Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – Internal alarm or indicator responsive to a condition of the...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-05
2002-06-11
Hofsass, Jeffery (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
Internal alarm or indicator responsive to a condition of the...
C340S995190, C340S990000, C340S445000, C701S029000, C701S207000, C701S209000, C701S211000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06404330
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for alarming a decrease in tire air-pressure and, more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for alarming a decrease in tire air-pressure, which can teach a route to a blowout repairing facility being open and can achieve safe traveling.
It is most dangerous in case of a tire blowout that a driver continues traveling without any awareness of the blowout. In view of this, there has been conventionally known a tire air-pressure alarming apparatus (DWS) for giving an alarm to a driver about a decrease in pressure of a tire upon detection of the decrease in pressure of the tire.
However, even if the alarming apparatus can detect the tire blowout so as to prevent an accident, no consideration is given to repairing of the blown-out tire which is needed at a next step.
Should a blowout alarm be given during traveling on an expressway, it is difficult for a driver to judge how far it is to a next service area or how far the blown-out tire endures traveling. Therefore, some of drivers might stop their cars on a road shoulder of the expressway to repair the blown-out tire even in the case where the blown-out tire could endure traveling to the next service area. However, it is dangerous to repair the blown-out tire on the road shoulder of the expressway.
Furthermore, since a blowout repairing facility being open is limited in quantity during traveling in, for example, a suburb of a city in the nighttime, it is difficult for a driver to find out such a facility at once.
Moreover, a driver might be exposed to a danger during repairing a blown-out tire in a region of a low level of security.
Consequently, although the conventional apparatus for alarming the decrease in tire air-pressure can prevent any accident caused by the blowout, the apparatus cannot at all eliminate the danger and inconvenience in the case where the driver possibly repairs the blown-out tire on the road shoulder of the expressway or in the region of a low level of security.
In view of the above-described circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for alarming a decrease in tire air-pressure, which can teach a route to a blowout repairing facility being open and can achieve safe traveling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for alarming a decrease in tire air-pressure which alarms the decrease in inner pressure of the tire by using a judged value calculated based on rotational information obtained from tires fitted to a four-wheeled vehicle, comprising: traveling determining means for determining whether the vehicle should be stopped at once or the vehicle can still travel to some extent when the decrease in tire air-pressure is judged; vehicle position detecting means for detecting a vehicle traveling position at the time of judgment of the decrease in tire air-pressure; collating means for collating the detected vehicle traveling position with positional information on a blowout repairing facility, which has been input previously; facility calling means for calling a nearest blowout repairing facility being open based on the collation by the collating means; and display means for displaying a route from the vehicle traveling position to the called facility, wherein the vehicle position detecting means, the collating means, the facility calling means and the display means are started to be operated in the case where the traveling determining means determines that the vehicle can still travel to some extent.
In accordance with the present invention, there is further provided an apparatus for alarming a decrease in tire air-pressure which alarms the decrease in inner pressure of the tire by using a judged value calculated based on rotational information obtained from tires fitted to a four-wheeled vehicle, comprising: vehicle position detecting means for detecting a vehicle traveling position at the time of judgment of the decrease in tire air-pressure; collating means for collating the detected vehicle traveling position with positional information on a blowout repairing facility, which has been input previously; and threshold value changing means for changing a threshold value of the judgement of the decrease in inner pressure of the tires according to the vehicle traveling position.
In accordance with the present invention, there is also provided a method for alarming a decrease in tire air-pressure which alarms the decrease in inner pressure of the tire by using a judged value calculated based on rotational information obtained from tires fitted to a four-wheeled vehicle, comprising the steps of: detecting a vehicle traveling position at the time of judgment of the decrease in tire air-pressure; collating the detected vehicle traveling position with positional information on a blowout repairing facility, which has been input previously; calling a nearest blowout repairing facility being open based on the collation; and displaying a route from the vehicle traveling position to the called facility, wherein the steps are started to be performed in the case where it is determined that the vehicle can still travel to some extent.
In accordance with the present invention, there is yet further provided a method for alarming a decrease in tire air-pressure which alarms the decrease in inner pressure of the tire by using a judged value calculated based on rotational information obtained from tires fitted to a four-wheeled vehicle, comprising the steps of: detecting a vehicle traveling position at the time of judgment of the decrease in tire air-pressure; collating the detected vehicle traveling position with positional information on a blowout repairing facility, which has been input previously; and changing a threshold value of the judgement of the decrease in inner pressure of the tires according to the vehicle traveling position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5177685 (1993-01-01), Davis et al.
patent: 5569848 (1996-10-01), Sharp
patent: 5677837 (1997-10-01), Reynolds
patent: 6137400 (2000-10-01), Yanase et al.
patent: 19605458 (1997-06-01), None
patent: 0341226 (1989-11-01), None
patent: WO/0049680 (2000-08-01), None
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Hofsass Jeffery
Previl Daniel
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.
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