Tire pressure monitoring sensor

• US 9,522,579 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2015
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: McIntyre, Matthew D, Deniau, Jean-Christophe, Farrell, Brian, Gad, Yasser, Vijayan, Dhivya
• Primary Examiner(s): Flores, Leon
• Application Number:
  US14/728,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20160355063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• 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

Abstract

A TPM sensor is programmed. The TPM sensor is configured with a TPM identifier and makes transmissions according to a current transmission protocol or protocols. A low frequency (LF) signal is received and the LF signal was transmitted according to a predetermined transmission protocol or language. An identity of the predetermined transmission protocol or language associated with the LF signal is determined. Based upon the identity of the predetermined transmission protocol or language, at least one of the TPM identifier or the current transmission protocol or protocols are adjusted, and the TPM sensor subsequently makes transmissions according to the predetermined transmission protocol associated with the LF signal.

Claims

1. A method of programming a tire pressure monitoring (TPM) sensor, the TPM sensor being configured with a TPM identifier and making transmissions according to a current transmission protocol or protocols, the method comprising:

receiving a low frequency (LF) signal, the LF signal having been transmitted according to a predetermined transmission protocol or language;

determining an identity of the predetermined transmission protocol or language associated with the LF signal;

based upon the identity of the predetermined transmission protocol or language, adjusting at least one of the TPM identifier or the current transmission protocol or protocols, the adjusting of the TPM identifier comprising changing the TPM identifier at the TPM sensor to a TPM identifier being recognized by a vehicle receiver as correct for a vehicle type, the TPM sensor subsequently making transmissions according to the predetermined transmission protocol associated with the LF signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the LF signal is received from a portable programming tool or from a fixed LF initiator in a vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined transmission protocol is subsequently locked to the TPM sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined transmission protocol or language indicates a vehicle manufacturer or type of vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the LF signal comprises a first command from a portable programming tool that obtains the identifier, wherein the sensor responsively transmits the identifier to the portable programming tool, and wherein a second LF signal is transmitted from the portable programming tool to the sensor, the second LF signal being a second command that includes the identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring the pressure of a tire and making the transmissions according to the transmission protocol regardless of the measured pressure.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising storing the identifier at a portable programming tool, transmitting the identifier from the portable programming tool to a receiver in a vehicle, automatically locking the predetermined transmission protocol to the sensor when a predetermined event is detected.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined event is a pressurization of the tire.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the locking occurs before a predetermined time limit has been reached.

10. A tire pressure monitoring (TPM) sensor, comprising:

a memory that stores a TPM identifier and a current transmission protocol or protocols;

a transmitter;

a receiver that is configured to receive a low frequency (LF) signal, the LF signal having been transmitted according to a predetermined transmission protocol or language;

a controller coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, the controller configured to determine an identity of the predetermined protocol or language, and based upon the determined identity of the predetermined protocol or language, adjust at least one of the TPM identifier or the current transmission protocol or protocols, the adjusting of the TPM identifier comprising changing the TPM identifier at the TPM sensor to a TPM identifier being recognized by a vehicle receiver as correct for a vehicle type, the TPM sensor subsequently making transmissions according to the predetermined transmission protocol of the LF signal.

11. The TPM sensor of claim 10, wherein the LF signal is received from a portable programming tool or from a fixed LF initiator in a vehicle.

12. The TPM sensor of claim 10, wherein the predetermined transmission protocol is subsequently locked to the TPM sensor.

13. The TPM sensor of claim 10, wherein the predetermined transmission protocol or language indicates a vehicle manufacturer or type of vehicle.

14. The TPM sensor of claim 10, wherein the LF signal comprises a first command from a portable programming tool that obtains the TPM identifier, and wherein the sensor responsively transmits the identifier to the portable programming tool, and wherein a second LF signal is transmitted from the portable programming tool to the sensor and received by the sensor, the second LF signal being a second command that includes the identifier.

15. The TPM sensor of claim 10, further comprising a measurement device that is configured to measure the pressure of a tire and wherein the sensor makes the transmissions according to the predetermined transmission protocol regardless of the measured pressure.

16. The TPM sensor of claim 15, the identifier is stored at a portable programming tool, and transmitted from the portable programming tool to a receiver in a vehicle, and wherein the predetermined transmission protocol is locked to the sensor when a predetermined event is detected by the sensor.

17. The TPM sensor of claim 15, wherein the predetermined event is a pressurization of the tire.

18. The TPM sensor of claim 17, wherein the locking occurs before a predetermined time limit has been reached.

19. A non-transitory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method of programming a tire pressure monitoring (TPM) sensor, the TPM sensor being configured with a TPM identifier and making transmissions according to a current transmission protocol or protocols, the method comprising:

receiving a low frequency (LF) signal, the LF signal having been transmitted according to a predetermined transmission protocol or language;

determining an identity of the predetermined transmission protocol or language associated with the LF signal;

based upon the identity of the predetermined transmission protocol or language, adjusting at least one of the TPM identifier or the current transmission protocol or protocols, the adjusting of the TPM identifier comprising changing the TPM identifier at the TPM sensor to a TPM identifier being recognized by a vehicle receiver as correct for a vehicle type, the TPM sensor subsequently making transmissions according to the predetermined transmission protocol associated with the LF signal.

20. The non-transitory computer usable medium of claim 19, wherein the LF signal is received from a portable programming tool or from a fixed LF initiator in a vehicle.

21. The non-transitory computer usable medium of claim 19, wherein the predetermined transmission protocol is subsequently locked to the TPM sensor.

22. The non-transitory computer usable medium of claim 19, wherein the predetermined transmission protocol or language indicates a vehicle manufacturer or type of vehicle.

23. The non-transitory computer usable medium of claim 19, wherein the LF signal comprises a first command from a portable programming tool that obtains the identifier, wherein the sensor responsively transmits the identifier to the portable programming tool, and wherein a second LF signal is transmitted from the portable programming tool to the sensor, the second LF signal being a second command that includes the identifier.

24. The non-transitory computer usable medium of claim 19, further comprising measuring the pressure of a tire and making the transmissions according to the transmission protocol regardless of the measured pressure.

25. The non-transitory computer usable medium of claim 24, further comprising storing the identifier at a portable programming tool, transmitting the identifier from the portable programming tool to a receiver in a vehicle, automatically locking the predetermined transmission protocol to the sensor when a predetermined event is detected.

26. The non-transitory computer usable medium of claim 25, wherein the predetermined event is a pressurization of the tire.

27. The non-transitory computer usable medium of claim 26, wherein the locking occurs before a predetermined time limit has been reached.