U.S. patent application number 13/541219 was filed with the patent office on 2014-01-09 for tire detection data transmission system and the setting method thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is Chang-Hsuan Chan, Chin-Yao HSU. Invention is credited to Chang-Hsuan Chan, Chin-Yao HSU.
Application Number | 20140011455 13/541219 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49878877 |
Filed Date | 2014-01-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140011455 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HSU; Chin-Yao ; et
al. |
January 9, 2014 |
TIRE DETECTION DATA TRANSMISSION SYSTEM AND THE SETTING METHOD
THEREOF
Abstract
A tire detection data transmission system and the setting method
thereof include at least one monitoring device, for detecting the
condition of vehicle tires and generating tire information, which
is transmitted via a RF signal to a transfer device. The transfer
device then uses a Bluetooth signal to transmit the received tire
information to a mobile communication device. The RF signal emitted
by the monitoring device includes at least the tire information and
the identification code of the monitoring device. The
identification code makes subsequent updates to the settings of the
monitoring device simpler and more convenient.
Inventors: |
HSU; Chin-Yao; (Taichung
City, TW) ; Chan; Chang-Hsuan; (Taichung City,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HSU; Chin-Yao
Chan; Chang-Hsuan |
Taichung City
Taichung City |
|
TW
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
49878877 |
Appl. No.: |
13/541219 |
Filed: |
July 3, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/41.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60C 23/0447 20130101;
B60C 23/0479 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/41.3 |
International
Class: |
B60C 23/00 20060101
B60C023/00 |
Claims
1. A tire detection data transmission system, comprising: at least
one monitoring device that includes a sensor, a signal converter,
and a radio frequency (RF) transmitter; wherein the sensor detects
the tire condition of a vehicle and generate tire information, the
tire information is converted by the signal converter into an RF
signal and emitted by the RF transmitter, and the emitted RF signal
includes at least the tire information and the identification (ID)
code of the monitoring device; a transfer device that has a RF
receiver, a central processing unit (CPU), and a Bluetooth (BT)
module; wherein the RF receiver receives the RF signal emitted by
the monitoring device, the CPU collects the received RF signal into
collective data, and the BT module converts the collective data
into an RF signal and emits the RF signal; and a mobile
communication device that has a BT device, executable software, and
a display unit; wherein the BT device receives the BT signal sent
from the BT module, restores the received BT signal into the
collective data and sends the collective data to the executable
software, the executable software breaks the collective data into
the tire information and the ID code, both of which are then
displayed on the display unit.
2. The tire detection data transmission system of claim 1, wherein
the CPU has an RF decoding unit, a data holding unit, and a data
integration unit; the RF decoding unit decodes the RF signal
received by the RF receiver, restores the RF signal into the tire
information and the corresponding ID code in a specific coding and
stores the tire information and the ID code in the data holding
unit; the data holding unit holds multiple sets of tire information
and is overwritable, keeping only the last tire information
according to the coding; and the data integration unit collects the
multiple sets of tire information in the data holding unit into the
collective data and outputs the collective data to the BT
module.
3. The tire detection data transmission system of claim 2, wherein
the CPU further has a tire condition judging unit and an alarm
unit, the tire condition judging unit is preset with a default
value to be compared with the tire information in the data holding
unit, when the tire information exceeds the range of the default
value the tire condition judging unit transmits an alarm signal to
the alarm unit for the alarm unit to perform an alarm action.
4. The tire detection data transmission system of claim 1, wherein
the transfer device uses the BT module thereof to emit a BT pairing
message, the BT device of the mobile communication device receives
the BT pairing message and generates a corresponding data
transmission command to complete the pairing.
5. The tire detection data transmission system of claim 4, wherein
the BT module has a BT converter and a BT emitter, the BT converts
converting the received collective data into a BT signal and the BT
emitter emitting the BT signal to the paired mobile communication
device.
6. The tire detection data transmission system of claim 1, wherein
the executable software contains a receiving program, an analyzing
program, and a displaying program, the receiving program receives
the collective data restored by the BT device, the analyzing
program breaks the collective data into multiple sets of tire
information and the corresponding ID codes, the displaying program
shows the tire information and the corresponding ID code in the
corresponding displaying block of the display unit, and only the
last set of tire information is displayed according to the
coding.
7. The tire detection data transmission system of claim 6, wherein
the executable software further has a trigger program for
generating a data reading command to the BT device.
8. The tire detection data transmission system of claim 7, wherein
the display unit is a touch-controls screen, the displaying program
shows a touch-control display interface on the display unit, and
touch-control display interface has a graphical interface for each
of the tires for the user to click for starting the trigger program
to show the tire information of the corresponding tire therein.
