Tire filling assistant

• US 8,909,420 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Kuchler, Gregor, Fischer, Frank, Spotka, Juergen
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US13/516,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20120259511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/29.1, 701/29.2, 701/29.4, 701/31.9, 701/34.4, 340/442, 340/438, 340/691.6, 731/46, 731/462, 731/463
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0401 characterised by the type of alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0406 Alarms noticeable from outside the vehicle, e.g. indication in side mirror, front light or audible alarms B60C23/0403, B60C23/0405 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver

Abstract

A system for monitoring a fill level of a plurality of tires of a vehicle includes a situation detecting unit set up for detecting a situation in which adaptation of a fill level of at least one of the tires of the vehicle is expected. The system further includes a fill level adaptation assistant set up for autonomously assisting a user of the vehicle during the adaptation of the fill level of the at least one tire when the situation is detected.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring a filling level of a plurality of tires of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a situation detection unit configured to detect a situation in which an adaptation of the filling level of at least one of the tires of the vehicle is to be expected; and

a filling level adaptation assistant configured to receive from said situation detection unit a signal indicating that a presence of the situation is detected and configured to automatically assist a user of the vehicle during adaptation of the filling level of the at least one tire when the presence of the situation is detected;

said filling level adaptation assistant being configured to increase a repetition interval for detecting a tire pressure of at least one of the tires when the presence of the situation is detected.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said situation detection unit and said filling level adaptation assistant are components of vehicle electronics.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said situation detection unit is configured to detect a situation as a situation in which adaptation of a filling level of at least one of the tires of the vehicle can be expected if at least one of the following criteria is met:

detection of an unlocking of a tank flap;

detection of a switching-off of the vehicle after the user of the vehicle has previously been informed that the filling level of at least one of the tires should be adapted;

detection of a switching-off of the vehicle at a filling station; and

detection of a switching-off of the vehicle after a fuel level in a tank of the vehicle has fallen below a preset threshold value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said situation detection unit is configured to activate said filling level adaptation assistant when the situation is detected.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said filling level adaptation assistant is configured to indicate to the user whether filling or emptying should be continued for a particular tire when the presence of the situation is detected.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, which comprises a man-machine interface configured to indicate an item of assistance information from said filling level adaptation assistant to the user.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said man-machine interface is configured to convey the information to the user optically and/or acoustically.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said filling level adaptation assistant is configured to drive a vehicle resource in order to indicate an item of assistance information from the filling level adaptation assistant to the user.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the vehicle resource to be driven by said filling level adaptation assistant includes at least one device selected from the group consisting of a passenger compartment illumination unit and a sound system.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, which comprises a filling sequence prediction unit configured to predict a probable filling sequence and to transmit the sequence to the filling level adaptation assistant as a basis for assistance.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said filling sequence prediction unit is configured to predict the probable filling sequence on the basis of at least one of the following assumptions of a behavior of the user:

start of the filling sequence at a tire spatially closest to a driver'"'"'s door of the vehicle;

start of the filling sequence at a tire for which the user was previously informed that the filling level of the respective tire should be adapted;

progress of the filling sequence in the clockwise direction around the vehicle; and

filling sequence in accordance with one or more filling sequences carried out by the user in the past.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, which comprises a filling level detection unit having a plurality of sensors mounted to the tires of the vehicle and configured to determine a tire pressure for each of the tires.

13. A vehicle, comprising an apparatus for monitoring a filling level of a plurality of tires of the vehicle according to claim 1.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said filling level adaptation assistant is configured to be activated by the signal from said situation detection unit and in response to the activation to automatically assist a user of the vehicle during adaptation of the filling level of the at least one tire when the presence of the situation is detected.

15. A method for monitoring a filling level of a plurality of tires of a vehicle, the method which comprises:

with a situation detection unit, detecting a situation in which adaptation of the filling level of at least one of the tires of the vehicle can be expected;

with the situation detection unit, automatically assisting a user of the vehicle during adaptation of the filling level of the at least one tire when the presence of the situation is detected; and

with a filling level adaptation assistant, increasing a repetition interval for detecting a tire pressure of at least one of the tires when the presence of the situation is detected.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon in non-transitory form a program for monitoring a filling level of a plurality of tires of a vehicle, wherein the program is configured to carry out or control the method according to claim 15.

17. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises:

activating the filling level adaptation assistant by a signal from the situation detection unit and in response to the activation, automatically assisting a user of the vehicle during adaptation of the filling level of the at least one tire when the presence of the situation is detected.