Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – Internal alarm or indicator responsive to a condition of the...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-31
2003-02-11
Pope, Daryl (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
Internal alarm or indicator responsive to a condition of the...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06518877
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for and a method of monitoring at least one dynamic condition of a pneumatic tire, such as pressure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to monitoring of conditions of a pneumatic tire, most importantly pneumatic pressure, and optionally temperature and/or tire revolution counting. Pressure (pneumatic pressure) is well known as a critical factor in pneumatic tire operation, most importantly if there is a loss of sufficient pressure to safely operate the tire, e.g., a “flat tire”. The (pneumatic) temperature is generally of secondary importance. Although it can be used to indicate an average temperature of the tire and wheel surrounding the pneumatic cavity, temperature is mostly used to normalize a pressure measured in a hot tire to a “cold pressure” value, i.e., the pressure as it would be in a “cold” tire. When a pump system is included in order to regulate the air pressure in a tire, a pressure monitor can provide feedback to a vehicle operator about the status of the pressure regulation, which may very well be unable to regulate pressure under extreme conditions such as, for example, a large puncture or a blow-out of the tire. Revolution counting is often desired as an indication of tire usage. In general terms, as tire usage increases so does the risk of tire problem occurrence.
A great deal of prior art is devoted to apparatus and methods for measuring and monitoring rotary element and pneumatic conditions, particularly as they relate to pneumatic tire conditions.
THE ASSIGNEES ONGOING DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS
For a century, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company of Akron Ohio, assignee of the present invention, has been the uncontested industry leader in tire product technology. For example, as early as 1892, a puncture-resistant tire was patented. In 1934, a year recognized as the beginning of the run-flat era, Goodyear introduced the Lifeguard (tm) safety tube, a fabric tube within the tire, used commercially by automakers and on trucks. In 1993, Goodyear's Eagle GS-C EMT (Extended Mobility Technology) Tire won the Discover Award for Automotive Technological Innovation. In 1996, the Goodyear Eagle F1 run-flat tire was chosen as standard equipment on the 1997 Chevrolet C-5 Corvette.
Other examples of the strides Goodyear has taken in the advancement of tire and related technologies include, but are not limited to, the following patented inventions: Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,387 (Enabnit; 1972), entitled SIGNALLING SYSTEM FOR LOW TIRE CONDITION ON A VEHICLE, incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, discloses a low tire pressure warning system adaptable for any number of wheels of a vehicle and providing dashboard indications of system operation and low pressure conditions while the vehicle is in motion.
Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,161 (Enabnit; 1974), entitled FAIL-SAFE MONITORING APPARATUS, incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, discloses monitoring vehicle tire pressure wherein the operator is warned of an abnormal or unsafe condition of one or more of the tires.
Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,696 (Enabnit; 1977), entitled TIRE CONDITION MONITOR, incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, discloses a tire condition sensing circuit that includes a ferrite element that changes from a ferromagnetic to a non-ferromagnetic state in response to a temperature increase above the material Curie point.
Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,217 (Dunn, et. al.; 1990), entitled INTEGRATED CIRCUIT TRANSPONDER IN A PNEUMATIC TIRE FOR TIRE IDENTIFICATION, incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, discloses an RF transponder in a pneumatic tire.
FIG. 1
a
of this patent illustrates a prior-art identification system (“reader”) that can be used to interrogate and power the transponder within the tire. The identification system includes a portable hand-held module having within it an exciter and associated circuitry for indicating to a user the numerical identification of the tire/transponder in response to an interrogation signal.
Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,975 (Pollack, et. al.; 1993), entitled INTEGRATED CIRCUIT TRANSPONDER WITH COIL ANTENNA IN A PNEUMATIC TIRE FOR USE IN TIRE IDENTIFICATION, incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, discloses a pneumatic tire having an integrated circuit (IC) transponder and pressure transducer. As described in this patent, in a tire that has already been manufactured, the transponder may be attached to an inner surface of the tire by means of a tire patch or other similar material or device.
Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,861 (Brown, et al.; 1993), entitled PNEUMATIC TIRE HAVING AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT TRANSPONDER AND PRESSURE TRANSDUCER, incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, discloses a pneumatic tire having an integrated circuit (IC) transponder and pressure transducer mounted within the pneumatic tire. Upon interrogation (polling) by an external RF signal provided by a “reader”, the transponder transmits tire identification and tire pressure data in digitally-coded form. The transponder is “passive” in that it is not self-powered, but rather obtains its operating power from the externally-provided RF signal.
The commonly-owned U.S. Patents referenced immediately hereinabove are indicative of the long-standing, far-reaching and ongoing efforts being made by the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in advancing tire product technology, particularly in the area of monitoring tire operating conditions.
DYNAMIC CONDITIONS
Dynamic conditions such as revolution counting are readily determined. Straightforward tire revolution counters are well known, and are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,842,486 and 5,524,034, both of which are incorporated in their entirety by reference herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,862, incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, discloses a tire pressure monitor comprising wheel speed sensors located at the vehicle's wheels to convey wheel speed information to an electronic controller. This patent notes that the wheel speed discrepancy between one tire to the others indicates the relative tire pressure, but that discrepancy may also be indicative of the vehicle turning, accelerating or decelerating, going up or down steep grades, or of one wheel slipping, or of a cross wind bearing on the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,217, incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, discloses measuring wheel speed of a motor vehicle with a multi-tooth pulse generator on each wheel (as is used on electronic Anti-Lock Braking Systems) to produce a series of pulses spaced apart by equal increments of angular rotation of each wheel. The speed of each wheel is compared to the others, to determine if, and to what extent, a tire is deflated. U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,848, incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, discloses a system for monitoring tire pressure, comprising toothed ring sensors affixed to each wheel assembly, a sensor operatively associated with each respective toothed ring and producing signals that are a measure of the rotational velocity of the wheels, and a computer receiving signals from the sensors. The computer monitors the wheel speed sensors during vehicle operation, calculating and indicating vehicle speed, distance traveled by the vehicle and low tire pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,588,814, incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, discloses an electric tire inflation indicator which determines the inflated condition of a tire by monitoring the rotational travel speed of the tire's respective wheel, by means of a stationary reed switch and a magnet rotating with the wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,984, incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, discloses a tire monitoring system and method utilizing a sensor in the tire to detect tire sidewall deflection and thereby determine tire pressure, tire speed and the number of tire revolutions.
STATIC CONDITIONS
In addition to the aforementioned dynamic conditions, static conditions ar
Desimone, II Joseph Paul
Letkomiller Joseph Michael
Starkey Gene Raymond
Yones Dale Lee
Cohn Howard M.
Pope Daryl
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
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