Method for locating the longitudinal position of wheels of a vehicle

A method for locating the longitudinal position, either on the front end or on the rear end of a vehicle (1) with a motor (M), of wheels (2-5) fitted with an electronic module (6-9) adapted to send, to a central processing unit (10) mounted on the vehicle (1), signals representative of operating parameters of each wheel also comprising an identification code of the latter, said locating method being characterized in that it consists in incorporating in each electronic module (6-9), means (15) of measuring vibrations stressing the corresponding wheel and resulting from the rotation of the engine (M), and:

• in a preliminary phase of characterization of each vehicle type, in performing, with the engine (M) running and for at least one speed of rotation of said engine, a spectral analysis of the signals representative of the vibrations according to the frequency delivered by the respective measurement means (15) of a wheel (2, 3) mounted on the front end and of a wheel (4, 5) mounted on the rear end, so as to establish a criterion for differentiating said signals consisting in a frequency offset between the latter,
• and in setting up a procedure for locating the longitudinal position of the wheels (2-5) consisting in carrying out, with the engine running, an analysis of the signals representative of the amplitude variations of the vibrations according to the frequency, delivered, at at least one same instant t, by the different measurement means (15), and in deducing from the frequency offset between said signals, an indication concerning the longitudinal position of each wheel (2-5).