System and method for controlling vehicle tpms sensor positioning

Abstract

The present disclosure provides "Systems and methods for controlling vehicle TPMS sensor positioning." Methods and apparatuses for controlling vehicle TPMS sensor positioning are disclosed. An example vehicle includes a plurality of tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensors, a communication module, and a controller. The controller is to: detect an initiation event associated with the vehicle; and in response to detecting the initiation event, determine whether first positioning information is valid based on information associated with the TPMS sensors. The controller is also to: initiate a positioning procedure at the TPMS sensors via the communication module when the first positioning information is not valid.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to tire pressure, and more specifically to systems and methods for controlling the positioning of vehicle TPMS sensors. Background Technology

[0002] Typically, a vehicle includes tires coupled to the respective wheel flanges. Tires are generally formed of rubber (e.g., synthetic rubber, natural rubber), fabric, wiring, and / or other materials and compounds that reduce wheel wear during vehicle operation, improve handling, and / or influence other vehicle characteristics (e.g., fuel economy). Recently, vehicles have implemented tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) that monitor tire pressure and / or other tire characteristics. For example, a vehicle may include a TPMS sensor for each of its tires.

[0003] TPMS sensors measure the pressure of the corresponding vehicle tires and transmit the measured pressure to the vehicle for display to the driver. TPMS sensors are located inside the tire rim and transmit information at a slower rate to conserve battery life. Each TPMS sensor provides information about tire pressure, which can be used to determine the position of the corresponding tire. When tires are rotated or completely replaced, the TPMS sensors may no longer correspond to their previous positions on the vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The appended claims define this application. This disclosure summarizes various aspects of the embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims. Upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other implementations are contemplated based on the techniques described herein, and that such implementations are intended to fall within the scope of this application.

[0005] An exemplary embodiment for controlling the positioning of a vehicle's TPMS sensors is illustrated. A disclosed exemplary vehicle includes a plurality of tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensors, a communication module, and a controller. The controller is configured to: detect an initiation event associated with the vehicle; and, in response to detecting the initiation event, determine whether first positioning information is valid based on information associated with the TPMS sensors. The controller is further configured to: initiate a positioning procedure at the TPMS sensors via the communication module when the first positioning information is invalid.

[0006] A disclosed exemplary method includes: detecting an initiation event associated with a vehicle via a processor. The method further includes: in response to detecting the initiation event, determining whether first positioning information is valid based on information associated with a plurality of tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensors of the vehicle. The method further includes: when the first positioning information is invalid, initiating a positioning procedure at the TPMS sensors via the processor. Attached Figure Description

[0007] To better understand the present invention, reference can be made to the embodiments shown in the following figures. Components in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and related elements may be omitted, or in some cases the scale may be exaggerated to emphasize and clearly illustrate the novel features described herein. Additionally, as is known in the art, system components may be arranged in different ways. Furthermore, in the figures, the same reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all views.

[0008] Figure 1 An exemplary vehicle is shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0009] Figure 2 Show Figure 1 An exemplary block diagram of the electronic components of a vehicle.

[0010] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0011] While the invention may be embodied in various forms, some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings and will be described below, wherein it should be understood that this disclosure is considered to be an example of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown.

[0012] Typically, a vehicle includes tires coupled to the respective wheel rims. Tires are generally formed of rubber (e.g., synthetic rubber, natural rubber), fabric, wiring, and / or other materials and compounds that reduce wheel wear during vehicle operation, improve handling, and / or influence other vehicle characteristics (e.g., fuel economy). Recently, vehicles have implemented tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) that monitor tire pressure and / or other tire characteristics. For example, a vehicle may include a TPMS sensor for each tire. In this case, if one of the TPMS sensors detects low tire pressure, a cluster output device for the vehicle is activated to alert the vehicle's driver (e.g., the chauffeur) to the low tire pressure. Typically, TPMS sensors are configured to collect tire pressure measurements every minute (or every few minutes).

[0013] Examples disclosed herein include a TPMS controller that detects initiation events of a vehicle. For example, initiation events detected by the TPMS controller include: the vehicle transitioning from a stopped state (e.g., a stopped state) to a moving state (e.g., a moving state); the vehicle meeting a threshold speed (e.g., the vehicle traveling at a speed exceeding 8 km / h); or the vehicle determining that a pressure value received from a sensor is below a "low pressure" threshold.

[0014] Upon detecting an initiation event, the TPMS controller determines whether previously collected location information is valid. For example, the TPMS controller may use timestamps, location information (e.g., GPS orientation / location information), sensor identifiers, etc., associated with the previously collected location information to determine whether the previously collected location information is valid.

[0015] If the TPMS controller determines that the previously collected location information is valid, the TPMS controller skips (e.g., abandons) the location procedure at the current time to conserve battery life.

[0016] If the TPMS controller determines that previously collected location information is invalid, it initiates a location procedure to collect updated location information. For example, the TPMS controller activates the vehicle's TPMS sensors into a two-way pairing state upon detecting a vehicle initiation event. To activate the TPMS sensors in two-way state, the TPMS controller issues a low-frequency pairing request to the TPMS sensors via... Low-power and / or other communication protocols are used to establish communication with the TPMS sensor, and commands are sent to the TPMS sensor via the established communication pair to collect tire pressure data. Alternatively or additionally, the TPMS controller may communicate via wireless communication protocols (such as...) The TPMS sensor can send a pairing request via low power or Wi-Fi, and can be configured to periodically interrupt the opening of the receive buffer upon receiving a pairing request to pair with the vehicle (e.g., the TPMS controller).

