Method And Device for Associating an Electronic Wheel Unit, Which is Assigned to a Wheel, With a Side of a Vehicle

• US 20080033608A1
• Filed: 08/07/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems US Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens VDO Automotive AG (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Baumgartner, Water, Fischer, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 7,899,590 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/04 Indicating positive or negative direction of a linear movement or clockwise or anti-clockwise direction of a rotational movement

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a device for assigning an electronic wheel unit, which is assigned to a wheel of a vehicle and is for ascertaining at least one characteristic parameter of the wheel, to a side of the vehicle. In this case, a direction of rotation of the wheel is determined by means of the wheel unit. The direction of rotation of the wheel which is determined by means of the wheel unit is compared with a direction of rotation of another wheel which is determined by means of another wheel unit assigned to the other wheel, wherein the wheel and the other wheel are arranged on different sides of the vehicle on a shared axle. Depending on the comparison of the determined directions of rotation of the wheel and of the other wheel, the wheel unit is assigned on the basis of a first procedure for assigning the wheel unit to the side of the vehicle or on the basis of a second procedure for assigning the wheel unit to the side of the vehicle. In this case, the direction of rotation determined by the wheel unit is utilized in the first procedure, and the second procedure is independent of the direction of rotation determined by the wheel unit.

Claims

1. A method of associating an electronic wheel unit with a side of a motor vehicle, wherein the electronic wheel unit is assigned to a wheel of the motor vehicle and is configured to ascertain at least one characteristic parameter of the wheel, the method which comprises:

determining a direction of rotation of a given wheel with a the respectively associated given wheel unit;

comparing the direction of rotation of the given wheel determined by the given wheel unit with a direction of rotation of another wheel determined with a respectively associated wheel unit to form a comparison result, wherein the given wheel and the other wheel are mounted on mutually different sides of the motor vehicle on a shared axle; and

depending on the comparison result, associating the given wheel unit on a basis of a first procedure for associating the wheel unit with the side of the vehicle or on a basis of a second procedure for associating the wheel unit with the side of the vehicle, wherein the first procedure for associating the wheel unit utilizes the direction of rotation determined by the wheel unit, and the second procedure is independent of the direction of rotation determined by the wheel unit.

2. The method according to claim 1, which comprises not carrying out the second procedure if the wheel unit is assigned to the side of the vehicle on the basis of the first procedure.

3. The method according to claim 1, which comprises, if the direction of rotation determined by way of the given wheel unit corresponds to the direction of rotation determined by way of the other wheel unit, associating the wheel unit with the side of the vehicle on the basis of the second procedure.

4. The method according to claim 1, which comprises, if the direction of rotation determined by way of the given wheel unit is different from the direction of rotation determined by way of the other wheel unit, carrying out the first procedure and the second procedure and checking whether the results of the first and second procedures correspond to one another.

5. The method according to claim 4, which comprises, if the results of the first and second procedures do not correspond, associating the wheel unit with the side of the vehicle on the basis of the second procedure.

6. The method according to claim 1, which comprises, prior to the determining step, initially establishing whether or not an assignment of the wheel unit to the side of the vehicle was carried out previously.

7. The method according to claim 6, which comprises allocating the wheel unit to the side of the vehicle on the basis of the first procedure if the assignment of the wheel unit to the side of the vehicle was carried out previously and the previous assignment established that the direction of rotation determined by way of the given wheel unit and the direction of rotation determined by way of the other wheel unit are different, and the results of an assignment of the wheel unit to the side of the vehicle by way of the first procedure and the second procedure correspond to one another.

8. The method according to claim 7, which comprises allocating the wheel unit to the side of the vehicle on the basis of an inverted result of the first procedure if the assignment of the wheel unit to the side of the vehicle was carried out previously and the previous assignment established that the direction of rotation determined by way of the given wheel unit and the direction of rotation determined by way of the other wheel unit are the same, and the results of an assignment of the wheel unit to the side of the vehicle by way of the first procedure and the second procedure do not correspond.

9. The method according to claim 6, which comprises allocating the wheel unit to the side of the vehicle on the basis of an inverted result of the first procedure if the assignment of the wheel unit to the side of the vehicle was carried out previously and the previous assignment established that the direction of rotation determined by way of the given wheel unit and the direction of rotation determined by way of the other wheel unit are the same, and the results of an assignment of the wheel unit to the side of the vehicle by way of the first procedure and the second procedure do not correspond.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second procedure comprises capturing acceleration information relating to an acceleration of the assigned wheel and capturing steering information relating to steering of the vehicle with the wheel unit, and associating the wheel unit with the side of the vehicle by way of the acceleration information and the steering information.

11. The method according to claim 1, which comprises carrying out the process with the wheel having a tire and the wheel unit integrated in the tire.

12. A device for associating an electronic wheel unit with a side of a motor vehicle, wherein the electronic wheel unit is assigned to a wheel of the motor vehicle and is configured to ascertain at least one characteristic parameter of the wheel, the device comprising:

a control unit configured to;

control a determination, by way of a given wheel unit, of a direction of rotation of a given wheel;

compare the direction of rotation of the given wheel determined by way of the given wheel unit with a direction of rotation of another wheel determined by way of another wheel unit assigned to the other wheel, wherein the given wheel and the other wheel are mounted on mutually different sides of the vehicle on a shared axle; and

depending on the comparison of the direction of rotation of the given wheel with the direction of rotation of the other wheel, assign the wheel unit on the basis of a first procedure for assigning the wheel unit to a side of the vehicle or on the basis of a second procedure for assigning the wheel unit to a side of the vehicle; and

wherein said control unit utilizes the direction of rotation determined by the wheel unit in the first procedure, and said control unit performs the second procedure independent of the direction of rotation determined by way of the wheel unit.