TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR SYSTEM APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20160059647A1
• Filed: 11/06/2015
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Deniau, Jean-Christophe, Anagnos, Themi, Farrell, Brian J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,676,238 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0445 Means for changing operating mode, e.g. sleep mode, factory mode or energy saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0461 externally triggered, e.g. by wireless request signal, magnet or manual switch
• 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: H04L 27/0008 arrangements for allowing a transmitter or receiver to use more than one type of modulation negotiating modulation type for two-way transmission paths H04L5/1453

Abstract

A first signal transmission is received from a transmitter external to the monitor, the first signal having a transmission characteristic. Based upon the transmission characteristic of the first signal transmission and not any data in the first transmission, a corresponding at least one protocol is determined. A data resolution based upon the transmission characteristic is determined. A second data transmission is formed according to the corresponding at least one protocol, and the sensed data is inserted into the second data transmission according to the resolution. The second data transmission is transmitted.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data from a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) monitor, comprising:

receiving a first signal transmission from a transmitter external to the monitor, the first signal having a transmission characteristic;

based upon the transmission characteristic of the first signal transmission, determining a corresponding at least one protocol;

determining a data resolution based upon the transmission characteristic;

forming a second data transmission according to the corresponding at least one protocol, and inserting sensed data into the second data transmission according to the resolution;

transmitting the second data transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the corresponding at least one protocol is a set of protocols selected from two or more sets of protocols.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission characteristic comprises a modulation type or frequency.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data transmission corresponds to a customizable burst that includes a plurality of frames, and each of the frames includes sensed tire pressure monitoring information and wherein portions of the burst can be utilized by multiple types of receivers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a first signal is a low frequency signal modulated by continuous wave (CW) modulation, continuous wave data (CW data) modulation, continuous wave amplitude shift keying (CW_ASK) modulation, or continuous wave frequency shift keying (CW_FSK) modulation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a TPMS identifier is included in the second data transmission.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the TPMS identifier comprises a FCC identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitor configures itself without the use of a scan tool.

9. A computer usable non-transitory medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method of transmitting data from a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) monitor, the method comprising:

receiving a first signal transmission from a transmitter external to the monitor, the first signal having a transmission characteristic;

based upon the transmission characteristic of the first signal transmission, determining a corresponding at least one protocol;

determining a data resolution based upon the transmission characteristic;

forming a second data transmission according to the corresponding at least one protocol, and inserting sensed data into the second data transmission according to the resolution;

transmitting the second data transmission.

10. The computer usable non-transitory medium of claim 9, wherein the corresponding at least one protocol is a set of protocols selected from two or more sets of protocols.

11. The computer usable non-transitory medium of claim 9, wherein the transmission characteristic comprises a modulation type or frequency.

12. The computer usable non-transitory medium of claim 9, wherein the second data transmission corresponds to a customizable burst that includes a plurality of frames, and each of the frames includes sensed tire pressure monitoring information and wherein portions of the burst can be utilized by multiple types of receivers.

13. The computer usable non-transitory medium of claim 9, wherein a first signal is a low frequency signal modulated by continuous wave (CW) modulation, continuous wave data (CW data) modulation, continuous wave amplitude shift keying (CW_ASK) modulation, or continuous wave frequency shift keying (CW_FSK) modulation.

14. The computer usable non-transitory medium of claim 9, wherein a TPMS identifier is included in the second data transmission.

15. The computer usable non-transitory medium of claim 14 wherein the TPMS identifier comprises a FCC identifier.

16. The computer usable non-transitory medium of claim 9, wherein the monitor configures itself without the use of a scan tool.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver with an input, the receiver configured to receive a first signal transmission from a transmitter external to the apparatus at the input, the first signal having a transmission characteristic;

a determine template and resolution determination module coupled to the receiver, the determine template and resolution determination module configured to based upon the transmission characteristic of the first signal transmission, determine a corresponding at least one protocol, the determine template and data resolution module further configured to determine a data resolution based upon the transmission characteristic, form a second data transmission according to the at least one corresponding protocol, and insert sensed data into the second data transmission according to the resolution;

a transmitter with an output and coupled to the determine template and resolution determination module, the transmitter configured to transmit the second data transmission at the output.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the corresponding at least one protocol is a set of protocols selected from two or more sets of protocols.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the transmission characteristic comprises a modulation type or frequency.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second data transmission corresponds to a customizable burst that includes a plurality of frames, and each of the frames includes sensed tire pressure monitoring information and wherein portions of the burst can be utilized by multiple types of receivers.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a first signal is a low frequency signal modulated by continuous wave (CW) modulation, continuous wave data (CW data) modulation, continuous wave amplitude shift keying (CW_ASK) modulation, or continuous wave frequency shift keying (CW_FSK) modulation.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a TPMS identifier is included in the second data transmission.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the TPMS identifier comprises a FCC identifier.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus configures itself without the use of a scan tool.