Apparatus for detecting vehicle wheel positions using triggering signal from triggering device and carried out with ratio of distances between wheel mounted transceivers and triggering device

• US 7,834,748 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Watabe, Nobuya, Mori, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US11/957,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20080150710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 340/442, 340/445, 340/447, 340/539.1, 731/46, 731/462, 731/464, 731/465
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0442 the transmitted signal comprises further information, e.g. instruction codes, sensor characteristics or identification data
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/045 Means for detecting electromagnetic field changes being not part of the signal transmission per se, e.g. strength, direction, propagation or masking

Abstract

An apparatus detects positions of the right/left and front/rear four wheels of a vehicle. The detection is performed using transceivers attached to the respective wheels, a triggering device disposed in a body of the vehicle to output the triggering signal, and a receiver disposed on the body. The triggering device includes a first triggering device located closer to the two front wheels than the two rear wheels and located at a position where distances from the right-front wheel and the left-front wheel are mutually different, and a second triggering device located closer to the two rear wheels than the two front wheels and located at a position where distances from the right-rear wheel and the left-rear wheel are mutually different. Distances between each triggering device and each of the two transceivers receiving the triggering signal from the triggering device are decided at a given ratio in consideration of reception sensitivity.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting positions of a plurality to wheels of a vehicle, comprising:

transceivers attached respectively to the plurality of wheels, each of the transceivers comprising a processing unit for receiving a triggering signal, calculating a reception intensity of the triggering signal, and storing data indicative of the reception intensity into a frame to be transmitted, the transceivers transmitting the frame processed by the processing unit;

a triggering device disposed in a body of the vehicle and formed to output the triggering signal;

a receiver disposed to the body and formed for receiving the frame transmitted from the transceivers and processing the received frame to read out the data indicative of the reception intensity from the frame and use the read-out data to detect the positions of the wheels by determining which transceiver is attached to which wheel,

wherein the plurality of wheels including two front wheels composed of a right-front wheel and a left-front wheel and two rear wheels composed of a right-rear wheel and a left-rear wheel;

the triggering device includes a first triggering device located closer to the two front wheels than the two rear wheels and located at a position where distances from the right-front wheel and the left-front wheel are different from each other, and a second triggering device located closer to the two rear wheels than the two front wheels and located at a position where distances from the right-rear wheel and the left-rear wheel are different from each other;

provided that, i) of the two rear wheels, when the transceiver attached to a specific wheel located closer to the first triggering device approaches most closely to the first triggering device, a distance between the first triggering device and the transceiver attached to the specific wheel located closer to the first triggering device is L1, and, ii) of the two front wheels, when the transceiver attached to a specific wheel which is the farthest from the first triggering device approaches to a position which is the farthest from the first triggering device, and a distance between the first triggering device and the transceiver attached to the specific wheel which is the farthest from the first triggering device is L2, a ratio of L1/L2 is 1.2 or more; and

provided that, iii) of the two front wheels, when the transceiver attached to a specific wheel located closer to the second triggering device approaches most closely to the second triggering device, a distance between the second triggering device and the transceiver attached to the specific wheel located closer to the second triggering device is L3, and, iv) of the two rear wheels, when the transceiver attached to a specific wheel which is the farthest from the second triggering device approaches to a position which is the farthest from the second triggering device, and a distance between the second triggering device and the transceiver attached to the specific wheel which is the farthest from the second triggering device is L4, a ratio of L3/L4 is 1.2 or more.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first triggering device is located anterior to the two front wheels and the second triggering device is located posterior to the two rear wheels.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first triggering device is located anterior to a tire housing of a one wheel of the two front wheels which is closer to the first triggering device than the other, and

the second triggering device is located posterior to a tire housing of a one wheel of the two rear wheels which is closer to the second triggering device than the other.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a one wheel of the two rear wheels which is closer to the second triggering device than the other and a one wheel of the two front wheels which is closer to the first triggering device than the other are located diagonally to each other on the body of the vehicle.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a one wheel of the two rear wheels which is closer to the second triggering device than the other and a one wheel of the two front wheels which is closer to the first triggering device than the other are located diagonally to each other on the body of the vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a one wheel of the two rear wheels which is closer to the second triggering device than the other and a one wheel of the two front wheels which is closer to the first triggering device than the other are located diagonally to each other on the body of the vehicle.

