Apparatus for alarming of an abnormality of tire air pressure

• US 5,748,076 A
• Filed: 09/22/1995
• Issued: 05/05/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Horie, Hiroto
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US08/532,222
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 340/442, 340/443, 340/444, 340/445, 340/446, 340/447, 340/448, 340/691, 340/506, 73/146.2, 73/146.3, 73/146.4, 73/146.5, 116/34 R
• US Class Current: 340/442
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/00 Devices for measuring, signalling, controlling, or distributing tyre pressure or temperature, specially adapted for mounting on vehicles; Arrangement of tyre inflating devices on vehicles, e.g. of pumps or of tanks; Tyre cooling arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0401 characterised by the type of alarm

Abstract

An apparatus for alarming of an abnormality of tire air pressure, comprising a detection mechanism capable of detecting air pressure abnormality of each tire, and only one display mechanism capable of displaying only ON or OFF state; wherein the display mechanism is capable of outputting a plurality of display patterns to inform of plural kinds of information with the display patterns. The alarming apparatus of the present invention is capable of infoming of the abnormality alarm, failure, or state of calibration with one display mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the occupying area of the combination meter display section of a vehicle, with a reduced cost.

Claims

1. An apparatus for alarming of an abnormality in a tire air pressure detection system for each of at least one tire, comprising a detection mechanism capable of detecting an abnormality in the detection system, and only one alarm display mechanism capable of displaying a plurality of display patterns, said alarm display mechanism having a display element, wherein

said display element is switched between on and off states in predetermined sequences, and

each of said plurality of display patterns is different from one another and has a unique predetermined sequence, to inform of a plurality of different kinds of information corresponding to said plurality of display patterns, said plurality of different kinds of information including detection of at least an abnormality with respect to a first tire of said at least one tire and of an abnormality with respect to a second tire of said at least one tire.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the kinds of information about which the display pattern informs is a position of a tire having an abnormality of tire air pressure detected by the detection mechanism.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein two of the kinds of information about which the display pattern informs are failure of the detection mechanism and failure of the display mechanism.

4. An apparatus for alarming of an abnormality in a tire air pressure detection system for each of at least one tire, comprising a detection mechanism capable of detecting an abnormality in the detection system, only one alarm display mechanism capable of displaying a plurality of display patterns, said alarm display mechanism having a display element, and a switching mechanism connected to the alarm display mechanism;

wherein,

said display element is switchable between on and off states in predetermined sequences,

each of said plurality of display patterns is different from one another and has a unique predetermined sequence, to inform of a plurality of different kinds of information corresponding to said plurality of display patterns, said plurality of different kinds of information including detection of at least an abnormality with respect to a first tire of said at least one tire and of an abnormality with respect to a second tire of said at least one tire, and

when the switching mechanism is entered after the alarm display mechanism has once given an alarm informing of an abnormality in tire air pressure, said alarm display mechanism is switchable to a displaying pattern to inform of at least one of the group consisting of the position of a tire, with said displaying pattern, of which air pressure abnormality has been detected and of the degree of air pressure abnormality.

5. An apparatus for alerting of an abnormality in a tire air pressure detection system for each of at least one tire, comprising a detection mechanism capable of detecting an abnormality in the detection system, and only one alerting mechanism capable of alerting of a plurality of alerting patterns said alerting mechanism having a broadcast element, wherein

said broadcast element is switchable between on and off states in predetermined sequences, and

each of said plurality of alerting patterns is different from one another and has a unique predetermined sequence, to inform of a plurality of different kinds of information corresponding to said plurality of alerting patterns, said plurality of different kinds of information including detection of at least an abnormality with respect to a first tire of said at least one tire and of an abnormality with respect to a second tire of said at least one tire.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the only one alerting mechanism is a visual display mechanism.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the only one alerting mechanism is an aural alerting mechanism.