METHOD FOR LOCATING THE LONGITUDINAL POSITION OF WHEELS OF A VEHICLE

• US 20090157250A1
• Filed: 12/09/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive France (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive France (Continental AG)
• Inventors: COSTES, Olivier
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,212 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

The invention relates to a method for locating the longitudinal position, either on the front end or on the rear end of a vehicle with engine, of wheels (4) fitted with an electronic module (8). According to this method, there are incorporated, in each electronic module (8), means (15) of measuring vibrations stressing the corresponding wheel and resulting from the rotation of the engine, and, firstly, in a preliminary phase, a spectral analysis is performed, with the engine running, of the signals delivered by the respective measurement means (15) of a wheel mounted on the front end and of a wheel mounted on the rear end, so as to establish a criterion for differentiating said signals consisting of a frequency offset between these signals. Furthermore, according to this method, the procedure for locating the longitudinal position of the wheels consists in carrying out a spectral analysis of the signals delivered by the different measurement means (15), with the engine running, and in deducing from the frequency offset between said signals, an indication concerning the longitudinal position of each wheel.

Claims

1. A method for locating the longitudinal position, either on the front end or on the rear end of a vehicle (1) with a motor (M), of wheels (2-5) fitted with an electronic module (6-9) adapted to send, to a central processing unit (10) mounted on the vehicle (1), signals representative of operating parameters of each wheel also comprising an identification code of the latter, said locating method being characterized in that it consists in incorporating in each electronic module (6-9), means (15) of measuring vibrations stressing the corresponding wheel and resulting from the rotation of the engine (M), and:

in a preliminary phase of characterization of each vehicle type, in performing, with the engine (M) running and for at least one speed of rotation of said engine, a spectral analysis of the signals representative of the vibrations according to the frequency delivered by the respective measurement means (15) of a wheel (2, 3) mounted on the front end and of a wheel (4, 5) mounted on the rear end, so as to establish a criterion for differentiating said signals consisting in a frequency offset between the latter,

and in setting up a procedure for locating the longitudinal position of the wheels (2-5) consisting in carrying out, with the engine running, an analysis of the signals representative of the amplitude variations of the vibrations according to the frequency, delivered, at at least one same instant t, by the different measurement means (15), and in deducing from the frequency offset between said signals, an indication concerning the longitudinal position of each wheel (2-5).

2. The locating method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that measurement means are used that consist of vibration sensors (15) able to deliver signals representative of the “

solid-borne”

vibrations stressing the wheels (2-5).