Wireless wheel speed sensor

• US 7,408,452 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2005
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Knittl, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland; Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US11/257,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20070090934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 340/441, 340/444
• US Class Current: 340/441
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/01933 Velocity, e.g. relative velocity-displacement sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/115 Wheel hub bearing sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/208 of wheel rotation
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/172 Hall effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/171 Detecting parameters used in the regulation; Measuring values used in the regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/329 Systems characterised by their speed sensor arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/443 mounted in bearings bearings F16C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time

Abstract

In accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention, a wireless sensing system is disclosed, where the system has particular application to sensing the speed of a vehicle wheel, for example. To sense wheel speed, a sensing unit senses changes in magnetic flux and wirelessly relays a signal indicative thereof back to a base station or control unit.

Claims

1. A sensing system configured to sense the speed of wheels of a motor vehicle, comprising:

two or more sensors configured to provide respective readings indicative of the speed of two or more wheels of the motor vehicle;

conditioning circuitry operatively coupled to the sensors, respectively, and configured to condition the readings taken by the sensors into respective data grams indicative of the speeds of the wheels and to associate identification data with the data grams indicative of the particular wheels whose speeds are being sensed;

transceivers operatively coupled to the conditioning circuitry, respectively, and configured to wirelessly transmit the data grams; and

a control module component configured to receive the data grams and to assess therefrom a vehicle rollover condition.

2. The system of claim 1, the control module component configured to further utilizes the data grams to deter a roll over condition.

3. The system of claim 2, where the control module component comprises:

a transceiver configured to receive wireless transmissions from the sensor components, and to transmit control signals therefrom.

4. The system of claim 1, where the sensors sense the speed of the wheels by sensing changes in magnetic flux.

5. The system of claim 3, the sensor configured to regulate the stiffness of one or more shocks to mitigate a roll over condition.

6. The system of claim 1, the control module component configured to cause one or more wheel sensor components to run a self diagnostic after one or more corresponding wheels have not rotated for a predefined period of time, and to cause the one or more wheel sensor components to enter a power conservation mode if the self diagnostic reveals no defects in the operation of the one or more sensor components.

7. A sensing system configured to sense the speed of one or more wheels of a motor vehicle, comprising:

one or more sensors configured to provide respective readings indicative of the speed of one or more wheels of the motor vehicle;

conditioning circuitry operatively coupled to the sensors, respectively, and configured to condition the readings taken by the sensors into respective data grams indicative of the speeds of the wheels and to associate identification data with the data grams indicative of the particular wheels whose speeds are being sensed;

one or more transceivers operatively coupled to the conditioning circuitry, respectively, and configured to wirelessly transmit the data grams; and

a control module component configured to receive the data grams, the control module comprising a transceiver and configured to cause one or more wheel sensor components to run a self diagnostic after one or more corresponding wheels have not rotated for a predefined period of time, and to cause the one or more wheel sensor components to enter a power conservation mode if the self diagnostic reveals no defects in the operation of the one or more sensor components.

8. A method of sensing the speed of wheels of a motor vehicle, comprising:

obtaining readings indicative of the speed of two or more wheels of the motor vehicle;

conditioning the readings into respective data grams indicative of the speeds of the wheels;

associating identification data with the data grams indicative of the particular wheels whose speeds are being sensed;

wirelessly transmitting the data grams to a control module; and

assessing a rollover condition from the data grams.

9. A method of sensing the speed of one or more wheels of a motor vehicle, comprising:

obtaining readings indicative of the speed of one or more wheels of the motor vehicle with one or more sensors;

conditioning the readings into respective data grams indicative of the speeds of the wheels;

associating identification data with the data grams indicative of the particular wheels whose speeds are being sensed;

wirelessly transmitting the data grams to a control module; and

wirelessly transmitting from the control module to one or more sensors a command for the sensors to run a self diagnostic after corresponding wheels are not rotated for a predefined period of time and causing the sensors to enter a power conservation mode if the self diagnostic reveals no defects in the operation of the sensor components.