9. A setting method of the tire detection data transmission system
according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: a. starting the
executable software; b. displaying a graphical interface for each
of the tires on the display unit, each of the graphical interfaces
including a mode setting option; c. selecting the mode setting
option and entering an ID code for the newly replaced monitoring
device, thereby updating the ID code of the monitoring device for
the corresponding tire in the executable software; and d.
transmitting an update message from the executable software to the
transfer device via the BT device to update the ID code of the
monitoring device for the corresponding tire in the transfer
device.
10. The setting method of claim 9 with the mode setting option
being able to modify the communication protocol of the monitoring
device, comprising the steps of: a. starting the executable
software; b. using the displaying program to show a graphical
interface for each of the tires on the display unit, with each of
the graphical interfaces including a mode setting option that has
an item for modifying the communication protocol; c. selecting the
item for modifying the communication protocol, and entering the
communication protocol for the replaced new monitoring device,
thereby updating the communication protocol for the monitoring
device of the corresponding tire in the executable software; and d.
transmitting an update message from the executable software to the
transfer device via the BT device, thereby updating the
communication protocol for the monitoring device of the
corresponding tire in the transfer device.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a detection system of vehicle tires
and, in particular, to a tire detection data transmission system
and the setting method thereof.
[0003] 2. Related Art
[0004] Earlier inventions of tire pressure detection systems have
been disclosed in ROC Pat. No. M400,954 and US Pat. Nos.
US20,070,193,348, U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,232, U.S. Pat. No. 6,639,519,
U.S. Pat. No. 6,754,562, U.S. Pat. No. 6,970,073, U.S. Pat. No.
7,113,127, U.S. Pat. No. 7,299,127, U.S. Pat. No. 7,839,833, and
U.S. Pat. No. 8,068,952.
[0005] The tire pressure detection system disclosed in the U.S.
Pat. No. 6,921,197 mainly provides a signal capture device at each
of the four tires of a vehicle. The signal capture device has the
function of detecting tire pressure and transmits the tire pressure
in a wireless means to a screen near the dashboard of the vehicle.
However, this screen is usually a fixed at a specific location,
almost does not have any mobility. Therefore, to observe the tire
pressure, the user has to stay within the car. This is really
inconvenient. There is also the problem of unsatisfactory space
utilization and design.
[0006] The tire pressure detection system disclosed in the U.S.
Pat. No. 6,825,758 also provides a signal capture device on each of
the four tires of a vehicle. The signal capture device has a
sensor, a Bluetooth (BT) signal transmitter, and a battery. The
sensor measures the tire pressure and emits the tire pressure
signal to a mobile phone via a BT signal transmitter. The user is
thus able to observe the tire pressure condition of the car.
Although this technique of mobile phone observation has the
advantages of portability and mobility, there are still some
problems. That is, the signal capture device uses exclusively BT
signals for data transmission. Since BT transmissions consume more
electrical power, the battery power will be quickly depleted.
Therefore, the user has to constantly replace the batter of the
signal capture device. Nevertheless, such signal capture devices
are installed on the tires. To avoid moisture failure, the signal
capture devices are designed to be completely sealed. This renders
direct replacement of the battery almost impossible. As a result,
one is bound to replace the entire set of signal capture
device.
[0007] In ROC Pat. Nos. 200,916,343 and 200,918,354, although the
BT transmission method is disclosed to transmit the tire pressure
signal of the signal capture device to a remote mobile
communication device, there is no mention about the signal
provision method and features of related structures. Therefore, it
is unclear how to implement their ideas. Moreover, usual signal
capture devices are set to enter their setting mode when a special
condition is detected (e.g., when a tire keeps releasing its
pressure). Therefore, when replacing a new signal capture device,
it is complicated and inconvenient to reset its reception method.
For of U.S. Pat. No. 6,825,758 or ROC Pat. Nos. 200,916,343 and
200,918,354, there is always the technical problem regarding how to
reset the reception.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] One objective of the invention is to provide a tire
detection data transmission system and the setting method thereof,
in which RF signals are used to transmit signals between the
monitoring device and the transfer device thereof. The RF
transmission is superior to the BT transmission in its lower power
consumption. Therefore, the invention can effectively extend the
usage time of the monitoring device.
[0009] Another objective of the invention is to provide a tire
detection data transmission system and the setting method thereof,
which can accurately transmit tire information to the mobile
communication device for the mobile communication devices to
actively or passively obtain the tire information.
[0010] A third objective of the invention is to provide a tire
detection data transmission system and the setting method thereof
that enable a simpler and more convenient way to update the
settings of the monitoring device.
