Device for detecting the position of a vehicle wheel

• US 20060044125A1
• Filed: 11/17/2003
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Pierbon, Michel
• Application Number:
  US10/529,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20060044125A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/442
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/04 mounted on the wheel or tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for detecting the position of a vehicle wheel (2), which is intended, in particular, for a vehicle equipped with a tyre pressure monitoring system. The inventive device consists of first and second means of measuring acceleration in a direction (D1, D2) comprising a component in a vertical plane. The vertical plane components of the measuring directions of the first and second measuring means present an angular offset (α) other than 0° or 180°.

Claims

1. A device for detecting the position of a wheel (2) on a vehicle, especially a vehicle equipped with a system for monitoring the pressure of its tires, characterized in that it comprises first and second means (8) capable of measuring an acceleration in a direction (D1, D2) having a component in a vertical plane and in that the components in the vertical plane of the measurement directions of the first and second measurement means have an angular offset (α

) different from 0° and

from 1800.

2. The detection device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the measurement directions (D1, D2) of the first and second measurement means both lie in a vertical plane.

3. The detection device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the angular offset (α

) in the vertical plane of the first and second measurement directions (D1, D2) is between 30° and

150°

.

4. The detection device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first and second means capable of measuring an acceleration are shock sensors (8).

5. The detection device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first and second means capable of measuring an acceleration are placed on the same support (10).

6. A pressure sensor of a tire pressure monitoring system, comprising an integrated circuit board (10) supporting various electronic components for measuring pressure and for sending information via electromagnetic waves, characterized in that it furthermore includes a position detector (4) as claimed in claim 1.

7. The pressure sensor as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the first and second means (8) capable of measuring an acceleration of the detection device are mounted on the printed circuit board (10) of the sensor.

11. The detection device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the angular offset (α

) in the vertical plane of the first and second measurement directions (D1, D2) is between 30° and

150°

.

12. The detection device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the first and second means capable of measuring an acceleration are shock sensors (8).

13. The detection device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the first and second means capable of measuring an acceleration are shock sensors (8).

14. The detection device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the first and second means capable of measuring an acceleration are placed on the same support (10).

15. The detection device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the first and second means capable of measuring an acceleration are placed on the same support (10).

16. The detection device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the first and second means capable of measuring an acceleration are placed on the same support (10).

8. A method of detecting the right/left position of a wheel on a vehicle, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

measurement of a first acceleration and a second acceleration, each in a direction having a component in a vertical plane, the components in the vertical plane of the directions having an angular offset;

calculation of the phase shift between the signals corresponding to the two accelerations measured;

determination of the direction of rotation of the wheel according to the phase shift; and

determination of the position of the wheel relative to the vehicle, the direction of movement of the vehicle being determined elsewhere.

9. The detection method as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the measurement directions lie in a vertical plane.

10. The detection method as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the measurements are taken only when the vehicle is running at a predetermined minimum speed, it being assumed that the vehicle is moving forward.

17. The detection method as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the measurements are taken only when the vehicle is running at a predetermined minimum speed, it being assumed that the vehicle is moving forward.