Elements necessary for the excitation and the monitoring of wheel modules in a system for monitoring the wheels of a vehicle

• US 5,029,468 A
• Filed: 07/12/1990
• Issued: 07/09/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin
• Original Assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin
• Inventors: Dosjoub, Andre
• Primary Examiner(s): Woodiel, Donald O.
• Application Number:
  US07/499,284
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 73/146.5, 73/146.4, 340/448
• US Class Current: 73/146.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0427 Near field transmission with inductive or capacitive coupling means
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/043 using transformer type signal transducers, e.g. rotary transformers
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 19/083 electrical

Abstract

A device for exciting and monitoring wheel modules for monitoring tires crises control lines (5, 6) which excite simultaneously all the wheel modules except one, which is monitored. For this purpose, it comprises one exciting and monitoring assembly (2) per wheel. Each assembly (2) comprises an insulation transformer (20) of which the secondary (21) has a central point (21N) connected to earth. This arrangement ensures good electromagnetic compatibility and good insensitivity to radio frequencies.

Claims

1. An excitaion and monitoring device for monitoring the wheels of a vehicle, said device comprising:

a module on each wheel for accumulating electric energy from the transmission of electrical current by inductive coupling with the vehicle, for sensing parameters on the wheel, for coding the values of the observed parameters and for transmitting by inductive coupling a signal including the coded values;

a wheel antenna attached coaxially to each wheel and connected to one of said modules;

an inspection antenna for each wheel being attached to a non-moving part of the vehicle so that an inductive coupling with the corresponding wheel antenna is approximately constant;

a unit for each wheel connected to one of said inspection antennas for producing the electrical current transmitted by inductive coupling and for shaping a signal received from said inspection antenna which is transmitted from said module through said wheel antenna in response to the electrical current being transmitted;

means for controlling said units to be successively actuated so that the wheels are successively monitored and so that the monitoring of a first wheel will be simultaneous with the excitation of a module of another wheel which is to be monitored next; and

means for processing the signal to determine said values of the parameters.

2. An excitation and monitoring device for monitoring the wheels of a vehicle, said device comprising:

a module on each wheel for accumulating electric energy from the transmission of electrical current by inductive coupling with the vehicle, for sensing parameters on the wheel, for coding the values of the observed parameters and for transmitting by inductive coupling a signal including the coded values;

a wheel antenna attached coaxially to each wheel and connected to one of said modules;

an inspection antenna for each wheel being attached to a non-moving part of the vehicle so that an inductive coupling with the corresponding wheel antenna is approximately constant;

a unit for each wheel connected to one of said inspection antennas for producing the electrical current transmitted by inductive coupling and for shaping a signal received from said inspection antenna which is transmitted from said module through said wheel antenna in response to the electrical current being transmitted, said unit comprising an isolating transformer whose secondary is connected to one inspection antenna and having a middle point connected to ground;

means for controlling said units to be successively actuated so that the wheels are successively monitored; and

means for processing the signal to determine said values of the parameters.

3. An excitation and monitoring device for monitoring the wheels of a vehicle, said device comprising:

a module on each wheel for accumulating electric energy from the transmission of electrical current by inductive coupling with the vehicle, for sensing parameters on the wheel, for coding the values of the observed parameters and for transmitting by inductive coupling a signal including the coded values;

a wheel antenna attached coaxially to each wheel and connected to one of said modules;

an inspection antenna for each wheel being attached to a non-moving part of the vehicle so that an inductive coupling with the corresponding wheel antenna is approximately constant;

a unit for each wheel connected to one of said inspection antennas for producing the electrical current transmitted by inductive coupling and for shaping a signal received from said inspection antenna which is transmitted from said module through said wheel antenna in response to the current being transmitted, said units comprising two branches each having two resistive groups connected in series, said two branches being connected in parallel between a supply voltage and ground, each group having an identical impedance, each group comprising at least one diminishing resistance connected in parallel with a circuit breaker-forming means, the terminals of the inspection antenna being connected between the two groups of each branch to a middle terminal thereof, said current being produced by simultaneously closing the circuit breakers of the group connected to the supply voltage of one branch and the circuit breakers of the group connected to the ground of the other branch and shaping the received signal with a comparator connected to said middle terminals;

means for controlling said units to be successively actuated so that the wheels are successively monitored; and

means for processing the signal to determine said values of the parameters.

4. Device according to claim 3, wherein said unit (2) further comprises an isolating transformer (20) whose secondary (21), connected to said inspection antenna (1), comprises a middle point (21M) connected to the ground of the vehicle, and whose primary is connected to said middle terminals of each of the two groups.

5. Device according to claim 3, wherein each group further comprises a limitation resistance R₂ in series with the other resistances of the group.

6. Device according to claim 3, wherein each group further comprises a polarization resistance R_p in series with the other resistances of the group, the comparator for shaping the signal being connected to the primary winding via said polarization resistance of the group connected to the supply voltage of one branch and via said polarization resistance of the group connected to the ground of the other branch.

7. Device according to one of claims 4, 5, 6 or 10, wherein the circuit breaker-forming means are controlled by a pulse signal the width of said pulses depending inversely on the voltage of the battery of the vehicle, so that the excitation energy remains approximately constant when the voltage of the battery of the vehicle varies.