Method for Assigning a Tire Pressure Monitoring System After Driving Interruptions and Device and System for Measuring Air Pressure in a Vehicle Tire

• US 7,775,098 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Gila, Janos, Pohl, Alfred, Tschofen, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen; Andre J
• Application Number:
  US12/240,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20090084174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 73/146.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/007 having multiple wheels arranged side by side
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/008 having wheels on more than two axles
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/009 having wheels on a trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right

Abstract

A method for assigning a position of a tire, having a tire sensor, on a vehicle, includes transmitting, with the sensor, a signal including at least an identification number of the sensor following activation by a signal from an LF antenna connected to an evaluation unit. At a system start time, the evaluation unit first initiates an initialization including determination of the position of each tire having a sensor. The evaluation unit stores the identification number of each sensor together with the determined position of the tire having the sensor, before switching into a normal operating mode in which tire data, for example air pressure, is monitored by the sensors, with the position and preferably assignment of the sensor to a specific LF antenna, being stored in the sensor and kept available for retrieval. A device and a system for measuring air pressure in a vehicle tire are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for assigning a position of a tire on a vehicle, the method comprising the following steps:

providing an evaluation unit;

transmitting a receive signal with an LF antenna located at a predetermined position on the vehicle and connected to the evaluation unit;

providing the tire on the vehicle with a tire sensor having an individual identification number, and transmitting a transmit signal, including at least the identification number, with the tire sensor following activation by the receive signal;

first initiating with the evaluation unit, at a system start time, an initialization including determination of the position on the vehicle of each tire provided with a tire sensor;

storing the identification number of each tire sensor together with the position on the vehicle of the tire provided with the tire sensor as determined by the system, with the evaluation unit, before it switches over into a normal operating mode in which the tire sensors monitor tire data to be monitored; and

storing the position of the tire sensor on the vehicle in the tire sensor itself and keeping the position of the tire sensor available for retrieval.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tire data to be monitored includes air pressure.

3. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises storing the assignment of the tire sensor to a specific LF antenna in the tire sensor itself and keeping the assignment of the tire sensor available for retrieval.

4. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises transmitting on request, with the tire sensor, a signal containing at least its identification number and its stored position in the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises, during the initialization at a starting time of the vehicle, first transmitting the positions stored in the tire sensors together with the associated identification numbers to the evaluation unit, comparing, with the evaluation unit, the already stored values with values transmitted by the respective tire sensor, and if the values agree, terminating the initialization directly and switching into the normal operating mode.

6. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises carrying out the initialization separately for individual tire sensors or groups of tire sensors, with a full initialization with new position determination being performed only for those tire sensors or groups of tire sensors for which no agreement with the already stored values was established, and with the initialization with new position determination being terminated prematurely for those tire sensors or groups of tire sensors for which an agreement with the already stored values was established.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the tire sensors for two tires fitted immediately adjacent each other on one side of the same axle form a group of tire sensors.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the tire sensors for tires fitted on one axle form a group of tire sensors.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises simultaneously effecting queries during the initialization across all of the LF antennas.

10. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises carrying out a comparison between stored and queried position in the tire sensors, which report an agreement or discrepancy to the evaluation unit.

11. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises only forwarding discrepancy messages of the tire sensors to the evaluation unit.

13. A system for measuring air pressure in vehicle tires, the system comprising:

a device including a pressure measuring unit, a memory for storing an identification number uniquely identifying said device, at least one LF antenna, an evaluation unit, a receiving unit connected to said at least one LF antenna for receiving signals, for initiating predetermined actions in said device after receiving certain signals, and for additionally storing received signals stored in said evaluation unit beyond a time required for processing the signals, and a transmitting unit transmitting a signal containing at least the identification number in predetermined time units or following activation by a signal received from said receiving unit;

an IDA antenna; and

an evaluation and processing unit programmed to perform the method according to claim 1.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the received signals contain a position of the device on the vehicle.

12. A device for measuring air pressure in a tire of a motor vehicle and for communicating with a central monitoring unit of a tire monitoring system of the motor vehicle, the device comprising:

a pressure measuring unit;

a memory for storing an identification number uniquely identifying the device;

an antenna;

an evaluation unit;

a receiving unit connected to said antenna for receiving signals from the central monitoring unit of the tire monitoring system, for initiating predetermined actions in the device after receiving certain signals, and for additionally storing signals received from the central monitoring unit and containing a position of the device on the vehicle beyond a time required for processing the signals; and

a transmitting unit transmitting a signal containing at least the identification number in predetermined time units or following activation by a signal received from said receiving unit.