JP2007331586A - Tire pneumatic pressure monitoring device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tire pneumatic pressure monitoring device allowing an on-vehicle control device to store mounting positions of tires and a unique identification code of a sensor module in a simple method. <P>SOLUTION: The tire pneumatic pressure monitoring device is provided with: the sensor module 3 attached to a wheel 4 of a vehicle, measuring the pneumatic pressure of the tire, and transmitting the measured pneumatic pressure data to the vehicle body side; and an electronic control device 5 installed in the vehicle body side, acquiring the data of the tire pneumatic pressure transmitted from the sensor module 3 at a prescribed period and determining the abnormality of the tire pneumatic pressure data for every mounting position of the tire. The sensor module 3 prestores data of the mounting position of the tire, when the pneumatic pressure of the tire is less than an abnormal monitoring pressure, refills the tire with air, and when the pressure is returned to a set pressure, transmits the tire mounting position data to the electronic control device 5; and the electronic control device 5 acquires and stores the tire mounting position data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tire air pressure monitoring system that monitors tire air pressure and issues a warning when there is an abnormality in air pressure.

  In recent years, a pressure sensor module for detecting tire pressure is mounted inside a tire, and measurement data transmitted from the pressure sensor module by wireless communication and ID data relating to a tire mounting position in a vehicle are received by an antenna on the vehicle body side. In addition, a tire pressure monitoring system (Tire Pressure Monitoring System / TPMS) configured to transmit measurement data received by an antenna to an in-vehicle control device that manages tires has been put into practical use (for example, see Patent Document 1). .

In addition, in this tire pressure monitoring system, when a tire with a pressure sensor module attached is attached to a vehicle, a personal computer is connected to connect the tire and the identification code specific to the sensor module in order to manage the tire. Corresponding storage is performed in the in-vehicle control device.
JP 2002-316520 A

  However, the method of connecting the personal computer and storing the mounting position of each tire and the identification code unique to the sensor module in the in-vehicle control device in this way is complicated and the identification of the tire whose pressure has dropped due to an input error. There is a problem that tire management becomes impossible due to the inability of the tire.

  In addition, when replacing a tire with a sensor attached or when replacing an in-vehicle control device due to a malfunction of the in-vehicle control device, it is necessary to repeat the above input again, which is complicated and requires a lot of time for recovery. There was a problem that it took.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable a vehicle-mounted control device to store a tire mounting position and a sensor module-specific identification code by a simple method. It is to provide an air pressure monitoring system.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a sensor module that is attached to a vehicle wheel, measures the air pressure of a tire, and transmits the measured air pressure data to the vehicle body side, and is installed on the vehicle body side at a predetermined cycle. In a tire pressure monitoring system comprising an in-vehicle control device that acquires tire pressure data sent from a sensor module and determines abnormality of tire pressure data for each tire mounting position, the sensor module includes: The tire mounting position and sensor module specific identification code data are stored in advance, and when the tire air pressure falls below the abnormal monitoring pressure, the air is filled again and returns to the set pressure, the tire mounting position Data of an identification code unique to the sensor module is transmitted to the in-vehicle control device, and the in-vehicle control device installs the tire And obtaining and storing the data of the location and the sensor module specific identification code.

  The present invention also includes a sensor module that is attached to a vehicle wheel, measures the air pressure of a tire, and transmits the measured air pressure data to the vehicle body side. The sensor module is installed on the vehicle body side and is sent from the sensor module at a predetermined cycle. In a tire pressure monitoring system comprising an in-vehicle control device that obtains tire pressure data and determines abnormality of tire pressure data for each tire mounting position, the sensor module includes a tire mounting position. And the sensor module-specific identification code data are stored in advance, and the tire mounting position and the sensor module-specific identification code data are transmitted to the in-vehicle control device at preset time intervals, and the in-vehicle control device However, the tire mounting position and the sensor module specific identification code data are acquired and stored. To.

