Self training tire pressure monitoring system

• US 20030030553A1
• Filed: 07/26/2002
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schofield, Kenneth, Lynam, Niall R.
• Granted Patent: US 6,731,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/442
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/061 by monitoring wheel speed measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles G01C22/00

Abstract

A self training tire pressure monitoring system for a vehicle includes at least two pressure sensors, at least two wheel sensors and a control. The pressure sensors are positioned at respective tires and are operable to provide a measured pressure output indicative of the pressure of the respective tires. The wheel sensors are positioned at respective wheels of the vehicle and are operable to provide a characteristic output indicative of rotation of the wheels over a period of time. The control receives the characteristic outputs and the measured pressure outputs and is operable to integrate the outputs to determine the particular wheels at which the pressure sensors and associated tires are positioned. The measured pressure and location of the tires may be displayed at a display of the vehicle. Preferably, the control deduces a deduced rolling radius of the tires in response to the characteristic output of the wheel sensors.

Claims

1. A self training tire pressure monitoring system for a vehicle having a set of tires, each of the tires being mounted at respective ones of a set of wheels of the vehicle, said self training tire pressure monitoring system comprising:

first and second pressure sensors, said first and second pressure sensors being positioned at respective tires of at least two tires of the vehicle, said first and second pressure sensors being operable to provide measured pressure outputs indicative of the actual pressure of the respective tires;

first and second wheel sensors positioned at respective ones of at least two wheels of the vehicle, the at least two tires being mounted on respective wheels of the at least two wheels, said first and second wheel sensors being operable to provide characteristic outputs indicative of rotation of the respective wheels;

a control receiving said characteristic outputs and said measured pressure outputs, said control being operable to deduce a deduced characteristic indicative of pressure variation in the tire mounted on a particular wheel in response to said characteristic output indicative of rotation of the particular wheel, said control being operable to integrate said measured pressure outputs and said deduced characteristics to associate said at least two pressure sensors and respective tires with the particular wheels at which said at least two pressure sensors and respective tires are positioned; and

a display operable to indicate the measured pressure of the tire at a particular wheel of the vehicle.

2. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said control is operable to correlate said measured pressure outputs with said deduced characteristics to match the pressure output of each of said first and second pressure sensors with one of said deduced characteristics.

3. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said control is operable to deduce said deduced characteristics in response to at least one of a deduced rolling radius of the at least two tires, a temperature of the at least two tires, a wheel speed of the at least two wheels, a wheel position of the at least two wheels, a wheel rotation of the at least two wheels, a speed of the vehicle, a differential of the vehicle and a wheel slip sensor of the vehicle.

4. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said control is operable to deduce said deduced characteristics over a period of time to define deduced characteristic signatures indicative of pressure variations in the tires mounted on the particular wheels over said period of time.

5. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said deduced characteristics comprise deduced rolling radii of the at least two tires.

6. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 5, wherein said control integrates said measured pressure outputs and said deduced rolling radii to determine the particular wheels at which said first and second pressure sensors and associated tires are located.

7. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 6, wherein said control is operable to deduce said deduced rolling radii in response to a rotation of the at least two wheels and a vehicle velocity.

8. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 7, wherein each of said first and second wheel sensors comprises at least one of a wheel speed sensor, a wheel rotation sensor and a rotary encoder.

9. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 5, wherein said control is operable to deduce said deduced rolling radii over a period of time to define deduced rolling radius signatures indicative of pressure variations in the tires mounted on the particular wheels over said period of time.

10. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 9, wherein said control is operable to compare said measured pressure outputs with said deduced characteristic signatures to determine the particular wheels at which said at least two pressure sensors and the associated tires are positioned.

11. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 10, wherein each of said first and second wheel sensors comprises at least one of a wheel speed sensor, a wheel rotation sensor, a wheel position sensor, a rotary encoder, a temperature sensor, a steering wheel, a differential and a wheel slip sensor.

12. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said first and second pressure sensors are operable to provide said measured pressure output to said control via a wireless communication link.

13. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said control comprises a microprocessor.

14. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said control comprises a digital signal processor comprising a microcomputer.

15. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second pressure sensors comprises a pressure transducer, a temperature sensing means, a processor and a transmitter.

16. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second pressure sensors comprises a pressure transducer and a transmitter.

17. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 16, wherein said transmitter of said first and second pressure sensors comprises a radio frequency transmitter.

18. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 17, wherein said control comprises a radio frequency antenna and a receiver.

19. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said set of tires comprises four tires of a vehicle and said self training tire pressure monitoring system comprises first, second, third and fourth pressure sensors and first, second, third and fourth wheel sensors.

20. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 19, wherein each of said first, second, third and fourth pressure sensors is positioned at a corresponding one of said at least four tires of the vehicle.

21. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said control is positioned at, within or on an interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle.

22. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 21, wherein said display is positioned at, within or on said interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle.

23. A method for determining a pressure and location of each of at least two tires of a vehicle, the at least two tires being mounted at respective ones of at least two wheels of the vehicle, said method comprising:

sensing a measured pressure within at least two tires of a vehicle in response to pressure sensors at respective tires of the at least two tires;

deducing a deduced characteristic signature at respective wheels of at least two wheels of the vehicle, said deduced characteristic signature being indicative of pressure variations in the tires mounted at the respective wheels of the vehicle;

correlating said measured pressures with said deduced characteristic signatures to determine the particular wheel at which each of the at least two tires is mounted; and

displaying the measured pressure of the tire at the particular wheel of the vehicle.

