JP2012218483A - Tire position registering device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reregister the corresponding relationship between an installation position of a tire in a vehicle and ID of the tire by simple operation.SOLUTION: This tire position registering device includes an EEPROM 22 for storing the corresponding relationship between the installation positions FL, FR, RR and RL of the respective tires in the vehicle 1 and the ID of the respective tires, an operation means operated when designating a pair of tires of mutually replacing the installation positions, and a registering means for reregistering the corresponding relationship between the installation positions of the respective tires and the ID of the respective tires by mutually exchanging the installation positions of the designated pair of tires. The operation means is prepared with every installation position, and is a switch of taking part in operation of a door being equipment of the vehicle.

Description

  The present invention relates to a tire position registration device.

A system (TPMS: Tire Pressure Monitoring) that provides an air pressure sensor on the vehicle wheel and transmits information on the detected air pressure to the vehicle body by wireless transmission to alert the tire when the air pressure drops.・ System).
In this system, an ID, which is identification information, is assigned in advance to each wheel, and the wheel on which the air pressure has decreased is specified from the ID on the control device side of the system.

  In this system, registration of the correspondence between each tire mounting position (tire position) and each tire ID in the vehicle is performed at the time of factory shipment, for example, and correction of the correspondence when the tire rotation is performed thereafter is, for example, This is done at a vehicle sales company.

Here, after the registration or correction of the correspondence relationship, if the tire rotation is performed by the user himself, the actual correspondence relationship will be different from the registered correspondence relationship. Therefore, the tire position specified by is not matched.
Therefore, users who have replaced their tires themselves need to eliminate the discrepancy between the actual tire position and the tire position specified by the ID by bringing the vehicle to the sales company and correcting the correspondence. This is troublesome for the user.

  In addition, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is an apparatus that automatically detects the position of each tire without using an ID.

JP 2006-111204 A

  However, even in the case of automatic detection, the correspondence relationship between the ID and the tire position is not always accurately detected after tire rotation, for example, and the correspondence relationship may be registered incorrectly. .

  Therefore, when the actual correspondence and the registered correspondence are different due to the tire rotation, and the actual tire position and the tire position specified by the ID do not coincide with each other, it is easy. There is a need to be able to re-register correspondences through operations.

  The present invention includes a storage unit that stores a correspondence relationship between a mounting position of each tire in the vehicle and an ID of each tire, an operation unit that is operated when a pair of tires whose mounting positions are interchanged with each other, Registration means for re-registering the correspondence between the mounting positions of the tires and the IDs of the tires by exchanging the mounting positions of the specified pair of tires with each other, and the operating means for each mounting position And a tire position registration device configured to be a switch related to the operation of the equipment of the vehicle.

  According to the present invention, the correspondence between the mounting position of each tire in the vehicle and the ID of each tire can be re-registered with a simple operation. Therefore, the tire position specified by the ID and the actual tire position are Can be easily matched.

It is a block diagram of a tire pressure monitoring system. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a TPMS valve 10. FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the process in a tire position registration apparatus. It is a figure explaining the relationship between tire rotation and ID.

  Hereinafter, a case where the embodiment of the present invention is applied to a tire pressure monitoring system TPMS of a four-door four-wheeled vehicle (vehicle 1) will be described as an example.

  The tire pressure monitoring system TPMS includes a TPMS valve 10 (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) attached to each tire (left front wheel FL, right front wheel FR, right rear wheel RR, left rear wheel RL) of the vehicle 1 and a control. The apparatus 20 includes a receiver 30 and an indicator 40.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the TPMS valve 10 (10 a to 10 d) includes a pressure sensor 11 that detects tire pressure, a control unit 12, and a transmission circuit 13.

The control unit 12 is composed of a one-chip microcomputer incorporating a CPU, ROM, RAM, EEPROM, A / D converter, and the like.
The control unit 12 generates data indicating tire pressure based on the signal output from the pressure sensor 11. Then, transmission data is generated by adding an identification number (ID) unique to the TPMS valve 10 stored in a storage means (for example, EEPROM) of the control unit 12 to the generated data.
The transmission circuit 13 modulates the transmission data generated by the control unit 12, and then wirelessly transmits the data via the transmission antenna 13a.

