Device mounted on vehicles with pneumatic-tired wheels, for use in a tire pressure monitoring system

• US 6,972,671 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2001
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Huf Baolong Electronics Bretten GmbH (Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Beru Aktiengesellschaft (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schulze, Gunter Lothar, Normann, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blount, Eric
• Application Number:
  US10/239,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20040055370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,767 Days
• Field of Search: 340442-449, 731/46, 731/465, 116/34.R
• US Class Current: 340/442
• 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 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0437 Means for detecting electromagnetic field changes not being part of the signal transmission per se, e.g. strength, direction, propagation or masking
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/045 Means for detecting electromagnetic field changes being not part of the signal transmission per se, e.g. strength, direction, propagation or masking

Abstract

There is described an arrangement on vehicles equipped with wheels (1) with pneumatic tires, having an evaluation and control unit (8) arranged in the vehicle (2) and one or more receiving antennas (4), that are assigned to individual wheels (1) or groups of wheels (1) of the vehicle (2) and are connected to the evaluation and control unit (8) via an RF receiver (5) comprising a demodulator (6), for use in a tire-pressure monitoring system in which a unit (3), that is mounted on the respective wheel (1) and that comprises a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure in the pneumatic tire and for generating an electric pressure-measurement signal, comprises a control circuit and a transmitter with a sending antenna for sending out, under the control of the control circuit, the pressure-measuring signal or a signal derived therefrom in the form of a radio-frequency signal.

The invention provides that each receiving antenna (4) has assigned to it a separate RF receiver (5) in combination with a demodulator (6), a circuit arrangement (7) for the generation of a digital electric identification signal characteristic of the mounting location of the respective receiving antenna (4), and a BUS interface (19), that the evaluation and control unit (8) comprises a BUS interface (18), that the two BUS interfaces (18, 19) are connected one to the other by a BUS (17), for which purpose a plug-in connector (21) is provided which is connected to the BUS (17) by a first connector element (22) and to the BUS interface (19) of the RF receiver (5) by a second connector element (23), and that the first connector element (22) of the plug-in connector is designed so as to provide an identifier in electric/mechanical form and to supply it to the circuit arrangement (7) provided on the side of the RF receiver (5), through its connection to the second connector element (23), for generation of the digital electric identification signal characteristic of the identifier of the first connector element (22).

Claims

1. Arrangement on vehicles equipped with wheels with pneumatic tires, having an evaluation and control unit arranged in the vehicle and one or more receiving antennas, that are assigned to individual wheels or groups of wheels of the vehicle and are connected to the evaluation and control unit via an RF receiver comprising

a demodulator, for use in a tire-pressure monitoring system in which a unit, that is mounted on the respective wheel and that comprises

a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure in the pneumatic tire and for generating an electric pressure-measurement signal,

a control circuit and

a transmitter with a sending antenna for sending out, under the control of the control circuit, the pressure-measuring signal or a signal derived therefrom in the form of a radio-frequency signal,

wherein each receiving antenna has assigned to it a separate RF receiver in combination with a demodulator, a circuit arrangement for the generation of a digital electric identification signal characteristic of the mounting location of the respective receiving antenna, and a BUS interface,

wherein the evaluation and control unit comprises a BUS interface, that the two BUS interfaces are connected one to the other by a BUS, for which purpose a plug-in connector is provided which is connected to the BUS by a first connector element and to the BUS interface of the RF receiver by a second connector element, and that the first connector element of the plug-in connector is designed so as to provide an identifier and to supply it to the circuit arrangement provided on the side of the RF receiver, through its connection to the second connector element, for the generation of the digital electric identification signal characteristic of the identifier of the first connector element.

2. The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein each receiving antenna and its associated RF receiver with demodulator, the circuit arrangement for the generation of the identification signal and the BUS interface are combined to one module.

3. The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the RF receivers with demodulator and the circuit arrangement for the generation of the identification signal are connected to the wiring of the motor vehicle via the BUS interface.

4. The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein each wheel of the vehicle has associated to it a separate receiving antenna arranged in its neighborhood.

5. The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein a common receiving antenna is assigned to the wheels mounted on a common axle of the vehicle.

