Distributed intelligence vehicular tire air pressurization system and method
First Claim
1. A system in a vehicle for adjusting respective tire air pressures in respective sets of tires using an air supply, said system comprising,a controller means comprising a memory means for storing programs, processor means for executing said programs, and a communication means for transmitting respective commands communicating sets of respective desired pressures, said controller means for selecting one of a plurality of operating conditions referenced to one of said sets of respective desired pressures and for generating said respective commands communicating respective desired pressures for said respective sets of tires,a plurality of respective manifold means comprising respective manifold controller means each of which comprising respective manifold memory means for storing respective manifold programs, respective manifold processor means for executing said respective manifold programs, respective manifold communication means for receiving said respective commands, said respective manifold controller means for monitoring said respective tire air pressures in said respective sets of tires, said respective manifold controller means for respectively responding to said respective commands for adjusting said respective tire air pressures to said respective desired pressures, said plurality of respective manifold means further comprises respective inflation means for supplying respective supply air from said air supply to said respective sets of tires, respective deflation means for exhausting respective exhaust air from said respective sets of tires, and respective air pressure sensors for sensing said respective tire air pressures in said respective sets of tires, said respective commands identifying said respective manifold means independently responding and adjusting said respective tire air pressures to said respective desired pressures in said respective sets of tires, anda plurality of respective air channel means respectively connected between said respective inflation means, said respective deflation means, and said respective set of tires for communicating said respective supply air to said respective sets of tires, for communicating said respective exhaust air from said respective sets of tires, and for communicating said respective tire air pressures from said respective sets of tires to said respective air pressure sensor.
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Abstract
A vehicular tire air pressurization system having an intelligent controller for macro control is connected to one or more intelligent manifolds for micro control so as to distributively process air pressurization functions, with the controller having non volatile memory which is field programmable and alterable for storing current operating conditions, functions and parameters for communicating desired air pressures to the manifolds each connected to at least one set of tires and each including non volatile memory for storing pressurization parameters used to control inflation and deflation of the sets of tires to the desired pressures subject to the pressurization parameters which are also field programmable and alterable and which are updated after periodic pressure adjustment cycles, so that, the tires are efficiently pressurized and maintained at the desired pressures even during changing performance characteristics.
71 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A system in a vehicle for adjusting respective tire air pressures in respective sets of tires using an air supply, said system comprising,
a controller means comprising a memory means for storing programs, processor means for executing said programs, and a communication means for transmitting respective commands communicating sets of respective desired pressures, said controller means for selecting one of a plurality of operating conditions referenced to one of said sets of respective desired pressures and for generating said respective commands communicating respective desired pressures for said respective sets of tires, a plurality of respective manifold means comprising respective manifold controller means each of which comprising respective manifold memory means for storing respective manifold programs, respective manifold processor means for executing said respective manifold programs, respective manifold communication means for receiving said respective commands, said respective manifold controller means for monitoring said respective tire air pressures in said respective sets of tires, said respective manifold controller means for respectively responding to said respective commands for adjusting said respective tire air pressures to said respective desired pressures, said plurality of respective manifold means further comprises respective inflation means for supplying respective supply air from said air supply to said respective sets of tires, respective deflation means for exhausting respective exhaust air from said respective sets of tires, and respective air pressure sensors for sensing said respective tire air pressures in said respective sets of tires, said respective commands identifying said respective manifold means independently responding and adjusting said respective tire air pressures to said respective desired pressures in said respective sets of tires, and a plurality of respective air channel means respectively connected between said respective inflation means, said respective deflation means, and said respective set of tires for communicating said respective supply air to said respective sets of tires, for communicating said respective exhaust air from said respective sets of tires, and for communicating said respective tire air pressures from said respective sets of tires to said respective air pressure sensor.
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11. A method for adjusting respective tire pressures of respective sets of tires in a vehicle having an air supply communicated through respective air channels and respective manifolds controlled by a selecting controller, said method comprising the steps of,
storing in said selecting controller sets of respective desired pressures respectively referenced to operating conditions and to said respective sets of tires, receiving select data referenced to one of said operating conditions to select one of said sets of respective desired pressures, transmitting respective commands communicating said respective desired pressures from said selecting controller respectively to said respective manifolds, said one set of respective desired pressures referenced to one of said operating conditions, said respective desired pressures referenced to said respective sets of tires, sensing in said respective manifolds respective static pressures of said respective tire air pressures in said respective air channels, determining in said respective manifolds if said respective static pressures are above or below said respective desired pressures, inflating in said respective manifolds said respective tire air pressures to said respective desired pressures when said respective static pressures are below said respective desired pressures, and deflating in said respective manifolds said respective tire air pressures to said respective desired pressures when said respective static pressures are above said respective desired pressures.
Specification