JPH1172405A - Tire air-pressure alarm device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an in-vehicle type tire air pressure alarm device capable of monitoring a state of air pressure of tires in a compartment of a large-sized vehicle such as a truck, a bus, etc. SOLUTION: A detection valve for a tire air alarm device is integral with a pressure detecting element and a transmission part 28 in a housing 9 provided integrally with a valve stem 1, and also an initializing switch for registering codes identifying from which tire information is transmitted is provided at an end part of the housing 9, and further an upper face of the housing 9 is projected from a tire drop thereby inflicting no damage on the transmitter 28 when the tire is exchanged.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-vehicle type tire pressure alarm device capable of monitoring the state of tire pressure in the interior of a large vehicle such as a truck or a bus, and to a valve stem for filling the tire with air. In addition, a pressure sensor and a transmitter are integrally provided, and an initialization switch for registering an identification code is provided. It is extremely easy to attach the device to the wheel rim, and from which tire the information is transmitted. The present invention relates to a tire air pressure warning device which makes it possible to identify a tire pressure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, air can be injected into a tire,
Also, a tire pressure warning device that wirelessly notifies the driver of the appropriateness of the tire internal pressure has been proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 46-3411. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the above-described tire air pressure alarm device. In the tire air pressure alarm device of the present invention, a cylindrical supporter 33 is screwed air-tightly to a valve stem 32 for air supply, and an end of the supporter 33 is closed. The air supply valve 31 is air-tightly connected. Further, a pressure detector 38 including a pressure detector 34, a battery 35, a cover 36, and an electromagnetic signal transmitter 37 is fixed to the supporter 33, and the pressure detector 38 is also attached to a wheel rim by a retainer 39. It is fixed.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the tire air pressure alarm device shown in FIG. 5. The air supply valve 31 is provided with a valve core 40 having a conventionally known structure. It is designed to hold. The air supply valve stem 32 has a flow hole 4 therein.
1 is provided, and the rubber base portion 42 at the end is
, And a male screw is provided at the other end.
A cylindrical supporter 33 connects the air valve stem 32 and the air supply valve 31 in an airtight manner, and
8 for attaching the supporter 33,
A connecting portion 44 orthogonal to the axis is provided in the intermediate portion, and a pressure introducing hole 45 is provided in the connecting portion 44 to be connected to the flow hole 41 of the valve stem 32 for supplying air.

[0004] The pressure detecting section 34 includes a conductive body 4.
6 is provided with a connecting portion 47 which is screwed to the connecting portion 44 of the supporter 33. A contact 48 made of a conductive material such as copper is provided on the inner surface of the connecting portion 47 in a vertical position by the male screw. Is provided so that it can be adjusted arbitrarily.

The diaphragm 49 is fixed by caulking by a contact stud 51 for separating and contacting the conductive spring receiving plate 50 with the contact 48. The diaphragm 49 is connected to the body 46 by an insulator 52 made of an electrically insulating material. It is designed to be pinched. The diaphragm 49 is flexible and expands and contracts when the balance between the pressure applied to the pressure chamber 53 and the stress applied to the spring 56 is lost. The right side of the diaphragm 49 is a pressure chamber 53 and the left side is a spring chamber 54. And in the spring chamber 54,
A spring 56 sandwiched between the spring receiving plate 50 and a spring seat 55 described later is arranged.

The insulator 52 is provided with an electric terminal 57 on the top thereof, and a worm-like screw 58 made of a conductive material is screwed into an internal bore of the insulator 52. In contact.

The cover 36 is made of a conductive material and is detachably attached in contact with the end surface of the body 46.
The battery 35 and the electromagnetic wave signal transmitter 37 are accommodated on the inner surface of the cover 36, and the terminal 59, which is the pole of the battery, is connected to the electric terminal 57 of the pressure detection unit 34, and the other pole 60 of the battery is Is in contact with the electromagnetic wave signal transmitter 37, the transmitter comes in contact with the cover 36 at the terminal 61, is connected to the body 46, and is electrically connected to the contact 48.

