Tire pressure monitoring device

• US 8,296,006 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2006
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Original Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): FIGUEROA, JAIME
• Application Number:
  US12/095,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20090171525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,156 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/29.1, 340/442, 340/444, 340/447, 340/870.03, 340/426.33, 340/904
• US Class Current: 701/29.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals
• 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

Abstract

In a tire pressure monitoring device, a receiving apparatus 1 detects a received signal level from sensor units 2 to judge, based on the signal level, tires, a front wheel or a rear wheel, provided with the sensor units 2. It estimates collision of data signals from the sensor units 2a, 2b of the front wheel and from the sensor units 2c 2d of the rear wheels. When it estimates that the data signals from the sensor units 2a, 2b of the front wheel and from the sensor units 2c 2d of the rear wheels collide with each other, it executes a process for acting an antenna shifting part 13 so as to produce a difference between the reception intensity levels.

Claims

1. A tire pressure monitoring device comprising:

sensor units provided on respective wheels of a motor vehicle; and

a receiving apparatus provided on a vehicle body of the motor vehicle and configured to receive data signals of tire pressures wirelessly sent at substantially the same output levels from the sensor units, wherein

the receiving apparatus includes;

at least two receiving antennas located apart from each other in a longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle;

an antenna shifting means for shifting the at least two receiving antennas;

a reception intensity level detecting means for detecting reception intensity levels of received data signals outputted from the sensor units;

a front-wheel/rear wheel judging means for judging, based on the reception intensity levels, whether the wheel, provided with the sensor unit from which the data signal is received, is a front wheel or a rear wheel;

a signal collision estimating means for estimating whether the data signal from the sensor unit of the front wheel and the data signal from the sensor unit of the rear wheel collide with each other; and

a shifting control means for actuating the antenna shifting means so that the reception intensity levels depart from each other when the data signal from the sensor unit of the front wheel and the data signal from the sensor unit of the rear wheel are estimated to collide with each other.

2. The tire pressure monitoring device according to claim 1,

wherein the at least two receiving antennas are located at positions where reception intensity levels from the sensor units provided with the tires are different from each other between the front wheels and the rear wheels, and

wherein the shifting control means shifts to the receiving antenna which receives at the positions where the reception intensity levels are different between the front wheels and the rear wheels when the data signals are estimated to collide with each other.

3. The tire pressure monitoring device according to claim 1,

wherein the sensor units of the right wheels and the left wheels send right-wheel information and left-wheel information, respectively, the right-wheel information and the left-wheel information being different from each other, and

wherein the receiving apparatus further includes a right-wheel/left-wheel judging means for judging the right wheel or the left wheel based on the right-wheel information and the left-wheel information.

4. The tire pressure monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the signal collision estimating means calculates a difference of each wheel between a previous receipt time and a current receipt time to calculate an estimated receipt time based on the difference.

5. The tire pressure monitoring device according to claim 4, wherein the shift control means sorts receipt time obtained from the signal collision estimating means in order of receipt of the receipt time to judge whether a difference between the estimated receipt time of the rear wheel and the estimated receipt time of the front wheel is within a predetermined time, the shift control means shifting the antenna to be used according to an earlier receipt of the date of the front wheels and the rear wheels if the difference is within the predetermined time.

6. The tire pressure monitoring device according to claim 2,

wherein the sensor units of the right wheels and the left wheels send right-wheel information and left-wheel information, respectively, the right-wheel information and the left-wheel information being different from each other, and

wherein the receiving apparatus further includes a right-wheel/left-wheel judging means for judging the right wheel or the left wheel based on the right-wheel information and the left-wheel information.

7. The tire pressure monitoring device according to claim 2, wherein the signal collision estimating means calculates a difference of each wheel between a previous receipt time and a current receipt time to calculate an estimated receipt time based on the difference.

8. The tire pressure monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein the signal collision estimating means calculates a difference of each wheel between a previous receipt time and a current receipt time to calculate an estimated receipt time based on the difference.