Wheel electronics and tire control system for measuring a measurand

• US 7,928,838 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2008
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Atmel Automotive GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Abt, Christof
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAU, HOI CHING
• Application Number:
  US12/119,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20080278305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 340/442, 340/447, 340/505, 340/539.1, 340/10.1, 340/825.68, 340/10.3, 340/10.4, 340/10.41, 731/465, 342/42, 342/51, 342/44, 455/73, 455/106
• 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 23/0433 Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0464 to avoid signal interference
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0466 with signals sent by transmitters mounted on adjacent vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/1252 Suppression or limitation of noise or interference specially adapted for transmission systems H04B15/00, H04L25/08

Abstract

Wheel Electronics and Tire Control System for Measuring a Measurand is provided. The wheel electronics may include a receiving device for picking up and digitizing an amplitude-modulated request signal, which has a carrier frequency for encoding a request, having a first evaluation device, which checks the request signal for the presence of a request contained therein, and having a digital counter for generating an envelope of the request signal, which has a counter input for coupling the request signal, which is clocked at a clock signal frequency different from the carrier frequency and is determined from the clock signal frequency and the request signal of its envelope. Furthermore, the invention relates to a tire control system for measuring a measurand with this type of wheel electronics.

Claims

1. A wheel electronic for a tire control system of a vehicle for measuring a measurand, the wheel electronic comprising:

a transmitting/receiving device for receiving at least an amplitude-modulated request signal; and

an evaluation device for decoding the request signal and for generating an envelope signal from the decoded request signal, the evaluation device comprising;

a counter that has an input for receiving the request signal;

a shift register for receiving an output from the counter, the shift register having a plurality of register stages; and

a logic circuit for receiving an input from at least one register stage of the shift register and for providing an output representing a decoded value of the request signal provided to the transmitting/receiving device.

2. The wheel electronic according to claim 1, wherein the counter is a Gray counter.

3. The wheel electronic according to claim 1, wherein the counter is a 3-bit counter.

4. The wheel electronic according to claim 1, wherein each register stage of the shift register has a plurality of flip flops, and wherein each output of the counter is connected with an input of each of the flip flops.

5. The wheel electronic according to claim 1, wherein the shift register is a multistage shift register and has a plurality of shift register stages arranged in series to one another.

6. The wheel electronic according to claim 1, wherein the shift register has five register stages, each of the register stages having an output to thereby provide a value to the logic circuit.

7. The wheel electronic according to claim 1, wherein a clock signal of the shift register has a different frequency than a carrier frequency of the request signal.

8. The wheel electronic according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the register stages of the shift register is connected to the logic circuit and wherein the logic circuit at an output terminal outputs a first logic level, when substantially all shift register stages have the same output value, and which outputs a second logic level, when the output values of the shift register steps are different.

9. The wheel electronic according to claim 7, wherein an output of the logic circuit has the same clock frequency as the clock signal of the shift register.

10. The wheel electronic according to claim 1, wherein a flip-flop or a D flip-flop, is provided, whose data input is connected to an output terminal of the logic circuit.

11. The wheel electronic according to claim 1, further comprising a power supply for providing the wheel electronic with power.

12. The wheel electronic according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure value of a vehicle wheel.

13. The wheel electronic according to claim 1, wherein the output representing a decoded value of the request signal is used to switch a pressure sensor from an off state to an on state.