Electronic wheel unit and control device for a wheel-monitoring system of a vehicle, wheel-monitoring system for a vehicle and method for monitoring wheels in a vehicle

Abstract

An electronic wheel unit for a wheel-monitoring system of a vehicle is disposed on one of the wheels and is configured to detect at least one wheel operating parameter of the wheel and to transmit wheel operating data telegrams according to a data transmission protocol wirelessly to a control device, configured to receive and evaluate the wheel operating data telegrams. The electronic control unit defines the data transmission protocol, which is to be used to transmit the wheel operating data telegrams, by using specification data which have previously been transmitted from the control device to the electronic wheel unit. Therefore, automatic adaptation of the data transmission protocol to the respective control device or the respective vehicle can advantageously take place. A control device for such a wheel monitoring system and a system and a method for monitoring wheels are also provided.

Claims

1. In a wheel-monitoring system for a vehicle equipped with vehicle wheels and a control device, the improvement comprising: an electronic wheel unit configured to detect, while being disposed on one of the vehicle wheels, at least one wheel operating parameter of the vehicle wheel and to transmit wheel operating data telegrams wirelessly to the control device of the vehicle according to a data transmission protocol, the control device being configured to receive and evaluate the wheel operating data telegrams; and the electronic wheel unit being configured to define the data transmission protocol to be used to transmit the wheel operating data telegrams based on specification data having previously been transferred from the control device of the vehicle to said electronic wheel unit.

2. The electronic wheel unit according to claim 1, which further comprises a receiver unit for receiving the specification data transmitted wirelessly.

3. The electronic wheel unit according to claim 1, wherein the specification data contain setting parameters, and the electronic wheel unit is configured to set the data transmission protocol to be used according to the setting parameters.

4. The electronic wheel unit according to claim 1, wherein the specification data contain a program code, and the electronic wheel unit is configured to make the program code run in order to control a generation of the wheel operating data telegrams.

5. The electronic wheel unit according to claim 1, wherein the specification data contain an identification of at least one of the control device or the vehicle, and the electronic wheel unit is configured to select the data transmission protocol to be used from a multiplicity of data transmission protocols, stored in said electronic wheel unit, according to the identification.

6. The electronic wheel unit according to claim 1, wherein the electronic wheel unit is configured to transmit, to the control device, a request signal as a request to transfer the specification data.

7. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein the electronic wheel unit is part of the wheel monitoring system.

8. In a vehicle equipped with a wheel-monitoring system and vehicle wheels, at least one of the vehicle wheels having an electronic wheel unit disposed thereon for detecting at least one wheel operating parameter of the respective vehicle wheel and for transmitting wheel operating data telegrams wirelessly according to a data transmission protocol, the improvement comprising: a control device for the wheel-monitoring system, the control device being configured to receive and evaluate the wheel operating data telegrams; and the control device being configured to transfer specification data to the electronic wheel unit for enabling the electronic wheel unit to define the data transmission protocol to be used to transmit the wheel operating data telegrams based on the specification data.

9. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the control device is configured to obtain the specification data at least partially from an external data server.

10. The control device according to claim 8, which further comprises a transmitter unit for transmitting the specification data wirelessly to the electronic wheel unit.

11. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the specification data contain setting parameters for enabling the electronic wheel unit to set the data transmission protocol to be used, according to the setting parameters.

12. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the specification data contain a program code for enabling the electronic wheel unit to make the program code run in order to control a generation of the wheel operating data telegrams.

13. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the specification data contain an identification of at least one of the control device or the vehicle, in order to enable the electronic wheel unit to select the data transmission protocol to be used from a multiplicity of data transmission protocols, stored in the electronic wheel unit, according to the identification.

14. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the control device is configured to transmit the specification data to the electronic wheel unit in response to a request signal transmitted by the electronic wheel unit.

15. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the control device is configured to adapt the specification data to a type of electronic wheel unit.

