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Tire location detecting apparatus configured with rotation direction detecting devices and triggering device

  • US 7,411,488 B2
  • Filed: 04/19/2006
  • Issued: 08/12/2008
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2005
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A tire location detecting apparatus, which is provided on a vehicle to detect locations of four tires each of which is fitted on one of a front-right, a front-left, a rear-right, and a rear-left wheel of the vehicle, comprising:

  • four rotation direction detecting devices each of which is mounted on one of the four wheels of the vehicle to detect rotation direction of the wheel and outputs a rotation direction signal representative of the detected rotation direction;

    four transmitters each of which is mounted on one of the four wheels of the vehicle to have association with the tire and the rotation direction detecting device on the one of the wheels, each of the transmitters working to transmit, at a predetermined time, an identification signal specific thereto along with the rotation direction signal outputted from the associated rotation direction detecting device;

    a triggering device disposed on a body of the vehicle, the triggering device working to send out a trigger signal which causes the transmitter on a first one of the four wheels of the vehicle to transmit the identification signal specific thereto in response to the trigger signal;

    a receiver arranged on the body of the vehicle, the receiver working to receive all of the identification and rotation direction signals transmitted by the transmitters at the predetermined times, the receiver also working to receive the identification signal transmitted by the transmitter on the first wheel in response to the trigger signal;

    a controller electrically connected with the triggering device and the receiver to control operations of the triggering device and the receiver, the controller also performing;

    a first process of identifying the transmitter and the tire on the first wheel of the vehicle based on the identification signal transmitted by the transmitter on the first wheel in response to the trigger signal, anda second process of determining, for each of the transmitters, whether the transmitter and the associated tire are located on one of the right-side wheels or one of the left-side wheels of the vehicle based on the rotation direction signal transmitted from the transmitter; and

    wherein the controller includes a memory and has stored in the memory reference identification signals, each of which coincides with the identification signal specific to one of the transmitters and is associated with one of the wheels, and a plurality of tire location sequences available for the tires of the vehicle, andwherein the controller further performs a third process of determining whether a tire rotation has been made for the tires of the vehicle through comparison of the identification signal specific to the transmitter that is currently on the first wheel with the reference identification signal stored in the memory in association with the first wheel.

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