[0017] Turn to the attached diagram. Figure 1 An exemplary vehicle 100 is shown according to the teachings of this document. Vehicle 100 may be a standard gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, and / or any other type of mobility implementation. Vehicle 100 includes mobility-related components, such as a powertrain having an engine, transmission, suspension, drive axle, and / or wheels. Vehicle 100 may be non-autonomous, semi-autonomous (e.g., some routine mobility functions controlled by vehicle 100), or autonomous (e.g., mobility functions controlled by vehicle 100 without direct driver input).

[0018] The vehicle 100 shown in the example includes an engine. For example, the engine includes an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a hybrid engine, and / or any other power source that propels the vehicle 100 to move.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, vehicle 100 includes tire 102 and tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensor 104. For example, tire 102 is coupled to the corresponding wheel flange of vehicle 100. In some examples, tire 102 is formed of rubber (e.g., synthetic rubber, natural rubber), fabric, wiring, and / or other materials and compounds that reduce wheel wear, improve handling, and / or affect other vehicle characteristics (e.g., fuel economy) during operation of vehicle 100. Furthermore, in some examples, tire 102 includes a tread (e.g., a grooved pattern) on its outer surface to further improve handling during operation of vehicle 100.

[0020] The illustrated example TPMS sensor 104 includes circuitry configured to determine tire pressure and / or other characteristics of tire 102. For example, each TPMS sensor 104 includes one or more processors and / or memories that enable it to perform one or more functions. Each TPMS sensor 104 also includes a pressure sensor for detecting the tire pressure of a corresponding tire 102. Furthermore, each TPMS sensor 104 includes circuitry facilitating communication with one or more devices or systems, such as the communication module 120 of vehicle 100. For example, each TPMS sensor 104 includes one or more antennas configured to (i) receive and transmit data collected from the pressure sensor and / or one or more other sensors of the TPMS sensor 104 and (ii) receive signals / requests (e.g., start signals / requests, wake-up signals / requests, pairing signals / requests, commands, etc.) from the communication module 120 of vehicle 100. Each TPMS sensor 104 has one or more antennas and / or communication modules that enable communication via low-frequency signals, high-frequency signals, ultra-high-frequency signals (e.g., 315MHz and / or 433MHz), ultra-wideband (UWB) signals, Communication protocols The vehicle 100 communicates with its communication module 120 using low-power (BLE) protocols, Wi-Fi communication protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac), etc.

[0021] The illustrated example communication module 120 includes a wired or wireless network interface for communication with an external network. Communication module 120 also includes hardware (e.g., processor, memory, storage device, antenna, etc.) and software for controlling the wired or wireless network interface. In the illustrated example, communication module 120 includes one or more communication controllers for cellular networks (e.g., Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)), Near Field Communication (NFC), and / or other standards-based networks (e.g., WiMAX (IEEE 802.16m); Near Field Communication (NFC), Local Area Networks (including IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac or others), Wireless Gigabit (IEEE 802.11ad), etc.). In some examples, communication module 120 includes a wired or wireless interface (e.g., an auxiliary port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, etc.). Wireless nodes, etc., are coupled for communication with mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, wearable devices, smartwatches, tablets, etc.). In some examples, communication module 120 implements... and / or BLE protocol. and the BLE protocol in Technology Alliance maintained This is described in Volume 6 of Specification 4.0 (and subsequent versions). In some examples, vehicle 100 may communicate with external networks via, for example, coupled mobile devices. One or more external networks may be: public networks, such as the Internet; private networks, such as intranets; or combinations thereof, and one or more external networks may utilize a variety of networking protocols now available or to be developed later, including but not limited to networking protocols based on Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP).

[0022] exist Figure 1 In the example shown, each TPMS sensor 104 includes a low-frequency (LF) receiver 106 to facilitate communication with the LF antenna 125 via low-frequency transmissions. For example, the LF antenna 125 may transmit a wake-up request via the low-frequency (LF) transmissions received by the LF receiver 106. The LF receiver 106 may then cause the TPMS sensor 104 to switch from sleep mode to active mode.

[0023] In addition, vehicle 100 includes a TPMS controller 130. For example, TPMS controller 130 is configured to activate, locate the TPMS sensor 104 of the corresponding tire 102, collect measurement results from the TPMS sensor 104 of the corresponding tire 102, and present one or more alarms based on the TPMS sensor 104 of the corresponding tire 102. That is, TPMS controller 130 collects tire pressure measurements from the TPMS sensor 104 of vehicle 100, compares the collected tire pressure measurements with tire pressure thresholds, and presents a low-pressure alarm to a user (e.g., a driver) when one or more tire pressure measurements are below the tire pressure thresholds. The tire pressure thresholds may correspond to the lower limit of the tire pressure recommended by the manufacturer for tires 102 and / or vehicle 100.

[0024] In the example shown, the TPMS sensor 104 is configured to be in sleep mode (also known as stop mode) and active mode (also known as driving mode).

