Pneumatic tire internal pressure control device for vehicle, vehicle, and its control method

• US 8,108,099 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2007
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Sawada, Hiroki, Wakao, Yasumichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beck, Karen A
• Application Number:
  US12/280,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,806 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/31, 701/29, 340/442, 340/443, 340/444, 152/510, 152/511, 152/517, 152/518, 152/519, 152/209.11, 152/331.1, 152/338.1, 152/453, 152/339.1, 152/342.1, 152/454, 731/46, 734/162, 731/463, 731/464, 731/465
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/002 by monitoring conditions other than tyre pressure or deformation
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 5/22 the chambers being annular
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 152/10522 Multiple chamber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 152/10612 with simultaneous inflating means

Abstract

A pneumatic tires (20FL, 20FR, 20RL, 20RR) each having a plurality of air chambers disposed therein along a tread width direction. An internal pressure control device (100) includes a sensor unit (120) configured to inform a controller (110) that the four-wheel automobile (10) is going as being displaced in the leftward or rightward direction; and the controller (110) configure to change the internal pressures of the plurality of air chambers on the basis of the instruction outputted from the sensor unit (120).

Claims

1. A pneumatic tire internal pressure control device for a vehicle, comprising:

pneumatic tires each having a plurality of air chambers disposed therein along a tread width direction;

an internal pressure controller configured to control internal pressures of the plurality of air chambers; and

an instruction unit configured to give the internal pressure controller an instruction to change the internal pressures on the basis of a running state of the vehicle,

wherein

the instruction unit gives the internal pressure controller the instruction on the basis of a state where the vehicle is being displaced in a leftward or rightward direction,

the instruction unit includes a running lane maintenance monitoring unit configured to monitor whether or not the vehicle is running within a predetermined running lane, and

the instruction unit gives the internal pressure controller the instruction on the basis of a monitoring by the running lane maintenance monitoring unit.

2. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 1, wherein

the instruction unit includes a selection operation unit configured to allow a driver or a passenger of the vehicle to select the instruction, and gives the internal pressure controller the instruction on the basis of a selection by the selection operation unit.

3. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 1, wherein

the running lane maintenance monitoring unit monitors a deviation direction indicating in which direction, the leftward direction or the rightward direction, the vehicle deviates from the predetermined running lane when the vehicle has deviated or is going to deviate from the predetermined running lane, and

the internal pressure controller sets the internal pressure of the air chamber in each pneumatic tire positioned on the side opposite to the monitored deviation direction to be higher than the internal pressure of the air chamber in each pneumatic tire positioned on the deviation direction side.

4. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 1, wherein

the instruction unit includes a steering state detection unit configured to detect a state related to steering of the vehicle, and the internal pressure controller changes the internal pressures of the plurality of air chambers on the basis of the state related to steering.

5. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 4, wherein

the steering state detection unit detects a steering direction of the vehicle, and

the internal pressure controller sets the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the steering direction side to be higher than the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the side opposite to the steering direction in each of the pneumatic tires mounted on the front side of the vehicle.

6. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 4, wherein

the steering state detection unit detects a steering direction of the vehicle, and

the internal pressure controller generates a difference in internal pressure between the air chamber positioned on the steering direction side and the air chamber positioned on the side opposite to the steering direction in each of the pneumatic tires mounted on the rear side of the vehicle.

7. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 4, wherein

the steering state detection unit detects a steering direction of the vehicle, and

the internal pressure controller sets the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the side opposite to the steering direction to be higher than the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the steering direction side in each of rear pneumatic tires mounted on the rear side of the vehicle.

8. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 4, wherein

the steering state detection unit detects a steering direction of the vehicle, and

the internal pressure controller sets the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the steering direction side to be higher than the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the side opposite to the steering direction in each of rear pneumatic tires mounted on the rear side of the vehicle.

9. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 4, wherein

the steering state detection unit detects that the vehicle is in an oversteer state, and

the internal pressure controller sets the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the side opposite to the steering direction to be higher than the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the steering direction side in each of front pneumatic tires mounted on the front side of the vehicle.

10. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 4, wherein

the steering state detection unit detects that the vehicle is in an oversteer state, and

the internal pressure controller sets the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the steering direction side to be higher than the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the side opposite to the steering direction in each of rear pneumatic tires mounted on the rear side of the vehicle.

11. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 4, wherein

the steering state detection unit detects that the vehicle is in an understeer state, and

the internal pressure controller sets the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the steering direction side to be higher than the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the side opposite to the steering direction in each of front pneumatic tires mounted on the front side of the vehicle.

12. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 4, wherein

the steering state detection unit detects that the vehicle is in an understeer state, and

the internal pressure controller sets the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the side opposite to the steering direction to be higher than the internal pressure of the air chamber positioned on the steering direction side in each of rear pneumatic tires mounted on the rear side of the vehicle.

13. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of air chambers disposed along the tread width direction include:

a main air chamber positioned so as to have a part of its outer periphery included on a tire equator line of the pneumatic tire,

an outer sub-air chamber positioned more distant from the vehicle than the main air chamber, and

an inner sub-air chamber positioned closer to the vehicle than the main air chamber.

14. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 13, wherein

a volume of at least one of the outer sub-air chamber and the inner sub-air chamber is smaller than a volume of the main air chamber.

15. The pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 13, wherein

the internal pressure controller generates a difference in internal pressure between the outer sub-air chamber and the inner sub-air chamber.

16. A vehicle comprising the pneumatic tire internal pressure control device according to claim 1.

17. A method for controlling internal pressures of pneumatic tires for a vehicle, the pneumatic tire having a plurality of air chambers disposed therein along a tread width direction, the method comprising the steps of:

instructing that the vehicle is being displaced in a leftward or rightward direction; and

changing internal pressures of the plurality of air chambers on the basis of the instruction in the instructing step,

the method further comprising;

monitoring whether or not the vehicle is running within a predetermined running lane, and

changing the internal pressures of the plurality of air chambers on the basis of the monitoring of the vehicle.