In the conventional tire pressure alarm device shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, if the internal pressure of the tire 43 is normal, the battery 35 is opened by the pressure detecting section 34, and the electromagnetic signal transmitter 37 is not energized. Therefore, although the electromagnetic wave signal is not transmitted, the traveling state is previously determined by the pressure detection unit 34,
When the tire internal pressure reaches a dangerous state adjusted and set in consideration of the tire state, the battery 35 is closed, and the electromagnetic wave signal transmitter 37 is energized to start transmitting an electromagnetic wave signal. Then, a warning signal is issued to the driver through a signal receiver (not shown) provided near the driver's seat through an antenna (not shown) on the vehicle body side.

[0009] As another conventional example, WO94 / 203 discloses a tire pressure alarm system which detects a decrease in air pressure of a vehicle tire and notifies the driver of the decrease.
No. 17 discloses this. As shown in FIG. 7, this conventional tire pressure alarm device includes a transmission unit 77 disposed inside a wheel rim 71 and a valve stem 80 for injecting air into a tire.

The transmitting section 77 is provided inside the case 72,
A pressure detector 73 for detecting tire pressure, a signal processing circuit 74 for transmitting a signal to the receiver on the vehicle body by radio waves based on the detected pressure, and a battery 7 for operating the microcomputer.
5 are built in. Further, the signal processing circuit 74 and the base 83 are connected by a power supply line 76, and the valve stem 80 of the tire valve itself is used as an antenna.

Further, the valve stem 80 is provided integrally with the case 72 by insert molding, and a base 83 is provided at a portion located on the upper surface of the case 72.
Are provided integrally. A ring-shaped groove 84 is provided in an upper portion of the base 83, and the valve stem 80 is attached to the washer 7 by mounting an O-ring 85 in the groove 84.
When tightened with the nut 8 and the nut 79, airtightness between the wheel rim 71 is maintained.

Further, a feed line 76 of the signal processing circuit 74 is provided.
Is soldered to the lower end of the valve stem 80 so that the valve stem 80 itself has an antenna function.

[0013]

However, in the conventional tire pressure warning device shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pressure detecting portion 34 for detecting the tire pressure is not located inside the wheel rim but outside the wheel rim, that is, in the middle of the valve stem. Since the supporter 33 is provided and attached to the portion, there is no protrusion into the wheel rim, so when removing and replacing the tire from the wheel rim, the tire bead damages the pressure switch part of the tire pressure alarm device due to tire beads. No problem. However, the pressure detector 38 is provided via the cylindrical supporter 33.
Are provided so as to protrude in the lateral direction, so that the entire tire pressure alarm device becomes large, which makes practical use difficult. In addition, the mounting posture of the diaphragm and the contact, which are components of the pressure detector 38, is the mounting posture affected by centrifugal force when the wheel rotates.
There is a problem that the detection accuracy of the tire pressure is low.

Further, in the tire pressure warning device shown in FIG.
Therefore, when the tire is replaced, the transmitting unit 77 may be damaged by contact with a tire bead and a tire replacement jig. When the valve stem 80 is used as an antenna, the valve stem 80 is made of a metal wheel rim 71.
The transmission radio wave propagates not only in the air but also in the housing, that is, the valve stem 8.
Radio waves are transmitted from 0 to the wheel rim 71 to the vehicle body side, and although not shown, there is a problem that the radio waves are difficult to reach a receiver provided in the vehicle interior.

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a housing is formed near a wheel rim mounting portion of a valve stem, and a housing is provided with a housing for a pressure sensing element and a transmitting portion. And an initialization switch for registering an identification code, which makes it extremely easy to attach the device to the wheel rim and makes it possible to identify from which tire the information is transmitted. It is intended to provide an alarm device.

