Tire pressure monitor system tool with re
Contents
1. Patent Application Publication Jan 22 2009 Sheet 7 of 8 US 2009 0021362 A1 nte Area 158 Area 158 Area 190 Main Menu 192 FIG o FIG 15 ew ET 2 Main Menu 196 Start Main Menu rJ R 192 198 192 FIG 14 Fes Patent Application Publication Jan 22 2009 Sheet 8 of 8 US 2009 0021362 A1 xt Area 190 Sia fa ID 1234567 190 xe PS 323 a 214 PN Learn Mode Main Menu Activate 192 208 210 192 Sm FIG 17 FIG 19 Y A 10 1234567 190 Text Area 190 218 8 PSI 32 3 YA 216 Learn Mode 212 222 214 Main Menu 14 EE E Main Menu Activate 192 oe f 192 220 FIG 18 FIG 20 US 2009 0021362 Al TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR SYSTEM TOOL WITH RE LEARN AND DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES RELATED APPLICATIONS 0001 This application is related to co pending U S patent application titled Tire Pressure Monitor System Tool With Vehicle Entry System filed concurrently herewith co pend ing U S patent application titled Tire Pressure Monitor Sys tem Module filed concurrently herewith and co pending U S patent application titled Tire Pressure Monitor Initation Tool With Vehicle Data Interface filed concurrently here with each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety FIELD OF THE INVENTION 0002 The invention relates generally to tire pressure monitoring systems More particularly the invention relates to2. an RS232 serial cable connected to the port 18 and the computer or other device The updating module 82 may modify infor mation stored by the storing module 50 or add information to the storing module 50 Additional information may be for example information relating to tire pressure monitor sys tems installed on newer vehicles 0045 The tool 10 may also include a simulating module 84 The simulating module 84 may be used to simulate a tire pressure sensor to validate the functionality ofa tire pressure monitor system on a vehicle 0046 A diagnosing module 86 may also be used to diag nose a tire pressure monitor system on a vehicle The diag nosing module 86 may be used to obtain for example tire pressure and other information from the sensor Jan 22 2009 0047 FIGS 5 6 illustrate a method of communicating with a tire pressure monitor system of a vehicle using a tire pressure monitor tool according to one embodiment of the invention In step 102 information regarding tire pressure monitor systems and vehicles using such vehicles may be stored by the tire pressure monitor tool The tool may be used to obtain tire pressure information from one or more wheels of a vehicle provided with tire pressure sensors To commu nicate properly with a tire pressure sensor the tire pressure tool must be provided with data regarding the vehicle from which tire pressure information is sought Vehicle data may be requested using the tool as
3. that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the draw ings The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways For example although the invention is described in terms of a plurality of modules it is to be under stood that the invention may be implemented using one or more modules Also it is to be understood that the phraseol ogy and terminology employed herein as well as the abstract are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting 0020 As such those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other struc tures methods and systems for carrying out the several pur poses of the present invention It is important therefore that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construc tions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0021 FIG 1 is a front perspective view of a tire pressure mounting tool according to one embodiment of the invention 0022 FIG 2 is a rear view of a tire pressure monitor tool according to one embodiment of the invention 0023 FIG 3 is a block diagram of a tire pressure monitor
4. at least one of sound a vehicle horn and flash at least one vehicle light 32 The tool according to claim 24 further comprising updating means for updating the tire pressure monitor system information 33 The tool according to claim 32 wherein the updating means comprises an update interface 34 The tool according to claim 33 wherein the update interface comprises an RS232 port 35 The tool according to claim 24 wherein the at least one vehicle data comprises at least one of make model and year data
5. claim 5 further comprising a notifying module configured to notify a user of a status of the reset procedure 8 The tool according to claim 7 wherein the notifying module causes a vehicle electronic control unit to at least one of sound a vehicle horn and flash at least one vehicle light 9 The tool according to claim 1 further comprising an updating module configured to update the tire pressure moni tor system information 10 The tool according to claim 9 wherein the updating module comprises an update interface 11 The tool according to claim 10 wherein the update interface comprises an RS232 port 12 The tool according to claim 1 wherein the at least one vehicle data comprises at least one of make model and year data 13 A method of communicating with a tire pressure moni tor system comprising requesting vehicle data of a vehicle accessing stored tire pressure monitor system information determining whether at least a portion of the tire pressure monitor system information is associated with the vehicle data determining whether the tire pressure monitor system information comprises at least one of a reset procedure and a diagnostic procedure associated with the tire pres sure monitor system 14 The method according to claim 13 further comprising selecting at least one ofthe reset and diagnostic procedures if a determination is made that the tire pressure monitor system information includes at least one of th
