System, method and computer program of estimating tire pressure deviations

• US 9,079,462 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2007
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nira Dynamics AB (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Nira Dynamics AB (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Lindskog, Peter, Stenman, Anders, Gustafsson, Tony, Hall, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US12/531,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20100164704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,042 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

The invention provides a system, a method and a computer program of estimating tire pressure deviations in a number of tires of a vehicle wherein a plurality of possible constellations of one or more pressure deviating tires exists. The system comprises a plurality of pressure deviation detectors (11), wherein each of the detectors (11) is adapted to detect at least one of the pressure deviating tire constellations. The system further comprises an output unit (12) which is adapted to provide for a warning if one of the pressure deviation detectors (11) detects at least one of the pressure deviating tire constellations.

Claims

1. A system for detecting tire pressure deviations in a number of tires of a vehicle wherein a plurality of possible tire constellations of one or more pressure deviating tires exists, the system comprising:

a plurality of separate pressure deviation detectors, wherein at least one pressure deviation detector is provided for and assigned to each of the possible tire constellations existing on the vehicle, wherein a unit for roll radius based tire pressure monitoring and a wheel spectrum analysis module are arranged to provide data to the plurality of pressure deviation detectors, wherein the provided data from the wheel spectrum analysis module is based on the wheel spectrum analysis module first calculating a parametric model of a wheel velocity spectrum and using parameters of the parametric model to calculate a spectral shape factor that condenses different pressure dependent features of the wheel velocity spectrum into one single scalar quantity such that the wheel spectrum analysis module detects deviations in the tire pressure for each tire individually, and wherein each pressure deviation detector is optimised to detect a particular one of the possible tire constellations to which it is assigned and to detect deviations in the tire pressure of its respective tire constellation based on the provided data; and

an output unit configured to provide a warning if one of the plurality of pressure deviation detectors detects its respective tire constellation deviating from a predetermined tire pressure.

2. The system according to claim 1, including a unit for determining a warning level in dependence on the pressure deviations detected by the system, wherein, if one of the plurality of pressure deviation detectors detects its assigned tire constellation deviating in pressure, the output unit additionally provides information specifying the warning level.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the unit for determining the warning level provides a low priority warning level, if the detected pressure deviation exceeds a first predetermined threshold, and a high priority warning level, if the detected pressure deviation exceeds a second predetermined threshold which is greater than the first threshold, or if the detected pressure deviation has exceeded the first threshold for a predetermined time period.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pressure deviation detectors further comprise different detectors configured to detect different pressure deviation situations, the different detectors comprising at least one of a puncture detector for detecting rapid pressure deviations, a diffusion detector for detecting slow pressure deviations, a flat tire detector for detecting rapid and large pressure deviations, an asymmetric detector for detecting asymmetric pressure deviations, a calibration detector for detecting leakage during calibration, and a tire size detector for detecting different tire sizes.

5. The system according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of different detectors assigned to each possible tire constellation.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit for activating and/or deactivating any of the plurality of pressure deviation detectors and/or for configuring the plurality of pressure deviation detector parameters in response to vehicle parameters, driving situations, external commands or other external influences.

7. The system according to claim 1, further including a load compensation unit connected to the plurality of pressure deviation detectors.

8. A method for detecting tire pressure deviations in a number of tires of a vehicle wherein a plurality of possible tire constellations of one or more pressure deviating tires exists, the method comprising:

detecting the tire pressure deviations in each of the plurality of possible tire constellations using a plurality of separate pressure deviation detectors, wherein at least one pressure deviation detector is provided for and assigned to each of the possible tire constellations existing on the vehicle, wherein a unit for roll radius based tire pressure monitoring and a wheel spectrum analysis module are arranged to provide data to the plurality of pressure deviation detectors, wherein the provided data from the wheel spectrum analysis module is based on the wheel spectrum analysis module first calculating a parametric model of a wheel velocity spectrum and using parameters of the parametric model to calculate a spectral shape factor that condenses different pressure dependent features of the wheel velocity spectrum into one single scalar quantity such that the wheel spectrum analysis module detects deviations in the tire pressure for each tire individually, and wherein each pressure deviation detector is optimised to detect a particular one of the possible tire constellations to which it is assigned and to detect deviation in the tire pressure of its respective tire constellation; and

providing a warning if one of the plurality of pressure deviation detectors detects its respective tire constellation deviating from a predetermined tire pressure.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising determining a warning level in dependence on the detected pressure deviations and, if one of the plurality of pressure deviation detectors detects its assigned tire constellation deviating in pressure, additionally providing information specifying the determined warning level.

10. The method according to claim 8, comprising activating and/or deactivating the plurality of pressure deviation detectors in response to external signals and/or changing the plurality of pressure deviation detector parameters in response to external requests or driving/vehicle conditions.

11. The method according to claim 8, comprising detecting different deviation situations using the plurality of pressure deviation detectors which further comprise different detectors that are configured to detect different pressure deviation situations, the different detectors comprising at least one of a puncture detector for detecting rapid pressure deviations, a diffusion detector for detecting slow pressure deviations, a flat tire detector for detecting rapid and large pressure deviations, an asymmetric detector for detecting asymmetric pressure deviations, a calibration detector for detecting leakage during calibration, and a tire size detector for detecting different tire sizes.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each respective pressure deviation detector assigned to its respective tire constellation comprises several of the different detector types.

13. The method of claim 8, comprising activating and/or deactivating any of the plurality of pressure deviation detectors and configuring the plurality of pressure deviation detector parameters in response to vehicle parameters, driving situations, external commands or other external influences.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for detecting tire pressure deviations in a number of tires of a vehicle wherein a plurality of possible tire constellations of one or more pressure deviating tires exists, the computer program storing instructions which when executed by a processing system cause the processing system to perform a method comprising:

detecting the tire pressure deviations in each of the plurality of possible tire constellations using a plurality of separate pressure deviation detectors, wherein at least one pressure deviation detector is provided for and assigned to each of the possible tire constellations existing on the vehicle, wherein a unit for roll radius based tire pressure monitoring and a wheel spectrum analysis module are arranged to provide data to the plurality of pressure deviation detectors, wherein the provided data from the wheel spectrum analysis module is based on the wheel spectrum analysis module first calculating a parametric model of a wheel velocity spectrum and using parameters of the parametric model to calculate a spectral shape factor that condenses different pressure dependent features of the wheel velocity spectrum into one single scalar quantity such that the wheel spectrum analysis module detects deviations in the tire pressure for each tire individually, and wherein each pressure deviation detector is optimised to detect a particular one of the possible tire constellations to which it is assigned and to detect deviation in the tire pressure of its respective tire constellation; and

providing a warning if one of the plurality of pressure deviation detectors detects its respective tire constellation deviating from a predetermined tire pressure.