[0025] When it is determined that vehicle 100 has stopped for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.) and / or vehicle 100 is traveling at a speed less than a predetermined speed (e.g., 8 km / h, 16 km / h, etc.), TPMS sensor 104 is set to sleep mode. Vehicle 100 can stop for a predetermined period of time when it is parked and / or when it is in traffic. For example, one or more TPMS sensors 104 of vehicle 100 include sensors (e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers, etc.) for detecting the rotation of a corresponding tire 102. That is, the sensor detects the movement of tire 102. When the sensor detects that tire 102 has stopped, TPMS sensor 104 determines that vehicle 100 has stopped. If TPMS sensor 104 determines that vehicle 100 has stopped for a predetermined period of time, TPMS controller 130 sets TPMS sensor 104 to sleep mode. Furthermore, when the TPMS sensor 104 is in sleep mode, the pressure sensor of the TPMS sensor 104 collects tire pressure measurements at longer intervals (e.g., every 6 hours) to reduce the amount of energy consumed by the TPMS sensor 104 over a given period of time. In some examples, the TPMS sensor 104 periodically broadcasts (e.g., every 6 hours) "significant characteristics" including pressure information and sensor identifiers.

[0026] The TPMS controller 130 sets the TPMS sensor 104 to an active mode when it determines that the vehicle 100 is moving. For example, when the sensor detects that the tire 102 is rotating, the TPMS sensor 104 determines that the vehicle 100 is moving. The TPMS sensor 104 is activated to monitor the tire 102 when transitioning from sleep mode to active mode. For example, to activate the TPMS sensor 104, communication is established between the TPMS sensor 102 and the communication module 120 of the vehicle 100 to pair the TPMS sensor 104 with the communication module 120 and / or one or more other communication modules of the vehicle 100. For example, the TPMS controller 130 via BLE, UWB, UHF, and / or any other communication protocol are used to pair the TPMS sensor 104 with the communication module 120. During pairing of the TPMS sensor 104, the TPMS controller 130 sends instructions to the TPMS sensor 104 via the communication module 120 to instruct the TPMS sensor 104 to collect tire pressure measurements from the tire 102.

[0027] Furthermore, the TPMS controller 130 locates the tire 102 based on communication between the TPMS sensor 104 and the communication module 120. That is, the TPMS controller 130 identifies the position of each TPMS sensor 104 and its corresponding tire 102 based on communication between the TPMS sensor 104 and the communication module 120. For example, the TPMS controller 130 identifies which TPMS sensor 104 is located in the front driver's side wheel well, the front passenger's side wheel well, the rear driver's side wheel well, and the rear passenger's side wheel well. In some examples, the TPMS controller 130 determines the position of the TPMS sensor 104 based on the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), transit time, and / or the angle of arrival of the signal transmitted between the TPMS sensor 104 and the communication module 120 and / or one or more other communication modules located throughout the vehicle 100. For example, the TPMS controller 130 uses triangulation and / or trilateration to locate the TPMS sensor 104 based on the RSSI, transit time, and / or the angle of arrival of the signal transmitted between the TPMS sensor 104 and multiple communication modules.

[0028] When the TPMS sensor 104 is in active mode, its pressure sensor collects tire pressure measurements at short intervals (e.g., once per minute) to enable rapid detection of tire pressure drops in tire 102 while the vehicle 100 is moving. For example, by collecting tire pressure measurements at short intervals, the TPMS sensor 104 can detect a puncture in one of the tires 102 as the vehicle 100 travels along a road. While collecting tire pressure measurements, the TPMS sensor 104 transmits the measurements to the TPMS controller 130 via the vehicle 100's communication module 120. For example, the communication module 120 transmits the measurements via BLE communication. communication, The TPMS controller 130 communicates with the TPMS sensor 104 via UWB, UHF, and / or any other communication protocol to collect tire pressure measurement results from the TPMS sensor 104. Furthermore, the TPMS controller 130 compares the tire pressure measurement results with tire pressure thresholds corresponding to tire 102 and / or vehicle 100. In response to determining that one or more tire pressure measurement results are less than the tire pressure threshold, the TPMS controller 130 (e.g., via...) Figure 2 The display 218 of the infotainment host unit 204 presents a low-pressure alarm to the user.

[0029] In the example shown, upon detecting an initiation event, in order to initiate TPMS sensor 104 into a paired state (e.g., a bidirectional paired state), TPMS controller 130 sends a low-power pairing request to TPMS sensor 104 via communication module 120. For example, TPMS controller 130 may determine that vehicle 100 is moving (e.g., based on the movement of tire 102). Alternatively, TPMS controller 130 may detect an initiation event in response to determining that vehicle 100 is traveling at at least a predetermined speed (e.g., greater than 8 km / h, etc.). Alternatively, TPMS controller 130 may detect an initiation event in response to receiving a pressure value below a "low pressure" threshold from TPMS sensor 104.

[0030] In response to determining that previously collected location information is invalid, the TPMS controller 130 establishes communication between the TPMS sensor 104 and the communication module 120 by initiating a pairing request. For example, communication is established between the TPMS sensor 104 and the communication module 120 of the vehicle 100 to pair the TPMS sensor 104 with the communication module 120 and / or one or more other communication modules of the vehicle 100. In some examples, the TPMS controller 130 may initiate a pairing request by causing the LF antenna 125 to transmit a wake-up request to the TPMS sensor 104 (e.g., the LF receiver 106) via low-frequency transmission. Additionally or alternatively, the TPMS sensor 104 may include a polling interval for detecting pairing requests from the TPMS controller 130, the communication module 120, the LF antenna 125, and / or one or more other communication modules of the vehicle 100. The TPMS controller 130 pairs the TPMS sensor 104 to establish BLE communication. communication, Communication, UWB communication, ultra-high frequency (UHF) communication and / or any other form of communication between the TPMS sensor 104 and the communication module 120.

