Tire pressure gauge

• US 7,100,435 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2004
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: G.H. Meiser & Co., Kabushiki Kaisha PIYO
• Original Assignee: G.H. Meiser & Co., Kabushiki Kaisha PIYO
• Inventors: Fujioka, Juzo
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, JEWEL VERGIE
• Application Number:
  US10/989,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20050098081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 434/157, 704/500, 364/558, 364/565, 702/138, 702/140, 731/465, 731/468, 731/46
• US Class Current: 73/146
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 17/00 Devices or apparatus for measuring tyre pressure or the pressure in other inflated bodies

Abstract

A portable tire pressure gauge measures a value of tire pressure. The gauge may display the measured value digitally and may output the measured value aurally. The tire pressure gauge may also aurally output a verbal message warning the operator if the measured value approaches a limit value, e.g., if the measured value is below a lower limit or above an upper limit. The limit values, or range of acceptable pressure values, may be set by the user and stored in the gauge. Further, a voice selection switch may be used to selectively turn on and off the voice output warning. Further still, in some examples, the voice warning may be provided in one of multiple foreign languages using the voice selection switch.

Claims

1. A tire pressure gauge comprising:

a chuck that is capable of engaging an air valve of a tire to detect tire pressure;

an arithmetic circuit coupled to the chuck and capable of computing a measured tire pressure value;

a display for digitally displaying the measured tire pressure value;

an audio output unit capable of aurally outputting a tire pressure warning voice message, if the measured tire pressure value approaches a limit value stored in the arithmetic circuit.

2. The tire pressure gauge of claim 1, wherein the limit value is a lower limit value, the arithmetic circuit controlling the audio output unit to aurally output the tire pressure warning voice message if the measured tire pressure is below the lower limit value.

3. The tire pressure gauge of claim 1, wherein the limit value is an upper limit value, the arithmetic circuit controlling the audio output unit to aurally output the tire pressure warning voice message if the measured tire pressure is above the upper limit value.

4. The tire pressure gauge of claim 1, further comprising a voice selection switch for selectively switching the audio output unit on and off.

5. The tire pressure gauge of claim 4, wherein the audio output unit is capable of aurally outputting the warning voice message in one of multiple different languages.

6. The tire pressure gauge of claim 5, wherein the multiple different languages comprise a first language that is English and a second language that is Spanish.

7. The tire pressure gauge of claim 4, wherein the display, the audio output unit, and the voice selection switch are all arranged over a narrow body portion of the gauge.

8. The tire pressure gauge of claim 1, further comprising a power supply for measuring and displaying the tire pressure, wherein the power supply is a solar battery.

9. The tire pressure gauge of claim 1, further comprising a unit selection switch provided for selecting the units of pressure in which the detected pressure is measured.

10. The tire pressure gauge of claim 1, further comprising a circuit-readable storage medium for storing a lower limit value and an upper limit value.

11. A method of indicating tire pressure, the method comprising:

detecting a tire pressure from a chuck engageable with an air valve of a tire;

measuring the tire pressure from the detection of the tire pressure;

displaying the measured tire pressure;

determining if the measured tire pressure is outside a limit value; and

aurally outputting a warning voice message, if the measured tire pressure is outside the limit value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining if the measured tire pressure is outside of the limit value comprises determining if the measured tire pressure is below a lower limit value.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining if the measured tire pressure is outside of the limit value comprises determining if the measured tire pressure is above an upper limit value.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising selecting to aurally output the warning voice message in one of multiple different languages.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the multiple different languages comprise a first language that is English and a second language that is Spanish.

16. The method of claims 11, further comprising powering the tire gauge using a solar battery.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a unit selection switch to select the units of pressure in which the detected pressure is measured.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing a user selected value as the limit value.

19. A tire pressure gauge comprising:

a chuck that is capable of engaging the air valve of a tire;

means for detecting tire pressure through the chuck and measuring that pressure in selected measurement units;

a display for digitally displaying the measured tire pressure;

an audio output unit for aurally outputting the measured tire pressure in one of multiple different languages;

a voice selection switch for selecting a language from the multiple different languages and for switching on or off the aural output, wherein the multiple different languages comprise more than two different languages; and

a power supply for measuring and displaying the tire pressure.

20. The tire pressure gauge of claim 19, wherein the multiple different languages comprise a first language that is English and a second language that is Spanish.

21. A tire pressure gauge comprising:

a chuck that is capable of engaging an air valve of a tire to detect tire pressure;

an arithmetic circuit coupled to the chuck and capable of computing a measured tire pressure value;

a display for digitally displaying the measured tire pressure value;

an audio output unit capable of aurally outputting the measured tire pressure value in one of multiple different languages;

a voice selection switch for selecting a language from the multiple different languages and for switching on or off the aural output; and

a power supply for measuring and displaying the tire pressure.

22. The tire pressure gauge of claim 21, wherein the multiple different languages comprise a first language that is English and a second language that is Spanish.

23. The tire pressure gauge of claim 21, wherein the multiple different languages comprise more than two different languages.