6. procedures for at least one vehicle a vehicle data requesting module configured to request vehicle data a tire pressure monitor system interfacing module config ured to interface with a tire pressure monitor system of the at least one vehicle atire pressure monitor system determining module config ured to determine the tire pressure monitor system of the at least one vehicle a procedure determining module configured to determine at least one of a tire pressure monitor system reset pro cedure and a tire pressure monitor system diagnostic procedure of the at least one vehicle 2 The tool according to claim 1 further comprising a procedure selecting module configured to select at least one Jan 22 2009 of the tire pressure monitor system reset procedure and the tire pressure monitor system diagnostic procedure of the vehicle 3 The tool according to claim 1 further comprising a displaying module configured to display vehicle information 4 The tool according to claim 1 further comprising a diagnosing module configured to diagnose the tire pressure monitor system of the at least one vehicle 5 The tool according to claim 1 further comprising a resetting module configured to reset the tire pressure monitor system of the at least one vehicle 6 The tool according to claim 5 further comprising a manual referencing module configured to reference at least one section of a vehicle owner s manual 7 The tool according to
7. updates the information stored by the tool The tool may also include an Int Cl update interface that may be for example an RS232 port The B60C 23 00 2006 01 tool may interface with an electronic control unit of a vehicle Transmitter Receiver 10 36 38 UpdatePot 18 ee Microprocessor Display 30 14 Power SE Kg Regulator 42 Patent Application Publication Jan 22 2009 Sheet 1 of 8 US 2009 0021362 A1 FIG 1 FIG 2 US 2009 0021362 A1 Jan 22 2009 Sheet 2 of 8 Patent Application Publication Sls 0 JossaooJdoJolA FL Ae dsiq 8L e 2 AA Od apin eee ve Jayeods H cv 10jejn683j SE JejLusueJ e JONS09M Patent Application Publication Storing Module 50 Vehicle Data Reguesting Module 52 Receiving Module 54 Linking Module 58 Transmitting Module 60 Vehicle ECU interfacing Module 62 Jan 22 2009 Sheet 3 of 8 TPMS Determining Module Procedure Determining Module 66 Procedure Selecting Module 68 Manual Referencing Module 70 Initiating Module 72 Resetting Module 74 Feedback Providing Module 76 FIG 4 US 2009 0021362 A1 e Displaying Module 78 Notifying Module 80 Updating Module 82 Simulating Module 84 Diagnosing Module 86 Patent Application Publication Jan 22 2009
8. 33 FIG 2 illustrates a rear view of the tool 10 according one embodiment of the invention The tool 10 may be battery powered Therefore the tool 10 may be provided with a battery compartment 26 The battery compartment 26 may include a removable battery cover 28 that allows removable insertion of batteries within the battery compartment 26 According to one embodiment of the invention the tool 10 is powered by three 3 size C batteries 0034 FIG 3 illustrates a block diagram of the tool 10 illustrated in FIGS 1 and 2 The tool 10 may include a microprocessor 30 that processes software used to operate the tool 10 According to one embodiment of the invention the microprocessor is an ATMEGA2561 microprocessor having a clock speed of 8 Mhz The microprocessor 30 communi cates with a keypad 32 According to one embodiment of the invention the keypad 32 includes the selector buttons 16a 16c illustrated in FIG 1 The microprocessor 30 may also be in communication with a speaker 34 The speaker 34 may be used to provide audible tones or notifications during use of the tool 10 0035 The microprocessor 30 may also be in communica tion with a transmitter 36 and a receiver 38 The transmitter 36 may be used to transmit signals to a tire pressure sensor mounted on a wheel of a vehicle or an electronic control unit of a vehicle According to one embodiment of the invention the transmitter 36 operates at 125 khz Although only one transmitte
9. Sheet 4 of 8 US 2009 0021362 A1 Store Information 102 Request Vehicle Data 104 Receive Vehicle Data 106 ES Information Stored 108 Link Vehicle Data dun 110 Information Stored E Communicate With Vehicle ECU 412 Determine TPMS 114 Determine Procedure 116 44 8 Select Procedure FIG 5 Patent Application Publication Jan 22 2009 Sheet 5 of 8 US 2009 0021362 A1 Reference Owner s Manual 120 Initiate Sensor s d 122 Provide Feedback 124 HE kas amas Display Information x 126 Provide Notification x 128 Update Information Stored 130 Simulate Sensor s 132 ae EPUM Diagnose TPMS 134 FIG 6 Patent Application Publication Jan 22 2009 Sheet 6 of 8 Product Name Logo 152 i Other Information 154 150 FIG 7 Title Area 158 Reset 160a Diagnostics 160b 156 Update 160c 162 166 164 FIG 8 Current Vehicle 2005 Cadillac Escalade EXT 172 174 FIG 9 US 2009 0021362 A1 Title Area 158 Main Menu 178a Acura 178b Audi 478c 176 o o Unlisted 178n 162 166 164 FIG 10 Title Area 158 Main Menu 182a CTS 182b DeVille 1826 180 Unlisted 182n 162 166 164 FIG 11 Title Area 158 Main Menu 1863 2008 186b 2005 186c 184 o 104 o Uniisted 186n waji 164 162 166 FIG 12
