Method and apparatus for determining a condition and relative location of an inner tire and an outer tire of a tire pair

• US 8,498,759 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2012
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive USLLC (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive USLLC (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Juzswik, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALHARBI, ADAM MOHAMED
• Application Number:
  US13/400,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20130218364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/007 having multiple wheels arranged side by side
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0488 Movement sensor, e.g. for sensing angular speed, acceleration or centripetal force
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0489 for detecting the actual angular position of the monitoring device while the wheel is turning

Abstract

An apparatus determines a condition and relative location of an inner tire and an outer tire of a tire pair. Each tire has an associated tire-based sensor assembly that senses a tire condition, senses acceleration, and transmits, in response to its associated acceleration signal, having a unique tire identification and associated sensed tire condition. A tire rotation sensor senses rotation of the tire pair during vehicle movement and provides a tire rotation signal indicative thereof. A vehicle-based controller associates each of the unique identification signals with one of the inner tire location and the outer tire location responsive to a phase relationship between the received transmitted signals from the tire-based sensor assemblies and the tire rotation signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining a condition and relative location of an inner tire and an outer tire of a tire pair mounted on one side of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

tire-based sensor assemblies, the inner tire and the outer tire each having an associated tire-based sensor assembly, each tire-based sensor assembly including (i) an associated tire condition sensor for sensing a tire condition and providing a tire condition signal indicative thereof and (ii) an associated acceleration sensor for sensing acceleration and providing an acceleration signal as its associated tire rotates, the associated acceleration sensor of the inner tire and the associated acceleration sensor of the outer tire of the tire pair each having an axis of sensitivity in a predetermined orientation relative to each other, each tire-based sensor assembly further including a tire-based transmitter coupled to its associated tire condition sensor and associated acceleration sensor for transmitting, in response to its associated acceleration signal, a unique tire identification signal and its associated sensed tire condition signal;

tire rotation sensor mounted externally of the tire pair for sensing rotation of said tire pair during vehicle movement and providing a tire rotation signal indicative thereof; and

a vehicle-based controller for receiving the transmitted signals from each tire-based transmitter of the tire pair and the tire rotation signal, said vehicle-based controller including means for associating each of the unique identification signals with one of the inner tire location and the outer tire location responsive to a phase relationship between the received transmitted signals from the tire-based sensor assemblies and the tire rotation signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for associating is responsive to a lead/lag relationship between said received transmitted signals relative to the tire rotation signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the associated acceleration sensor of the inner tire and the associated acceleration sensor of the outer tire are substantially circumferentially aligned.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the axis of sensitivity of the associated acceleration sensor of the inner tire and the axis of sensitivity of the associated acceleration sensor of the outer tire are offset from one another by a predetermined amount.

5. An apparatus for determining a condition and relative location of an inner tire and an outer tire of a tire pair mounted on one side of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

tire-based sensor assemblies, the inner tire and the outer tire each having an associated tire-based sensor assembly, each tire-based sensor assembly including (i) an associated tire condition sensor for sensing a tire condition and providing a tire condition signal indicative thereof and (ii) an associated acceleration sensor for sensing acceleration and providing an acceleration signal as its associated tire rotates, the associated acceleration sensor of the inner tire and the associated acceleration sensor of the outer tire of the tire pair each having an axis of sensitivity in a predetermined orientation relative to each other, each tire-based sensor assembly further including a tire-based transmitter coupled to its associated tire condition sensor and associated acceleration sensor for transmitting, in response to its associated acceleration signal, a unique tire identification signal and its associated sensed tire condition signal;

tire rotation sensor mounted externally of the tire pair for sensing rotation of said tire pair during vehicle movement and providing a tire rotation signal indicative thereof; and

a vehicle-based controller for receiving the transmitted signals from each tire-based transmitter of the tire pair and the tire rotation signal, said vehicle-based controller including means for associating each of the unique identification signals with one of the inner tire location and the outer tire location responsive to a phase relationship between the received transmitted signals from the tire-based sensor assemblies and the tire rotation signal;

wherein the axis of sensitivity of the associated acceleration sensor of the inner tire and the axis of sensitivity of the associated acceleration sensor of the outer tire are offset from one another by a predetermined amount, and are positioned so that, as the tire pair rotates, the two acceleration signals are approximately 130 degrees out of phase relative to each other as referenced from the tire rotation signal.

6. A method for determining a condition and relative location of an inner tire and an outer tire of a tire pair mounted on one side of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

sensing a tire condition of the inner tire and providing a tire condition signal indicative thereof;

sensing acceleration of the inner tire and providing an inner tire acceleration signal as the inner tire rotates;

transmitting from said inner tire a unique tire identification and associated tire condition indication in response to the inner tire acceleration signal;

sensing a tire condition of the outer tire and providing a tire condition signal indicative thereof;

sensing acceleration of the outer tire and providing an outer tire acceleration signal as the outer tire rotates;

transmitting from said outer tire a unique tire identification and associated tire condition indication in response to the outer tire acceleration signal;

sensing externally of the tire pair rotation of said tire pair during vehicle movement and providing a tire rotation signal indicative thereof;

receiving the transmitted signals from the inner tire, the outer tire, and the tire rotation signal; and

associating each of the unique identification signals with one of the inner tire location and the outer tire location responsive to a phase relationship between the transmissions from the inner tire and the outer tire relative to the tire rotation signal.