Tire condition monitoring apparatus

• US 20030156025A1
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacific Industrial Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Pacific Industrial Company Limited
• Inventors: Okubo, Youichi
• Granted Patent: US 6,972,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/447
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0462 Structure of transmission protocol
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations

Abstract

When registering the ID code of a transmitter in a receiver, a commander is brought close to the transmitter and then a manipulation switch of the commander is pressed. Then, the commander transmits an instruction signal to the transmitter. In response to the instruction signal, the transmitter transmits a response signal including eight consecutive data frames. When receiving the signal from the transmitter, the receiver counts the number of the data fames in the received signal. f the number of the data frames is eight, the receiver determines that the received signal is a response signal generated based on manipulation of the commander and registered the ID code in the response signal. That is, the receiver determines whether to register the ID code in the received signal based on the number of the data frames included in the received signal. As a result, the ID code of the transmitter is easily registered in the receiver.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring the condition of a tire of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a commander having an operation switch, wherein the commander transmits an instruction signal when the operation switch is turned on;

a transmitter provided in the tire, wherein a unique identification data is assigned to the transmitter in advance, and wherein the transmitter includes a tire condition sensor for detecting the condition of the tire, a receiving portion for receiving the instruction signal, and a transmitting portion for transmitting signals; and

a receiver located in the body of the vehicle, wherein the receiver includes a receiving portion for receiving signals transmitted from the transmitter and a rewritable ID memory for storing the identification data of the transmitter,

wherein the transmitter has a first transmission mode, in which the transmitter transmits a signal regardless whether the commander transmits the instruction signal, and a second transmission mode, in which the transmitter transmits a signal in response to the instruction signal from the commander, wherein the signal transmitted according to the first transmission mode is a first signal, the first signal including at least data representing the tire condition detected by the tire condition sensor and the identification data, and wherein the signal transmitted according to the second transmission mode is a second signal, the second signal including at least the identification data, and

wherein, when receiving the first signal, the receiver continues processing the received first signal if the identification data in the received first signal matches with the identification data in the ID memory, and wherein, when receiving the second signal, the receiver stores the identification data in the received second signal in the ID memory.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first signal includes at least one data frame, and the second signal includes data frames number of which is different from the number of the data frames included in the first signal, and wherein the receiver determines whether the received signal is the first signal or the second signal based on the number of the data frames included in the received signal.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the number of the data frames included in the second signal is greater than the number of the data frames included in the first signal.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each data frame included in the second signal has the same structure as that of each data frame included in the first signal.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first signal includes at least one data frame, and the second signal includes at least one data frame the structure of which is different from the structure of the data frame included in the first signal, and wherein the receiver determines whether the received signal is the first signal or the second signal based on the structure of the data frame included in the received signal.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the number of the data frames included in the second signal is equal to the number of the data frames included in the first signal.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the commander is portable.

8. An apparatus for monitoring the conditions of a plurality of tires of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a commander having an operation switch, wherein the commander transmits an instruction signal when the operation switch is turned on;

a plurality of transmitters each provided in one of the tires, wherein a unique identification data is assigned to each transmitter in advance, and wherein each transmitter includes a tire condition sensor for detecting the condition of the corresponding tire, a receiving portion for receiving the instruction signal, and a transmitting portion for transmitting a signal that includes at least data representing the tire condition detected by the tire condition sensor and the identification data; and

a receiver located in the body of the vehicle, wherein the receiver includes a receiving portion for receiving signals transmitted from the transmitters and a rewritable ID memory for storing the identification data of the transmitters,

wherein each transmitter has a first transmission mode, in which the transmitter transmits a signal regardless whether the commander transmits the instruction signal, and a second transmission mode, in which the transmitter transmits a signal in response to the instruction signal from the commander, wherein the signal transmitted according to the first transmission mode is a first signal, the first signal including a plurality of data frames, and wherein the signal transmitted according to the second transmission mode is a second signal, the second signal including a plurality of data fames the number of which is different from the number of the data frames included in the first signal, and

wherein the receiver determines whether the received signal is the first signal or the second signal based on the number of the data frames included in the received signal, wherein, when the received signal is the first signal, the receiver continues processing the first signal if the identification data in the first signal matches with one of the identification data in the ID memory, and wherein, when received signal is the second signal, the receiver stores the identification data in the second signal in the ID memory.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the number of the data frames included in the second signal is greater than the number of the data frames included in the first signal.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each data frame included in the second signal has the same structure as that of each data frame included in the first signal.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the commander is portable