Method for verifying sensor information

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for verifying sensor information of a sensor-equipped vehicle tire (10) of a vehicle (12), wherein the vehicle tire (10) comprises a sensor system (14), which has one or more electronic sensor units (16a, 16b) for detecting one or more items of tire information, and a transmission unit (18). The method has the following method steps: a) transmitting the detected tire information to a data processing device (20) situated outside the vehicle tire (10), b) transmitting a verification signal with a specified content to the electronic data processing device (20) by means of the sensor system (14) if the sensor system (14) detects the occurrence of a specified trigger criterion, and c) processing the transmitted tire information by means of the data processing device (20), which checks whether the specified trigger criterion has occurred and, if the specfied verification criterion has occurred, checks whether the verification signal has been transmitted. The processing of the tire information in the event the specified criterion has occurred is carried out on the basis of whether or not the verification signal with the specified content has been trasmitted by the sensor system (14).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Methods for verifying sensor information

[0003] The invention relates to a method for verifying sensor information of a sensor-equipped vehicle tire of a vehicle and a vehicle system for use in a corresponding method.

[0004] Ongoing technological development and increasing digitalization are particularly affecting the field of automotive engineering and vehicle tires. There is a continued interest in continuously collecting performance data from vehicle components in order to, for example, constantly monitor performance and operational safety. Information that can be monitored for vehicle tires includes, for example, tire pressure, tire temperature, and the acceleration experienced by the tires during operation.

[0005] In most cases, such information is obtained through sensors installed in the vehicle tire, for example through the use of acceleration sensors, pressure sensors or temperature sensors, whereby the data obtained in this way can be used, for example, to predict or calculate the physical condition of the vehicle tire, such as the wear that has already occurred or the subsequent retreadability.

[0006] With growing awareness of the importance of cybersecurity, the risk of unauthorized manipulation of tire pressure sensors and the measurement data they store, as well as manipulation of data transmission and processing, is increasingly coming into focus. Given the growing relevance of the data collected by tire pressure sensors for controlling and optimizing vehicle operation, and the increasing importance of documenting the stresses experienced by vehicle tires, such manipulation can cause significant damage. For example, it is particularly important for tire pressure monitoring systems to reliably detect any potential pressure drop.Various aspects of data acquisition and transmission are susceptible to manipulation attempts in different ways, but targeted security measures can be implemented for each, such as encrypting the communication between the tire sensors and the control unit. Such encrypted data transmission between the sensor and the on-board computer can provide protection against manipulation of the transmitted data.

[0007] However, the problem remains that the tire sensors themselves and the software stored on them can also be attacked. The tire sensors installed in vehicle tires must be configured for their specific application and for communication with other vehicle components. This requires, for example, suitable software that controls the operation of the individual components of the sensor unit, the processing of the sensor data, and communication with external transmitters and receivers. In practice, it is generally not practical to deliver the sensor units from the factory with a configuration specifically tailored to their intended use. Instead, the tire sensors are usually configured immediately before or even after installation in the vehicle tires.Furthermore, it may be necessary to reconfigure a previously configured tire pressure sensor to adapt it to a different application or simply to update the software. For maximum user-friendliness, which in particular enables time-efficient configuration of such sensor systems, simple configurability is usually a key focus of the systems known from the state of the art.

[0008] This inherent possibility of subsequently configuring sensor units during operation, while fundamentally intended, results in an intrinsic risk, as it creates potential entry points for manipulation attempts. While it is conceivable to secure any modifications using standard security measures, it is inherent in the lifespan of any device that ultimately no security measure is perfect.

[0009] The primary objective of the present invention was to eliminate or at least reduce the disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, the objective of the present invention was to provide a method for verifying sensor information from a sensor-equipped vehicle tire, with which the integrity of the corresponding sensor units can be reliably verified in order to ensure the trustworthiness of the tire information thereby acquired and transmitted.

[0010] It was desirable that the solution to be specified should be relatively easy to implement from a programming perspective, while still offering a high degree of security against the effects of unauthorized manipulation.

[0011] A further objective of the present invention was to ensure that the specified method could be implemented as efficiently and in a way that saved energy and data as possible with regard to the energy and data requirements of the electronic sensor systems used, so that the service life of the corresponding sensor systems would be affected as little as possible by the method.

