Wheel electronics system and method for operating a wheel electronics system

• US 8,212,663 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2008
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Fink, Alexander, Fischer, Frank, Kuchler, Gregor
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US12/524,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20100060444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.61, 340/442, 340/444, 340/445, 340/447, 731/465
• US Class Current: 340/447
• 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

Abstract

A wheel electronic system and a method for operating a wheel electronic system. The wheel electronic system interacts with a tire secured to a vehicle and produces and emits, based on a captured trigger signal, a message containing information on at least one tire parameter measured with the wheel electronic system. The wheel electronic system is operated in an operational mode in which the system is configured to periodically capture the trigger signals in a first time period. Based on a predetermined first operational ratio of the vehicle, the wheel electronic system automatically switches to a test mode, in which the wheel electronic system is configured to periodically capture the trigger signals in a second time period which is substantially shorter than the first time period.

Claims

1. A method for operating a wheel electronics system configured to interact with a tire attached to a vehicle and, as a result of a trigger signal received thereby, to generate and wirelessly transmit a message, the message comprising information about at least one tire parameter that is measured by the wheel electronics system, the method which comprises the following method steps:

operating the wheel electronics system in an operational mode in which the wheel electronics system is configured to receive the trigger signals periodically using a first time period;

in response to a predetermined first operating characteristic of the vehicle, automatically switching the wheel electronics system to a test mode in which the wheel electronics system is configured to receive the trigger signals periodically using a second time period that is significantly shorter than the first time period; and

operating the wheel electronics system in the test mode;

wherein the predetermined first operating characteristic of the vehicle is a stoppage of the vehicle for a predefined first duration.

2. The method according to claim 1, which comprises measuring an acceleration of the tire with an acceleration sensor of the wheel electronics system and automatically switching the wheel electronics system from the operational mode to the test mode if the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor during a first predetermined duration is less than a predetermined minimum acceleration.

3. The method according to claim 1, which comprises automatically switching the wheel electronics system from the test mode to the operational mode in response to a second operating characteristic of the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 1, which comprises automatically switching the wheel electronics system from the test mode to the operational mode if, following a switchover from the operational mode to the test mode, at least one condition is met which is selected from the group consisting of:

a predefined second duration has elapsed; and

an acceleration sensor of the wheel electronics system measures a minimum acceleration of the tire over a predefined third duration.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tire is mounted on a truck.

6. The method according to claim 5, which comprises:

driving the truck to a tire monitoring station;

stopping the truck;

transmitting trigger signals by way of transmitters of the tire monitoring station;

receiving the message containing information about measured parameters; and

analyzing the received message using a diagnostic device of the tire monitoring station.

7. The method according to claim 1, which comprises switching the wheel electronics system from the test mode to the operational mode as a result of a signal received by the wheel electronics system.

8. A wheel electronics system assembly, comprising:

a sensor for measuring at least one parameter of a tire, said sensor being mounted on a vehicle and interacting with a wheel electronics system during operation of the vehicle;

a receiver for receiving an external trigger signal;

a processing device configured to generate a message comprising information about the measured parameter of the tire when the receiver receives the trigger signal; and

a transmitter for transmitting the message with information about the measured parameter of the tire;

wherein the wheel electronics system is configured to receive the trigger signals periodically using a first time period in an operational mode and to receive the trigger signals using a second time period that is significantly shorter than the first time period in a test mode; and

wherein the wheel electronics system is configured to switch automatically from the operational mode to the test mode as a result of a predetermined first operating characteristic of the vehicle;

wherein the predetermined first operating characteristic of the vehicle is a stoppage of the vehicle for a predefined first duration.

9. The wheel electronics system assembly according to claim 8, which comprises an acceleration sensor for measuring an acceleration of the tire, and wherein the wheel electronics system is configured to switch from the operational mode to the test mode automatically if the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor is less than a predetermined minimum acceleration during a first predetermined duration.

10. The wheel electronics system assembly according to claim 8, wherein said wheel electronics system is configured to automatically switch from the test mode to the operational mode as a result of a second operating characteristic of the vehicle.

11. The wheel electronics system assembly according to claim 8, wherein said wheel electronics system is configured to switch automatically from the test mode to the operational mode if, following a switchover from the operational mode to the test mode, at least one condition is met which is selected from the group consisting of:

a predefined second duration has elapsed; and

an acceleration sensor of said wheel electronics system measures a minimum acceleration of the tire over a predefined third duration.

12. The wheel electronics system assembly according to claim 8, wherein said wheel electronics system is configured to switch from the test mode to the operational mode as a result of a signal received by said wheel electronics system.