Tire pressure classification based tire pressure monitoring

• US 8,494,704 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2007
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nira Dynamics AB (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Nira Dynamics AB (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Hall, Peter, Gustavsson, Tony
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US12/531,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20100204869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,321 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/37, 702/50, 705/1, 705/80, 731/46, 340/442, 340/443, 340/444, 301/5.21, 235/375, 524/494
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/02 Signalling devices actuated by tyre pressure hand-held tyre pressure gauges G01L17/00
• 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 23/061 by monitoring wheel speed measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/062 Frequency spectrum analysis of wheel speed signals, e.g. using Fourier transformation

Abstract

In indirect tire pressure monitoring of tires of a vehicle, the following steps and means to carry out the same, respectively, are contemplated:—providing a tire classification database indicating at least one classified tire type;—determining a vehicle tire type for the vehicle on the basis of vehicle data in including information on at least one tire currently used with the vehicle,—determining whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type; and—, in the case an association is determined, monitoring tire pressure according to the associated classified tire type.

Claims

1. A system for indirect tire pressure monitoring of tires of a vehicle, comprising:

a tire classification database indicating at least one classified tire type being classified with respect to wheel speed spectrum data and/or tire force spectrum data;

a vehicle tire type determination unit being adapted to determine a vehicle tire type for the vehicle on the basis of vehicle data in including information on at least one tire currently used with the vehicle, wherein the vehicle tire type determination unit is adapted to perform wheel speed spectrum and/or tire force spectrum analysis to obtain a wheel speed spectrum data and/or tire force spectrum data for the at least one tire;

an association determination unit being adapted to determine whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type, wherein the association determination unit is adapted to determine whether the tire classification database includes data indicating a tire type having wheel speed spectrum data and/or tire force spectrum data being at least comparable with the wheel speed spectrum data and/or tire force spectrum data; and

a tire pressure monitoring unit being adapted to, in the case an association is determined, monitor tire pressure according to the associated classified tire type, wherein, in the case the association determination unit fails to associate the vehicle tire type to one of the at least one classified tire type, the tire pressure monitoring unit is adapted to perform tire pressure monitoring on the basis of at least one of a default parameter setting and a default operation mode.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the tire classification database indicates, in association to each of the at least one classified tire type, at least one of at least one parameter setting for tire pressure monitoring and at least one operation mode for tire pressure monitoring;

and

further comprising a retrieving unit being adapted to retrieve at least one of the at least one parameter setting and at least one operation mode from the tire classification database, wherein the tire pressure monitoring unit is adapted to perform tire pressure monitoring according to the retrieved at least one parameter setting and operation mode; and

/or

wherein the vehicle tire type determination unit is adapted to determine an overall vehicle tire type for the vehicle, wherein the tire pressure monitoring unit is preferably adapted to perform tire pressure monitoring for at least two different tires of the vehicle according to the associated classified tire type; and

/or

wherein the vehicle tire type determination unit is adapted to determine an individual vehicle tire type for at least two different tires of the vehicle, wherein the association determination unit is preferably adapted to determine whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type with respect to each of the at least two different tires, and/or

wherein the tire pressure monitoring unit is adapted to perform tire pressure monitoring for each of the at least two different tires according to the respectively associated classified tire type; and

/or

wherein

the vehicle tire type determination unit is adapted to determine at least one characteristic of a tire of the vehicle; and

the association determination unit is adapted to determine whether one of the at least one classified tire type has at least one characteristic being at least comparable with the determined at least one vehicle tire characteristic; and

/or

further including means being adapted to carry out a method of indirect tire pressure monitoring of tires of a vehicle, comprising;

providing a tire classification database indicating at least one classified tire type;

determining a vehicle tire type for the vehicle on the basis of vehicle data in including information on at least one tire currently used with the vehicle;

determining whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type; and

in the case an association is determined, monitoring tire pressure according to the associated classified tire type, wherein, determining whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type fails, tire pressure monitoring is performed on the basis of at least one of a default parameter setting and a default operation mode.

3. The system of claim 1,

wherein the association determination unit is adapted to determine wheel speed resonance center of gravity data for the at least one tire, wherein the vehicle tire type determination unit is preferably adapted to determine whether the tire classification database includes data indicating a tire type having a tire force resonance center of gravity data being at least comparable with the wheel speed resonance center of gravity data;

and/or

wherein the association determination unit is adapted to determining wheel speed resonance width data for the at least one tire, wherein the vehicle tire type determination unit is preferably adapted to determine whether the tire classification database includes data indicating a tire type having a tire force resonance width data being at least comparable with the wheel speed resonance width data.

4. The system of claim 3, further including a database generation unit being adapted to classification database on the basis of testing at least one to be classified tire in a test environment.