That is, in the tire pressure alarm device according to the first invention, a valve stem having a valve core 2 mounted on a valve opening 3, a through hole 4 connected to a tire on the inner surface, and a screw 8 provided on a lower end is provided. 1 and a housing 9 is formed by expanding the outer shape of the stem in the vicinity of the wheel rim mounting portion of the valve stem 1, and a chamber 10 communicating with the through hole 4 is provided in the housing 9 so as to be airtight therein. A signal detecting circuit 17 housed therein and a signal processing circuit 25 formed integrally with the housing 9 for transmitting a pressure signal detected by the pressure detecting element 17 to a receiver on the vehicle body side by radio waves.
And a transmission unit 28 including a battery 26 and the like, and the transmission unit 28
The transmission antenna 29 electrically connected to the signal processing circuit 25 of FIG.
And an initialization switch 90 having a switch port 93 provided at an end of the housing 9 having the transmitting section 28 therein and the valve core 2 built in the switch port 93. The transmitting section 28 and the transmitting antenna 29 The tire pressure information can be transmitted to a receiver provided in a vehicle cabin from a transmitter 30 constituted by the above.

In the tire pressure warning device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the pressure sensing element 17 has a bellows 14 having a contact 13 at the bottom fixed to a deep portion of the housing 9 and a central portion of the housing 9. Is a pressure switch 17a in which a conductive terminal 16 is integrally provided in an insulating sleeve 15 in which the inward and outward dimensions can be adjusted by an external thread, and is hermetically fixed to the female screw 11 of the housing 9. 2. The sealing plug according to claim 1, wherein the sealing plug is fixed by screwing.

The initialization switch 90 of the tire pressure alarm device according to the third invention has a valve core 2 mounted on a switch port 93 and a diaphragm switch provided at a lower end of the switch port 93 via a switch support 96. A top portion of the valve core 2 is hermetically sealed with a lip seal 92, and a top portion of the switch port 93 is hermetically sealed with a switch cap 91. 2.

Further, another initialization switch 110 of the tire pressure alarm device according to the third aspect of the present invention includes a switch port 1
A stepped piston 116 having an outer peripheral portion hermetically held by an O-ring and having a conductive grommet 117 having a conductive plate 119 attached to a lower end portion thereof is mounted in the inside 12 and the switch port At the lower end of 112, a switch support 121 to which two terminals 120, 120 are fixed is fixed, and the step of the piston and the switch support 12 are fixed.
1, a spring 118 for normally opening the conductive plate 119 and the terminal 120 is inserted therein, and a switch cap 111 is hermetically sealed at the top of the switch port 112. Is what you do.

Further, the tire pressure warning device according to the fifth invention is mounted so that the entire height of the housing 9 does not protrude from the drop surface 5a of the wheel rim 5. According to claim 3 and claim 4.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the tire pressure alarm device of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG.
1 is an external perspective view showing a tire pressure warning device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG.
1 shows a cross section of the pressure switch, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the initialization switch, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the tire pressure warning device of the present invention includes a valve stem 1, a housing 9 formed near a wheel rim mounting portion of the valve stem, and a pressure sensing element housed in the housing 9. 17
And a transmission unit 28, a transmission antenna 29, and an initialization switch 90.

As shown in FIG. 1, the valve stem 1 is provided with a valve opening 3 on which the valve core 2 can be mounted and a through hole 4 leading to the tire on the inner surface. A housing 9 is formed by expanding the outer shape of the stem, and a male screw 8 screwed with a nut 7 from the inside of the wheel rim 5 is provided at the lower end of the stem. Reference numeral 6 in the figure denotes an O-ring for maintaining airtightness between the tire and the wheel rim. The upper portion of the valve stem including the valve port 3 has exactly the same structure as a conventionally used tire valve.

The housing 9 is provided with a pressure detecting element 1 described later.
7 and a transmitter 28, and the pressure sensing element 17 is provided on the side of the housing 9 so that the screw 1
1 is housed in a chamber 10 communicating with the through hole 4 at the back. The pressure switch 1
A transmitter 28 for transmitting a signal to the receiver on the vehicle body by radio waves based on the tire pressure detected by 7a is also sealed in the housing 9.

