Air pressure information display system of vehicle tire

• US 8,760,279 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2002
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Andou, Fumitaka, Sakamoto, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Application Number:
  US10/309,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20030128109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,220 Days
• Field of Search: 340/447, 340/444, 340/445, 340/635, 340/446, 340/442, 340/448, 340/443, 340/539.11, 340/539.1, 731/465, 731/462
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver

Abstract

In an air pressure information display system of a vehicle tire, a vehicle (1) has air pressure sensors (7-9) for detecting the air pressure of a vehicle tire (2-5), and transmitting air pressure information indicating the detected air pressure via a wireless communication, and an informing unit (100) installed in a gas station or the like has a display module (100b) for displaying the received air pressure information.

Claims

1. An air pressure information display system of a vehicle tire, wherein the system comprises:

a vehicle comprising air pressure information detection means for detecting an air pressure of a vehicle tire, and transmitting the detected tire air pressure via a wireless communication;

a specific facility which can receive the tire air pressure information detected by said air pressure information detection means comprising display means for displaying the received air pressure information; and

said vehicle further comprising

vehicle stop state detection means for detecting a stop state of the vehicle, and

wireless transmission control means for, when said vehicle stop state detection means detects the stop state of the vehicle, transmitting the air pressure information detected by said air pressure information detection means to the specific facility.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle stop state detection means detects the stop state of the vehicle when fueling detection means for detecting a fueling state of the vehicle detects that fueling is in progress.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle stop state detection means detects the stop state of the vehicle when a change amount of the air pressure detected by said air pressure information detection means is detected, and a change in air pressure not less than a predetermined value is detected on the basis of the detected change amount.

4. An air pressure information display system of a vehicle tire, wherein the system comprises:

a vehicle comprising air pressure information detection means for detecting an air pressure of a vehicle tire, and transmitting the detected tire air pressure via a wireless communication;

a specific facility which can receive the tire air pressure information detected by said air pressure information detection means comprising

display means for displaying the received air pressure information,

air pressure information request transmission means for transmitting, via a wireless communication, an air pressure information transmission request signal used to require the vehicle to transmit the air pressure information, and

stop state detection means for detecting a stop state of the vehicle in the specific facility; and

the vehicle further comprising

reception means for receiving the air pressure information transmission request signal from said air pressure information request transmission means, and

wireless transmission control means for, when said reception means receives the air pressure information transmission request signal from said air pressure information request transmission means, transmitting the air pressure information detected by said air pressure information detection means to the specific facility via a wireless communication, and

said air pressure information request transmission means transmits the air pressure information transmission request signal to the vehicle when said stop state detection means detects the stop state of the vehicle.

5. An air pressure information display system of a vehicle tire, the system includes a vehicle and a specific facility, wherein,

the vehicle comprises:

air pressure information detection means for detecting an air pressure of a vehicle tire, and transmitting the detected tire air pressure via a wireless communication,

informing means for informing an air pressure state of the vehicle tire; and

an informing control unit for controlling said informing means to inform the air pressure state of the vehicle tire in the vehicle on the basis of the tire air pressure information received from said air pressure information detection means via a wireless communication, wherein

said informing control unit comprises;

normal air pressure storage means for storing a normal air pressure of the vehicle tire;

excessive/deficient amount calculation means for calculating information associated with an excessive/deficient amount of the tire air pressure detected by said air pressure information detection means from the normal air pressure on the basis of a relationship between the normal air pressure stored in said normal air pressure storage means and the tire air pressure information detected by said tire air pressure information detection means;

determination means for determining an air pressure state of the tire on the basis of the information associated with the excessive/deficient amount calculated by said excessive/deficient amount calculation means;

informing control means for controlling said informing means to inform the tire air pressure state determined by said determination means in a predetermined mode; and

wireless transmission means for transmitting the air pressure information detected by said air pressure information detection means or the information associated with the excessive/deficient amount calculated by said excessive/deficient amount calculation means to a specific facility that can receive the air pressure information or the information associated with the excessive/deficient amount via a wireless communication,

and wherein, the specific facility comprises;

reception means that can receive the air pressure information directly transmitted from said air pressure information detection means via a wireless communication, the air pressure information transmitted via said wireless transmission means, or the information associated with the excessive/deficient amount transmitted by said wireless transmission means via a wireless communication, and

display means for displaying the air pressure information or the information associated with the excessive/deficient amount received by said reception means.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein a signal specification of a transmission signal, which is transmitted from said air pressure information detection means to said informing control unit via a wireless communication, contains unique identification information used to identify a self vehicle from other vehicles, and

a transmission signal, which is transmitted from said informing control unit to the specific facility via a wireless communication, has a common signal specification irrespective of the self vehicle and other vehicles.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein a transmission signal, which is transmitted from said air pressure information detection means or said informing control unit to the specific facility via a wireless communication, contains unique identification information used to identify a vehicle that transmitted the signal via a wireless communication.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the specific facility comprises verification means for comparing unique identification information contained in a transmission signal, which is transmitted from said air pressure information detection means or said informing control unit to the specific facility via a wireless communication, with unique identification information pre-stored in the specific facility or obtained from a system outside the specific facility, and

said display means displays the unique identification information verified by said verification means together with the air pressure information or the information associated with the excessive/deficient amount received by said reception means.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the specific facility comprises unique identification means storage means for storing unique identification information which can identify a vehicle,

said air pressure information request transmission means in the specific facility transmits the unique identification information obtained from said unique identification means storage means to the vehicle together with the air pressure information transmission request signal, and

said wireless transmission control means in the vehicle transmits the air pressure information to the specific facility via a wireless communication when the unique identification information transmitted from said air pressure information request transmission means via a wireless communication matches unique identification information of the self vehicle.

10. An air pressure information display system of a vehicle tire, the system includes a vehicle and a specific facility, wherein

the vehicle comprises:

an air pressure detection sensor unit for detecting an air pressure of a vehicle tire, and transmitting the detected tire air pressure via a wireless communication,

and informing unit for informing an air pressure state of the vehicle tire; and

an informing control unit for controlling said informing unit to inform the air pressure state of the vehicle tire in the vehicle on the basis of the tire air pressure information received from said air pressure detection sensor unit via a wireless communication, wherein

said informing control unit comprises;

normal air pressure storage module for storing a normal air pressure of the vehicle tire;

excessive/deficient amount calculation module for calculating information associated with an excessive/deficient amount of the tire air pressure detected by said air pressure detection sensor unit from the normal air pressure on the basis of a relationship between the normal air pressure stored in said normal air pressure storage module and the tire air pressure information detected by said tire air pressure detection sensor unit;

determination module for determining an air pressure state of the tire on the basis of the information associated with the excessive/deficient amount calculated by said excessive/deficient amount calculation module;

informing control module for controlling said informing module to inform the tire air pressure state determined by said determination module in a predetermined mode; and

wireless transmission module for transmitting the air pressure information detected by said air pressure detection sensor unit or the information associated with the excessive/deficient amount calculated by said excessive/deficient amount calculation module to a specific facility that can receive the air pressure information or the information associated with the excessive/deficient amount via a wireless communication,

and wherein, the specific facility comprises;

reception module that can receive the air pressure information directly transmitted from said air pressure detection sensor unit via a wireless communication, the air pressure information transmitted via said wireless transmission module, or the information associated with the excessive/deficient amount transmitted by said wireless transmission module via a wireless communication, and

a display unit for displaying the air pressure information or the information associated with the excessive/deficient amount received by said reception module.