[0031] When TPMS sensor 104 is paired to communicate with communication module 120, TPMS controller 130 determines whether the stored positioning information is valid. In the example shown, the stored positioning information is positioning information previously collected from TPMS sensor 104 (e.g., during a previous pairing state). TPMS controller 130 stores the previously collected positioning information in a database (such as...). Figure 2 The location information stored in the exemplary database 216 of the vehicle-mounted computing platform 202 includes: location information of the TPMS sensors 104 (e.g., front driver's side wheel well, front passenger's side wheel well, rear driver's side wheel well, and rear passenger's side wheel well), whether the previous positioning procedure was successful (e.g., whether all TPMS sensors 104 or a subset thereof were located), and identifiers associated with the TPMS sensors 104 (e.g., ...). The location information may include an identifier and a timestamp (e.g., date and / or time) when the location information was collected. However, it should be understood that additional or alternative information may also be collected in the stored location information.

[0032] The TPMS controller 130 can determine the validity of stored location information based on different criteria. For example, the TPMS controller 130 can determine whether the stored location information is outdated by comparing the timestamp associated with the stored location information with the current timestamp. If the difference between the timestamp associated with the stored location information and the current timestamp is greater than a predetermined time period (e.g., not meeting a time threshold) (e.g., exceeding 24 hours), the TPMS controller 130 determines that the stored location information is invalid.

[0033] In another or alternative example, the TPMS controller 130 may determine whether the stored location information is valid by comparing the current location information of the vehicle 100 with GPS information included in the stored location information. For example, (e.g., in response to the vehicle 100 being moved without starting the engine (e.g., towing),) the TPMS controller 130 may determine that the stored location information is invalid based on the determination that there is a relatively significant change in the GPS location of the vehicle 100 between the current location of the vehicle 100 and the location information associated with the stored location information (e.g., a location threshold is not met).

[0034] In another or alternative example, the TPMS controller 130 may determine the validity of stored location information by comparing the sensor identifier associated with the TPMS sensor 104 with identifiers (e.g., sensor identifiers) included in stored location information. For example, when the TPMS sensor 104 enters a pairing state, the TPMS sensor 104 may provide (e.g., broadcast) its sensor identifier (e.g., Bluetooth identifier, alphanumeric string, etc.) to the TPMS controller 130. Alternatively or alternatively, the TPMS sensor 104 may periodically broadcast (e.g., every 6 hours) key characteristics including pressure values ​​and sensor identifiers. The TPMS controller 130 may then compare the identifier associated with the TPMS sensor 104 currently paired with the TPMS controller 130 with identifiers included in the stored location information to determine the validity of the stored location information. For example, if one or more tires 102 of vehicle 100 are replaced, the set of sensor identifiers included in the stored location information will not match the set of sensor identifiers currently broadcast by the TPMS sensor 104, and the TPMS controller 130 will determine that the stored location information is invalid. In another or alternative example, the TPMS controller 130 may determine that the RSSI of at least one currently broadcasting TPMS sensor 104 has dropped significantly (e.g., the tire has been moved to the trunk of vehicle 100), and the TPMS controller 130 will determine that the stored positioning information is invalid.

[0035] In another or alternative example, the TPMS controller 130 may determine whether the stored positioning information is valid by checking whether it includes any indication of incomplete positioning. For example, one or more TPMS sensors 104 may have failed to locate during a previous positioning procedure, and therefore, the stored positioning information may include markers from one or more TPMS sensors 104 associated with incomplete positioning.

[0036] In the example shown, if the TPMS controller 130 determines that the stored location information is valid, the TPMS controller 130 skips the initiation of the location procedure and can put all TPMS sensors 104 into sleep mode. By skipping (or abandoning) the location procedure, the TPMS controller 130 protects the battery life of the TPMS sensors 104 by reducing the time spent pairing the TPMS sensors 104 with the TPMS controller 130 and / or communication module 120. The TPMS controller 130 can then wait for another initiation event to determine whether to execute the location procedure.

[0037] The TPMS controller 130 also positions the tire 102 based on communication between the TPMS sensor 104 and the communication module 120. For example, the TPMS controller 130 determines the position of the TPMS sensor 104 based on the RSSI, transit time, and / or the angle of arrival of signals transmitted between the TPMS sensor 104 and the communication module 120 and / or other communication modules throughout the vehicle 100. For example, the TPMS controller 130 utilizes triangulation and / or trilateration to position the TPMS sensor 104 based on the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), transit time, and / or the angle of arrival of signals transmitted between the TPMS sensor 104 and multiple communication modules.