  When the tire air pressure is abnormal, it is preferable to display on the display device installed on the vehicle body side that the tire air pressure is abnormal for each tire mounting position.

  The present invention prestores tire mounting position data and sensor module specific identification code data in a sensor module attached to a wheel, and the tire mounting position and sensor module under limited conditions. Since the unique identification code is sent to the in-vehicle control device and stored, it does not require complicated operations as described above, and input errors can be prevented, and the in-vehicle control device can be installed and replaced accurately in a short time. It becomes possible.

  Further, the present invention does not require additional hardware for transmitting tire mounting positions stored in the sensor module and identification code data unique to the sensor module, and the tire mounting position and the sensor can be obtained in a simple manner. The module-specific identification code can be stored in the in-vehicle control device.

  In addition, the present invention makes it possible to erroneously transmit signals from sensor modules mounted on other vehicles by transmitting data on tire mounting positions and sensor module-specific identification codes under limited conditions. Will never be remembered.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a tire pressure monitoring system according to the present invention. The tire pressure monitoring system mounted on the vehicle 6 is attached to each wheel 4 of the vehicle 6, measures the tire pressure of the wheel 4, and transmits the measured air pressure data to the vehicle body side, and the vehicle body Installed on the side and receiving the tire pressure data sent from the antenna of the sensor module 3 by radio signal, and obtaining the air pressure data from the receiving device 1 An electronic control unit (Electric Control Unit / ECU) 5 that is an in-vehicle control device that determines an abnormality in air pressure data, and a case where the electronic control device 5 determines that the air pressure is abnormal. And a display device 7 for displaying that the tire air pressure is abnormal for each tire mounting position. .

  In addition, the electronic control unit 5 includes a correspondence table that stores therein the tire mounting position and a unique identification code (hereinafter referred to as a sensor identification code) of the sensor module 3 in association with each other. A sensor identification code is given to the tire pressure data signal transmitted from the sensor module 3, and the electronic control unit 5 determines whether or not it matches the sensor identification code stored in the correspondence table in advance. A tire that issues a warning is determined by determining whether it is a tire or at which position it is mounted.

  As shown in the cross-sectional view of the wheel in FIG. 2, the sensor module 3 is attached to a wheel rim 13 integrally with a cylindrical tire valve 12 for injecting air into the tire 11. Note that the sensor module 3 may be mounted by being baked on the inner surface of the tire so as not to be separated from the tire or broken even when the running tire is deformed under load. It can also be held in the tire inner space by a separate means.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing the outer shape of the sensor module 3. The sensor module 3 includes a sensor module main body 15 having a data writing terminal 14 for writing tire mounting position data from the outside, a rim mounting portion 16, and an antenna 17, and is integrated with the tire valve 12. Are attached to the wheel rim 13.

  The sensor module main body 15 incorporates an electric circuit device shown in a schematic block diagram in FIG. This electric circuit device includes a pressure sensor 24 that detects tire pressure, a temperature sensor 25 that detects the temperature inside the tire, a controller 21, and a transmitter 22 that converts a signal from the controller 21 into a transmission signal from the antenna 17. The controller 21 includes a rewritable ROM (for example, EPROM) 26 and a control unit 27. The rewritable ROM 26 stores tire mounting position, sensor identification code, and abnormality monitoring pressure value data. The abnormality monitoring pressure value is, for example, a puncture detection pressure value: a recommended pressure value minus a 10% reduction level.

  The control unit 27 provided in the controller 21 takes in the pressure data and temperature data detected by the pressure sensor 24 and the temperature sensor 25, and converts the sensor identification code data stored in advance in the ROM 26 into pressure data and temperature data. In addition, the data is output to the transmitter 22 at a predetermined timing of the period T. Further, the control unit 27 outputs the tire mounting position and the sensor identification code data to the transmitter 22 for a certain period when the tire air pressure falls below the abnormal monitoring pressure value, is filled again with air, and returns to the set pressure. . The temperature sensor 26 is provided to warn the driver of the state of the tire inner space in more detail, and although it is preferable, it is not always essential.

  The sensor module main body 15 includes a data writing terminal 14 for inputting a signal from the outside, and a control unit 27 provided in the controller 21 is input from a dedicated writing device 28 connected to the data writing terminal 14. The tire mounting position and abnormality monitoring pressure value data can be written in the rewritable ROM 26 in advance.

  The tire mounting position is represented by a tire number as follows, for example. The front left tire is tire number 1, the front right tire is tire number 2, the rear left tire is tire number 3, the rear left tire is tire number 4, the rear right tire Is tire number 5, and the tire on the right outer side of the rear wheel is tire number 6.

  FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram for explaining the operation of the control unit 27 in the controller 21. A control program for executing this process is stored in the ROM 26 and executed under the control of the control unit 27. The control unit 27 determines whether or not the period T has elapsed since the last time when the tire pressure measurement data was transmitted to the receiving device 1 (step s1). If the period T has not elapsed, step s1 is repeated until the period T is reached. When the period T has elapsed, the pressure data and the temperature data detected by the pressure sensor 24 and the temperature sensor 25 are acquired, and the pressure data and the measurement data of the temperature data are stored in the ROM 26 as a sensor identification code. Are output to the transmitter 22 (step s2). Next, the acquired pressure data is compared with the abnormality monitoring pressure value stored in the ROM 26 (step s3). If it is determined that the acquired pressure data is greater than the abnormality monitoring pressure value, the process returns to step s1.

  Once the tire air pressure is reduced so as to fall below an abnormal monitoring pressure value (for example, puncture detection pressure value: recommended pressure value−10% reduction level), the control unit 27 obtains the acquired pressure data in step s3. It is determined that it is below the abnormal monitoring pressure value. If the acquired pressure data is equal to or less than the abnormal monitoring pressure value, it is determined whether or not the period T has elapsed since the last transmission (step s4). If the period T has not elapsed, the period Step s4 is repeated until T is reached. When the time of the period T has elapsed, the pressure data and temperature data detected by the pressure sensor 24 and the temperature sensor 25 are acquired, and the pressure data and temperature data are stored in the sensor identification code data stored in the ROM 26. In addition, the data is output to the transmitter 22 (step s5). Next, the acquired pressure data is compared with the abnormal monitoring pressure value (step s6), and if it is determined that the acquired pressure data is smaller than the abnormal monitoring pressure value, the process returns to step s4.

  When the tire is refilled with air and the tire air pressure is returned to the set pressure value, the control unit 27 determines in step s6 that the acquired pressure data is equal to or greater than the abnormal monitoring pressure value. If the acquired pressure data is equal to or greater than the abnormal monitoring pressure value, the tire mounting position and sensor identification code data stored in the ROM 26 are output to the transmitter 22 for a certain period (step s7), and the process returns to step s1.

  The tire pressure is reduced once and the air is refilled. When the air is filled after the tire is punctured, when the rim is assembled and the air is filled, it is necessary to reset the in-vehicle controller. This is an artificial action that is performed when air is extracted and refilled. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing changes in tire air pressure. The present invention utilizes an artificial action of lowering the tire air pressure and increasing the air pressure in a short time. As shown in FIG. When the air pressure suddenly increases, the control unit 27 outputs the tire mounting position and sensor identification code data to the transmitter 22. The increase range of the air pressure is preferably 50 to 100 kPa. Since the pressure of B is not sufficiently increased, the width of the increase is small, and D is not decreased to the abnormal monitoring pressure value, the control unit 27 is tires in the case of B, C, and D. Do not output data such as the mounting position to the transmitter 22.

