal containing a plurality of consecutive data sets;

and the controller is configured;

to calculate the sum of the level differences of consecutive data sets in each of wireless signals received by one of the receiver units;

to store each of the sums temporarily when the sum is greater than the predetermined sum threshold;

to calculate a total of the sums for each tire identification code by adding the sums for each tire identification code temporarily stored; and

to register the tire identification code for which the total of the sums of level differences is greatest.

5. The tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to store each of the sums in a memory section when the sum is greater than the predetermined sum threshold and to discard data sets of a wireless signal IF the sum of the level differences of the wireless signal is smaller than or equal to the predetermined sum threshold.

6. The tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to accumulate, in a memory section, the sums of the level differences of wireless signals received during an interval which is defined by one of a predetermined time length and a predetermined number of data receiving operations.

7. The tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein, if a tire identification code from one transmitter unit is selected for registration at a plurality of tire positions, the controller regards the transmitter unit as an exceptional transmitter unit;

registers the tire identification code received from the exceptional transmitter unit by comparing the signal strengths of wireless signals received from the exceptional transmitter unit by the receiver units; and

registers the tire identification codes received from the transmitter units other than the exceptional transmitter unit by comparing the signal strengths of wireless signals received by each receiver unit from the transmitter units other than the exceptional transmitter unit.

8. The tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to compare the signal strengths of wireless signals received from one of the transmitter units by the receiver units, and to register a tire identification code transmitted by the transmitter unit at a tire position of the receiver unit at which the signal strength is greatest.

9. The tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to store a signal reception level map of each of the transmitter units, and to register a tire identification code received by the receiver units by comparing the signal strengths of wireless signals received by the receiver units with reference to the signal reception level map.

10. The tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to compare the signal strengths of wireless signals received by one receiver unit from the transmitter units, and to register a tire identification code of the transmitter of a greatest signal strength at a tire position of the receiver unit.

11. The tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the transmitter units is configured to produce a wireless signal containing a plurality of consecutive data sets;

and the controller is configured to determine the signal strength of each wireless signal in terms of a greatest one of the signal strengths of the data sets.

12. A tire pressure monitoring process comprising:

receiving wireless signals at a plurality of tire proximity positions in a vehicle from transmitter units provided, respectively, for tires of the vehicle, to sense a tire pressure of the corresponding one of the tires to determine a sensed tire pressure, and to transmit a wireless signal to covey information on the sensed tire pressure and a tire identification code for identifying the corresponding one of the tires;

measuring signal strengths of the wireless signals received at the tire proximity positions; and

registering the tire identification code of each tire by comparing the signal strengths.

13. A tire pressure monitoring apparatus comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting wireless signals each containing information on a sensed tire pressure of a unique one of tires of a vehicle, and a tire identification code identifying the unique one of the tires;

receiving means for receiving the wireless signals from the transmitting means at tire proximity positions each located near a unique one of the tires of the vehicle;

measuring means for measuring signal strengths of the wireless signals; and

registering means for registering the tire identification code of each tire by comparing the signal strengths.