Tire monitoring and deflation warning assembly

• US 6,043,737 A
• Filed: 07/01/1999
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Crombez, Dale Scott, Curran, Patrick Joseph, Bullister, Kevin Michael, Shehan, Mark Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T.
• Application Number:
  US09/346,950
• Time in Patent Office: 271 Days
• Field of Search: 340/442, 340/440, 340/444, 340/443, 73/146.2, 73/146.3, 73/146.5
• 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 23/06 Signalling devices actuated by deformation of the tyre , e.g. tyre mounted deformation sensors or indirect determination of tyre deformation based on wheel speed, wheel-centre to ground distance or inclination of wheel axle

Abstract

A tire monitoring and warning assembly 10 which monitors and measures attributes or characteristics of at least one of the selectively inflatable tires 14-20 of a vehicle 12 and which compares the obtained measurements with a stored value which represents a value of the attribute or characteristic occurring or existing when the at least one tire 14-20 is desirably inflated, and which, based upon the comparison, warns the driver if the at least one of the tires 14-20 is deflated.

Claims

1. A tire monitoring assembly for use with a vehicle having at least one selectively inflatable tire, said tire having a measurable attribute of a certain predetermined inflation value when said tire is inflated, the tire monitoring assembly comprising:

a controller which initially measures said attribute and which produces a first value based upon said measurement and which operably utilizes said first value to determine whether said at least one tire is deflated, only if said first value is substantially identical to said certain value.

2. The tire monitoring assembly of claim 1 further comprising a selectively depressible switch which is coupled to said controller and which causes said controller to produce said first value when said switch is selectively depressed for a certain predetermined amount of time.

3. The tire monitoring assembly of claim 1 wherein said attribute comprises pressure.

4. The tire monitoring assembly of claim 1 wherein said attribute comprises a tire turning radius.

5. The tire monitoring assembly of claim 1 wherein said monitoring assembly further comprises a selectively energizable device which is coupled to said controller and which is energized when said at least one tire is deflated.

6. The tire monitoring assembly of claim 2 wherein said switch causes said controller to perform a certain action when said switch is momentarily depressed.

7. The tire monitoring assembly of claim 1 wherein said controller operably utilizes said first value to create a value range for said at least one tire.

8. A tire monitoring assembly for use in combination with a vehicle having at least one selectively inflatable tire, said tire assembly comprising a controller which uses data to produce a certain value window and a measured first value, said controller selectively using said first value to determine whether said at least one tire is deflated only after said controller first determines whether said first value resides within said certain value window.

9. A method for improving the accuracy of a tire monitoring system used in combination with a vehicle having at least one selectively inflatable tire having a measurable characteristic of a certain value when the at least one tire is inflated, the tire monitoring system initially measuring said characteristic and producing a second value based upon said measurement, the tire monitoring system further and periodically measuring the characteristic and producing third values based upon these periodic measurements and selectively producing a tire deflation signal when at least one of the produced third values differs from the second value, the method comprising the steps of:

comparing the second value to the certain value;

providing a selectively energizable warning device;

causing the tire monitoring assembly, based upon the comparison of the second value to the certain value, to discard the second value, thereby preventing the comparison of the second value with the third values from being made; and

selectively energizing the warning devices, thereby improving the accuracy of the tire monitoring system.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of providing a selectively depressible switch;

and causing said tire monitoring assembly to produce said second value when said switch is depressed.