Method of processing pressure measurements in a tire monitoring system

• US 5,801,306 A
• Filed: 03/19/1997
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin
• Original Assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin
• Inventors: Francois, Jean-Pierre, Meunier, Andre, Chamussy, Jean-Fran.cedilla.ois
• Primary Examiner(s): Biegel, Ronald L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMROZOWICZ, PAUL DOUGLAS
• Application Number:
  US08/822,572
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• Field of Search: 73/146.2, 73/146.3, 73/146.5, 73/146.8, 340/442, 340/443, 340/444, 340/445, 340/446, 340/447, 340/448, 340/449, 364/424.034, 364/558
• US Class Current: 73/146.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver

Abstract

A method of processing signals in a system for monitoring the tires of a icle, in which it is determined whether there is a clearly under-inflated or over-inflated tire as compared with the other tires of the vehicle and the driver is alerted only when the other tires show a homogeneous dispersion of their inflation pressures.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring signals in a system for the monitoring of the tires of a vehicle, said system delivering for each tire at least one measurement of the inflation pressure of said tire, in which, after having verified the cold state of the tires:

for each tire, the inflation pressure is measured and the deviation between the measured inflation pressure and the nominal pressure is calculated;

the tire of the vehicle, the deviation of which from the algebraic value is the lowest, is identified and this tire is called "the most under-inflated tire";

for all the tires of the vehicle, with the exception of the most under-inflated tire, a characteristic value of the dispersion of said deviations between the measured inflation pressures and the nominal pressures is calculated and this characteristic value is compared with a first given threshold;

if the characteristic value of the dispersion of said deviations is less than the first threshold, then the difference between said deviation between the measured inflation pressure and the nominal pressure of said tire and the average of said deviations of the other tires is calculated for the most under-inflated tire and said difference is compared with a second given threshold;

if said difference is greater than said second threshold, an alarm is sounded.

3. A method according to either of claims 1 and 2, in which, considering all the tires with the exception of the most under-inflated or most over-inflated tire:

the algebraic average of the deviations between the inflation pressures and the rates pressures is calculated;

for each tire, the difference between the deviation between the inflation pressure and the nominal pressure of said tire and said algebraic average is calculated;

said difference, the absolute value of which is the greatest, is taken as characteristic value of the dispersion of said deviations.

4. A method according to claim 1, in which a hot monitoring mode is switched to at the end of the cold monitoring.

5. A method according to claim 1 or 2 in which the characteristic value is the difference between the maximum deviation of the measured inflation pressures and the average of the deviations.

2. A method of processing signals in a system for the monitoring of the tires of a vehicle, said system delivering for each tire at least one measurement of the inflation pressure of said tire, in which, after having verified the cold state of the tires:

for each tire, the inflation pressure is measured and the deviation between the measured inflation pressure and the nominal pressure is calculated;

the tire of the vehicle, the deviation of which from the algebraic value is the largest, is identified and this tire is called "the most over-inflated tire";

for all the tires of the vehicle, with the exception of the most over-inflated tire, a characteristic value of the dispersion of said deviations between the measured inflation pressures and the nominal pressures is calculated and this characteristic value is compared with a first given threshold;

if the characteristic value of the dispersion of said deviations is less than the first threshold, then the difference between the average of said deviations of the other tires and said deviation between the measured inflation pressure and the nominal pressure of said tire is calculated for the most over-inflated tire said difference is compared with a second given threshold;

if said difference is greater than said second threshold, an alarm is sounded.