Method for operating a sensor on or in a vehicle tire, and a sensor system

• US 8,424,375 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Pannek, Thorsten, Keck, Marian
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, ANDRE J
• Application Number:
  US12/733,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20100294032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 73/146.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2240/03 Tire sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1725 Using tyre sensors, e.g. Sidewall Torsion sensors [SWT] for tyre pressure and temperature detection B60C23/00

Abstract

A method for operating a sensor on or in a vehicle tire, in particular an acceleration sensor and in particular for detecting a tire rotation period and/or a tire contact period is provided, the sensor being operated in a first time interval of a tire rotation using a first query rate and in a second time interval of the tire rotation using a second query rate.

Claims

1. A method for operating a sensor on or in a vehicle tire, comprising detecting at least one of a tire rotation period and a tire contact period using an acceleration sensor, wherein the sensor is operated with a first query rate in a first time interval of a tire rotation, and with a second query rate in a second time interval of the tire rotation.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the time period of the first and second time interval is set as a function of at least one of a tire rotation period and a tire contact period.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first time interval is greater than the second time interval, and the second query rate is greater than the first query rate.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the first time interval is greater than the second time interval, and the second query rate is greater than the first query rate.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the first query rate is zero.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor is periodically operated with a cycle period that is made up of the first and second time interval.

7. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the sensor is periodically operated with a cycle period that is made up of the first and second time interval.

8. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the sensor is periodically operated with a cycle period that is made up of the first and second time interval.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first time interval is smaller than the tire rotation period less the tire contact period, and the second time interval is greater than the tire contact period, and wherein the sensor is operated with a cycle period essentially corresponding to the tire rotation period.

10. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein before the periodic operation having the cycle period, the sensor is operated for the duration of a third time interval using a third query rate.

11. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein before the periodic operation having the cycle period, the sensor is operated for the duration of a third time interval using a third query rate.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein before the periodic operation having the cycle period, the sensor is operated for the duration of a third time interval using a third query rate.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the third query rate is greater than the first query rate and less than the second query rate.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the third query rate is greater than the first query rate and less than the second query rate.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the third time interval encompasses at least one tire rotation period or at least one tire contact period.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the third time interval is used for determination of at least one of the tire rotation period and the tire contact period.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the time intervals having different query rates are specified by at least one of an additional sensor and an energy converter.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a modification of an action of force on the sensor or the time period between at least two modifications to the action of force are measured using the sensor, and corresponding time values are stored.

19. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of a load measurement of a vehicle, a profile depth determination of the vehicle tire, and a condition determination of a road surface is implemented.

20. A sensor array for implementing the method as recited in claim 1, comprising:

a sensor, a counter, and a storage unit, at least the sensor being disposed in or on the vehicle tire, in a region having a radius greater than zero relative to the vehicle tire axis.