Wheel information processing device

• US 7,557,698 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2006
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Atsushi, Osumi, Ryota
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan; Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US11/333,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20060176164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 340442-449, 340/686.1, 340/686.6, 340/539.1, 340/45, 731/46, 116/34.A, 116/34.B, 116/34.R, 116/34.C, 152/152.1
• US Class Current: 340/442
• 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 23/0442 the transmitted signal comprises further information, e.g. instruction codes, sensor characteristics or identification data
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0464 to avoid signal interference

Abstract

A wheel information processing device comprises a plurality of wheel-side communication units provided in a wheel of an automotive vehicle, and a body-side communication unit provided in a body of the vehicle to communicate with the plurality of wheel-side communication units. A pattern of transmission of signals transmitted by the plurality of wheel-side communication units respectively is determined based on a characteristic of the wheel-side communication unit concerned.

Claims

1. A wheel information processing device comprising:

a plurality of wheel-side communication units provided in a wheel of an automotive vehicle; and

a body-side communication unit provided in a body of the vehicle to communicate with the plurality of wheel-side communication units,

wherein a pattern of transmission of signals transmitted by each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units is determined based on a characteristic of each wheel-side communication unit respectively.

2. The wheel information processing device according to claim 1 wherein the pattern of transmission of the signals transmitted by each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units is determined based on either an element that determines a necessity of transmission of a signal transmitted by each wheel-side communication unit respectively, or an element that determines a communication performance of each wheel-side communication unit respectively.

3. The wheel information processing device according to claim 2 further comprising a wheel information detecting part provided to detect wheel information of the wheel,

wherein the element that determines the necessity of transmission a content of the wheel information detected by the wheel information detecting part.

4. The wheel information processing device according to claim 1 further comprising a vehicle running state acquisition module provided to acquire a running state of the vehicle.

wherein the pattern of transmission of the signals transmitted by each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units is determined so that the determined pattern of transmission varies according to a change of the running state of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle running state acquisition part.

5. The wheel information processing device according to claim 1 wherein a frequency of transmission per a predetermined unit time is determined and thereby the pattern of transmission of the signals transmitted by each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units is determined.

6. The wheel information processing device according to claim 1 wherein a probability of transmission is determined and thereby the pattern of transmission of the signals transmitted by each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units is determined.

7. The wheel information processing device according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of wheel-side communication units have respective identification numbers that are distinctly separate, each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units receiving a request signal from the body-side communication unit, and the request signal containing a necessity value of reply associated with an identification number of each of the wheel-side communication units, and

wherein the pattern of transmission of the signals transmitted by each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units is determined based on the necessity value of reply corresponding to the respective identification number of each of the wheel-side communication units contained in the received request signal.

8. The wheel information processing device according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of wheel-side communication units are provided in a plurality of counterweights respectively, and the pattern of transmission of the signals transmitted by each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units is determined based on a weight of a counterweight of the wheel-side communication unit concerned.

9. The wheel information processing device according to claim 8 wherein a delay time to a time of reception of a request signal of the body-side communication unit is set up for each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units according to the weight of the counterweight of each of the wheel-side communication units, and

wherein the pattern of transmission of the signals transmitted by each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units is determined by increasing or decreasing the delay time by a random time that is adequately small compared to the delay time.

10. The wheel information processing device according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units are provided with a counterweight and have weight information indicating a weight of the counterweight,

the body-side communication unit is provided to transmit a request signal including the weight information to the plurality of wheel-side communication units serially, and

each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units is provided to transmit a signal to the body-side communication unit when the weight information included in the request signal received is the same as the weight information of the wheel-side communication unit.

11. The wheel information processing device according to claim 2 wherein the element that determines the communication performance of each wheel-side communication unit is an arrangement location of each wheel-side communication unit.

12. The wheel information processing device according to claim 11 wherein the pattern of transmission of the signals transmitted by each of the plurality of wheel-side communication units is determined such that a frequency of transmission per a predetermined unit time is made higher for a longer distance of the arrangement location of the wheel-side communication unit from a revolving shaft of the wheel.