[0011] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the disclosed
tire detection data transmission system includes:
[0012] at least one monitoring device that includes a sensor, a
signal converter and an RF transmitter; wherein the sensor detects
the tire condition of the vehicle and generates tire information,
the tire information is converted by the signal converter into the
form of RF signals and then transmitted out by the RF transmitter,
and the emitted RF signal includes at least the tire information
and the identification (ID) code of the monitoring device;
[0013] a transfer device that includes an RF receiver, a central
processing unit (CPU) and a BT module; wherein the transfer device
uses the RF receiver to receive the RF signal emitted by the
monitoring device, the CPU collects the received RF signals into
collective data, the collective data are then converted by the BT
module into BT signals and transmitted out; and
[0014] a mobile communication devices that includes a BT device,
executable software, and a display unit; wherein the mobile
communication device receives the BT signal emitted by the BT
module via the BT device thereof, the received BT signals are
restored to the collective data and sent to the executable
software, and the executable software separates the collective data
into the tire information and the corresponding ID code, which are
then displayed on the display unit.
[0015] Furthermore, the CPU has an RF decoding unit, a data holding
unit, and a data integration unit. The CPU uses the RD decoding
unit to decipher the RF signal received by the RF receiver, and
restores the tire information and the corresponding ID code. Both
of them are stored in the data holding unit. The data holding unit
can accommodate multiple sets of tire information and can be
overwritten. According to the coding, only the last tire
information is retained. The data integration unit collects the
multiple sets of tire information in the data holding unit into the
collective data an outputs them to the BT module.
[0016] Preferably, the CPU further has a tire condition judging
unit and an alarm unit. The tire condition judging unit is preset
with a default value to be compared with the tire information in
the data holding unit. When the tire information exceeds the range
of the default value, the tire condition judging unit passes an
alarm signal to the alarm unit for the alarm unit to generate an
alert action.
[0017] Furthermore, the executable software includes a receiving
program, an analysis program, and a display program. The receiving
program receives the collective data restored by the BT device. The
analysis program breaks the collective data into the multiple sets
of tire information and the corresponding ID codes. The display
program then shows the tire information according to the respective
ID code in the corresponding display block. According to the ID
code, only the last corresponding tire information is
displayed.
[0018] Preferably, the executable software has a trigger program to
generate a data reading command for the BT device. The trigger
program can be set to start concurrently with the executable
software, or to be started by the user when the executable software
is running.
[0019] Furthermore, the display program has a touch-control display
interface on the display unit. The touch-control display interface
has a graphical interface with the tires. The user can click in the
graphical interface to start the trigger program for showing the
information of the corresponding tire therein.
[0020] The invention further provides the setting method of a tire
detection data transmission system, including the steps of:
[0021] (a) starting the executable software;
[0022] (b) displaying on the display unit a graphical interface for
each of the tires, each of the graphical interfaces containing an
option of mode setting;
[0023] (c) selecting the mode setting option, and entering the ID
code of the replaced monitoring device, thereby updating the ID
code of the monitoring device of the corresponding tire in the
executable software; and
[0024] (d) transmitting an updating message from the executable
software to the transfer device via the BT device, thereby updating
the ID code of the monitoring device of the corresponding tire in
the transfer device.
[0025] In addition, the invention provides another setting method
of a tire detection data transmission system, including the steps
of:
[0026] (a) starting the executable software;
[0027] (b) using the display program to display on the display unit
a graphical interface for each of the tires, each of the graphical
interfaces containing an option of mode setting, the mode setting
option further including an item for modifying the communication
protocol;
[0028] (c) selecting the item for modifying the communication
protocol, and entering the communication protocol for the replaced
new monitoring device, thereby updating the communication protocol
for the monitoring device of the corresponding tire in the
executable software; and
[0029] (d) transmitting an update message from the executable
software to the transfer device via the BT device, thereby updating
the communication protocol for the monitoring device of the
corresponding tire in the transfer device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the
invention will become apparent by reference to the following
description and accompanying drawings which are given by way of
illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the invention,
and wherein:
[0031] FIG. 1 is a structural block diagram of the invention;
[0032] FIG. 2 is an action flowchart of the disclosed monitoring
device and transfer device;
[0033] FIG. 3 is an action flowchart of the disclosed tire
condition judging unit and the alarm unit;
[0034] FIG. 4 is an action flowchart of the disclosed transfer
device and mobile communication device;
[0035] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the disclosed executable
software;
[0036] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the invention in use;
[0037] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a setting procedure after the
monitoring device is replaced; and
[0038] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of another setting procedure after the
monitoring device is replaced.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0039] The present invention will be apparent from the following
detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the
accompanying drawings, wherein the same references relate to the
same elements.
