Sensor system for detecting dimensional variables to be measured on a rotating object

• US 6,888,471 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2001
• Issued: 05/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Elsner, Bernhard, Heidemeyer, Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blount, Eric
• Application Number:
  US10/296,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20040036590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• Field of Search: 340/686.3, 340442-448, 340/539, 340/439, 340/440
• US Class Current: 340/686.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/13 Aquaplaning, hydroplaning
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/171 Detecting parameters used in the regulation; Measuring values used in the regulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2241 used in or for vehicle tyres

Abstract

A sensor system for detecting at least one dimensional variable of a rotating object (30) includes a plurality of sensors (33) disposed on the rotating object (30) that are sensitive to the dimensional variable and an antenna array (11) for supplying the sensors (33) with high-frequency energy and for receiving a high-frequency signal, modulated by the variable to be detected, from the sensors (33). The sensors are disposed on the object (30), distributed in the circumferential direction, and the antenna array (11) has a directional characteristic (34) for transmission and/or reception which is stationary with respect to a coordinate system not rotating with the object (30) and which includes only a subregion (32) of the object (30).

Claims

1. A sensor system for detecting at least one dimensional variable of a rotating object (30), having at least one sensor, disposed on the rotating object (30) and sensitive to the dimensional variable, and having means for picking up measurement signals from the at least one sensor and forwarding the signals to a processing device, which include an antenna array (11) for supplying the at least one sensor with high-frequency energy end for receiving a high-frequency signal, modulated as a function of the variable to be detected, from the sensor, characterized in that a plurality of such sensors are disposed on the object (30), distributed in the circumferential direction;

and that the antenna array (11) has a directional characteristic (34) for transmission and/or reception which is stationary with respect to a coordinate system not rotating with the object (30) and which includes only a subregion (32) of the object (30).

2. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the subregion is the contact face of the object (30), with a substrate.

3. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the antenna array (11) includes a common antenna for transmission and reception.

4. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein sensors used to detect the same physical variable have a spacing in the circumferential direction of the object (30) that is essentially equivalent to the length of the subregion (32) in the circumferential direction.

5. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensors have coding, which makes it possible to supply high-frequency energy selectively to at least one sensor from among a plurality of sensors located in the subregion (32), or to receive selectively from at least one sensor located in the subregion.

6. The sensor system of claim 5, wherein the sensors form a predefined number of groups, which are each distributed cyclically over the circumference of the object (30).

7. The sensor system of claim 6, wherein the subregion is defined such that the sensors of all of the predefined number of groups are never all located in it at the same time.

8. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein each sensor has a first resonator (5), which can be excited by a modulated measurement frequency of a carrier frequency of the high-frequency energy, and whose resonant frequency is variable as a function of the dimensional variable.

9. The sensor system of claim 8, wherein the first resonator (5) includes a surface wave resonator or a quartz oscillator.

10. The sensor system of claim 9, wherein the first resonator (5) further includes a discrete component (6) that is sensitive to the dimensional variable.

11. The sensor system of claims 5, wherein one specific resonator tuning range corresponds to each coding.

12. The sensor system of claim 11, wherein the resonator tuning ranges of the individual codings are disjoint.

13. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the dimensional variable is a vectorial variable, and in particular a force or acceleration.

14. The sensor system of claim 13, wherein the sensors are each designed for detecting two components of the dimensional variable that are perpendicular to one another and tangential to the surface of the object.

15. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the object (30) is a pneumatic tire.

16. The sensor system of claim 15, wherein it also has an individual sensor (36) for the tire pressure.

17. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein each sensor has a second resonator (3) that can be excited by a carrier frequency of the high-frequency energy.

18. The sensor system of claim 17, wherein the second resonator (3) is a surface wave resonator.

19. The sensor system of claim 18, wherein the second resonator (3) is capable of generating a delayed output oscillation pulse in reaction to an induced oscillation pulse.

20. The sensor system of claim 19, wherein the second resonator (3) has a propagation distance (L) for the surface wave that a surface wave induced in the second resonator (3) must traverse before it is picked up.

21. The sensor system of claim 19, wherein the second resonator has two three-dimensionally spaced-apart pairs (25, 236) of electrodes (21, 22).

22. The sensor system of claim 19, wherein the second resonator has one pair (27) of electrodes (21, 22), for inducing and picking up a surface wave, and reflector electrodes (23), spaced apart from the pair (27) of electrodes.