METHOD FOR EXCHANGING SIGNALS BETWEEN A TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR AND A CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT IN A MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20130207798A1
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Abichaaya, Elie, Reimon, Julien
• Granted Patent: US 9,168,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol

Abstract

The invention provides a method of transmitting information in wireless manner by radio signals between a pressure sensor equipping a wheel of a motor vehicle and a central processor unit equipping said vehicle. The sensor transmits, for the attention of the central processor unit, firstly signals representative of digital data to be transferred to the central processor unit, and secondly a location signal used by the central processor unit to identify the vehicle wheel from which the digital data is coming. In accordance with the invention, the emission power of the location signal is lower than the emission power of the data transmission signals, and/or the duration of the location signal is adjusted in such a manner that the higher the speed of the vehicle the shorter the duration of the location signal. The invention is applicable to systems for monitoring the pressures of the tires of a vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting information in wireless manner by radio signals between a pressure sensor equipping a wheel of a motor vehicle and a central processor unit equipping said vehicle, in which method the sensor transmits, for the attention of the central processor unit, firstly signals representative of digital data to be transferred to the central processor unit, and secondly a location signal used by the central processor unit to identify the vehicle wheel from which the digital data is coming, said wherein the emission power of the location signal is lower than the emission power of the data transmission signals, and/or in that the duration of the location signal is adjusted in such a manner that the higher the speed of the vehicle the shorter the duration of the location signal.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the location signal has an amplitude that is smaller than the amplitude of the data transmission signals.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the location signal is made up of pulses that have durations shorter than the durations of the pulses forming the data transmission signals.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the duration of the location signal is adjusted on the basis of an evaluation of the speed of rotation of the wheel that is made at the sensor.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the evaluation of the speed of rotation of the wheel is made by determining a periodicity of data coming from an accelerometer integrated in the sensor.