[0040] First, please refer to FIG. 1. The invention provides a tire
detection data transmission system, mainly composed of at least one
monitoring device 11, a transfer device 21, and a mobile
communication device 31.
[0041] Each of the monitoring devices 11 is installed on a tire of
a vehicle to be monitored. Take a usual sedan as an example. Four
of the monitoring devices 11 are installed respectively on the four
tires of the car. Each of the monitoring devices 11 includes a
sensor 12, a signal converter 13, and a radio frequency (RF)
transmitter 14. The sensor 12 monitors the tire condition of the
car (such as tire pressure, temperature, and so on), and generates
tire information. The tire information is first converted by the
signal converter 13 into the form of an RF signal, and then emitted
by the RF transmitter 14. The RF transmitter 14 can maintain
continuous transmission, transmission at specific times, or
transmission under specific conditions. The emitted RF signal
includes at least the tire information and the identification (ID)
code of the monitoring device 11.
[0042] The transfer device 21 can use the power circuit of the
vehicle itself or the cigarette lighter socket to provide the
required power. It can be installed at a hidden place of the car
(such as underneath a seat or a place that does not occupy space
and block the field of sight). The transfer device 21 includes an
RF receiver 22, a central processing unit (CPU) 23 and a Bluetooth
(BT) module 24. The transfer device 21 uses the RF receiver 22 to
receive the RF signal emitted by the monitoring device 11. The CPU
23 collects the received RF signals into collective data, which are
then converted by the BT module 24 into BT signals and sent
out.
[0043] The CPU 23 has an RF decoding unit 231, a data holding unit
232, and a data integration unit 233. As shown in FIG. 2, the CPU
23 uses the RF decoding unit 231 to decode the RF signal received
by the RF receiver 22 and to restore the tire information and the
corresponding ID code in specific coding. The data are then stored
in the data holding unit 232. The data holding unit 232 can
accommodate multiple sets of tire information and can be
overwritten. In accordance with the coding, only the last set of
tire information is retained. The data integration unit 233
collects multiple sets of tire information in the data holding unit
232 into the collective data and output them to the BT module
24.
[0044] In the CPU 23, there is further a tire condition judging
unit 234 and an alarm unit 235. The time condition judging unit 234
is preset with a default value to be compared with the tire
information in the data holding unit 232. As shown in FIG. 3, the
procedure is as follows:
[0045] (301) The tire condition judging unit 234 compares with the
tire information in the data holding unit 232.
[0046] (302) Determine whether the tire information goes beyond the
range of the default value.
[0047] (303) When the tire information goes beyond the range of the
default value, the tire condition judging unit 234 passes an alarm
signal to the alarm unit 235.
[0048] (304) When the alarm unit 235 receives the alarm signal, it
produces a corresponding warning action.
[0049] In this embodiment, the alarm unit 235 is a buzzer. When the
alarm unit 235 receives the alarm signal, it produces a buzzing
sound to achieve a warning effect.
[0050] The mobile communication device 31 can be a mobile device
such as the mobile phone, PDA, and notebook computer. The mobile
device 31 includes a BT device 32, executable software 33, and a
display unit 34. As shown in FIG. 4, the mobile communication
device 31 uses the BT device 32 thereof to receive the BT signal
transmitted by the BT module 24 of the transfer device 21. The BT
device 32 restores the received BT signal into the collective data
and transmits them to the executable software 33. The executable
software 33 breaks the collective data into the tire information
and the corresponding ID code, which are then displayed on the
display unit 34.
[0051] The transfer device 21 uses the BT module 24 thereof to emit
a BT pairing message. The BT device 32 of the mobile communication
device 31 receives the BT pairing message and generates a
corresponding data transmission command to complete the pairing.
The BT module 24 has a BT converter 241 and a BT transmitter 242.
The BT module 24 uses the BT converter 241 to convert the received
collective data into the BT signal. The BT transmitter 242 then
emits the BT signal to the paired mobile communication device
31.
[0052] The executable software 33 can be a mini-application (App)
or an executable program built in the mobile communication device
31. The executable software 33 includes a trigger program 331, a
receiving program 332, an analyzing program 333 and a displaying
program 334. As shown in FIG. 5, the trigger program 331 generates
a data reading command to the BT device 32. The trigger program 331
can be set to start concurrently when the executable software 33
starts, or to be started by the user when the executable software
33 is running. When the BT device 32 receives the data reading
command, the received BT signal is restored to the collective data.
