Tire pressure detecting apparatus

• US 20040178899A1
• Filed: 12/15/2003
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Original Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Inventors: Watanabe, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,265,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/445
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0444 Antenna structures, control or arrangements thereof, e.g. for directional antennas, diversity antenna, antenna multiplexing or antennas integrated in fenders

Abstract

A tire pressure detecting apparatus detects the pressure and location of a tire in a vehicle and notifies a person in the vehicle of each tire pressure and the location of the tire linked with the tire pressure. Terminals (31, 32, 33, 34) are arranged on the tires (21, 22, 23, 24) of the vehicle, respectively. Receivers (41, 42, 43, 44) are arranged in the vicinities of the tires, to receive tire pressure data signals transmitted from the terminals and measure reception levels of the received signals. An ECU (5) is connected to receive the tire pressure data and signal levels from the receivers. The ECU obtains only one piece of the tire pressure data having a maximum signal level from the receiver showing the maximum signal level and relates the obtained tire pressure data is of the tire with the maximum-signal-level receiver. A display (6) displays the pressure and location of each tire determined by the ECU.

Claims

1. A tire pressure detecting apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a terminal attached to at least one tire being fitted in a given area of the vehicle, the terminal having a tire pressure sensor configured to detect a tire pressure and a transmitter configured to transmit tire pressure data based on the detected tire pressure;

a receiver attached to a part of the vehicle in at least one of the areas and configured to receive the tire pressure data transmitted from any one of the transmitters and detect a reception level of the received tire pressure data; and

a controller configured to obtain tire pressure data from one of the receivers that has a highest one of the detected reception levels and relate the obtained tire pressure data with the tire corresponding to the highest-reception-level receiver.

2. The tire pressure detecting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a display configured to display the obtained tire pressure data and the location of the corresponding tire in the vehicle.

3. The tire pressure detecting apparatus of claim 2, wherein the receiver has an RSSI circuit configured to detect the reception level.

4. The tire pressure detecting apparatus of claim 3, wherein the RSSI circuit has an attenuator configured to adjust the level of

a received signal, a rectifier, and a smoothing circuit.