METHOD AND DEVICE FOR LOCATING THE INSTALLATION POSITION OF VEHICLE WHEELS IN A MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20120259507A1
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Published: 10/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Fink, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 9,387,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/32.7
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0489 for detecting the actual angular position of the monitoring device while the wheel is turning

Abstract

A method locates an installation position of vehicles wheels in a motor vehicle having at least one vehicle wheel containing a wheel electronics unit. The method includes: determining from the wheel electronics unit a first rotational angle position of the vehicle wheel associated with the wheel electronics unit; transmitting a transmission signal with a first piece of rotational angle information dependent on the determined first rotational angle position; determining from the vehicle second rotational angle positions of the vehicle wheels, and depending thereon, providing second rotational angle information. The first rotational angle information is compared with the second rotational angle information. The installation position of the vehicle wheel associated with the wheel electronics unit is determined depending on the comparison. A device is provided for performing the method.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A method for localizing installation positions of vehicle wheels in a motor vehicle, in which at least one vehicle wheel has wheel electronics, which comprises the steps of:

determining, via the wheel electronics, a first rotation angle position for the vehicle wheel associated with the wheel electronics;

sending a transmission signal with a first rotation angle information item being dependent on the first rotation angle position ascertained;

determining, via the motor vehicle, second rotation angle positions for the vehicle wheels, and the second rotation angle positions are taken as a basis for generating second rotation angle information items;

aligning the first rotation angle information item with the second rotation angle information items; and

determining an installation position of the vehicle wheel associated with the wheel electronics on a basis of an alignment.

17. The method according to claim 16, which further comprises sending, via the wheel electronics, a plurality of transmission signals with a plurality of first rotation angle information items, corresponding to a number of the transmission signals, at different instants, and align the transmission signals with a corresponding number of correspondingly ones of the second rotation angle information items.

18. The method according to claim 17, which further comprises using at least two of the transmission signals for determining the installation position.

19. The method according to claim 17, which further comprises sending, via the wheel electronics, the transmission signals at a respective firmly prescribed rotation angle position which is known by the wheel electronics and in that the vehicle ascertains the second rotation angle positions for each received transmission signal at an instant of reception of the transmission signal, the second rotation angle positions being used to derive the second rotation angle information items.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein a distribution of the second rotation angle information items is set up for each vehicle wheel, wherein the distribution includes the second rotation angle positions derived from the second rotation angle information items, and in that the installation position is ascertained by evaluating at least one of maximum values of the distribution or variances of the distribution.

21. The method according to claim 20, which further comprises determining that the distribution which has greatest maximum values or smallest variances as the installation position of the vehicle wheel which is associated with the distribution.

22. The method according to claim 20, which further comprises detecting and eliminating outliers in the distribution of the second rotation angle positions before the distribution is evaluated.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein a cluster of second rotation angle positions close to 0°

or 360°

involves the distribution of the second rotation angle positions being shifted by a prescribed value on an abscissa.

24. The method according to claim 16, which further comprises the steps of:

a) determining the respective second rotation angle positions for each vehicle wheel for at least two transmission signals received in succession by the vehicle from the wheel electronics;

b) calculating differential values for the respective rotation angle positions with reference to each of the vehicle wheels;

c) calculating quotients from the differential values by a value which corresponds to a full revolution of a vehicle wheel; and

d) determining the installation position as the vehicle wheel which has a smallest quotient.

25. The method according to claim 24, which further comprises sending, via the wheel electronics, at least N transmission signals and in that an evaluation and determination of the installation position of the vehicle wheel involve using at least N/2 combinations of the second wheel angle positions, for each of which steps b) and c) are performed, and in that step d) involves the installation position determined being the vehicle wheel which cumulatively has at least one of a smallest quotients or a smallest distribution of the quotients.

26. The method according to claim 16, wherein delay times which are obtained by virtue of a creation of a telegram for the transmission signal by the wheel electronics, purposely inserted delays or waiting times, the sending of the transmission signal, a reception and evaluation of the transmission signal by the vehicle, the forwarding of the first rotation angle information items obtained from the received transmission signal, the ascertainment and forwarding of the second rotation angle information items and the alignment of the first and second rotation angle information items are also included in the evaluation and in the alignment.

27. The method according to claim 16, which further comprises ascertaining the second rotation speed positions by counting at least one of rising clock edges or falling clock edges in a signal ascertained by a rotation speed sensor, wherein a prescribed number of clock edges corresponds to a full revolution of a vehicle wheel.

28. The method according to claim 17, which further comprises using at least six of the transmission signals for determining the installation position.

29. The method according to claim 17, which further comprises using at least twenty of the transmission signals for determining the installation position.

30. The method according to claim 20, wherein a cluster of second rotation angle positions close to 0°

or 360°

involves the distribution of the second rotation angle positions being shifted by a prescribed value on an abscissa through 90°

.

31. The method according to claim 20, wherein a cluster of second rotation angle positions close to 0°

or 360°

involves the distribution of the second rotation angle positions being shifted by a prescribed value on an abscissa through 180°

.

32. The method according to claim 24, which further comprises sending, via the wheel electronics, at least N transmission signals and in that an evaluation and determination of the installation position of the vehicle wheel involve using at least (N−

1) combinations of the second wheel angle positions, for each of which steps b) and c) are performed, and in that step d) involves the installation position determined being the vehicle wheel which cumulatively has at least one of a smallest quotients or a smallest distribution of the quotients.

33. The method according to claim 24, which further comprises sending, via the wheel electronics, at least N transmission signals and in that an evaluation and determination of the installation position of the vehicle wheel involve using up to N*(N−

1)/2 combinations of the second wheel angle positions, for each of which steps b) and c) are performed, and in that step d) involves the installation position determined being the vehicle wheel which cumulatively has at least one of a smallest quotients or a smallest distribution of quotients.

34. An apparatus for localizing installation positions of vehicle wheels in a motor vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a reception device disposed in the motor vehicle;

at least one wheel electronics unit disposed in a vehicle wheel and configured for determining a first rotation angle position for the vehicle wheel and for sending a first rotation angle information item being dependent on the first rotation angle position ascertained, to said reception device;

at least one rotation speed sensor disposed in the motor vehicle, said rotation speed sensor determining respective second rotation angle positions for respective associated vehicle wheels and taking the respective second rotation angle positions as a basis for generating second rotation angle information items; and

an evaluation device for aligning the first rotation angle information item with the at least two of the second rotation angle information items and taking an alignment as a basis for determining the installation position of the vehicle wheel associated with said wheel electronics unit.

35. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said rotation speed sensor is selected from the group consisting of an ESP rotation speed sensor and an ABS rotation speed sensor.

36. A vehicle, including an automobile, comprising:

a plurality of vehicle wheels;

a tire information apparatus having an apparatus for localizing installation positions of said vehicle wheels, said apparatus containing;

a reception device disposed in the vehicle;

at least one wheel electronics unit disposed in said vehicle wheels and configured for determining a first rotation angle position for a vehicle wheel and for sending a first rotation angle information item being dependent on the first rotation angle position ascertained, to said reception device;

at least one rotation speed sensor disposed in the vehicle, said rotation speed sensor determining respective second rotation angle positions for respective associated said vehicle wheels and taking the respective second rotation angle positions as a basis for generating second rotation angle information items; and

an evaluation device for aligning the first rotation angle information item with the at least two of the second rotation angle information items and taking an alignment as a basis for determining the installation position of said vehicle wheel associated with said wheel electronics.