Tire pressure monitoring system for motorcycles

Abstract

A tire pressure monitoring system for a motorcycle includes a tire valve stem mounted tire pressure gauge and an externally powerable remote display unit. The pressure gauge includes a pressure sensor, a wake circuit, a processor, and a first radio frequency (RF) module. The remote display unit includes a second RF module and a display. The wake circuit is adapted to activate the processor periodically at a predetermined interval of time and causes the processor to receive an output signal from the pressure sensor. The output of the pressure sensor is indicative of a tire pressure detected by the pressure sensor. The remote display unit is adapted to display the measured tire pressure value without any user input.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTIONThe present invention relates to tire pressure measurement and tire pressure gauges.BACKGROUNDPressure gauges are conventionally used for measuring the pressure of a gas or a liquid, such as an air pressure. Tire pressure gauges, as an example, measure the inflation pressures of vehicle tires, such information being useful for maintaining optimal tire performance and avoiding unnecessary wear. Conventional tire pressure gauges are held in the hand, and require the user to locate a tire valve, unscrew a cap from the valve, and engage the tire pressure gauge with the valve. At night, it is difficult to locate the valve. Tire valve caps are usually covered in a film of dirt, which comes off on the user's fingers when removing and replacing the cap. While some vehicles have systems for monitoring of tire pressure using tire pressure gauges with radiofrequency transmitters installed in the tires, and systems for interrogating the gauges and receiving readings installed ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

In an embodiment of the invention, responsive to an activation signal from the wake circuit, the processor receives an output signal from the pressure sensor indicative of the measured tire pressure. The processor then compares the measured tire pressure value with the immediately previously measured tire pressure value stored in the memory. If the recently measured tire pressure value differs from the value stored in the memory by an amount more than a predetermined value, the processor causes the first RF module to transmit a wireless signal indicative of the recently measured tire pressure value. The wireless signal is received by the remote display unit via the second RF module. The remote display unit is adapted to display the most recent measured tire pressure value transmitted by the tire pressure gauge.

Problems solved by technology

At night, it is difficult to locate the valve.

While some vehicles have systems for monitoring of tire pressure using tire pressure gauges with radiofrequency transmitters installed in the tires, and systems for interrogating the gauges and receiving readings installed in the vehicle, such systems are not practical to install on existing tires and vehicles.

Furthermore, such systems require user activation to measure and display or indicate the tire pressures.

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