Tire inflation pressure monitor and monitoring method

• US 6,362,733 B1
• Filed: 01/06/2000
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pacific Industrial Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Pacific Industrial Company Limited
• Inventors: Momose, Akira, Katou, Mitiya
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US09/479,317
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 340/447, 340/445, 340/442, 340/572.7, 340/539, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 731/462, 455/67.1, 455/82, 455/83
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0437 Means for detecting electromagnetic field changes not being part of the signal transmission per se, e.g. strength, direction, propagation or masking
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0444 Antenna structures, control or arrangements thereof, e.g. for directional antennas, diversity antenna, antenna multiplexing or antennas integrated in fenders

Abstract

A tire inflation pressure monitor includes a number of transmitters and a receiver. The transmitters transmit data concerning tire inflation pressure by radio waves, and the receiver receives the data from the transmitters. The receiver includes reception antennas and a synthesizer. The reception antennas respectively induce voltage signals based on the reception of the radio waves from the transmitters, and the synthesizer synthesizes the induced voltage signals into one voltage signal. The synthesizer selects the highest level voltage signal from the induced voltage signals and outputs the voltage signal to a reception circuit. Therefore, the synthesizer permits the reception circuit to receive the voltage signal of a given transmitter without fail.

Claims

1. A tire inflation pressure monitor having a plurality of transmitters respectively located in a plurality of vehicle tires for transmitting data concerning the inflation pressure of the tires by radio waves and a receiver for receiving the data from the transmitters, the receiver comprising:

a plurality of reception antennas that each induce a voltage signal based on reception of the radio waves from an associated one of the transmitters, wherein the level of each of the induced voltage signals is different from the levels of the other voltage signals and varies in accordance with the rotational angle of the tire that corresponds to the associated transmitter;

a synthesizer for synthesizing the induced voltage signals into a synthesized voltage signal; and

a processing device for processing the synthesized voltage signal to obtain the data.

2. The monitor according to claim 1, wherein the synthesizer selects and outputs the highest level voltage signal from the induced voltage signals.

3. The monitor according to claim 1, wherein the synthesizer selects and outputs the highest level voltage signal from the induced voltage signals in steps.

4. The monitor according to claim 3, wherein the synthesizer includes a plurality of selection circuits, each selection circuit receives a plurality of signals and outputs one signal.

5. The monitor according to claim 4, wherein each selection circuit selects and outputs the higher of two input signals.

6. The receiver according to claim 4, wherein each selection circuit includes a plurality of filter circuits.