[0038] In the example shown, when the TPMS controller 130 positions tire 102, it can put the corresponding TPMS sensor 104 into sleep mode to protect the battery life of the corresponding TPMS sensor 104. In some examples, if the TPMS controller 130 receives an incomplete positioning mark from the TPMS sensor 104, it can re-initiate the positioning procedure for one or more TPMS sensors 104. For example, the positioning procedure may time out after a timeout period has elapsed (e.g., ten minutes after the TPMS controller 130 initiated the positioning procedure to attempt to position tire 102, etc.). By re-initiating the positioning procedure for one or more TPMS sensors 104, the TPMS controller 130 enables the TPMS sensors 104 to continue attempting positioning and providing positioning information to the TPMS controller 130. The TPMS controller 130 may re-initiate the positioning procedure for all TPMS sensors 104, a subset of TPMS sensors (e.g., the TPMS sensors 104 that provided incomplete positioning marks), or not re-initiate the positioning procedure for any TPMS sensors 104.

[0039] While TPMS sensor 104 is providing positioning information to TPMS controller 130, the pressure sensor of TPMS sensor 104 collects tire pressure measurement results from tire 102. During tire pressure measurement, TPMS sensor 104 transmits the tire pressure measurement results to TPMS controller 130 via vehicle 100 communication module 120. That is, TPMS controller 130 collects tire pressure measurement results from TPMS sensor 104 via communication module 120. For example, communication module 120 uses BLE communication... communication, Tire pressure measurement results are received from TPMS sensor 104 via communication, UWB communication, UHF communication and / or any other communication protocol to collect tire pressure measurement results from TPMS sensor 104.

[0040] Furthermore, the TPMS controller 130 in the example shown compares tire pressure measurements with tire pressure thresholds corresponding to tire 102 and / or vehicle 100. The TPMS controller 130 is configured to respond to determining that one or more tire pressure measurements are less than the tire pressure threshold (e.g., via...). Figure 2 The infotainment head unit 204's display 218 presents a low-pressure alarm to the user. In some examples, the TPMS controller 130 is configured to display a low-pressure alarm via a display (e.g., when low tire pressure is detected in one of the tires 102). Figure 2 The display 218), speakers (e.g., Figure 2The speaker 220 and / or any other output device of the vehicle 100 present a low-pressure alarm and / or one or more tire pressure measurements. Additionally, in some examples, the TPMS controller 130 (e.g., via...) Figure 2 The memory 214 stores one or more tire pressure measurements and / or low-pressure alarms until a user has entered vehicle 100 and / or the engine of vehicle 100 has been started. In such an example, the TPMS controller 130 presents one or more tire pressure measurements and / or low-pressure alarms via one or more output devices of vehicle 100 when it detects that a user is inside vehicle 100 and / or the engine has been started. Alternatively or additionally, the TPMS controller 130 may, for example, send a signal to a user's mobile device via communication module 120 to present one or more tire pressure measurements and / or low-pressure alarms to the user via their mobile device. For example, the TPMS controller 130 instructs the mobile device to present one or more tire pressure measurements and / or low-pressure alarms so that the user can determine whether one or more tires 102 have low pressure before entering and operating vehicle 100.

[0041] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the electronic component 200 of vehicle 100. (For example...) Figure 2 As shown, the electronic components 200 include an onboard computing platform 202, an infotainment host unit 204, a communication module 120, an LF antenna 125, a sensor 206, an electronic control unit (ECU) 208, and a vehicle data bus 210.

[0042] The in-vehicle computing platform 202 includes a microcontroller unit, a controller or processor 212, a memory 214, and a database 216. In some examples, the processor 212 of the in-vehicle computing platform 202 is configured to include a TPMS controller 130. Alternatively, in some examples, the TPMS controller 130 is integrated into another electronic control unit (ECU) having its own processor 212, memory 214, and / or database 216. The database 216 stores, for example, entries corresponding to previously collected location information. For example, the TPMS controller 130 may record information such as the stored location information in the database 216. The stored location information includes: location information of the TPMS sensors 104 (e.g., front driver's side wheel well, front passenger's side wheel well, rear driver's side wheel well, and rear passenger's side wheel well), whether the previous positioning procedure was successful (e.g., whether all TPMS sensors 104 or a subset thereof were located), and identifiers associated with the TPMS sensors 104 (e.g., The location information includes an identifier and a timestamp (e.g., date and / or time) when the location information was collected. However, it should be understood that the TPMS controller 130 may record additional or alternative information in the stored location information. The TPMS controller 130 may process the stored location information to determine whether the stored location information is valid.

[0043] Processor 212 can be any suitable processing device or group of processing devices, such as, but not limited to: a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and / or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Memory 214 can be volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), including non-volatile RAM, magnetic RAM, ferroelectric RAM, etc.), non-volatile memory (e.g., disk storage, flash memory, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), memristor-based non-volatile solid-state memory, etc.), immutable memory (e.g., EPROM), read-only memory, and / or high-capacity storage devices (e.g., hard disk drives, solid-state drives, etc.). In some examples, memory 214 includes a variety of memories, particularly volatile and non-volatile memories.

[0044] Memory 214 is a computer-readable medium on which one or more sets of instructions, such as software for operating the methods of this disclosure, may be embedded. The instructions may embody one or more methods or logic as described herein. For example, the instructions may reside wholly or at least partially within memory 214, any one or more of the computer-readable medium, and / or within processor 212 during execution of the instructions.