  FIG. 7 is a process flow diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic control unit 5. This process is performed by the electronic control device 5 executing a program stored in the electronic control device 5. When the electronic control unit 5 acquires data transmitted from the transmitter 22 of the sensor module body 15 via the antenna 17 at intervals of the period T from the receiving unit 1 (step s11), the tire mounting position is included in the acquired data. It is determined whether or not this data is included (step s12). If the acquired data includes tire mounting position data, the correspondence table is saved by associating the tire mounting position with the sensor identification code sent together with the tire mounting position. Rewriting (step s13) returns to step s11. At this time, in order to confirm whether or not the tire mounting position is normal, the tire mounting position and sensor identification code information may be displayed on the display device 7.

  In step s12, when the acquired data does not include the tire mounting position data, that is, when the pressure data and the temperature data are included, the acquired pressure data and the electronic control unit 5 are preset. The abnormal pressure value is compared (step s14). If the acquired pressure data is larger than the abnormal pressure value, the process returns to step s11. If the acquired pressure data is less than or equal to the abnormal pressure value, refer to the above correspondence table with the sensor identification code sent with the pressure data and temperature data, and obtain the tire mounting position corresponding to the sensor identification code from the correspondence table Then, on the display 7 of the cab, for example, an LED indicating that the tire mounting position where the air pressure has decreased is turned on, and a warning that the tire air pressure is abnormal is displayed for each tire mounting position ( Step s15).

  In the tire pressure monitoring system of the present invention, tire mounting position data is stored in advance in the ROM 26 of the sensor module body 15, and the tire mounting position data is electronically controlled at predetermined time intervals. In the electronic control unit 5, the tire attachment position and the sensor identification code sent together with the tire attachment position are stored in correspondence in the correspondence table, and the correspondence table is stored. You may make it rewrite.

It is a block diagram of the tire pressure monitoring system of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which attached the sensor module to the wheel. It is a figure which shows the external shape of a sensor module. It is a schematic block diagram of a sensor module main body. It is a processing flowchart explaining operation | movement of the control part in a controller. It is a figure which shows the change of the pneumatic pressure of a tire. It is a processing flowchart explaining operation | movement of an electronic control apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Receiver 3 Sensor module 4 Wheel 5 Electronic controller 6 Vehicle 7 Display apparatus 11 Tire 12 Tire valve 13 Wheel rim 14 Data writing terminal 15 Sensor module main body 16 Rim attachment part 17 Antenna 21 Controller 22 Transmitter 24 Pressure sensor 25 Temperature sensor 26 ROM
27 Control unit 28 Dedicated writing device

Claims (3)

A sensor module that is attached to a wheel of a vehicle, measures tire air pressure, and transmits the measured air pressure data to the vehicle body side. The tire air pressure is installed on the vehicle body side and sent from the sensor module at a predetermined cycle. In a tire pressure monitoring system equipped with an in-vehicle control device that acquires the data of and determines abnormality of tire pressure data for each tire mounting position,
The sensor module stores in advance tire mounting positions and sensor module specific identification code data, and when the tire pressure falls below the abnormal monitoring pressure, is filled again with air, and returns to the set pressure, the tire The sensor mounting position and sensor module specific identification code data are transmitted to the in-vehicle control device, and the vehicle control device acquires and stores the tire mounting position and sensor module specific identification code data. Tire pressure monitoring system. A sensor module that is attached to a wheel of a vehicle, measures tire air pressure, and transmits the measured air pressure data to the vehicle body side. The tire air pressure is installed on the vehicle body side and sent from the sensor module at a predetermined cycle. In a tire pressure monitoring system equipped with an in-vehicle control device that acquires the data of and determines abnormality of tire pressure data for each tire mounting position,
The sensor module stores in advance tire mounting positions and sensor module specific identification code data, and the tire mounting positions and sensor module specific identification code data are controlled in the vehicle at preset time intervals. And the vehicle-mounted control device acquires and stores data of the tire mounting position and the identification code unique to the sensor module. 3. When the tire air pressure is abnormal, the display device installed on the vehicle body side displays that the tire air pressure is abnormal for each tire mounting position. The tire pressure monitoring system described.

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