Method and apparatus for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure and threshold changing program

• US 20040046648A1
• Filed: 09/09/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Matsuura, Shinichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,301,444 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/442
• 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 23/061 by monitoring wheel speed measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles G01C22/00

Abstract

A method for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure, which detects decrease in internal pressure of a tire attached to a vehicle and accordingly issues alarm. The method includes the steps of: detecting rotational information of the respective tires; storing the rotational information of the respective tires; displaying a summer tire, a winter tire and a run-flat tire; designating a currently attached tire from among the displayed tires and switching to a threshold for judging decrease in internal pressure which matches the tire; judging decrease in internal pressure of a tire by using the threshold; and issuing an alarm on the basis of the judgment of the judging means. Since thresholds which match tires can be suitably switched when the driver operates the touch panel for discriminating presently mounted tires, it is possible to eliminate erroneous alarm and to perform judgment of decompression at even higher accuracy.

Claims

1. A method for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure, which detects decrease in internal pressure of a tire attached to a vehicle and accordingly issues alarm, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting rotational information of the respective tires;

storing the rotational information of the respective tires;

displaying a summer tire, a winter tire and a run-flat tire;

designating a currently attached tire from among the displayed tires and switching to a threshold for judging decrease in internal pressure which matches the tire;

judging decrease in internal pressure of a tire by using the threshold; and

issuing an alarm on the basis of the judgment of the judging means.

2. An apparatus for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure, which detects decrease in internal pressure of a tire attached to a vehicle and accordingly issuing alarm, the apparatus comprising:

a rotational information detecting means which detects rotational information of the respective tires;

a rotational information storing means which stores the rotational information of the respective tires;

a type displaying means which displays a summer tire, a winter tire and a run-flat tire;

a threshold changing means which designates a currently attached tire from among the tires displayed in the type displaying means and switches to a threshold for judging decrease in internal pressure which matches the tire;

a judging means which judges decrease in internal pressure of a tire by using the threshold; and

an alarm means which issues an alarm on the basis of the judgment of the judging means.

3. A threshold changing program, in which for changing a threshold which is used for judging decrease in tire air-pressure to meet a type of a tire, a computer is made to function as a type displaying means which displays a summer tire, a winter tire and a run-flat tire;

and a threshold changing means which designates a currently attached tire from among the tires displayed in the type displaying means and switches to a threshold for judging decrease in internal pressure which matches the tire.