Method and device for locating the position, on the right or on the left, of a wheel of a vehicle

• US 20060142911A1
• Filed: 12/05/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive France (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive France (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Dulac, Gilles, Allard, Pierre-Yves
• Granted Patent: US 7,392,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right

Abstract

A method and device for locating the position, on the right or on the left, of a vehicle wheel. The wheel is equipped with two magnetic sensors having axes of maximum sensitivity lying in a plane that is secant to the axis of rotation of the wheel and which are offset from one another in this secant plane by a predetermined angle θ. As the vehicle moves in a given travel direction, a signal generated by the variation in a magnetic field is measured at the terminals of each of the magnetic sensors to deliver two periodic signals phase-shifted from one another by an angular value equal to (+or −) θ, this phase shift is used to determine the direction of wheel rotation, and from such direction and the travel direction, the location, on the right or on the left, of the wheel is deduced.

Claims

1. A method for locating the position, on the right or on the left, of a wheel (2) of a vehicle (3), characterized in that it consists:

in equipping said wheel with two magnetic sensors (4, 5) having axes of maximum sensitivity (S4, S5) lying in a plane that is secant to the axis of rotation (R) of the wheel (2) and which are offset from one another in this secant plane by a predetermined angle θ

,

and, as the vehicle moves in a given direction of travel;

in measuring a signal generated by the variation in a magnetic field at the terminals of each of the magnetic sensors (4, 5) so as to deliver two periodic signals phase-shifted with respect to one another by an angular value equal to (+or −

) θ

, each one representative of the variations in the values of the magnetic field as detected by said magnetic sensors during one revolution of the wheel (2),

in determining from this phase shift the direction of rotation of the wheel (2),

and in deducing from this direction of rotation and from the direction of travel of the vehicle (3), the location of the wheel (2), whether positioned on the right or on the left.

2. The location method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the two magnetic sensors (4, 5) are positioned in such a way that their axes of maximum sensitivity (S4, S5) lie in a plane orthogonal to the axis of rotation (R) of the wheel (2).

3. The location method as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the two magnetic sensors (4, 5) are positioned in such a way that their axes of maximum sensitivity (S4, S5) lie orthogonal to one another.

4. The location method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle (3) is equipped with a magnet (10) that is fixed with respect to each wheel (2) equipped with two magnetic sensors (4, 5), said magnet being positioned and having a power suitable for generating a magnetic field covering a zone through which said magnetic sensors pass as said wheel rotates.

10. The location method as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the vehicle (3) is equipped with a magnet (10) that is fixed with respect to each wheel (2) equipped with two magnetic sensors (4, 5), said magnet being positioned and having a power suitable for generating a magnetic field covering a zone through which said magnetic sensors pass as said wheel rotates.

11. The location method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the vehicle (3) is equipped with a magnet (10) that is fixed with respect to each wheel (2) equipped with two magnetic sensors (4, 5), said magnet being positioned and having a power suitable for generating a magnetic field covering a zone through which said magnetic sensors pass as said wheel rotates.

5. A device for locating the position, on the right or on the left, of a wheel (2) of a vehicle (3), characterized in that it comprises, mounted on said wheel:

two magnetic sensors (4, 5) having axes of maximum sensitivity (S4, S5) lying in a plane that is secant to the axis of rotation (R) of the wheel (2) and which are offset from one another in this secant plane by a predetermined angle θ

,

means (7, 8) for measuring a signal at the terminals of each of the magnetic sensors (4, 5), these means being able to deliver two periodic signals phase-shifted from one another by an angular value equal to (+or −

) θ

, each representative of the variations in the values of the magnetic field as detected by said magnetic sensors during a revolution of the wheel (2),

and a calculation unit (9) programmed to determine, from the phase shift between the two periodic signals, the direction of rotation of the wheel (2) and, from this direction of rotation and from the direction of travel of the vehicle (3), to deduce the location, on the right or on the left, of the wheel (2).

6. The location device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the two magnetic sensors (4, 5) are positioned in such a way that their axes of maximum sensitivity (S4, S5) lie in a plane orthogonal to the axis of rotation (R) of the wheel (2).

7. The location device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the two magnetic sensors (4, 5) are positioned in such a way that their axes of maximum sensitivity (S4, S5) lie orthogonal to one another.

8. The location device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that it comprises a magnet (10) mounted fixedly on the vehicle (3) with respect to each wheel (2) equipped with two magnetic sensors (4, 5), said magnet being positioned and having a power suitable for generating a magnetic field covering a zone through which said magnetic sensors pass as said wheel rotates.

9. The location device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that it comprises a magnet (10) mounted fixedly on the vehicle (3) with respect to each wheel (2) equipped with two magnetic sensors (4, 5), said magnet being positioned and having a power suitable for generating a magnetic field covering a zone through which said magnetic sensors pass as said wheel rotates.