Wheel localizer, wheel localization device, system, method and computer program for locating a position of a wheel

• US 9,221,309 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2012
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Kandler, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, John H
• Application Number:
  US13/366,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.33, 340/988, 340/442, 340/445, 702/148, 702/75, 702/145, 702/150, 731/46, 731/462, 701/51, 701/89
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments can provide a system, a wheel localizer, a wheel localization device, a method or a computer program for locating a position of wheel. The system for locating the position of the wheel on the vehicle includes a detector for obtaining information related to a state of movement of the vehicle and a locator for determining the position of the wheel based on the information related to the state of movement of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for locating a position of a wheel on a vehicle, comprising:

a detector device configured to obtain information related to a state of movement of the vehicle; and

a locator device configured to determine the position of the wheel based on the information related to the state of movement of the vehicle,

wherein an input of the locator device is coupled with an output of the detector device,

wherein the locator device is configured to further use information on a rotational frequency of the wheel to determine the position of the wheel based on the information related to the state of movement of the vehicle,

wherein the system is configured to verify that a signal indicating the rotational frequency of the wheel and a signal indicating the state of movement of the vehicle fulfill a predetermined relationship with respect to one another, before using the signals as information to determine the position of the wheel, and

wherein the determined wheel position is configured to be sent to a controller configured to associate the determined wheel position with a sensor of a tire pressure monitoring system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the information related to the state of movement comprises information on a rotation of the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the detector device comprises at least one of an inertial sensor, a micro-mechanical sensor, an acceleration sensor, or a gyroscope, wherein each are configured to generate a signal based on which the state of movement is detectable.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the locator device is operable to use information on rotational frequencies for each of a plurality of wheels on the vehicle and determine a position for each of the plurality of wheels on the vehicle based on the information on the plurality of rotational frequencies and the information related to the state of movement of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the locator device is operable to assign predefined positions on the vehicle to each of the plurality of wheels based on the information on the plurality of rotational frequencies and expected rotational frequencies, wherein the expected rotational frequencies are based on the information related to the state of movement.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an acceleration sensor, an energy harvester, or a tire pressure monitoring system sensor configured to obtain the information on the rotational frequency of the wheel.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is operable to verify that the rotational frequency of the wheel and a rotational rate of the vehicle, which is based on the state of movement of the vehicle, fulfill the predetermined relationship for a predefined time interval.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the locator device is operable to determine the position of the wheel when changes of the state of movement of the vehicle are below a predefined threshold for a predefined time interval.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the locator device is operable to determine a corrected rotational frequency of the wheel based on information on a tire pressure of a tire of the wheel and based on the rotational frequency of the wheel, and wherein the locator device is operable to determine the position of the wheel based on the corrected rotational frequency.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to verify that the vehicle moves along a curve with a small radius by evaluating a quotient of a rotational frequency of a reference wheel and a rotational rate for the vehicle, which is proportional to the radius of the curve, against a threshold.

11. A wheel localizer for locating a position of a wheel on a vehicle, comprising:

a detector device configured to output a movement signal comprising information on a state of movement of the vehicle; and

a locator device configured to receive the movement signal, and generate a location signal comprising information on the position of the wheel based on the information on the state of movement of the vehicle,

wherein an input of the locator device is coupled with an output of the detector device,

wherein the locator device further comprises an input configured to receive a signal comprising information on a rotational frequency of the wheel, and

wherein the wheel localizer is further configured to verify that the signal comprising information on the rotational frequency of the wheel and the movement signal comprising the information on the state of movement of the vehicle fulfill a predetermined relationship with respect to one another, before using these signals as information to determine the position of the wheel.

12. The wheel localizer of claim 11, wherein the detector device comprises at least one of a sensor, an inertial sensor, a micro-mechanical sensor, an acceleration sensor, or a gyroscope, wherein each are configured to sense the state of movement of the vehicle.

13. The wheel localizer of claim 11, wherein at least one of a sensor, an acceleration sensor, an energy harvester, or a tire pressure monitoring system sensor is coupled to the locator device.

14. The wheel localizer of claim 11, further configured to verify that the signal comprising the information on the rotational frequency of the wheel and the movement signal comprising the information on the state of movement of the vehicle fulfill a predefined relation for a predefined time interval.