16. The improvement according to claim 8, wherein the control device is part of the wheel monitoring system.

17. A method for monitoring wheels in a vehicle equipped with vehicle wheels, the method comprising the following steps: using an electronic wheel unit disposed on at least one of the vehicle wheels to detect at least one wheel operating parameter of the vehicle wheel; using the electronic wheel unit to transmit wheel operating data telegrams wirelessly to a control device according to a data transmission protocol; using the control device to receive and evaluate the wheel operating data telegrams of the vehicle; and in the electronic wheel unit, defining the data transmission protocol used to transmit the wheel operating data telegrams on a basis of specification data having previously been transferred from the control device of the vehicle to the electronic wheel unit.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable program product having a program code stored thereon which, when executed on a data processing device, performs a method for monitoring wheels in a vehicle equipped with vehicle wheels comprising the following steps: using an electronic wheel unit disposed on at least one of the vehicle wheels to detect at least one wheel operating parameter of the vehicle wheel; using the electronic wheel unit to transmit wheel operating data telegrams wirelessly to a control device according to a data transmission protocol; using the control device to receive and evaluate the wheel operating data telegrams of the vehicle; and in the electronic wheel unit, defining the data transmission protocol used to transmit the wheel operating data telegrams on a basis of specification data having previously been transferred from the control device of the vehicle to the electronic wheel unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) The invention is described in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments with reference to the enclosed drawings, Of the said figures:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of a vehicle according to one exemplary embodiment, which is equipped with a wheel-monitoring system,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a block circuit diagram of an electronic wheel unit used in the wheel-monitoring system in FIG. 1, and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating a method for monitoring wheels carried out with the wheel-monitoring system in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 1, here for example a four-wheel passenger car with vehicle wheels W1-W4.

(6) Each of the vehicle wheels W1-W4 is equipped with an electronic wheel unit 10-1,10-2,10-3 or 10-4, arranged thereon, for detecting at least one wheel operating parameter of the respective vehicle wheel W1, W2, W3 or W4 and for transmitting associated wheel operating data telegrams R1, R2, R3 or R4.

(7) The transmission of the wheel operating data telegrams R1 to R4 is carried out according to a data transmission protocol by radio to a control device 20 of the vehicle 1.

(8) In the illustrated example, a tire pressure-monitoring system (TPMS) of the vehicle 1 is made available using the electronic wheel units 10-1 to 10-4.

(9) Accordingly, in the embodiment shown, the electronic wheel units 10-1 to 10-4 detect in each case at least the tire pressure of the respective vehicle wheel of the vehicle wheels W1 to W4, wherein the vehicle wheels W1 to W4 in this example are each formed by a rim with an air-filled tire mounted thereon, and the electronic wheel units 10-1 to 10-4 transmit wheel operating data containing at least one item of information about the tire pressure to the control device 20 of the vehicle 1. Further wheel operating parameters which are to be detected and from which a corresponding item of information can be incorporated into the transmitted wheel operating data can be e.g. in particular a temperature measured at the respective tire or else e.g. a wheel rotational position and/or a wheel rotational speed.

(10) The electronic wheel units 10-1 to 10-4 have, in the embodiment shown, an identical design and can be arranged e.g. on an inner side of a tire tread surface of the respective tire.

(11) Referring to FIG. 2, which shows by way of example the design of the electronic wheel unit 10-1, each of the wheel units has a pressure sensor 12 for measuring the tire pressure and for making available a pressure sensor signal p representing the tire pressure and an acceleration sensor 13 for measuring a radial acceleration (at the location where the electronic wheel unit 10-1 is mounted) and for making available an acceleration sensor signal a which represents this radial acceleration.

(12) The sensor signals, i.e. the pressure sensor signal p and the acceleration sensor signal a are, as illustrated, fed for processing to a program-controlled computer unit 14 of the electronic wheel unit 10-1, the operation of which is controlled by a program code stored in an assigned digital memory unit 15.

(13) The computer unit 14 generates the wheel operating data which are to be transmitted in the form of the wheel operating data telegrams R1 by radio and which are transmitted from time to time to the vehicle-side control device 20 (FIG. 1).

(14) The electronic wheel unit 10-1 is equipped for this purpose with a radio transceiver unit 16 with which the radio signals and/or wheel operating data telegrams R1 are transmitted.

(15) The control device 20 is, as illustrated in FIG. 1, equipped with a radio transceiver unit 26 with which the wheel operating data telegrams R1 to R4 of all the electronic wheel units 10-1 to 10-4 are received and fed for evaluation to a program-controlled computer unit 22 of the control device 20.

(16) The measurement of the radial acceleration and provision of the corresponding acceleration sensor signal a serves in the illustrated example to acquire, on the basis of an evaluation of the sensor signal profile, values of an instantaneous wheel rotational speed and/or of a wheel rotational position of the respective vehicle wheel W1 and to incorporate corresponding information on this into the wheel operating data telegrams R1. Even though not illustrated in FIG. 2, the electronic wheel unit 10-1 can also have e.g. a temperature sensor for measuring a tire temperature and for making available a sensor signal representing this temperature.