24. The method of claim 23 including communicating the measured pressure to a control via a radio frequency communication link.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein deducing a deduced characteristic signature comprises deducing a deduced characteristic signature over a period of time to define a time dependent deduced characteristic signature.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein deducing a deduced characteristic signature includes deducing a deduced characteristic signature in response to at least one of a deduced rolling radius of the at least two tires, a temperature of the at least two tires, a wheel speed of the at least two wheels, a wheel position of the at least two wheels, a wheel rotation of the at least two wheels, a speed of the vehicle, a differential of the vehicle and a wheel slip sensor of the vehicle.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein deducing a deduced characteristic signature includes deducing a deduced characteristic signature corresponding to a rolling radius of the at least two tires of the vehicle.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein deducing a deduced characteristic signature corresponding to a rolling radius of the at least two tires of the vehicle comprises deducing a deduced characteristic signature in response to an input from at least one of a wheel speed sensor, a wheel rotation sensor, a wheel position sensor, a rotary encoder, a vehicle speed sensor, a temperature sensor, a steering wheel, a differential and a wheel slip sensor.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein deducing a deduced characteristic signature comprises deducing a deduced characteristic signature over a period of time to define a time dependent deduced rolling radius signature.

30. A self training tire pressure monitoring system for a vehicle having a set of tires, the tires being mounted at respective ones of a set of wheels of the vehicle, said self training tire pressure monitoring system comprising:

at least two pressure sensors, said at least two pressure sensors being positioned at respective tires of a set of tires of the vehicle, said at least two pressure sensors being operable to provide a measured pressure output indicative of the actual pressure of the respective tires;

at least two wheel sensors, said at least two wheel sensors being positioned at respective wheels of the vehicle, said at least two wheel sensors being operable to provide a wheel rotation output indicative of rotation of the respective wheels;

a control receiving said measured pressure outputs and said wheel rotation outputs, said control being operable to deduce a deduced rolling radius for the tire mounted at a particular wheel in response to said wheel rotation output indicative of rotation of the particular wheel, said control being operable to integrate said measured pressure outputs and said deduced rolling radii to determine the particular wheels at which said at least two pressure sensors and associated tires are positioned; and

a display operable to indicate the measured pressure of the tire at a particular wheel of the vehicle.

31. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said control is operable to deduce said deduced rolling radii in response to at least one of a temperature of the at least two tires, a wheel speed of the at least two wheels, a wheel position of the at least two wheels, a wheel rotation of the at least two wheels, a speed of the vehicle, a differential of the vehicle and a wheel slip sensor of the vehicle.

32. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said deduced rolling radii are calculated in response to a rotational velocity of the at least two wheels and a vehicle velocity.

33. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said at least two wheel sensors comprise at least one of at least two wheel speed sensors, at least two wheel rotation sensors, at least two wheel position sensors, at least two rotary encoders, at least two temperature sensors, a steering wheel, a differential and a wheel slip sensor.

34. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said at least two wheel sensors comprise at least two wheel speed sensors.

35. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said at least two wheel sensors comprise at least two wheel position sensors.

36. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said at least two wheel sensors comprise at least two rotary encoders.

37. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said control is operable to correlate said measured pressure outputs with said deduced rolling radii to match each of the measured pressure outputs of said at least two pressure sensors with one of said deduced rolling radii.

38. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 37, wherein said control is operable to deduce said deduced rolling radii in response to a rotational velocity of the at least two wheels and a vehicle velocity.

39. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said control is operable to deduce a deduced pressure of the at least two tires mounted on the wheels in response to said wheel rotation outputs.

40. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 39, wherein said control is operable to deduce said deduced pressures over a period of time to define deduced pressure signatures indicative of pressure variations in the tires mounted on the wheels over said period of time.

41. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 40, wherein said control is operable to correlate said measured pressure outputs with said deduced pressure signatures to match each of said measured pressure outputs of said at least two pressure sensors with one of said deduced pressure signatures.

42. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said control is operable to deduce each of said deduced rolling radii over a period of time to define a deduced rolling radius signature, said control being operable to compare said measured pressure outputs over said period of time with said deduced rolling radius signatures to determine the particular wheels at which the tires and said at least two pressure sensors are positioned.

43. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 42, wherein said period of time comprises a period of time following an activating event of said tire pressure monitoring system.

44. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 43, wherein said activating event comprises at least one of an activation of an ignition of the vehicle, a shifting into a forward or reverse gear of the vehicle and a movement of the vehicle.

45. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said at least two pressure sensors are operable to provide said measured pressure outputs to said control via a wireless communication link.

46. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said control comprises a microprocessor.

47. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said control comprises a digital signal processor comprising a microcomputer.

48. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein each of said at least two pressure sensors comprises a pressure transducer, a temperature sensing means, a processor and a transmitter.

49. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 48, wherein said transmitter of said at least two pressure sensors comprises a radio frequency transmitter.

50. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein each of said at least two pressure sensors comprises a pressure transducer and a transmitter.

51. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 50, wherein said transmitter of said at least two pressure sensors comprises a radio frequency transmitter.

52. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 51, wherein said control comprises a radio frequency antenna and a receiver.

53. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said set of tires comprises four tires of a vehicle and said at least two pressure sensors comprises at least four pressure sensors, said at least two wheels comprising at least four wheels of the vehicle and said at least two wheel sensors comprising at least four wheel sensors.

54. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 30, wherein said control is positioned at, within or on an interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle.

55. The self training tire pressure monitoring system of claim 54, wherein said display is positioned at, within or on said interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle.