Tire pressure display device

• US 6,476,712 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2001
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Global Dynamix AG, Rainer Achterholt
• Original Assignee: Nolex AG
• Inventors: Achterholt, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US09/813,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20010050611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 340/447, 340/442, 340/445, 340/446, 340/448, 340/425.5, 340/10.41, 340/426, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/10.6, 340/5.72, 340/5.6, 340/5.61, 340/870.28, 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 340/10.3, 340/10.4, 731/465, 731/46, 731/461, 731/462, 731/463, 731/464, 701/24, 701/29, 701/30, 701/36
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0401 characterised by the type of alarm
• 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 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations

Abstract

A tire pressure display device for a vehicle having several wheels provides each monitored tire with an electronic module including, for example, an integrated pressure sensor with measuring and control electronics which are coupled to a high-frequency transmitter/receiver. Away from the wheels, there is at least another high-frequency transmitter/receiver that is coupled to a microprocessor that exchanges high-frequency radiograms with each wheel'"'"'s electronic module in an interrogation-response mode. In addition, a remote control locking arrangement activates a locking system on the vehicle. The triggering of a control command effectuated on the remote control locking arrangement also activates the microprocessor, which then initializes the electronic module for each monitored tire.

Claims

1. A tire pressure display device for a vehicle having a plurality of wheels, each of said plurality of wheels having a tire thereon which is monitored by the device, the device comprising:

an electronic module associated with said tire and having at least one integrated pressure sensor with measuring and control electronics, said sensor being coupled to a high-frequency transmitter/receiver;

another high-frequency transmitter/receiver located apart from said plurality of wheels and coupled to a microprocessor configured for bi-directional high-frequency signal-data communication with each electronic module in an interrogation-response mode;

wherein a tire pressure status of each tire is displayed on at least one display element of a display device actuated by display signals generated by the microprocessor,

a remote control locking means for activating a locking system on the vehicle;

wherein an actuation of the remote control locking means for a wireless transmission of a control command to the vehicle for activating the locking system in the vehicle also activates the microprocessor to cause an interrogation of the electronic module according to a sequence control that ensures that, at no point in time, do response signals from each of the electronic modules associated with a respective tire reach the microprocessor at a same or overlapping period in time;

wherein the at least one display element of the display device is situated on the remote control locking means or on an add-on device located on or adjacent to the remote control locking means.

2. The tire pressure display device according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is microprocessor installed in the vehicle.

3. The tire pressure display device according to claim 2, wherein the control command for activating the locking system is decoded on the vehicle;

wherein a decoded signal that is characteristic for the vehicle is received after the decoding, said decoded signal activating the locking system and the microprocessor.

4. The tire pressure display device according to claim 2, wherein the display signals are transmitted by at least one of ultrasound, infrared or high-frequency signals to the display device.

5. The tire pressure display device according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is integrated into the remote control locking means.

6. The tire pressure display device according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is accommodated on or in the add-on device;

and an actuation of the remote control locking means also activates the microprocessor.

7. The tire pressure display device according to claim 1,

wherein the microprocessor and the electronic module are each provided with a transceiver including a receiving part having a follower amplifier and which has two signal amplifiers independent of each other that are linked via a AW delay line,

said signal amplifiers being controlled by an impulse generator in such a way that the two signal amplifiers are never switched into an ON position at the same time.

8. The tire pressure display device according to claim 1,

wherein the microprocessor processes the sequence control to receive an actuation of a pushbutton on the remote control locking means to generate a control command for the vehicle locking system, and which activates the microprocessor that is normally kept in a sleep mode;

wherein, after being activated, the microprocessor generates and sends an interrogation signal that contains at least a synchronization bit sequence for all of the electronic modules, an address for a selected electronic module, wherein the microprocessor selects a display element corresponding to the address;

wherein, after sending the interrogation signal, the microprocessor switches to a receiving mode;

wherein, the synchronization bit sequence of the interrogation signal activates all of the electronic modules, which are normally kept in the sleep mode,

wherein, at each module, a routine is run that checks whether a code stored in the register of the electronic module corresponds to the address of the interrogation signal and, if this is not the case, then a particular electronic module is put into the sleep mode;

wherein the particular electronic module that detects a correspondence between the address and the code initiates a routine that measures a tire pressure, and generates and sends a response signal that, in addition to the synchronization bit sequence, contains a useful signal having at least bits that correspond to the measured tire pressure, wherein the electronic module is placed into the sleep mode;

wherein the microprocessor receives the response signal, evaluates the useful signal, generates a corresponding display signal, and transmits the corresponding display signal to a selected display element;

wherein, in each case, after 0.2 seconds or 0.3 seconds have elapsed, the microprocessor interrogates each electronic module and measures a tire pressure for each additional tire to be checked, wherein an address corresponding to a particular tire to be checked is selected and incorporated into the interrogation signal,

wherein, after completion of an interrogation of said each additional tire to be checked, the microprocessor is placed into the sleep mode; and

wherein, after a given time period has elapsed, the tire pressure status generated by the display elements is deleted.

9. The tire pressure display device according to claim 1,

wherein, after sending an interrogation signal, the microprocessor activates a register that contains a code corresponding to an address just sent, and then switches to a receiving mode;

wherein the electronic module sends a response signal that, in addition to a synchronization bit sequence and a useful signal, also contains a code of a sending electronic module; and

wherein the microprocessor receives the response signal, checks whether a code contained in the response signal corresponds to a code activated in the microprocessor and, a correspondence has been determined, said microprocessor generates a corresponding display signal which is transmitted to a selected display element.