5. The system of claim 4,

wherein the database generation unit being adapted to determine, for the at least one to be classified tire, data indicating characteristic tire oscillations:

and/or

wherein the database generation unit being adapted to determine for at least one to be classified tire, data indicating tire oscillations in tangential tire directions; and

/or

wherein the database generation unit being adapted to determine for at least one to be classified tire, data indicating tire oscillations in radial tire direction; and

/or

wherein the database generation unit being adapted to determine for at least one to be classified tire, tire force spectrum data; and

/or

wherein the database generation unit being adapted to determine for at least one to be classified tire, tire force resonance center of gravity data; and

/or

wherein the database generation unit being adapted to determine for at least one to be classified tire, tire force resonance width data; and

/or

wherein

the vehicle tire type determination unit is adapted to determine tire force spectrum data based on the data indicating tire oscillations in tangential tire direction;

the vehicle tire type determination unit is adapted to determine tire force resonance center of gravity data based on the data indicating tire oscillations in tangential tire direction; and

the vehicle tire type determination unit is adapted to determine tire force resonance width data based on the data indicating tire oscillations in tangential tire direction and/or

wherein

the vehicle tire type determination unit is adapted to determine tire force spectrum data based on the data indicating tire oscillations in radial tire direction;

the vehicle tire type determination unit is adapted to determine tire force resonance center of gravity data based on the data indicating tire oscillations in radial tire direction; and

the vehicle tire type determination unit is adapted to determine tire force resonance width data based on the data indicating tire oscillations in radial tire direction; and

/or wherein the database generation unit is adapted to determine for the at least one to be classified tire, at least one of at least one parameter setting for indirect tire pressure monitoring and at least one operation mode for indirect tire pressure monitoring.

6. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable memory for indirect tire pressure monitoring for detecting tire pressure deviation in tires of a vehicle, the computer program product comprising program code for carrying out, when executed on a processing system

providing a tire classification database indicating at least one classified tire type being classified with respect to wheel speed spectrum data and/or tire force spectrum data;

determining a vehicle tire type for the vehicle on the basis of vehicle data in including information on at least one tire currently used with the vehicle, wherein determining the vehicle tire type includes wheel speed spectrum and/or tire force spectrum analysis to obtain a wheel speed spectrum data and/or tire force spectrum data for the at least one tire;

determining whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type, wherein determining whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type includes determining whether the tire classification database includes data indicating a tire type having wheel speed spectrum data and/or tire force spectrum data being at least comparable with the wheel speed spectrum data and/or tire force spectrum data; and

in the case an association is determined, monitoring tire pressure according to the associated classified tire type,

wherein, in the case the operation of determining whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type fails, tire pressure monitoring is performed on the basis of at least one of a default parameter setting and a default operation mode.

7. The computer product of claim 6, further comprising program code for carrying out, when executed on a processing system:

wherein the tire classification database indicates, in association to each of the at least one classified tire type, at least one of at least one parameter setting for tire pressure monitoring and

at least one operation mode for tire pressure monitoring; and

retrieving at least one of the at least one parameter setting and at least one operation mode from the tire classification database, wherein tire pressure monitoring is performed according to the retrieved at least one parameter setting and operation mode; and

/or

determining the vehicle tire type includes determining on overall vehicle tire type for the vehicle, wherein tire pressure monitoring is preferably performed for at least two different tires of the vehicle according to the associated classified tire type; and

/or

determining the vehicle tire type is performed to determine an individual vehicle tire type for at least two different tires of the vehicle; and

/or

determining whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type is performed with respect to each of the at least two different tires; and

/or

tire pressure monitoring is performed for each of the at least two different tires according to the respectively associated classified tire type; and

/or

determining the vehicle tire type includes determining at least one characteristic of a tire of the vehicle; and

determining whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type includes determining whether one of the at least one classified tire type has at least one characteristic being at least comparable with the determined at least one vehicle tire characteristic.

8. The computer product of claim 7,

wheel spectrum analysis includes determining wheel speed resonance center of gravity data for the at least one tire, wherein determining whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type preferably includes determining whether the tire classification database includes data indicating a tire type having a tire force resonance center of gravity data being at least comparable with the wheel speed resonance center of gravity data;

and/or

wheel spectrum analysis includes determining wheel speed resonance width data for the at least one tire, wherein determining whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type preferably includes determining whether the tire classification database includes data indicating a tire type having a tire force resonance width data being at least comparable with the wheel speed resonance width data.

9. The computer product of claim 6, further comprising program code for carrying out, when executed on a processing system:

generating the tire classification database on the basis of testing at least one to be classified tire in a test environment.

10. The computer product of claim 9, further comprising program code for carrying out, when executed on a processing system:

generating the tire classification database includes determining, for the at least one to be classified tire, data indicating characteristic tire oscillations; and

/or

generating the tire classification database includes determining, for the at least one to be classified tire, data indicating tire oscillations in tangential tire direction; and

/or

generating the tire classification database includes determining, for the at least one to be classified tire, data indicating tire oscillations in radial tire direction; and

/or

generating the tire classification database includes determining, for the at least one to be classified tire, tire force spectrum data; and

/or

generating the tire classification database includes determining, for the at least one to be classified tire, tire force resonance center of gravity data; and

/or,

generating the tire classification database includes determining, for the at least one to be classified tire, tire force resonance width data; and

or

determining tire force spectrum data based on the data indicating tire oscillations in tangential tire direction; and

/or

determining tire force resonance center of gravity data is based on the data indicating tire oscillations in tangential tire direction; and

/or

determining tire force resonance width data is based on the data indicating tire oscillations in tangential tire direction; and

/or

wherein

determining tire force spectrum data is based on the data indicating tire oscillations in radial tire direction; and

/or

determining tire force resonance center of gravity data is based on the data indicating tire oscillations in radial tire direction; and

/or

determining tire force resonance width data is based on the data indicating tire oscillations in radial tire direction; and

/or

generating the tire classification database includes determining, for the at least one to be classified tire, at least one of the least one parameter setting for indirect tire pressure monitoring and at least one operation mode for indirect tire pressure monitoring.

11. The computer product of claim 6, being stored on a computer-readable storage medium or in a computer-readable storage device.