7. An apparatus for detecting positions of a plurality to wheels of a vehicle, comprising:

transceivers attached respectively to the plurality of wheels, each of the transceivers comprising a processing unit for receiving a triggering signal, calculating a reception intensity of the triggering signal, and storing data indicative of the reception intensity into a frame to be transmitted, the transceivers transmitting the frame processed by the processing unit;

a triggering device disposed in a body of the vehicle and formed to output the triggering signal;

a receiver disposed to the body and formed for receiving the frame transmitted from the transceivers and processing the received frame to read out the data indicative of the reception intensity from the frame and use the read-out data to detect the positions of the wheels by determining which transceiver is attached to which wheel,

wherein the plurality of wheels including two right wheels composed of a right-front wheel and a right-rear wheel and two left wheels composed of a left-front wheel and a left-rear wheel;

the triggering device includes a first triggering device located closer to the two left wheels than the two right wheels and located at a position where distances from the left-front wheel and the left-rear wheel are different from each other, and a second triggering device located closer to the two right wheels than the two left wheels and located at a position where distances from the right-front wheel and the right-rear wheel are different from each other;

provided that, i) of the two right wheels, when the transceiver attached to a specific wheel located closer to the first triggering device approaches most closely to the first triggering device, a distance between the first triggering device and the transceiver attached to the specific wheel located closer to the first triggering device is L1, and, ii) of the two left wheels, when the transceiver attached to a specific wheel which is the farthest from the first triggering device approaches to a position which is the farthest from the first triggering device, and a distance between the first triggering device and the transceiver attached to the specific wheel which is the farthest from the first triggering device is L2, a ratio of L1/L2 is 1.2 or more; and

provided that, iii) of the two left wheels, when the transceiver attached to a specific wheel located closer to the second triggering device approaches most closely to the second triggering device, a distance between the second triggering device and the transceiver attached to the specific wheel located closer to the second triggering device is L3, and, iv) of the two right wheels, when the transceiver attached to a specific wheel which is the farthest from the second triggering device approaches to a position which is the farthest from the second triggering device, and a distance between the second triggering device and the transceiver attached to the specific wheel which is the farthest from the second triggering device is L4, a ratio of L3/L4 is 1.2 or more.

8. An apparatus for detecting inflation pressure of tires provided at a plurality of wheels of a vehicle, comprising

transceivers attached respectively to the plurality of wheels, each of the transceivers comprising

a sensing unit sensing inflation pressure of each tire and outputting a sensing signal indicative of the inflation pressure,

a first receiving unit receiving a triggering signal,

a first processing unit receiving the triggering signal received by the first receiving unit, calculating a reception intensity of the triggering signal, processing the sensing signal indicative of the inflation pressure, and storing data indicative of the reception intensity and the processed sensing signal into a frame to be transmitted, and a transmitting unit transmitting the frame processed by the first processing unit;

a triggering device disposed in a body of the vehicle and formed to output the triggering signal;

a receiver disposed to the body and formed to comprise a second receiving unit receiving the frame transmitted from the transceivers,

a second processing unit receiving the frame received by the second receiving unit and processing the received frame to read out the data indicative of the reception intensity from the frame and use the read-out data to detect the positions of the wheels by determining which transceiver is attached to which wheel, and

a calculating unit that calculates the inflation pressure of each tire based on the sensing signal stored in the frame,

wherein the plurality of wheels including two front wheels composed of a right-front wheel and a left-front wheel and two rear wheels composed of a right-rear wheel and a left-rear wheel;

the triggering device includes a first triggering device located closer to the two front wheels than the two rear wheels and located at a position where distances from the right-front wheel and the left-front wheel are different from each other, and a second triggering device located closer to the two rear wheels than the two front wheels and located at a position where distances from the right-rear wheel and the left-rear wheel are different from each other;

provided that, i) of the two rear wheels, when the transceiver attached to a specific wheel located closer to the first triggering device approaches most closely to the first triggering device, a distance between the first triggering device and the transceiver attached to the specific wheel located closer to the first triggering device is L1, and, ii) of the two front wheels, when the transceiver attached to a specific wheel which is the farthest from the first triggering device approaches to a position which is the farthest from the first triggering device, and a distance between the first triggering device and the transceiver attached to the specific wheel which is the farthest from the first triggering device is L2, a ratio of L1/L2 is 1.2 or more; and

provided that, iii) of the two front wheels, when the transceiver attached to a specific wheel located closer to the second triggering device approaches most closely to the second triggering device, a distance between the second triggering device and the transceiver attached to the specific wheel located closer to the second triggering device is L3, and, iv) of the two rear wheels, when the transceiver attached to a specific wheel which is the farthest from the second triggering device approaches to a position which is the farthest from the second triggering device, and a distance between the second triggering device and the transceiver attached to the specific wheel which is the farthest from the second triggering device is L4, a ratio of L3/L4 is 1.2 or more.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first triggering device is located anterior to the two front wheels and the second triggering device is located posterior to the two rear wheels.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first triggering device is located anterior to a tire housing of a one wheel of the two front wheels which is closer to the first triggering device than the other, and

the second triggering device is located posterior to a tire housing a one wheel of the two rear wheels which is closer to the second triggering device than the other.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a one wheel of the two rear wheels which is closer to the second triggering device than the other and a one wheel of the two front wheels which is closer to the first triggering device than the other are located diagonally to each other on the body of the vehicle.