Method and system for determining tire pressure imbalances

• US 20040143376A1
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Rosseau, James R.
• Application Number:
  US10/723,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20040143376A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/061 by monitoring wheel speed measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2240/07 Tire tolerance compensation

Abstract

A tire deflation warning system is based solely on the measured distance traveled by each tire of a vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with a sensor which generates pulses representative of the distance traveled by each wheel such as generated by an ABS brake system. The system accumulates the pulses in the controller to determine whether the vehicle is stable. If the vehicle is stable, it performs a test to cover individual tires, opposing diagonal tires or any combination of three tires using an average of the diagonal ratio. These tests are performed by utilizing the pulses generated by each wheel representing the distance traveled by the wheel.

Claims

1. A system of determining tire pressure faults in a vehicle comprising:

determining a distance a first tire has traveled;

determining a distance a second tire has traveled;

comparing the first and second distances to determine if a pressure fault has occurred in said first or second tire.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the distances are calculated using pulse generating sensors coupled to the first and second tires, wherein a series of pulses equate to a distance.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein a ratio of pulses is used to determine a tire pressure fault.

4. A system of determining tire pressure faults in a vehicle comprising:

determining distances a plurality of tires have traveled;

comparing the distances to determine if a pressure fault has occurred in said plurality of tires.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the distances are calculated using pulse generating sensors coupled to the first and second tires, wherein a series of pulses equate to a distance.

6. A system for detecting tire pressure imbalance comprising:

a vehicle;

a plurality of wheels coupled to said vehicle;

a plurality of sensors operatively coupled to said plurality of wheels, each said sensor sensing one of said plurality of wheels, said sensors generating pulses indicative of distance traveled by each said wheel;

a controller for receiving said pulses generated by said sensors;

wherein a tire pressure fault is determined by analyzing the distance traveled by each said wheel.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said plurality of sensors are coupled to an anti lock brake system and said anti-lock brake system transmits said pulses to said controller.