A method for identifying a pressure sensor of a vehicle tire

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for identifying a pressure sensor (1) of a tire (2) of a vehicle (3), said identification method (Pr) comprising: - activating said pressure sensor (1) by an activation device (4), - receiving and reading, by said activation device (4), sensor information (i) from said pressure sensor (1) that has been activated, characterized in that said identification method (Pr) further comprises: - generating, by said activation device (4), a code (c) based on said sensor information (i), - displaying, by said activation device (4), said code (c) on a human-machine interface (43) so that a diagnostic device (5) can read and decode said code (c).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for identifying pressure sensors on vehicle tires. It also relates to an apparatus for activating the pressure sensors on vehicle tires, which enables the implementation of the identification method. This invention is particularly applicable to (but not limited to) the field of motor vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of vehicles, particularly motor vehicles, a method for identifying vehicle tire pressure sensors, as known to those skilled in the art, includes: – Activate the pressure sensor using the activation device. – The activation device receives and reads sensor information from the pressure sensor required for diagnosing tire condition.

[0003] The activation device is a tire pressure monitoring tool, also known as a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) tool. This tool is used to communicate with an electronic tire pressure monitoring system (also known as a TPMS), which includes an on-board electronic control unit (ECU) and one or more pressure sensors disposed inside the tire and configured to measure the tire's internal pressure and transmit the pressure information to the ECU. The vehicle's ECU can thus notify the vehicle occupant when one of the tires is punctured or deflated, thereby preventing any risk to vehicle safety.

[0004] Diagnostic equipment is used by repair shops, for example, to inspect various components on a vehicle (including tires) and to diagnose any faults. This allows for a complete diagnostic of the vehicle to be presented to the owner. However, such diagnostic equipment must integrate sensor information retrieved by the tire activator. Therefore, a solution is needed to transmit the sensor information retrieved by the tire activator to the diagnostic equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Against this backdrop, the present invention aims to provide a method for identifying pressure sensors in vehicle tires, which can solve the aforementioned technical problems.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention proposes a method for identifying tire pressure sensors of a vehicle, the identification method comprising: – Activate the pressure sensor using the activation device. – The activation device receives and reads the sensor information of the activated pressure sensor. The identification method is characterized in that it further includes: – The activation device generates a code based on the sensor information. – The activation device displays the code on a human-machine interface so that the diagnostic device can read and decode the code.

[0007] Therefore, as will be described in detail below, sensor information can be easily transmitted from the sensor activation device to the diagnostic device by generating and displaying code on the human-machine interface.

[0008] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the method for identifying pressure sensors for vehicle tires may also include one or more of the following additional features, used individually or in all technically possible combinations.

[0009] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the code is a barcode or a QR code.

[0010] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the sensor information includes the identifier of the pressure sensor, as well as the tire's pressure and / or temperature information and / or DOT number and / or battery information. Thus, the code encodes all sensor information.

[0011] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the generated code is also based on the location of the pressure sensor in the vehicle. Thus, the code also includes location information in an encoded manner.

[0012] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the identification method further includes selecting the manufacturer, model, and year of manufacture of the vehicle through the activation device, and the activation is based on the selection.

[0013] A device for activating tire pressure sensors in a vehicle is also proposed, characterized in that the activation device comprises: (a) An activation module configured to activate multiple pressure sensors of the vehicle. (b) A receiver module configured to receive sensor information from the plurality of pressure sensors. (c) A first electronic control unit configured as follows: – Read the sensor information from the activated pressure sensor. – Generate code based on the sensor information (d) A human-computer interface configured to display the code.

[0014] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the activation device may also include one or more of the following additional features, employed individually or in any technically possible combination.

[0015] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the code is a barcode or a QR code.

[0016] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the sensor information includes the identifier of the pressure sensor, as well as the tire's pressure information and / or temperature information and / or DOT number and / or battery information.

[0017] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the first electronic control unit is further configured to select the manufacturer, model, and year of manufacture of the vehicle, and the activation module is configured to activate the pressure sensor based on the selection.

[0018] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the activation device further includes an additional means for retrieving tire information and transmitting the information to the first electronic control unit.

[0019] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the tire information includes: information items regarding the manufacturer, model, manufacturing week and year, and / or information items regarding the tire size, and / or information items regarding the tire wear condition.

[0020] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the tire information also includes an identification of an RFID electronic chip.

