Method and device for locating tires mounted on a vehicle

• US 8,362,897 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• 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): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wang, Jack K
• Application Number:
  US12/526,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20100026483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,819 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/445, 340/447, 731/142.5
• US Class Current: 340/539.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/007 having multiple wheels arranged side by side
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/008 having wheels on more than two axles
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0444 Antenna structures, control or arrangements thereof, e.g. for directional antennas, diversity antenna, antenna multiplexing or antennas integrated in fenders

Abstract

A method and a device for locating tires mounted on a vehicle. High frequency signals are captured by way of a first transmit/receive device arranged on a vehicle, said high-frequency signals originating from a wheel electronic system arranged on the vehicle, said wheel electronic system interacting with tires of a first tire group that are mounted on the vehicle. A trigger signal having a frequency that is clearly lower than the frequency of the high frequency signal, is emitted by the first transmit/receive device. The first transmit/receive device is arranged on the vehicle in such a manner that the tires of the first tire group are mounted on the vehicle and the level of the first trigger signal is selected in such a manner that only one part of the wheel electronic system, which is associated with the tires of the first tire group, captures the first trigger signal and the high frequency signals which originate from the part of the wheel electronic system of the tires of the first wheel group that has captured the first trigger signal, contains information on the obtained first trigger signal.

Claims

1. A method for locating tires mounted on a vehicle, the method which comprises the following method steps:

receiving, with a first transmit/receive apparatus disposed on a vehicle, high-frequency signals originating from wheel electronic systems disposed on the vehicle, the wheel electronic systems interacting with tires of a first tire set mounted on the vehicle; and

transmitting a first trigger signal with the first transmit/receive apparatus, the first trigger signal having a frequency significantly lower than a frequency of the high-frequency signals;

wherein;

the first transmit/receive apparatus is disposed on the vehicle; and

the tires of the first tire set are mounted on the vehicle; and

a level of the first trigger signal is selected;

such that only one part of the wheel electronic systems that is associated with the tires of the first tire set receives the first trigger signal and the high-frequency signals, which originate from the part of the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the first tire set, which received the first trigger signal, contain information about the received first trigger signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the trigger signal is lower than 200 kHz and/or the frequency of the high-frequency signals is higher than 200 MHz.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the high-frequency signals contain information about the tires, from the wheel electronic system of which the relevant high-frequency signal originates.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a truck with a least two rear axles and the tires of the first tire set are mounted on the two rear axles either on a driver side or on a passenger side.

5. The method according to claim 1, which comprises:

receiving, with a second transmit/receive apparatus disposed on the vehicle, high-frequency signals originating from wheel electronic systems, the wheel electronic systems interacting with tires of a second tire set mounted on the vehicle; and

transmitting a second trigger signal with the second transmit/receive apparatus, the second trigger signal having a frequency which is significantly lower than the frequency of the high-frequency signals;

wherein;

the second transmit/receive apparatus is disposed on the vehicle; and

the tires of the second tire set are mounted on the vehicle; and

a level of the second trigger signal is selected;

such that only one part of the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the second tire set receives the second trigger signal and the high-frequency signals, which originate from the part of the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the second tire set, which received the second trigger signal, contain information about the received second trigger signal; and

wherein;

the first and second transmit/receive apparatuses are disposed on the vehicle; and

the tires of the first and second tire sets are mounted on the vehicle;

such that the first transmit/receive apparatus receives high-frequency signals originating from the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the first tire set at a significantly higher level than the high-frequency signals originating from the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the second tire set and/or the second transmit/receive apparatus receives high-frequency signals originating from the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the second tire set at a significantly higher level than the high-frequency signals originating from the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the first tire set.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle is a truck with at least two rear axles and the tires of the first tire set are mounted on the two rear axles on a driver side and the tires of the second tire set are mounted on the two rear axles on a passenger side.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle has a front axle and a rear axle, with tires mounted on the front axle forming the first tire set and tires mounted on the rear axle forming the second tire set, the first transmit/receive apparatus being disposed in proximity to a first wheel housing of the vehicle, which is associated with one of the tires of the first tire set, and the second transmit/receive apparatus being disposed in proximity to a second wheel housing of the vehicle, which is associated with one of the tires of the second tire set.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first and second wheel housings are located on the vehicle diagonally in relation to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

9. An apparatus for locating tires mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

first and second transmit/receive apparatuses disposed on the vehicle, said transmit/receive apparatuses being configured to receive high-frequency signals originating from wheel electronic systems disposed on the vehicle and to transmit trigger signals to the wheel electronic systems, a frequency of which is significantly lower than a frequency of the high-frequency signals, the wheel electronic systems interacting with tires mounted on the vehicle, a first part of the tires forming a first tire set and a second part of the tires, which is different from the first part, forming a second tire set;

wherein said first transmit/receive apparatus is associated with the first tire set and said second transmit/receive apparatus is associated with the second tire set;

the tires of the first and second tire sets being disposed on the vehicle in such a manner and said first and second transmit/receive apparatuses being disposed on the vehicle in such a manner that said first transmit/receive apparatus receives high-frequency signals originating from the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the first tire set at a significantly higher level than the high-frequency signals originating from the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the second tire set, said second transmit/receive apparatus receives high-frequency signals originating from the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the second tire set at a significantly higher level than the high-frequency signals originating from the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the first tire set;

a level of the trigger signal of said first transmit/receive apparatus being selected in such a manner that only one part of the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the first tire set receives the trigger signal, a level of the trigger signal of the second transmit/receive apparatus being selected in such a manner that only one part of the wheel electronic systems of the tires of the second tire set receives the trigger signal originating from said second transmit/receive apparatus, and wherein the high-frequency signals, which originate from the wheel electronic systems of the tires which received a trigger signal, containing information about the received trigger signal.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the frequency of the trigger signals is lower than 200 kHz and/or the frequency of the high-frequency signals is higher than 200 MHz.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the high-frequency signals contain information about the tire, from which the relevant high-frequency signal originates.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle is a truck with at least two rear axles and the tires of the first tire set are mounted on the two rear axles on a driver side and the tires of the second tire set are mounted on the two rear axles on a passenger side.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle has a front axle and a rear axle, with tires mounted on the front axle forming the first tire set and the tires mounted on the rear axle forming the second tire set, the first transmit/receive apparatus being disposed in proximity to a first wheel housing of the vehicle, which is associated with one of the tires of the first tire set, and the second transmit/receive apparatus being disposed in proximity to a second wheel housing of the vehicle, which is associated with one of the tires of the second tire set.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first and second wheel housings are located on the vehicle diagonally from one another in relation to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.