Magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus

• US 10,173,480 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2017
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teng-Wen Huang, Tien-Tsai Huang
• Original Assignee: Teng-Wen Huang, Tien-Tsai Huang
• Inventors: Huang, Tien-Tsai, Huang, Teng-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, An T
• Application Number:
  US15/709,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20180345742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0425 Means comprising permanent magnets, e.g. Hall-effect or Reed-switches
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0461 externally triggered, e.g. by wireless request signal, magnet or manual switch
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0496 Valve stem attachments positioned outside of the tyre chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0498 for rim attachments B60C23/0494, B60C23/0496 take precedence

Abstract

A magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus includes a tire pressure detector, a power supply and a wake-up device. The power supply supplies electrical power to the tire pressure detector. The tire pressure detector includes a pressure sensor used to detect a tire pressure, a microcontroller connected to the pressure sensor and used to convert the tire pressure to a tire pressure value, a register connected to the microcontroller and used to store the tire pressure value or an ID code of the magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus for data processing by the microcontroller, and a wireless signal transmitter connected to the microcontroller and used to convert the tire pressure value or the ID code to an electromagnetic signal. The wake-up device includes a reed switch connected to the microcontroller to control whether the wireless signal transmitter transmits the electromagnetic signal or not.

Claims

1. A magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus, comprising:

a tire pressure detector, including;

a pressure sensor used to detect a tire pressure;

a microcontroller connected to the pressure sensor and used to convert the tire pressure to a tire pressure value;

a register connected to the microcontroller and used to store the tire pressure value or an ID code of the magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus for data processing by the microcontroller; and

a wireless signal transmitter connected to the microcontroller and used to convert the tire pressure value or the ID code to an electromagnetic signal;

wherein the microcontroller is communicatively connected to a display device used to display the tire pressure value;

a power supply used to provide electrical power to the tire pressure detector; and

a wake-up device including a reed switch connected to the microcontroller to control whether the wireless signal transmitter transmits the electromagnetic signal or not,

wherein the wake-up device or the microcontroller includes a finite-state machine used to count how many times the reed switch turns on/off or count a time interval when the reed switch is closed to determine whether a next state is a waking state or a sleep state.

2. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reed switch is controlled by a magnetic field emitted from a magnetic controller which is not a part of the magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus, and the magnetic controller is a portable device or a non-portable device.

3. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the magnetic controller includes a permanent magnet.

4. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tire pressure detector further includes a temperature sensor used to detect a tire temperature;

the microcontroller is connected to the temperature sensor and converts the tire temperature to a tire temperature value, and the wireless signal transmitter converts the tire temperature value to the electromagnetic signal.

5. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the tire pressure detector further includes a voltage sensor used to detect a voltage of the power supply;

the microcontroller is connected to the voltage sensor and converts the voltage to a voltage value; and

the wireless signal transmitter converts the voltage value to the electromagnetic signal.

6. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the register further stores the tire temperature value or the voltage value.

7. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the pressure sensor, the temperature sensor, the voltage sensor, the microcontroller, the wireless signal transmitter and the register is integrated into a microprocessor.

8. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the pressure sensor, the temperature sensor, the voltage sensor, the microcontroller, the wireless signal transmitter and the register are all formed on a circuit board.

9. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tire pressure detector and the wake-up device are in a series connection or a parallel connection with the power supply.

10. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reed switch is a dry reed tube, or a magnetically controlled component having two magnetically controllable ends to perform an open circuit or a closed circuit.

11. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wake-up device has a learning function which analyses the time points when the magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus turns on, and activates the magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus automatically according to analysis results.

12. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wake-up device has an inspection function which checks the function of the magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus to determine whether there is a malfunction or not.

13. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reed switch is a normally-open reed switch or a normally-closed reed switch.

14. A magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus module, comprising:

a plurality of the magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatuses, each comprising;

a tire pressure detector, including;

a pressure sensor used to detect a tire pressure;

a microcontroller connected to the pressure sensor and used to convert the tire pressure to a tire pressure value;

a register connected to the microcontroller and used to store the tire pressure value or an ID code of the magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus for data processing by the microcontroller; and

a wireless signal transmitter connected to the microcontroller and used to convert the tire pressure value or the ID code to an electromagnetic signal;

wherein the microcontroller is communicatively connected to a display device used to display the tire pressure value;

a power supply used to provide electrical power to the tire pressure detector; and

a wake-up device including a reed switch connected to the microcontroller to control whether the wireless signal transmitter transmits the electromagnetic signal or not;

a magnetic controller used to emit a magnetic field to activate the magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatuses; and

a wireless signal receiver used to receive a plurality of electromagnetic signals transmitted from the magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatuses,

wherein the wake-up device or the microcontroller includes a finite-state machine used to count how many times the reed switch turns on/off or count a time interval when the reed switch is closed to determine whether a next state is a waking state or a sleep state.

15. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus module as claimed in claim 14, wherein the magnetic controller and the wireless signal receiver are arranged in a test station suitable for a car to stop at.

16. The magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus module as claimed in claim 15, wherein the test station includes a monitoring center to monitor driving safety of a fleet of vehicles by an Internet of Vehicle system.

17. A magnetically controlled tire pressure monitoring apparatus, comprising:

a tire pressure detector, including;

a pressure sensor used to detect a tire pressure; and

a microcontroller connected to the pressure sensor and used to convert the tire pressure to a tire pressure value;

a power supply used to provide electrical power to the tire pressure detector;

a monitor connected to the microcontroller of the tire pressure detector, and

a wake-up device including a reed switch connected to the microcontroller to control whether to light up the monitor or not,

wherein the wake-up device or the microcontroller includes a finite-state machine used to count how many times the reed switch turns on/off or count a time interval when the reed switch is closed to determine whether a next state is a waking state or a sleep state; and

wherein the monitor is a display device used to display the tire pressure value.