[0021] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the additional device is as follows: – Keyboard, and / or – RFID module, and / or – Optical character recognition module.

[0022] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the first electronic control unit is further configured to receive tire information from the additional device and to generate the code based on the tire information.

[0023] A diagnostic device for vehicles is also provided, characterized in that the diagnostic device comprises: – A reading module configured to read code displayed by a human-machine interface of a device for activating tire pressure sensors of the vehicle, the code including sensor information of the pressure sensors. – A second electronic control unit configured to decode the code in order to retrieve the sensor information.

[0024] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the second electronic control unit is further configured to perform a relearning process for the tire pressure monitoring system via an OBD connection to a third electronic control unit of the vehicle.

[0025] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the second electronic control unit is further configured to save the sensor information to a memory.

[0026] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the second electronic control unit is further configured to store the position of the pressure sensor corresponding to the sensor information in a memory.

[0027] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the reading module and the second electronic control unit are independent of each other.

[0028] According to a non-limiting embodiment, the reading module and the second electronic control unit overlap. Thus, the same element performs both reading and decoding of the code.

[0029] A computer program product is also proposed, comprising one or more instruction sequences executable by an information processing unit, wherein when the instruction sequences are loaded into a computer, execution of the instruction sequences enables the identification method according to any of the foregoing features.

[0030] A computer-readable non-transitory data recording medium is also proposed, wherein instructions are stored, which, when executed by an information processing unit, cause the information processing unit to perform the identification method according to any of the foregoing features. Attached Figure Description

[0031] A better understanding of the invention and its various applications will be gained by reading the following description and examining the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a non-limiting embodiment of the method for identifying vehicle tire pressure sensors according to the present invention. Figure 2 This illustrates a device for activating a pressure sensor for a vehicle tire according to a non-limiting embodiment of the invention (the activation device is configured to implement...). Figure 1 The diagram illustrates the identification method shown and a diagnostic device configured to read the code generated by the activation device according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The schematic diagram shown is of a non-limiting embodiment of the activation device, illustrating the functions performed by the activation device. Figure 4 yes Figure 2 The diagram illustrates a non-limiting embodiment of the diagnostic device, showing the functions performed by the device.

[0032] Unless otherwise specified, elements that have the same structure or function appearing in different figures retain the same reference numerals. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Reference Figure 1 A method (Pr) for identifying the tire 2 of a vehicle 3 according to the present invention is described.

[0034] According to a non-limiting embodiment, vehicle 3 is a motor vehicle. Vehicle 3 in Figure 2 As shown in the figure. In the following description, a non-limiting embodiment of motor vehicle 3 is used as an example (but is not limited thereto).

[0035] The vehicle 3 is equipped with tires 2, each housing a pressure sensor 1. Each tire 2 has only one pressure sensor 1. The vehicle 3 also includes an electronic control unit 30, hereinafter abbreviated as ECU, or on-board computer 30. In the following text, the terms electronic control unit 30 or on-board computer 30 are used indistinguishably. The pressure sensor 1-on-board computer 30 assembly is referred to as the "Tire Pressure Monitoring System," abbreviated as "TPMS."

[0036] Each pressure sensor 1 is conventionally equipped with a radio frequency transmitter for transmitting data to the electronic control unit 30. The electronic control unit 30, receiving data from the pressure sensors 1, can thus notify the user of the motor vehicle 3 when one of the tires 2 is punctured or deflated, thereby preventing any risk to the safety of the user of the motor vehicle 3.

[0037] It should be noted that each pressure sensor 1 is configured to communicate with the electronic control unit 30 of the motor vehicle 3 according to a specific communication protocol. Thus, a specific communication protocol is defined according to the type of pressure sensor 1. This type is defined by the manufacturer, model, and year of manufacture of the motor vehicle 3, abbreviated as MMY (“Manufacturer Model Year”). Depending on the type of the motor vehicle 3, each vehicle includes one or more types of pressure sensors 1. To determine the communication protocol used by each pressure sensor 1 of the motor vehicle 3, the type of the motor vehicle 3 must be selected. It should be noted that in a non-limiting embodiment, the operator manually selects the type of the motor vehicle 3 beforehand via the activation device 4, this selection being made by means of a database loaded in memory or on a remote server accessible through the sensor activation device 4 (e.g., but not limited to). This database includes different models of motor vehicles 3 and the associated types of pressure sensors 1, as well as communication protocols specific to different pressure sensors 1.

[0038] Pressure sensor 1 is used to provide sensor information i. In a non-limiting embodiment, sensor information i is as follows: – Identification information i1 of pressure sensor 1, and – Pressure information i2 for tire 2, and / or – Temperature information of tire 2 i3, and / or – DOT number i4, and / or – Battery information i5.

[0039] It should be noted that the DOT number is an abbreviation for "Department of Transportation," a four-digit sequence that corresponds to the manufacturing date (week and year) of tire 2.

[0040] In a non-limiting embodiment, the sensor information also includes information related to the battery status of the pressure sensor 1.

[0041] The pressure sensor 1 housed in tire 2 is typically non-removable; therefore, replacing tire 2 means replacing pressure sensor 1, and the new pressure sensor 1 will no longer be recognized by the electronic control unit 30 of vehicle 3. Therefore, when replacing tire 2, it is necessary to pair (or associate) the pressure sensor 1 housed in the new tire 2 with the electronic control unit 30 of vehicle 3.

[0042] Whether it is to retrieve sensor information i from pressure sensor 1 that has been paired with motor vehicle 3, or to pair a new pressure sensor 1 with motor vehicle 3 when changing tire 2, it is first necessary to identify each pressure sensor 1.

[0043] The identification method Pr enables the retrieval and identification of sensor information i from pressure sensor 1. This identification is achieved through… Figure 2 The activation device 4 shown is used. The activation device 4 is a dedicated learning tool (commonly known as a TPMS tool).

[0044] Therefore, as Figure 1 As shown, the identification method Pr includes the following steps.

[0045] In a non-limiting embodiment, in step E00, shown as F00(4, MMY), the activation device 4 selects the manufacturer, model, and year of manufacture of the motor vehicle 3, a combination referred to as the abbreviation MMY as described above. In this case, subsequent activation is based on the selection.

[0046] exist Figure 1 In step E11, shown as F11(4, 1, s1), the activation device 4 activates the pressure sensor 1, whose sensor information i needs to be retrieved and which needs to be identified. To this end, in a manner known to those skilled in the art, the activation device sends an activation signal s1 to the pressure sensor 1, the activation signal s1 being a low-frequency radio frequency signal.

[0047] The activation signal s1 is used to wake up pressure sensor 1. In fact, pressure sensor 1 is initially in sleep mode to conserve its battery power. The activation signal s1 is sent according to the specific communication protocol of pressure sensor 1.

[0048] It should be noted that the activation device 4 knows the position p1 of the tire 2 that houses the pressure sensor 1, and it sends an activation signal s1 to that position. Since the pressure sensor 1 cannot be removed from the tire 2 it houses, position p1 also represents the position of said tire 2. Therefore, in the following description, the position p1 of the tire 2 or the position p1 of the pressure sensor 1 will be used indiscriminately.

[0049] In one non-limiting embodiment, the activation signal s1 is transmitted at a frequency between 30 kHz and 300 kHz. In one non-limiting variant embodiment, the activation signal s1 is transmitted at a frequency between 100 kHz and 150 kHz. In one non-limiting embodiment, the activation signal s1 is transmitted at a frequency of 125 kHz. It should be noted that the activation signal s1 is an electromagnetic signal, which may be a continuous signal or a modulated signal.

[0050] exist Figure 1 In step E12 of F12(4, 1, s2(i)), after sending the activation signal s1, the activation device 4 receives sensor information i. The activation device receives the information via a return radio frequency signal s2 sent by the pressure sensor 1, which is a high-frequency signal, transmitted at a frequency of 433 MHz or 315 MHz in a non-limiting example. The return radio frequency signal s2 thus includes the sensor information i described above.

[0051] In a non-limiting example, the identification information i1 is an alphanumeric code specific to each pressure sensor 1. Using this alphanumeric code, the electronic control unit 30 of the vehicle 3 can distinguish the four tires 2 housing the pressure sensors 1, thereby notifying the user of the vehicle 3 if any problem occurs on one of the tires 2. Thus, the identification information i1 of the pressure sensor 1 is retrieved and subsequently associated with the location p1 of the tire 2 housing the pressure sensor 1. The other information i2 to i6 described above are similarly linked.