The control device 20 includes a one-chip microcomputer that includes a CPU 21, an EEPROM (storage means) 22, interface circuits (I / F circuits) 23 and 24, and a power supply circuit 25.
Various switches (door switch, power window operation switch, etc.) are connected to the control device 20 via an interface circuit 24, and signals indicating opening / closing of doors and opening / closing of windows are input to the CPU 21. It is like that.

Furthermore, an indicator 40 is connected to the control device 20 via the interface circuit 23.
The indicator 40 is provided, for example, in an instrument panel at a position that can be visually recognized by the driver, and includes a plurality of lamps or light emitting diodes that visually display an abnormality in tire pressure. In addition, the indicator 40 may be comprised by what can display character information and image information.

  The receiver 30 connected to the control device 20 via the interface circuit 23 includes a tuner circuit 31, and receives the modulation signal transmitted from the TPMS valve 10 via the antenna 31a. Then, the received modulation signal is demodulated, transmission data generated on the TPMS valve 10 side is acquired, and the acquired transmission data is input to the control device 20.

The CPU 21 monitors the tire pressure of the left front wheel FL, the right front wheel FR, the right rear wheel RR, and the left rear wheel RL based on the input transmission data. When the tire pressure is lower than the predetermined threshold pressure, the tire having an abnormality in pressure is identified with reference to the ID added to the transmission data.
Further, in order to notify whether the specified tire is the left front wheel FL, the right front wheel FR, the right rear wheel RR, or the left rear wheel RL, for example, among the plurality of lamps in the indicator 40, the pressure is abnormal. A command to turn on and display a lamp corresponding to a certain tire is generated. Then, the generated command is output to the indicator 40 by CAN communication.
As a result, the indicator 40 lights and displays a lamp corresponding to a tire having an abnormality in pressure, thereby notifying the occurrence of the abnormality.

  Further, when a predetermined operation is performed after the tire rotation, the CPU 21 has a correspondence relationship between the left front wheel FL, the right front wheel FR, the right rear wheel RR, the left rear wheel RL, and the IDs (ID1 to ID4) of the TPMS valve. Perform re-registration. Re-registration of correspondence will be described later.

The EEPROM (storage means) 22 of the CPU 21 stores the correspondence between each wheel (left front wheel FL, right front wheel FR, right rear wheel RR, left rear wheel RL) and TPMS valve IDs (ID1 to ID4). ing.
That is, it is this correspondence whether each of the tires including the TPMS valves with ID1 to ID4 is mounted as one of the left front wheel FL, the right front wheel FR, the right rear wheel RR, and the left rear wheel RL. It is now possible to understand.

The correspondence relationship between each wheel (the left front wheel FL, the right front wheel FR, the right rear wheel RR, the left rear wheel RL) and the ID of the TPMS valve (ID1 to ID4) is usually set first in the vehicle production factory.
For example, referring to FIG. 4A, when tires are equipped in the order of left front wheel FL, right front wheel FR, right rear wheel RR, left rear wheel RL, a tire including a TPMS valve with ID1 attached. (The tire ID1) is equipped as the left front wheel FL, the tire ID2 is equipped as the right front wheel FR, the tire ID3 is equipped as the right rear wheel RR, and the tire ID4 is equipped as the left rear wheel RL Correspondence is registered with the content that it is done.

A tire position registration process executed in the tire pressure monitoring system TPMS according to the embodiment will be described.
In step S101, it is confirmed whether or not the user registration mode has been turned on, specifically, whether or not there has been an operation for requesting shifting to the “ID registration mode”.
If there is such an operation, the state of the control device 20 is changed to the ID registration mode in step S102.

Here, the ID registration mode is information indicating the correspondence between the ID stored in the EEPROM 22 and the tire position (the left front wheel FL, the right front wheel FR, the right rear wheel RR, the left rear wheel RL) in the control device 20. A state in which re-registration (correction) of (correspondence information) is permitted.
In the embodiment, when the ignition switch is switched to the ON position (ON position) and the driver's seat door is opened and closed a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time, an operation for requesting the transition to the “ID registration mode” is performed. If it is determined that the user registration mode has been turned on, the process proceeds to the ID registration mode. Here, the opening and closing of the door is detected by a door switch (not shown) provided on the door.

