Acceleration detector for a tire of a motor vehicle

• US 6,505,515 B1
• Filed: 06/11/2001
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Electronic (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Sagem SA (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Delaporte, Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): OEN, WILLIAM L
• Application Number:
  US09/857,893
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 73/714-728,49.3,517 A,517 R,862.625,862.636,862.637,862.68
• US Class Current: 73/714
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/09 by piezoelectric pick-up

Abstract

The acceleration detector for a tire of a motor vehicle comprises an elastically deformable membrane and, fixedly attached to the membrane, a test mass to deform it under the effect of acceleration, and an acceleration strain gauge sensitive to the deformations of the membrane under the effect of an acceleration force exerted by the test mass.

Claims

1. An acceleration detector for a tire of a motor vehicle comprising an elastically deformable membrane and, fixedly attached to the membrane, a test mass to deform it under the effect of acceleration, and an acceleration strain gauge sensitive to the deformations of the membrane under the effect of an acceleration force exerted by the test mass, characterized in that it comprises a pressure strain gauge sensitive to the pressure of the tire so that the acceleration detector also constitutes a pressure sensor, and a pressure measuring system and an acceleration detection system which are integrated, at least in part, into an integrated circuit, the acceleration detection system being arranged to command activation of the pressure measuring system.

2. The detector according to claim 1, wherein the two gauges, the acceleration strain gauge and the pressure strain gauge are fixedly attached to the same membrane.

3. The detector according to claim 1, wherein the two gauges, the acceleration strain gauge and the pressure strain gauge are respectively fixedly attached to two elastically deformable membranes.

4. The detector according to one of claim 1, formed by a component disposed in a hollow sealed housing closed by the membrane.

5. The detector according to claim 3, formed by a component disposed in a hollow sealed housing closed by the membrane.

6. The detector according to one of claim 4, wherein the membranes are made of silicon.

7. The detector according to one of claim 1, wherein a multiplexer circuit is provided common to the two systems to provide a circuit for processing measurements controlling a control circuit, pressure measurements, acceleration measurements, temperature measurements of a thermometer and measurements of he voltage of a power-supply battery.