Tire pressure display device
AssigneeNolex Corporation
InventorRainer Achterholt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tire pressure display device for a vehicle having several wheels provides each monitored tire with an electronic module including, for example, an integrated pressure sensor with measuring and control electronics which are coupled to a high-frequency transmitter/receiver. Away from the wheels, there is at least another high-frequency transmitter/receiver that is coupled to a microprocessor that exchanges high-frequency radiograms with each wheel's electronic module in an interrogation-response mode. In addition, a remote control locking arrangement activates a locking system on the vehicle. The triggering of a control command effectuated on the remote control locking arrangement also activates the microprocessor, which then initializes the electronic module for each monitored tire.
Claims24
A tire pressure display device for a vehicle having a plurality of wheels, each of said plurality of wheels having a tire thereon which is monitored by the device, the device comprising:
- an electronic module associated with said tire and having at least one integrated pressure sensor with measuring and control electronics, said sensor being coupled to a high-frequency transmitter/receiver;
- another high-frequency transmitter/receiver located apart from said plurality of wheels and coupled to a microprocessor configured for bi-directional high-frequency signal-data communication with each electronic module in an interrogation-response mode;
- wherein a tire pressure status of each tire is displayed on at least one display element of a display device actuated by display signals generated by the microprocessor,
- a remote control locking means for activating a locking system on the vehicle;
- wherein an actuation of the remote control locking means for a wireless transmission of a control command to the vehicle for activating the locking system in the vehicle also activates the microprocessor to cause an interrogation of the electronic module according to a sequence control that ensures that, at no point in time, do response signals from each of the electronic modules associated with a respective tire reach the microprocessor at a same or overlapping period in time;
- wherein the at least one display element of the display device is situated on the remote control locking means or on an add-on device located on or adjacent to the remote control locking means.
A method for the operation of a tire pressure display device intended for a vehicle with plural pneumatic tires having, associated with each monitored tire, an electronic module having at least one integrated pressure sensor with measuring and control electronics, said sensor being coupled to, a high-frequency transmitter/receiver;
- away from the wheels, at least another high-frequency transmitter/receiver coupled to a microprocessor which is configured for bi-directional high-frequency signal-data communication with each electronic module in interrogation-response mode;
- a display device with one or more display elements for displaying a tire pressure status of each monitored tire;
- a remote control locking system having a pushbutton to trigger a control command that activates a locking system of the vehicle, the method comprising:
- actuating the pushbutton of the remote control locking system to activate the microprocessor and each electronic module;
- controlling an initialization sequence of each electronic module according to a sequence control that ensures that, at no point in time, do response signals from different electronic modules reach the microprocessor at a same time or overlapping period of time;
- and
- displaying a tire pressure status thus obtained for each monitored tire on display elements situated on the remote control locking system or on an add-on device that is located on or adjacent to the remote control locking system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.