Tag used for monitoring the tire pressure

• US 7,930,936 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2009
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Spiess, Bernhard Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo; Lisa M
• Assistant Examiner(s): JENKINS, JERMAINE L
• Application Number:
  US12/368,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20090145215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 73/146.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver

Abstract

A measuring method for measuring physical variables comprises the selection of a working point (AP) lying within a total measurement range (G) of a physical variable (M) to measured, the detection of a measured value (M(t1)) of the physical variable at a first measuring time (t1), the determination of a displacement value (V(t1)) as the result of a subtraction of the measures value (M(t1)) measured at the first measuring time from the working point (AP), the formation of change values (C(t2), C(t3) . . . C(tx)) of the physical variable (M) by acquiring subsequent measured values (M(t2), M(t3) . . . M(tx)) of the physical variable at subsequent measuring times (t2, t3 . . . tx) and addition of the displacement value (V(t1)) to the subsequent measured values.

Claims

1. A measuring method for measuring physical variables, comprising:

the selection of a working point within a total measurement range of a physical variable to be measured,

the detection of a measured value of the physical variable at a first measuring time,

the determination of a displacement value as the result of a subtraction of the measured value from the working point,

the formation of change values of the physical variable by acquiring at least one subsequent measured value of the physical variable during at least one subsequent measuring time and addition of the displacement value to the at least one subsequent measured value.

2. A measuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the change value exceeds the working point by more than a predetermined upper working range width or falls below the working point by more than a predetermined lower working range width, a new displacement value is determined by adding a variation value to the previous displacement value.

3. A measuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the change value exceeds the working point by more than a predetermined upper working range width or falls below the working point by more than a predetermined lower working range width, a new displacement value is determined as the result of a subtraction of the measured value, measured at this measuring time or at a subsequent measuring time from the working point.

4. A measuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein for the total measurement range of the physical variable to be measured an overall resolution of an analog-digital converter sampling the measured values is set, by dividing the total measurement range into a total number of quantization ranges, and a working range resolution of the digital-analog converter of a working range containing the working point is set, by subdividing the working range into a number of quantization ranges.

5. A measuring system having a sensor for detecting a physical variable and for emitting measured values of the detected physical variable, having an analog-digital converter for detecting the measured values emitted by the sensor and for converting them into digital measured values, wherein said system further comprises:

a calculator for determining a displacement value as the difference of a measured value measured at a first measuring time from a selected working point lying within a total measurement range of the physical variable, and a processor for adding the displacement value to the measured values supplied to the analog-digital converter, so that as output values the analog-digital converter supplies change values of the physical variable.

6. A measuring system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the processor includes a digital-analog converter, controlled by the calculator and of which the output signal represents the displacement value, and a summation circuit capable of receiving the output signal of the digital-analog converter.

7. A measuring system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the analog-digital converter has an offset voltage input for adjusting a displacement of a zero point of the digitization range of the analog-digital converter and the processor further comprises a controllable voltage source connected to the offset voltage input, which voltage source is adjustable by the calculator to a voltage representing the displacement value.

8. A measuring system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the analog-digital converter has a control input for setting the resolution.

9. A measuring system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the analog-digital converter is in the form of a sigma-delta converter.

10. A measuring system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the sensor is in the form of a pressure sensor and the measuring system is in the form of a tire pressure-measuring system.

11. A data carrier for measuring physical variables, having a measuring system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the data carrier comprises a transmitter for wireless transmission of the change values and/or of measured values of the measured physical variable determined by the measuring system.

12. A data carrier as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transmitter emits electromagnetic signals in the UHF band.

13. A data carrier as claimed in claim 11, wherein the data carrier comprises a receiver for receiving an electromagnetic field and for extracting electrical energy from the electromagnetic field for supplying the data carrier with electrical energy.

14. A data carrier as claimed in claim 13, wherein a chargeable battery in the form of a secondary cell, or a rechargeable energy storage mechanism, is provided, which are chargeable using energy from an electromagnetic field that is receivable by the receiver.