Tire Management System

• US 20070252685A1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Oda, Keiji, Takao, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 7,791,461 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/447
• 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 23/0442 the transmitted signal comprises further information, e.g. instruction codes, sensor characteristics or identification data
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0464 to avoid signal interference

Abstract

A tire management system includes a sensor module secured to inside of a tire that is mounted on a vehicle, for measuring a tire state value and transmitting the measured data to the vehicle side, and a receiver module secured to the vehicle side for transmitting a signal demanding the measured data to the sensor module at a predetermined cycle and receiving the measured data transmitted from the sensor module. The sensor module measures a tire status value at a predetermined cycle, judges whether the measured data is out of a predetermined normal range, and immediately transmits the measured data and an abnormal state data through a predetermined channel exclusively used for transmitting the abnormal state data to the receiver module, if the data is judged to be out of the normal range. With this structure, if an abnormal state occurs, the receiver module can receive the abnormality without any delay, while preventing shortening of the cell life.

Claims

1. A tire management system comprising a sensor module secured to inside of a tire mounted on a vehicle, for measuring a tire status value and transmitting the measured data to a vehicle body side, and a receiver module secured to the vehicle body side, for transmitting a signal demanding said measured data to the sensor module at a predetermined cycle, and receiving the measured data transmitted from the sensor module, wherein:

the receiver module transmits a data demand signal demanding transmission of the measured data, to the sensor module at a first cycle T1, and the sensor module measures at least one tire status value at a second cycle T2 that is shorted than said first cycle T1;

said sensor module is so designed as to judge, with respect to each measurement performed at the second cycle, whether the measured data is out of a predetermined normal range, and transmit as soon as it has been judged that the measured data is out of a predetermined normal range, the measured data and a data indicating abnormal state to the receiver module through a predetermined abnormal state data transmission exclusive channel; and

said receiver module having a frequency range for a demand signal channel for transmitting the measured data demand signal, and said sensor module having a frequency range for a response signal channel for said transmission based upon detection of reception of the data demand signal from said receiver module, said frequency ranges being so determined as to avoid overlapping with said abnormal state data transmission exclusive channel.

2. The tire management system according to claim 1, wherein the frequency range of the response signal channel is a channel selected from a plurality of predetermined channels having frequency ranges that do not overlap with each other, and the selection of the response signal channel is done by designating the channel by means of said data demand signal transmitted from the receiver module.

3. The tire management system according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of said abnormal state data transmission exclusive channels, said sensor module using a selected one of the abnormal state data transmission exclusive channels for transmitting the measured data deviating from said normal range.

4. The tire management system according to claim 1, wherein each sensor module has an identification code for identifying the individual sensor module itself, and the data transmitted from the sensor module includes said identification code.

5. The tire management system according to claim 1, wherein said transmission, which is performed by said sensor module to said receiver module when it has been judged that said data is out of the normal range, comprises setting an abnormal flag t to a value indicating the abnormal state, and transmitting, if a consecutive number of times of acquisition of the measured data deviating from the normal range is not larger than a predetermined integer N1, the nearest measured data and an abnormal flag data to the receiver module by a predetermined number of times N2, with a third cycle T3 that is smaller than said second cycle T2,

said sensor module setting said abnormal flag to a value indicating a normal state, when said data is within said normal range, and

said sensor module transmitting the nearest measured data and the data of the abnormal flag to the receiver module immediately upon detection of reception of the data demand signal from the receiver module.

6. The tire management system according to claim 5, wherein said integer N1 is smaller than a ratio T1/T2.

7. The tire management system according to claim 1, wherein said sensor module comprises a read only memory ROM storing a threshold vale for determining said normal range.

8. The tire management system according to claim 1, wherein said receiver module performs a next transmission of the data demand signal to the sensor module with a cycle that is shorter than said first cycle T1, when the abnormal flag in a signal received form the sensor module indicates the abnormal state.