[0052] After receiving the returned radio frequency signal s2, the activation device 4 extracts the sensor information i from the returned radio frequency signal s2. The activation device can then proceed in step E13 (…). Figure 1 The information is read from F13(4, i)). In a non-limiting embodiment, the activation device 4 stores the sensor information i in a memory (step E13', shown as F13'(4, 44, i)). The information is stored in memory 44, which will be described later.

[0053] In step E14 ( Figure 1 As shown in F14(4, i, c)), the activation device 4 generates code c based on sensor information i.

[0054] In a non-limiting embodiment, the generated code c is also based on the position p1 of the pressure sensor 1 in the vehicle 3. Therefore, the position p1, along with the sensor information i, can be transmitted to the diagnostic device 5, which will be described later.

[0055] In a non-limiting embodiment, code c is a barcode or QR code. Since generating barcodes or QR codes based on data is known to those skilled in the art, the generation process is not described here.

[0056] After generating code c, in step E15 (shown as F15(4, 43, c)), the activation device 4 displays code c on the human-machine interface 43.

[0057] In a non-limiting embodiment, in step E16 (shown as F16(4, 44, p1, i)), the position p1 corresponding to tire 2 is associated with sensor information i. Thus, the activation device 4 includes a first memory 44 ( Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the memory contains a database that stores the position p1 of each tire 2 and the identification information i1 of the corresponding pressure sensor 1, as well as the corresponding pressure information i2, and / or temperature information i3, and / or DOT number i4, and / or battery information i5. In a non-limiting embodiment, the first memory 44 is a rewritable non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM or FLASH memory.

[0058] Note the position p1 of tire 2 that houses pressure sensor 1: – Manual input by the operator (via the human-machine interface of device 4, such as keyboard 47 in a non-limiting example), or – Defined according to a predetermined activation order of the pressure sensors 1 in all the tires 2 of the motor vehicle 3. The predetermined activation order indicates the command to activate the pressure sensors 1. In a non-limiting example, the predetermined activation order is as follows: left front tire; right front tire; left rear tire; right rear tire. Thus, the first pressure sensor 1 activated by the activation device 4 is the pressure sensor housed in the left front tire, and the last pressure sensor 1 activated by the activation device 4 is the pressure sensor housed in the right rear tire.

[0059] It should be noted that step E16 can be performed simultaneously with step E13', which stores the sensor information i in the memory. This association is stored in the first memory 44 by the activation device 4.

[0060] Therefore, the method Pr for identifying the pressure sensor 1 of the tire 2 of the vehicle 3 is implemented by the device 4 for activating the pressure sensor 1 of the tire 2 of the motor vehicle 3.

[0061] like Figure 3 As shown, the activation device 4 includes: – Activate module 40, – Receiver module 41, – First electronic control unit 42 – Human-computer interface 43.

[0062] Activation module 40 is configured to activate multiple pressure sensors 1 of the vehicle 3 (functionally shown as f400(40, 1, s1)). In other words, the activation module is configured to transmit the activation signal s1 described above. Activation module 40 is a data communication module configured to establish a wireless communication link with the pressure sensors 1. The activation module includes an antenna 400 configured to transmit the activation signal s1. Figure 3 (As shown in the image).

[0063] Receiver module 41 is configured to receive sensor information I from multiple pressure sensors 1 (function f410(41, 1, s2)). In other words, the receiver module is configured to receive the returned radio frequency signal s2 described above, which includes the sensor information I. Receiver module 41 is a data communication module configured to establish a wireless communication link with the pressure sensors 1. This module includes an antenna 410 configured to receive the returned radio frequency signal s2. Figure 3 (As shown in the image).

[0064] The first electronic control unit 42 is configured as follows: – Read the sensor information i from the activated pressure sensor 1. In other words, it is configured to decode the returned radio frequency signal s2 to extract the sensor information i from it (the function is shown as f420(42, s2, i)). – Generate (previously described) code c based on sensor information i (functionally shown as f421(42, i, c)).

[0065] In a non-limiting embodiment, the first electronic control unit 42 is also configured to select the manufacturer, model and year of manufacture MMY of the vehicle 3 (function shown as f422(42, MMY)), thereby activating the module 40 based on the selection.

[0066] In a non-limiting embodiment, the first electronic control unit 42 is also configured to store sensor information i in a memory (the function is shown as f423(42, 44, i)).

[0067] In a non-limiting embodiment, the first electronic control unit 42 is also configured to associate the position p1 of the pressure sensor 1 with the retrieved sensor information i and store the association in a memory (the function is shown as f424(42, 44, p1, i)).