[0012] A further objective of the present invention was to provide a vehicle system designed for carrying out the specified method.

[0013] The inventors of the present invention have found that the problems described above can be solved if – preferably in combination with measures that generally restrict access – a method for verifying sensor information of a sensor-equipped vehicle tire is provided, which, although it cannot prevent manipulation of the installed sensor systems, can detect any manipulation that has taken place, and which advantageously exploits the fact that the existence of such a verification mechanism is unknown to a potential intruder who modifies the software.The corresponding method for verifying sensor information relies on the sensor system sending a verification signal of predetermined content when a predetermined trigger criterion is met, wherein the data processing device involved in processing the acquired tire information is able to recognize whether a corresponding verification signal should have been sent and, in the absence of the corresponding verification signal, is designed to restrict or completely prevent the processing of the tire information, as defined in the claims.

[0014] The aforementioned problems are thus solved by the subject matter of the invention as defined in the claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims and the following descriptions.

[0015] Such embodiments, which are hereinafter referred to as preferred, are combined in particularly preferred embodiments with features of other embodiments referred to as preferred. Combinations of two or more of the embodiments referred to below as particularly preferred are therefore especially preferred. Also preferred are embodiments in which a feature of one embodiment, referred to as preferred to any extent, is combined with one or more further features of other embodiments, which are referred to as preferred to any extent. Features of preferred vehicle systems result from the features of preferred methods.

[0016] Particularly preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the exemplary embodiments. Particularly preferred embodiments of the invention have two or more, preferably three or more, and most preferably four or more, of the preferred features of the invention disclosed below, which are also implemented in the exemplary embodiments.

[0017] The invention relates to a method for verifying sensor information from a sensor-equipped vehicle tire, wherein the sensor-equipped vehicle tire comprises a sensor system with one or more electronic sensor units for acquiring one or more pieces of tire information, the sensor system comprising an electronic transmitter (18) for sending signals in a wireless data transmission method, comprising the method steps: a) transmitting the tire information acquired by the sensor units to an electronic data processing device arranged outside the vehicle tire via the electronic transmitter (18), b) transmitting a verification signal of a predetermined content by the sensor system to the electronic data processing device via the electronic transmitter (18) when the sensor system detects the occurrence of a predetermined trigger criterion.c) Processing the transmitted tire information with the electronic data processing device, wherein the electronic data processing device checks whether the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred for the sensor system, wherein, in the event that the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred, the electronic data processing device checks whether the verification signal of the predetermined content has been transmitted by the sensor unit, wherein, in the event that the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred, the processing of the transmitted tire information is dependent on whether the verification signal of the predetermined content has been transmitted by the sensor system or not.

[0018] The method serves to verify sensor information obtained from a sensor-equipped vehicle tire mounted on a vehicle. In preferred embodiments, the method according to the invention is carried out on a vehicle system as further disclosed below. An advantage of the method according to the invention is that it can, in principle, be performed for any type of vehicle tire and for all types of vehicles. However, due to the high relevance of tire information for commercial vehicle fleets, the inventors consider it particularly preferable to implement the method according to the invention for corresponding commercial vehicles, especially trucks or buses.By definition, the vehicle comprises at least one sensor-equipped vehicle tire, and in accordance with the skilled person's understanding, it is advantageous if the vehicle is equipped with sensor-equipped vehicle tires to the greatest extent possible, in which case it is preferred to implement the inventive method for all sensor-equipped vehicle tires.

[0019] In accordance with the designation as a "sensor-equipped vehicle tire", the vehicle tire includes a sensor system which in turn includes at least one electronic sensor unit that serves to capture tire information from the vehicle tire.

[0020] In principle, all conceivable types of electronic sensor units can be used for the sensor units of the sensor system. With regard to tire information, which is particularly relevant for driving safety and fleet management, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, acceleration sensors, and deformation sensors are of particular importance, with pressure sensors, which can record tire pressure as tire information, occupying a prominent position among these. An exemplary method according to the invention is described in which the sensor system is arranged inside the vehicle tire, preferably on the inner layer of a pneumatic tire, and particularly preferably in the radial direction below the tread.

