Tire air pressure monitoring system

• US 20060276991A1
• Filed: 06/05/2006
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Watabe, Nobuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,260,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/138
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/007 having multiple wheels arranged side by side
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/009 having wheels on a trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver

Abstract

A tire air pressure monitoring system is provided with at least one trailer-use receiving unit, which is mounted at a rear end of a tractor head to receive radio wave sent by multiple tire air pressure sending units. The tire air pressure sending units are respectively attached to wheels of a trailer. The trailer-use receiving unit, having a directional antenna, is oriented to have a stronger receiving sensitivity with respect to a direction of the trailer than other directions.

Claims

1. A tire air pressure monitoring system, comprising:

a plurality of tire air pressure sending units which are respectively attached to wheels of a first member of a vehicle to send radio wave containing tire air pressure information of the wheels by radio;

at least one antenna for receiving the radio wave; and

a tire air pressure receiving apparatus for acquiring the tire air pressure information from signal which is based on the radio wave received by the antenna, the tire air pressure receiving apparatus being mounted at a second member of the vehicle, wherein

the antenna is a directional antenna, which is mounted at the second member and oriented to have a stronger receiving sensitivity with respect to a direction of the first member than other directions.

2. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein:

the second member is a tractor head; and

the first member is a trailer, which is connected with a rear portion of the tractor head.

3. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of antennas are respectively mounted at different positions in a left-right direction of the tractor head.

4. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the antennas is a planar patch antenna.

5. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 2, further comprising

a presentation unit which is mounted at the trailer to offer wheel identification information of the wheels of the trailer, the wheel identification information of the wheel of the trailer corresponding with identification information of the tire air pressure sending unit which is attached to the wheel of the trailer, wherein:

the antenna receives the radio wave, which is sent by the tire air pressure sending unit by radio and contains both the tire air pressure information and the identification information of the tire air pressure sending unit; and

the tire air pressure receiving apparatus which is mounted at the tractor head includes;

a storage unit for memorizing the wheel identification information of the wheels of the trailer;

an identification/process unit which fetches the identification information of the tire air pressure sending unit and the tire air pressure information from the radio wave received by the antenna, and processes the tire air pressure information as tire air pressure information related to the own vehicle when the fetched identification information corresponds with the wheel identification information memorized in the storage unit;

a wheel identification information acquiring unit for acquiring the wheel identification information of the wheels of the trailer from the presentation unit; and

a recording unit which obtains the wheel identification information of the wheels of the trailer via the wheel identification information acquiring unit at startup of the vehicle, and records the obtained wheel identification information in the storage unit.

6. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 2, further comprising

a presentation unit which is mounted at the trailer to offer wheel identification information of the wheels of the trailer, the wheel identification information of the wheel of the trailer corresponding with identification information of the tire air pressure sending unit which is attached to the wheel of the trailer, wherein:

the antenna receives the radio wave which is sent by the tire air pressure sending unit by radio and contains both the tire air pressure information and the identification information of the tire air pressure sending unit; and

the tire air pressure receiving apparatus which is mounted at the tractor head includes;

a storage unit for memorizing the wheel identification information of the wheels of the trailer;

an identification/process unit which fetches the identification information of the tire air pressure sending unit and the tire air pressure information from the radio wave received by the antenna, and processes the tire air pressure information as tire air pressure information related to the own vehicle when the fetched identification information corresponds with the wheel identification information memorized in the storage unit;

a wheel identification information acquiring unit for acquiring the wheel identification information of the wheels of the trailer from the presentation unit;

a connection detection unit for detecting a connection between the trailer and the tractor head; and

a recording unit which obtains the wheel identification information of the wheels via the wheel identification information acquiring unit based on a detection of the connection by the connection detection unit, and records the obtained wheel identification information in the storage unit.

7. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 2, further comprising

a presentation unit which is mounted at the trailer to offer wheel identification information of the wheels of the trailer, the wheel identification information of the wheel of the trailer corresponding with identification information of the tire air pressure sending unit which is attached to the wheel of the trailer, wherein:

the antenna receives the radio wave which is sent by the tire air pressure sending unit by radio and contains both the

tire air pressure information and the identification information of the tire air pressure sending unit; and

the tire air pressure receiving apparatus which is mounted at the tractor head includes;

a storage unit for memorizing the wheel identification information of the wheels of the trailer;

an identification/process unit which fetches the identification information of the tire air pressure sending unit and the tire air pressure information from the radio wave received by the antenna, and processes the tire air pressure information as tire air pressure information related to the own vehicle when the fetched identification information corresponds with the wheel identification information memorized in the storage unit;

a wheel identification information acquiring unit for acquiring the wheel identification information of the wheels of the trailer from the presentation unit; and

a recording unit which obtains the wheel identification information of the wheels via the wheel identification information acquiring unit by a recursion operation, and records the obtained wheel identification information in the storage unit.

8. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein

the antenna includes a board made of a dielectric material, a planar antenna positioned at a substantial center portion of a facade of the board, and a ground which is embedded in the board.

9. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 5, wherein

the presentation unit which is arranged at the trailer faces the wheel identification information acquiring unit which is mounted at the tractor head.

10. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein

the presentation unit which is arranged at the trailer faces the wheel identification information acquiring unit which is mounted at the tractor head.

11. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 7, wherein

the presentation unit which is arranged at the trailer faces the wheel identification information acquiring unit which is mounted at the tractor head.

12. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 5, wherein

the presentation unit is constructed of a transponder, and the wheel identification information acquiring unit is constructed of an ID reader.

13. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein

the presentation unit is constructed of a transponder, and the wheel identification information acquiring unit is constructed of an ID reader.

14. The tire air pressure monitoring system according to claim 7, wherein

the presentation unit is constructed of a transponder, and the wheel identification information acquiring unit is constructed of an ID reader.