Determination of wheel sensor position using radio frequency detectors in an automotive remote tire monitor system

• US 6,864,785 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2003
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sensata Technologies Incorporated (Sensata Technologies Holding Plc)
• Original Assignee: Schrader-Bridgeport International Incorporated (Pacific Industrial Company Limited)
• Inventors: Marguet, Emmanuel, Stewart, William David
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US10/361,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20030117277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 731/465, 200/61.25, 340/445, 340/442, 340/447
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals

Abstract

In a remote tire monitor system, radio frequency (RF) signals including tire data are transmitted from a plurality of tire monitors at wheels of a vehicle. At an RF receiver, the signals are received and tire data is detected. The RF signals are detected at a receiving RF detector associated with the transmitting tire monitor. The receiving RF detector produces a transmission indication in response to the received RF signals. A control unit is coupled to the RF receiver and the RF detector. The control unit receives the tire data and the transmission indication and associates a position of the transmitting tire monitor with the tire data in response to transmission indication. This permits automatic update of the position of tire monitors on the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for automatically updating a remote tire monitor system of a vehicle, the method comprising:

storing identification information for each tire monitor of a plurality of tire monitors of the vehicle;

receiving an identifier transmitted by a transmitting tire monitor;

receiving a transmission indication from a receiving radio frequency (RF) detector associated with the transmitting tire monitor, including detecting RF signals at the receiving RF detector;

without demodulating the RF signals, detecting a modulated electrical signal on a wire coupled to the receiving RF detector to produce a wireline indication in response to the RF signals; and

at a control unit, detecting the wireline indication as the transmission indication; and

when the identifier does not produce a match with the identification information, updating the identification information using the identifier;

and receiving RF signals at an RF circuit;

demodulating the RF signals to receive tire information; and

locating the identifier in the tire information.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to the wireline indication, reading the identification information from a storage location in memory, the storage location being associated with the receiving RF detector.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting a modulated electrical signal comprises:

detecting a current which has been modulated by an envelope of the RF signals at the receiving RF detector.

4. A method for automatically updating stored identification information for tire monitors of a remote tire monitor system of a vehicle, the system including a plurality of tire monitors associated with tires of the vehicle, a central control unit and a plurality of radio frequency (RF) detectors located proximate respective tire monitors, the method comprising:

at the central control unit, receiving an RF transmission from a tire monitor;

recovering from the RF transmission an identifier transmitted with the RF transmission by the transmitting tire monitor;

at the central control unit, receiving a wireline signal, modulated according to the RF transmission from the transmitting tire monitor, as a transmission indication from a receiving radio frequency (RF) detector associated with the transmitting tire monitor;

retrieving the stored identification information for the transmitting tire monitor as identified by the transmission indication;

comparing the recovered identifier with the retrieved identification information; and

when the identifier does not produce a match with the identification information, updating the identification information using the identifier.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein recovering the identifier from the RF transmission comprises:

receiving RF signals forming the RF transmission at a receiver;

demodulating the RF signals to extract tire data contained in the RF signals; and

associating the tire data with a position of the transmitting tire monitor on the vehicle based on the transmission indication.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein receiving a wireline signal comprises:

at the receiving RF detector, detecting a current which has been modulated by an envelope of the RF transmission.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

without demodulating the RF transmission, modulating a signal in a conductor coupled between the receiving RF detector and the central control unit.