[0068] The human-machine interface 43 is configured to display code c (functionally represented as f430(43, c)). The human-machine interface 43 is a display device, such as a screen in a non-limiting example. In this non-limiting example, the screen is an LCD or TFT screen.

[0069] Activation device 4 also includes: – Casing 45 ( Figure 2 (As shown in the image), in a non-limiting example, it is made of plastic. – Battery 46 ( Figure 3 (as shown in the image) – Keyboard 47 ( Figure 2 (as shown in the image), and – OBD socket 48, configured, for example, to enable the activation device 4 to be connected to the electronic control unit 30 of the vehicle 3, particularly via an OBD cable. In a non-limiting example, the OBD socket is an OBD-II socket.

[0070] In a non-limiting embodiment, the activation device 4 further includes a communication port 49. In one non-limiting example, the communication port 49 is a USB port. The communication port 49 is configured to connect the activation device 4 to an electronic device such as a computer. The communication port 49 is also configured to connect to a power source to receive electrical energy intended to charge the battery 46. The power source may be an AC power outlet or any electronic or electrical device capable of powering the battery 46, such as a computer.

[0071] It should be noted that the steps of the identification method Pr described above can be implemented by "software" programming of microdevices, hard-wired logic, and / or "hardware" electronic components.

[0072] Therefore, the activation device 4 may include one or more computer program products Pg, which include one or more instruction sequences executable by the information processing unit. When the instruction sequences are loaded into the computer, the execution of the instruction sequences can implement the steps of the identification method Pr described above.

[0073] In a non-limiting embodiment, the information processing unit is a microprocessor, or a processing unit of a microcontroller, an ASIC, etc.

[0074] Such computer programs can be written to writable non-volatile memory (e.g., ROM) or rewritable non-volatile memory (e.g., EEPROM or FLASH memory). The computer program can be written to memory at the factory, loaded into memory, or downloaded to memory remotely. The instruction sequence can be a sequence of machine instructions or a sequence of command language interpreted by the processing unit at runtime.

[0075] exist Figure 3 In the non-limiting example shown, the computer program product Pg is written into the first memory 44 of the activation device 4.

[0076] Thus, the computer program product Pg includes one or more instruction sequences executable by the information processing unit, and when the program is loaded into the activation device 4, the execution of the instruction sequences can perform the following steps: – Activate the pressure sensor 1, – Receive and read sensor information i from the activated pressure sensor 1. – Generate code c based on the sensor information i. – The code c is displayed on a human-machine interface 43 so that the diagnostic device 5 can read and decode the code c.

[0077] In a non-limiting embodiment, when these steps are performed, the steps further include steps E00, and / or E13', and / or E16 as described above. Thus, in a non-limiting embodiment, the computer program product Pg includes one or more instruction sequences executable by the information processing unit, which, when the program is loaded into the activation device 4, can perform the following steps: steps E00, and / or E13' and E16 as described above.

[0078] The computer program product Pg is incorporated into a computer-readable non-transitory data recording medium Md, which stores instructions that, when executed by the information processing unit, cause the information processing unit to perform the identification method Pr described above.

[0079] In a non-limiting embodiment, the computer-readable non-transitory data recording medium Md is an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In a non-limiting example, the computer-readable non-transitory data recording medium Md is a ROM or similar memory (such as a PROM), an erasable programmable EPROM or similar memory (such as an EEPROM), a flash memory, a semiconductor memory, a DVD, etc. Figure 3 In the non-limiting example shown, the computer-readable non-transitory data recording medium Md is the memory 44 described above.

[0080] Although computer-readable non-transitory data recording media Md such as Figure 3 The non-limiting embodiments shown herein represent a single medium, but the term "computer-readable non-transitory data recording medium" should be considered to include a single medium or multiple media.

[0081] The computer-readable non-transitory data recording medium Md used in this article should not be interpreted as a transient signal itself, such as radio waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through waveguides or other transmission media, or electrical signals transmitted through wires.

[0082] Thus, the sensor information i retrieved by the activation device 4 specifically enables the identification of the activated pressure sensor 1 and characterization of the state of the corresponding tire 2.

[0083] Figure 2 and Figure 3 The diagnostic device 5 shown for the motor vehicle 3 can read and decode the code c generated from the sensor information i encoded in the code c in order to retrieve the sensor information i from the pressure sensor 1.

