Circuit arrangement for transmitting measurement values on vehicle wheels

• US 4,891,973 A
• Filed: 06/09/1988
• Issued: 01/09/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Bollweber, Lothar, Pilch, Claus-Dietrich, Hugel, Robert, Zabler, Erich, Rothley, Manfred, Jansche, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): WOODIEL, DONALD
• Application Number:
  US07/221,464
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 73/146.2, 73/146.3, 73/146.4, 73/146.5, 73/146.8, 374/143, 340/448
• US Class Current: 73/146.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0413 Wireless charging of active radio frequency circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/043 using transformer type signal transducers, e.g. rotary transformers
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/20 Devices for measuring or signalling tyre temperature only
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 15/06 successively, i.e. using time division
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/04 using magnetically coupled devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/97 using a magnetic movable element

Abstract

A circuit arrangement for transmitting variable measurement values, such as pressure and temperature, at vehicle wheels is provided which transmits the measurement values in the form of H-F signals to a stationary evaluating circuit (12) with great accuracy, high reliability and in short time intervals. A repeater coil (b 13), which is connected with the latter, arranged in the vicinity of the wheel so as to be stationary and connected to voltage by a square-wave generator (15), cooperates with a revolving repeated coil (19) which is fastened at the vehicle wheel and connected with a sensor circuit arrangement (20) supplied by it. The sensor circuit arrangement (20) contains a timing element (29) which responds to a voltage peak in the revolving repeater coil (19 l) at the end of a voltage pulse of the square-wave generator (15) and, with a corresponding delay, triggers a timing circuit (30) for transmitting the measurement values, which timing circuit (30) is connected with it on the output side, wherein the delay time of the timing element (29), together with the duty cycle of the timing circuit (30), is shorter than the pause time of the square-wave voltage at the square-wave generator (15).

Claims

1. Circuit arrangement for transmitting variable measurement values, such as pressure and temperature, at vehicle wheels, comprising a repeater coil which is arranged at the vehicle in the vicinity of the wheel so as to be stationary and which is connected, on the one hand, to a square-wave generator (15) for supplying energy to a sensor circuit arrangement which revolves with the vehicle wheel and, on the other hand, to an evaluating circuit for transmitting measurement values in the voltage pauses of the square-wave generator (15), and comprising a revolving repeater coil which is fastened at the vehicle wheel, cooperates with the stationary repeater coil and is connected with the sensor circuit arrangement at the vehicle wheel for supplying energy on the one hand and for transmitting the measurement values on the other hand;

the sensor circuit arrangement comprises a measurement value converter which transmits the measurement values produced by at least one sensor to the repeater coil in the form of H-F signals in the voltage pauses of the square-wave generator and whose frequency is a multiple of the frequency of the square-wave generator, characterized in that the sensor circuit arrangement (20) also contains a timing element (29) which responds to a voltage peak (Ui) in the revolving repeater coil (19) produced by means of the end of a voltage pulse (Ua) at the square-wave generator (15) and which triggers a timing circuit (30) with a corresponding delay time (T1) for transmitting the measurement values, which timing circuit (30) is connected with it on the output side, wherein the delay time (T1) of the timing element (29), together with the duty cycle (T2) of the timing circuit (30), is shorter than the pause time (t2) of the square-wave voltage at the square-wave generator (15).

2. Circuit arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the timing circuit (30) triggered by the timing element (29) is a monostable multivibrator, the measurement value converter (26) and a driver stage (27) connected downstream of the latter being switched on via the output of the monostable multivibrator for transmitting the H-F signals to the revolving repeater coil (19).

3. Circuit arrangement according to claim 2, characterized in that the driver stage (27) comprises two transistor switches (31, 32) which are in series, connected to the supply voltage of the sensor circuit arrangement (20) and are controlled by the output of the measurement value converter (26) in push-pull operation, and whose connection is coupled with the revolving repeater coil (19) via a capacitor (28).

4. Circuit arrangement according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the measurement value converter (26) is an analog-digital encoder (ADC) which delivers the measurement values of at least one sensor (24) to the driver stage (27) as a serial bit sequence in dual code and to which is assigned a corresponding decoder (48) in the evaluating circuit (12).

5. Circuit arrangement according to one of claims 1-3 characterized in that the measurement values arriving in the evaluating circuit from the stationary repeater coil (13) as H-F signals via a filter element (42) are summed over a determined number of cycles of the square-wave generator (15) in a measurement value storage (49) and a mean value derived from this is displayed.

6. Circuit arrangement according to claim 5, characterized in that the evaluating circuit (12) contains a Schmitt trigger (44) for each vehicle wheel, whose positive input is connected with the output of the filter element (42) via a resistor (43) and whose negative input is connected with the output of the filter element (42) via a rectifier smoothing stage (45).

7. Circuit arrangement according to claim 5, characterized in that the measurement value storage (49) is controlled by a counter (53) which is connected by its input with the output of the square-wave generator (15).

8. Circuit arrangement according to claim 7, characterized in that the square-wave generator (15) contains an astable multivibrator (54) for the continuous energy supply of the sensor circuit arrangement (20), the timing element (55, 57) of the astable multivibrator (54) being connected to the unregulated supply voltage of the stationary repeater coil (13), so that the clock frequency of the multivibrator (54) changes as a function of the voltage change of the supply voltage of the timing element.

9. Circuit arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that a multiplexer (25), which is arranged in the sensor circuit arrangement (20) between a plurality of sensors (24) and the measurement value converter (26), is connected to the output of the timing circuit (30) by its clock input for the cyclical transmission of a plurality of measurement values at a vehicle tire.

10. Circuit arrangement according to claim 9, characterized in that the multiplexer (25) in the sensor circuit arrangement (20) occupies a blank position between two cyclical switch-over passes in which no transmission of measurement values occurs, and in that a multiplexer (46), which is arranged in the evaluating circuit (12), is reset for synchronization by means of this blank position.