10. US 20090021362A1 as United States a2 Patent Application Publication o Pub No US 2009 0021362 A1 Kochie 43 Pub Date Jan 22 2009 54 76 21 22 51 TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR SYSTEM TOOL WITH RE LEARN AND DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES Robert Kochie Mantorville MN US Inventor Correspondence Address BAKER amp HOSTETLER LLP WASHINGTON SQUARE SUITE 1100 1050 CONNECTICUT AVE N W WASHINGTON DC 20036 5304 US Appl No 11 589 089 Filed Oct 30 2006 Publication Classification 52 US Cl ite 340 442 57 ABSTRACT A tire pressure monitor system tool that stores information regarding a plurality of tire pressure monitor systems The information may include procedures for resetting and diag nosing the tire pressure monitor system The tool may include a storing module that stores the information and a displaying module that causes the information to be displayed on a display of the tool The tool may enable a user to input data regarding a vehicle Based on the vehicle data input by the user the tool may determine a tire pressure monitor system installed on the vehicle using the information stored Based on the tire pressure monitoring system installed on the vehicle the tool may determine one or more reset or diagnos tic procedures that may be performed by the tool The tool may also reference the owner s manual of the vehicle The tool may also include an updating module that
11. a handheld tire pressure monitoring system tool that stores and provides procedures for diagnosing and resetting a tire pressure monitor system BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0003 Systems have been developed to monitor for example vehicle tire pressure and to report the tire pressure to a receiver at a central monitoring station using radio trans missions A typical remote automotive tire condition moni toring system includes a plurality of tire based sensory tran sponders and a central vehicle based arrangement The sensory transponders include a component that senses a tire condition such as tire inflation pressure or tire temperature Each transponder is capable of outputting a coded transmis sion that conveys sensed tire condition information and an identifier for reception by the vehicle based arrangement Within the vehicle based arrangement an electronic control unit ECU processes the conveyed information and con trols provision of information regarding the sensed tire con ditions to a vehicle operator During operation of such a system the vehicle operator is readily notified ofa current tire condition such as a low inflation pressure in a tire 0004 For a vehicle operator to determine which tire has a condition of interest e g a low inflation pressure informa tion provided to the vehicle operator must unambiguously identify the location e g right front of the tire that has the condition of interest In o
12. ating whether a signal is being received from the tire sensor and a battery level indicator 218 indicating an approximate battery level remaining in the batteries of the tire pressure monitor tool The display 216 may also include an activate selection display 220 that activates a diagnostic procedure of the tire pressure monitor tool Upon selection of the activate selection display 220 a signal transmitting signal symbol 222 may be presented in a display 218 to indicate that the tire pressure monitor tool is transmitting a signal to the tire pressure sensor as illustrated in FIG 20 0063 The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification and thus it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention Further since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the invention What is claimed is 1 A tool for communicating with a tire pressure monitor system comprising a storing module configured to store tire pressure monitor system information and at least one of a plurality of tire pressure monitor system reset procedures and diagnostic