[0045] The terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" include a single medium or multiple media (such as a centralized or distributed database storing one or more instruction sets and / or associated caches and servers). Additionally, the terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" include any tangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instruction sets for execution by a processor or causing a system to perform any one or more methods or operations disclosed herein. As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" is expressly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage device and / or storage disk and excludes propagated signals.

[0046] The infotainment head unit 204 provides an interface between the vehicle 100 and the user. The infotainment head unit 204 includes digital and / or analog interfaces (e.g., input and output devices) to receive input from one or more users and to display information to one or more users. Input devices include, for example, control knobs, instrument panels, digital cameras for image capture and / or visual command recognition, touchscreens, audio input devices (e.g., cabin microphones), buttons, or touchpads. Output devices may include actuators, displays 218 (e.g., cluster outputs, head-up displays, center console displays, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, flat panel displays, solid-state displays, etc.) and / or speakers 220. For example, the infotainment head unit 204 includes interfaces for infotainment systems (such as… of and MyFord The infotainment system includes hardware (e.g., processor or controller, memory, storage device, etc.) and software (e.g., operating system, etc.). Additionally, the infotainment host unit 204 displays the infotainment system on, for example, a central console display. In the example shown, the TPMS controller 130 is configured to present one or more low-voltage alarms to the user via a display 218, a speaker 220, and / or any other output device of the infotainment host unit 204.

[0047] Sensors 206 are arranged in and around vehicle 100 to monitor properties of vehicle 100 and / or the environment in which vehicle 100 is located. One or more of sensors 206 may be mounted to measure properties of the external surroundings of vehicle 100. Alternatively or additionally, one or more sensors 206 may be mounted in the passenger compartment or body of vehicle 100 (e.g., engine compartment, wheel wells, etc.) to measure properties inside vehicle 100. For example, sensors 206 include accelerometers, odometers, tachometers, pitch and yaw sensors, wheel speed sensors, microphones, tire pressure sensors, biometric sensors, cameras, and / or any other suitable type of sensor. In the example shown, sensor 206 includes TPMS sensor 104 and LF receiver 106.

[0048] ECU 208 monitors and controls subsystems of vehicle 100. For example, ECU 208 is a discrete group of electronic devices, including one or more of their own circuitry (e.g., integrated circuits, microprocessors, memories, storage devices, etc.) and firmware, sensors, actuators, and / or mounting hardware. ECU 208 transmits and exchanges information via a vehicle data bus (e.g., vehicle data bus 210). Additionally, ECU 208 can transmit attributes (e.g., ECU 208 status, sensor readings, control status, error and diagnostic codes, etc.) to each other and / or receive requests from each other. For example, vehicle 100 may have seventy or more ECU 208s located in various positions around vehicle 100 and communicatively coupled to vehicle data bus 210.

[0049] In the example shown, ECU 208 includes a body control module 228 and an engine control unit 230. For example, the body control module 228 controls one or more subsystems throughout the vehicle 100, such as power windows, power locks, an anti-theft system, power mirrors, etc. For example, the body control module 228 includes circuitry for one or more of the following: drive relays (e.g., for controlling windshield washer fluid, etc.), brushed DC motors (e.g., for controlling power seats, power locks, power windows, windshield wipers, etc.), stepper motors, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), etc. Furthermore, the engine control unit 230 controls the operation of the engine of the vehicle 100 (e.g., remote start, passive start, and / or ignition switch start).

[0050] The vehicle data bus 210 is communicatively coupled to the communication module 120, LF antenna 125, onboard computing platform 202, infotainment head unit 204, sensor 206, and ECU 208. In some examples, the vehicle data bus 210 includes one or more data buses. The vehicle data bus 210 can be configured according to the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus protocol, Media Oriented System Transport (MOST) bus protocol, CAN Flexible Data (CAN-FD) bus protocol (ISO 11898-7), and / or K-line bus protocol (ISO 9141 and ISO 14230-1) and / or Ethernet as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 11898-1. TM It is implemented using bus protocols such as IEEE 802.3 (since 2002).

[0051] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of an exemplary method 300 for controlling the positioning of vehicle TPMS sensors. Figure 3 The flowchart represents the storage in memory (such as...) Figure 2 The memory 214 contains and includes one or more machine-readable instructions for a program, said one or more programs being executed by a processor (such as...) Figure 2 When the processor 212) executes, it causes the vehicle 100 to achieve Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 An exemplary TPMS controller 130. Although the reference... Figure 3 The flowchart shown illustrates an exemplary procedure, but many other methods for implementing the exemplary TPMS controller 130 can be used alternatively. For example, the execution order of the blocks can be rearranged, changed, eliminated, and / or combined to execute method 300. Furthermore, because of the combination... Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 The method 300 is disclosed for the components, so some of the functions of those components will not be described in detail below.

[0052] Initially, at block 302, the TPMS controller 130 determines whether an initiation event has occurred. For example, the TPMS controller 130 may determine whether the vehicle 100 is moving and / or whether the vehicle 100 is traveling at a threshold speed (e.g., greater than 8 km / h). If the TPMS controller 130 does not detect an initiation event at block 302, method 300 returns to block 302 to wait for an initiation event to be detected.

[0053] If the TPMS controller 130 detects an initiation event at block 302, then at block 304, the TPMS controller 130 examines the stored location information to determine whether the stored location information is valid or whether updated location information is requested. For example, the TPMS controller 130 may retrieve the stored location information from database 216 and process the timestamp associated with the retrieved location information, the location information associated with the retrieved location information, the sensor identifier group associated with the retrieved location information, and one or more tags associated with the retrieved location information, etc.