  When the state of the control device 20 is changed to “ID registration mode”, the timer T is started in step S103. In the embodiment, a timer (5 minute timer) that counts 5 minutes from the time when the mode is changed to the “ID registration mode” is started.

In step 104, it is confirmed whether or not the timer set time (5 minutes) has elapsed since the start of the timer T (whether or not a timeout has occurred).
If the timer set time (5 minutes) has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S105 to check whether or not an operation for specifying the rotated tire has been performed.

In the embodiment, by opening two of the four doors of the vehicle, the tire corresponding to the door is identified as a rotated tire.
Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the left front door 2a is the left front wheel FL, the right front door 2b is the right front wheel FR, the right rear door 2c is the right rear wheel RR, The left rear door 2d is associated with the left rear wheel RL.

Therefore, for example, when the tires of the right front wheel FR and the left rear wheel RL are exchanged, when the right front door 2b and the left rear door 2d are opened, an operation for specifying the rotated tire is performed. To be judged.
And the tire (right front wheel FR, left rear wheel RL) corresponding to these opened doors is specified as a rotated tire.

If it is determined in step S105 that an operation for identifying the rotated tire has been performed (Yes in step S105), the correspondence relationship (left front wheel FL, right front wheel FR, right rear wheel) registered in the EEPROM 22 in step S106. RR, left rear wheel RL) and TPMS valve IDs (ID1 to ID4) are re-registered.
At this time, the re-registration of the correspondence relationship is changed based on the operation confirmed in step S105 (operation for specifying the rotated tire).

Specifically, in the embodiment, when two of the four tires are interchanged, the correspondence relationship between the ID and the tire position can be re-registered.
Therefore, when the right front door and the left rear door are opened after the tires of the right front wheel FR and the left rear wheel RL are exchanged, for example, as shown in FIG. The front wheel (FR) ID is changed from ID2 to ID4, and the left rear wheel (RL) ID is changed from ID4 to ID2.

  When the process of step S106 is completed, the ID registration mode is ended in step S107.

In step S105 described above, when the operation for identifying the rotated tire is not performed (No in step S105), the process returns to step S104.
Thus, until the predetermined time (5 minutes) elapses (Yes in step S104), the processes of step S104 and step S105 are repeated until an operation for specifying the rotated tire is performed.

  Then, when a predetermined time (5 minutes) has elapsed without performing the operation of specifying the rotated tire (Yes in Step S104), the process proceeds to Step S107 and the ID registration mode is terminated. Become.

  As described above, the ID registration mode is terminated when the predetermined time has elapsed, for example, when the ID registration mode is shifted due to an erroneous operation or when the ID registration mode is forgotten to be changed to the ID registration mode. This is to prevent that is maintained as it is.

  For example, when the tires of the right front wheel FR and the left rear wheel RL are replaced, and the tires of the left front wheel FL and the right rear wheel RR are replaced, the user registration mode is newly turned on and the rotated tire is specified. By performing this operation, the ID is also corrected for the left front wheel FL and the right rear wheel RR (see FIG. 4B).

  In this way, just by operating the ignition switch and opening and closing the door, the relationship between the ID and the tire position can be corrected, and by opening and closing the door corresponding to the rotated tire in that state, the ID and tire Can be easily re-registered.

  As described above, in the embodiment, the EEPROM (storage unit) 22 that stores the correspondence between the mounting positions FL, FR, RR, and RL of the tires in the vehicle 1 and the IDs (ID1 to ID4) of the tires, Correspondence between the mounting position of each tire and the ID of each tire by switching the operating means operated when specifying a pair of tires whose mounting positions are interchanged with each other and the mounting positions of the specified pair of tires being interchanged The tire position registration device is configured to be a switch (door switch) that is prepared for each mounting position and that is related to the operation of the door that is the equipment of the vehicle.