The type of the pressure detecting element 17 is not particularly limited. For example, although not shown, there are a bellows switch, a diaphragm switch, a pressure sensor and the like.
FIG. 3 shows an example in which a pressure switch 17a is used as a pressure detection element. This pressure switch 17a is a bellows 1 provided with a contact 13 at the bottom in the back of the housing 9.
4 is fixed, and an insulating sleeve 15 is provided at the center of the housing 9 so that the in- and out-dimensions of the housing 9 can be adjusted by an external thread. A conductive terminal 16 is integrally provided in the insulating sleeve 15. I have. The pressure switch 17a is fixed to the chamber 10 by a retaining ring 18.

The sealing plug 20 is for hermetically sealing the pressure switch 17a in the chamber 10, and is hermetically fixed to the female screw 11 of the housing.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transmitter 30 comprises a transmission section 28 provided in the housing 9 in an airtight manner, and a transmission antenna 29 fixed to the outer periphery of the valve stem 1 via an insulating material. The transmitter 30 transmits tire pressure information to a receiver provided in the vehicle interior.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transmitting section 28 is a signal processing circuit 25 for transmitting a signal from the tire pressure detected by the pressure switch 17a to a receiver on the vehicle body by radio waves, and for operating a microcomputer. The battery 26 is integrally incorporated in the metal housing 9, and the conduction terminal 16 and one end of the transmitting antenna 29 are electrically connected to the signal processing circuit.

The initialization switch 90 is for registering a code for identifying from which tire the information is transmitted. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a housing incorporating the transmitter 28 is provided. 9 is provided with a switch port 93 at the end thereof, and the valve core 2 is built in the switch port 93.

Further, the specific configuration of the initialization switch 90 will be described. The initialization switch 90 has a valve core 2 mounted on a switch port 93 and a switch support 96 provided at the lower end of the switch port 93. A diaphragm switch 95 is fixed through the valve core 2, the top of the valve core 2 is hermetically sealed with a lip seal 92, and the top of a switch port 93 is hermetically sealed with a switch cap 91. Further, a signal line of the switch is taken out from the back surface of the diaphragm switch 95 of the initialization switch 90, and the signal processing circuit 28
Is directly electrically connected to the Components such as the switch cap 91, the lip seal 92, the valve core 2, and the diaphragm switch 95 are made of rubber, so that they are excellent in waterproofness.

FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the initialization switch corresponding to the BB section of FIG. This initialization switch 1
The initialization switch 110 includes a switch port 112, a switch support 121 fixed to the switch port, a stepped piston 116, and a switch cap 10. 111. One end of the switch port 112 is hermetically fixed to the housing 9 by welding or the like.
A switch support 121 to which the two terminals 120 are fixed is fixed. Also, the stepped piston 11
6 has O-rings 114 and 115 fitted on the outer periphery thereof to maintain airtightness with the inner surface of the switch port 112, and the lower end of the stepped piston 116 has the switch support 12
A conductive grommet 117 having a conducting plate 119 for conducting with the two terminals 120 is fixed. The conductive plate 119 and the terminal 12 are located between the step of the piston 116 and the switch support 121.
A spring 118 that normally sets 0 to an open state is inserted. Further, the stepped piston 116 is provided with the retaining ring 1.
13 prevents it from falling out. A switch cap 111 is attached to the top of the switch port 112 and hermetically sealed.

When the transmitter is mounted on the vehicle, the initialization switch 90 and the initialization switch 110 are turned on when the registration mode switch of the receiver in the vehicle compartment is turned on. The device is ready to register a unique ID code.

Next, by pressing the switch cap of the initialization switch of each transmitter, an ID code is transmitted for a certain period of time and registered in the receiver. The registration completion result is displayed on the display of the receiver. If you cannot complete, you will be re-registered.

