Tire pressure monitoring system

• US 6,948,359 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2003
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Proschka, Roland
• Primary Examiner(s): Cygan, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, ANDRE J
• Application Number:
  US10/414,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20030205081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 731/46, 731/462, 731/463, 731/464, 731/465, 731/468, 340/440, 340/442
• US Class Current: 73/146.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0401 characterised by the type of alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0472 to manually allocate ID codes or mounting positions, e.g. by service technicians

Abstract

For a wheel-related monitoring of the air pressure according to the invention, a tire pressure monitoring system is provided for a vehicle which in each case comprises an air pressure sensor, one for each vehicle wheel, which is connected to a control unit with an optical and/or acoustic output unit, wherein the air pressure sensor is associated with the respective vehicle wheel in such a way that a measuring value produced by the air pressure sensor together with a wheel-related coding (C) is transmitted to the control unit.

Claims

1. A tire pressure monitoring system for a vehicle comprising one air pressure sensor for each vehicle wheel, each air pressure sensor being connected to a control unit with an optical and/or acoustic output unit, wherein each air pressure sensor is associated with each respective vehicle wheel such that a measuring value produced by the air pressure sensor together with a wheel-related coding (C) is transmitted to the control unit, and the wheel-related coding (C) is arranged to be visible on the respective vehicle wheel, wherein an input unit is provided to receive user input associating the wheel-related coding (C, C′

) with respective vehicle wheel position in memory of said control unit.

2. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein a central radio receiver is provided for receiving the air pressure values (L) with the wheel-related coding (C).

3. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the central radio receiver is integrated in the control unit.

4. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein a wheel-related coding (C′

) is deposited as information in the control unit.

5. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the wheel-related coding (C, C′

) during assembly of the vehicle is actualized as information in the control unit.

6. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the wheel-related coding (C, C′

) is designated as a symbol, a numeric code and/or a color code.

7. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the output unit is designed to output the optical and/or acoustic wheel-related coding (C, C′

) and/or the air pressure values (L).

8. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 4, wherein an input unit is provided to input the wheel-related coding (C, C′

).

9. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the output unit and the input unit are designed as a multi-functional display.

10. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the output unit is designed to output an optical and/or acoustic wheel-related warning signal.

11. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the output unit is designed to output each measuring value according to its corresponding wheel-related coding (C).

12. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 11 wherein the wheel-related coding (C) is a display property.

13. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the wheel-related coding (C) is a color.

14. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the output unit is designed to optically display measuring values in a bar graph, wherein each bar of the graph has a size property indicating the measuring value and a color indicating the wheel-related coding (C).

15. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the output unit and an input unit are designed as a multifunctional display, and the input unit is designed to permit a user to deposit wheel-related coding (C′

) as information in the control unit by actuating an input mechanism associated with a screen region displaying the corresponding wheel-related coding (C).

16. A tire pressure monitoring system for a vehicle comprising one air pressure sensor for each vehicle wheel, each air pressure sensor being connected to a control unit with an optical and/or acoustic output unit, wherein each air pressure sensor is associated with each respective vehicle wheel such that a measuring value produced by the air pressure sensor together with a wheel-related coding (C) is transmitted to the control unit, and the wheel-related coding (C) is arranged to be visible on the respective vehicle wheel, wherein the output unit is adapted to communicate the wheel-related coding (C) in association with information relating to air pressure of the respective vehicle wheel.

17. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 16, wherein a central radio receiver is provided for receiving the air pressure values (L) with the wheel-related coding (C).

18. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 17, wherein the central radio receiver is integrated in the control unit.

19. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 16, wherein a wheel-related coding (C′

) is deposited as information in the control unit.

20. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 19, wherein the wheel-related coding (C, C′

) during assembly of the vehicle is actualized as information in the control unit.

21. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 19, wherein the output unit is designed to output the optical and/or acoustic wheel-related coding (C, C′

) and/or the air pressure values (L).

22. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 19, wherein an input unit is provided to input the wheel-related coding (C, C′

).

23. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 22, wherein the output unit and the input unit are designed as a multifunctional display.

24. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 19, wherein the wheel-related coding (C, C′

) is designated as a symbol, a numeric code and/or a color code.

25. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 16, wherein the output is designed to output an optical and/or acoustic wheel-related warning signal.

26. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 16, wherein the output unit is designed to output each measuring value according to its corresponding wheel-related coding (C).

27. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 26, wherein the wheel-related coding (C) is a display property.

28. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 27, wherein the wheel-related coding (C) is a color.

29. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 28, wherein the output unit is designed to optically display measuring values in a bar graph, wherein each bar of the graph has a size property indicating the measuring value and a color indicating the wheel-related coding (C).

30. The tire pressure monitoring system of claim 29, wherein the output unit and an input unit are designed as a multifunctional display, and the input unit is designed to permit a user to deposit wheel-related coding (C′

) as information in the control unit by actuating an input mechanism associated with a screen region displaying the corresponding wheel-related coding (C).