13. ation information to a vehicle based portion one known tire identification system is placed in a learn mode via actuation of pushbutton s on an operator accessible information panel of the vehicle based portion During the learn mode the vehicle based portion is in a ready state to receive a distinctive learn mode signal transmitted from each of tire based transmitter of the system In order to cause each tire based transmitter to send the learn mode signal a strong magnet is swept over the outside of the associated vehicle tire 0007 A monitor is located at each tire and periodically takes a measurement of the tire pressure A pressure signal is generated that corresponds to the pressure within the tire The monitor transmits the measurement in a radio frequency transmission to the central monitoring station that produces an alarm or a display in response to the measurement When the tire pressure drops below a predetermined pressure an indicator is used to signal the vehicle operator of the low pressure 0008 During assembly and routine maintenance such as tire rotation or tire replacement the tire pressure system must becalibrated Calibration involves associating the various tire positions with the pressure transmitters that are located on the tires One proposed method for calibrating a system uses a magnet device to initiate the calibration In this system an internal display panel with locations corresponding to t
14. ay be used to navigate through the displays pre US 2009 0021362 Al sented on the display 14 and select that certain functions be performed The selector buttons 16a 16c may be positioned below select displays presented on the display 14 The selec tor buttons 16a 16c may be used to select one of the selection displays presented on display 14 The selection displays may be for example up and down arrows an enter function a menu function start activate and next operations yes no okay redo and stop functions and reuse or new functions The selection displays are described in further detail below 0030 The port 18 may be a port that enables the tool 10 to be connected to for example a computer or Internet connec tion that enables the tool to be updated with modified or additional information The port 18 may be for example an RS232 serial port that connects the tool 10 to the computer or Internet connection using an RS232 serial cable This is described in further detail below 0031 The power button 20 may be used to turn the tool 10 onand off According to one embodiment ofthe invention the tool may turn off automatically after for example three to four minutes of inactivity 0032 The casing 22 provides a housing for the tool 10 The casing may be provided with the passages 24 that may be located in front of a speaker not shown that emits audible tones or other notifications while the tool 10 is being used 00
15. cles The storing module 50 may be for example any suitable storage medium such as a storage module on a micro processor a hard disk a removable storage media such as a flash disk for other suitable storage mechanism The tool 10 also includes a vehicle data requesting module 52 The vehicle data requesting module 52 may be used to request data regarding a particular vehicle for which the tool 10 may be used The vehicle data requesting module 52 may present a user of the tool 10 with a plurality of screens displaying information regarding various vehicle types For example the user may be presented with the vehicle data associated with the vehicle for which the tool 10 was most recently used According to another embodiment the user may be presented with a series of screens displaying lists of various makes models and years of various vehicles The user may use the selector buttons to navigate the lists and select the make model and year of a desired vehicle A receiving module 54 may be used to receive input provided by the user 0039 An accessing module 56 may be used to access the information stored in the storing module 50 to determine whether any of the information stored by the storing module 50 is associated with the vehicle data input by the user If the storing module 50 does not include any information associ ated with the vehicle data the user may be notified that no information was located If information associated with th
16. d ing the tire pressure sensors mounted one or more wheels of the vehicle According to one embodiment of the invention the antenna 12 of the tool 10 is placed adjacent a valve stem of a wheel of a vehicle The tool 10 receives for example location identification number pressure information and possibly other information from the tire pressure sensor using receiving module 54 and transmits the information to the vehicle electronic control unit using transmitting module 60 0043 A feedback providing module 76 may be used to determine whether the tire pressure monitor system has been reset For example the feedback providing module 76 may cause symbols text or other information to be displayed on the display 14 indicating that a reset procedure has been completed The information may be displayed on the display 14 using displaying module 78 A notifying module 80 may be used to notify the user that a reset or other procedure has been completed For example the notifying module 80 may cause an electronic control unit ofa vehicle to sound a horn of the vehicle or flash one or more lights of a vehicle indicating that the reset or other procedure has been completed 0044 An updating module 82 may be used to update the information stored by the storing module 50 The updating module 82 may be in communication with the port 18 The updating module 82 may receive information from a com puter the Internet or other data source using for example
