Remote interrogation of a vehicle wheel

• US 20070018805A1
• Filed: 08/01/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Original Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Inventors: Beckley, John, Dixon, Bryn, Kalinin, Victor
• Granted Patent: US 7,679,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0449 Passive transducers, e.g. using surface acoustic waves, backscatter technology or pressure sensitive resonators near field passive transducers B60C23/0428
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for assessing the condition of a wheel particularly, but not exclusively, to a method and apparatus for assessing the condition of a tire rotating on a vehicle wheel. Apparatus is provided comprising a plurality of antennas (101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108) for transmitting an interrogation signal to a sensor (110, 112), the sensor being mounted to a wheel to be assessed and being adapted to detect the condition of the wheel; wherein the antennas are arranged in a line along a path to be followed by a wheel to be assessed.

Claims

1. Apparatus for assessing the condition of a wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128), the apparatus comprising a plurality of antennas (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) for transmitting an interrogation signal to a sensor (110;

112), the sensor (110;

112) being mounted to a wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) to be assessed and being adapted to detect the condition of the wheel assembly;

wherein the antennas (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) are arranged in a line along a path to be followed by a wheel assembly to be assessed, the length of the line of antennas (100) being greater than or equal to the outer circumference of the wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) to be assessed;

characterised by means (120) for detecting the position of a wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) relative to each antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) and, in response to a predetermined relative position, activating one of said antennas (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) so that said one antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) transmits an interrogation signal.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detecting means (120) activates only one antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) of a group (100) associated with a particular wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) at a time, said other antennas of said group (100) being deactivated.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said detecting means (120) activates said one antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) when the axle (130;

132) of a wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) to be assessed is directly laterally opposite said one antenna.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said detecting means (120) activates said one antenna(101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) when the axle of a wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) to be assessed is behind or in front of said one antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) along the line of antennas (100), for example, by substantially 35 cm.

5. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4, wherein said detecting means (120) comprises load sensitive means which is activated, in use, by the application thereto of weight borne by a wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) to be assessed.

6. An apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein each antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) is adapted to transmit an interrogation signal to a wireless passive resonant sensor (110;

112) and to receive a response from the sensor (110;

112).

7. An apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) is a unidirectional antenna.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said unidirectional antenna is a patch or Yagi-Uda array.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein all the antennas (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) are of the same type.

10. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 6 to 9, wherein each antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) is positioned at a height above the surface on which the assessed wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) rests, for example 20 cm, such that each antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) is located within the ground clearance of the vehicle (118) to which the assessed wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) is mounted.

11. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 6 to 10, wherein each antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) is positioned at a lateral distance from the path to be followed by the assessed wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128), for example 1 m.

12. A system comprising one or more of the apparatus claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein each antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) is individually connected to a separate channel of a multi-channel interrogation control unit common to all the antennas (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108).

13. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the multi-channel interrogation control unit drives each antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) which has been activated in response to the position of a wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128), the control unit alternating the driving of activated antennas (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) having associated signals which would otherwise interfere with one another.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the multi-channel interrogation control unit comprises one transceiver for each plurality of antennas (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108), and a radio frequency (RF) switch for each antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) which allows an antenna to be selectively connected to the associated transceiver.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14, wherein an antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) is activated in response to the position of a wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) by selectively connecting the antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) to the associated transceiver through use of the RF switch associated with the antenna (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108).

16. A system as claimed in any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the multi-channel interrogation control unit is adapted to (i) radiate an RF interrogation signal from a successive one (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) of a plurality of antenna (100) so as to excite a natural oscillation in an associated sensor (110;

112) of a wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) to be assessed;

(ii) receive a signal generated by the sensor oscillation;

(iii) estimate the amplitude and frequency of the received signal; and

(iv) determine the average frequency value for signals received from the plurality of antenna (100).

17. A system as claimed in claim 16, wherein only frequency values satisfying predetermined criteria are averaged.

18. A system as claimed in any of claims 12 to 17, wherein the plurality of antennas (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) of each apparatus is laterally spaced from the plurality of antennas (101;

102;

103;

104;

105;

106;

107;

108) of the or each other apparatus.

19. A system as claimed in claim 18, wherein first, second, third and fourth pluralities of antennas (100;

200;

300;

400) are provided;

the first and fourth pluralities of antennas (100;

400) being located so as to allow a vehicle (118), having a wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) to be assessed, to pass therebetween; and

the second and third pluralities of antennas (200;

300) being located so as to allow a wheel assembly (122;

124;

126;

128) of said vehicle (118) to pass either side thereof.

20. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the first and fourth pluralities of antenna (100;

400) are offset longitudinally relative to the second and third pluralities of antenna (200;

300).