Tire pressure monitoring apparatus

• US 8,674,821 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2011
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Togawa, Hideshi
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US13/337,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20120161955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 340/442, 340444-449, 340/427, 340/438, 731/46, 731/462, 731/463, 731/464, 731/465, 116/34.R, 116/34.B, 152/152.1, 152/415
• US Class Current: 340/442
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0474 Measurement control, e.g. setting measurement rate or calibrating of sensors; Further processing of measured values, e.g. filtering, compensating or slope monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0484 Detecting an ongoing tyre inflation

Abstract

A tire pressure monitoring apparatus includes a plurality of transceivers, a receiver and a warning device. Each transceiver is mounted on a respective wheel having a tire in a vehicle. The receiver is mounted on a body of the vehicle. The warning device receives a warning signal transmitted from the receiver. Each transceiver includes a sensing unit, a first control unit and a transmitting unit. The receiver includes a receiving unit and a second control unit. Each transceiver or the receiver includes a determination unit, which determines whether the tire pressure increases while the vehicle is parked. When the determination unit determines that the tire pressure is increased while the vehicle is parked, the second control unit calculates the selected threshold value, and stores the selected threshold value.

Claims

1. A tire pressure monitoring apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transceivers, each of which is mounted on a respective wheel having a tire in a vehicle;

a receiver mounted on a body of the vehicle; and

a warning device receiving a warning signal transmitted from the receiver,

wherein each transceiver includes a sensing unit, a first control unit and a transmitting unit,

wherein the sensing unit outputs the tire pressure signal, the first control unit processes the tire pressure signal outputted by the sensing unit to a processed tire pressure signal, and the transmitting unit transmits the processed tire pressure signal to the receiver,

wherein the receiver includes a receiving unit and a second control unit,

wherein the receiving unit receives the processed tire pressure signal,

wherein the second control unit calculates a tire pressure according to the processed tire pressure signal and activates the warning device when the tire pressure is lower than an alarm threshold value,

wherein the second control unit sets a selected threshold value as the alarm threshold value, and the selected threshold value is initially set by a user,

wherein each transceiver or the receiver includes a determination unit, which determines whether the tire pressure increases while the vehicle is parked, and

wherein when the determination unit determines that a current tire pressure is increased compared with a previous tire pressure while the vehicle is parked, the second control unit calculates the selected threshold value according to the current tire pressure, and stores the selected threshold value.

2. The tire pressure monitoring apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the determination unit for determining whether the tire pressure increases while the vehicle is parked, is defined as a first determination unit,

wherein each transceiver or the receiver further includes a second determination unit, which determines whether a tire temperature increases, and

wherein when the second determination unit determines that the tire temperature does not increase, the second control unit calculates the selected threshold value according to the current tire pressure, and stores the selected threshold value.

3. The tire pressure monitoring apparatus according to claim 1:

wherein the second control unit uses both of the selected threshold value and a standard threshold value as the alarm threshold value, the standard threshold value being set and preliminarily stored as a fixed value,

wherein the second control unit activates the warning device when the tire pressure is lower than at least one of the selected threshold value and the standard threshold value, and

wherein the second control unit does not store the selected threshold value when the selected threshold value calculated by the second control unit is higher than the standard threshold value.

4. A tire pressure monitoring apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transceivers, each of which is mounted on a respective wheel having a tire in a vehicle;

a receiver mounted on a body of the vehicle; and

a warning device receiving a warning signal transmitted from the receiver,

wherein each transceiver includes a sensing unit, a first control unit and a transmitting unit,

wherein the sensing unit outputs the tire pressure signal, the first control unit processes the tire pressure signal outputted by the sensing unit to a processed tire pressure signal, and the transmitting unit transmits the processed tire pressure signal to the receiver,

wherein the receiver includes a receiving unit and a second control unit,

wherein the receiving unit receives the processed tire pressure signal,

wherein the second control unit calculates a tire pressure according to the processed tire pressure signal and activates the warning device when the tire pressure is lower than an alarm threshold value,

wherein the second control unit sets a selected threshold value as the alarm threshold value, and the selected threshold value is initially set by a user,

wherein each transceiver or the receiver includes a calculation unit and a determination unit, the calculation unit calculates a tire pressure increase rate based on a previous tire pressure and a current tire pressure, and the determination unit determines whether the tire pressure increases rate is equal to or higher than a predetermined rate value, and

wherein when the determination unit determines that the tire pressure increase rate is equal to or higher than the predetermined rate value, the second control unit calculates the selected threshold value according to the current tire pressure, and stores the selected threshold value.