[0021] A preferred method is generally one according to the invention, wherein the sensor system comprises one or more electronic sensor units selected from the group consisting of temperature sensors for detecting tire temperature, acceleration sensors for detecting acceleration, pressure sensors for detecting tire pressure, and deformation sensors for detecting tire deformation; preferably selected from the group consisting of temperature sensors for detecting tire temperature, acceleration sensors for detecting acceleration, and pressure sensors for detecting tire pressure; particularly preferably selected from the group consisting of acceleration sensors for detecting acceleration and pressure sensors for detecting tire pressure.

[0022] Although it is generally sufficient for the sensor-equipped vehicle tires to comprise only one electronic sensor unit in the sensor system, the inventors consider it particularly preferable for the sensor systems to have extended sensor functionality and to be able to acquire various tire information. A preferred method according to the invention is therefore one in which the sensor system comprises two or more, preferably three or more, electronic sensor units.

[0023] In the course of developing the present invention, an embodiment has proven particularly preferred in which the sensor system comprises at least one pressure sensor and one acceleration sensor. This combination advantageously allows not only the particularly safety-relevant tire pressure to be detected, but also, via the acceleration sensor, the collection of tire information that can be readily correlated with changes in the vehicle's driving state and, in the inventors' opinion, is therefore particularly suitable for linking a predetermined trigger criterion, which will be described in more detail below, to these acceleration values. A preferred method according to the invention is one in which the sensor system comprises at least one acceleration sensor for detecting the experienced acceleration and at least one pressure sensor for detecting the tire pressure.

[0024] In addition to the sensor units, the sensor system also includes an electronic transmitter unit, which serves to transmit the tire information acquired by the sensor units to an electronic data processing device located outside the vehicle tire via a wireless data transmission method. It can be seen as an advantage that, in principle, all wireless data transmission methods can be used, although it is also conceivable that the tire information from the sensor system could be transmitted directly to the "backend" via a long-range radio method, for example, a mast- and / or satellite-based radio method.With regard to the energy expenditure required for data transmission, the inventors consider it particularly preferable for essentially all embodiments to use shorter-range data transmission methods in order to increase the service life of the sensor systems installed in the vehicle tires, whereby any desired forwarding to the "backend" can preferably take place via a transmitter and communication unit arranged on the vehicle. A preferred method according to the invention is one in which the wireless data transmission method is a radio method, preferably using a frequency of 433 MHz or Bluetooth, preferably Bluetooth. Even though the transmission functionality is the primary focus here, a method according to the invention is relevant for essentially all embodiments, wherein the electronic transmitter unit is a transmitter and receiver unit for sending and receiving signals in the wireless data transmission method.

[0025] Even though it would be theoretically conceivable to construct the individual components of the vehicle tire's sensor system as separate components, which would not necessarily have to be interconnected in a signal-conducting manner, the inventors believe that for essentially all embodiments, it is preferable for the components of the sensor system to be integrated into a single component and accordingly interconnected in a signal-conducting manner. A method according to the invention is therefore preferred, wherein the components of the sensor system are integrated into a single component.

[0026] The present method for verifying sensor information serves to confirm the trustworthiness of the transmitted tire information and, if necessary, to detect any manipulation of the sensor system. This means that the method according to the invention does not itself hinder any manipulation as such, but primarily serves to detect any manipulation that has occurred. Against this background, the inventors consider it particularly preferable to also provide further measures that make unauthorized manipulation of the sensor system more difficult, for example, by requiring authorization for any configuration change in the sensor system, such as via a password or multi-factor authentication. A method according to the invention is therefore preferred in which the sensor system is protected against unauthorized access by security measures, preferably by a password or by means of multi-factor authentication.

[0027] In process step a), tire information, for example, tire pressure or the temperature inside the tire, which has been detected by the sensor units, is transmitted by the electronic transmitter unit to an electronic data processing device located outside the vehicle tire. Within the framework of the inventive method, the electronic data processing device refers to the part of a vehicle system that handles the processing of the tire information and also the verification in the inventive method. It is conceivable that the data processing device, as a data processing system, comprises several separate data processing units, each of which handles one or more steps, for example, because the processing of the tire information is carried out by a different computing unit than the verification steps provided for in the inventive method.However, it is generally preferred if the processing of the transmitted tire information in process step c) and the verification of the verification signal are carried out by a single data processing unit.