The receiving program 332 receives the collective data restored by
the BT device 32. The analyzing program 333 is used to break the
collective data broken down to multiple sets of tire information
and the corresponding ID codes. The displaying program 334 then
shows each set of tire information and the corresponding ID code in
the corresponding block on the display unit 34. According to the
coding, only the last set of tire information is displayed.
[0053] Furthermore, the display unit 34 can be a touch-control
screen, as shown in FIG. 6. The displaying program 334 has a
touch-control display interface 341 shown on the display unit 34.
The touch-control display interface 341 has a graphical interface
342 corresponding to each of the tires. By clicking the graphical
interface 342, the user can start the trigger program 331 for the
corresponding tire information and the setting mode thereof to be
displayed in the graphical interface 342.
[0054] With the disclosed structure, the user learns the actual
condition of tire pressure in the following way. The transfer
device 21 receives the tire pressure and temperature RF signals
emitted from the four tires. After collecting them into the
collective data, the signal is emitted via Bluetooth to the mobile
communication device 31 of the user. The executable software 33 on
the mobile communication device 31 the displays the tire
information in the formats of pictures, text messages and videos
for the user to understand. Therefore, if any tire is out of order,
the user can quickly and clearly know about it.
[0055] Suppose the trigger program 331 is set to start concurrently
with the executable software 31. When the user starts the
executable software 31, a data reading command is sent to the BT
device 32 at the same time in order to obtain the current tire
information and display it on the display unit 34. Now suppose the
trigger program 331 is set to be started by the user when the
executable software 33 is running before sending data reading
commands to the BT device 32. In the case, the user can decide when
to know the tire information according to his or her needs. The
user starts the trigger program 331 to obtain the current tire
information and get it displayed on the display unit 34. Therefore,
the invention can actively or passively obtain the tire information
according to the user's needs.
[0056] Moreover, in the above-mentioned tire detection data
transmission system, the RF signal emitted by the RF transmitter 14
of the monitoring device 11 further includes the ID code of the
monitoring device 11, simplifying the setting of a replaced
monitoring device 11. As shown in FIG. 7, the setting method
includes the following steps:
[0057] (701) Start the executable software 33.
[0058] (702) Run the displaying program 334 to display on the
display unit 34 a graphical interface 342 for the tires, the
graphical interface 342 including a mode setting option.
[0059] (703) Select the mode setting option, and enter ID code of
the newly replaced monitoring device 11, thereby updating the ID
code of the monitoring device 11 on the corresponding tire in the
executable software 33.
[0060] (704) The executable software 33 uses the BT device 32 to
transmit an update message to the transfer device 21, thereby
updating the ID code of the monitoring device 11 on the
corresponding tire in the transfer device 21.
[0061] According to the setting method of the replaced monitoring
device 11, the mode setting option further includes a protocol
changing item. When the user selects the mode setting option, he or
she can enter an ID code and a protocol suitable for the newly
replaced monitoring device 11, thereby updating the ID code and the
protocol for the monitoring device 11 of a tire in the executable
software 33. The executable software 33 transmits an update message
to the transfer device 21 via BT device 32, thereby updating the
monitoring device of ID code and protocol of the monitoring device
of tire in the transfer device 21. As shown in FIG. 8, the
disclosed setting method of changing the protocol includes the
following steps:
[0062] (801) Start the executable software 33.
[0063] (802) The displaying program 334 shows a graphical interface
342 on the display unit 34 for each of the tires, each of the
graphical interfaces 342 including a mode setting option and the
mode setting option including a protocol changing item.
[0064] (803) Select protocol changing item, and enter the protocol
in the newly replaced monitoring device, thereby updating the
protocol of the monitoring device 11 of the corresponding tire in
the executable software 33.
[0065] (804) The executable software 33 transmits an update message
via the BT device 32 to the transfer device 21, thereby updating
the protocol of the monitoring device of the corresponding tire in
the transfer device 21.
[0066] When the newly replaced monitoring device 11 has a different
protocol from the transfer device 21 and the executable software
33, one can also use the executable software 33 to change the
protocol, thus ensuring normal operation of the invention.
[0067] According to the above description, it is clear that the
invention has a simpler and more convenient setting method for the
ID or protocol after the monitoring device 11 is replaced. Besides,
since the monitoring device 11 and the transfer device 21 use RF
signal transmissions, the invention has the advantage of lower
power consumption than Bluetooth transmissions. The battery of the
monitoring device 11 thus has a longer lifetime, thereby solving
the problem of frequent tire uninstallations and installations.
[0068] Although the invention has been described with reference to
specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed
in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed
embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments, will be apparent
to people skilled in the art. Therefore, it is contemplated that
the appended claims will cover all modifications that fall within
the true scope of the invention.
* * * * *