Vehicle wheel position detection apparatus for relating tires to positions of corresponding wheels
First Claim
1. A wheel position detection apparatus for relating a plurality of tires of a vehicle to positions of respectively corresponding wheels of said vehicle, said wheels comprising a left-side front wheel, a right-side front wheel, a right-side rear wheel and a left-side rear wheel, and said apparatus comprisinga plurality of transceiver apparatuses each attached to a corresponding one of said wheels, each said transceiver apparatus comprising a receiving unit formed to receive a externally transmitted trigger signals, a processing unit formed to derive a data frame containing wheel position data indicative of a position of said corresponding wheel, and a transmitter unit formed to transmit said data frame,a first triggering device disposed in a body of said vehicle and formed to transmit a trigger signal conveying a first trigger command toward said left-side front wheel and said right-side front wheel, and a second triggering device disposed in said body and formed to transmit a trigger signal conveying a second trigger command toward said left-side rear wheel and said right-side rear wheel, anda receiver apparatus comprising a receiving unit formed to receive each of said data frames respectively transmitted from said transceiver apparatuses, and a controlling unit formed to process each of said received data frames, for identifying a wheel carrying a transceiver apparatus which transmitted said received data frame as being a specific one of said left-side front wheel, said right-side front wheel, said left-side rear wheel and said right-side rear wheel;
- wherein said processing unit of each of said transceiver apparatuses comprises;
a trigger signal strength measurement unit formed to detect a value of received signal strength of said received trigger signal;
a front/rear position determination unit formed to judge whether a trigger signal conveying said first trigger command or said second trigger command is received, and to determine whether said corresponding wheel of said each transceiver apparatus is a front wheel or a rear wheel of said vehicle, based on results of said judgment;
a left/right position determination unit formed to judge a received signal strength of said received trigger signal, and to determine whether said corresponding wheel is a left-side wheel or a right-side wheel of said vehicle, based on results of said received signal strength judgment; and
a wheel position determination unit formed to determine which of said left-side front wheel, said right-side front wheel, said left-side rear wheel and said right-side rear wheel is said corresponding wheel, based on a combination of respective results obtained by said front/rear position determination unit and by said left/right position determination unit.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Four transceivers are attached to respective wheels of a vehicle. A pair of triggering devices transmit respectively different types of trigger signal, respectively directed toward the front wheels and toward the rear wheels. One triggering device is located closer to one rear wheel than to the other, while the other triggering device is located closer to one front wheel than to the other. Based on the received trigger signal type, a transceiver judges itself to be attached to either a front or a rear wheel, and based on the received trigger signal strength, judges whether it is attached to a right-side or left-side wheel.
-
Citations
14 Claims
-
1. A wheel position detection apparatus for relating a plurality of tires of a vehicle to positions of respectively corresponding wheels of said vehicle, said wheels comprising a left-side front wheel, a right-side front wheel, a right-side rear wheel and a left-side rear wheel, and said apparatus comprising
a plurality of transceiver apparatuses each attached to a corresponding one of said wheels, each said transceiver apparatus comprising a receiving unit formed to receive a externally transmitted trigger signals, a processing unit formed to derive a data frame containing wheel position data indicative of a position of said corresponding wheel, and a transmitter unit formed to transmit said data frame, a first triggering device disposed in a body of said vehicle and formed to transmit a trigger signal conveying a first trigger command toward said left-side front wheel and said right-side front wheel, and a second triggering device disposed in said body and formed to transmit a trigger signal conveying a second trigger command toward said left-side rear wheel and said right-side rear wheel, and a receiver apparatus comprising a receiving unit formed to receive each of said data frames respectively transmitted from said transceiver apparatuses, and a controlling unit formed to process each of said received data frames, for identifying a wheel carrying a transceiver apparatus which transmitted said received data frame as being a specific one of said left-side front wheel, said right-side front wheel, said left-side rear wheel and said right-side rear wheel; -
wherein said processing unit of each of said transceiver apparatuses comprises; a trigger signal strength measurement unit formed to detect a value of received signal strength of said received trigger signal; a front/rear position determination unit formed to judge whether a trigger signal conveying said first trigger command or said second trigger command is received, and to determine whether said corresponding wheel of said each transceiver apparatus is a front wheel or a rear wheel of said vehicle, based on results of said judgment; a left/right position determination unit formed to judge a received signal strength of said received trigger signal, and to determine whether said corresponding wheel is a left-side wheel or a right-side wheel of said vehicle, based on results of said received signal strength judgment; and a wheel position determination unit formed to determine which of said left-side front wheel, said right-side front wheel, said left-side rear wheel and said right-side rear wheel is said corresponding wheel, based on a combination of respective results obtained by said front/rear position determination unit and by said left/right position determination unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A wheel position detection apparatus for relating a plurality of tires of a vehicle to positions of respectively corresponding wheels of said vehicle, said wheels comprising a left-side front wheel, a right-side front wheel, a right-side rear wheel and a left-side rear wheel, and said apparatus comprising
