RFID enabled tire control system and method

• US 8,115,610 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Inventors: Lionetti, Robert Edward, Raabe, Christian, Duffy, Anthony Olave Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): CROSLAND, DONNIE L
• Application Number:
  US12/341,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20100156641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.33
• US Class Current: 340/426.33
• 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 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A tire control system for a vehicle is provided includes an RFID tag mounted to the tire and having a unique tire serial number stored within tag memory accessible to an external reader; a pass-through portal operatively entered and exited by the vehicle; one or more tire-directed antenna positioned within the portal for operatively receiving one or more one data transmissions of the unique tire serial number from the tire-based RFID tag; and one or more tire-directed RFID reader coupled to the tire-directed antennas for operably reading and storing within a tire-based database the unique tire serial number data. A vehicle-based RFID tag is mounted to the vehicle having a unique vehicle serial number stored within tag memory and transmitted to an external reader as the vehicle moves through the portal. A data processing computer is coupled to receive the portal-read unique tire serial number and vehicle serial number and conducts of the portal-read unique tire serial number data and the unique vehicle serial number data against prestored reference tire serial number data and prestored reference vehicle serial number data, respectively.

Claims

1. A tire control system for a vehicle having at least one wheel unit, the wheel unit including a wheel rim and tire mounted to the wheel rim, the control system comprising:

at least one tire-based RFID tag mounted to the tire and having a unique tire serial number stored within tag memory accessible to an external reader;

at least one vehicle-based RFID tag mounted to the vehicle and having a unique vehicle serial number stored within vehicle tag memory accessible to an external reader;

a pass-through portal operatively entered and exited by the vehicle;

at least one tire-directed antenna positioned within the portal for operatively receiving at least one data transmission of the unique tire serial number from the tire-based RFID tag;

at least one vehicle-directed antenna positioned within the portal for operatively receiving at least one data transmission of the unique vehicle serial number from the vehicle-based RFID tag;

at least one tire-directed RFID reader coupled respectively to the tire-directed antenna and the vehicle-directed antenna for operably reading the unique tire serial number data and the unique vehicle serial number data;

data processing means coupled to the RFID reader and having within a database a reference vehicle serial number and at least one reference tire serial number assigned to for use by a vehicle assigned the reference vehicle serial number the data processing means operably verifying a correlation identification between the unique vehicle serial number read and the stored reference vehicle serial number, comparing the unique tire serial number read with the reference tire serial number assigned to the reference vehicle serial number, and reporting anomaly discrepancies resulting from the comparison.

2. The tire control system of claim 1, wherein the one tire-directed antenna and the one vehicle-directed antenna operatively respectively receive data transmission of the unique tire serial number and the unique vehicle serial number from the tire-based RFID tag and the vehicle-based RFID tag as the vehicle is moving through the portal.

3. The tire control system of claim 2, wherein further comprising wireless transmission means for transmitting the unique tire serial number and vehicle serial number from the tire-directed reader and the vehicle-directed reader to the data processing means.

4. The tire control system of claim 3, further comprising communication means for operable external visible communication of a result of the comparisons in real time.

5. The tire control system of claim 2, wherein the tire-directed antenna and the vehicle-directed antenna are the same.

6. The tire control system of claim 5, wherein the tire-directed reader and the vehicle directed reader are the same.

7. The tire control system of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of tire-directed antennas within the portal for operatively receiving a plurality of data transmissions of the unique tire serial number from the tire-based RFID tag as the vehicle moves through the portal.

8. The tire control system of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of vehicle-directed antennas within the portal for operatively receiving a plurality of data transmissions of the unique vehicle serial number from the vehicle-based RFID tag as the vehicle moves through the portal.

9. The tire control system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of tire-directed antennas and tire-directed readers within the portal positioned for operatively receiving a plurality of data transmissions of the unique tire serial number from the tire-based RFID tag as the vehicle moves through the portal.

10. The tire control system of claim 9, further comprising a wireless transmitter connecting the plurality of tire-directed readers to a data collection network.

11. The tire control system of claim 1, further comprising a gate mechanism for sensing movement of the vehicle within the portal, the gate mechanism being coupled to the tire-directed reader for operatively initiating at least one new data collection sequence within the portal.

12. The tire control system of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of tire-directed antennas and tire-directed readers within the portal positioned for operatively receiving a plurality of data transmissions of the unique tire serial number from the tire-based RFID tag as the vehicle moves through the portal.

13. The tire control system of claim 1, wherein the unique tire serial number is EPC based.

14. A method of tire control for a vehicle having at least one wheel unit, the wheel unit including a wheel rim and a tire mounted to the wheel rim, comprising:

positioning the vehicle within a pass-through portal configured for vehicle entry and exit, the tire having at least one tire-based RFID tag mounted to the tire, the tire-based RFID tag having a unique tire serial number stored within tag memory accessible to an external reader;

transmitting in a read sequence to a tire-directed reader by at least one data transmission of the unique tire serial number from the tire-based RFID tag;

transmitting during the read sequence to a vehicle-directed reader by at least one data transmission a unique vehicle serial number from a vehicle-based RFID tag having the unique vehicle serial number stored therein;

receiving by data processing means from the vehicle-directed reader and the tire-directed reader the unique vehicle serial number and the at least one unique tire serial number, the data processing means having within a data base a stored reference vehicle serial number and at least one reference tire serial number assigned for use by a vehicle identified by the reference vehicle serial number;

identifying the unique vehicle serial number read as a stored reference vehicle serial number;

comparing the unique tire serial number read with the reference tire serial number assigned to the stored reference vehicle serial number; and

reporting detected discrepancies resulting from the comparison.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting during the read sequence the unique vehicle serial number and the unique tire serial number as the vehicle is moving through the portal.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

conducting the comparing between the unique tire serial number with the reference tire serial number as the vehicle is moving through the portal.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising conducting the reporting of detected discrepancies as the vehicle passes through the portal.