Tire pressure monitoring sensor with changing functionality based upon vehicle action

• US 9,586,448 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2014
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: McIntyre, Matthew D., Deniau, Jean-Christophe, Farrell, Brian J., Gad, Yasser
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dorsey, Renee
• Application Number:
  US14/182,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20140292505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/044 Near field triggers, e.g. magnets or triggers with 125 KHz
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0471 System initialisation, e.g. upload or calibration of operating parameters

Abstract

A tire pressure monitoring system includes a plurality of tire pressure monitoring sensors including low frequency wireless receivers and high frequency wireless transmitters. The system further includes a plurality of low frequency transmitters each being disposed proximate one of the plurality of tire pressure monitoring sensors. The system further includes a control module in communication with the plurality of tire pressure monitoring sensors through the plurality of low frequency transmitters. In a first phase of operation the control module causes the low frequency transmitters to transmit low frequency wireless signals to the tire pressure monitoring sensors causing the tire pressure monitoring sensors to transmit data to the control module at a rate. In a second phase or operation the tire pressure monitoring sensors transmit data to the control module at a second rate.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring tire pressure of a plurality of wheel units of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

sending an incoming transmission from a frequency initiator at a first incoming transmission rate for a predetermined period of time;

sending the incoming transmission from the frequency initiator at a second incoming rate in response to an elapse of the predetermined time;

receiving the incoming transmission with a wireless receiver at a tire pressure monitoring sensor;

detecting at the tire pressure monitoring sensor an incoming transmission rate for the incoming transmission;

in response to detecting the incoming transmission rate is greater than zero, transmitting a first outgoing transmission at a first outgoing rate; and

in response to detecting the incoming transmission rate is substantially zero, transmitting a second outgoing transmission at a second outgoing rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first outgoing rate is greater than the second outgoing rate.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

mounting at least one frequency initiator proximate to at least one of the plurality of wheel units.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving at the at least one frequency initiator a control module transmission transmitted by a control module.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

operating the control module in a first phase when the vehicle operates in a first vehicle mode; and

operating the control module in a second phase when the vehicle operates in a second vehicle mode.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in the first phase, at the control module, transmitting the control module transmission to the frequency initiator at a rate greater than zero.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in the second phase, at the control module, transmitting the control module transmission to the frequency initiator at a rate substantially equal to zero.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein the second incoming rate is substantially equal to zero.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the tire pressure monitoring sensor is in communication with the frequency initiator via a first communication link, the frequency initiator is in communication with the control module via a second communication link, and the tire pressure monitoring sensor is in communication with the control module via a third communication link.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first outgoing transmission and the second outgoing transmission are transmitted to a control module.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in response to receiving at least one of the first outgoing transmission and the second outgoing transmission, determining at the control module the location of at least one of the plurality of wheel units.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying an outgoing transmission rate at a control unit of the tire pressure monitoring sensor.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting at least one of the first outgoing transmission and the second outgoing transmission at a transmitter of the tire pressure monitoring sensor.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing tire pressure at a pressure sensor of the tire pressure monitoring sensor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first outgoing transmission and the second outgoing transmission comprises data representative of tire pressure sensed at the pressure sensor.

16. A tire pressure monitoring system, compromising:

a low frequency initiator configured to send an incoming transmission at a first incoming transmission rate for a predetermined period of time and send the incoming transmission at a second incoming rate in response to an elapse of the predetermined time; and

a tire pressure monitoring sensor including

a pressure sensor configured to generate tire pressure data,

a receiver configured to receive the incoming transmission from the low frequency initiator,

a transmitter, and

a central processing unit in communication with the pressure sensor, the transmitter, and the receiver, the central processing unit configured to detect an incoming transmission rate for the incoming transmission received at the receiver, the central processing unit further configured to cause the transmitter to transmit the tire pressure data at a first outgoing rate in response to detecting an incoming transmission rate greater than zero, the central processing unit further configured to cause the transmitter to transmit the tire pressure data at a second outgoing rate in response to detecting an incoming transmission rate substantially equal to zero.

17. The tire pressure monitoring sensor of claim 16, wherein the first outgoing rate is greater than the second outgoing rate.

18. The tire pressure monitoring sensor of claim 16, wherein the receiver is a low frequency wireless receiver and the transmitter is a high frequency wireless transmitter.

19. A non-transient computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method of monitoring tire pressure of a plurality of wheel units of a vehicle, the method comprising:

sending an incoming transmission from a frequency initiator at a first incoming transmission rate for a predetermined period of time;

sending the incoming transmission from the frequency initiator at a second incoming rate in response to an elapse of the predetermined time;

receiving the incoming transmission with a wireless receiver at a tire pressure monitoring sensor;

detecting at a tire pressure monitoring sensor an incoming transmission rate for the incoming transmission;

in response to detecting the incoming transmission rate is greater than zero, transmitting a first outgoing transmission at a first outgoing rate; and

in response to detecting the incoming transmission rate is substantially zero, transmitting a second outgoing transmission at a second outgoing rate.