Sensor ID registration method for tire air pressure monitoring apparatus

• US 6,965,305 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Issued: 11/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Taguchi, Akihiro, Okumura, Ryozo
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V.
• Application Number:
  US10/670,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20040061602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 340/442, 340/443, 340/444, 340/445, 340/446, 340/447, 340/870.16, 340/448, 340/870.11, 731/46, 731/462, 731/463, 731/464, 731/465, 731/468, 116/34.R, 116/34.B, 116/34.A, 152/152.1
• US Class Current: 340/447
• 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 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sensor ID registration for a tire air pressure monitor including a sensor unit built in each of tires of a vehicle and a receiver mounted in a vehicle body for monitoring the in-tire air pressure. The registration is conducted through using a control unit and a registration unit, provided for each vehicle manufacturing line. A different control unit number is allocated to each of the control units and transmitted from the control unit to the receiver. Moreover, a specific number identical to the number is transmitted from the registration unit to the sensor unit and data including a sensor ID and the specific number is transmitted from the sensor unit. The receiver registers the sensor ID when the specific number and the control unit number agree with each other. This achieves accurate ID registration without registering an ID of another vehicle in error.

Claims

1. A sensor ID registration method for a tire air pressure monitoring apparatus including:

a sensor unit built in each of tires of a vehicle for measuring an air pressure in the interior of said tire to transmit data through radio communications; and

a receiver mounted in a vehicle body for receiving said data transmitted from said sensor unit to identify said sensor unit on the basis of a sensor ID included in the transmitted data and to monitor said air pressure in the interior of said tire,

said method comprising the steps of;

transmitting a specific number allocated to a control unit, which makes communications with said receiver, from said control unit to said receiver;

transmitting a specific number identical to said specific number of said control unit from a sensor ID registration communication unit to said sensor unit;

transmitting said data including said sensor ID and said specific number from said sensor unit; and

in said receiver, making a decision as to whether or not said specific number transmitted from said control unit agrees with said specific number included in said data transmitted from said sensor unit so that, when they agree with each other, said receiver registers said sensor ID included in the transmitted data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said data has a pressure data area in which a value of said air pressure in the interior of said tire is set, and said data is transmitted in a state where said specific number is set in said pressure data area.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said data has a number area in which said specific number is set, and said data is transmitted in a state where said specific number is set in said number area.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said control unit and said sensor ID registration communication unit are placed for each manufacturing line and a number set for each manufacturing line is used as said specific number.

5. A sensor ID registration method for a tire air pressure monitoring apparatus including a sensor unit built in each of tires of a vehicle for measuring an air pressure in the interior of said tire to transmit data through radio communications and a receiver mounted in a vehicle body for receiving said data transmitted from said sensor unit to identify said sensor unit on the basis of a sensor ID included in the transmitted data and to monitor said air pressure in the interior of said tire,

said method made to implement sensor ID registration through the use of a control unit and a sensor ID registration communication unit provided in each vehicle manufacturing line, and comprising:

a step of transmitting a control unit number, uniquely allocated to said control unit, from said control unit to said receiver;

a step of giving an instruction signal from said sensor ID registration communication unit to said sensor unit for transmitting a specific number, identical to said control unit number, to said receiver;

a step of transmitting said data including said air pressure, said sensor ID and said specific number from said sensor unit to said receiver;

a step of, in said receiver, making a decision as to whether or not said control unit number transmitted from said control unit agrees with said specific number included in said data transmitted from said sensor unit; and

a step of, when said control unit number agrees with said specific number, registering said sensor ID included in the transmitted data.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, in the sensor ID registering step, when said control unit number agrees with said specific number, said sensor ID is temporarily registered, and when the number of temporarily registered sensor IDs agrees with the number of sensors built in said tires of said vehicle, said sensor ID is formally registered.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein said data has a pressure data area in which a value of said air pressure in the interior of said tire is set, and said data is transmitted in a state where said specific number is set in said pressure data area.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said control unit number is set at a value lower than the atmospheric pressure.