SMART ANTENNA SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING AND SMART TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20110254677A1
• Filed: 04/19/2010
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Lin, Jong-Hong, SUN, Chun-Yi
• Application Number:
  US12/762,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20110254677A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0437 Means for detecting electromagnetic field changes not being part of the signal transmission per se, e.g. strength, direction, propagation or masking
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0452 Antenna structure, control or arrangement vehicle tyre mounted antennas H01Q1/2241

Abstract

A smart antenna system (32) and a method for the same for tire pressure monitoring are provided. The smart antenna system (32) comprises a plurality of antennas (212A˜212E). The smart antenna system (32) transmits respectively a test signal to a vehicle controller (10) via a plurality of antenna. The vehicle controller (10) selects the antenna transmitting test signals with highest received signal strength indication (RSSI) among the plurality of antennas (212A˜212E) as a default antenna. The tire pressure monitoring module (20) selects the default antenna as the antenna to send a tire pressure data signal.

Claims

1. A smart antenna system (32) for tire pressure monitoring used in a vehicle controller (10) and comprising at least a tire pressure monitoring module (20);

the tire pressure monitoring module (20) comprising;

a tire micro control unit (210);

a tire RF transmit unit (202) electrically connected to the tire micro control unit (210);

a tire RF receive unit (204) electrically connected to the tire micro control unit (210);

a tire pressure inspecting unit (206) electrically connected to the tire micro control unit (210); and

a plurality of antennas (212A˜

212E) electrically connected to the tire RF transmit unit (202) and the tire RF receive unit (204),

wherein, the tire micro control unit (210) selects a default antenna among the a plurality of antennas (212A˜

212E) to send a tire pressure data signal to the vehicle controller (10) for displaying a tire pressure data via the default antenna of the smart tire pressure monitoring module (20) after a default antenna signal sent by the vehicle controller (10) is received.

2. The smart antenna system (32) of claim 1, wherein the antennas include at least two of a air tap of the tire (212A), a fixing steel band (212B) of the tire pressure monitoring module (20), an air tap cover (212C) of the tire, an external antenna (212D) on the tire pressure monitoring module (20), and a printed antenna (212E) the circuit board of the tire pressure monitoring module (20).

3. The smart antenna system (32) of claim 2, wherein external antenna (212E) on the tire pressure monitoring module (20) is a helical external antenna.

4. A smart tire pressure monitoring system (30), comprising:

a vehicle controller (10) disposed in a vehicle;

a tire micro control unit (210) disposed in a vehicle tire and communicating with the vehicle controller (10) via wireless signals;

a tire RF transmit unit (202) electrically connected to the tire micro control unit (210);

a tire RF receive unit (204) electrically connected to the tire micro control unit (210);

a tire pressure inspecting unit (206) electrically connected to the tire micro control unit (210); and

a plurality of antennas (212A˜

212E) electrically connected to the tire RF transmit unit (202) and the tire RF receive unit (204),

wherein, the vehicle controller (10) selects the antenna transmitting test signals with highest received signal strength indication (RSSI) among the antennas (212A˜

212E) as a default antenna;

the tire micro control unit (210) sends a tire pressure data signal to the vehicle controller (10) for displaying a tire pressure data via the default antenna.

5. The smart tire pressure monitoring system (30) of claim 4, wherein the antennas are at least two of a air tap of the tire (212A), a fixing steel band (212B) of the tire pressure monitoring module (20), an air tap cover (212C) of the tire, an external antenna (212D) on the tire pressure monitoring module (20), and a printed antenna (212E) the circuit board of the tire pressure monitoring module (20).

6. The smart tire pressure monitoring system (30) of claim 5, wherein external antenna (212E) on the tire pressure monitoring module (20) is a helical external antenna.

7. A smart antenna method for tire pressure monitoring used in a vehicle controller (10) and at least a tire pressure monitoring module (20), the tire pressure monitoring module (20) comprising a plurality of antennas (212A˜

212E), one of the antennas (212A˜

212E) sending a tire pressure data signal to the vehicle controller (10) for displaying a tire pressure data, the smart antenna method comprising;

a. transmitting a test signal respectively to the vehicle controller (10) by the antenna of the tire pressure monitoring module (20);

b. receiving the test signal transmitted by the antenna and recording the received signal strength indication (RSSI) of the test signal by the vehicle controller (10);

c. comparing RSSI strength of the test signal and selecting the antenna transmitting test signals with highest RSSI among the antennas (212A˜

212E) as a default antenna by the vehicle controller (10);

d. transmitting data of the default antenna to the tire pressure monitoring module (20) by the vehicle controller (10); and

e. selecting the antenna to send the tire pressure data signal according to data of the default antenna by the tire pressure monitoring module (20).

8. The smart antenna method of claim 7, the method further comprising a step f:

returning to the step a when bit error rate of the tire pressure data signal sent by the default antenna increases.

9. The smart antenna method of claim 7, wherein the antennas are at least two of a air tap of the tire (212A), a fixing steel band (212B) of the tire pressure monitoring module (20), an air tap cover (212C) of the tire, an external antenna (212D) on the tire pressure monitoring module (20), and a printed antenna (212E) the circuit board of the tire pressure monitoring module (20).

10. The smart antenna method of claim 9, wherein the external antenna (212E) on the tire pressure monitoring module (20) is a helical external antenna.