[0028] According to the inventors, two embodiments are particularly suitable for the design of the electronic data processing device: one in which the data processing device is formed by the vehicle's on-board computer or another vehicle-side computing unit, and another in which the electronic data processing device is located outside the vehicle and is formed, for example, by a server or a cloud.In the preferred embodiment in which the electronic data processing device is formed by a “backend” separate from the vehicle, it is preferred, with a view to an energy-saving implementation of the method according to the invention, if the signals emitted by the sensor systems are forwarded via a further data processing device, which is installed in the vehicle, with a corresponding transmitting and receiving unit to the data processing device separate from the vehicle, wherein the corresponding data transmission in this case preferably takes place in a long-range radio method, preferably by means of a mast and / or satellite-based data transmission method, preferably a mobile communication method.In some cases, a method according to the invention is therefore preferred, wherein the electronic data processing device arranged outside the vehicle tire is an electronic data processing device arranged inside the vehicle. However, a method according to the invention is particularly preferred, wherein the electronic data processing device arranged outside the vehicle tire is separate from the vehicle, and wherein the electronic data processing device is preferably formed by a central data processing device, most preferably by a cloud or the server of a fleet management system.

[0029] In process step b), a verification signal is transmitted by the sensor system to the electronic data processing device when a predetermined trigger criterion has occurred. According to the invention, the verification signal has a predetermined content, which indicates that the verification signal can be recognized as such based on its content, and in particular, that a deviation in the predetermined content of the verification signal could be registered.

[0030] The requirement that the verification signal has a predetermined content also expresses, in particular, that the electronic data processing device can recognize whether a signal is a verification signal with the predetermined content. According to the inventors, it is in principle possible to choose the predetermined content at will. However, the inventors also propose that the predetermined content of the verification signal can be linked to state information from the sensor system and / or the vehicle tire, since this information is known in the sensor system and can be stored in the basic configuration of the data processing device.In a synergistic way, this also includes information that, in addition to the absence of the verification signal, may also allow conclusions to be drawn about manipulation based on the content of a signal received instead of the verification signal, for example because the identification information, the software version or information on historical tire information differs from what the data processing device would expect in the verification signal.With regard to the content of the verification signal, a method according to the invention is therefore preferred, wherein the verification signal comprises identification information assigned to the sensor system, or wherein the verification signal comprises version information about the running software version assigned to the operating software of the sensor system, preferably a checksum of the software, or wherein the verification signal comprises historical tire information that was recorded and transmitted at a predetermined earlier time, preferably a historical tire pressure.

[0031] To reduce energy consumption and thus extend the service life of the corresponding sensor systems, whose batteries are not easily replaceable, and also to save data volume and thus reduce associated costs, the inventors propose choosing the shortest possible length of the verification signal and adapting the predetermined content to this criterion. A preferred method according to the invention is one in which the verification signal of a predetermined content comprises 1 to 8 bytes, preferably 4 to 8 bytes.

[0032] Essential to the method according to the invention is that the transmission of the verification signal is linked to a predetermined trigger criterion, i.e., it occurs according to predictable criteria. The crucial aspect of the predetermined trigger criterion is that the electronic data processing device, which would receive the verification signal, is also able to determine, based on the predetermined trigger criterion, whether a verification signal should have been sent.

[0033] The inventors have succeeded in identifying suitable triggering criteria. A particularly simple embodiment arises when a time-based triggering criterion is chosen, whereby the verification signal is transmitted at predetermined time intervals. According to the inventors, this embodiment is particularly compelling due to its ease of implementation; however, it inherently carries the disadvantage that a verification signal transmitted at a fixed frequency can be detected relatively easily if it is recognized as a recurring pattern in the transmission behavior of the sensor systems. Therefore, a method according to the invention is preferred, especially for simple embodiments, in which the predetermined triggering criterion is a time-based triggering criterion, preferably the elapsed time since the transmission of the last verification signal and / or the reaching of a predetermined time.