10. The tire pressure display device according to claim 8, wherein the microprocessor and the electronic module are each equipped with an electronic memory having a register and logic elements which store digital addresses and codes, and carry out routines in the sequence control.

11. A remote control locking means for a tire pressure display device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control locking means includes at least one display element which are actuated by display signals generated by the microprocessor.

12. The remote control locking means according to claim 11, wherein, for each monitored tire, an associated display element is present on the remote control locking means or an associated display element is present on the add-on device.

13. The remote control locking means according to claim 11, wherein each display element has one or more light omitting diodes that light up in different colors after appropriate actuation by the display signals in order to display a tire pressure status.

14. The remote control locking means according to claim 11,

wherein each display element is located on an associated pushbutton wherein an actuation of said associated pushbuttons triggers an initialization for exchanging and storing addresses and codes between the microprocessor and electronic module located on the remote control locking means on the add-on device,

wherein a particular electronic module is associated with a certain, just-actuated pushbutton.

15. The remote control locking means according to claim 11, wherein the microprocessor, which also generates a control command for activation of the locking system in the vehicle, is integrated into the remote control locking means.

16. The remote control locking means for a tire pressure display device according to claim 1, further comprising an add-on device located on or adjacent to the remote control locking means,

wherein the add-on device includes at least one display element of the tire pressure status display device which is actuated by display signals generated by the microprocessor.

17. The remote control locking means according to claim 16, wherein the microprocessor is accommodated on or in the add-on device.

18. The device according to claim 8, wherein the interrogation signal generated by the microprocessor includes a check digit.

19. A method for the operation of a tire pressure display device intended for a vehicle with plural pneumatic tires having, associated with each monitored tire, an electronic module having at least one integrated pressure sensor with measuring and control electronics, said sensor being coupled to, a high-frequency transmitter/receiver;

away from the wheels, at least another high-frequency transmitter/receiver coupled to a microprocessor which is configured for bi-directional high-frequency signal-data communication with each electronic module in interrogation-response mode;

a display device with one or more display elements for displaying a tire pressure status of each monitored tire;

a remote control locking system having a pushbutton to trigger a control command that activates a locking system of the vehicle, the method comprising;

actuating the pushbutton of the remote control locking system to activate the microprocessor and each electronic module;

controlling an initialization sequence of each electronic module according to a sequence control that ensures that, at no point in time, do response signals from different electronic modules reach the microprocessor at a same time or overlapping period of time; and

displaying a tire pressure status thus obtained for each monitored tire on display elements situated on the remote control locking system or on an add-on device that is located on or adjacent to the remote control locking system.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein said controlling an initialization sequence of each electronic module includes the following steps (a) trough (i):

a) actuating the pushbutton on the remote control locking system and generating a control command for the vehicle locking system to activate the microprocessor that is normally in a sleep mode;

b) generating, in the microprocessor after activation, an interrogation signal that contains at least a synchronization bit sequence for all of the electronic modules, an address for a selected electronic module, wherein the microprocessor selects a display element corresponding to the address;

c) switching, after generating the interrogation signal, the microprocessor to a receiving mode;

d) activating, by the synchronization bit sequence of the interrogation signal, all of the electronic modules, which are normally kept in the sleep mode, and checking whether a code stored in a register of the electronic module corresponds to the address in the interrogation signal and, if the code does not correspond to the address, placing the electronic module into the sleep mode;

e) initiating, in the electronic module when the code corresponds to the address, a routine that measures a tire pressure, and sending a response signal that, in addition to the synchronization bit sequence, contains a useful signal having at least bits that correspond to a measured tire pressure, and placing the electronic module into the sleep mode;

f) receiving the response signal, and the useful signal in the microprocessor, and transmitting a corresponding display signal to the selected display element;

g) repeating, after either 0.2 seconds or 0.3 seconds have elapsed, steps (b) through (f) for each additional tire to be checked, wherein an address corresponding to said each additional tire to be checked is selected and incorporated into the interrogation signal;

h) placing, after completion of the interrogation of all of said each additional tire to be checked, the microprocessor into the sleep mode; and

i) after a given time period has elapsed, deleting the tire pressure status displayed by the display elements.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the controlling an initializing sequence, instead of the steps (c), (e) and (f), includes the following steps (c′

), (e′

) and (f);

c′

) after sending the interrogation signal, activating, by the microprocessor, a register that contains a code corresponding to an address just sent, and then switching to a receiving mode;

e′

) sending, by the electronic module, a response signal that, in addition to the synchronization bit sequence and the useful signal, also contains a code of a sending electronic module;

f′

) receiving, in the microprocessor, the response signal and checking whether a code contained in the response signal corresponds to a code activated in the microprocessor and, once a correspondence has been determined, transmitting the corresponding display signal to the selected display element.

22. The method according to claim 19 further comprising providing a routine for initialization of address and code exchange between the microprocessor and a selected electronic module;

wherein the remote control locking system contains an integrated microprocessor, or the add-on device provided with the microprocessor is brought into an immediate vicinity of a wheel associated with the selected electronic module;

wherein the routine is triggered on the remote control locking system or on the add device.

23. The method according to claim 22,

wherein during the providing a routine step, a high-frequency data signal communication between the microprocessor and the selected electronic module is carried out at a reduced field strength,

wherein a data exchange takes place exclusively between the microprocessor and the selected electronic module.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the generating step includes generating the interrogation signal so as to include a check digit.