[0084] Diagnostic device 5 is used by repair shop mechanics to inspect various components (including tires 2) on motor vehicle 3 and to diagnose any faults on motor vehicle 3. Diagnostic device 5, often referred to as a diagnostic box, is a dedicated manufacturer's device used to communicate with vehicles of the manufacturer's brand.

[0085] By retrieving sensor information i using diagnostic device 5, one can have a single tool to collect all information related to motor vehicle 3.

[0086] like Figure 4 As shown, diagnostic device 5 includes: – Read module 50, – Second electronic control unit 51.

[0087] In one non-limiting embodiment, the reading module 50 and the second electronic control unit 51 are independent of each other. In another non-limiting embodiment, the reading module 50 and the second electronic control unit 51 overlap.

[0088] The diagnostic device 5 also includes a human-machine interface 52. The human-machine interface 52 is a display device, such as a screen in a non-limiting example. In a non-limiting example, the screen is an LCD or TFT screen.

[0089] The diagnostic device 5 also includes a second memory 53. In a non-limiting embodiment, the second memory 53 is a rewritable non-volatile memory, such as an EEPROM or FLASH memory.

[0090] The reading module 50 is configured to read code c displayed by the human-machine interface 43 of the activation device 4, wherein code c includes sensor information i of the pressure sensor 1 (functionally shown as f500(50, c)). In a non-limiting embodiment, the reading module 50 is a camera or scanner. Thus, the camera or scanner is capable of decoding code c using techniques known to those skilled in the art and not described herein, such as barcodes or QR codes.

[0091] The second electronic control unit 51 is configured to decode code c in order to retrieve the sensor information i (the function is shown as f510(51, c, i)).

[0092] In one non-limiting embodiment, the second electronic control unit 51 is further configured to store the decoded sensor information i in a memory (functionally shown as f511(51, 53, p1, i)). It stores this information along with the position p1 of the corresponding tire 2 transmitted by the activation device 4 via code c. In one non-limiting embodiment, it stores the information locally; in the illustrated non-limiting example, it stores it in memory 53. In another non-limiting embodiment, it stores the information in the cloud.

[0093] In a non-limiting embodiment, the second electronic control unit 51 is also configured to perform a relearning process (functionally shown as f512(51, 30, 48, 1, p1)) with the electronic control unit 30 of the motor vehicle 3 via an OBD connection (here, OBD socket 48). This relearning process, referred to as "relearn," is performed when tire 2 is changed on the motor vehicle 3. This relearning process enables the new pressure sensor 1 integrated in the new tire 2 to pair with the motor vehicle 3.

[0094] In practice, the identification of pressure sensor 1 is specifically used to pair pressure sensor 1 with the electronic control unit 30 of vehicle 3. Pairing (or association) allows the electronic control unit 30 of vehicle 3 to identify the new pressure sensor 1 installed on vehicle 3 when tire 2 is replaced, which includes new and different identification information i1 compared to the old pressure sensor 1 that has been replaced. The electronic control unit 30 must be notified of the new identification information i1 in order to identify and receive the radio frequency signal s1 transmitted by the new pressure sensor 1, which is accomplished through a relearning process.

[0095] In the first non-limiting embodiment, relearning is performed in the following manner: – Directly transmit all sensor information i of each pressure sensor 1 and its respective associated position p1 (previously stored in memory) to the electronic control unit 30 of the vehicle 3, and – The data is written directly into the memory of the electronic control unit 30 of the motor vehicle 3.

[0096] Thus, transmission occurs between the diagnostic device 5 (which stores sensor information i of each pressure sensor 1 and its respective associated position p1 in the second memory 53) and the electronic control unit 30 of the motor vehicle 3. In this case, in a non-limiting example, transmission is performed using a wired method (e.g., an OBD connection, here OBD socket 48).

[0097] The human-machine interface 52 of the diagnostic device 5 is configured to display sensor information i (functionally shown as F520(52, i)) extracted by the second electronic control unit 51. Thus, the operator can read the sensor information i on the human-machine interface 52. In a non-limiting embodiment, the human-machine interface 52 is also configured to simultaneously display the location p1 corresponding to the sensor information i. Therefore, the diagnostic device 5 can subsequently use the sensor information i to create, for example, a global report about the vehicle 3, or for other future uses.

