Method for learning and setting warm placard pressure threshold for a direct tire pressure monitoring system

• US 8,514,062 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2010
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Patel, Dilip B., Swadling, Greg, McQuade, Thomas Michael, Weinfurther, Jim Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/833,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20120007729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 340/442, 340/438, 340/445, 340/441, 340/444, 340/426.33, 340447-449, 340/466
• US Class Current: 340/442
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0471 System initialisation, e.g. upload or calibration of operating parameters

Abstract

A method for setting a warm placard tire pressure threshold for a motor vehicle tire pressure monitoring system that initiates a learn mode in the tire pressure monitoring system, starts a timer upon determining a vehicle speed is greater than a predetermined speed threshold, stops the timer upon determining the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the predetermined speed threshold or a predetermined period of time has expired, detects a plurality of tire pressures for a tire location while the timer is timing, stores the plurality of tire pressures, averages the plurality of tire pressures to determine a warm placard tire pressure threshold upon the predetermined period of time expiring, and sets the warm placard tire pressure threshold in the tire pressure monitoring system.

Claims

1. A method for setting a tire pressure threshold for a motor vehicle tire pressure monitoring system, comprising the steps of:

initiating a learn mode;

starting a timer when a vehicle speed is greater than a predetermined speed threshold;

stopping a timer when the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the predetermined speed threshold or a predetermined period of time has expired;

detecting a plurality of tire pressures for a tire location while the timer is timing;

storing the plurality of tire pressures for a tire location;

calculating a tire pressure threshold from the plurality of tire pressures upon the predetermined period of time expiring; and

setting the tire pressure threshold for the tire in the tire pressure monitoring system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating comprises averaging the plurality of tire pressures.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of calculating further comprises averaging a predetermined number of tire pressures from the plurality of tire pressures.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of calculating further comprises averaging the top three tire pressures from the plurality of tire pressures.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting further comprises detecting tire pressures for a tire location at predetermined periodic time intervals.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of detecting, storing, calculating and setting further comprise individually detecting, storing, calculating and setting for each tire location on the motor vehicle, whereby each tire location is assigned a respective tire pressure threshold value to be used by the tire pressure monitoring system.

7. A method for setting a warm placard tire pressure threshold for a motor vehicle tire pressure monitoring system, comprising the steps of:

initiating a learn mode in the tire pressure monitoring system;

starting a timer upon determining a vehicle speed is greater than a predetermined speed threshold;

stopping the tinier upon determining the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the predetermined speed threshold or a predetermined period of time has expired;

detecting a plurality of tire pressures for a tire location while the timer is timing;

storing, the plurality of tire pressures;

averaging the plurality of tire pressures to determine a warm placard tire pressure threshold upon the predetermined period of time expiring; and

setting the warm placard tire pressure threshold in the tire pressure monitoring system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the steps of detecting and storing a plurality of tire pressures further comprise individually detecting and storing a plurality of tire pressures for each tire location.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of averaging the plurality of tire pressures to determine a warm placard tire pressure threshold further comprises individually averaging the plurality of tire pressures for each tire location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of setting the warm placard tire pressure threshold in the tire pressure monitoring system further comprises individually setting a warm placard tire pressure threshold for each tire location.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of initiating a learn mode further comprises manually initiating a learn mode.