Next, the operation of replacing a tire to which the tire pressure alarm device of the present invention is attached will be described. FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view showing the positional relationship between the brake drum and the wheel disk. The disc wheel 100 is used for a large vehicle such as a truck or a bus, and is composed of a disc 101 and a wheel rim 5. The valve stem 1 of the present invention has a lower end portion on the wheel rim 5 with a nut 7. It is fixed. In the drawings, reference numeral 102 denotes a tire, and 103 denotes a brake drum. The housing 9 provided integrally with the valve stem 1 has a flat upper surface, and the flat portion does not protrude from the surface of the tire drop 5 a of the wheel rim 5.

In the tire replacement of such a large vehicle, since the weight of the tire is extremely heavy, when removing the wheel from the axle, the wheel is temporarily mounted on a brake drum and the wheel is removed while rocking. Even in such a case, the upper surface of the housing 9 of the present invention including the transmitter 28 does not project from the surface of the tire drop 5a of the wheel rim 5 as described above.
At the time of replacement, the load of the wheel is supported by the tire drop 5a. Therefore, if the housing 9
Is projected from the tire drop 5a, a large load is applied to the housing and the built-in transmitter 28 is damaged. However, in the present invention, there is no possibility that the transmitter 28 is damaged.

Next, the operation of the tire pressure alarm device of the present invention will be described. When the tire air pressure falls below a predetermined value, the bellows 14 of the pressure switch 17a extends, the contact 13 fixed to the tip of the bellows separates from the conduction terminal 16, and the contact of the pressure switch 17a becomes "open". At this time, the microcomputer recognizes that the tire air pressure has become lower than a predetermined value. Therefore, information that the tire pressure has become lower than the predetermined value can be transmitted from the transmitter 30 to a receiver (not shown) provided in the vehicle interior.

[0036]

According to the tire pressure alarm device of the present invention, the pressure sensing element 17 is housed in the housing 9 having an expanded outer shape in the vicinity of the wheel rim mounting portion of the valve stem 1, and
Since the transmitter 30 is provided integrally with the housing 9, attachment of the device to the wheel rim is extremely easy.

Further, as compared with the conventional wheel rim shown in FIG. 7 in which a transmitting portion is provided, there is no possibility that the transmitting portion may be damaged by contact with a tire bead or a tire replacement jig when replacing a tire. Further, since the transmission antenna 29 is insulated from the wheel rim by an insulating material (antenna case), the propagation of the housing, that is, a radio wave is transmitted from the transmission antenna to the wheel rim toward the vehicle body, and the receiver provided in the vehicle compartment There is no problem that radio waves are difficult to reach.

Compared with the conventional tire pressure alarm device shown in FIG.
Since a is housed, the entire tire pressure warning device is compactly assembled, and practical application is extremely easy. In addition, the mounting posture of the bellows 14 of the pressure switch 17a is not affected by the centrifugal force when the wheel rotates, so that the detection accuracy of the tire air pressure can be increased.

Further, by providing the initialization switch 90 or 110, it is possible to easily recognize which tire is transmitting information from the driver's seat. Also,
The operation of the initialization switch does not require special tools or equipment (such as magnets), and can be easily operated by hand.