[0054] At box 306, the TPMS controller 130 determines whether the retrieved location information is valid. In some examples, the TPMS controller 130 determines the validity of the retrieved location information based on a comparison of timestamps. Alternatively, the TPMS controller 130 may determine the validity of the retrieved location information based on a comparison of location information (e.g., GPS orientation / location information). Alternatively, the TPMS controller 130 may determine the validity of the retrieved location information based on a comparison of sensor identifiers. Alternatively, the TPMS controller 130 may determine the validity of the retrieved location information based on whether the retrieved location information includes incomplete location markers. If the TPMS controller 130 determines that the retrieved location information is valid at box 306, then Figure 3 The exemplary method 300 ends.

[0055] If the TPMS controller 130 determines at block 306 that the retrieved location information is invalid (e.g., outdated), then at block 308, the TPMS controller 130 initiates (e.g., initiates) a pairing state with the TPMS sensors 104 of the vehicle 100. At block 310, the TPMS controller 130 determines whether all TPMS sensors 104 are in a paired state. If the TPMS controller 130 determines at block 310 that one or more TPMS sensors 104 are not in a paired state, then method 300 returns to block 308 to initiate a pairing state with one or more TPMS sensors 104.

[0056] If the TPMS controller 130 determines at block 310 that all TPMS sensors 104 are in a paired state, then at block 312, the TPMS controller 130 initiates a positioning procedure.

[0057] At block 314, the TPMS controller 130 determines whether the TPMS sensor 104 has been located. If the TPMS controller 130 does not receive an indication that the TPMS sensor 104 has been located at block 314, method 300 proceeds to block 320 to determine if a timeout has occurred. If the TPMS controller 130 determines that the TPMS sensor 104 has been located at block 314, then at block 316, the TPMS controller 130 records the location information provided by the TPMS sensor 104. For example, the TPMS controller 130 may record the sensor identifier associated with the TPMS sensor 104, the location information of the TPMS sensor 104, the location information of the vehicle 100, timestamps, etc.

[0058] At box 318, the TPMS controller 130 determines whether all TPMS sensors 104 have been located. If the TPMS controller 130 determines at box 318 that all TPMS sensors 104 have been located, then method 300 ends.

[0059] If the TPMS controller 130 determines at block 318 that at least one TPMS sensor 104 has not been located, then at block 320, the TPMS controller 130 determines whether a timeout has occurred. For example, a timeout may occur if the time elapsed since the TPMS controller 130 initiated the positioning procedure exceeds a timeout threshold (e.g., more than 10 minutes).

[0060] If the TPMS controller 130 determines at block 320 that no timeout has occurred, method 300 returns to block 314 to wait for the TPMS sensor 104 to perform positioning.

[0061] If the TPMS controller 130 determines that a timeout has occurred at block 320, then at block 322, the TPMS controller 130 records the tag associated with the incomplete location along with the current location information. Then, method 300 ends.

[0062] In this application, the use of antonymous conjunctions is intended to include the conjunction. The use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality. Specifically, references to “the” object or “an” and “a” object are also intended to indicate one of a plurality of possible such objects. Furthermore, the conjunction “or” can be used to convey features that coexist rather than mutually exclusive alternatives. In other words, the conjunction “or” should be understood to include “and / or”. The terms “includes,” “including,” and “include” are inclusive of the end value and have the same scope as “comprises,” “comprising,” and “comprise,” respectively. Additionally, as used herein, the terms “module,” “unit,” and “node” refer to hardware having circuitry typically combined with sensors to provide communication, control, and / or monitoring capabilities. “Module,” “unit,” and “node” may also include firmware executed on the circuitry.

[0063] The above embodiments (and specifically, any "preferred" embodiments) are possible examples of implementations and are merely illustrative for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Many variations and modifications can be made to one or more of the above embodiments without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of the technology described herein. All modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure and are protected by the following claims.

[0064] According to the present invention, a vehicle is provided having: a plurality of tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensors; a communication module; and a controller configured to: detect an initiation event associated with the vehicle; in response to detecting the initiation event, determine whether first positioning information is valid based on information associated with the TPMS sensors; and when the first positioning information is invalid, initiate a positioning procedure at the TPMS sensors via the communication module.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the controller is configured to: detect the initiation event in response to determining that the vehicle is moving.

[0066] According to one embodiment, the controller is configured to: detect the initiation event in response to determining that the vehicle speed meets a threshold speed.

[0067] According to one embodiment, the controller is configured to initiate the positioning procedure at the TPMS sensor by initiating a pairing state with the TPMS sensor via the communication module.

[0068] According to one embodiment, the pairing state is a wireless communication protocol pairing state.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the first location information is collected at a time prior to the controller detecting the initiation event.

[0070] According to one embodiment, the controller is configured to determine whether the first location information is valid by comparing a first timestamp associated with the first location information with a current timestamp; and when the difference between the first timestamp and the current timestamp does not meet a time threshold, the controller determines that the first location information is invalid.

[0071] According to one embodiment, the controller is configured to determine whether the first positioning information is valid by comparing first location information associated with the first positioning information and current location information associated with the vehicle; and determining that the first positioning information is invalid when the difference between the first location information and the current location information does not meet a location threshold.

