Device and method for detecting tire position

• US 8,396,629 B1
• Filed: 01/16/2012
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Kang Joo, Hyun, Hae Seung, Song, Jong Hyeong, Kang, Soon Seock
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): INGRAM, THOMAS P
• Application Number:
  US13/350,959
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 701/41, 701/45, 701/47, 701/29.1, 731/46
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/02 Tyres

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a device for detecting a tire position. The device for detecting a tire position includes a plurality of transmitters provided on each of a plurality of vehicle wheels having a tire and detecting and transmitting a rotation direction and a rotation period of each vehicle wheel; and a receiver mounted on a vehicle body and identifying the left and right of the corresponding vehicle wheel according to the rotation direction of each vehicle wheel and identifying the front and rear of the corresponding vehicle wheel according to the rotation period of each vehicle wheel. By the above configuration, the present invention can identify the tire position without performing the ID information and the ID information update and thus, improve a freedom of change of the tire position and can digitize and process signals from a acceleration sensor to be strong against noise and reduce load.

Claims

1. A device for detecting a tire position, comprising:

a plurality of transmitters provided on each of a plurality of vehicle wheels having a tire and detecting and transmitting a rotation direction and a rotation period of each vehicle wheel; and

a receiver identifying the left and right position of the corresponding vehicle wheel according to the rotation direction of each vehicle wheel transmitted from the transmitter and identifying the front and rear position of the corresponding vehicle wheel according to the rotation period of each vehicle wheel,

wherein each transmitter includes;

a first acceleration detection unit converting a first acceleration signal of the corresponding vehicle wheel into a digital signal and outputting the converted digital signal as a square wave;

a second acceleration detection unit converting a second acceleration signal of the corresponding vehicle wheel while having a phase difference of 90°

from the first acceleration signal into a digital signal and outputting the converted digital signal as the square wave;

a quadrature decoder receiving the first and second acceleration signals output as the square wave from the first and second acceleration detection units to detect a phase difference between the two signals, thereby detecting the rotation direction of the corresponding vehicle wheel and counting the number of ticks output whenever the phases of the two signals are changed to detect RPM of the corresponding vehicle wheel;

a timer operated as a reference clock signal and receiving the first and second acceleration signals output as the square wave from the first and second acceleration detection units to count the number of clocks of the reference clock signals for each tick output whenever the phases of the two signals are changed, thereby measuring a period of each tick to detect the rotation period of the corresponding vehicle wheel; and

a transmitting control unit (MCU) generating the signal including the rotation direction of the corresponding vehicle wheel detected from the quadrature decoder and the rotation period of the corresponding vehicle wheel detected from the timer and transmitting the generated signal to the receiver.

2. The device for detecting a tire position as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first acceleration detection unit includes:

a first acceleration sensor outputting the first acceleration signal for detecting an acceleration change according to the rotation of the corresponding vehicle wheel while having a first phase;

a first small signal amplifier amplifying the first acceleration signal into a small signal;

a first band pass filter performing filtering so as to pass through a low frequency band of the first acceleration signal amplified into the small signal;

a first buffer amplifier amplifying the filtered first acceleration signal so as to be input to a buffer; and

a first Schmitt trigger converting the first acceleration signal amplified by the first buffer amplifier into the digital signal and outputting the converted digital signal as the square wave.

3. The device for detecting a tire position as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second acceleration detection unit includes:

a second acceleration sensor outputting the second acceleration signal for detecting an acceleration change according to the rotation of the corresponding vehicle wheel while having a phase difference of 90°

from the first phase;

a second small signal amplifier amplifying the second acceleration signal into a small signal;

a second band pass filter performing filtering so as to pass through a low frequency band of the second acceleration signal amplified into the small signal;

a second buffer amplifier amplifying the filtered second acceleration signal so as to be input to a buffer; and

a second Schmitt trigger converting the second acceleration signal amplified by the second buffer amplifier into the digital signal and outputting the converted digital signal as the square wave.

4. The device for detecting a tire position as set forth in claim 1, wherein the receiver includes:

a receiving unit receiving a signal including a rotation direction and a rotation period of the corresponding vehicle wheel transmitted from each of the plurality of transmitters; and

a receiving control unit (ECU) determining the left and right position of the vehicle by detecting the rotation direction of the corresponding vehicle wheel from a signal received through the receiving unit to identify the position of the corresponding vehicle wheel and determining the front and rear position of the corresponding vehicle wheel by detecting the rotation period of the corresponding vehicle wheel from the received signal to identify the position of the corresponding vehicle wheel.

5. The device for detecting a tire position as set forth in claim 4, wherein the receiver further includes a display unit displaying position of the corresponding vehicle wheel according to a control of the receiving control unit (ECU).

6. A method for detecting a tire position, comprising:

allowing a plurality of transmitters mounted on each of a plurality of vehicle wheels to detect a rotation direction and a rotation period of corresponding vehicle wheel from first and second acceleration signals of the corresponding vehicle wheel and transmit a signal including the detected rotation direction and the rotation period to a receiver;

allowing the receiver to detect the rotation direction of the corresponding vehicle wheel from the received signal to determine the left and right position of the corresponding vehicle wheel and identify the position of the corresponding vehicle wheel; and

allowing the receiver to detect the rotation period of the corresponding vehicle wheel from the received signal to determine the front and rear position of the corresponding vehicle wheel, thereby identifying the position of the corresponding vehicle wheel,

wherein the step of allowing a plurality includes;

allowing each transmitter to convert the first and second acceleration signals into digital signals through first and second acceleration detection units of the corresponding vehicle wheel and output the converted digital signals as a square wave;

allowing a quadrature decoder to receive the first and second acceleration signals output as the square wave to detect a phase difference between the two signals, thereby detecting the rotation direction of the corresponding vehicle wheel and count the number of ticks output whenever phases of the two signals are changed to detect RPM of the corresponding vehicle wheel;

allowing a timer operated as reference clock signals to receive the first and second acceleration signals output as the square wave to count the number of clocks of the reference clock signals for each tick, thereby detecting the rotation period of the corresponding vehicle wheel; and

allowing a transmitting control unit (MCU) to generate a signal including the rotation direction detected from the quadrature decoder and the rotation period detected from the timer and transmit the generated signal to the receiver.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the step of allowing each transmitter includes:

outputting a first acceleration signal for detecting an acceleration change according to the rotation of the corresponding vehicle wheel while having a first phase;

amplifying the first acceleration signal into a small signal;

performing filtering so as to pass through a low frequency band of the first acceleration signal amplified into the small signal;

amplifying the filtered first acceleration signal so as to be input to a buffer; and

converting the first acceleration signal amplified so as to be input to the buffer into the digital signal and outputting the converted digital signal as the square wave.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the step of allowing each transmitter includes:

outputting a second acceleration signal for detecting an acceleration change according to the rotation of the corresponding vehicle wheel while having a phase difference of 90°

from the first phase;

amplifying the second acceleration signal into a small signal;

performing filtering so as to pass through a low frequency band of the second acceleration signal amplified into the small signal;

amplifying the filtered second acceleration signal so as to be input to a buffer; and

converting the second acceleration signal amplified so as to be input to the buffer into the digital signal and outputting the converted digital signal as the square wave.