System and method for managing tire pressure for a trailer

• US 9,902,217 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Patel, Dilip B., Henderson, Christopher, Reed, Eric L., Crockett, Dante K., Swadling, Greg, Blatchford, James Edwin, Dionyssopoulos, Stavros, Patel, Nimish H.
• Primary Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US14/811,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20170028796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 340431, 340477
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/009 having wheels on a trailer
• 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

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for managing tire pressure for a trailer. A controller may be configured to manage communications between a vehicle and a trailer. A tire pressure management system module to be mounted on the trailer may be operatively connected to the controller by a tow connector. The tire pressure management system module may be configured to receive tire pressure information from at least one sensor operatively associated with at least one tire of the trailer, and transmit messages to the controller based on the tire pressure information, wherein the controller triggers a notification when at least one of the messages indicates a tire pressure that fails to meet a criteria.

Claims

1. A system for managing tire pressure for a trailer, the system comprising:

a controller configured to manage communications between a vehicle and a trailer; and

a tire pressure management system module to be mounted on the trailer, the module being operatively connected to the controller by a tow connector, wherein the module is configured to;

receive tire pressure information from at least one sensor operatively associated with at least one tire of the trailer; and

transmit messages to the controller based on the tire pressure information, the controller being configured to trigger a notification when at least one of the messages indicates a tire pressure that fails to meet a criteria, wherein information communicated between the tire pressure management module and the controller is secured using a firewall that permits messages of a predetermined format.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the messages comprise controller area network messages.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the tire pressure management module is powered by the vehicle via the tow connector.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the tire pressure sensor is configured to transmit the tire pressure information to the module over RF transmissions.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the tire pressure management module is further configured to:

store identifying information about the at least one tire pressure sensor such that the tire pressure information received from the sensor is associated with a particular tire of the trailer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the tire pressure management module is located at a secure location on the trailer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined format comprises controller area network.

8. A method for managing tire pressure for a trailer, the method comprising:

receiving, at tire pressure management system module mounted on the trailer, tire pressure information from at least one sensor associated with a tire rotatably connected to the trailer;

transmitting controller area network messages to a controller mounted on a vehicle based on the tire pressure information, wherein the module is operatively connected to the controller by a tow connector;

securing the information communicated between the tire pressure management module and the controller using a firewall such that controller area network messages comprising tire pressure information are permitted; and

triggering a notification when at least one of the messages indicates a tire pressure that fails to meet a criteria.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising powering the tire pressure management module by the vehicle via the tow connector.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting the tire pressure information from at least one sensor to the module via RF transmissions.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing identifying information about the at least one sensor at the module such that the tire pressure information received from the at least one sensor is associated with a particular tire of the trailer.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the tire pressure management module is located at a secure location on the trailer.

13. A method for configuring a tire pressure management system module, comprising:

receiving, at tire pressure management system module mounted on a trailer, input comprising a number of tires;

learning, by the tire pressure management module, identifying information for each sensor associated with each tire, each sensor being configured to sense tire pressure for a tire rotatably connected to the trailer; and

transmitting controller area network messages to a controller mounted on a vehicle based on the tire pressure information received from the learned sensors, wherein information communicated between the tire pressure management module and the controller is secured using a firewall that permits messages of a predetermined format and wherein the controller triggers a notification when at least one of the messages indicates a tire pressure that fails to meet a criteria.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the learning identifying information for each sensor associated with each tire further comprises learning a tire location for each learned sensor.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a pressure criteria for each of the tires; and

storing, at the module, each received pressure criteria, wherein a notification is triggered when at least one of the messages indicates a tire pressure for one of the tires that fails to meet the received pressure criteria for the tire.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a modified pressure criteria for at least one tire; and

overwriting the previously stored pressure criteria for the tire with the modified pressure criteria.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the learning identifying information for each sensor associated with each tire further comprises storing, at the module, the identifying information for the sensors.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

learning updated identifying information for at least one sensor associated with a tire; and

overwriting previously stored identifying information for the tire with the updated identifying information.

19. A method for managing tire pressure for a trailer, comprising:

receiving, at a firewall, messages sent from a trailer-mounted tire pressure management system module to a vehicle controller, the messages relating to trailer tire pressure;

selectively permitting, through the firewall, received messages of a predetermined format; and

triggering a notification when at least one of the received messages indicates a tire pressure that fails to meet a criteria.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the predetermined format comprises controller area network messages.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the module is operatively connected to the controller by a tow connector.