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

• US 7,301,444 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2003
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Matsuura, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout; Brent
• Application Number:
  US10/657,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20040046648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 340442-448, 73146-148
• US Class Current: 340/442
• 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 23/061 by monitoring wheel speed measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles G01C22/00

Abstract

A method for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure, which detects decrease in internal pressure of a tire attached to a vehicle and accordingly issues alarm. The method includes the steps of: detecting rotational information of the respective tires; storing the rotational information of the respective tires; displaying a summer tire, a winter tire and a run-flat tire; designating a currently attached tire from among the displayed tires and switching to a threshold for judging decrease in internal pressure which matches the tire; judging decrease in internal pressure of a tire by using the threshold; and issuing an alarm on the basis of the judgment of the judging means. Since thresholds which match tires can be suitably switched when the driver operates the touch panel for discriminating presently mounted tires, it is possible to eliminate erroneous alarm and to perform judgment of decompression at even higher accuracy.

Claims

1. A method for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure, which detects decrease in internal pressure of a tire attached to a vehicle equipped with a navigation device including a user-operable display and accordingly issues an alarm, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting rotational information of the respective tires;

storing the rotational information of the respective tires;

displaying, on the user-operable display, a summer tire, a winter tire and a run-flat tire;

designating a currently attached tire from among the displayed tires and switching to a threshold for judging decrease in internal pressure which matches the tire;

judging decrease in internal pressure of a tire by using the threshold; and

issuing the alarm on the basis of the judgment of the judging means.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user-operable display is a touch panel display.

2. An apparatus for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure, which detects decrease in internal pressure of a tire attached to a vehicle equipped with a navigation device including a user-operable display and accordingly issues an alarm, the apparatus comprising:

a rotational information detecting means which detects rotational information of the respective tires;

a rotational information storing means which stores the rotational information of the respective tires;

the user-operable display providing a display of a summer fire, a winter tire and a run-flat fire;

a threshold changing means which designates a currently attached tire from among the tires displayed in the user-operable display and switches to a threshold for judging decrease in internal pressure which matches the tire;

a judging means which judges decrease in internal pressure of a tire by using the threshold; and

an alarm means which issues the alarm on the basis of the judgment of the judging means.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein the user-operable display is a touch panel display.

3. A threshold changing program carried on a computer-readable medium, for changing a threshold which is used for judging decrease in tire air-pressure to meet a type of a tire on a vehicle equipped with a navigation device including a user-operable display, the program when executed, causing a computer to function as

a tire type displaying means which causes, on the user-operable display, a display of a summer tire, a winter tire and a run-flat tire;

and

a threshold changing means which designates a currently attached tire from among the tires displayed in the type displaying means and switches to a threshold for judging decrease in internal pressure which matches the tire.

6. The program as recited in claim 3, wherein the user-operable display is a touch panel display.