Apparatus and method for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure

• US 6,501,373 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2001
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• 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: Kitano, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Application Number:
  US09/984,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20020053971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 340/442, 340/444, 340/448, 731/462, 731/465, 701/36
• US Class Current: 340/444
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/061 by monitoring wheel speed measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles G01C22/00

Abstract

An apparatus for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure comprising: a rotational information detecting means for detecting rotational information of the respective tires; a rotational information memory means; a judged value calculating means for calculating judged values based on the rotational information; a judged value memory means; a transition calculating means for calculating transition of the judged values based on the stored judged values; a judging means for determining a decrease in tire air-pressure; and an alarming means for issuing preliminary alarm prior to issuing a predetermined alarm for informing decrease in internal pressure in case the judged value tends to move to exceed a predetermined threshold. It is possible to appropriately inform the driver of the vehicle of a decompressed condition of a tire for making the driver drive safely.

Claims

1. An apparatus for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure based on rotational information obtained from tires attached to a vehicle, comprising:

a rotational information detecting means for detecting rotational information of the respective tires;

a rotational information memory means for storing the rotational information of the respective tires;

a judged value calculating means for calculating judged values based on the rotational information of the respective tires;

a judged value memory means for storing the judged values;

a transition calculating means for calculating transition of the judged values based on the stored judged values;

a judging means for determining a decrease in tire air-pressure based on the judged values; and

an alarming means for issuing preliminary alarm prior to issuing a predetermined alarm for informing decrease in internal pressure based on the transition of the judged values in case the judged value tends to move to exceed a predetermined threshold for determining a decrease in internal pressure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the judging means includes a circuit for setting a first threshold for issuing preliminary alarm which is smaller than the predetermined threshold and a second threshold for issuing preliminary alarm for indicating a predetermined number by which the judged values has consecutively exceeded the first threshold for issuing preliminary alarm.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the judging means further includes a first condition providing that the judged value is not less than the first threshold for issuing preliminary alarm and a second condition providing that an summed value which is accumulated in the judged value memory means is not less than a product of the first threshold for issuing preliminary alarm and the second threshold for issuing preliminary alarm, and wherein the alarming means further includes a preliminary alarm circuit for adding, in case the first condition is met, the judged value to the judged value memory means while giving, in case the second condition is met, a command for issuing preliminary alarm.

4. A method for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure based on rotational information obtained from tires attached to a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

detecting rotational information of the respective tires;

storing the rotational information of the respective tires;

calculating judged values based on the rotational information of the respective tires;

storing the judged values;

calculating transition of the judged values based on the stored judged values;

determining a decrease in tire air-pressure based on the judged values; and

issuing preliminary alarm prior to issuing a predetermined alarm for informing decrease in internal pressure based on the transition of the judged values in case the judged value tends to move to exceed a predetermined threshold for determining a decrease in internal pressure.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, when issuing a preliminary alarm, there are used a first threshold for issuing preliminary alarm which is smaller than the predetermined threshold and a second threshold for issuing preliminary alarm for indicating a predetermined number by which the judged values has consecutively exceeded the first threshold for issuing preliminary alarm.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein there are set a first condition providing that the judged value is not less than the first threshold for issuing preliminary alarm and a second condition providing that an summed value which is accumulated in the judged value memory means is not less than a product of the first threshold for issuing preliminary alarm and the second threshold for issuing preliminary alarm, and wherein the judged value is stored and added in case the judged value meets the first condition, and then a preliminary alarm is issued in case the added value meets the second condition.