Method and device for creating a compensation value table for determining a test variable, and for identifying the pressure loss in a tire of a wheel

• US 6,817,236 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2001
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Griesser, Martin, Ihrig, Hans Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ellington, Alandra
• Application Number:
  US10/019,210
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 731/46, 731/462, 731/463, 731/464, 731/465
• US Class Current: 73/146.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/061 by monitoring wheel speed measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles G01C22/00

Abstract

A method for creating a correction value table for a test variable for identifying the pressure loss in a tire of a vehicle comprises the steps of determining a driving dynamics variable of the vehicle, determining a correction value for the test variable, and storing the said in dependence on the value of the driving dynamics variable that prevailed during the correction value determination. A method of determining a corrected test variable for identifying a pressure loss in the tire of a vehicle comprises the steps of determining a test variable from the wheel radii or from variables that mirror these wheel radii of at least two wheels, preparing a correction value table by means of the method as described hereinabove, determining a driving dynamics variable of the vehicle, reading out of a correction value from the table in accordance with the value of the driving dynamics variable, and correcting the test variable by means of the correction value. A method of identifying the pressure loss in a tire of a wheel comprises the steps of determining a test variable for identifying the pressure loss in the tire of a vehicle by means of the method as described hereinabove, comparing the test variable with a threshold value, and identifying a pressure loss when the test variable reaches or passes the threshold value.

Claims

1. Method for creating a correction value table, for determining a test variable, and for identifying the pressure loss in a tire of a vehicle, wherein the test variable is a quotient of each two sums of two wheel radii or variables mirroring these wheel radii, comprising the steps of:

determining a driving dynamics variable of the vehicle, and

determining a correction value for the test variable and storing the said in dependence on the value of the driving dynamics variable which prevailed during the correction value determination,

wherein the correction value determination takes place only when the vehicle dynamics with respect to their time variations satisfies defined conditions,

wherein one sum is produced with reference to variables on wheels of the right vehicle side and the other sum is produced with reference to variables on wheels of the left vehicle side.

2. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the correction value determination takes place only when the vehicle dynamics with respect to their values satisfies defined conditions.

3. Method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the correction value determination or storage takes place only when the vehicle dynamics has remained within a defined value range for a defined period of time.

4. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the test variable is determined from the wheel radii or from variables mirroring these wheel radii of at least two wheels.

5. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein one sum is produced with reference to variables on front wheels of the vehicle and the other sum is produced with reference to variables on rear wheels of the vehicle.

6. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein one sum is produced with reference to variables on the wheels on the one vehicle diagonal and the other sum is produced with reference to variables on wheels of the other vehicle diagonal.

7. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the correction values are determined for several values of the driving dynamics variable, and correction values are extrapolated from the determined correction values for other values of the driving dynamics variable.

8. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving dynamics variable is a wheel torque which is determined from the engine torque and the gear ratio.

9. Method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the gear ratio is determined from the engine speed and the wheel speed.

10. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving dynamics variable is a curve characteristic value acquired during cornering maneuvers.

11. Method as claimed in claim 10, wherein as the curve characteristic value, one or more of the following variables can be taken into account:

the yaw rate, also in connection with the vehicle speed or acceleration,

the curve radius in connection with the vehicle speed or the vehicle acceleration,

the steering angle in connection with the vehicle speed or the vehicle acceleration,

the transverse acceleration, also in connection with the vehicle speed or acceleration.

12. Method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the correction value is stored in dependence on several curve characteristic values.

13. Method of identifying the pressure loss in a tire of a wheel, comprising the steps of:

determining a test variable for identifying pressure loss in the tire of a vehicle,

comparing the test variable with a threshold value, and

identifying pressure loss when the test variable reaches or passes the threshold value,

wherein when pressure loss is assumed at any one of the driven wheels, the threshold value is modified so that the pressure loss identification becomes more sensitive.

14. Device for preparing a correction value table for a test variable for identifying the pressure loss in the tire of a vehicle, comprising:

a first determination device for determining a driving dynamics variable of the vehicle, and

a second determination device for determining a correction value and storing the said in a memory in dependence on the value of the driving dynamics variable which prevailed during the determination of the correction value.

15. Device for determining a corrected test variable for the pressure in the tires of a vehicle, comprising:

a first determination device for determining a test variable for the tire pressure,

a preparation device for preparing a correction value table for a test variable,

a second determination device for determining the driving dynamics variable,

a reading device for reading out a correction value in accordance with the driving dynamics variable from the table, and

a correction device for correcting the test variable in accordance with the read-out correction value.

16. Device for identifying the pressure loss in a tire of a wheel, comprising:

a determination device for determining a test variable for the tire pressure in the tires of a vehicle,

a comparison device for comparing the test variable with a threshold value,

an identification device for identifying a pressure loss when the test variable reaches or passes the threshold value, and

a modification device which changes the threshold value accordingly when a pressure loss is assumed.

17. Method for creating a correction value table, for determining a test variable, and for identifying the pressure loss in a tire of a vehicle, wherein the test variable is a quotient of each two sums of two wheel radii or variables mirroring these wheel radii, comprising the steps of:

determining a driving dynamics variable of the vehicle, and

determining a correction value for the test variable and storing the said in dependence on the value of the driving dynamics variable which prevailed during the correction value determination,

wherein the correction value determination takes place only when the vehicle dynamics with respect to their time variations satisfies defined conditions,

wherein one sum is produced with reference to variables on the wheels on the one vehicle diagonal and the other sum is produced with reference to variables on wheels of the other vehicle diagonal.

18. Method for creating a correction value table, for determining a test variable, and for identifying the pressure loss in a tire of a vehicle, wherein the test variable is a quotient of each two sums of two wheel radii or variables mirroring these wheel radii, comprising the steps of:

determining a driving dynamics variable of the vehicle, and

determining a correction value for the test variable and storing the said in dependence on the value of the driving dynamics variable which prevailed during the correction value determination,

wherein the driving dynamics variable is a wheel torque which is determined from the engine torque and the gear ratio,

wherein the gear ratio is determined from the engine speed and the wheel speed.

19. Method for creating a correction value table, for determining a test variable, and for identifying the pressure loss in a tire of a vehicle, wherein the test variable is a quotient of each two sums of two wheel radii or variables mirroring these wheel radii, comprising the steps of:

determining a driving dynamics variable of the vehicle, and

determining a correction value for the test variable and storing the said in dependence on the value of the driving dynamics variable which prevailed during the correction value determination.

wherein the driving dynamics variable is a curve characteristic value acquired during cornering maneuvers.

20. Method as claimed in claim 19, wherein as the curve characteristic value, one or more of the following variables can be taken into account:

the yaw rate, also in connection with the vehicle speed or acceleration,

the curve radius in connection with the vehicle speed or the vehicle acceleration,

the steering angle in connection with the vehicle speed or the vehicle acceleration,

the transverse acceleration, also in connection with the vehicle speed or acceleration.