Communication method between a plurality of electronic measurement modules of a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10226973-B2
Application number	US-201715465835-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for communicating measurement messages between a plurality of electronic measurement modules and an electronic control unit of a motor vehicle. The method includes the steps of measurement (E 1 ), by a primary emitter module, of parameter values associated with the wheel in which the module is mounted, of sending (E 2 ), by the primary emitter module, of measurement messages to a relay module, of reception (E 3 ) by the relay module, of the measurement messages sent, of measurement (E 5 ), by the relay module, of parameter values associated with the wheel in which the relay module is mounted and of sending (E 6 ), by the relay module, of the measurement messages received and of its own measurements to the electronic control unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for communicating measurement messages between a plurality of electronic measurement systems and an electronic controller of a motor vehicle, each of the electronic measurement systems being mounted in a wheel of said vehicle, said method comprising:
measuring, by at least one first electronic measurement system of the electronic measurement systems that is a primary emitter system, parameter values associated with the wheel in which said primary emitter system is mounted;
sending, by said primary emitter system, over a first radio communication link at a power below a first threshold, measurement messages to at least one second electronic measurement system, of the electronic measurement systems, that is mounted in the wheel of the vehicle, the second electronic measurement system being a relay system;
receiving, by said relay system the measurement messages sent over the first radio communication link;
measuring, by the relay system, parameter values associated with the wheel in which said relay system is mounted to obtain its own measurements; and
sending, by the relay system, the measurement messages received and the measurements obtained by the relay system to the electronic controller over a second radio communication link at a power above a second threshold, higher than or equal to the first threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising
initializing, in a preliminary initialization step performed by the electronic controller, each electronic measurement system of the vehicle in order to define the role of each electronic measurement system.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein, in the preliminary initialization step, each electronic measurement system emits, at different powers, an initialization message to the other electronic measurement systems and the electronic controller in order to determine the distance, in terms of power, separating the respective electronic measurement system from the other electronic measurement systems and from the electronic controller.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the electronic controller receives, from each electronic measurement system, a list of the determined distances separating said respective electronic measurement system from the other electronic measurement systems, classifies all the electronic measurement systems as a function of the determined distances between the electronic measurement systems, determines the role of each electronic measurement system and informs the primary emitter systems that the primary emitter systems must emit at a power below the first threshold and informs the relay systems of the list of the identified primary emitter systems for which the relay systems must transfer the messages received, with measurements of the relay systems, to the electronic controller, in signals emitted at a power above the second threshold.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the relay system concentrates the measurement messages received from a plurality of identified primary emitter systems from which the relay system must receive messages before sending the the messages grouped together with the measurements of the relay system to the electronic controller.

6. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising sending a switchover request to the electronic controller following a switchover event to indicate to the electronic controller that it is necessary to redefine all or some of the roles of the electronic measurement systems.

7. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the relay system concentrates the measurement messages received from a plurality of identified primary emitter systems from which the relay system must receive messages before sending the the messages grouped together with the measurements of the relay system to the electronic controller.

8. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising sending a switchover request to the electronic controller following a switchover event to indicate to the electronic controller that it is necessary to redefine all or some of the roles of the electronic measurement systems.

9. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the relay system concentrates the measurement messages received from a plurality of identified primary emitter systems from which the relay system must receive messages before sending the the messages grouped together with its the measurements of the relay system to the electronic controller.

10. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising sending a switchover request to the electronic controller following a switchover event to indicate to the electronic controller that it is necessary to redefine all or some of the roles of the electronic measurement systems.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the relay system concentrates the measurement messages received from a plurality of identified primary emitter systems from which the relay system must receive messages before sending the the messages grouped together with the measurements of the relay system to the electronic controller.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising sending a switchover request to the electronic controller following a switchover event to indicate to the electronic controller that it is necessary to redefine all or some of the roles of the electronic measurement systems.

13. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising sending a switchover request to the electronic controller following a switchover event to indicate to the electronic controller that it is necessary to redefine all or some of the roles of the electronic measurement systems.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second electronic measurement system that is the relay system is closer to the electronic controller in terms of radio power than the first electronic measurement system that is the primary emitter system.

15. A communication system for a motor vehicle comprising:
an electronic controller; and
a plurality of electronic measurement systems each mounted in a wheel of said vehicle, said plurality of electronic measurement systems comprising at least one first electronic measurement system that is a primary emitter system and at least one second electronic measurement system that is a relay system, said primary emitter system being configured to measure parameter values associated with the wheel in which said primary emitter system is mounted and to emit, to said relay system, over a first radio communication link at a power below a first threshold, signals comprising measurement messages, the relay system being configured to receive signals emitted by the primary emitter system, to measure parameter values associated with the wheel in which said relay system is mounted to obtain its own measurements, and to emit signals comprising the measurement messages received and the measurements obtained by the relay system to the electronic controller over a second radio communication link at a power above a second threshold, higher than or equal to the first threshold.

16. The communication system according to claim 15 , wherein the electronic controller is configured to initialize the communication system by defining the role of each electronic measurement system of the vehicle.

17. The communication system according to claim 16 , wherein each electronic measurement system is configured to send a switchover request to the electronic controller following a switchover event to indicate to the electronic controller that it is necessary to redefine all or some of the roles of the ele

Assignees

• Continental Automotive France
• Continental Automotive Gmbh

Inventors

• Guinart Nicolas
• Boisset Jean-Philippe
• Fudulea Olivier
• Huard Jean-Charles

Classifications

• H04B7/15

  Active relay systems · CPC title

• H04B1/3822 Primary

  specially adapted for use in vehicles (H04B1/3827 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60C23/0483

  Wireless routers between wheel mounted transmitters and chassis mounted receivers · CPC title

• B60C23/009

  having wheels on a trailer · CPC title

• B60C23/008

  having wheels on more than two axles · CPC title