Method and a device for locating the position of wheels of a vehicle

• US 7,327,233 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Issued: 02/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Gerardiere, Olivier
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass; Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SIGMUND N
• Application Number:
  US11/304,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20060192661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.33, 340/447, 702/150, 702/29, 731/462
• US Class Current: 340/426.33
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for locating the position of wheels (2-5) of a vehicle (1). According to the invention, the vehicle (1) is equipped with transmit antennas (11-14) each disposed in such a way as to be positioned in proximity to a wheel (2-5) or to a pair of wheels (2-4, 3-5, 2-3, 4-5), and a locating procedure is implemented according to which, successively for each of the transmit antennas (11-14), the transmission, by said transmit antenna, of an identification request signal is instructed, and simultaneously with the transmission of said identification request signal, the transmission, by each of the antennas positioned in proximity to the other wheels, of a garbled signal designed to scramble the identification request signal is instructed.

Claims

1. A method of locating the position of wheels (2-5) of a vehicle (1), which wheels are equipped with an electronic box (6-9) adapted so as to transmit, to a central unit (15) mounted on the vehicle (1), signals representative of operating parameters of each wheel comprising, furthermore, a code for identifying the latter, said locating method being characterized in that:

the vehicle (1) is equipped with transmit antennas (11-14;

16-19) each disposed in such a way as to be positioned in proximity to a wheel (2-5) or to a pair of wheels ((2, 4), (3, 5) (2, 3), (4, 5)),

and the central unit (15) and the electronic boxes (6-9) are programmed in such a way as to implement a locating procedure according to which, successively for each of the transmit antennas (11-14;

16-19);

the central unit (15) instructs the transmission, by said transmit antenna, of an identification request signal on receipt of which the electronic box (6-9) of each wheel (2-5) positioned in proximity to this transmit antenna is adapted so as to transmit in response a signal comprising this wheel'"'"'s identifying code,

the central unit (15) instructs, simultaneously with the transmission of the identification request signal, the transmission, by each of the antennas positioned in proximity to the other wheels, of a garbled signal designed to scramble the identification request signal.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 for locating the position right or left of a wheel (2-5) of a vehicle (1) characterized in that said vehicle is equipped with two transmit antennas (11, 12) disposed in such a way as to each be positioned in proximity respectively to the left wheels (2, 4) and to the right wheels (3, 5).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 for locating the position front or rear of a wheel (2-5) of a vehicle (1) characterized in that said vehicle is equipped with two transmit antennas (13, 14) disposed in such a way as to each be positioned in proximity respectively to the front wheels (2, 3) and to the rear wheels (4, 5).

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 taken together for locating the wheels of a vehicle, characterized in that the central unit (15) is programmed in such a way as to implement successively, in any order, a procedure for locating the left wheels (2, 4) and right wheels (3, 4) in the course of which no signal is transmitted by the two antennas (13, 14) assigned to the locating of the front wheels (2, 3) and rear wheels (4, 5) and a procedure for locating the front wheels (2, 3) and rear wheels (4, 5) in the course of which no signal is transmitted by the two antennas (11, 12) assigned to the locating of the left wheels (2, 4) and right wheels (3, 5).

5. The method of locating as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that during the locating procedure, the antennas (11-14) of a handsfree access device with which the vehicle (1) is equipped, adapted so as to make it possible to access said vehicle and/or to start the latter, are used.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 for locating the wheels (2-5) of a vehicle (1), characterized in that said vehicle is equipped with transmit antennas (16-19) disposed in such a way as to each be positioned in proximity to one of said wheels.

7. The method of locating as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the central unit (15) is programmed so as to instruct the transmission of identification request signals consisting of “

Manchester”

coded signals.

11. The method as claimed in claim 3 taken together for locating the wheels of a vehicle, characterized in that the central unit (15) is programmed in such a way as to implement successively, in any order, a procedure for locating the left wheels (2, 4) and right wheels (3, 4) in the course of which no signal is transmitted by the two antennas (13, 14) assigned to the locating of the front wheels (2, 3) and rear wheels (4, 5) and a procedure for locating the front wheels (2, 3) and rear wheels (4, 5) in the course of which no signal is transmitted by the two antennas (11, 12) assigned to the locating of the left wheels (2, 4) and right wheels (3, 5).

12. The method of locating as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that during the locating procedure, the antennas (11-14) of a handsfree access device with which the vehicle (1) is equipped, adapted so as to make it possible to access said vehicle and/or to start the latter, are used.

13. The method of locating as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that during the locating procedure, the antennas (11-14) of a handsfree access device with which the vehicle (1) is equipped, adapted so as to make it possible to access said vehicle and/or to start the latter, are used.

14. The method of locating as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the central unit (15) is programmed so as to instruct the transmission of identification request signals consisting of “

Manchester”

coded signals.

15. The method of locating as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the central unit (15) is programmed so as to instruct the transmission of identification request signals consisting of “

Manchester”

coded signals.

16. The method of locating as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the central unit (15) is programmed so as to instruct the transmission of identification request signals consisting of “

Manchester”

coded signals.

17. The method of locating as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the central unit (15) is programmed so as to instruct the transmission of identification request signals consisting of “

Manchester”

coded signals.

18. The method of locating as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the central unit (15) is programmed so as to instruct the transmission of identification request signals consisting of “

Manchester”

coded signals.

8. A device for locating the position of wheels (2-5) of a vehicle (1), which wheels are equipped with an electronic box (6-9) adapted so as to transmit, to a central unit (15) mounted on the vehicle (1), signals representative of operating parameters of each wheel comprising, furthermore, a code for identifying the latter, said locating device being characterized in that it comprises,

transmit antennas (11-14;

16-19) each disposed in such a way as to be positioned in proximity to a wheel (2-5) or to a pair of wheels ((2, 4), (3, 5), (2, 3), (4, 5)),

and a central unit (15) programmed in such a way as to implement a locating procedure according to which, successively for each of the transmit antennas (11-14;

16-19);

said central unit instructs the transmission, by said transmit antenna, of an identification request signal on receipt of which the electronic box (6-9) of each wheel (2-5) positioned in proximity to this transmit antenna is programmed so as to transmit in response a signal comprising this wheel'"'"'s identifying code,

said central unit instructs, simultaneously with the transmission of the identification request signal, the transmission, by each of the antennas positioned in proximity to the other wheels, of a garbled signal designed to scramble the identification request signal.

9. The locating device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the transmit antennas (11-14) consist of the antennas of a hands-free device with which the vehicle (1) is equipped, adapted so as to make it possible to access said vehicle and/or to start the latter.

10. The locating device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the transmit antennas (16-19) consist of antennas disposed in such a way as to be each positioned in proximity to one of the wheels (2-5) of the vehicle (1).