[0034] In the inventors' view, it is preferable for essentially all embodiments if the predetermined trigger criterion is coupled to a more complex criterion, in particular to the tire information acquired by the sensor units. This makes it considerably more difficult to identify the verification signal among other signals and thus to detect the verification method. In particular, it is possible for both the sensor system and the data processing device to efficiently check whether the predetermined trigger criterion is present, namely by simply observing the temporal development of the tire information. For example, the predetermined trigger criterion can be coupled to one of the tire information values ​​exceeding or falling below a predefined threshold.Depending on the choice of tire information, it may be advantageous to extend the trigger criterion such that the tire information should have been below or above the threshold for a certain minimum period of time beforehand, in order to prevent the verification signal from being triggered too frequently. A preferred method according to the invention is therefore one in which the predetermined trigger criterion depends on at least one of the detected tire information, preferably on at least two of the detected tire information, preferably at least on the tire temperature and / or the acceleration experienced by the sensor system, and particularly preferably on the acceleration experienced by the sensor system.A particularly preferred method according to the invention is one in which the predetermined trigger criterion for one or more tire parameters, preferably tire pressure and / or tire temperature, comprises or consists of falling below or exceeding, preferably exceeding, a predetermined threshold value. However, a particularly preferred method according to the invention is additionally or alternatively one in which the predetermined trigger criterion includes, as an additional condition, that the one or more tire parameters were above or below a predetermined limit value for at least a predetermined time before falling below or exceeding the threshold. According to the inventors, a particularly preferred embodiment results when the predetermined trigger criterion is selected such that it correlates with the vehicle starting to move, for example, because a certain minimum speed is exceeded.In particularly preferred embodiments, the trigger criterion is linked to the vehicle starting up by coupling it to the acceleration detected by the sensor system. A preferred method according to the invention is thus one in which the predetermined trigger criterion indicates or correlates with the vehicle starting up, preferably starting up after a predetermined stationary period, wherein the predetermined stationary period is preferably 5 minutes or more, and particularly preferably 10 minutes or more. A further or alternative preferred method according to the invention is one in which the predetermined trigger criterion includes exceeding a predetermined threshold value of the acceleration detected by the sensor system, wherein the predetermined threshold value is preferably 4 g or more, and particularly preferably 5 g or more.

[0035] The electronic data processing device is capable of checking whether the predetermined trigger criterion has been met for the sensor system. This requires that the electronic data processing device knows the predetermined trigger criterion or at least applies a very similar trigger criterion. It is particularly preferred that the data processing device, by evaluating the transmitted tire information, infers whether the predetermined trigger criterion has been met and a verification signal would have been expected. A preferred method according to the invention involves the electronic data processing device checking, based on the transmitted tire information, in particular the transmitted tire temperature and / or the detected acceleration, whether the predetermined trigger criterion has been met for the sensor system. However, a method according to the invention is also conceivable in whichThe electronic data processing device uses external vehicle information, preferably time-dependent position data of the vehicle, particularly GPS data, to check whether the predetermined trigger criterion for the sensor system has been met. In the method according to the invention, the processing of the transmitted tire information is made dependent on whether the verification signal has been received, i.e., whether a signal of the expected content has been received at the expected time. A person skilled in the art can adapt the effects of successful or unsuccessful verification to the specific application requirements of their use case. While it is conceivable in principle to mark the transmitted tire information as trustworthy upon successful verification, in practice the most relevant case will be where measures are provided to…if verification has not been carried out. The type and extent of the reaction measures can be freely chosen by a person skilled in the art. In principle, it is conceivable that the processing of the tire information is completely stopped or at least severely restricted. Particularly in cases where the tire information is required for the operation of downstream processes, however, instead of completely blocking processing, a warning message can be issued indicating that the processing of the tire information continues, but can no longer be considered reliable. A method according to the invention is therefore preferred in which the processing of the transmitted tire information only takes place if the predetermined trigger criterion has been met.when the verification signal of the predetermined content has been transmitted by the sensor system. A preferred or alternative method according to the invention is wherein the transmitted tire information is not further processed if the predetermined trigger criterion has been met and the verification signal of the predetermined content has not been transmitted by the sensor system, or wherein the transmitted tire information is deleted if the verification signal of the predetermined content has not been transmitted by the sensor system, or wherein the transmitted tire information is further processed with a warning message if the predetermined trigger criterion has been met.if the verification signal of the predetermined content has not been transmitted by the sensor system. The invention also relates to a vehicle system for use in a method according to the invention, comprising: i) a vehicle, ii) at least one sensor-equipped vehicle tire, wherein the sensor-equipped vehicle tire comprises a sensor system with one or more electronic sensor units for acquiring one or more tire information, wherein the sensor system comprises an electronic transmitting unit for sending signals in a wireless data transmission method, wherein the sensor system is configured to transmit a verification signal of a predetermined content to the electronic data processing device by means of the electronic transmitting unit as soon as the sensor system detects the occurrence of a predetermined trigger criterion.and iii) an electronic data processing device arranged outside the vehicle tire for processing transmitted tire information, wherein the electronic data processing device is configured to check whether the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred for the sensor system, wherein the electronic data processing device is configured, in the event that the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred, to check whether the verification signal of the predetermined content has been transmitted by the sensor unit, wherein the electronic data processing device is configured to process the transmitted tire information in the event that the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred, depending on whether the verification signal of the predetermined content has been transmitted by the sensor system or not.