[0098] Of course, the description of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and fields described above. Thus, in a non-limiting embodiment, the display device 43 and keyboard 47 of the activation device 4 can be replaced by a single element, such as a touchscreen, for displaying information and for activating the function via a dedicated icon or operator confirmation. Thus, according to a non-limiting embodiment, the activation device 4 further includes an auxiliary device for retrieving tire information and transmitting that information to the first electronic control unit 42.

[0099] In one non-limiting embodiment, the tire information includes: information items about the manufacturer, model, manufacturing week and year (this combination is referred to as MMM, i.e., “manufacturer, model, manufacturing week and year”), and / or information about the tire size, and / or information about the tire 2 wear condition.

[0100] In one non-limiting embodiment, the tire information also includes an identification of an RFID electronic chip.

[0101] In a non-limiting embodiment, the additional device is as follows: – Keyboard, configured for manual input of tire information, and / or – RFID module for reading RFID tags in tires, and / or – Optical Character Recognition (OCR) module, used to read OCR text.

[0102] In this case, the first electronic control unit 42 is also configured to receive tire information from the additional device and to generate the code c based on the tire information.

[0103] Therefore, the present invention described herein has the following particular advantages: – This invention allows sensor information to be easily transmitted to diagnostic device 5 via code c, thereby integrating the diagnosis of pressure sensor 1 into the overall diagnostic process 5; thus, the final diagnostic steps are performed by a single diagnostic device 5. – This invention is easy to interface with any diagnostic device 5. – This invention allows diagnostic device 5 to be responsible for the relearning process. – This invention is simple to implement.

Claims

1. A method for identifying (Pr) the pressure sensor (1) of the tire (2) of a vehicle (3), the identification method (Pr) comprising: – The pressure sensor (1) is activated by the activation device (4). – The activation device (4) receives and reads sensor information (i) from the activated pressure sensor (1). The identification method (Pr) is characterized in that it further includes: – The activation device (4) generates code (c) based on the sensor information (i). – The activation device (4) displays the code (c) on a human-machine interface (43) so that the diagnostic device (5) can read and decode the code (c).

2. The identification method (Pr) according to claim 1, wherein the code (c) is a barcode or a QR code.

3. The identification method (Pr) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor information (i) includes the identifier of the pressure sensor (1), and the pressure information and / or temperature information and / or DOT number and / or battery information of the tire (2).

4. The identification method (Pr) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the identification method (Pr) further comprises the activation device (4) selecting the manufacturer, model and year of manufacture (MMY) of the vehicle (3), and the activation is based on the selection.

5. An activation device (4) for activating a pressure sensor (1) of a tire (2) of a vehicle (3), characterized in that, The activation device (4) includes: (a) An activation module (40) configured to activate multiple pressure sensors (1) of the vehicle (3), (b) A receiver module (41) configured to receive sensor information (i) from the plurality of pressure sensors (1), (c) A first electronic control unit (42), configured as follows: – Read the sensor information (i) from the activated pressure sensor (1), – Generate code (c) based on the sensor information (i), (d) A human-computer interface (43) configured to display the code (c).

6. The activation device (4) according to the preceding claim, wherein the code is a barcode or a QR code.

7. The activation device (4) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the sensor information (i) includes the identifier of the pressure sensor (1), and the pressure information and / or temperature information and / or DOT number and / or battery information of the tire (2).

8. The activation device (4) according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the first electronic control unit (42) is further configured to select the manufacturer, model and year of manufacture (MMY) of the vehicle (3), and the activation module (40) is configured to activate the pressure sensor (1) based on the selection.

9. A diagnostic device (5) for a vehicle (3), characterized in that, The diagnostic device (5) includes: – A reading module (50) configured to read code (c) displayed by a human-machine interface (43) of a device (4) for activating a pressure sensor (1) of a tire (2) of the vehicle (3), the code (c) including sensor information (i) of the pressure sensor (1), – A second electronic control unit (51) configured to decode the code (c) in order to retrieve the sensor information (i).

10. A computer program product (Pg) comprising one or more instruction sequences executable by an information processing unit, wherein when the instruction sequences are loaded into a computer, execution of the instruction sequences is capable of implementing the identification method (Pr) according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

11. A computer-readable non-transitory data recording medium (MD) storing instructions that, when executed by an information processing unit, cause the information processing unit to perform the identification method (Pr) according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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