17. e Did horn sound The display 206 may include selection displays Yes 208 and No 210 that enable the user to answer the inter rogatory The selection displays 208 210 may be selected using selector buttons provided on the tool and below the US 2009 0021362 Al selection displays The selection 206 may also include a main menu selection display 192 as discussed above 0061 Ifthe user selects Yes selection display 208 the user may be presented with a display 212 as illustrated in FIG 18 The display 212 may include a text area 188 indicating that the procedure has been completed The display 212 may also include a main menu selection display 192 as discussed above If the user selects No selection display 210 however the tool may present a previous display such as for example display 196 as illustrated in FIG 14 This enables the user to repeat the procedure to attempt to properly complete the procedure 0062 FIG 19 illustrates a diagnostic test screen display 214 according to one embodiment of the invention The dis play 214 includes a text area 190 and main menu selection display 192 as described above The text display 190 may include for example an identification number of a tire pres sure sensor from which tire pressure information has been received the tire pressure for that particular tire and an oper ating mode of the electronic control unit of the vehicle The display may also include a signal indicator 216 indic
18. e vehicle data is located however a linking module 58 may be used to link the information with the vehicle data The infor mation may include for example communication protocols for communicating with an electronic control unit of the vehicle procedures for resetting a tire pressure monitor sys tem of the vehicle diagnosing the tire pressure monitor sys tem of the vehicle or other functions 0040 A transmitting module 60 may then be used to trans mit a signal from the tool 10 to a tire pressure sensor of the vehicle or an electronic control unit of the vehicle If the signal is transmitted to the electronic control unit of the vehicle a vehicle electronic control unit interfacing module 62 may be used to interface with the vehicle electronic control unit The tool 10 may interface with the vehicle electronic control unit to for example reset a tire pressure monitor system of the vehicle As discussed above tire replacement and rotation requires resetting of the vehicle s tire pressure monitor system This enables the vehicle electronic control unit to maintain locations of each tire pressure sensor such that accurate information may be displayed to a driver of the vehicle using for example a dashboard display of the vehicle 0041 A tire pressure monitor system determining module 64 may be used to determine a type of tire pressure monitor system provided on the vehicle This information may be US 2009 0021362 Al obtained f
19. e reset procedure and the diagnostic procedure 15 The method according to claim 13 further comprising performing at least one of the reset procedure and the diag nostic procedure 16 The method according to claim 13 further comprising displaying a status of at least one of the reset procedure and the diagnostic procedure 17 The method according to claim 13 further comprising referencing at least a portion of a vehicle owner s manual 18 The method according to claim 13 further comprising notifying a user of a status of a reset procedure 19 The method according to claim 18 further comprising sounding a horn of the vehicle 20 The method according to claim 18 further comprising flashing at least one light of the vehicle 21 The method according to claim 13 further comprising updating the stored tire pressure monitor system information 22 The method according to claim 13 wherein the vehicle data comprises at least one of make model and year data US 2009 0021362 Al 23 The method according to claim 13 further comprising storing the tire pressure monitor system information 24 A tool for communicating with a tire pressure monitor system comprising storing means for storing tire pressure monitor system information and at least one ofa plurality of tire pressure monitor system reset procedures and diagnostic proce dures for at least one vehicle vehicle data requesting means for requesting vehicle data tire
20. e user may also be notified whether a resetting or diagnosing procedure has been completed step 128 For US 2009 0021362 Al example the tool 10 may cause the electronic control unit of the vehicle to sound a horn of the vehicle or flash one or more lights of the vehicle indicating that the resetting or diagnosing procedure has been completed 0052 According to one embodiment of the invention the tool 10 may be updated with modified or additional tire pres sure monitor system information step 130 For example the tool may be provided with a port that receives for example an RS232 serial cable that may be connected to a computer the Internet or other data source such that tire pressure monitor system information may be communicated to the tool in step 130 and stored in step 102 The tire pressure monitor system information may include modifications or additions to the information already stored by the tire pressure monitor tool 0053 The tool 10 may also simulate a tire pressure sensor of a vehicle step 132 The tool 10 may simulate the tire pressure sensor to validate the functionality ofa tire pressure monitor system installed on a vehicle The tool 10 may also be used to diagnose the tire pressure monitor system step 134 The tool 10 may be used to obtain information such as tire pressure and sensor identification information Additionally the tool 10 may obtain information regarding a battery con dition of the batteries prov
