Monitoring pneumatic tire conditions

• US 6,591,671 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2001
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Inventors: Brown, Robert Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, ANDRE J
• Application Number:
  US09/771,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20010008083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 731/46, 731/462, 731/463, 731/464, 731/465, 731/468, 455/336, 340/442, 340/447, 340/445
• US Class Current: 73/146.5
• 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 23/0433 Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2240/03 Tire sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1725 Using tyre sensors, e.g. Sidewall Torsion sensors [SWT] for tyre pressure and temperature detection B60C23/00

Abstract

At least one dynamic condition of a pneumatic tire of a vehicle is determined by measuring the rotational angular position of the tire and/or a wheel or wheel carrier the tire is mounted on. The position measurement is preferably combined with transponder measurements of tire pressure and/or temperature, and the measurement information is transmitted from a tire or wheel antenna to a receiver with one or more antennas on the vehicle. The measurements can be combined with a tire pressure regulating device. The rotational angular position is preferably measured by monitoring fluctuations in coupling of RF power between the transmitting and the receiving antennas. In a preferred embodiment, transponders and antennas are disposed in both the tire and the wheel or wheel carrier for the purpose of monitoring the rotational angular position of a tire relative to its wheel or wheel carrier, thereby indicating torsional effects on the tire. Preferably, the tire antenna in the preferred embodiment is mounted inside the tire near the outer circumference of the tire.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring pneumatic tire conditions for one or more tire/wheel assemblies mounted on a vehicle, each tire/wheel assembly comprising a tire mounted on a wheel or wheel carrier, the system comprising:

a wheel or wheel carrier transponder with a wheel or wheel carrier antenna mounted on the wheel or wheel carrier of the one or more tire/wheel assemblies for transmitting a signal indicating the rotational angular position of the wheel or wheel carrier;

one or more receivers each having one or more receiving antennas fixedly mounted on the vehicle, the one or more receiving antennas being positioned to receive the signal from a specific one of the tire/wheel assemblies;

circuitry means for processing the signals received by the one or more receiving antennas and for determining the rotational angular position of the wheel or wheel carrier of the one or more tire/wheel assemblies; and

at least one of the wheel or wheel carrier antennas being substantially circular and including a plurality of reactive elements incorporated into and spaced about the circumference of the at least one wheel or wheel carrier antenna for causing blips which are indicative of the rotational angular position of the wheel or wheel carrier antenna to occur in the signal received by the receiving antenna which is positioned to receive the signal from the at least one wheel or wheel carrier antenna, wherein the reactive elements comprise at least one of inductive elements, capacitive elements, or magnetic elements.

2. A system, according to claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the wheel or wheel carrier antennas is a conductive hoop coupled to the wheel or wheel carrier transponder; and

each conductive hoop wheel or wheel carrier antenna includes a plurality of inductive elements incorporated into and spaced about the circumference of the conductive hoop wheel or wheel carrier antenna for causing blips which are indicative of the rotational angular position of the conductive hoop wheel or wheel carrier antenna to occur in the signal received by the receiving antenna which is positioned to receive the signal from thc at least one wheel or wheel carrier antenna.

3. A system, according to claim 2, wherein the system comprises:

a pump system mounted on the wheel or wheel carrier for tire pressure regulation and a tire pressure sensor connected to the wheel or wheel carrier transponder for measuring the tire pressure.

4. A method for monitoring pneumatic tire conditions for one or more tire/wheel assemblies each comprising a tire mounted on a wheel or wheel carrier, the method comprising the step of:

comparing the rotational angular position of a tire to the rotational angular position of the wheel or wheel carrier in the tire'"'"'s tire/wheel assembly in order to determine operating conditions of the tire.

5. A method, according to claim 4, comprising the step of:

further determining pneumatic tire conditions by monitoring one or more of a tire pressure, a tire temperature, and a count of tire revolutions.

6. A method, according to claim 4, comprising the step of:

measuring the rotational angular position of a radially outer portion of the tire by means of an RF signal transmitted by an antenna mounted inside the tire near the outer circumference of the tire.

18. A method, according to claim 4, comprising the step of:

determining the derivatives of rotational angular position of the wheel including velocity, acceleration and rate of acceleration of the tire.

