Method and apparatus for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure and program for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure

• US 7,117,074 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2004
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Sugisawa, Toshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US10/790,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20040176888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 701 29- 36, 731/462, 116/34.R, 340/444, 340/442
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/061 by monitoring wheel speed measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles G01C22/00

Abstract

A method for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure in which decrease in tire air-pressure is determined on the basis of rotational velocity information of a wheel of a vehicle. Respective thresholds for determining whether judgment of decrease in tire air-pressure is to be made or not are changed depending on magnitude of driving torque of the vehicle when the vehicle is performing turning movements. It is possible to improve the detection accuracy without issuing an erroneous alarm even in the case where a large driving force is applied when the vehicle is, for instance, running on a climbing road or when it performs trailer towing.

Claims

1. A method for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure in which decrease in tire air-pressure is determined on the basis of rotational velocity information of a wheel of a vehicle and no judgment of decrease in air-pressure is performed when ((sum F_sum of force acting on the driving wheel tires)²=(driving force F_D)²+(turning force F_T)²≧

(threshold F_θ

)²) or (driving force F_D+coefficient a X lateral directional acceleration A_L|≧

threshold F_θ

) is satisfied, comprising;

obtaining respective thresholds for determining whether judgment of decrease in tire air-pressure is to be made or not; and

changing the respective thresholds of the above formulas depending on magnitude of driving torque of the vehicle when the vehicle is performing turning movements.

2. An apparatus for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure in which decrease in tire air-pressure is determined on the basis of rotational velocity information of a wheel of a vehicle and no judgment of decrease in air-pressure is performed when ((sum F_sum of force acting on the driving wheel tires)²=(driving force F_D)²+(turning force F_T)²≧

(threshold F_θ

)²) or (driving force F_D+coefficient a X lateral direction acceleration A_L|≧

threshold F_θ

) is satisfied, comprising;

velocity detecting means which detect wheel speeds of the respective tires,

a judging means which judges decrease in tire air-pressure on the basis of the wheel speeds detected by the velocity detecting means, and

an alarming means which issues an alarm when a decrease in tire air-pressure is judged in the judging means,

wherein the apparatus further comprises a threshold changing means which changes respective thresholds for determining whether judgment of decrease in tire air-pressure is to be made or not depending on magnitude of driving torque of the vehicle when the vehicle is performing turning movements.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus further comprises an engine torque detecting means which detects an engine torque of the vehicle,

an engine rotational number detecting means or a shift position detecting means which detects an engine rotational number of the vehicle, and

a lateral directional acceleration detecting means which detects a lateral direction acceleration of the vehicle,

wherein a driving force applied onto tires of driving wheels is obtained on the basis of the engine torque, the engine rotational number or shift position, wheel rotational numbers as calculated from the wheel speeds detected by the velocity detecting means, and a tire radius,

wherein a turning force applied onto the tires of the driving wheels is obtained from the lateral directional acceleration, and

wherein a magnitude of force acting on the driving wheels is obtained from the driving force and the turning force.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus further comprises an engine torque detecting means which detects an engine torque of the vehicle,

an engine rotational number detecting means or a shift position detecting means which detects an engine rotational number of the vehicle, and

a lateral directional acceleration detecting means which detects a lateral directional acceleration of the vehicle,

wherein a driving force applied onto tires of driving wheels is obtained on the basis of the engine torque, the engine rotational number or shift position, wheel rotational numbers as calculated from wheel speeds detected by the velocity detecting means, and a tire radius, and

wherein a magnitude of force acting on the driving wheels is obtained from the driving force and the lateral directional acceleration.

5. A system, comprising:

a program embodied in a computer readable medium for issuing an alarm of decrease in tire air-pressure of a vehicle and for not performing judgment of decrease in air-pressure when ((sum F_sum of force acting on the driving wheel tires)²=(driving force F_D)²+(turning force F_T)²≧

(threshold F_θ

)²) or (driving force F_D+coefficient a X lateral directional acceleration A_L|≧

threshold F_θ

) is satisfied, said program including;

judging means which judges decrease in tire air-pressure on the basis of wheel speeds detected by velocity detecting means, and

a threshold changing means which changes respective thresholds for determining whether judgment of decrease in tire air-pressure is to be made or not depending on a magnitude of driving torque of the vehicle when the vehicle is performing turning movements; and

means for not performing judgment of decreases in air-pressure when ((sum F_sum of force acting on the driving wheel tires)²=(driving force F_D)²++(turning force F_T)²≧

(threshold F_θ

)²) or (driving force F_D coefficient a X lateral directional acceleration A_L|≧

threshold F_θ

) is satisfied.