VEHICLE MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20090160629A1
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Inventors: Shimura, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,880,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/431
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/007 having multiple wheels arranged side by side
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/009 having wheels on a trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0401 characterised by the type of alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0444 Antenna structures, control or arrangements thereof, e.g. for directional antennas, diversity antenna, antenna multiplexing or antennas integrated in fenders
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0483 Wireless routers between wheel mounted transmitters and chassis mounted receivers

Abstract

A vehicle monitoring system which can readily identify information transmitted from each detecting device without requiring registration of identifying information of the detecting device is to be provided. Detecting devices transmit vehicle information including at least the result of detection and self-identifying information; a tractor relaying device and a trailer relaying device add their self-identifying information to vehicle data received on the basis of the identifying information of the detecting devices and transmit the vehicle data, and transmit registration data including their own relaying device IDs and types indicating the registration of the relaying device IDs; the tractor relaying device stores the relaying device ID of the registration data transmitted from the trailer relaying device on the basis of the type information and transmits that registration data, and transmits vehicle data received from the trailer relaying device on the basis of the relaying device ID. The display device receives the registration data and the vehicle data transmitted from the tractor relaying device, and stores the relaying device ID of the registration data on the basis of type information.

Claims

1. A vehicle monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of detecting devices each of which detects a state of a prescribed position of a vehicle and transmits the result of detection;

a plurality of relaying devices each of which receives the result of detection transmitted from the plurality of detecting devices and transmits the result of detection; and

a display device which displays the results of detection transmitted by the plurality of relaying devices, wherein;

a prescribed detecting device has means of transmitting vehicle information including at least the result of detection and self-identifying information;

each of the relaying devices has;

vehicle information determining means which decides, on the basis of identifying information of at least one detecting device stored in advance, whether or not to receive vehicle information transmitted by the detecting device,

vehicle information transmitting means which transmits, when the vehicle information determining means has decided to receive vehicle information, that vehicle information with the self-identifying information included therein, and

registration information transmitting means which transmits registration information including self-identifying information and type information indicating the registration of that self-identifying information;

one relaying device out of the plurality of relaying devices transmits vehicle information and registration information to the display device, and the other relaying device transmits vehicle information and registration information to the one relaying device;

the one relaying device has;

registration information determining means which decides, on the basis of type information stored in advance, whether or not to receive registration information transmitted by the other relaying device,

registration information transfer means which, when the registration information determining means has decided to receive the registration information, stores identifying information contained in the registration information and transmits the registration information to the display device,

vehicle information determining means which, on the basis of the identifying information of the stored registration information, decides whether or not to receive vehicle information transmitted by the other relaying device, and

vehicle information transfer means which, when the vehicle information determining means has decided to receive the vehicle information, transmits the received vehicle information to the display device; and

the display device has;

receiving means which receives vehicle information and registration information transmitted by the one relaying device, and

storage means which, on the basis of type information stored in advance, stores identifying information contained in the registration information.

2. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein:

the display device has means of displaying, on the basis of identifying information stored by the storage means, which relaying device out of the plurality of relaying devices has transmitted the vehicle information.

3. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein:

the other relaying device is provided with an antenna for transmitting vehicle information and registration information;

the one relaying device is provided with an antenna for receiving vehicle information and registration information; and

the antenna of the one relaying device and the antenna of the other relaying device are disposed in respective positions where transmission and reception are possible.

4. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein:

the detecting devices are fitted in one or another of a plurality of prescribed positions prescribed for each vehicle type; and

the vehicle information transmitting means has means of assigning, on the basis of the identifying information and fitting position of at least one detecting device stored in advance, positional information to vehicle information and transmitting the same.

5. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein:

the display device has means of displaying, on the basis of the positional information included in vehicle information (80), which fitting position out of the plurality of fitting positions that vehicle information has been transmitted from.

6. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein:

said prescribed detecting device has at least one sensor which detects a prescribed physical quantity and means of having the value of the physical quantity detected by the sensor included in said result of detection; and

the vehicle information transmitting means has means of assigning, on the basis of the result of detection of vehicle information and at least one threshold in at least one of said sensors stored in advance, alarm information to vehicle information and transmitting the same.

7. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein:

each of its number is not limited to this, but relaying devices has means of receiving and storing the identifying information of a detecting device transmitted from an external setting device and the thresholds of sensors of the detecting device.

8. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein:

the display device has means of displaying in color, on the basis of alarm information contained in vehicle information, a state of the prescribed physical quantity detected by the sensor.

9. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein:

the display device has means of outputting in sound, on the basis of alarm information contained in vehicle information, a state of the prescribed physical quantity detected by the sensor.

10. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein:

said result of detection includes as said value of the physical quantity at least one out of the air pressure, temperature, humidity, distance and acceleration.

11. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle comprises a tractor and at least one trailer, and

every one of the trailer(s) is equipped with at least one unit of the other relaying device, and the tractor is equipped with the one relaying device and the display device.

12. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein:

the registration information transmitting means of the other relaying device has means of transmitting registration information when the tractor and the trailer(s) have been linked together.

13. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein:

said prescribed detecting device is equipped with an antenna for transmitting vehicle information;

each of the relaying devices is equipped with at least one antenna for receiving vehicle information; and

the antenna(s) is (are) disposed in the vicinity of the antenna of the prescribed detecting device in which identifying information is stored in advance.

14. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein:

said prescribed detecting device is fitted to every tire provided on said vehicle.

15. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein:

the display device has means of storing at least the results of detection, the identifying information of the relaying devices and the identifying information of the detecting device out of the vehicle information transmitted by the one relaying device.

16. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein:

the prescribed detecting device has means of transmitting vehicle information including at least the results of detection over intrinsic communication routes;

each of the relaying devices has means of receiving from the communication routes the vehicle information transmitted by the prescribed detecting device and

the vehicle information transmitting means has means of assigning, on the basis of the identifying information of at least one detecting device stored in advance and the identifying information of the communication routes, communication route information to the vehicle information and transmitting the same.

17. The vehicle monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein:

the prescribed detecting device is equipped with at least one of sensors for detecting the on/off state of a prescribed switch provided on the vehicle.