15. The wheel localizer of claim 11, wherein the locator device comprises one or more inputs configured to receive signals comprising information on a plurality of rotational frequencies for each of a plurality of wheels, and wherein the locator device is configured to determine a plurality of locations for the plurality of wheels on the vehicle, based on the information on the plurality of rotational frequencies and on the information of the state of movement.

16. The wheel localizer of claim 15, wherein the locator device is configured to assign predefined positions on the vehicle to each of the plurality of wheels based on the information on the plurality of rotational frequencies and expected rotational frequencies, wherein the expected rotational frequencies are based on the information of the state of movement.

17. The wheel localizer of claim 11, wherein the locator device further comprises an input configured to receive a signal comprising information on a tire pressure of a tire of the wheel, and wherein the locator device is operable to determine a corrected rotational frequency of the wheel based on the information on the tire pressure of the tire of the wheel, and wherein the locator device is operable to output the information on the location of the wheel based on the corrected rotational frequency.

18. The wheel localizer of claim 11, wherein the state of movement includes information related to a combination of a left turn/right turn information with the forward/backward information.

19. The wheel localizer of claim 18, wherein the state of movement is determined by a combination of a rotation rate sensor signal and an acceleration sensor signal.

20. The wheel localizer of claim 11, further configured to verify that the vehicle moves along a narrow curve before determining the rotational frequencies based on which the wheel is positioned.

21. The wheel localizer of claim 20, wherein the wheel localizer is configured to evaluate a quotient of a rotational frequency of a reference wheel and a rotational rate for the vehicle against a threshold to verify that the vehicle moves along the narrow curve.

22. A wheel localization device, comprising:

an input unit configured to receive a signal comprising information on a state of movement of a vehicle, signals comprising information indicating rotational frequencies of each of a plurality of wheels of the vehicle, and signals comprising information indicating a tire parameter for each of the plurality of wheels; and

a controller unit configured to assign to each of the plurality of wheels one location of a set of predefined locations based on the information on the state of movement and the information on the rotational frequencies,

wherein the wheel localization device is further configured to verify that the signal comprising information on the rotational frequency of the wheel and the signal comprising information on the state of movement of the vehicle fulfill a predetermined relationship with respect to one another, before assigning a location.

23. A method for locating a position of a wheel on a vehicle, comprising:

obtaining information related to a state of movement of the vehicle using a detector device;

determining the position of the wheel based on the information related to the state of movement of the vehicle using a locator device,

using information on a rotational frequency of the wheel for the determining of the position of the wheel based on the information related to the state of movement, and

verifying that a signal indicating the rotational frequency of the wheel and a signal indicating the state of movement of the vehicle fulfill a predetermined relationship with respect to one another, before using the signals as information to determine the position of the wheel.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the using comprises using information on rotational frequencies of a plurality of wheels on the vehicle, and wherein the determining comprises determining positions for each of the plurality of wheels on the vehicle based on the information on the plurality of rotational frequencies and the information related to the state of movement.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the determining comprises assigning predefined positions on the vehicle to each of the plurality of wheels based on the information on the plurality of rotational frequencies and expected rotational frequencies, wherein the expected rotational frequencies are based on the information related to the state of movement.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the verifying comprises verifying that the rotational frequency of the wheel and a rotational rate of the vehicle, which is based on the state of movement of the vehicle, fulfill a predefined relation for a predefined time interval.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising correcting the rotational frequency of the wheel based on information on a tire pressure of a tire of the wheel to determine a corrected rotational frequency, and wherein the determining of the position of the wheel is based on a corrected rotational frequency.

28. A computer program having a program code on a non-transitory medium for performing, when the computer program is executed on a computer or on a processor, a method for locating a position of a wheel on a vehicle, comprising:

obtaining information related to a state of movement of the vehicle using a detector device;

determining the position of the wheel based on the information related to the state of movement of the vehicle using a locator device;

using information on a rotational frequency of the wheel for the determining of the position of the wheel based on the information related to the state of movement;

verifying that a signal indicating the rotational frequency of the wheel and a signal indicating the state of movement of the vehicle fulfill a predetermined relationship with respect to one another, before using the signals as information to determine the position of the wheel; and

sending the determined wheel position to a controller configured to associate the determined wheel position with a sensor of a tire pressure monitoring system.