TIRE CONDITION DETECTING APPARATUS

• US 20170267036A1
• Filed: 09/17/2015
• Published: 09/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacific Industrial Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Pacific Industrial Company Limited
• Inventors: TSUJITA, Yasuhisa
• Granted Patent: US 10,086,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/243 Tread wear sensors, e.g. electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0435 Vehicle body mounted circuits, e.g. transceiver or antenna fixed to central console, door, roof, mirror or fender
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0454 Means for changing operation mode, e.g. sleep mode, factory mode or energy save mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0494 Valve stem attachments positioned inside the tyre chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0496 Valve stem attachments positioned outside of the tyre chamber
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/22 by investigating capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/24 for communication between two or more posts wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A tire condition detecting apparatus includes a transmitting section, a receiving section, a control section, a property detecting section, and a battery, which is a power source for the apparatus. The control section operates in a control mode that is selected from a normal mode and a power saving mode. In the power saving mode, power consumption associated with reception of the wirelessly transmitted signal from the external device is less than that in the normal mode. When the amount of change in the electrical property of a valve stem detected by the property detecting section exceeds a reference change amount, the control section switches the control mode to the normal mode. The control section also switches the control mode to the power saving mode when a termination condition is met in the normal mode

Claims

1. A tire condition detecting apparatus, which is attached to a valve stem of a wheel assembly of a vehicle to be arranged in a tire of the wheel assembly, the apparatus comprising:

a condition detecting section configured to detect a condition of the tire;

a transmitting section configured to wirelessly transmit a signal containing information detected by the condition detecting section;

a receiving section capable of receiving the signal wirelessly transmitted from an external device;

a control section configured to control the transmitting section and the receiving section;

a property detecting section configured to detect an electrical property of the valve stem; and

a battery, which is a power source for the tire condition detecting apparatus, wherein

the control section is configured to operate in a control mode that is selected from a normal mode and a power saving mode, wherein, in the normal mode, the receiving section is maintained in a standby state, in which the receiving section is capable of receiving a wirelessly transmitted signal from the external device, and in the power saving mode, power consumption associated with reception of the wirelessly transmitted signal from the external device is less than that in the normal mode,

the control section is configured to switch the control mode to the normal mode when an amount of change in the electrical property of the valve stem detected by the property detecting section exceeds a reference change amount, and

the control section is configured to switch the control mode to the power saving mode when a termination condition is met in the normal mode.

2. The tire condition detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the property detecting section is configured to detect a capacitance of the valve stem.

3. The tire condition detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving section is capable of receiving a signal of a frequency band of an ultra-high frequency.

4. The tire condition detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the termination condition is met when any of the following conditions is met:

a condition that the receiving section has received a wirelessly transmitted signal from the external device;

a condition that a predetermined time has elapsed since the control mode was switched to the normal mode; and

a condition that the vehicle has been detected to be moving.

5. The tire condition detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section is configured not to execute, in the normal mode, a process of identifying the amount of change in the electrical property of the valve stem.

6. The tire condition detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control section is configured to execute the process of identifying the amount of change in the electrical property of the valve stem when the vehicle is in a stopped state, and

the control section is configured not to execute the process of identifying the amount of change in the electrical property of the valve stem when the vehicle is moving.