Tire pressure monitoring system plant learning

• US 7,564,344 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems US Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Wallace, Mark D., Deniau, Jean-Christophe
• Primary Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US11/543,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20070090928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 340447-449, 340/5.1, 340/426.33, 340/5.22, 340/539.1, 340/539.19, 731/462, 701/29, 701/32, 701/33, 701/36, 701/115, 701/28
• US Class Current: 340/447
• 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 23/0481 System diagnostic, e.g. monitoring battery voltage, detecting hardware detachments or identifying wireless transmission failures

Abstract

A method and system of teaching identification codes for a tire pressure monitoring system includes the steps of transmitting a prompt signal that includes a location identifier. This prompt signal instructs the tire pressure monitoring sensor to transmit an initialization signal. The initialization signal includes the location identifier. A factory receiver is set up to recognize transmissions that include a corresponding location identifier. The receiver disregards all other transmissions that do not include the corresponding desired location identifier.

Claims

1. A method of teaching an identifier for a remote device to a corresponding mobile receiver comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting a prompt signal to a remote device, where the transmission prompt communicates an identifier to the remote device;

b) transmitting an initialization signal including the identifier from the remote device to a stationary receiver;

c) selectively receiving the initialization signal with the stationary receiver responsive to the identifier corresponding with signals that the stationary receiver is set to recognize; and

d) communicating the initialization signal from the stationary receiver to the mobile receiver.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises a location identifier indicative of a location of the sensor.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, including the step of reading the location identifier and recording an identification code responsive to the stationary receiver recognizing the location identifier.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifier comprise a unique frequency and the initialization signal is transmitted at the unique frequency.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the stationary receiver is set to recognize transmissions only on the unique frequency.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, including more than one stationary receiver and more than one identifier corresponding with the more than one stationary receivers.

7. A method of teaching an identification code of a tire pressure monitoring sensor to a vehicle receiver comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting a prompt signal including an identifier to a tire pressure monitoring sensor;

b) transmitting an initialization signal from the tire pressure monitoring sensor including the identifier received in the prompt signal;

c) selectively receiving the initialization signal with a stationary receiver responsive to the stationary receiver recognizing the identifier; and

d) communication the initialization signal from the stationary receiver to the vehicle receiver.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the identifier comprise a code indicative of a location of the tire pressure sensor.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the stationary receiver is associated with the code indicative of location and recognizes initialization signals only including the code indicative of a location of the tire pressure sensor corresponding to the stationary receiver.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, including at least two stationary receivers each set to receive an initialization signal of a common frequency.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein each of the at least two stationary receivers correspond to a different location and is set to receive a different code indicative of location.

12. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the identifier comprises a specific frequency and the tire pressure monitoring sensor transmits the initialization signal at the specific frequency.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, including more than one stationary receiver, only one of which is set to receive the specific frequency.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein each of the more than one receivers are set to receive a frequency different than all of the other receivers.

15. A system for communicating tire pressure monitoring identities to a receiver installed within a vehicle comprising:

a transmitter installed as a part of a vehicle assembly line for transmitting a prompt signal to a tire pressure sensor, where the prompt signal instructs the tire pressure monitoring sensor to transmit an initialization signal including a location identifier;

an assembly line receiver installed as part of a vehicle assembly line for receiving initialization signals only including a corresponding location identifier; and

a link between the assembly line receiver and the receiver installed within the vehicle for communicating the initialization signals to the receiver installed within the vehicle.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, comprising at least two transmitters and a corresponding assembly line receiver each corresponding to a desired location.

17. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the location identifier comprises a frequency.

18. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the tire pressure monitoring sensor includes a transmitter for transmitting at more than one frequency, where the transmitter transmits the initialization signal at the frequency instructed by the transmitter.

19. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein each of the at least two assembly line receivers receives signal of a frequency different than all the other receivers.

20. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the location identifier includes a code sent with the initialization signal.

21. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the assembly line receiver recognizes only those signals including a code corresponding to a location of the assembly line receiver.