Tire pressure monitoring system with low current consumption

• US 20030233872A1
• Filed: 04/17/2003
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Compagnie générale des établissements Michelin
• Original Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Inventors: Boulot, Jean-Francis
• Granted Patent: US 6,880,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/146
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0454 Means for changing operation mode, e.g. sleep mode, factory mode or energy save mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0477 Evaluating waveform of pressure readings

Abstract

A tire pressure monitoring system, comprising:

a pressure measuring sensor in fluid communication with the ambient pressure of the tire;

a noise detector, adapted to detect the noise produced by the vehicle when it is started;

a management module, adapted to receive and process data supplied by the pressure sensor on the one hand and on the other hand by the noise detector such that, when the vehicle is stopped, the pressure sensor operates in “economy” mode; when the vehicle is running, the pressure sensor operates in “normal” mode.

Claims

1. A tire pressure monitoring system, comprising:

a pressure measuring sensor in fluid communication with the ambient pressure of the tire;

a noise detector, adapted to detect the noise produced by the vehicle when it is started;

a management module, adapted to receive and process data supplied by the pressure sensor and on the noise detector such that, when the vehicle is at a standstill, the pressure sensor operates in “

economy”

mode;

when the vehicle is moving, the pressure sensor operates in “

normal”

mode.

2. A tire pressure monitoring system according to claim 1, in which the noise detector is of the piezoelectric type.

3. A tire pressure monitoring system according to claim 2, in which the noise detector is also a pressure variation detector.

4. A tire pressure monitoring system according to claim 1, in which the noise detector is sensitive to the noises produced by angular displacement of a wheel with which it is associated.

5. A tire pressure monitoring system according to claim 1, in which the noise detector is sensitive to the noises produced by the engine of the vehicle.

6. A tire pressure monitoring system according to claim 1, in which the “

economy”

mode is that in which the time interval between the measurements carried out by the pressure sensor is substantially longer than in “

normal”

mode.

7. A tire pressure monitoring system according to claim 1, in which, when the operating mode changes from “

economy”

to “

normal”

, there is provided a transitional period of operation in “

accelerated”

measurement mode, in which the time interval between the measurements effected by the pressure sensor is substantially shorter than in “

normal”

mode.