Infineon Technologies Ag

Thomas Engl

Michael Kandler

Maximilian Werner

Maciej Wojnowski

Matthias Eberl

Tuncay Erdoel

Manfred Eder

A method of communicating with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensor module includes transmitting, by the TPMS sensor module, a TPMS signal that includes a sensor identifier of the TPMS sensor module; performing, by an interface device, an angle of arrival measurement on the TPMS signal to whether an angular direction thereof with respect to an antenna array of the interface device is within a predetermined angular window; and determining, by the interface device, whether or not to communicate with the TPMS sensor module including establishing communication with the TPMS sensor module on a condition that the angular direction is within the predetermined angular window and not establishing communication with the TPMS sensor module on a condition that the determined angular direction is not within the predetermined angular window.

Selection of Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) sensor modules for radio-frequency (RF) communication by angle detection

A tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) includes a communication interface device configured to communicate with a target TPMS sensor module. The communication interface device include a radio frequency (RF) transceiver configured to generate at least one wake-up signal; an antenna array configured to transmit each wake-up signal as a directional RF beam; a processing circuit configured to monitor for a response signal in response to the antenna array transmitting the at least one wake-up signal; and a power amplifier configured to set a power of each wake-up signal according to an adjustable power setting such that the power of each subsequent wake-up signal is increased in discrete steps until the response signal is received by the RF transceiver.

Selective activation of tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensor modules for radio-frequency (RF) communication using directional RF beams

A tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensor module as provided herein includes a pressure sensor configured to measure an internal air pressure of a tire and generate tire pressure information; a transducer configured to receive a structure borne sound signal induced by sound waves; a receiver circuit electrically connected to the transducer and configured to detect the structure borne sound signal and generate a detection indication that the structure borne sound signal has been detected; a processing circuit electrically connected to the pressure sensor and the receiver circuit, and configured to receive the tire pressure information from the pressure sensor, receive the detection indication from the receiver circuit, and generate a communication signal in response to receiving the detection indication; and a transmitter electrically connected to the processing circuit and configured to transmit the communication signal.

Structure borne sound for TPMS localization and communication

A method of localizing a TPMS sensor module includes transmitting, by the TPMS sensor module, a TPMS signal; and localizing, by a localization module, the TPMS sensor module based on receiving the TPMS signal at a phase array antenna including a plurality of reception antennas each configured to receive the TPMS signal. Localizing the TPMS sensor module includes measuring a phase of the TPMS signal at each of the plurality of reception antennas such that a plurality of phases corresponding to the TPMS signal are determined, and determining a location of the TPMS sensor module based on the plurality of phases.

TPMS autolocalization using direction sensitive antennas

A method of localizing a TPMS sensor module includes transmitting, by the TPMS sensor module, a TPMS signal; and localizing, by a localization module, the TPMS sensor module based on receiving the TPMS signal at a phase array antenna including a plurality of reception antennas each configured to receive the TPMS signal at a different phase, where the plurality of reception antennas include a reference reception antenna and at least one additional reception antenna. Localizing the TPMS sensor module includes measuring a reference phase of the TPMS signal received at the reference reception antenna, measuring a respective shifted phase of the TPMS signal received at each of the at least one additional reception antenna, determining a respective phase shift between the reference phase and each respective shifted phase, and determining a location of the TPMS sensor module based on each determined respective phase shift corresponding to the TPMS signal.

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Munich, Germany

Thomas Engl