Tire monitoring system and method

• US 7,508,301 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2006
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensata Technologies Incorporated (Sensata Technologies Holding Plc)
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Christenson, Keith Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hung T.
• Application Number:
  US11/467,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20080055062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 340/442, 340/444, 340/445, 340/446, 340/447, 340/449, 340/426.33, 731/46, 731/462, 731/463, 731/465, 116/34.R, 701/29, 701/30
• US Class Current: 340/442
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0444 Antenna structures, control or arrangements thereof, e.g. for directional antennas, diversity antenna, antenna multiplexing or antennas integrated in fenders

Abstract

A tire monitoring system for a vehicle having tires determines if two tires share a same side of the vehicle based on a state of each of the two tires. In at least one embodiment, a first output signal indicative of a state of a first tire and a second output signal indicative of a state of a second tire are transmitted and received. A determination as to whether the first tire and the second tire are on a same side of the vehicle based on the state of the first tire and the state of the second tire is made.

Claims

1. A vehicle tire monitoring system for use in a vehicle having two front and two rear tires, the system comprising:

no more than two initiator arrangements, one of the initiator arrangements located adjacent to one of the front tires and configured to produce a first initiation signal, the other of the initiator arrangements located adjacent to one of the rear tires and configured to produce a second initiation signal;

no more than two sensor arrangements, one of the sensor arrangements located at one of the tires of the vehicle and configured to transmit a first output signal indicative of a direction of rotation of the one tire in response to receiving the first or second initiation signal, the other of the sensor arrangements located at another one of the tires of the vehicle and configured to transmit a second output signal indicative of a direction of rotation of the another one tire in response to receiving the first or second initiation signal; and

a receiver arrangement configured to cause the initiator arrangements to produce the initiation signals and to determine a position of each of the front and rear tires based on (i) whether the receiver arrangement receives the first and second output signals within a predetermined period of time after the initiation signals have been produce and (ii) the direction of rotation of the first and second tires.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the one sensor arrangement transmits the first output signal periodically and the other sensor arrangement transmits the second output signal periodically.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the initiator arrangement comprises a low frequency initiator.

4. A method of vehicle tire monitoring for use in a vehicle having four tires comprising:

transmitting first and second initiation signals;

transmitting a first output signal indicative of a direction of rotation of one of the four tires in response to receiving one the first and second initiation signals;

transmitting a second output signal indicative of a direction of rotation of another one of the four tires in response to receiving the other of the first and second initiation signals; and

determining a position of each of the four tires based on (i) whether the receiver arrangement receives the first and second output signals within a predetermined period of time after the initiation signals have been produced and (ii) the direction of rotation of the one tire and the another one tire.