[0036] The invention and preferred embodiments of the invention are explained and described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying figure. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a preferred embodiment according to the invention.

[0037] Vehicle system for use in a method according to the invention.

[0038] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a preferred vehicle system 22 according to the invention, which is specifically designed for use in the method according to the invention. The vehicle system 22 initially comprises a vehicle 12, which, for the sake of clarity, is shown in Fig. 1 only with its chassis and which, in the example shown, is a truck. The vehicle 12 has six tires 10, each designed as a sensor-equipped tire 10 and accordingly having a sensor system 14, which is placed as an integrated component on the inner layer of the tires 10.

[0039] The sensor system 14 for the front left vehicle tire 10 is shown schematically enlarged. Figure 1 shows that the sensor system 14, in the example shown, comprises two electronic sensor units 16a and 16b, which in this example are a pressure sensor for measuring the tire pressure and a 3-axis accelerometer for measuring the acceleration experienced by sensor unit 16b. Furthermore, the sensor system 14 includes an electronic transmitter 18, which is configured to send and receive signals via Bluetooth, in order to transmit, in particular, the acquired tire information to a receiver located outside the vehicle tire 10.

[0040] In the example shown in Fig. 1, the tire information is processed in an electronic data processing device 20, which is formed by the central computer of a fleet management system. For this purpose, the signals sent by the sensor system 14 are transmitted via Bluetooth to an intermediate electronic data processing device 24, which is part of the vehicle and can transmit the data thus received to the electronic data processing device 20 using an encrypted mobile communication method.

[0041] In the method according to the invention, the respective tire information is recorded by the electronic sensor units 16a, 16b and transmitted by the electronic transmitting unit 18 via the electronic data processing device 24 to the electronic data processing device 20 provided for processing.

[0042] The sensor system 14 is designed to check whether a predetermined trigger criterion has occurred and, if so, to send a verification signal with a predetermined content. In the example of Fig. 1, the predetermined trigger criterion is linked to the acceleration measured by the accelerometer and is considered to have occurred when the acceleration exceeds a threshold of 5 g, provided that the acceleration has previously been below a predetermined limit value for at least 10 minutes. The predetermined limit value is chosen to correlate with the (almost) complete standstill of the vehicle 12. Accordingly, the predetermined trigger criterion in the example of Fig. 1 is designed to correlate with the vehicle starting up.

[0043] Upon occurrence of this predetermined trigger criterion, the sensor system 14 transmits a verification signal. In the example shown, the predetermined content of this signal is a specific historical pressure value that dates back a predetermined number of measurements and / or a predetermined time. Based on the transmitted tire information regarding the detected accelerations, the electronic data processing device 20 can recognize that the predetermined trigger criterion has meanwhile occurred and accordingly expects to receive the verification signal. The data processing device 20 also knows the content of this signal because it has access to the pressure history.

[0044] In the example shown in Fig. 1, the method according to the invention is operated such that, even if the verification signal is absent, further processing of the tire information with the electronic data processing device 20 continues, and the corresponding tire information is in particular still stored. However, at the same time, a warning message is sent to the fleet manager via email or a short message service, and the stored tire information is also provided with a warning message indicating that the integrity of the tire information could not be verified. (Reference numeral list)

