Measuring and testing – Tire – tread or roadway – Tire inflation testing installation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-31
2003-01-14
Oen, William (Department: 2855)
Measuring and testing
Tire, tread or roadway
Tire inflation testing installation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06505507
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a tire air pressure monitoring apparatus, which is mounted on a vehicle. More particularly, this invention relates to the acquisition of various kinds of data, such as air pressure data, stored in a tire air pressure monitoring apparatus. This invention also relates to an external communication apparatus, which communicates with a tire air pressure monitoring apparatus.
Wireless tire air pressure monitoring apparatuses for allowing a driver in the passenger compartment of a vehicle to check the air pressures of tires on the vehicle are known. A typical monitoring apparatus includes transmitters installed inside the respective tires and a receiver mounted on the body frame of the vehicle. Each transmitter measures the air pressure of the associated tire and radio-transmits data including the measured pressure value. The receiver receives data transmitted from the transmitters and displays information about the air pressure of each tire on a display located in the operator's compartment.
The receiver stores various kinds of data such as air pressure data, received from the transmitters, as history data. The receiver has a connector to connect the receiver to an external information processing apparatus, like a personal computer, via a cable. With the cable plugged into the connector, the history data stored in the receiver is sent to the information processing apparatus.
The history data loaded into the information processing apparatus can be used for maintenance and management of the vehicle. Even when the display warns of an abnormality in the air pressure of a tire while the vehicle is moving the operator may miss the warning display and thus may not notice the abnormality. However, if the warning is missed, the abnormality in the tire's air pressure can be discovered through the information processing apparatus if the history data stored in the receiver is sent to the information processing apparatus. With commercial vehicles such as taxis, trucks or buses, in particular, it is possible to collectively manage the history data of a fleet of vehicles at a single location. This capability facilitates the maintenance of multiple vehicles.
To send the history data stored in the receiver to the information processing apparatus, the cable from the information processing apparatus must be connected to the connector of the receiver. Since the receiver is located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, a worker must bring the cable into the passenger compartment in order to connect the cable to the connector. Connecting the cable to the connector is therefore troublesome and takes time. When collectively managing the history data of a fleet of vehicles, connecting the cables to the may connectors is very difficult.
To collectively manage fleet data, it is essential to be able to identify the vehicle to which the history data that has been loaded into the information processing apparatus corresponds. However, the history data that is sent to the information processing apparatus from the receiver does not include information indicating the receiver that is the source of the history data. In other words, the history data does not include information identifying the vehicle from which it came. When the history data is sent to the information processing apparatus from the receiver, therefore, a worker must manually enters information indicating the receiver (or vehicle) that supplied the history data. Such information entry is very troublesome and is likely to result in errors. It is thus difficult to easily and reliably carry out collective management of fleet data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tire air pressure monitoring apparatus capable of easily sending out various kinds of data such as air pressure data.
It is another object of this invention to provide an external communication apparatus suitable for radio communication with such a tire air pressure monitoring apparatus.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an external communication apparatus that can easily and reliably associate a tire air pressure monitoring apparatus with a corresponding set of data.
To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a tire air pressure monitoring apparatus mounted on a vehicle for monitoring the air pressure of a tire on the vehicle. The monitoring apparatus comprises a pressure sensor for measuring the air pressure of the tire, a memory for storing data regarding the measured air pressure, a notification unit for notifying an operator of an abnormality in the measured air pressure, and a transmission device for wirelessly transmitting data stored in the memory.
The present invention further provides an external communication apparatus for communicating with a tire air pressure monitoring apparatus mounted on a vehicle. The external communication apparatus comprises a transmission device, a reception device and a memory. The transmission device wirelessly transmits a signal requesting transmission of data, regarding the air pressure of a tire, to the tire air pressure monitoring apparatus. The reception device receives data wirelessly transmitted from the tire air pressure monitoring apparatus. The memory stores the received data.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5109213 (1992-04-01), Williams
patent: 5540092 (1996-07-01), Handfield et al.
patent: 5573611 (1996-11-01), Koch et al.
patent: 5602524 (1997-02-01), Mock et al.
patent: 5612671 (1997-03-01), Mendez et al.
patent: 5924055 (1999-07-01), Hattori
patent: 6034597 (2000-03-01), Normann et al.
patent: 6036179 (2000-03-01), Rensel
patent: 6112587 (2000-09-01), Oldenetted
Imao Noboru
Katou Mitiya
Saheki Setsuhiro
Crompton Seager & Tufte LLC
Oen William
Pacific Industrial Co. Ltd.
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