TIRE IDENTIFICATION CODE REGISTRATION SYSTEM

• US 20150077238A1
• Filed: 09/11/2014
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: KUMAGAI, Katsuhide, SHIBATA, Yasuhiro, KITAGAWA, Kei
• Granted Patent: US 9,428,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0415 Automatically identifying wheel mounted units, e.g. after replacement or exchange of wheels

Abstract

A tire identification code registration system for use with tire pressure detectors and a tire pressure monitoring system (TMPS) receiver. Each tire pressure detector, which includes a unique tire identification code, is coupled to a tire to detect the pressure of the tire and transmit a tire pressure signal. The receiver receives the tire pressure signal and monitors the pressure of the tire. The tire identification code registration system includes a storage manager that stores, in a memory, tire identification codes included in wireless signals received during a predetermined storage period as candidate tire identification codes. A registration unit registers the candidate tire identification codes in the memory as formal tire identification codes after the storage performed by the storage manager when the number of the candidate tire identification codes in the memory is equal to a predetermined storage number.

Claims

1. A tire identification code registration system for use with a plurality of tire pressure detectors and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) receiver, each of the tire pressure detectors includes a unique tire identification code and is configured to be coupled to a tire, each of the tire pressure detectors is configured to detect pressure of the corresponding tire and transmit a tire pressure signal that includes tire pressure information, and the receiver is configured to receive the tire pressure signal and monitor the pressure of the corresponding tire based on the received tire pressure signal, the tire identification code registration system comprising:

a storage manager configured to store, in a memory, tire identification codes included in wireless signals received during a predetermined storage period as candidate tire identification codes; and

a registration unit configured to register the candidate tire identification codes in the memory as formal tire identification codes after the storage performed by the storage manager when the number of the candidate tire identification codes in the memory is equal to a predetermined storage number.

2. The tire identification code registration system according to claim 1, wherein

the storage manager is configured to store, in the memory, tire identification codes included in wireless signals received during a period in which a detected vehicle speed is greater than a travel determination reference value;

and

the storage manager is configured not to store, in the memory, tire identification codes included in wireless signals received during a period in which the detected vehicle speed is less than or equal to the travel determination reference value.

3. The tire identification code registration system according to claim 1, further comprising a deletion unit that deletes candidate identification codes from the memory when the number of candidate identifications codes in the memory is greater than the predetermined storage number, wherein the deletion unit is configured to delete each candidate tire identification code from the memory that is not included in a wireless signal received during a predetermined deletion period.

4. The tire identification code registration system according to claim 3, wherein when the number of the candidate tire identification codes in the memory subsequent to the deletion is greater than the predetermined storage number, the deletion unit repeats the deletion.

5. The tire identification code registration system according to claim 3, wherein the storage manager does not store, in the memory, a tire identification code included in a wireless signal received during the predetermined deletion period.

6. The tire identification code registration system according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined deletion period has a duration in which each of the tire pressure detectors transmits a wireless signal including the tire identification code a number of times.

7. The tire identification code registration system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a transmission control unit installed in each of the tire pressure detectors, wherein the transmission control unit detects rotation of the corresponding tire and transmits the tire pressure signal further frequently when the detected tire rotation exceeds a rotation reference value; and

a duration setting unit installed in the receiver, wherein the duration setting unit changes the duration of the predetermined deletion period in accordance with a detected vehicle speed.

8. The tire identification code registration system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined storage period has a duration in which each of the tire pressure detectors transmits a wireless signal including the tire identification code a number of times.

9. The tire identification code registration system according to claim 8, further comprising:

a transmission control unit installed in each of the tire pressure detectors, wherein the transmission control unit detects rotation of the corresponding tire and transmits the tire pressure signal further frequently when the detected tire rotation exceeds a rotation reference value; and

a duration setting unit installed in the receiver, wherein the duration setting unit changes the duration of the predetermined storage period in accordance with a detected vehicle speed.

10. The tire identification code registration system according to claim 1, further comprising a registration termination unit installed in the receiver, wherein under a situation in which the number of the candidate tire identification codes in the memory continues to be equal to the predetermined storage number over a predetermined storage period or longer, the registration termination unit switches an operation mode of the receiver from a tire identification code registration mode to a non-registration mode.

11. The tire identification code registration system according to claim 1, further comprising a registration termination unit installed in the receiver, wherein under a situation in which the number of the candidate tire identification codes in the memory is less than the predetermined storage number, the registration termination unit switches an operation mode of the receiver from a tire identification code registration mode to a non-registration mode.

12. The tire identification code registration system according to claim 1, wherein

the storage manager includes a presumption condition and is configured to use the presumption condition to presume that a wireless signal received during the predetermined storage period was transmitted from another vehicle, and

among the tire identification codes included in wireless signals received during the predetermined storage period, the storage manager is configured not to store a tire identification code presumed as having been included in a wireless signal transmitted from another vehicle.

13. A controller for a tire pressure monitoring system, the controller comprising:

a volatile memory element;

a nonvolatile memory element; and

a computer processor coupled to the volatile memory element and the nonvolatile memory element and configured to;

store, in the volatile memory element, a tire identification code included in each tire pressure signal received during a predetermined storage period as a candidate tire identification code,

register, to the nonvolatile memory element, each candidate tire identification code as a formal tire identification code if the number of the candidate tire identification codes in the volatile memory element when the predetermined storage period ends is equal to a predetermined storage number; and

delete a candidate tire identification code that meets a deletion condition from the volatile memory element if the number of the candidate tire identification codes in the volatile memory element when the predetermined storage period ends is greater than a predetermined storage number.

14. A tire pressure monitoring system comprising:

a tire pressure detector including a unique tire identification code, wherein the tire pressure detector is coupled to a tire and configured to detect pressure of the tire and transmit a tire pressure signal that includes tire pressure information;

a receiver configured to receive the tire pressure signal and monitor the pressure of the corresponding tire based on the tire pressure signal; and

the controller according to claim 13, wherein the controller is installed in or coupled to the receiver.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that cause a computer processor to execute a tire identification code registration method, the instructions comprising:

instructions configured to store, in a volatile memory element of a tire identification code registration system, a tire identification code included in each tire pressure signal received during a predetermined storage period as a candidate tire identification code;

instructions configured to register, to a nonvolatile memory element of the tire identification code registration system, each candidate tire identification code in the volatile memory element as a formal tire identification code if the number of the candidate tire identification codes in the volatile memory element when the predetermined storage period ends is equal to a predetermined storage number; and

instructions configured to delete a candidate tire identification code that meets a deletion condition from the volatile memory element if the number of the candidate tire identification codes in the volatile memory when the predetermined storage period ends is greater than a predetermined storage number.