Tire Pressure Monitoring Apparatus And Method

• US 20130038440A1
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems US Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Deniau, Jean-Christophe, Farrell, Brian J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,742,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0455 Transmission control of wireless signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol

Abstract

Tire pressure information is sensed. The sensed tire pressure information is stored in a transmission buffer. A control program is executed to transmit the tire pressure information from the transmission buffer to an external receiver device according to each of a plurality of communications formats incorporated into the control program and not according to a manufacturers'"'"' code.

Claims

1. A method of operating a tire pressure monitoring system comprising:

sensing tire pressure information;

storing the sensed tire pressure information in a transmission buffer;

executing a control program to transmit the tire pressure information from the transmission buffer to an external receiver device according to each of a plurality of communications formats incorporated into the control program and not according to a manufacturers'"'"' code.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

configuring the external receiver device to operate according to a selected one of the plurality of communication protocols;

at the external receiver device;

receiving the tire pressure information transmitted according to each of the plurality of communication protocols;

recognizing the tire pressure information transmitted according to the selected one of the plurality of communication protocols and ignoring the tire pressure information transmitted according to others of the plurality of communication protocols.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the external receiver device comprises a processor.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the tire pressure information comprises a measured pressure of a tire.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising compiling the control program prior to the executing.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the protocols is transmitted in a predetermined block having a pre-defined format.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the each of the blocks are transmitted sequentially in a burst.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein a null space separates each of the blocks in the burst.

9. An apparatus for sensing tire pressure information, the apparatus comprising:

a sensing device that is configured to sense tire pressure information of a tire;

a transmission buffer communicatively coupled to the sensing device, the buffer configured to store the sensed tire pressure information;

a transmitter coupled to the transmission buffer;

a memory, the memory storing a control program;

a processor, the processor communicatively coupled to the sensing device, the transmitter, the memory, and the transmission buffer, the processor configured to execute the control program stored in the memory, execution of the control program effective to transmit the tire pressure information from the transmission buffer to an external receiver via the transmitter according to each of a plurality of communications formats incorporated into the control program and not according to a manufacturers code.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the tire pressure information comprises a measured pressure of a tire.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the control program id compiled prior to execution.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein each of the protocols is transmitted in a predetermined block having a pre-defined format.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the each of the blocks are transmitted sequentially in a burst.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein a null space separates each of the blocks in the burst.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

a receiver that is configured to receive the tire pressure information transmitted according to each of the plurality of communication protocols that is transmitted by the transmitter, the receiver further configured to recognize the tire pressure information transmitted according to a selected one of the plurality of communication protocols and ignore the tire pressure information transmitted according to non-selected ones of the plurality of communication protocols.

16. A computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method of operating a tire pressure monitoring system, the method comprising:

sensing tire pressure information;

storing the sensed tire pressure information in a transmission buffer;

executing a control program to transmit the tire pressure information from the transmission buffer to an external receiver device according to each of a plurality of communications formats incorporated into the control program and not according to a manufacturers'"'"' code.

17. A computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to form the following means when executed on a computer:

means for sensing tire pressure information;

means for storing the sensed tire pressure information in a transmission buffer;

means for executing a control program to transmit the tire pressure information from the transmission buffer to an external receiver device according to each of a plurality of communications formats incorporated into the control program and not according to a manufacturers'"'"' code.