UNIVERSAL MONITORING DEVICE FOR VEHICLE TIRES

• US 20150375580A1
• Filed: 12/17/2013
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wegmann automotive GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Alligator Ventilfabrik GmbH (Familie Steiff mit CA. 50 Gesellschaftern)
• Inventors: Markert, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 9,718,316 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0455 Transmission control of wireless signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0471 System initialisation, e.g. upload or calibration of operating parameters
• 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: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

The invention relates to a universal monitoring device for monitoring one or several state variables of a vehicle tire, comprising

• • at least one sensor for detecting a state variable of the vehicle tire;
  • at least one transmitter for transmitting a wireless coded signal depending on the detected state variable;
  • at least one control apparatus which is in connection with the sensor and the transmitter in order to control the detection of the state variable and the transmission of the signal, wherein
  • a memory is assigned to the control apparatus or is integrated therein, in which a computer program which is executable by the control apparatus is stored, which controls the detection of the state variable and the transmission of the signal.

The invention is characterized in that the computer program comprises a plurality of functional modules which can be activated individually or in groups and which are designed to change the content and the coding of the signal to be transmitted depending on their activation or deactivation, a receiver is assigned to the control apparatus for receiving a parameter set, the memory is designed for storing the parameter set received by the receiver, and the computer program is designed to activate and deactivate its functional modules depending on parameters of the stored parameter set, and to determine the change in the content and the coding of the signal to be transmitted by the functional modules depending on parameters of the stored parameter set.

Claims

1. A universal monitoring device for monitoring one or several state variables of a vehicle tire, comprising

at least one sensor for detecting a state variable of the vehicle tire;

at least one transmitter for transmitting a wireless coded signal depending on the detected state variable;

at least one control apparatus which is in connection with the sensor and the transmitter in order to control the detection of the state variable and the transmission of the signal, wherein

a memory is assigned to the control apparatus or is integrated therein, in which a computer program which is executable by the control apparatus is stored, which controls the detection of the state variable and the transmission of the signal;

characterized in that

the computer program comprises a plurality of functional modules that can be activated individually or in groups, which modules are designed to change the content and the coding of the signal to be transmitted depending on their activation or deactivation;

the control apparatus is assigned a receiver for receiving a parameter set;

the memory is designed for storing the parameter set received by the receiver, and

the computer program is designed to activate and deactivate its functional modules depending on parameters of the stored parameter set, and to determine the change in the content and the coding of the signal to be transmitted by the functional modules depending on parameters of the stored parameter set.

2. A universal monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the computer program is designed to always activate at least two of its functional modules depending on the stored parameter set.

3. A universal monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that different functional modules are provided, especially such that can be activated and deactivated individually, of which each is designed to control the detection of a different state variable in the vehicle tire and the transmission of a value dependent thereon in the signal, so that by activating a functional module the monitoring of one of a plurality of potential state variables of the vehicle tire can be determined.

4. A universal monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the parameter set comprises one or several parameters which determine the position of a value of a state variable detected by the sensor in the signal to be transmitted.

5. A universal monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the parameter set comprises one or several parameters which determine the bit length of a value of a state variable detected by the sensor in the signal to be transmitted.

6. A universal monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the parameter set comprises one or several parameters which determine a transmission interval and/or a bit transmission speed of the signal to be transmitted.

7. A universal monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the parameter set comprises one or several parameters which determine a detection interval for detecting a state variable by means of the sensor.

8. A universal monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the functional modules comprise one, several or all of the following function modules:

a functional module for controlling the detection of the air pressure in the vehicle tire and the transmission of a pressure value that is dependent thereon;

a functional module for controlling the detection of a temperature in the vehicle tire and the transmission of a temperature value dependent thereon;

a functional module for controlling the power output of an electrical battery integrated in the monitoring device;

a functional module for controlling a time recording;

a functional module for controlling the coding, the transmission interval, the bit transmission speed and/or the modulation of the signal to be transmitted;

a functional module for controlling the transmission of state values, identification values and/or limit values for the state variable which are stored in the parameter set.

9. A universal monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that an acceleration sensor is assigned to the monitoring device or is integrated therein, which sensor detects the direction of an acceleration of the monitoring device, and the functional modules comprise a functional module for controlling the detection of the acceleration direction by the acceleration sensor and for transmitting a value dependent thereon by means of the transmitter.

10. A universal monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that a second receiver is assigned to the monitoring device or is integrated therein, which receiver is designed for receiving control signals from a transmission apparatus of the vehicle, and the functional modules comprise a functional module for controlling the second receiver and for processing the control signals received by said receiver.

11. A universal monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the parameter set stored in the memory is free from a program that is executable by the control apparatus.

18. A universal monitoring device according to claim 2, characterized in that different functional modules are provided, especially such that can be activated and deactivated individually, of which each is designed to control the detection of a different state variable in the vehicle tire and the transmission of a value dependent thereon in the signal, so that by activating a functional module the monitoring of one of a plurality of potential state variables of the vehicle tire can be determined.

19. A universal monitoring device according to claim 2, characterized in that the parameter set comprises one or several parameters which determine the position of a value of a state variable detected by the sensor in the signal to be transmitted.

20. A universal monitoring device according to claim 3, characterized in that the parameter set comprises one or several parameters which determine the position of a value of a state variable detected by the sensor in the signal to be transmitted.

12. A method for the configuration of a universal monitoring device for monitoring one or several state variables of a vehicle tire, wherein the monitoring device comprises at least one sensor for detecting the state variable, at least one transmitter for transmitting a wireless coded signal depending on the detected state variable and at least one control apparatus which controls the detection of the state variable with the sensor and the transmission of the signal by the transmitter, and a computer program which is executable by the control apparatus is stored in a memory within the control apparatus or in a memory associated with the control apparatus, which computer program is executed by the control apparatus in order to control the detection of the state variable and the transmission of the signal dependent thereon;

characterized by the following step;

transmission of a parameter set by means of a configuration device in a wireless or wire-bound manner to the control apparatus, and storage of the parameter set in the memory, wherein the computer program subsequently activates or deactivates one or several of a plurality of functional modules provided therein depending on parameters of the stored parameter set, and the functional modules change the content and the coding of the signal transmitted by the transmitter depending on their activation or deactivation and depending on parameters of the stored parameter set.

13. A method according to claim 12, characterized in that the computer program activates at least two of its functional modules depending on the stored parameter set.

14. A method according to claim 12, characterized in that the computer program changes the position of at least one value of at least one state variable detected by the sensor in the transmitted signal depending on one or several parameters of the stored parameter set.

15. A method according to claim 12, characterized in that the computer program changes the bit length of at least one value of at least one state variable detected by the sensor in the transmitted signal depending on one or several parameters of the stored parameter set.

16. A method according to claim 12, characterized in that the computer program changes a transmission interval and/or a bit transmission speed of the transmitted signal depending on one or several parameters of the stored parameter set.

17. A method according to claim 12, characterized in that the computer program changes the detection interval for detecting a state variable by the sensor depending on one or several parameters of the stored parameter set.