This application relates to a tire sensor configuring device and a smart tire system including the same. In one aspect, the tire sensor configuring device includes a transceiver receiving a communication module identification code of a communication module provided in a vehicle to communicate with a smart tire management server, tire identification codes of a plurality of tires mounted to the vehicle, and sensor identification codes of sensor modules respectively attached to the plurality of tires. The tire sensor configuring device may also include a controller configured to arrange the communication module identification code, the tire identification codes, and the sensor identification codes according to a protocol previously created in association with the smart tire management server to form a packet. The transceiver transmits the packet to the communication module.

An apparatus is provided for auto-locating positions of a plurality of wireless sensors on a vehicle. The apparatus comprises a receiving unit for receiving signals from the plurality of wireless sensors. The apparatus further comprises a processing unit arranged to calculate a probability value for each one of the plurality of wireless sensors based upon signals that have accumulated over a period of time to provide a table of probability values. Each probability value contained in the table during a calculation cycle of the processing unit is indicative of likelihood of one of the plurality of wireless sensors being located at a corresponding one of a plurality of positions on the vehicle. Each one of the plurality of wireless sensors is associated with the position having the highest probability value during the calculation cycle.

A transceiver of a spare wheel includes a sensing unit having a pressure sensor and an acceleration sensor configured to output a detection signal according to a tire pressure of the spare wheel and an acceleration generated in the spare wheel, a first control unit configured to create a frame that processes the detection signal indicating the tire pressure and stores it as data related to the tire pressure, and a first transmitter receiver configured to transmit the frame. A receiver includes a second transceiver configured to receive a frame and transmit a response signal indicating that the frame is received and a second control unit configured to detect the tire pressure and transmit a response signal from the second transceiver when the frame is received.

A transmitter includes a power source of the transmitter, a condition detecting section that detects a condition of a tire, a data generating section that generates transmission data that contains tire condition data indicating the condition of the tire detected by the condition detecting section, a transmitting section that modulates the transmission data and transmits the modulated data, a storage section storing a correspondence relationship in which values of a specific bit among bits of the transmission data that change as the wheel assembly rotates are respectively assigned to specific angles set for the rotation angle of the wheel assembly, and a transmission control section that transmits the transmission data from the transmitting section when detecting that the rotation angle of the wheel assembly is any of the specific angles.

A tire pressure monitoring unit is mounted on a vehicle wheel having a pressure and acceleration sensor. A method for assigning wheel positions includes pressure and acceleration data determined from the sensors. The pressure data and at least one piece of information derived from the acceleration data are transmitted wirelessly in a data telegram together with a characteristic identifier. Information concerning the reliability of the information derived from the acceleration data is acquired in the tire pressure monitoring unit on the basis of the measurements and is transmitted with the data telegram. A central evaluation unit considers a plurality of data telegrams and, taking account of data from the ABS sensors, assigns the individual tire pressure monitoring units to wheel positions. Data telegrams in which the reliability is higher receive a greater weighting, and data telegrams in which the reliability is smaller receive a smaller weighting.

A method for determining the position of a radial acceleration sensor of a wheel of a motor vehicle, including: acquiring, by the sensor, signals S.sub.i which are acquired during a predetermined time window W.sub.i when the vehicle is in motion, the windows W.sub.i being different from one another; detecting, for each time window W.sub.i, local extrema of the signal S.sub.i; determining, for each time window W.sub.i, a frequency F.sub.i of the rotation of the wheel of the vehicle as a function of the phase values and of the detection instants for the local extrema detected; filtering of the signals S.sub.i, so as to obtain, for each time window W.sub.i, a filtered value Z.sub.i; and determining the radial distance R.sub.c between the radial acceleration sensor and the axis of rotation of the wheel.

A method for detecting wheel units mounted at wheels of a vehicle and for detecting wheel mounting positions belonging to each of the wheel units is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: positioning a mobile communication device at a predetermined start position with respect to the vehicle moving the mobile communication device from the start position along a path around the vehicle receiving RF signals from the wheel units and measuring the RF signal strengths thereof by the mobile communication device when moving along the path around the vehicle performing an analysis of variations of the measured RF signal strengths of the received RF signals depending on the position of the mobile communication device along the path identifying the wheel units and identifying the wheel mounting positions based on a result of the analysis.

A method for determining the instantaneous frequency and phase of a periodic signal includes: acquiring a periodic signal characteristic of the frequency to be determined and a particular point of which is characteristic of a reference of the phase of the signal; identifying, by optimization, a reference sequence in at least one consecutive portion of the signal; determining a temporal evolution of the frequency of the signal by computing a function of the lag between the identification of the reference sequence in at least one consecutive portion of the signal; determining an instant corresponding to a point characteristic of a reference of the phase of the signal in the course of the period of the signal, and deducing therefrom the temporal evolution of the frequency, the instantaneous phase of the signal with respect to the point characteristic of phase reference.

A method for locating at least one wheel of a vehicle, the wheels each being equipped with an electronic device which sends a wheel rotation signal to a central unit, a speed sensor for each wheel which supplies a signal to the central unit. For each electronic device, at least two sequences of several acquisitions are performed by formation of the signal with simultaneous acquisition by the central unit of the signal transmitted by each speed sensor. A pairing is performed of the two signals for an electronic device with each of the wheel speed signals. For each pair, a phase offset is measured between the two signals. When a constant phase offset is measured in the pairs with a speed sensor, the electronic device associated with the signal is identified as being assigned to the wheel associated with the speed sensor.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of automotive technologies, and disclose a tire location positioning method and apparatus, a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) receiver, a tire pressure sensor, a TPMS and an automobile. The method includes: controlling a first exciter to send a first excitation signal, and controlling a second exciter to send a second excitation signal; respectively receiving response signals that are generated according to the first excitation signal or the second excitation signal by all tire pressure sensors; performing positioning on front and rear wheels according to times when the response signals are received, to identify response signals sent by tire pressure sensors of the front and rear wheels; and performing positioning on left and right wheels according to the signal strength information, to identify response signals sent by tire pressure sensors of the left and right wheels.