[0045] 10 vehicle tires

[0046] 12 vehicles

[0047] 14 Sensor system 16a, b Sensor units

[0048] 18 electronic transmitting units

[0049] 20 electronic data processing devices

[0050] 22 Vehicle system

[0051] 24 electronic data processing equipment

Claims

Claims 1. A method for verifying sensor information of a sensor-equipped vehicle tire (10) of a vehicle (12), wherein the sensor-equipped vehicle tire (10) comprises a sensor system (14) with one or more electronic sensor units (16a, 16b) for acquiring one or more pieces of tire information, wherein the sensor system (14) comprises an electronic transmitter (18) for transmitting signals in a wireless data transmission method, comprising the method steps of: a) transmitting the tire information acquired by the sensor units (16a, 16b) to an electronic data processing device (20) arranged outside the vehicle tire (10) by means of the electronic transmitter (18), b) transmitting a verification signal of a predetermined content by the sensor system (14) to the electronic data processing device (20) by means of the electronic transmitter (18).when the sensor system (14) detects the occurrence of a predetermined trigger criterion, c) processing the transmitted tire information with the electronic data processing device (20), wherein the electronic data processing device (20) checks whether the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred for the sensor system (14), wherein, in the event that the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred, the electronic data processing device (20) checks whether the verification signal of the predetermined content has been transmitted by the sensor unit (16a, 16b), wherein, in the event that the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred, the processing of the transmitted tire information is dependent on whether the verification signal of the predetermined content has been transmitted by the sensor system (14) or not.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the sensor system (14) comprises one or more electronic sensor units (16a, 16b) selected from the group consisting of temperature sensors for detecting tire temperature, acceleration sensors for detecting experienced acceleration, pressure sensors for detecting tire pressure and deformation sensors for detecting tire deformation.

3. Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the sensor system (14) comprises two or more electronic sensor units (16a, 16b).

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein the sensor system (14) comprises at least one acceleration sensor for detecting the experienced acceleration and at least one pressure sensor for detecting the tire pressure.

5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the verification signal comprises identification information assigned to the sensor system (14), or wherein the verification signal comprises version information about the running software version assigned to the operating software of the sensor system (14), or wherein the verification signal comprises historical tire information that was captured and transmitted at a predetermined earlier time.

6. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the predetermined The trigger criterion is a time-based trigger criterion.

7. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the predetermined trigger criterion depends on at least one of the tire information recorded.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined trigger criterion for one or more tire information includes or consists of falling below or exceeding a predetermined threshold value.

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined trigger criterion comprises as an additional condition that one or more tire information values ​​were above or below a predetermined limit value for at least a predetermined time before falling below or exceeding it.

10. Method according to one of claims 7 or 8, wherein the predetermined trigger criterion comprises exceeding a predetermined threshold value of the acceleration detected by the sensor system (14).

11. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the predetermined trigger criterion indicates or correlates with the starting of the vehicle (12).

12. Method according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the electronic data processing device (20) checks, based on the transmitted tire information, whether the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred for the sensor system (14).

13. Method according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the electronic data processing device (20) checks, based on external vehicle information, whether the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred for the sensor system (14).

14. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the transmitted tire information is not further processed if the predetermined trigger criterion has been met and the verification signal of the predetermined content has not been transmitted by the sensor system (14), or wherein the transmitted tire information is deleted if the predetermined trigger criterion has been met and the verification signal of the predetermined content has not been transmitted by the sensor system (14), or wherein the transmitted tire information is further processed with a warning message if the predetermined trigger criterion has been met and the verification signal of the predetermined content has not been transmitted by the sensor system (14).

15. Vehicle system (22) for use in a method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, comprising: i) a vehicle (12), ii) at least one sensor-equipped vehicle tire (10), wherein the sensor-equipped vehicle tire (10) comprises a sensor system (14) with one or more electronic sensor units (16a, 16b) for acquiring one or more tire information, wherein the sensor system (14) comprises an electronic transmitter unit (18) for transmitting signals in a wireless data transmission method, wherein the sensor system (14) is configured to transmit a verification signal of a predetermined content to the electronic data processing device (20) by means of the electronic transmitter unit (18) as soon as the sensor system (14) detects the occurrence of a predetermined trigger criterion, and iii) an electronic data processing device (20) arranged outside the vehicle tire (10) for processing transmitted tire information, wherein the electronic data processing device (20) is configured to check whether the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred for the sensor system (14), wherein the electronic data processing device (20) is configured, in the event that the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred, to check whether the verification signal of the predetermined content has been transmitted by the sensor unit (16a, 16b), wherein the electronic data processing device (20) is configured to process the transmitted tire information in the event that the predetermined trigger criterion has occurred, depending on whether the verification signal of the predetermined content has been transmitted by the sensor system (14) or not.

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