Method and apparatus for sensing tire pressure

An apparatus for sensing pressure in vehicle tires comprising:

• means for providing an interrogation signal;
• means for sensing pressure within one of the tires in response to the interrogation signal;
• means for sensing wheel speeds of the vehicle tires and providing wheel speed signals, a wheel speed signal of the one tire in which pressure is sensed being a reference wheel speed signal;
• and
• means for correlating the reference wheel speed signal with other of the wheel speed signals for determining tire pressure within associated tires.

An apparatus for sensing pressure in vehicle tires comprising:

• wheel speed sensors for providing associated wheel speed sensor signals including a plurality of pulses for each revolution of an associated tire;
• an interrogator for providing an interrogation signal;
• a tire pressure monitor for, in response to an interrogation signal, sensing pressure in the tire and providing a pressure signal indicative of the sensed pressure;
• first correlating means for correlating the sensed pressure with an associated wheel speed sensor signal to establish a reference wheel speed signal;
• and
• second correlating means for correlating the reference wheel speed signal with signals from other of the wheel speed sensors for determining a pressure value of associated tires.

An apparatus for sensing pressure in tires on a vehicle having at least two wheel speed sensors, each wheel speed sensor providing an associated wheel speed signal indicative of wheel speed of its associated tire, said apparatus comprising:

• an interrogator for providing an interrogation signal;
• a tire pressure monitor mounted within a tire having an associated one of said at least two wheel speed sensors for, in response to the interrogation signal, measuring tire pressure and providing a signal indicative of measured pressure;
• and
• a controller for actuating said interrogator to provide the interrogation signal, monitoring the wheel speed signals from the at least two wheel speed sensors, establishing a reference wheel speed signal for the wheel speed sensor of the tire having said tire pressure monitor based on the measured pressure, and determining pressure in other tires having an associated wheel speed sensor by correlation with the reference wheel speed signal.

An apparatus for sensing tire pressure in vehicle tires comprising;

• wheel speed sensors, at least two vehicle tires having an associated wheel speed sensor, each wheel speed sensor providing a signal having an electrical characteristic indicative of pressure within its associated tire when the vehicle is moving;
• an interrogator for, when actuated, providing an interrogation signal;
• a tire pressure monitor located within, one tire of the vehicle having an associated wheel speed sensor, said tire pressure monitor, in response to the interrogation signal, measuring tire pressure and providing a signal indicative of actual tire pressure;
• controller for actuating the interrogator, monitoring the signal indicative of actual tire pressure, and correlating the wheel speed sensor signal associated with the tire having the tire pressure monitor with the wheel speed signals from the other tires having associated wheel speed sensors for determining pressure in such other tires.

An apparatus for sensing pressure in vehicle tires comprising:

• means for sensing pressure within one of the tires;
• means for detecting in which tire the means for sensing pressure is located;
• means for sensing wheel speeds of the vehicle tires and providing wheel speed signals, a wheel speed signal of the one tire in which the means for sensing pressure is detected being a reference wheel speed signal;
• and
• means for correlating the reference wheel speed signal with other of the wheel speed signals for determining tire pressure within associated tires.

A method for sensing pressure in vehicle tires comprising the steps of:

• interrogating a pressure measurement with a remote signal;
• sensing pressure within a first tire of the vehicle in response to the interrogation and providing an actual tire pressure signal;
• providing a reference wheel speed signal for the first tire of the vehicle upon movement of the vehicle;
• providing a wheel speed signal for a second tire of the vehicle upon movement of the vehicle;
• monitoring the actual tire pressure signal;
• and
• correlating the reference wheel speed signal with the wheel speed signal from the second tire and determining a tire pressure value of the second tire in response to the correlating.

A method for sensing pressure in vehicle tires comprising the steps of:

• interrogating a pressure measurement with a remote signal;
• sensing pressure within one of the tires in response to the interrogating;
• sensing wheel speeds of the vehicle tires and providing wheel speed signals, a wheel speed signal for the one tire in which pressure is sensed being a reference wheel speed signal;
• and
• correlating the reference wheel speed signal with other of the wheel speed signals for determining tire pressure within associated tires.

A method for sensing pressure in vehicle tires comprising the steps of:

• providing associated wheel speed sensor signals including a plurality of pulses for each revolution of an associated tire;
• interrogating a tire pressure measurement;
• sensing pressure in one of the tires in response to the interrogating and providing a pressure signal indicative of the sensed pressure;
• correlating the sensed pressure with an associated wheel speed sensor signal to establish a reference wheel speed signal;
• and
• correlating the reference wheel speed signal with signals from other of the wheel speed sensors for determining a pressure value of associated tires.

A method for sensing pressure in tires on a vehicle having at least two wheel speed sensors, each wheel speed sensor providing an associated wheel speed signal indicative of wheel speed of its associated tire, said method comprising the steps of:

• interrogating a tire pressure measurement;
• measuring tire pressure within a tire having an associated one of the at least two wheels speed sensors in response to the interrogating and providing a signal indicative of measured pressure;
• monitoring the wheel speed signals from the at least two wheel speed sensors;
• establishing a reference wheel speed signal for the wheel speed sensor of the tire having said tire pressure monitor based on the measured pressure;
• and
• determining pressure in other tires having an associated wheel speed sensor by correlation with the reference wheel speed signal.

A method for sensing pressure in vehicle tires comprising the steps of:

• sensing pressure within one of the tires;
• detecting in which tire a pressure sensor for sensing the pressure is located;
• sensing wheel speeds of the vehicle tires and providing wheel speed signals, a wheel speed signal of the one tire in which the pressure sensor is detected being a reference wheel speed signal;
• and
• correlating the reference wheel speed signal with other of the wheel speed signals for determining tire pressure within associated tires.

An apparatus for sensing pressure in vehicle tires comprising:

• a tire pressure monitor for sensing pressure within a vehicle tire in response to an interrogation signal and providing an actual tire pressure signal based on the sensed pressure;
• a controller;
• a wheel speed sensor associated with the vehicle tire and connectable to said controller via a connection wire for providing a wheel speed signal to the controller in response to rotation of the vehicle tire;
• an interrogator connectable to said controller via said connection wire for, when actuated, providing said interrogation signal to said tire pressure monitor;
• and
• a multiplexer for selectively connecting a drive signal from said controller to said interrogator to actuate said interrogator to provide said interrogation signal and for selectively connecting said wheel speed sensor to said controller for monitoring of said wheel speed signal by said controller.