TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM FOR ASSOCIATING TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SENSORS WITH WHEEL LOCATIONS ON A VEHICLE
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A tire pressure monitoring (TPM sensors) system for a vehicle having multiple wheels, the system comprising:
- a TPM sensor contained in each of the vehicle wheels, the sensor being configured to transmit TPM sensor signals;
a plurality of antennas for receiving the TPM sensor signals, wherein one antenna is positioned in close proximity to each TPM sensor; and
a receiver in communication with the antennas, the receiver having an antenna switch and a controller, the antenna switch enabling the TPM sensor signals to be received and processed by the controller, wherein the controller determines the location of the TPM sensor that transmitted the TPM sensor signal based on the processed TPM sensor signal.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The embodiments described herein include a tire pressure monitoring (TPM) system and method for a vehicle having multiple wheels. The system and method provide an efficient means for accurately associating TPM sensors on the vehicle with specific vehicle wheel locations.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A tire pressure monitoring (TPM sensors) system for a vehicle having multiple wheels, the system comprising:
a TPM sensor contained in each of the vehicle wheels, the sensor being configured to transmit TPM sensor signals; a plurality of antennas for receiving the TPM sensor signals, wherein one antenna is positioned in close proximity to each TPM sensor; and a receiver in communication with the antennas, the receiver having an antenna switch and a controller, the antenna switch enabling the TPM sensor signals to be received and processed by the controller, wherein the controller determines the location of the TPM sensor that transmitted the TPM sensor signal based on the processed TPM sensor signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
10. A method for determining a location of TPM sensors on a vehicle with respect to vehicle wheels, wherein the vehicle has multiple wheels each having a TPM sensor, the method comprising:
-
transmitting TPM sensor signals via the TPM sensors, wherein the TPM sensor signals include a sensor identification for the TPM sensors that generated the TPM sensor signals; receiving the TPM sensor signals at a plurality of antennas, wherein one antenna is positioned in close proximity to each TPM sensor; receiving the TPM sensor signals at a receiver that is in communication with the antennas, the receiver having an antenna switch and a controller, the antenna switch enabling the TPM sensor signals to be received and processed by the controller; and determining the location of each TPM sensor on each wheel that transmitted the TPM sensor signals based on the sensor identification as processed through the use of the controller. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A tire pressure monitoring (TPM sensors) system for associating one TPM sensor with one wheel on a vehicle, wherein the vehicle has a plurality of TPM sensors that include the one TPM sensor and a plurality of wheels that include the one wheel, the system comprising:
-
a triggering device for generating a radio-frequency (RF) trigger signal for each TPM sensor in accordance with a predetermined triggering sequence, wherein the TPM sensors transmit a TPM sensor signal upon receipt of the RF trigger signal, wherein the TPM sensor signal includes a sensor identification that indicates which TPM sensor transmitted the TPM sensor signal; a plurality of antennas for receiving the TPM sensor signals, wherein one antenna is positioned in close proximity to each TPM sensor; a receiver in communication with the antennas, the receiver having an antenna switch and a controller, the antenna switch allowing polling of each TPM sensor in accordance with a predetermined polling sequence by selectively coupling each antenna, individually, to the controller to enable each transmitted TPM sensor signal to be received and processed by the controller, wherein the controller has in memory the predetermined triggering sequence, and the controller associates the one TPM sensor with the one wheel by; (a) determining a signal strength of each TPM sensor signal from each TPM sensor to identify the TPM sensor that generated the TPM sensor signal having a highest signal strength; (b) identifying which TPM sensor has been triggered by the RF trigger signal in accordance with the predetermined triggering sequence; and (c) associating the one TPM sensor with the one wheel when the one TPM sensor generates the TPM sensor signal having the highest signal strength and the one TPM sensor was triggered by the RF trigger signal in accordance with the predetermined triggering sequence; and wherein the controller stores in memory the sensor identification of the one TPM sensor being associated with the one wheel.
-
Specification