(17) Returning to FIG. 1, the vehicle-side control device 20 has, as already explained, the program-controlled computer unit 22 for evaluating the wheel operating data contained in the wheel operating data telegrams R1 to R4, wherein the operation of the computer unit 22 is controlled by a program code stored in an assigned digital memory unit 24.

(18) The electronic wheel units 10-1 to 10-4 form in the illustrated example, in conjunction with the control device 20, a wheel-monitoring system of the vehicle 1, in which, inter alia, the respective tire pressure is measured in each case at each of the vehicle wheels W1 to W4, and information about this is transmitted to the control device 20 of the vehicle 1 by means of the respective wheel operating data telegrams R1 to R4.

(19) In the case of a loss of tire pressure being detected at one of the vehicle wheels W1 to W4 by the control device 20 on the basis of the received tire pressure data, a corresponding abnormality message, in particular e.g. a warning to the driver of the vehicle 1 (e.g. via a man/machine interface of the vehicle 1) can be made available by the control device 20.

(20) A particularity of the electronic wheel unit 10-1 (and correspondingly also of the further wheel units 10-2 to 10-4) is that it is designed to define the data transmission protocol, to be used to transmit the wheel operational data telegrams R1 on the basis of specification data SD which, in the embodiment shown, have been previously transferred from the control device 20 of the vehicle 1 to the electronic wheel unit 10-1 in a wireless fashion.

(21) In the illustrated example, the reception of specification data SD transmitted by radio takes place by means of the radio transceiver unit 16 of the electronic wheel unit 10-1.

(22) The data transmission protocol to be used to transmit the wheel operating data telegrams R1 is defined in a program-controlled fashion by the computer unit 14 on the basis of the specification data SD passed on from the radio transceiver unit 16 to the computer unit 14.

(23) In the illustrated example, the definition of the data transmission protocol, that is to say the definition of the specific way in which the wheel operating data in the individual wheel operating data telegrams R1 are presented and structured (and if appropriate the definition of specific technical radio parameters of the radio signals), is controlled by software which is stored in the memory unit 15. In this context, in particular one or more of the following functionalities can be implemented:

(24) For example, there can be provision that the electronic wheel unit 10-1 detects setting parameters contained in the specification data SD as such and sets a data transmission protocol, already basically defined by the software, in terms of fine adjustment according to the received setting parameters.

(25) Alternatively or additionally there can be provision that the electronic wheel unit 10-1 detects a program code in the specification data SD and makes this program code run on the computer unit specifically in order to control the generation of the wheel operating data telegrams R1.

(26) Finally, there can alternatively or additionally be provision that the electronic wheel unit 10-1 detects an identification, contained in the specification data SD, of the control device 20 and/or of the vehicle 1 and in accordance with this identification selects the data transmission protocol to be used from a multiplicity of data transmission protocols stored in advance in the electronic wheel unit 10-1 or in the memory unit 15 of the electronic wheel unit 10-1.

(27) The identification here can uniquely characterize e.g. a specific type (model, version number etc.) of the control device 20 or a specific type of the vehicle 1 (manufacturer, model series, year of manufacture etc.)

(28) The selection can be made for example as a calling of the data transmission protocol (or of data necessary to define the same) from a lookup table stored in advance in the memory unit 15.

(29) In the illustrated example, the control device 20 is designed to transmit the specification data SD to the electronic wheel unit 10-1 to 10-4 by means of the radio transceiver unit 26, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

(30) There are various possibilities regarding the time of transfer of the specification data SD.

(31) For example, this can occur from time to time, for instance at regular time intervals. In this context it is also possible to provide variation of the time intervals as a function of specific circumstances, for instance clustered transmission immediately after the activation of the control device 20 and/or after the start of a driving operation of the vehicle 1.

(32) Moreover, it is conceivable that a user can trigger, e.g. via a man/machine interface of the vehicle 1, emission of the specification data SD by means of the control device 20.

(33) In this way, e.g. workshop personnel can initiate training of the new electronic wheel unit with respect to the data transmission protocol to be used, after the replacement of an electronic wheel unit (e.g. within the scope of a tire change or wheel change).

(34) As an alternative to or in addition to transmission of the specification data SD being provided from time to time, it is also possible to provide that a request signal, which is specifically predetermined or defined in advance as a request to transfer the specification data SD, is transmitted in e.g. a wireless fashion to the control device 20, in response to which the control device 20 transfers the specification data SD.

