Vehicle stationary/moving determination apparatus

• US 7,826,936 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Saito, Hideki, Watabe, Nobuya, Taguchi, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/905,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20080082220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 731/465, 701/1, 340/442, 340/444
• US Class Current: 701/1
• 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: B60G 2204/115 Wheel hub bearing sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/208 of wheel rotation
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/91 Frequency
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2422/70 on the wheel or the tire
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18 Propelling the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18054 at stand still, e.g. engine in idling state hill holding B60W30/18118
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18063 Creeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion

Abstract

The vehicle stationary/moving determination apparatus includes an antenna mounted on a vehicle body of a vehicle; and a determination device determining whether or not the vehicle is moving or stationary on the basis of a reception intensity of a radio signal transmitted from a radio transmitter device mounted on the vehicle at a portion other than the vehicle body and received by the antenna.

Claims

1. A vehicle stationary/moving determination apparatus comprising:

at least one antenna mounted on a vehicle body; and

a determination device configured to determine whether or not said vehicle body is moving or stationary based on reception intensity of a radio signal transmitted from a radio transmitter device mounted on a wheel of said vehicle at a portion other than said vehicle body and received by said at least one antenna,

wherein said determination device determines vehicle speed based on a varying aspect of said reception intensity, and

wherein said determination device has access to stored intensity/angle corresponding relationship data representing a relationship between said reception intensity and an angular position of said wheel, and is configured to determine said vehicle speed corresponding to an angular rotational arc width of said wheel during a predetermined reference time period by collating an aspect of temporal variation of said reception intensity during said reference period with said intensity/angle corresponding relationship data.

2. A machine-implemented method for determining whether a wheeled vehicle is stationary or moving, said method comprising:

providing an antenna mounted on a vehicle body;

using a digital signal processor configured to determine whether or not said vehicle is moving or stationary based on reception intensity of a radio signal transmitted from a radio transmitter device mounted on a wheel of said vehicle and received by said antenna,

wherein said vehicle speed is determined based on a varying aspect of said reception intensity, and

wherein stored intensity/angle corresponding relationship data representing a relationship between said reception intensity and an angular position of said wheel is used to determine said vehicle speed corresponding to an angular rotational arc width of said wheel during a predetermined reference time period by collating an aspect of temporal variation of said reception intensity during said reference period with said intensity/angle correspond relationship data.