7. A system for monitoring pneumatic tire conditions for one or more tire/wheel assemblies mounted on a vehicle, each tire/wheel assembly comprising a tire mounted on a wheel or wheel carrier, the system comprising:

a wheel or wheel carrier transponder with a wheel or wheel carrier antenna mounted on the wheel or wheel carrier of the one or more tire/wheel assemblies for transmitting a first signal indicating the rotational angular position of the wheel or wheel carrier;

a tire transponder with a tire antenna mounted on the tire of the one or more tire/wheel assemblies for transmitting a second signal indicating the rotational angular position of the tire;

one or more receivers each having one or more receiving antennas fixedly mounted on the vehicle, the one or more receiving antennas being positioned to receive the first signal and the second signal from a specific one of the tire/wheel assemblies;

circuitry means for processing the first and second signals received by the one or more receiving antennas and for determining the rotational angular position of the tire relative to the wheel or wheel carrier of the one or more tire/wheel assemblies; and

at least one of the tire antennas being substantially circular and including a plurality of reactive elements incorporated into and spaced about the circumference of the at least one tire antenna for causing blips which are indicative of the rotational angular position of the tire antenna to occur in the second signal received by the receiving antenna which is positioned to receive the second signal from the at least one tire antenna, wherein the reactive elements comprise at least one of inductive elements, capacitive elements, or magnetic elements.

8. A system, according to claim 7, wherein:

the plurality of reactive elements are inductive elements in the at least one tire antenna; and

the plurality of inductive elements are mounted near the outer circumference of the tire.

9. A system, according to claim 7, wherein:

at least one of the wheel or wheel carrier antennas is substantially circular and the plurality of reactive elements includes a plurality of inductive elements incorporated into and spaced about the circumference of the at least one wheel or wheel carrier antenna for causing blips which are indicative of the rotational angular position of the wheel or wheel carrier antenna to occur in the first signal received by the receiving antenna which is positioned to receive the first signal from the at least one wheel or wheel carrier antenna.

10. A system, according to claim 7, wherein:

at least one of the tire antennas is a conductive hoop coupled to the tire transponder;

end

each conductive hoop tire antenna includes a plurality of reactive elements incorporated into and spaced about the circumference of the conductive hoop tire antenna for causing blips which are indicative of the rotational angular position of the conductive hoop tire antenna to occur in the second signal received by the receiving antenna which is positioned to receive the second signal from the at least one tire antenna, wherein the reactive elements comprise at least one of inductive elements, capacitive elements, or magnetic elements.

11. A system, according to claim 10, wherein:

the at least one conductive hoop tire antenna which includes a plurality of reactive elements is mounted near the outer circumference of the tire.

12. A system, according to claim 7, wherein:

at least one of the wheel or wheel carrier antennas is a conductive hoop coupled to the wheel or wheel carrier transponder; and

each conductive hoop wheel or wheel carrier antenna includes a plurality of inductive elements incorporated into and spaced about the circumference of the conductive hoop wheel or wheel carrier antenna for causing blips which are indicative of the rotational angular position of the conductive hoop wheel or wheel carrier antenna to occur in the first signal received by the receiving antenna which is positioned to receive the first signal from the at least one wheel or wheel carrier antenna.

13. A system, according to claim 7, wherein the system comprises:

a pump system mounted on the wheel or wheel carrier for tire pressure regulation and a tire pressure sensor connected to the wheel or wheel carrier transponder for measuring the tire pressure.

14. A system, according to claim 7, wherein the system comprises:

a tire pressure sensor connected to the tire transponder for measuring the tire pressure.

15. A system, according to claim 7, wherein:

there is one receiving antenna for each specific tire/wheel assembly; and

each receiving antenna is configured to receive the first signal at a first frequency from the wheel or wheel carrier antenna of the specific tire/wheel assembly, and is configured to receive the second signal at a second frequency from the tire antenna of the specific tire/wheel assembly.

16. A system, according to claim 7, wherein:

there is a tire receiving antenna for each specific tire antenna, wherein the tire receiving antenna is positioned by fixedly mounting it on a wheel housing in close proximity to the tire antenna on the tire; and

there is a wheel or wheel carrier receiving antenna for each specific wheel or wheel carrier antenna, wherein the wheel or wheel carrier receiving antenna is positioned by fixedly mounting it on an axle housing in close proximity to the wheel or wheel carrier antenna on the wheel.

17. A system, according to claim 7, wherein:

one or more of the tire transponders and of the wheel or wheel carrier transponders is a passive transponder; and

the receiver and receiving antenna associated with each of the one or more passive transponder; and

the receiver and receiving antenna associated with each of the one or more passive transponders transmit an interrogating signal to the associated passive transponder.