METHOD OF MANAGING DATA BETWEEN AN RFID MARKER CARRIED BY A TYRE AND A SENSOR CARRIED BY A RIM

• US 20150273955A2
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Compagnie générale des établissements Michelin
• Original Assignee: Compagnie générale des établissements Michelin, Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Inventors: HAMMER, MARC
• Granted Patent: US 9,475,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0472 to manually allocate ID codes or mounting positions, e.g. by service technicians
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0483 Wireless routers between wheel mounted transmitters and chassis mounted receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07764 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier attachable to a tire tire temperature or pressur control arrangements, see B60C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time

Abstract

This method can be used to manage data relating to an assembly (10) comprising a tyre (12), carrying an RFID marker (16), and a rim (14), carrying a wheel module (22) including at least one sensor (P, T). The assembly (10) can be in different states, notably a mounted state in which the tyre (12) is mounted on the rim (14) to form a mounted assembly (10), also called a wheel, intended to be fitted to a motor vehicle. According to this method, data are transmitted between the RFID marker (16) and the wheel module (22) via an intermediate unit (28), separate from the mounted assembly (10) and the motor vehicle, comprising data transmission means (42, 50, 52, 54). These data, called RFID data, are stored in the wheel module (22). The wheel module (22) comprises at least one sensor (P) of the pressure of the tyre, and the RFID data stored in the wheel module (22) are erased when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor (P) is less than or equal to a predetermined pressure threshold.

Claims

1. Method of managing data relating to an assembly (10) comprising a tyre (12) and a rim (14), the tyre carrying an RFID marker (16), and the assembly carrying a wheel module (22) including at least one sensor (P, T), the assembly (10) being capable of being in different states, notably a mounted state in which the tyre (12) is mounted on the rim (14) to form a mounted assembly (10), also called a wheel, intended to be fitted to a motor vehicle, in which:

data are transmitted between the RFID marker (16) and the wheel module (22) via an intermediate unit (28), separate from the mounted assembly (10) and the motor vehicle, comprising data transmission means (42, 50, 52, 54); and

these data, called RFID data, are stored in the wheel module (22);

characterized in that the sensor (P, T) is a pressure sensor (P) of the tyre, and the RFID data stored in the wheel module (22) are erased when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor (P) is less than or equal to a predetermined pressure threshold.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein data are transmitted between the RFID marker (16) and the wheel module (22) when the assembly (10) comprising the tyre (10) and the rim (12) is in a predetermined state, for example a state in the course of mounting, a state after mounting, a mounted state with the tyre (12) inflated, or a mounted state with the tyre (12) deflated.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the transmission of the data from the RFID marker (16) towards the wheel module (22) is requested when:

the assembly (10) comprising the tyre (12) and the rim (14) is in a predetermined mounted state, and

there are no RFID data stored in the wheel module (22).

4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein data are transmitted from the RFID marker (16) towards the wheel module (22), and supplementary data supplied by the intermediate unit (28), for example data relating to a maintenance operation performed on the tyre (12), are added to these RFID data in the course of this data transmission.

5. Data transmission unit, characterized in that it forms an intermediate unit (28) for data transmission by a method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. Unit according to claim 5, comprising:

means (42, 50) forming a wireless communication network between the intermediate unit (28) and the RFID marker (16) and between the intermediate unit (28) and the wheel module (22),

means forming a microcontroller (38, 46), and

means forming a user interface (36, 44).

7. Unit according to claim 6, comprising:

first (32) and second (34) units associated, respectively, with the wheel module (22) and with the RFID marker (16),

means (52 to 56) forming a communication network between the first (32) and second (34) units,

the means forming a wireless network including a first wireless network module (42) arranged in the first unit (32), intended to communicate with the wheel module (22), and a second wireless network module (50) arranged in the second unit (34), intended to communicate with the RFID marker (16),

the means forming a microcontroller comprising first (38) and second (34) microcontrollers arranged in the first (32) and second (34) units respectively,

the means forming a user interface comprising first (36) and second (44) interfaces arranged in the first (32) and second (34) units respectively.

8. Unit according to claim 7, wherein the means (56) forming a communication network between the first (32) and second (34) units are of the serial wired type.

9. Unit according to any one of claims 5 to 8, forming a portable assembly.

10. Device for mounting a tyre on a rim, characterized in that it carries a unit (28) according to any one of claims 5 to 8.