The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 12, 1997
Filed:
May. 08, 1995
John J Coulthard, Scottsdale, AZ (US);
Semisystems, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ (US);
Abstract
A tire monitor includes a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, an A/D converter, and a microprocessor. The microprocessor has a sleep mode for conserving power and an output of the microprocessor controls the power applied to the pressure sensor and to the temperature sensor. A modulator and antenna are coupled to the microprocessor for transmitting data from the tire. Coupling between a monitor and a receiver is enhanced by extending a receiving antenna downwardly from the chassis of the vehicle, e.g. from the frame of a tractor. The tire monitor is fabricated on a small printed circuit board with terminals for programming or encoding each monitor with a unique identification code during manufacture of the monitor. Terminals are also provided for disabling the transmitter with a jumper until the monitor is installed in a tire. The jumper is removed upon installation but the transmitter is further prevented by the microprocessor from transmitting until the pressure in a tire first exceeds a predetermined pressure. Transmissions occur at widely spaced intervals and the spacing depends on the content of the data. The number of times that the data is repeated within a transmission is also a function of the content of the data.