Method for transmitting information from a tire sensor unit

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for transmitting information from a tire sensor unit to a receiving device, comprising establishing a wireless signal connection between the tire sensor unit and a portable mobile radio device located within range of the tire sensor unit for transmitting measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals from the tire sensor unit to the mobile radio device and wirelessly transmitting data packets from the mobile radio device via a mobile radio network formed by radio cells to the receiving device, wherein the data packets comprise position data of the mobile radio device in addition to the measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals of the tire sensor unit.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for transmitting information from a tire sensor unit to a receiving device

[0002] Motor vehicles are typically equipped with pneumatic tires that are equipped with corresponding tire sensor units to monitor parameters, particularly tire pressure and / or tire temperature. These tire sensor units are known, for example, as TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) sensors and transmit their measurement data wirelessly, continuously or at intervals, to the vehicle's on-board electronics. If reference values ​​are exceeded or undershot, the on-board electronics can, for example, issue a warning message about excessive or insufficient air pressure in a pneumatic tire to the vehicle driver and / or to a fleet manager via a telemetry unit in a backend.

[0003] Particularly in the context of increasingly comprehensive fleet and vehicle fleet management of a large number of such vehicles, systems have been developed that enable tire management, for example, to monitor the tire data of all participating vehicles and to minimize downtime due to tire defects or wear, for example. One example of such a tire management system is the ContiConnect system developed by Continental AG.

[0004] Such tire management systems require, among other things, the distances traveled by the vehicle's pneumatic tires to evaluate the tire data. This typically involves using position data from the vehicle's own GPS system, which is transmitted along with the measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw data from the tire sensor unit to a remote receiving device, the backend. However, the problem often arises that the position data from the vehicle's own GPS system cannot be accessed, for example, because the vehicle and / or its GPS system are switched off, deactivated, or have not yet been reconfigured.

[0005] The object of the invention is therefore to propose a method of the type mentioned at the outset which ensures the transmission of the required information from the tire sensor unit, including the position data, to the receiving device independently of the vehicle's own GPS system.

[0006] To achieve the stated object, the invention proposes the design of the method according to the features of patent claim 1.

[0007] Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the method according to the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0008] The inventive proposal is based on establishing a wireless signal connection between the tire sensor unit and a portable mobile radio device located within range of the tire sensor unit in order to transmit measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals from the tire sensor unit to the mobile radio device. At the same time, the mobile radio device serves to wirelessly transmit data packets from the mobile radio device to the receiving device via a mobile radio network formed by radio cells. In addition to the measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals from the tire sensor unit, the data packets also include position data from the mobile radio device, based on which the position of the tire sensor unit at the time the measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals are transmitted to the mobile radio device can be determined by the receiving device.

[0009] The method according to the invention therefore does not rely on the position data of a vehicle-mounted GPS system, which is unavailable under certain circumstances, but rather uses the position data of the mobile device available on this mobile device. According to the invention, therefore, no operational vehicle-mounted GPS system is required; rather, coupling to a suitable portable mobile device, for example, a commercially available smartphone, is sufficient.

[0010] In the context of the invention described here, measured values ​​from the tire sensor unit are understood to be information that can be displayed or further used without additional computing operations or conversions. Unprocessed raw signals, on the other hand, are understood to be information from the tire sensor unit that is only made usable through an additional, outsourced computing operation or conversion. All of these types of information can be transmitted according to the invention.

[0011] According to one proposal of the invention, the mobile device comprises a receiver for a global satellite navigation system, for example GPS or GLONASS, and when transmitting measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals from the tire sensor unit to the mobile device, the current position data of the receiver are combined with the measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals to form a data packet and transmitted to the receiving device.

[0012] Additionally or alternatively, according to a further proposal of the invention, when transmitting measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals from the tire sensor unit to the mobile radio device, data from the radio cell of the mobile radio network currently connected to the mobile radio device can be combined as position data with the measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals to form a data packet and transmitted to the receiving device.

[0013] After receiving the position data and the associated measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals in the data packet, the receiving device can determine, for example, driving distances, mileage, a usage profile or the current position of a pneumatic tire equipped with the tire sensor unit on any vehicle and process them, for example, in a tire management system.

[0014] The tire sensor unit can in particular be designed as a TPMS sensor and as such can be integrally mounted in a pneumatic tire or subsequently attached to it.

[0015] According to a further proposal of the invention, the wireless signal connection between the tire sensor unit and the mobile radio device can be designed as a Bluetooth radio connection, although other radio protocols can also be considered.

[0016] For the method according to the invention, it is particularly provided that a dedicated coupling of the portable mobile radio device with the at least one tire sensor unit is carried out in order to establish a wireless signal connection between the tire sensor unit and the mobile radio device. For this purpose, a corresponding application can be installed on the portable mobile radio device.

[0017] However, within the scope of the invention, it is also possible to form data packets with measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals of the tire sensor unit and position data of the mobile device and to transmit them to the receiving device without explicitly coupling the portable mobile device with the tire sensor unit if, according to a further proposal of the invention, the tire sensor unit establishes a wireless signal connection with a portable mobile device within range using the crowd GPS method.

[0018] The invention explained above can be used in connection with a wide variety of pneumatic vehicle tires, for example, passenger car tires, truck tires, or other specialty tires, provided that a specific position or a relative travel distance is required, for example, by a tire management system. The method according to the invention ensures functionality wherever the tire sensor unit can be coupled to a suitable portable mobile device, for example, a mobile phone, to establish a wireless signal connection.

Claims

[1] Method for transmitting information from a tire sensor unit to a receiving device, comprising establishing a wireless signal connection between the tire sensor unit and a portable mobile radio device located within range of the tire sensor unit for transmitting measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals from the tire sensor unit to the mobile radio device and wirelessly transmitting data packets from the mobile radio device via a mobile radio network formed by radio cells to the receiving device, wherein the data packets comprise, in addition to the measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals from the tire sensor unit, position data of the mobile radio device. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized bythat the mobile device comprises a receiver for a global satellite navigation system and, when measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals from the tire sensor unit are transmitted to the mobile device, the current position data of the receiver are combined with the measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals to form a data packet and transmitted to the receiving device. [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that when measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals from the tire sensor unit are transmitted to the mobile device, data from the radio cell of the mobile network currently connected to the mobile device are combined as position data with the measured values ​​and / or unprocessed raw signals to form a data packet and transmitted to the receiving device. [4] Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the tire sensor unit is designed as a TPMS sensor. [5] Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the wireless signal connection between the tire sensor unit and the mobile device is designed as a Bluetooth radio connection.