With this configuration, by operating the vehicle equipment, a pair of tires whose mounting positions are interchanged can be specified, and the correspondence between the specified mounting position of the pair of tires and the tire ID can be easily determined. You can register again.
As a result, even if the actual tire position does not match the tire position specified by the ID by performing the tire rotation by the user himself, the correspondence relationship between the mounting position and the ID of each tire can be simplified. You can register again. Therefore, since it is not necessary to bring the vehicle to the sales company and re-register the correspondence relationship in order to match the actual tire position with the tire position specified by the ID, the convenience for the user is improved.
Furthermore, since the correspondence relationship is re-registered when the mounting positions of the pair of tires are exchanged with each other, it is possible to preferably prevent re-registration due to a wrong correspondence relationship.
In addition, since a pair of tires can be designated by a switch related to the operation of the equipment of the vehicle, it is not necessary to separately provide a switch or the like to enable re-registration, so that an increase in cost can be suitably prevented.
In particular, by applying the present invention to a TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system), it becomes possible to accurately grasp a tire in which an abnormality has occurred in the tire pressure.

  A registration permission means for permitting re-registration of the correspondence relationship by the registration means is further provided, and the registration permission means permits the re-registration of the correspondence relationship when a switch related to the equipment of the vehicle is operated in a predetermined pattern. It was set as the structure to do.

  With this configuration, the correspondence relationship is not re-registered unless a switch related to the equipment of the vehicle is operated in a predetermined pattern. It can be suitably prevented that the correspondence relationship is erroneously registered again.

  The predetermined pattern is composed of a combination of operations that are not performed in a normal operation.

  If configured in this way, it is a combination of operations that are not performed in normal operations, so it is preferable to prevent a situation in which the correspondence relationship can be re-registered by mistake, for example, when the vehicle is traveling. it can.

In the above-described embodiment, when the ignition switch is switched to the on position (ON position) and the driver's seat door is opened and closed a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time, the ID registration mode is entered.
However, for example, a switch button may be arranged at an operable position in the passenger compartment, and when this switch button is operated, the ID registration mode may be entered.

Furthermore, it may be possible to shift to the ID registration mode by using an operation of an existing button provided in the vehicle without providing a dedicated button.
For example, a combination of operations that are not performed in normal operation, such as a switch that opens and closes the window on the driver's seat side of the power window device and a switch that opens and closes the window on the passenger seat side, is performed. In the case where it is broken, the mode may be shifted to the ID registration mode.
Further, an operation for specifying the rotated tire may be performed using a switch of the power window device.
In many cases, the switches of the power window device are provided in vertical and horizontal rows at positions where the driver can operate. Similar to the case of the four doors, the arrangement of the switch recalls the position of the tire when the vehicle is looked down on. Therefore, it is easy to know which switch corresponds to which tire position.Therefore, when specifying a rotated tire, there is a possibility that the switch corresponding to a different tire position may be operated by mistake. Can be reduced.

Furthermore, some vehicles are equipped with spare tires equivalent to standard tires equipped on four wheels.
In the case of such a vehicle, by associating the back door and the rear trunk with the spare tire, even when the spare tire is replaced due to a tire trouble, the ID and the tire position can be easily changed on the spot. Correspondence can be changed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2a Left front door 2b Right front door 2c Right rear door 2d Left rear door 10 TPMS valve 11 Pressure sensor 12 Control part 13 Transmission circuit 13a Transmission antenna 20 Control apparatus 21 CPU
22 EEPROM
23, 24 Interface (I / F) circuit 25 Power supply circuit 30 Receiver 31 Tuner circuit 31a Antenna 40 Indicator FL Left front wheel FR Right front wheel RR Right rear wheel RL Left rear wheel T Timer TPMS Tire pressure monitoring system

Claims (3)

Storage means for storing the correspondence between the mounting position of each tire in the vehicle and the ID of each tire;
Operation means operated when designating a pair of tires whose mounting positions are interchanged; and
Registration means for re-registering the correspondence between the mounting positions of the tires and the IDs of the tires by switching the mounting positions of the specified pair of tires with each other;
The tire position registration device, wherein the operation means is a switch which is prepared for each of the mounting positions and which is related to the operation of the equipment of the vehicle. Registration permission means for permitting re-registration of the correspondence relationship by the registration means,
2. The tire position registration device according to claim 1, wherein the registration permission unit permits the re-registration of the correspondence relationship when a switch related to the equipment of the vehicle is operated in a predetermined pattern.   The tire position registration device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined pattern is configured by a combination of operations that are not performed in a normal operation.

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