Dual wheel, tire pressure tester
First Claim
1. Apparatus for automatically detecting tire pressures of dual wheel vehicles, comprising:
- plurality of fluid filled tire sensors arranged lengthwise in a spaced array parallel to the direction of vehicle travel across a selected section of roadway, the sensors each spaced relative to each other at a distance dependent on the vehicle tire tread width to ensure contact of at least two sensors with each tire footprint as the vehicle is driven along the length of said sensor array, each fluid filled sensor being sealed at one end and having a fluid port at the opposite end thereof, whereby said sensors each provide in response to surface contact thereof with a vehicle tire footprint a fluid pressure increase at said fluid port;
plurality of pressure sensing devices, one for each of said tire sensors and each connected for response to said fluid port thereof, for providing an output signal indication at a magnitude indicative of the quiescent fluid pressure within said associated sensor; and
means responsive to said output signal indications from all of said pressure sensing devices for determining, in response to the magnitude of said signal indications the state of tire pressure for each tire of each dual wheel pair.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A plurality of fluid filled hoses sealed at one end are arranged in parallel in the wheel path and direction of travel of the vehicle, the hoses relatively spaced at a distance dependent on the tire tread width to ensure contact by each tire'"'"'s footprint with at least two hoses, each hose is connected at the opposite end to an associated pressure transducer which provides sensed signal information of the actual fluid pressure in the hose at all times, whereby the sensed hose pressure signal information, in response to the applied vehicle load on the hoses provides a tire inflation pattern for the vehicle which may be compared with a reference pattern for normal inflation to determine adequate tire pressure.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. Apparatus for automatically detecting tire pressures of dual wheel vehicles, comprising:
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plurality of fluid filled tire sensors arranged lengthwise in a spaced array parallel to the direction of vehicle travel across a selected section of roadway, the sensors each spaced relative to each other at a distance dependent on the vehicle tire tread width to ensure contact of at least two sensors with each tire footprint as the vehicle is driven along the length of said sensor array, each fluid filled sensor being sealed at one end and having a fluid port at the opposite end thereof, whereby said sensors each provide in response to surface contact thereof with a vehicle tire footprint a fluid pressure increase at said fluid port; plurality of pressure sensing devices, one for each of said tire sensors and each connected for response to said fluid port thereof, for providing an output signal indication at a magnitude indicative of the quiescent fluid pressure within said associated sensor; and means responsive to said output signal indications from all of said pressure sensing devices for determining, in response to the magnitude of said signal indications the state of tire pressure for each tire of each dual wheel pair. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification