TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20160221403A1
• Filed: 08/10/2015
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seetron Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seetron Inc.
• Inventors: Uh, Sung Sun, Cho, Byoum Youn, Naveen, Nanjapla, so, Jae Sung
• Granted Patent: US 9,757,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/009 having wheels on a trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0483 Wireless routers between wheel mounted transmitters and chassis mounted receivers

Abstract

Provided is a tire pressure monitoring system including: a monitoring unit positioned in a tractor; a first repeater positioned in the tractor; a plurality of second repeaters positioned in a plurality of trailers connected to the tractor; and a plurality of sensors positioned at tires of the tractor or the trailers, wherein the monitoring unit includes a first RF transceiving unit transceiving data with the first repeater, the plurality of second repeaters, or the plurality of sensors through a radio frequency band, a low power RF transmitting unit transmitting data to the plurality of second repeaters through a low power radio frequency band, an LF transmitting unit transmitting data to the plurality of second repeaters through a low frequency band, a first control unit sensing abnormal data receiving in the first RF transceiving unit, and a display unit outputting connection information for the second repeater received through the first RF transceiving unit.

Claims

1. A tire pressure monitoring system comprising:

a monitoring unit positioned in a tractor, a first repeater positioned in the tractor, a plurality of second repeaters positioned in a plurality of trailers connected to the tractor, and a plurality of sensors positioned at tires of the tractor or the trailers, wherein

the monitoring unit includes

a first RF transceiving unit transceiving data with the first repeater, the plurality of second repeaters, or the plurality of sensors through a radio frequency band,

a low power RF transmitting unit transmitting data to the plurality of second repeaters through a low power radio frequency band,

an LF transmitting unit transmitting data to the plurality of second repeaters through a low frequency band,

a first control unit sensing abnormal data receiving in the first RF transceiving unit, and

a display unit outputting connection information for the second repeater received through the first RF transceiving unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the first repeater includes

a second RF transceiving unit transceiving data with the monitoring unit, the plurality of second repeaters, or the plurality of sensors through the radio frequency band,

a first LF receiving unit receiving the data transmitted through the low frequency band, and

a second control unit sensing whether the second RF transceiving unit or the LF receiving unit abnormally receives the data and determining whether the tires mounted on the tractor are abnormal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the plurality of second repeaters include

a third RF transceiving unit transceiving data with the monitoring unit, the first repeater, or the plurality of sensors through the radio frequency band,

a second LF receiving unit receiving the data transmitted through the low frequency band, and

a third control unit determining whether the tires of the trailer are abnormal.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the first RF transceiving unit transmits an auto coupling request to the first repeater based on a coupling command input from a user,

the second RF transceiving unit receives the auto coupling request transmitted from the first RF transceiving unit and transmits the auto coupling request to the plurality of second repeaters, and

the third RF transceiving unit receives the auto coupling request transmitted from the second RF transceiving unit and transmits a repeater ID to the first repeater.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein

when the repeater ID is received through the second RF transceiving unit, a destination ID change request is transmitted to a second repeater corresponding to the received repeater ID among the plurality of second repeaters.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the low power RF transmitting unit or the LF transmitting unit transmits a repeater ID request to the plurality of second repeaters, and

the third RF transceiving unit receives the repeater ID request to measure a first received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value and transmits the repeater ID and the measured first RSSI value to the monitoring unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein

the monitoring unit further includes

an RSSI measuring unit measuring second RSSI values of the plurality of second repeaters, and

when the plurality of repeater IDs are received, a destination ID change request is transmitted to a second repeater having the maximum first RSSI value or a second repeater having the maximum second RSSI value.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein

the monitoring unit further includes

an RSSI measuring unit measuring the second RSSI values of the plurality of second repeaters, and

when the plurality of repeater IDs are received, in the case where the second repeaters having a maximum value of the first RSSI values and the second repeater having the maximum value of the second RSSI values coincide with each other, the destination ID change request is transmitted to the corresponding second repeater.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit is portable separately from the tractor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein

when the number of the received repeater IDs is plural,

in the transmitting of the destination ID change request,

in the case where the second repeater having the maximum value of the first RSSI values measured through the plurality of second repeaters and the second repeater having the maximum value of the second RSSI values measured through the monitoring unit coincide with each other, the destination ID change request is transmitted to the corresponding second repeater.

10. A tire pressure alarm method in a tire pressure monitoring system including a monitoring unit positioned in a tractor, a first repeater positioned in the tractor, a plurality of second repeaters positioned in a plurality of trailers connected to the tractor, and a plurality of sensors positioned at tires of the tractor or the trailers, the method comprising:

receiving an auto coupling request transmitted from the monitoring unit and transmitting the auto coupling request to the plurality of second repeaters through a radio frequency band;

receiving a repeater ID corresponding to the auto coupling request from the plurality of second repeaters;

transmitting a destination ID change request to a second repeater corresponding to the received repeater ID among the plurality of second repeaters; and

receiving destination ID change information corresponding to the destination ID change request from one second repeater and transmitting an auto coupling success message to the monitoring unit.

11. A tire pressure alarm method in a tire pressure monitoring system including a monitoring unit positioned in a tractor, a first repeater positioned in the tractor, a plurality of second repeaters positioned in a plurality of trailers connected to the tractor, and a plurality of sensors positioned at tires of the tractor or the trailers, the method comprising:

transmitting a repeater ID request to the plurality of second repeaters through a low power radio frequency band;

receiving the repeater ID from the plurality of second repeaters;

transmitting a destination ID change request to a second repeater corresponding to the received repeater ID among the plurality of second repeaters; and

receiving destination ID change information corresponding to the destination ID change request from one second repeater and transmitting a success message to the monitoring unit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein

when the number of the received repeater IDs is plural,

in the transmitting of the destination ID change request,

the destination ID change request is transmitted to a second repeater having the maximum first RSSI value measured through the plurality of second repeaters or a second repeater having the maximum second RSSI value measured through the monitoring unit.

14. A tire pressure alarm method in a tire pressure monitoring system including a monitoring unit positioned in a tractor, a first repeater positioned in the tractor, a plurality of second repeaters positioned in a plurality of trailers connected to the tractor, and a plurality of sensors positioned at tires of the tractor or the trailers, the method comprising:

transmitting a repeater ID request to the plurality of second repeaters through a low power radio frequency band or a low frequency band;

receiving the repeater ID from the plurality of second repeaters; and

transmitting configured data to a second repeater corresponding to the received repeater ID among the plurality of second repeaters through the radio frequency band.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein

when the number of the received repeater IDs is plural,

in the transmitting of the configured data,

the configured data are transmitted to a second repeater having the maximum first RSSI value measured through the plurality of second repeaters or a second repeater having the maximum second RSSI value measured through the monitoring unit.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein

when the number of the received repeater IDs is plural,

in the transmitting of the configured data,

in the case where the second repeater having the maximum value of the first RSSI values measured through the plurality of second repeaters and the second repeater having the maximum value of the second RSSI values measured through the monitoring unit coincide with each other, the configured data is transmitted to the corresponding second repeater.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein

the configured data includes at least one of the tractor type, the trailer type, the first repeater or second repeater type, a prescribed air pressure, a prescribed temperature, an alarm level, and a management target sensor ID.