Tire pressure monitoring sensor and mounting method

• US 7,694,557 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2008
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems US Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Deniau, Jean-Christophe, Hettle, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen; Andre J
• Application Number:
  US12/018,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20080173082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 731/468
• US Class Current: 73/146.8
• 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 23/0494 Valve stem attachments positioned inside the tyre chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 29/02 Connection to rims

Abstract

A tire pressure monitoring sensor includes resilient spring members to support and resist movement during rotation of the wheel.

Claims

1. A tire pressure monitoring assembly mountable to a wheel rim comprising:

a rubber housing defining a bore;

a valve body disposed at least partially within the bore; and

a spring member disposed within the bore of the rubber housing and biased against a surface of the wheel rim for securing the tire pressure monitoring assembly, wherein the spring member includes a shape that biases a portion of the rubber housing radially outward.

2. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the spring member compresses radially responsive to the assembly being pulled through an opening in the wheel rim.

3. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the spring member comprise a strip of material that deforms from a first shape that biases a portion of the rubber housing radially outward to a second shape that retracts the portion of the rubber housing for insertion through the opening an opening in the wheel rim.

4. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the spring member includes a portion for securing a sensor housing within the wheel rim.

5. The assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein the spring member comprises a coil spring including a first diameter and a second diameter, wherein the second diameter is larger than the first diameter.

6. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the spring member includes a cam surface engageable for biasing the spring member radially outward.

7. The assembly as recited in claim 6, including a mandrel received within the bore for engaging the cam surface and biasing the spring member radially outward.

8. The assembly as recited in claim 7, wherein the mandrel comprises a portion of the valve body that engages the spring member.

9. The assembly as recited in claim 7, wherein the mandrel includes a detent for locking the spring member in a radially outward position.

10. A method of securing a valve stem and tire pressure monitoring assembly to a wheel rim comprising the steps of:

a) inserting a rubber housing through an opening in a wheel rim; and

b) expanding a biasing member supported by the rubber housing radially outward to engage a surface of the wheel rim radially outboard of the opening.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the biasing member comprises a spring clip supported on a valve stem extending from the rubber housing.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, including the step of disposing the biasing member within the rubber housing and compressing the biasing member to a size capable of being received through the opening in the wheel rim.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of compressing the biasing member comprises pulling the rubber housing axially to elongate a portion of the biasing member and concurrently reduce a size of the biasing member.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, including the step of disposing a biasing member within a bore of the rubber housing and deforming the biasing member radially outward with a fixed part of the tire pressure monitoring assembly received within the bore.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, including the step of locking the biasing member in the deformed radially outward position with a detent on the fixed part.