a plurality of transceiver apparatuses each attached to a corresponding one of said wheels, each said transceiver apparatus comprising a receiving unit formed to receive externally transmitted trigger signals, a processing unit formed to derive a data frame containing wheel position, and a transmitter unit formed to transmit said data frame, a first triggering device disposed in a body of said vehicle and formed to transmit a trigger signal conveying a first trigger command toward said left-side front wheel and said left-side rear wheel, and a second triggering device disposed in said body and formed to transmit a trigger signal conveying a second trigger command toward said right-side front wheel and said right-side rear wheel, and a receiver apparatus comprising a receiving unit formed to receive each of said data frames respectively transmitted from said transceiver apparatuses, and a controlling unit formed to process each of said received data frames, for identifying a wheel carrying a transceiver apparatus which transmitted said received data frame as being a specific one of said left-side front wheel, said right-side front wheel, said left-side rear wheel and said right-side rear wheel; -
wherein said processing unit of each of said transceiver apparatuses comprises; a trigger signal strength measurement unit formed to detect a value of received signal strength of said received trigger signal; a left/right position determination unit formed to judge whether a trigger signal conveying said first trigger command or a trigger signal conveying said second trigger command is received, and to determine whether said corresponding wheel of said each transceiver apparatus is a left-side wheel or a right-side wheel of said vehicle based on results of said judgment; a front/rear position determination unit formed to judge said received signal strength, and to determine whether said corresponding wheel is a front wheel or a rear wheel of said vehicle based on results of said received signal strength judgment in conjunction with said predetermined positional relationship; and a wheel position determination unit formed to determine which of said left-side front wheel, said right-side front wheel, said left-side rear wheel and said right-side rear wheel is said corresponding wheel, based on a combination of respective results obtained by said front/rear position determination unit and by said left/right position determination unit. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A plurality of transceiver apparatuses each attached to a corresponding one of a left-side front wheel, a right-side front wheel, a right-side rear wheel and a left-side rear wheel of a vehicle, each said transceiver apparatus comprising a receiving unit formed to receive trigger signals transmitted from pair of triggering devices that are respectively located in a predetermined position relationship to said wheels, said trigger signals comprising a first trigger signal directed toward said left-side front wheel and said right-side front wheel and a second trigger signal directed toward said right-side rear wheel and said left-side rear wheel, with said first trigger signals conveying a command that differs from a command conveyed by said second trigger signals, a processing unit formed to perform wheel position detection based on said trigger signal received by said receiving unit, and to set data indicative of a corresponding wheel of said each transceiver apparatus into a data frame, and a transmitter unit formed to transmit said data frame,
wherein said processing unit of each of said transceiver apparatuses comprises: -
a memory having stored therein beforehand a threshold value predetermined based on said positional relationship; a trigger signal strength measurement unit formed to detect a value of received signal strength of said received trigger signal; a front/rear position determination unit formed to determine whether said corresponding wheel of said each transceiver apparatus is contained in said front-wheel pair or said rear-wheel pair based on said command conveyed in said received trigger signal; a left/right position determination unit formed to judge a received signal strength of said received trigger signal, based on comparison with said threshold value, and to determine whether said corresponding wheel is a left-side wheel or a right-side wheel of said vehicle, based on results of said received signal strength judgment; and a wheel position determination unit formed to determine which of said left-side front wheel, said right-side front wheel, said left-side rear wheel and said right-side rear wheel is said corresponding wheel, based on a combination of respective results obtained by said front/rear position determination unit and by said left/right position determination unit. - View Dependent Claims (12)
-
-
13. A plurality of transceiver apparatuses each attached to a corresponding one of a left-side front wheel, a right-side front wheel, a right-side rear wheel and a left-side rear wheel of a vehicle, each said transceiver apparatus comprising a receiving unit formed to receive trigger signals transmitted from a plurality of triggering devices that are respectively located in a predetermined positional relationship to said wheels, said trigger signals comprising a first trigger signal directed toward said left-side front wheel and said right-side front wheel and a second trigger signal directed toward said right-side rear wheel and said left-side rear wheel, with said first trigger signals conveying a command that differs from a command conveyed by said second trigger signals, a processing unit formed to perform wheel position detection based on said trigger signal received by said receiving unit, and to set data indicative of a corresponding wheel of said each transceiver apparatus into a data frame, and a transmitter unit formed to transmit said data frame,
wherein each of said transceiver apparatuses comprises: -
a memory having stored therein beforehand a threshold value predetermined based on said positional relationship; a trigger signal strength measurement unit formed to detect a value of received signal strength of said received trigger signal; a left/right position determination unit formed to judge whether said corresponding wheel of said each transceiver apparatus is a left-side wheel or a right-side wheel of said vehicle, based on said command conveyed in said received trigger signal; a front/rear position determination unit formed to judge a received signal strength of said received trigger signal, and to determine whether said corresponding wheel is a front wheel or a rear wheel of said vehicle, based on results of said received signal strength judgment; and a wheel position determination unit formed to determine which of said left-side front wheel, said right-side front wheel, said left-side rear wheel and said right-side rear wheel is said corresponding wheel, based on a combination of respective results obtained by said front/rear position-determination unit and by said left/right position determination unit. - View Dependent Claims (14)
-
Specification