Tire Localization via Wheel Rotation and Acceleration Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tire pressure monitoring systems face challenges in efficiently localizing individual tires due to tire rotation and position changes, which complicates identifying the specific tire with low pressure, and power constraints limit frequent communication and localization signal transmissions.
Innovation Solution
A tire pressure monitoring system that includes fixed wheel rotation sensors and wheel units with acceleration sensors, where the control unit processes wheel rotation and acceleration data to accurately localize each wheel unit to a particular tire, leveraging additional vehicle systems like ABS or ESC for correlation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If wheel modules frequently transmit localization signals to identify tire position, then localization accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by having wheel modules continuously monitor acceleration data and store it locally, and by having the control unit continuously acquire wheel rotation data from fixed sensors. This preliminary data collection enables rapid localization when needed without requiring frequent active transmission, thus maintaining localization accuracy while reducing power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary approach by using fixed wheel rotation sensors (from ABS/ESC systems) as additional data sources. These sensors provide wheel rotation information that serves as an intermediary reference, allowing the control unit to correlate acceleration data with rotation data to achieve accurate localization without requiring frequent high-power transmissions from wheel modules.
2Productivity
If wheel modules continuously communicate localization data, then localization efficiency is improved, but power constraints are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic action by having wheel modules monitor and store acceleration data continuously at low power, and by having the control unit periodically acquire wheel rotation data from fixed sensors. Full localization processing is performed on-demand rather than through continuous high-power communication, maintaining efficiency while respecting power constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel modules perform self-service by continuously monitoring and storing their own acceleration data locally without requiring external requests. This allows them to be ready for rapid localization when needed while maintaining low power consumption during normal operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If tire rotation and position changes are accommodated, then system adaptability is improved, but localization complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses fixed wheel rotation sensors as an intermediary reference system that independently tracks wheel positions. This intermediary data source provides a stable reference framework that simplifies the localization problem, allowing the system to accommodate tire rotations and position changes without significantly increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously correlating acceleration data from wheel modules with wheel rotation data from fixed sensors. This feedback mechanism automatically adjusts localization calculations to account for tire rotations and position changes, maintaining adaptability while managing complexity through automated correlation algorithms.
4Measurement precision
If control unit processes both acceleration and wheel rotation data, then localization precision is improved, but processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple data sources (acceleration data from wheel modules and wheel rotation data from fixed sensors) into a unified localization process at the control unit. This combining of data streams improves localization precision by cross-validating information from different sensors, while the control unit's higher processing power handles the increased computational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary processing center that receives and correlates data from multiple sources. By centralizing the sophisticated signal processing at the control unit rather than at individual wheel modules, the system achieves high localization precision while distributing processing requirements appropriately across the system architecture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances localization accuracy and efficiency by utilizing the control unit's higher processing power for sophisticated signal processing, reducing power consumption, and ensuring precise tire identification without intermediate data loss, thus improving the overall TPMS functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of wheel units each associated with a wheel of the vehicle and comprising an acceleration sensor configured to acquire acceleration data
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments relate to a control unit comprising a data input to receive wheel rotation data from each of a plurality of fixed wheel rotation sensors associated with a wheel of a vehicle and acceleration samples from a plurality of wheel units. The control unit includes a processor to localize each of the plurality of wheel units to a particular wheel of the vehicle from a joint processing of the wheel rotation data and the acceleration samples.