Method for detecting decrease in inner pressure of tire using GPS speed information

• US 7,522,032 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2006
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Nakao, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout; Brent
• Application Number:
  US11/491,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20070034000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 340442-447, 731/462, 731/465, 702/142, 701/74, 701/29
• US Class Current: 340/444
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/061 by monitoring wheel speed measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles G01C22/00

Abstract

Provided is a method for detecting decrease in an inner pressure of a tire with excellent accuracy by calculating accurate dynamic load radii by comparing the GPS speed information with tire rotational speed information collecting data only when a stable measurement of the dynamic load radii is possible, as well as by utilizing GPS positioning information for a running state of a vehicle, and an apparatus and a program thereof.

The present invention is characterized in judging decrease in an inner pressure of a tire from change in size of dynamic load radii by comparing an effective dynamic load radius with an initial value preliminarily stored as a dynamic load radius at a normal inner pressure, wherein the effective dynamic load radius is obtained by calculating an apparent dynamic load radius of a tire at running by successively comparing a calculated speed of a vehicle by a GPS device, in which the speed of the vehicle at running is calculated from information obtained by the GPS device, with a rotational speed of the tire obtained by a tire rotational speed detection apparatus installed on tire rotational portions of four wheels of the vehicle, and judging the apparent dynamic load radius to be effective only when a running state is judged to be straight on a flat road at a constant speed from GPS positioning information.

Claims

1. A method for judging decrease in an inner pressure of a tire from change in size of dynamic load radii by comparing an effective dynamic load radius with an initial value preliminarily stored as a dynamic load radius at a normal inner pressure, wherein the effective dynamic load radius is obtained by calculating an apparent dynamic load radius of a tire at running by successively comparing a calculated speed of a vehicle by a GPS device, in which the speed of the vehicle at running is calculated from information obtained by the GPS device, with a rotational speed of the tire obtained by a tire rotational speed detection apparatus installed on tire rotational portions of four wheels of the vehicle, and judging the apparent dynamic load radius to be effective only when a running state is judged to be straight on a flat road at a constant speed from GPS positioning information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein even when the dynamic load radius values are continuously judged to be effective, any measured values are judged to be ineffective if change in size of dynamic load radius measured values exceeds a predetermined degree of change, and decrease in an inner pressure is judged only by measured values other than the ineffective measured values.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein when the dynamic load radius values are continuously judged to be effective, average values of respective four wheels are calculated, and decrease in an inner pressure is judged by the average values.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein decrease in an inner pressure of a tire is judged by comparing the dynamic load radius values judged to be effective with the initial value preliminarily stored as the dynamic load radius value by every speed at a normal inner pressure based on the calculated speed of the vehicle by the GPS device at the time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein decrease in an inner pressure of a tire is judged by comparing the dynamic load radius values judged to be effective with the initial value preliminarily stored as the dynamic load radius value by every speed at a normal inner pressure obtained by classifying results of measuring the dynamic load radii based on the calculated speed of the vehicle by the GPS device at the time.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein a predetermined number for every speed range is stored in a certain time range, and only when population variance sizes of the respective four wheels are smaller than a specified value, decrease in an inner pressure is judged by the average values of the respective four wheels.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein when an inner pressure of two coaxial wheels is judged as decreased, in the case that difference is larger than the specified value, as comparing an average value of change in size from the initial values of dynamic load radii of the two front axial wheels with an average value of change in size from the initial values of the dynamic load radii of the two rear axial wheels, alarm for slipping on a road surface or for loading is raised aside from the judgment of decrease in an inner pressure.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein decrease in an inner pressure of a tire is judged by comparing the dynamic load radius values judged to be effective with the initial value preliminarily stored as the dynamic load radius value by every speed at a normal inner pressure based on the calculated speed of the vehicle by the GPS device at the time.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein decrease in an inner pressure of a tire is judged by comparing the dynamic load radius values judged to be effective with the initial value preliminarily stored as the dynamic load radius value by every speed at a normal inner pressure based on the calculated speed of the vehicle by the GPS device at the time.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein decrease in an inner pressure of a tire is judged by comparing the dynamic load radius values judged to be effective with the initial value preliminarily stored as the dynamic load radius value by every speed at a normal inner pressure obtained by classifying results of measuring the dynamic load radii based on the calculated speed of the vehicle by the GPS device at the time.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein decrease in an inner pressure of a tire is judged by comparing the dynamic load radius values judged to be effective with the initial value preliminarily stored as the dynamic load radius value by every speed at a normal inner pressure obtained by classifying results of measuring the dynamic load radii based on the calculated speed of the vehicle by the GPS device at the time.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein when an inner pressure of two coaxial wheels is judged as decreased, in the case that difference is larger than the specified value, as comparing an average value of change in size from the initial values of dynamic load radii of the two front axial wheels with an average value of change in size from the initial values of the dynamic load radii of the two rear axial wheels, alarm for slipping on a road surface or for loading is raised aside from the judgment of decrease in an inner pressure.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein when an inner pressure of two coaxial wheels is judged as decreased, in the case that difference is larger than the specified value, as comparing an average value of change in size from the initial values of dynamic load radii of the two front axial wheels with an average value of change in size from the initial values of the dynamic load radii of the two rear axial wheels, alarm for slipping on a road surface or for loading is raised aside from the judgment of decrease in an inner pressure.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein when an inner pressure of two coaxial wheels is judged as decreased, in the case that difference is larger than the specified value, as comparing an average value of change in size from the initial values of dynamic load radii of the two front axial wheels with an average value of change in size from the initial values of the dynamic load radii of the two rear axial wheels, alarm for slipping on a road surface or for loading is raised aside from the judgment of decrease in an inner pressure.

15. The method of claim 5, wherein when an inner pressure of two coaxial wheels is judged as decreased, in the case that difference is larger than the specified value, as comparing an average value of change in size from the initial values of dynamic load radii of the two front axial wheels with an average value of change in size from the initial values of the dynamic load radii of the two rear axial wheels, alarm for slipping on a road surface or for loading is raised aside from the judgment of decrease in an inner pressure.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein when an inner pressure of two coaxial wheels is judged as decreased, in the case that difference is larger than the specified value, as comparing an average value of change in size from the initial values of dynamic load radii of the two front axial wheels with an average value of change in size from the initial values of the dynamic load radii of the two rear axial wheels, alarm for slipping on a road surface or for loading is raised aside from the judgment of decrease in an inner pressure.