Recognizing tire sensor location in factory mode for TPMS and smart entry system

• US 9,399,376 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2010
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lickfelt, Brian K., Strock, Nicky
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Omer S
• Application Number:
  US12/851,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20110304442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.33
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0418 Sharing hardware components like housing, antenna, receiver or signal transmission line with other vehicle systems like keyless entry or brake control units
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/044 Near field triggers, e.g. magnets or triggers with 125 KHz
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0442 the transmitted signal comprises further information, e.g. instruction codes, sensor characteristics or identification data
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0444 Antenna structures, control or arrangements thereof, e.g. for directional antennas, diversity antenna, antenna multiplexing or antennas integrated in fenders
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0445 Means for changing operating mode, e.g. sleep mode, factory mode or energy saving mode
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0452 Antenna structure, control or arrangement vehicle tyre mounted antennas H01Q1/2241
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0454 Means for changing operation mode, e.g. sleep mode, factory mode or energy save mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0461 externally triggered, e.g. by wireless request signal, magnet or manual switch
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol

Abstract

A method for localizing tire sensors includes determining a wake up field power, transmitting an LF wake up field having the wake up field power from an LF antenna on the vehicle, receiving an identification signal from each tire sensor awakened by the transmitted LF wake up field, and determining whether a desired number of tire sensors have woken up in response to the transmitted LF wake up field based on the received identification signals. When the desired number of tire sensors have woken up, the method can further include recording the identification signals received from the awakened tire sensors and the respective antennas that awoke the respective tire sensors. The method further includes determining whether a desired number of antennas have transmitted a respective LF wake up field. When the desired number of antennas have transmitted a respective LF wake up field, the method can further include comparing the received identification signals and determining locations for the tire sensors based on which respective antenna woke up which respective tire sensor and whether the received identification signals match other received identification signals.

Claims

1. A method for localizing tire sensors on a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a wake up field power;

transmitting an LF wake up field having the wake up field power from an LF antenna on the vehicle, wherein the LF wake up field includes a unique header format, wherein each tire sensor is put in a partially awake mode to process the unique header format upon receiving the LF wake up field, wherein processing the unique header format includes determining if the unique header format matches a predetermined header format, wherein the each tire sensor is fully awakened from the partially awake mode and put in a fully awake mode upon determining that the unique header format matches the predetermined header format, wherein the each tire sensor is put in a sleep mode from the partially awake mode upon determining that the unique header format does not match the predetermined header format;

receiving an identification signal from each tire sensor that is fully awakened based on processing the unique header format included within the LF wake up field;

determining whether a desired number of tire sensors have fully woken up in response to the transmitted LF wake up field based on the received identification signal, wherein the desired number of tire sensors is greater than one;

when the desired number of tire sensors have fully woken up, recording the identification signals received from the fully awakened tire sensors and the respective antenna that fully awoke the respective tire sensors;

determining whether a desired number of antennas have transmitted a respective LF wake up field;

when the desired number of antennas have transmitted the respective LF wake up field, comparing the received identification signals and determining locations for the tire sensors based on which respective antenna fully woke up which respective tire sensor and whether the received identification signals match other received identification signals;

wherein when more than the desired number of tire sensors fully wake up, decreasing the wake up field power, transmitting another wake up field having a decreased wake up field power, receiving the identification signals from each tire sensor fully awakened by the another wake up field and determining whether the desired number of tire sensors have fully woken up in response to the transmitted another wake up field based on the received identification signals;

wherein when less than the desired number of antennas have transmitted a respective wake up field determining another wake up field power, transmitting another wake up field having the another wake up field power, and receiving the identification signals from each tire sensor fully awakened by the another transmitted wake up field;

wherein each tire sensor includes a receiving antenna and a received signal strength indication (“

RSSI”

) circuit for generating RSSI data that is a function of radiated power from respective LF fields being picked up by the receiving antenna, wherein each tire sensor is configured to transmit an RF signal including the RSSI data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when less than the desired number of tire sensors fully wake up, increasing the wake up field power, transmitting another wake up field having an increased wake up field power, receiving the identification signals from each tire sensor fully awakened by the another wake up field and determining whether the desired number of tire sensors have woken up in response to the transmitted another wake up field based on the received identification signals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining locations for the tire sensors further includes determining locations for the tire sensors based on receiving the RSSI data from the tire sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the LF antennas include a front LF antenna mounted towards a front of the vehicle, a rear LF antenna mounted towards a rear of the vehicle, a left side LF antenna mounted adjacent, in or on a left door of the vehicle, and a right side LF antenna mounted adjacent, in or on a right door of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

memorizing the received identification signals by storing each received identification signal and a corresponding tire sensor in a memory that is in communication with an ECU.

6. A method for localizing tire sensors on a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a wake up field power;

transmitting an LF wake up field having the wake up field power from an LF antenna on the vehicle to wake up tire sensors mounted within tires on the vehicle, wherein the LF wake up field includes a unique header format, wherein the tire sensors are put in a partially awake mode to process the unique header format upon receiving the LF wake up field, wherein processing the unique header format includes determining if the unique header format matches a predetermined header format, wherein the tire sensors are fully awakened from the partially awake mode and put in a fully awake mode upon determining that the unique header format matches the predetermined header format, wherein the tire sensors are put in a sleep mode from the partially awake mode upon determining that the unique header format does not match the predetermined header format, wherein the LF antenna is not located in a wheel well of the vehicle, wherein the LF antenna is closer to a first tire sensor as compared to other tire sensors, and wherein the LF antenna is configured to transmit an LF portable transmission/reception unit wake up field to wake up a portable transmissionireception unit for keyless entry of the vehicle, wherein the LF portable transmission/reception unit wake up field includes a different unique header format than the LF wake up field that does not put the tire sensors in the fully awake mode;

receiving an identification signal from the tire sensors that are fully awakened based on processing the unique header format included within the LF wake up field;

determining whether a desired number of tire sensors have fully woken up based on the identification signal received from the awakened tire sensors by a receiver on the vehicle in response to the LF wake up field, wherein the desired number of tire sensors is greater than two;

localizing the respective fully awakened tire sensors based on the identification signal received from the fully awakened tire sensors and the respective antenna that awoke the fully awakened tire sensors,

wherein when more than the desired number of tire sensors fully wake up, decreasing the wake up field power, transmitting another wake up field having a decreased wake up field power, and determining whether the desired number of tire sensors have fully woken up based on the received identification signal;

wherein when less than the desired number of tire sensors fully wake up, increasing the wake up field power, transmitting another wake up field having an increased wake up field power, and determining whether the desired number of tire sensors have fully woken up based on the received identification signal;

wherein each tire sensor includes a receiving antenna and a received signal strength indication (“

RSSI”

) circuit for generating RSSI data that is a function of radiated power from respective LF fields being picked up by the receiving antenna, wherein each tire sensor is configured to transmit an RF signal including the RSSI data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein localizing the respective awakened tire sensor further includes determining a location for the respective awakened tire sensor based on receiving the RSSI data from the tire sensor.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the LF antennas include a front LF antenna mounted towards a front of the vehicle, a rear LF antenna mounted towards a rear of the vehicle, a left side LF antenna mounted adjacent, in or on a left door of the vehicle, and a right side LF antenna mounted adjacent, in or on a right door of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the LF antennas include a left front LF antenna mounted near a left front corner of the vehicle, a left rear LF antenna mounted near a left rear corner of the vehicle, a right front LF antenna mounted near a right front corner of the vehicle, and a right rear LF antenna mounted near a right rear corner of the vehicle.