6. The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein in the case of trailers with wheels, having likewise one or more receiving antennas for monitoring the tire pressure of their wheels, with an RF receiver in combination with a demodulator, a circuit arrangement for the generation of a characteristic identification signal and a BUS interface associated to each antenna, an additional plug-in connector is provided in the BUS system between the vehicle and its trailer for connecting the BUS interface of the trailer to the BUS in the vehicle.

7. The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein modules, consisting of the receiving antenna, the RF receiver, the demodulator, the circuit arrangement for the generation of identification signals, and the BUS interface, are identical one to the other.

8. The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the two elements of the plug-in connector each comprise, for providing said identifier, a plurality of additional contact pairs, each consisting of a contact pin and a matching contact jack, with at least one of the additional contact pins or contact jacks of the first connector element of the plug-in connector being connected to ground and another one of the contact pins or contact jacks being connected to a line of the vehicle wiring carrying a voltage over ground, and that the selection and pole-connection of those contact pins or contact jacks is different for each possible mounting location of receiving antennas envisaged, but remains equal for all vehicles of one model family.

9. The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the plug-in connector consists of a plug arranged on the BUS and of a coupler arranged on the BUS interface associated to the receiving antenna.

10. The arrangement as defined in claim 9, wherein the coupler is fixed on a housing that contains the RF receiver with the demodulator, the circuit arrangement for the generation of identification signals and the BUS interface.

12. The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein said identifier is an electrical identifier.

14. The arrangement as defined in claim 8, wherein said identifier is an electrical identifier.

15. The arrangement as defined in claim 8, wherein said identifier is an electromechanical identifier.

11. Arrangement on vehicles equipped with wheels with pneumatic tires, having an evaluation and control unit arranged in the vehicle and one or more receiving antennas, that are assigned to individual wheels or groups of wheels of the vehicle and are connected to the evaluation and control unit via an RF receiver comprising

a demodulator, for use in a tire-pressure monitoring system in which a unit, that is mounted on the respective wheel and that comprises

a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure in the pneumatic tire and for generating an electric pressure-measurement signal,

a control circuit and

a transmitter with a sending antenna for sending out, under the control of the control circuit, the pressure-measuring signal or a signal derived therefrom in the form of a radio-frequency signal,

wherein each receiving antenna has assigned to it a separate RF receiver in combination with a demodulator, a circuit arrangement for the generation of a digital electric identification signal characteristic of the mounting location of the respective receiving antenna, and a BUS interface,

wherein the evaluation and control unit comprises a BUS interface, that the two BUS interfaces are connected one to the other by a BUS, for which purpose a plug-in connector is provided which is connected to the BUS by a first connector element and to the BUS interface of the RF receiver by a second connector element, and that the first connector element of the plug-in connector is designed so as to provide an identifier and to supply it to the circuit arrangement provided on the side of the RF receiver, through its connection to the second connector element, for the generation of the digital electric identification signal characteristic of the identifier of the first connector element,

wherein the BUS is part of a cable harness on which the first connector elements for the different mounting locations of the receiving antennas are mounted.

13. Arrangement on vehicles equipped with wheels with pneumatic tires, having an evaluation and control unit arranged in the vehicle and one or more receiving antennas, that are assigned to individual wheels or groups of wheels of the vehicle and are connected to the evaluation and control unit via an RF receiver comprising

a demodulator, for use in a tire-pressure monitoring system in which a unit, that is mounted on the respective wheel and that comprises

a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure in the pneumatic tire and for generating an electric pressure-measurement signal,

a control circuit and

a transmitter with a sending antenna for sending out, under the control of the control circuit, the pressure-measuring signal or a signal derived therefrom in the form of a radio-frequency signal,

wherein each receiving antenna has assigned to it a separate RF receiver in combination with a demodulator, a circuit arrangement for the generation of a digital electric identification signal characteristic of the mounting location of the respective receiving antenna, and a BUS interface,

wherein the evaluation and control unit comprises a BUS interface, that the two BUS interfaces are connected one to the other by a BUS, for which purpose a plug-in connector is provided which is connected to the BUS by a first connector element and to the BUS interface of the RF receiver by a second connector element, and that the first connector element of the plug-in connector is designed so as to provide an identifier and to supply it to the circuit arrangement provided on the side of the RF receiver, through its connection to the second connector element, for the generation of the digital electric identification signal characteristic of the identifier of the first connector element,

wherein said identifier is an electromechanical identifier.