Multi-frequency tire pressure monitoring detector

• US 9,333,815 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schrader Electronics Limited (Sensata Technologies Holding Plc)
• Original Assignee: Schrader Electronics Limited (Sensata Technologies Holding Plc)
• Inventors: Barrett, Ian, Henriet, Nicolas, Marguet, Emmanuel
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri
• Application Number:
  US14/253,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20140306815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 340/442, 340/447
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0452 Antenna structure, control or arrangement vehicle tyre mounted antennas H01Q1/2241
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0455 Transmission control of wireless signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0471 System initialisation, e.g. upload or calibration of operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0458 Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages matching circuits in general H03H

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices are provided for tire pressure detectors that may operate according to one of two or more selectable frequencies. Tire pressure detectors may include an RF section to modulate pressure information from a pressure sensor onto an output signal. The frequency of the output signal may be selectable from two or more frequencies based on a frequency required by a vehicle that the tire pressure detector is to be used with. An RF matching circuit may be coupled between the RF section and an antenna, with an impedance of the RF matching circuit selected based of the frequency of the output signal. Such impedance matching may provide a constant power level output from the tire pressure detector independent of the frequency of the tire pressure detector transmissions.

Claims

1. A tire pressure detection apparatus, comprising:

a pressure sensor configured to output a pressure signal;

a control module communicatively coupled with the pressure sensor and configured to modulate information related to the pressure signal onto an output signal, the output signal having a frequency that is selectable from at least a first frequency and a second frequency;

an RF matching circuit coupled with the control module;

an antenna coupled with the RF matching circuit; and

a reference oscillator that outputs a reference signal at a predetermined frequency,

wherein the control module comprises an RF sub-module configured to receive the reference signal and generate the output signal based on a multiplier applied to the reference signal, the value of the multiplier selectable from at least a first multiplier value corresponding to the first frequency and second multiplier value corresponding to the second frequency, and

wherein the RF sub-module comprises a fractional-N Phase Locked Loop (PLL) circuit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RF matching circuit has an impedance that is selectable from at least a first impedance and a second impedance based on the frequency of the output signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control module comprises a switch that is configured to switch the impedance of the RF matching circuit to the first impedance or second impedance based on the output signal frequency.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the RF matching circuit comprises a first set of matching components corresponding to the first impedance, and a second set of matching components selectively couplable, using the switch, to the first set of matching components to provide the second impedance.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first multiplier value and the second multiplier value is a non-integer value.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is programmable to output the first or second frequency.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the control module further comprises a programming interface communicatively couplable with a programming module that selects the output frequency of the control module.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control module and programming module are communicatively couplable via a wireless interface.

9. A method for frequency selection in a tire pressure detector, comprising:

determining an operating frequency at which the tire pressure detector is to transmit RF signals;

determining a protocol that is to be used to communicate information from the tire pressure detector;

configuring a frequency switch in the tire pressure detector based on the determined operating frequency, wherein configuring the frequency switch comprises selecting a multiplier at a fractional-N PLL circuit responsive to the determined operating frequency; and

programming the tire pressure detector to communicate information according to the determined protocol.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

selecting an RF matching circuit to be used in RF signal transmission from the tire pressure detector responsive to the determined operating frequency.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the selected RF matching circuit maintains a predetermined power output of the RF signal transmission independent of the determined operating frequency.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the operating frequency comprises:

determining a make and model of a vehicle associated with the tire pressure detector; and

determining the operating frequency based on the make and model of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the protocol comprises:

determining a make and model of a vehicle associated with the tire pressure detector; and

determining the protocol based on the make and model of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the multiplier is a non-integer frequency multiplier applied to a reference oscillator output.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein configuring the frequency switch comprises:

configuring an RF module of the tire pressure detector to output an RF signal at the determined output frequency; and

coupling an RF matching circuit between an output of the RF module and an antenna of the tire pressure detector responsive to configuring the RF module.