Tire Monitoring Device and System for Use with a Vehicle on Board Stability Control System

• US 20170174193A1
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schrader Electronics Limited (Sensata Technologies Holding Plc)
• Original Assignee: Schrader Electronics Limited (Sensata Technologies Holding Plc)
• Inventors: KIRKPATRICK, DARREN, BARR, JONATHAN, KEYES, STEPHEN
• Granted Patent: US 11,247,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0474 Measurement control, e.g. setting measurement rate or calibrating of sensors; Further processing of measured values, e.g. filtering, compensating or slope monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0488 Movement sensor, e.g. for sensing angular speed, acceleration or centripetal force
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2240/03 Tire sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1725 Using tyre sensors, e.g. Sidewall Torsion sensors [SWT] for tyre pressure and temperature detection B60C23/00

Abstract

A tire monitoring device comprising a sensor for monitoring a tire parameter and a first controller for controlling the operation of the device. A measurement apparatus is provided for generating parameter measurement data from the sensor output signal. A second controller is provided for controlling the operation of the measurement apparatus. The second controller communicates parameter data to the first controller based on the measurement data. The device is particularly suited to monitoring tire pressure and detecting tire burst events.

Claims

1. A tire monitoring device comprising:

a sensor for monitoring a respective tire parameter to produce a sensor output signal;

a first controller for controlling the operation of the device;

a measurement apparatus for generating parameter measurement data from said sensor output signal, and

a second controller for controlling the operation of said measurement apparatus to generate said measurement data, the second controller being configured to communicate parameter data to said first controller based on said measurement data.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said measurement data comprises an indication of whether said respective parameter has changed by more than a threshold amount.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said measurement data comprises a measured value for said respective parameter.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said second controller is configured to detect an event from said measurement data, said parameter data being indicative of said event.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said second controller is configured to communicate said parameter data to said first controller by generating an interrupt signal for first controller.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein said first controller is responsive to said interrupt signal to implement an interrupt handling routine for said event.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein said first controller is configured to reset upon receipt of said interrupt signal.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein said first controller has an interrupt control register and wherein said second controller communicates said parameter data to said first controller by setting one or more bits of said interrupt control register.

9. The device of claim 1, further including a transmitter for communicating with a central control unit, said first controller being configured to send a tire parameter transmission to said central controller based on said parameter data received from said second controller.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein said sensor is a pressure sensor and said respective tire parameter is tire pressure.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said second controller is configured to detect tire burst events from said measurement data and to communicate a detected tire burst event to said second controller.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said measurement apparatus comprises a comparator, preferably a window comparator, said comparator being responsive to changes in the sensor output signal to generate measurement data indicating if said respective parameter has changed by more than a threshold amount.

13. The device of claim 2, wherein said measurement data comprises an indication of whether said respective parameter has changed by more than a threshold amount with respect to a reference value.

14. A tire monitoring system for a wheeled vehicle, said tire monitoring system comprising a respective wheel mountable tire monitoring device for a respective wheel of the vehicle, and a vehicle mountable central controller, said respective tire monitoring device and said respective central controller each comprising a wireless communication device to allow said respective tire monitoring device to communicate wirelessly with said central controller, wherein said respective tire monitoring device comprises a tire monitoring device as claimed in any preceding claim.

15. A tire monitoring system for a wheeled vehicle, said tire monitoring system comprising a respective wheel mountable tire monitoring device for a respective wheel of the vehicle, and a vehicle mountable central controller, said respective tire monitoring device and said respective central controller unit each comprising a wireless communication device to allow said respective tire monitoring device to communicate with said central controller, wherein said respective tire monitoring device comprises:

a vibration-sensitive sensor for monitoring a respective tire parameter to produce a sensor output signal that includes a vibration component indicative of vibration experienced in use by said respective wheel;

measurement apparatus for generating measurement data from said sensor output signal, said measurement data comprising vibration data corresponding to said vibration component; and

a controller configured to send a tire parameter transmission to said central controller, said transmission comprising said vibration data and/or vibration-related data derived therefrom,

and wherein said central controller includes, or is co-operable with, an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), and is responsive to receipt of said transmission to adjust or disable said Anti-lock Braking System depending on said vibration data and/or said vibration-related data.

16. The tire monitoring system of claim 15, wherein said central controller is configured to disable said Anti-lock Braking System upon determining from said vibration data and/or said vibration-related data that vibration experienced in use by said respective wheel exceeds a threshold level.

17. The tire monitoring system of claim 15, wherein said sensor comprises a motion sensor.