(35) If, as is provided in the illustrated example, a bidirectional radio data link is present between the control device 20 and each of the electronic wheel units 10-1 to 10-4, a request can also advantageously be transferred to the control device 20 via this link.

(36) As an alternative to or in addition to a possibility of transferring the request by radio, whether by using the radio transceiver units 16 and 26 or by means of close-range communication devices provided separately therefrom (e.g. according to the Bluetooth standard or WiFi standard or the like), the transfer could also be effected e.g. by means of a vehicle-side charging station for inductively charging mobile devices.

(37) FIG. 1 shows byway of example such an inductive charging station 30 with the additional functionality of a data transmission which can be used e.g. by workshop personnel to train an electronic wheel unit by moving the electronic wheel unit into the effective range of the inductive charging station 30, in order thereby to transfer a request to transfer the specification data SD to the control device 20.

(38) As an alternative to or in addition to emitting the specification data SD by means of the radio transceiver unit 26, in this case is also possible to transfer the specification data SD to the electronic wheel unit via the inductive charging station 30.

(39) The specification data SD transferred from the control device 20 can contain, in particular, one or more of the contents (setting parameters, program code, identification) which have already been explained above.

(40) Moreover, by means of the radio transceiver units 16 and 26 and/or the inductive charging station 30 and/or other close-range communication devices it is possible to transfer wheel data from the electronic wheel units 10-1 to 10-4 to the control device 20 and/or from the control device 20 to the electronic wheel units 10-1 to 10-4. The wheel data can contain here e.g. rim dimensions and/or tire dimensions such as rim diameters or tire diameters as well as other properties (e.g. manufacturer, tire type, tire DOT code etc.) of the respective vehicle wheel W1-W4.

(41) FIG. 3 illustrates a method, carried out with the described wheel-monitoring system, for monitoring wheels in its essential steps.

(42) In a step S1 specification data SD are transferred from the control device 20 to the electronic wheel units 10-1 to 10-4, and in a step S2 wheel operating parameters of the respective vehicle wheel are respectively detected and processed further by the electronic wheel units 10-1 to 10-4 (if appropriate step S1 can also be triggered by a corresponding request, as has already been explained).

(43) In a step S3 wheel operating data telegrams R1, R2, R3 and R4 are respectively generated by the electronic wheel unit 10-1 to 10-4 and are each transmitted to the control device 20 at specific time intervals in a step S4 by means of the respective transceiver unit 26.

(44) In one development of this method and of the wheel-monitoring system described above, the control device 20 is equipped with or connected to a mobile radio unit for enabling a data communication between the control device 20 and an external device such as e.g. an Internet server.

(45) FIG. 1 illustrates by way of example such a mobile radio unit 32 which implements an Internet access of the vehicle 1 by means of a mobile radio network N.

(46) This development possesses, in particular, the following two advantages within the scope of the invention: On the one hand, the control device 20 is therefore enabled to obtain the necessary specification data SD partially or completely from the specified external device (e.g. an Internet data server), which makes it possible to dispense with corresponding storage of such data or data parts in the vehicle 1. The corresponding data can be requested e.g. by the control device 20 (if appropriate by transferring an identification of the control device 20 or of the vehicle 1) from the external device. On the other hand, the mobile radio unit 32 can advantageously be used in the case in which an electronic wheel unit transmits a request to transfer specification data SD to the control device 20, and in this context transfers, as part of the request or separately therefrom, an identification code of this electronic wheel unit to the control device 20. In this case, the request can be passed on to the external device by means of the mobile radio communication, in response to which the requested specification data SD, which are adapted to the electronic wheel unit, are transferred by means of the mobile radio communication to the control device 20, from which the specification data SD are transferred onto the electronic wheel unit.

LIST OF REFERENCE DESIGNATIONS

(47) 1 Vehicle W1 to W4 Vehicle wheels 10-1 to 10-4 Electronic wheel units R1 to R4 Wheel operating data telegrams 12 Pressure sensor p Pressure sensor signal 13 Acceleration sensor a Acceleration sensor signal 14 Computer unit 15 Memory unit 16 Radio transceiver unit 20 Control device 22 Computer unit 24 Memory unit 26 Radio transceiver unit SD Specification data 30 Inductive charging station 32 Mobile radio unit N Mobile media network S1 Step S2 Step S3 Step S4 Step