TPMS Sensor Selection for Park-Assist Traffic Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) face challenges during remote park-assist functions, as they consume battery power and generate excessive wireless traffic, potentially slowing or interrupting vehicle operations.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system that selectively requests tire pressure measurements from TPMS sensors based on the vehicle's motive functions, such as direction of turn, clearance distance, and sensor charge level, to reduce wireless traffic and battery usage during park-assist operations, while normalizing measurements for temperature and pressure changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If TPMS sensors continuously monitor and transmit tire pressure measurements during park-assist functions, then tire pressure monitoring accuracy is maintained, but battery power consumption increases and excessive wireless traffic is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The system selectively activates TPMS sensors based on parking maneuver characteristics. Instead of continuously monitoring all tires during all operations, the controller determines which sensors are needed based on the specific park-assist function being performed, the vehicle's direction of travel, and which tires are in contact with the ground. This partial monitoring approach maintains necessary measurement precision while significantly reducing battery power consumption during park-assist operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts TPMS sensor activation status based on real-time operating conditions. The controller continuously evaluates the parking maneuver context, vehicle orientation, and tire contact status to determine which sensors should be active at any given moment. This dynamic approach ensures measurement accuracy is maintained when needed while minimizing energy consumption during stationary or low-risk periods.
2Reliability
If TPMS sensors continuously transmit pressure measurements during park-assist functions, then real-time monitoring capability is maintained, but wireless traffic increases and may slow or interrupt vehicle operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements selective sensor activation based on the specific park-assist maneuver being performed. The controller evaluates which tires are in contact with the ground and which pressure measurements are actually needed for safety and operational awareness. By transmitting only necessary measurements rather than continuous data from all sensors, the system maintains real-time monitoring capability for critical parameters while minimizing wireless traffic that could interfere with other vehicle operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and transmits only the essential tire pressure measurements needed during park-assist operations. Rather than transmitting all sensor data continuously, the controller identifies and transmits only the critical measurements related to the current maneuver and contact tires. This extraction approach maintains reliability for safety-critical monitoring while reducing overall wireless traffic volume and potential interference with vehicle communication systems.
3Measurement precision
If all TPMS sensors are activated during park-assist functions, then complete tire monitoring coverage is achieved, but system complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic, context-based sensor activation control rather than static activation of all sensors. The controller continuously evaluates the parking maneuver context, vehicle orientation, and tire contact status to determine which sensors should be active. This dynamic approach achieves complete monitoring coverage when necessary (when tires are in contact and maneuvers require it) while reducing system complexity by keeping unnecessary sensors inactive, thereby reducing processing requirements and power consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and apparatus are disclosed for tire pressure monitoring with vehicle park-assist. An example vehicle includes tires, tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensors, a park-assist controller to determine a parking path, and a TPMS controller. The TPMS controller is to determine tire characteristics based on the parking path, calculate tire indexes for the tires based on the tire characteristics, and select one or more of the TPMS sensors based on the tire indexes. The TPMS controller also is to instruct, via a communication module, the selected TPMS sensors to collect pressure measurements during park-assist.