Transmitter for tire condition monitoring apparatus and tire condition monitoring apparatus

• US 6,958,686 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacific Industrial Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Pacific Industrial Company Limited
• Inventors: Okubo, Youichi
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US10/715,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20040164855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 340/447, 340/442, 340/445, 340/539.1, 340/671, 340/672, 116/34.R, 116/34.A, 731/46, 731/465
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/20 Devices for measuring or signalling tyre temperature only

Abstract

A transmission controller for a transmitter compares the value of data of the temperature in a tire measured by a temperature sensor with a predetermined threshold temperature, and determines the number of times a transmitting circuit performs the transmitting operation in a cycle of a predetermined length of time. For example, when the temperature in the tire rises, the number of times the transmitting circuit performs the transmitting operation in the predetermined cycle is increased. Therefore, the reduction in the reception probability of a receiver is limited even when the transmission output of the transmitter is reduced due to temperature affect.

Claims

1. A transmitter for a tire condition monitoring apparatus located in the tire of a vehicle, said transmitter comprising:

a measurement device for measuring the condition of the tire, wherein the measured condition of the tire includes an internal temperature of the tire;

a transmission device for performing wireless communication of data indicating the condition of the tire measured by the measurement device; and

a transmission controller, said transmission controller controls the transmission device in accordance with an operating mode selected from a normal mode, in which data transmission is performed a predetermined number of times in a cycle of a predetermined length of time, and a temperature compensation mode, in which data transmission is performed a number of times greater than said predetermined number of times in the same cycle, and wherein said transmission controller determines whether to shift from the current one of the operating modes to the other operating mode by comparing the measured internal temperature of the tire with a predetermined threshold temperature.

2. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein said transmission controller selects the normal mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is lower than the threshold temperature, and said transmission controller selects the temperature compensation mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature.

3. The transmitter according to claim 2, wherein the temperature compensation mode includes a first temperature compensation mode and a second temperature compensation mode in which data transmission is performed a number of times greater than the number of times that data transmission is performed in the first temperature compensation mode.

4. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the threshold temperature comprises a first threshold temperature and a second threshold temperature higher than the first threshold temperature, and said transmission controller selects the first temperature compensation mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is equal to or higher than the first threshold temperature and lower than the second threshold temperature, and selects the second temperature compensation mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is equal to or higher than the second threshold temperature.

5. A transmitter for a tire condition monitoring apparatus located in the tire of a vehicle, said transmitter comprising:

a measurement device for measuring the condition of the tire, wherein the measured condition of the tire includes an internal temperature of the tire;

a transmission device for performing wireless communication of data indicating the condition of the tire measured by the measurement device; and

a transmission controller, said transmission controller controls the transmission device in accordance with an operating mode selected from a normal mode in which data transmission is performed at first time intervals and a temperature compensation mode in which data transmission is performed at second time intervals shorter than the first time intervals, and wherein said transmission controller determines whether to shift from the current one of the operating modes to the other operating mode by comparing the measured internal temperature of the tire with a predetermined threshold temperature.

6. The transmitter according to claim 5, wherein said transmission controller selects the normal mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is lower than a predetermined threshold temperature, said transmission controller selects the temperature compensation mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature.

7. The transmitter according to claim 6, wherein the temperature compensation mode includes a first temperature compensation mode and a second temperature compensation mode in which data transmission is performed at third time intervals shorter than the second time intervals in the first temperature compensation mode.

8. The transmitter according to claim 7, wherein the threshold temperature includes a first threshold temperature and a second threshold temperature higher than the first threshold temperature, and said transmission controller selects the first temperature compensation mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is equal to or higher than the first threshold temperature and lower than the second threshold temperature, and selects the second temperature compensation mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is equal to or higher than the second threshold temperature.

9. A tire condition monitoring apparatus located in a tire of a vehicle, the tire condition monitoring apparatus comprising:

a transmitter, the transmitter including;

a measurement device for measuring the condition of the tire, wherein the measured condition of the tire includes an internal temperature of the tire;

a transmission device performing wireless communication of data indicating the condition of the tire measured by the measurement device; and

a transmission controller, said transmission controller controls the transmission device in accordance with an operating mode selected from a normal mode, in which data transmission is performed a predetermined number of times in a cycle of a predetermined length of time, and a temperature compensation mode, in which data transmission is performed a number of times greater than said predetermined number of times in the same cycle, and wherein said transmission controller selects the operating mode by comparing the measured internal temperature of the tire with a predetermined threshold temperature; and

a receiver which receives data transmitted from said transmitter and which processes the received data.

10. The tire condition monitoring apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said transmission controller selects the normal mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is lower than the predetermined threshold temperature, said transmission controller selects the temperature compensation mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature.

11. The tire condition monitoring apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the threshold temperature includes a first threshold temperature and a second threshold temperature higher than the first threshold temperature, and said transmission controller selects the first temperature compensation mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is equal to or higher than the first threshold temperature and lower than the second threshold temperature, and selects the second temperature compensation mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is equal to or higher than the second threshold temperature.

12. The tire condition monitoring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the receiver is connected to a notifying device for providing notification of the condition of the tire.

13. The tire condition monitoring apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the temperature compensation mode comprises a first temperature compensation mode and a second temperature compensation mode in which data transmission is performed a number of times greater than the number of times that data transmission is performed in the first temperature compensation mode.

14. A tire condition monitoring apparatus located in a tire of a vehicle, the tire condition monitoring apparatus comprising:

a transmitter, the transmitter including;

a measurement device for measuring the condition of the tire, wherein the measured condition of the tire includes an internal temperature of the tire;

a transmission device performing wireless communication of data indicating the condition of the tire measured by the measurement device; and

a transmission controller, said transmission controller controls the transmission device in accordance with an operating mode selected from a normal mode in which data transmission is performed at first time intervals and a temperature compensation mode in which data transmission is performed at second time intervals shorter than the first time intervals, and wherein said transmission controller selects the operating mode by comparing the measured internal temperature of the tire with a predetermined threshold temperature; and

a receiver which receives data transmitted from said transmitter and which processes the received data.

15. The tire condition monitoring apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said transmission controller selects the normal mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is lower than a predetermined threshold temperature, and selects the temperature compensation mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature.

16. The tire condition monitoring apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the temperature compensation mode includes a first temperature compensation mode and a second temperature compensation mode in which data transmission is performed at third time intervals shorter than the second time intervals.

17. The tire condition monitoring apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the threshold temperature includes a first threshold temperature and a second threshold temperature higher than the first threshold temperature, wherein said transmission controller selects the first temperature compensation mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is equal to or higher than the first threshold temperature and lower than the second threshold temperature, and selects the second temperature compensation mode when the measured internal temperature of the tire is equal to or higher than the second threshold temperature.

18. The tire condition monitoring apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the receiver is connected to a notifying device for providing notification the condition of the tire.