Air pressure information display device of vehicle tire

• US 6,918,289 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2002
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Hayashi, Toshio, Sakamoto, Kiyoshi, Okamitsu, Atsushi, Adachi, Kazufumi, Harada, Tsukasa, Andou, Fumitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Cygan, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, ANDRE J
• Application Number:
  US10/279,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20030120453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 731/46, 731/462, 731/463, 731/464, 731/465, 731/468, 340/440, 340/442, 340/448
• US Class Current: 73/146
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0401 characterised by the type of alarm
• 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

An air pressure information display device of a vehicle tire has a normal air pressure storage module (10a) for storing a normal air pressure of a tire corresponding to a tire temperature, an excessive/deficient amount detection module (10b) for detecting the excessive/deficient amount from the normal air pressure on the basis of the stored normal air pressure, and air pressure information detected by an air pressure information detection module (6-9), and a display control module (10c) for controlling a display (11) to display the detected excessive/deficient amount. Hence, since the user is informed of the excessive/deficient amount from the normal air pressure, he or she can appropriately determine an air pressure state of a tire even when he or she does not recognize the normal air pressure.

Claims

1. An air pressure information display device of a vehicle tire, comprising:

detection means, attached to a vehicle tire, for detecting an actual air pressure of the tire and an actual tire temperature of the tire;

memory for storing a relationship between a desired air pressure of the tire and a desired temperature of the tire;

calculation means for calculating the desired air pressure at the actual tire temperature detected by said detection means based on the stored relationship, and calculating a difference value between the calculated desired air pressure and the actual air pressure detected by said detection means; and

display means for displaying a fluctuation of the desired air pressure related to the actual tire temperature based on the relationship stored in said memory and the actual air pressure detected by said detection means, on a graph defined by the actual tire temperature and actual air pressure as parameters,

wherein said display means displays the difference value calculated by said calculation means.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said detection means detects tire air pressure information that contains the actual tire temperature and the actual measured air pressure for the tire, and

said display means displaying the difference value calculated by said calculation means, and a position of a tire where the difference value is detected.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

correction means for automatically or manually correcting the relationship stored in said memory in accordance with an environment of a vehicle.

4. An air pressure information display device of a vehicle tire, comprising:

detection means, attached to the vehicle tire, for detecting tire air pressure information that contains a detected tire temperature and a measured air pressure, and displays information associated with an actual air pressure of the tire on the basis of the air pressure information detected by the detection means;

storage means for storing a normal air pressure of a tire corresponding to a temperature of the tire;

calculation means for calculating an excessive/deficient amount from the normal air pressure on the basis of a relationship between the normal air pressure stored in said storage means and the air pressure information detected by the detection means;

display control means for controlling display means to display the excessive/deficient amount calculated by said calculation means; and

correction means for correcting the normal air pressure stored in said storage means or the excessive/deficient amount calculated by said calculation means in accordance with a user'"'"'s requirement.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein said correction means limits the corrected air pressure to fall within a predetermined range.

6. An air pressure information display device of a vehicle tire, comprising:

detection means, attached to the vehicle tire, for detecting tire air pressure information that contains a detected tire temperature and a measured air pressure, and displays information associated with an actual air pressure of the tire on the basis of the air pressure information detected by the detection means;

storage means for storing a normal air pressure of a tire corresponding to a temperature of the tire;

calculation means for calculating an excessive/deficient amount from the normal air pressure on the basis of a relationship between the normal air pressure stored in said storage means and the air pressure information detected by the detection means;

display control means for controlling display means to display the excessive/deficient amount calculated by said calculation means; and

correction means for automatically or manually correcting the normal air pressure stored in said storage means in accordance with a travel environment of a vehicle.

7. An air pressure information display device of a vehicle tire, which comprises detection means, attached to a vehicle tire, for detecting tire air pressure information that contains a tire temperature and measured air pressure, and displays information associated with an air pressure of the tire on the basis of the air pressure information detected by the detection means, comprising:

display control means for controlling display means to display information that keeps off the user from pumping air in a tire when the measured air pressure detected by the detection means is deficient from the normal air pressure and the tire temperature detected by the detection means is not less than a predetermined temperature.

8. An air pressure information display device of a vehicle tire, comprising:

a sensor that is attached to the vehicle tire and detects an actual air pressure and an actual tire temperature;

a storage module for storing a relationship between a desired air pressure of the tire and a temperature of the tire;

a calculation module for calculating the desired air pressure at the actual tire temperature detected by said detection means based on the stored relationship, and calculating a difference value between the calculated desired air pressure and the actual air pressure detected by said detection means; and

a display module for displaying fluctuation of the desired air pressure related to the actual tire temperature based on the relationship stored in said storage module and the actual air pressure detected by said detection means, on a graph defined by the actual tire temperature and actual air pressure as parameters,

wherein said display means displays the difference value calculated by said calculation means.

9. An air pressure information display device of a vehicle tire, which comprises a sensor that is attached to a vehicle tire and detects tire air pressure information that contains a tire temperature and measured air pressure, and displays information associated with an air pressure of the tire on the basis of the air pressure information detected by the sensor, comprising:

a display control module for controlling a display to display information that keeps off the user from pumping air in a tire when the measured air pressure detected by the sensor is deficient from the normal air pressure and the tire temperature detected by the sensor is not less than a predetermined temperature.

10. An air pressure information display device of a vehicle tire, comprising:

a detector to detect an actual air pressure of the tire and an actual tire temperature of the tire;

a memory to store a relationship between a desired air pressure of the tire and a desired temperature of the tire; and

a display to display a fluctuation of the desired air pressure related to the actual tire temperature based on the relationship stored in said memory and the actual air pressure detected by said detector, on a graph defined by the actual tire temperature and actual air pressure.

11. The device according to claim 10, further comprising:

a calculator to calculate the desired air pressure at the actual tire temperature detected by said detector based on the stored relationship, and calculate a difference value between the calculated desired air pressure and the actual air pressure detected by said detector,

wherein said display displays the difference value calculated by said calculator.