Vehicle monitoring system

• US 6,753,771 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2003
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Indian Head Industries Inc.
• Original Assignee: Indian Head Industries Inc.
• Inventors: Lesesky, Alan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl
• Application Number:
  US10/342,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20030214396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 340/479, 340/453, 340/452, 340/454, 340/450.1, 188/1.11 E, 188/1.11 W
• US Class Current: 340/479
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/44 for indicating braking action or preparation for braking, e.g. by detection of the foot approaching the brake pedal
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/22 Devices for monitoring or checking brake systems; Signal devices

Abstract

A vehicle monitoring system for monitoring a condition of relatively moving vehicle components, particularly including the pushrod of a brake actuator, including a magnet on one of the components, a sensor on the other component within the magnetic field of the magnet generating a signal indicating a condition of the moving component, an electrically conductive coil preferably surrounding the magnet generating a current and an active RF chip connected to the coil and the sensor, thereby providing current to the active RF chip for signaling a receiver. In the disclosed embodiment of a brake actuator monitoring system, the magnet is fixed on the pushrod and the coil surrounds the pushrod and magnet.

Claims

1. A vehicle monitoring system for monitoring a condition of a first component moving relative to a second component, one of said first and second components including a magnet and the other of said components including an electrically conductive coil within a magnetic field of said magnet, a sensor located within said magnet field and an active RF chip connected to said coil and said sensor, whereby said sensor monitoring movement of said magnet and movement of said magnet relative to said electrically conductive coil generating an electrical current which activates said RF chip to signal a condition of said one of said first and second components to a remote RF receiver.

2. The vehicle monitoring system as defined in claim 1, wherein said magnet moves in said coil.

3. The vehicle monitoring system as defined in claim 1, wherein said magnet is fixed relative to said first component, said second component is fixed relative to a vehicle and said first component moves relative to said vehicle.

4. The vehicle monitoring system as defined in claim 1, wherein said first component is a brake actuator fixed relative to a vehicle including a housing having an opening therethrough and said first component is a pushrod reciprocating through said opening in said housing.

5. The vehicle monitoring system as defined in claim 4, wherein said magnet is fixed on said pushrod and said electrically conductive coil is fixed relative to said housing surrounding said opening through said housing.

6. The vehicle monitoring system as defined in claim 5, wherein said magnet comprises an elongated strip including a series of discrete magnets in end to end relation and said sensor continuously senses reciprocal motion of said pushrod.

7. The vehicle monitoring system as defined in claim 5, wherein said coil is located in a sleeve fixed to said housing surrounding said opening in said housing.

8. The vehicle monitoring system as defined in claim 7, wherein said sleeve is a stone shield surrounding said opening in said housing and preventing debris from entering said housing through said opening.

9. The vehicle monitoring system as defined in claim 1, wherein said sensor is a Hall-effect sensor.

10. A vehicle brake monitoring system, comprising:

a brake actuator including an enclosed housing, an opening through said housing and a pushrod reciprocating through said opening in said housing for actuating a vehicle brake, a magnet on said pushrod, an electrically conductive coil fixed relative to said housing within a magnetic field of said magnet generating an electrical current upon reciprocal motion of said pushrod, and an active RF chip connected to said coil receiving said electric current from said coil and generating a signal indicating a position of said pushrod to a receiver.

11. The vehicle brake monitoring system as defined in claim 10, wherein said electrically conductive coil is located in a sleeve surrounding said opening through said housing and said coil surrounds said pushrod.

12. The vehicle brake monitoring system as defined in claim 11, wherein said sleeve is a stone shield including a portion located within said housing.

13. The vehicle brake monitoring system as defined in claim 10, wherein said vehicle brake monitoring system includes a sensor within said magnetic field connected to said RF chip sensing a location of said pushrod relative to said sensor.

14. The vehicle brake monitoring system as defined in claim 13, wherein said sensor is a Hall-effect sensor.

15. The vehicle brake monitoring system as defined in claim 10, wherein said magnet comprises a series of discrete magnets in end to end relation fixed to said pushrod.

16. A vehicle brake monitoring system, comprising:

a brake actuator including an enclosed housing, an opening through said housing and a pushrod reciprocating through said opening in said housing for activating a vehicle brake, a magnet fixed to said pushrod, an electrically conductive coil fixed relative to said housing surrounding said pushrod and said magnet generating an electric current upon movement of said pushrod and said magnet, a sensor within a magnetic field of said magnet, and an active RF chip connected to said sensor receiving a signal from said sensor indicating a position of said pushrod and connected to said coil receiving said electrical current from said coil, said active chip generating a signal to a remote receiver of said position of said pushrod.

17. The vehicle brake monitoring system as defined in claim 16, wherein said coil, sensor and RF chip are located in a sleeve surrounding said pushrod.

18. The vehicle brake monitoring system as defined in claim 16, wherein said magnet comprises an elongated strip of discrete magnets aligned in end to end relation fixed to said pushrod.

19. The vehicle brake monitoring system as defined in claim 16, wherein said sensor is a Hall-effect sensor.