Vehicle tire warning system

• US 7,817,024 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2007
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Changqu Ru
• Original Assignee: Changqu Ru
• Inventors: Ru, Changqu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu; Julie
• Application Number:
  US11/949,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20080266074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 23/0433 Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0494 Valve stem attachments positioned inside the tyre chamber

Abstract

An air pressure sensor (2) for a vehicle tire warning system includes a tubular housing (21) defining a chamber (218), an air pressure actuating device seated in the chamber and being moveable back and forth in the chamber in response to air pressure change in the vehicle tire, and a switch device to electrically connect a high air pressure warning circuit or a low air pressure warning circuit under the drive of the air pressure actuating device. The chamber of the tubular housing is communicated to the atmosphere via a connecting pipe (29).

Claims

1. An air pressure sensor for a vehicle tire warning system, comprising:

a tubular housing having a chamber defined therein, the chamber being communicated to the atmosphere via a connecting pipe;

an air pressure actuating device suitably seated in the chamber and being moveable back and forth in the chamber in response to air pressure change in the vehicle tire; and

a switch device adapted to electrically connect a high air pressure warning circuit or a low air pressure warning circuit under the drive of the air pressure actuating device;

wherein the air pressure actuating device comprises a flexible pressure sensitive component for sensing the air pressure in the vehicle tire, a linkage mechanism assembled to the flexible pressure sensitive component, a supporting mechanism coupled to the tubular housing, and an elastic element between the supporting mechanism and the linkage mechanism, the flexible pressure sensitive component drives the linkage mechanism to move back and forth in the chamber in response to air pressure change in the vehicle tire; and

wherein the supporting mechanism comprises a sleeve assembled to the tubular housing and a securing element engageably coupled to the sleeve, the securing element is provided with a through hole for suitably receiving the connecting pipe.

2. The air pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the supporting mechanism correspondingly defines a through hole for suitably receiving the connecting pipe.

3. The air pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the vehicle tire is provided with a fastener defining an air inlet, and wherein the fastener resists the flexible pressure sensitive component against the tubular housing.

4. The air pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the linkage mechanism comprises a linking base formed on the flexible pressure sensitive component and a core shaft attached to the linking base.

5. The air pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the linkage mechanism and the supporting mechanism each is provided with a spring seat and the elastic element is set between the two spring seats.

6. The air pressure sensor of claim 5, wherein the elastic element is a cylindrical spring or a conical spring.

7. The air pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the connecting pipe has a curved shape.

8. The air pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the switch device comprises a conductive lug boss on the linkage mechanism and a first conduct piece and a second conduct piece at two sides of the conductive lug boss, the first and second conduct pieces are fixed to the tubular housing and electrically connected to a high air pressure warning circuit and a low air pressure warning circuit, respectively, the supporting mechanism acts as a shared conduct piece of the high air pressure warning circuit and the low air pressure warning circuit, the conductive lug boss is initially positioned apart from the first and second conduct pieces to cut off the low air pressure warning circuit and the high air pressure warning circuit, and is actuated to contact with the first conduct piece or the second conduct piece in response to the air pressure change in the vehicle tire to electrically connect the high air pressure warning circuit or the low air pressure warning circuit.

9. The air pressure sensor of claim 8, wherein the tubular housing is provided with an aperture, the conduct pieces each is coupled with a leading-out wire, and the leading-out wires extend outside of the tubular housing via the aperture.

10. The air pressure sensor of claim 9, wherein the switch device comprises electrically insulating supporters enclosing the first and second conduct pieces and fixed to the inner wall of the tubular housing, and the supporters each defines a passage to suitably receive the linkage mechanism.

11. A transmitting circuit for a vehicle tire warning system to transmit wireless signals via trigger and connection of an air pressure sensor, the transmitting circuit is controlled via an eight bit single chip PIC12C508A, VDD end of the single chip is connected to D_IN output ports of the air pressure sensor via three diodes to form a signal switching circuit;

on detecting danger signals, the air pressure sensor outputs a high voltage to conduct the diodes and provides the VDD end with a threshold voltage to activate the PIC12C508A to work, D_IN ports each provides GP0/GP1/GP3 with marking signal via 1K resistances to respectively indicate temperature warning, high air pressure warning and low air pressure warning, the single chip PIC12C508A processes the marking signals and outputs warning signals via a GP4 port, a coding chip PT2240B codes the warning signal impulses and transmits the coded signals via an antenna.