Device and method for ascertaining the wheel position of wheels on a wheeled vehicle

• US 20050234677A1
• Filed: 04/19/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Wuttke, Gerd, Fischer, Martin, Hillenmayer, Franz, Wagner, Dieter, Frohler, Manfred, Prenninger, Martin, Munch, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 7,222,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/145
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right

Abstract

Devices and methods are used for ascertaining wheel positions of wheels on a wheeled vehicle. Separate wheel units are connected to each other via a vehicle bus and via an additional supply lead, so that for the purposes of learning the separate wheel units, the separate wheel units are connected to the supply lead successively in a predetermined sequence and provided with a new, individual identity code, or subjected to a wheel-unit-specific dc voltage potential as an identity code by using at least one additional connection.

Claims

1. A device for ascertaining a wheel position of wheels on a wheeled vehicle, the device comprising:

separate wheeled-vehicle-side wheel units each respectively assigned to one of the wheels for monitoring purposes and respectively receiving monitoring data of an assigned wheel;

a vehicle bus connected to said separate wheel units;

a central control and analysis unit connected through said vehicle bus to each of said separate wheel units for an exchange of data; and

a supply lead system (VSL1, VSL2, VSL3, VSL4) connected to and supplying said separate wheel units with energy;

said central control and analysis unit connecting said separate wheel units successively to said supply lead system for an energy supply in a defined sequence and assigns a new individual identity code to a respectively connected wheel unit.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said separate wheel units are connected to each other in series within said supply lead system.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising addressable switches, a respective one of said addressable switches is assigned to each of said separate wheel units for connecting or disconnecting said respective wheel unit to or from said supply lead system.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein said respective addressable switch can be addressed by a preceding one of said separate wheel units and/or said central control and analysis unit.

5. The device according to claim 3, wherein said separate wheel units can be connected to the supply lead system in parallel.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein:

said supply lead system has an energy supply source; and

said separate wheel units can be respectively connected and disconnected by said central control and analysis unit directly to said energy supply source of said supply lead system through said addressable switches.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein said supply lead system uses a 12 V battery as said energy supply source, said battery being one of connected to said central control and analysis unit and integrated in said central control and analysis unit.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring data is selected from the group consisting of tire pressure, tire temperature, a noise profile of the tire, and a vibration behavior of the tire.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said separate wheel units are respectively attached in an area of an assigned wheel box of the wheeled vehicle.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle bus is a LIN bus or CAN bus.

11. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an optical and/or acoustic display unit connected to said central control and analysis unit and displaying to a motor vehicle user which wheel position the monitoring data has come from.

12. A device for ascertaining a wheel position of wheels on a wheeled vehicle, the device comprising:

wheeled-vehicle-side wheel units each respectively assigned to one of the wheels for monitoring purposes and respectively receiving monitoring data of an assigned wheel, each of said wheel units having a connection for receiving an individual wheel-unit-specific dc voltage potential functioning also as an identity code;

a vehicle bus connected to said wheel units;

a central control and analysis unit connected through said vehicle bus to said wheel units for an exchange of data; and

a supply lead system for supplying said wheel units with energy.

13. The device according to claim 12,

further comprising a ground lead;

wherein said supply lead system has an energy supply source; and

wherein said connection of each of said wheel units is connected to one of said vehicle bus, said energy supply source, said ground lead and no lead at all which forms the identity code.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein a number-of said connection is matched to a number of said wheel units to be assigned the identity code.

15. The device according to claim 12, wherein said supply lead system has a battery functioning as an energy supply source which can be connected to said central control and analysis unit or is integrated in said central control and analysis unit.

16. The device according to claim 12, wherein the monitoring data is selected from the group consisting of tire pressures, tire temperatures, noise profiles of the tires, and vibration behaviors of the tires.

17. The device according to claim 12, wherein said wheel units are respectively attached in an area of an assigned wheel box of the wheeled vehicle.

18. The device according to claim 12, wherein said vehicle bus is selected from the group consisting of LIN buses, K-LINE buses, MOST buses and CAN buses.

19. The device according to claim 12, further comprising an optical and/or acoustic display unit connected to said central control and analysis unit and displaying to a motor vehicle user which wheel position the monitoring data was received from.

20. The device according to claim 15, wherein said battery is selected from the group consisting of 12 V batteries, 24 V batteries and 42 V batteries.

21. A method for ascertaining a wheel position of wheels on a wheeled vehicle, separate wheel units each being respectively assigned for monitoring purposes to each of the wheels and are respectively connected to a central control and analysis unit for an exchange of data, which comprises the steps of:

connecting the separate wheel units in a defined sequence to a supply lead system for supplying energy to the separate wheel units by the central control and analysis unit; and

assigning a new, individual identity code to the respectively connected wheel unit by the central control and analysis unit.

22. The method according to claim 21, which further comprises carrying out a connection of the separate wheel units to the supply lead system in a defined sequence and an assignment of the new, individual identity code each time the wheeled vehicle is put into operation.

23. The method according to claim 21, which further comprises connecting and disconnecting each of the separate wheel units to the supply lead system separately or in groups.

24. The method according to claim 23, which further comprises connecting only the separate wheel unit which is to carry out a measurement or a transmission of tire monitoring data to the supply lead system.

25. The method according to claim 21, which further comprises controlling a time interval between or an order of connection operations by the central control and analysis unit in dependence on captured monitoring data.

26. The method according to claim 21, which further comprises storing new assigned identity codes in a memory unit.

27. The method according to claim 21, which further comprises connecting the central control and analysis unit to an optical and/or acoustic display facility, which displays to a motor vehicle user which wheel position monitoring data was received from.