Further, when the housing 9 is the tire drop 5
Since it does not protrude from a, a large load is not applied to the housing at the time of tire replacement, and there is no possibility that the transmitter 28 may be damaged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tire pressure alarm device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional tire pressure warning device.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the conventional tire pressure warning device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a tire pressure warning device showing another conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a positional relationship between a brake drum and a wheel disc to which a tire pressure alarm device according to the present invention is attached.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another embodiment of the initialization switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 valve stem, 2 valve core,
3 Valve port, 4 through hole, 5 Wheel rim, 5a Tire drop 6 O-ring,
7 Nut, 8 Male thread, 9
Housing, 10 chambers, 11 female threads,
12 base, 13 contacts, 14 bellows, 15 insulation sleeve,
16 conduction terminal, 17 measuring element, 17
a pressure switch, 18 retaining ring, 20 sealing stopper,
24 pressure detector, 25 signal processing circuit, 26 battery, 28 transmitter,
29 transmission antenna, 31 air supply valve,
32 valve stem, 33 supporter, 34 pressure detector, 35 battery, 36 cover, 37 electromagnetic wave signal transmitter, 38 pressure detector,
39 retainer, 40 valve core, 4
1 circulation hole, 42 rubber base part, 43
Tires, 44 connections, 45
Pressure introduction hole, 46 body, 47 connection part, 48 contact, 49 diaphragm, 50 spring receiving plate, 51 contact tack, 5
2 insulator, 53 pressure chamber, 5
4 Spring chamber, 55 Spring seat, 56
Spring, 57 electrical terminal, 58 worm screw,
59 terminals, 60 other poles, 6
1 terminal, 71 wheel rim, 7
2 case, 73 pressure detector, 74 signal processing circuit, 75 battery, 76 power supply line,
77 transmitter, 78 washer, 79 nut,
80 valve stem, 83 base,
84 ring-shaped groove, 85 O-ring,
90 initialization switch, 93 switch port, 9
5 diaphragm switch, 96 switch support,
101 disc, 102 tire, 103
Brake drum. 110 initialization switch, 112
Switch port, 113 Retaining ring, 114, 11
5 O-ring, 116 piston, 117 conductive grommet, 118 spring, 119
Conductive plate, 120 terminals, 121 switches.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A valve core 2 is mounted on a valve opening 3, a through hole 4 is provided on an inner surface thereof, and a screw 8 is provided on a lower end.
A housing 9 is formed by expanding the outer shape of the stem near the wheel rim mounting portion of the valve stem 1, and a chamber 10 communicating with the through hole 4 is provided in the housing 9. A pressure sensing element 17 that is housed in an airtight manner; and the pressure sensing element 1 that is formed integrally with the housing 9.
7, a signal processing circuit 25 for transmitting a pressure signal detected by the radio wave to a receiver on the vehicle body side, a transmission unit 28 including a battery 26 and the like, and electrically connected to the signal processing circuit 25 of the transmission unit 28. A transmitting antenna 29 fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the valve stem 1 via an insulating material; and a switch port 93 provided at an end of the housing 9 in which the transmitting portion 28 is built, and the valve core 2 built in the switch port 93. A tire comprising: an initialization switch 90; and a transmitter 30 constituted by the transmission unit 28 and the transmission antenna 29, capable of transmitting tire pressure information to a receiver provided in a vehicle cabin. Air pressure alarm. 2. The pressure sensing element 17 has a contact 1 at its bottom.
The bellows 14 provided with the fixing member 3 is fixed to the inner part of the housing 9 and the conducting terminal 16 is integrally provided in the center of the housing 9 in an insulating sleeve 15 whose outer diameter can be adjusted by an external thread. The tire pressure alarm device according to claim 1, wherein a sealing plug (20) hermetically fixed is fixed to the female screw (11) of the housing (9) by screwing together with the pressure switch (17a). 3. The initialization switch 90 is connected to the switch port 9
3 and the switch port 9
A diaphragm switch 95 is fixed to the lower end of the valve core 3 via a switch support 96, the top of the valve core 2 is hermetically sealed with a lip seal 92, and the top of the switch port 93 is hermetically sealed with a switch cap 91. 3. The tire pressure warning device according to claim 1, wherein the tire pressure warning device is sealed. 4. Another initialization switch 110 is a conductive grommet 1 having a switch port 112, an outer periphery of which is hermetically held by an O-ring, and a conduction plate 119 at a lower end.
A stepped piston 116 to which the switch 17 is fixed is mounted.
Switch support 1 to which terminals 120, 120 are fixed
21 is fixed, a spring 118 for normally opening the conductive plate 119 and the terminal 120 is inserted between the step of the piston and the switch support 121, and a top of the switch port 112 is provided at the top of the switch port 112. The tire pressure warning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the switch cap (111) is hermetically sealed. 5. The tire pressure warning device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is mounted so that the entire height of the housing does not protrude from the drop surface of the wheel rim.