[0072] According to one embodiment, the controller is configured to determine whether the first positioning information is valid by comparing a corresponding sensor identifier associated with each of the TPMS sensors with a sensor identifier associated with the first positioning information; and determining that the first positioning information is invalid when at least one of the corresponding sensor identifiers associated with the TPMS sensors is not included in the sensor identifiers associated with the first positioning information.

[0073] According to one embodiment, the controller is configured to: determine that the first positioning information is invalid when the first positioning information includes information associated with incomplete positioning.

[0074] According to one embodiment, the controller is configured to: stop the positioning procedure for the TPMS sensor when the corresponding TPMS sensor is located.

[0075] According to one embodiment, the controller is configured to: in response to receiving an incomplete positioning marker from the TPMS sensor, re-initiate the positioning procedure using the TPMS sensor.

[0076] According to the present invention, a method includes: detecting an initiation event associated with a vehicle via a processor; in response to detecting the initiation event, determining whether the first positioning information is valid based on information associated with a plurality of tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensors of the vehicle; and when the first positioning information is invalid, initiating a positioning procedure at the TPMS sensors via the processor.

[0077] According to one embodiment, initiating the positioning procedure at the TPMS sensor includes initiating a pairing state with the TPMS sensor.

[0078] According to one embodiment, the pairing state is a wireless communication protocol pairing state.

[0079] According to one embodiment, the first location information is collected at a time prior to the detection of the initiation event.

[0080] According to one embodiment, determining whether the first location information is valid includes: comparing a first timestamp associated with the first location information with a current timestamp; and determining that the first location information is invalid when the difference between the first timestamp and the current timestamp does not meet a time threshold.

[0081] According to one embodiment, determining whether the first positioning information is valid includes: comparing first location information associated with the first positioning information with current location information associated with the vehicle; and determining that the first positioning information is invalid when the difference between the first location information and the current location information does not meet a location threshold.

[0082] According to one embodiment, determining whether the first positioning information is valid includes: comparing a corresponding sensor identifier associated with each of the TPMS sensors with a sensor identifier associated with the first positioning information; and determining that the first positioning information is invalid when at least one of the corresponding sensor identifiers associated with the TPMS sensors is not included in the sensor identifiers associated with the first positioning information.

[0083] According to one embodiment, determining whether the first location information is valid includes: determining that the first location information includes information associated with incomplete location.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: Multiple tire pressure monitoring system sensors; Communication module; as well as Controller, the controller is used for: Detect initiation events associated with the vehicle; In response to the detection of the initiation event, the validity of the first positioning information is determined based on information associated with the tire pressure monitoring system sensors; and When the first positioning information is invalid, a positioning procedure is initiated at the tire pressure monitoring system sensor via the communication module. The controller is configured to determine whether the first location information is valid by comparing a first timestamp associated with the first location information with a current timestamp; and when the difference between the first timestamp and the current timestamp does not meet a time threshold, the controller determines that the first location information is invalid.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to: initiate the positioning procedure at the tire pressure monitoring system sensor by initiating a pairing state with the tire pressure monitoring system sensor via the communication module.

3. The vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pairing state is a wireless communication protocol pairing state.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first location information is collected at a time prior to the controller detecting the initiation event.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the first positioning information is valid by: Compare the first location information associated with the first location information with the current location information associated with the vehicle; and When the difference between the first location information and the current location information does not meet the location threshold, the first location information is determined to be invalid.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the first positioning information is valid by: The corresponding sensor identifier associated with each of the tire pressure monitoring system sensors is compared with the sensor identifier associated with the first positioning information; and The first positioning information is determined to be invalid when at least one of the corresponding sensor identifiers associated with the tire pressure monitoring system sensor is not included in the sensor identifiers associated with the first positioning information.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to: determine that the first positioning information is invalid when the first positioning information includes information associated with incomplete positioning.

8. A method for a vehicle, comprising: The processor detects vehicle-related initiation events; In response to the detection of the initiation event, the validity of the first positioning information is determined based on information associated with multiple tire pressure monitoring system sensors of the vehicle; and When the first positioning information is invalid, the processor initiates a positioning procedure at the tire pressure monitoring system sensor. The determination of whether the first location information is valid includes: comparing a first timestamp associated with the first location information with the current timestamp; Furthermore, if the difference between the first timestamp and the current timestamp does not meet the time threshold, the first location information is determined to be invalid.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein initiating the positioning procedure at the tire pressure monitoring system sensor includes initiating a pairing state with the tire pressure monitoring system sensor.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first location information is collected at a time prior to the detection of the initiation event.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether the first location information is valid comprises: Compare the first location information associated with the first location information with the current location information associated with the vehicle; and When the difference between the first location information and the current location information does not meet the location threshold, the first location information is determined to be invalid.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether the first location information is valid comprises: The corresponding sensor identifier associated with each of the tire pressure monitoring system sensors is compared with the sensor identifier associated with the first positioning information; and The first positioning information is determined to be invalid when at least one of the corresponding sensor identifiers associated with the tire pressure monitoring system sensor is not included in the sensor identifiers associated with the first positioning information.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether the first location information is valid includes: The first location information is determined to include information associated with incomplete location.

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