Tire status monitoring apparatus and receiver therefor

• US 6,999,861 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2003
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacific Industrial Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Pacific Industrial Company Limited
• Inventors: Katou, Michiya
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEIKH, AYAZ R
• Application Number:
  US10/686,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20040193341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701 31- 35, 340/438, 340/440, 340/442, 340/426.15, 340/426.16, 340/426.33, 340/443, 340/446, 340/447, 340/505, 340/10.1, 340/10.33, 340/426.13, 340/426.14, 340/42, 731/46, 731/462, 731/463, 731/464, 731/465, 235435-438, 116/34.R, 116/28.R, 116/28.1, 116/34.A, 116/34.B, 200/61.22, 200/61.25
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right

Abstract

A receiver of a tire status monitoring apparatus which can specify tire mounting positions and does not require initial registration work. The tire status monitoring apparatus includes a plurality of transmitters which are provided on the respective tires of a vehicle and transmit data indicating statuses of the respective tires. The data includes an identification code to identify each tire, and the receiver is supplied with an activation signal to activate a drive source of the vehicle. The receiver includes a reception unit which receives the data from the transmitters, and a control circuit which is connected to the reception unit and collates the identification code included in the data upon detection of the activation signal and specifies, based on the identification code, each transmitter which has transmitted the data.

Claims

1. A receiver for a tire status monitoring apparatus that monitors statuses of a plurality of tires provided on a vehicle and includes a plurality of transmitters, provided on the tires respectively, for transmitting data indicating statuses of the respective tires, the data including an identification code to identify each tire, the receiver being supplied with an activation signal to activate a drive source of the vehicle, the receiver comprising:

a reception unit which receives the data from the transmitters; and

a control circuit connected to the reception unit, wherein upon detection of the activation signal, the control circuit collates the identification code included in the data and specifies, based on the identification code, each transmitter which has transmitted the data, wherein the control circuit has an identification code registered beforehand, determines whether or not the identification code included in the data matches with the registered identification code, and determines whether or not those identification codes included in the data received by a first predetermined number of times match with one another a second predetermined number of times less than the first predetermined number of times or more when it is determined that those two identification codes do not match with each other, and determines that that tire which is associated with the identification code included in the data has been changed when it is decided that there have been such matches.

2. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit transmits a request signal to each individual transmitter and receives the data in response to the request signal from each transmitter.

3. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that a tire has been changed, the control circuit updates the registered identification code with the identification code included in the received data.

4. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle has a key cylinder including a key switch which generates the activation signal, and the control circuit receives the activation signal from the key cylinder when the key switch is set to on.

5. A tire status monitoring apparatus for monitoring statuses of a plurality of tires provided on a vehicle, the tire status monitoring apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transmitters provided on the tires respectively, which detect statuses of the associated tires and transmit data indicating the detected statuses of the tires, the data including an identification code to identify each tire; and

a receiver provided on the vehicle, which receives the data from the plurality of transmitters and is supplied with an activation signal for activating a drive source of the vehicle,

wherein the receiver includes a control circuit, which, upon detection of the activation signal, collates the identification code included in the data and specifies, based on the identification code, each transmitter which has transmitted the data, wherein the control circuit has an identification code registered beforehand, determines whether or not the identification code included in the data matches with the registered identification code, determines whether or not those identification codes included in the data received by a first predetermined number of times match with one another a second predetermined number of times less than the first predetermined number of times or more when it is determined that those two identification codes do not match with each other, and determines that that tire which is associated with the identification code included in the data has been changed when it is decided that there have been such matches.

6. The tire status monitoring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the receiver transmits a request signal to each transmitter and receives the data in response to the request signal from each transmitter.

7. The tire status monitoring apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of transmitters generate power induced by the request signal and transmit the data using the generated power.

8. The tire status monitoring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when it is determined tat a tire has been changed, the control circuit updates the registered identification code with the identification code included in the received data.

9. The tire status monitoring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle has a key cylinder including a key switch which generates the activation signal, and the control circuit receives the activation signal from the key cylinder when the key switch is set to on.

10. A method of monitoring statuses of a plurality of tires provided on a vehicle and including a plurality of transmitters which generate data indicating statuses of the respective tires, the vehicle including a receiver which receives the data from the transmitters, the data including an identification code to identify each tire, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting an activation signal for activating a drive source of the vehicle;

transmitting a request signal for generating the data and transmitting the data to the receiver to the plurality of transmitters, when the activation signal is detected;

receiving the data from the plurality of transmitters;

collating the identification code included in the data; and

specifying each transmitter which has transmitted the data, based on the identification code, wherein the receiver has an identification code registered beforehand, and the collation step includes the steps of;

determining whether the identification code included in the data matches with the registered identification code or not;

receiving the data by a first predetermined number of times when it is determined that the two identification codes do not match with each other;

determining whether or not those identification codes which are included in the data received by the first predetermined number of times do not match with one another a second predetermined number of times less than the first predetermined number of times or more; and

determining that that tire which is associated with the identification code has been changed when it is determined that the identification codes match with one another the second predetermined number of times or more.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the collation step further includes the step of updating the registered identification code with the identification code included in the received data when it is determined that a tire has been changed.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle has a key cylinder including a key switch which generates the activation signal, and the step of detecting the activation signal detects the activation signal when the key switch is set to on.