Method and device for localizing the position of at least two emission units, especially for monitoring at least one parameter for a plurality of wheels pertaining to a motor vehicle

• US 7,397,352 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2004
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Spotka, Jurgen, Fischer, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG T
• Application Number:
  US10/543,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20060152353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 340/442, 340/444, 340/445, 340/446, 340/447, 340/448, 200/61.22, 116/34.R, 731/462, 731/463, 731/465, 731/468, 701/9, 701/74
• 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: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for localising the position of at least two emission units, especially for monitoring at least one parameter for a plurality of wheels pertaining to a motor vehicle. The average power of the reception signals of a central evaluation and control unit (5) is detected. The aim of the invention is to improve the reliability of a correct localisation. To this end, at least two association criteria are used to associate the reception signals or emission units with positions or regions, when the examination of a reliability criterion for the first association criterion does not produce a sufficiently high reliability for the association carried out.

Claims

1. A method of localizing a position of at least two emission units, which comprises:

(a) assigning a portion N of the emission units to a first transmitter group and assigning another portion M of the emission units to a second transmitter group, and assigning a local region to each transmitter group;

(b) detecting transmission signals emitted by the emission units with a receiver antenna of a receiver unit of an evaluation and control unit;

(c) wherein a reception power of the reception signals from the emission units of the first transmitter group is in each case appreciably higher than a reception power of the reception signals from the emission units of the second transmitter group over a long time span in each case;

(d) averaging the reception power of at least two reception signals over a predetermined time span or a predetermined number of discretely scanned values of the reception power or over a predetermined number of intermittently transmitted signals;

(e) allocating N reception signals with N highest average values or the respective emission units to the first transmitter group, and allocating M reception signals with M lowest average values or the respective emission units to the second transmitter group;

(f) determining the reception signal of the first transmitter group with a smallest average value and the reception signal of the second transmitter group with a highest average value, and comparing a difference in amount of the smallest and highest average values or a ratio thereof with a predetermined reliability threshold value;

(g) accepting the allocation of the reception signals or the respective emission units of the first or second transmitter groups or the local regions allocated thereto as being correct only if the difference in amount or the ratio of the average values is greater than the reliability threshold value; and

(h) if the difference in amount or the ratio of the average value is less than the reliability threshold value, using at least one additional decision criterion for allocating the reception signals or the respective emission units to the transmitter groups or the local regions thereof, and/or an additional criterion for testing a reliability of a correct allocation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein step h) comprises using additional characteristic variables of the reception signals.

3. The method according to claim 1, which comprises accepting an end result of the allocation as being correct only if all allocation results, derived by using the one decision criterion or a plurality of the additional decision criteria, correspond with the first allocation result.

4. The method according to claim 3, which comprises accepting the end result of the allocation as being correct even if the first and also all the additional decision criteria for testing the reliability of a correct allocation yield a negative result.

5. The method according to claim 1, which comprises intermittently scanning the reception signals or transmitting intermittent signals, and determining as an additional characteristic variable for the reception signals, a number of discrete reception signal values greater or less than a predetermined discriminator threshold value.

6. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises detecting a minimum number of discrete reception signal values for each reception signal and determining for each reception signal a relative frequency of the reception signal value above or below the threshold value.

7. The method according to claim 6, which comprises testing the reliability of the allocation when the determined relative frequency values are used, by determining a minimum difference in amount of the relative frequency values for all the reception signals of the first and second transmitter group and comparing with a predetermined additional reliability threshold value, and, assuming a positive test result if the minimum difference in amount is greater than the additional reliability threshold value and assuming a negative test result if the minimal difference in amount is less than the additional reliability threshold value.

8. The method according to claim 7, which comprises determining the discriminator threshold value in dependence on the characteristic parameters of the relevant reception signals.

9. The method according to claim 8, which comprises determining the discriminator threshold value depending on the detected average values of the smallest reception signal of the first transmitter group and the largest reception signal of the second transmitter group.

10. The method according to claim 8, which comprises determining the discriminator threshold value depending on the detected average values of the smallest reception signal of the first transmitter group and the largest reception signal of the second transmitter group at a relative interval from one of the average values of the two reception signals or as a ratio with regard to one of the average values of the two reception signals.

11. The method according to claim 7, which comprises, upon initiating the method, using a predetermined starting value for the discriminator threshold value, and, upon a repeated implementation of the method, using in subsequent processing a discriminator threshold value that has been determined anew in a respectively preceding allocation process.

12. The method according to claim 1, which comprises monitoring at least one parameter for a plurality of wheels pertaining to a motor vehicle.

18. The device according to claim 13, wherein said evaluation and control unit is configured to implement the method according to claim 1.

13. A device for localizing the positions of at least two emission units, comprising:

(a) a plurality of emission units including a portion N of said emission units assigned to a first transmitter group and a portion M of said emission units assigned to a second transmitter group, each transmitter group having a local region assigned thereto;

(b) an evaluation and control unit having a receiver unit and a receiving antenna for detecting signals transmitted by said emission units;

(c) wherein a reception power of the reception signals from said emitters of said first transmitter group is in each case sufficiently higher than a reception power of the reception signals from said emitters of said second transmitter group over a long time span in each case;

(d) said evaluation and control unit being configured to detect and average the reception power of at least two reception signals over a predetermined time span or to in each case discretely scan and average a predetermined number of values of the reception power of the reception signals or in each case to detect and average a predetermined number of signals sent intermittently;

(e) said evaluation and control unit allocating N reception signals with the N highest average values, and the respective said emission units, to said first transmitter group, and allocating M reception signals with the M lowest average values, and the respective said emission units, to said second transmitter group;

(f) said evaluation and control unit determining the reception signal of said first transmitter group with the lowest average value and the reception signal of said second transmitter group with the highest average value and comparing a difference in amount of the average values, or a ratio of the average values, with a predetermined reliability threshold value;

(g) said evaluation and control unit accepting an allocation of the reception signals, or the respective said emission units, to the first or the second transmitter group or to the locally allocated regions to be correct only if the difference in amount or the ratio of the average values is greater than the reliability threshold value; and

(h) said evaluation and control unit, if the difference in amount or the ratio of the average value is less than the reliability threshold value, utilizing at least one additional decision criterion for allocating the reception signals, or the respective said emission units to the transmitter groups or the local regions, and/or utilizing an additional criterion for testing the reliability of a correct allocation.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein, if the difference in amount or the ratio of the average value is less than the reliability threshold value, said evaluation and control unit is configured to use additional characteristic variables of the reception signals.

15. The device according to claim 13 configured for monitoring at least one parameter of a plurality of wheels of a motor vehicle.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein a respective said emission unit is mounted in each wheel position of the motor vehicle, and said emission units at the wheel positions of a rear axle are associated with the first transmitter group and said emission units in the wheel positions of a front axle are associated with the second transmitter group.

17. The device according to claim 13, said receiver antenna is positioned and oriented to define the reception power of the reception signals from said emitters of said first and second transmitter groups to be different.