21. he tire location is activated When the tire locations are illuminated on the display the vehicle operator or service technician places the magnet near the indicated tire The transducer then sends a code corresponding thereto to the central controller When the indicator indicates another tire location the magnet must be brought near each tire location until each of the tire locations have a tire registered thereto One problem with this device is that a separate component such as a magnet must be provided to the vehicle operator that is used only in the calibration process One problem associated with a separate magnet device is that sucha device is subject to loss Thus the tire pressure sensing system would be rendered inoperable 0009 One problem with such systems is the need to pro gram the location of the transmitters at the central station To be useful the tire pressure is preferably associated with the tire which originated the measurement when presenting a display or alarm Each monitor includes identification infor mation that can be transmitted with the measurement The tire monitor is preferably activated to produce this information and the information is conveyed to the central station and associated with the position of the tire 0010 In one technique the tire monitors include a reed switch or other magnetic device A magnet is passed near the reed switch causing the monitor to transmit a radio frequency transmission that i
22. ided in the tire pressure monitor tool 10 0054 FIGS 7 9 illustrate initial displays that may be pre sented to a user of a tire pressure monitor tool according to one embodiment of the invention FIG 7 illustrates a display 150 that may be for example a start up screen displayed on the tire pressure monitor tool display The display 150 may include a product name and or logo 152 and or other infor mation 154 FIG 8 illustrates a display 156 that may be for example a main menu of the tool The display 156 may include a title area 158 for displaying a title of the display The display 156 may include a plurality of a selectable options 160a 160c that may be displayed in a list in the display 156 The selectable options 160a 160c may include for example reset 160a diagnostics 1605 and update 160c The selectable options 160a 160c may be navigated using selection displays presented above selector buttons provided on the tire pressure monitor tool The selection displays may be for example an up arrow 162 and a down arrow 164 By pressing the selector buttons provided on the tool a user may navigate up and down the display 156 to select a desired function The function may be selected by pressing the selector button located beneath selection display Enter 166 provided on the display 156 The tool may indicate a function to be selected by for example highlighting circling underlining or other formatting to dis tinguish the function
23. illustrated in step 104 Vehicle data may be requested by for example displaying a make model and year of a vehicle and requesting that the user confirm or change the vehicle data 0048 If the vehicle data displayed is not related to the vehicle from which tire pressure information is sought the tool may provide a series of displays to the user enabling the user to select a make model and year data from among a list of makes models and years This information may be received by the tool in step 106 The information stored in step 102 is then accessed in step 108 to determine whether tire pressure monitor system information relating to the vehicle data received by the tool is being stored If information relat ing to the vehicle data is located this information is linked with the vehicle data in step 110 0049 The tool may use this information to communicate with the electronic control unit ofthe vehicle step 112 Based on the communication with the electronic control unit a determination may be made regarding a tire pressure monitor system installed on the vehicle 114 Based on the tire pressure monitor system installed a determination may be made regarding a procedure to for example reset or diagnose the tire pressure monitor system step 116 The resetting or diag nosing procedure is then selected based on input provided by auserusing the tool 10 as illustrated in step 118 The resetting or diagnosing procedure may require a u
24. lso include the selection displays 162 164 and 166 as described The user may navigate the list provided in the display 180 and select a desired model If a user selects a desired model the user may be presented with a display 184 as illustrated in FIG 12 The display 184 may include a title area 158 and selection displays 162 164 and 166 as described above The display 184 may also include a list of years from which a user can select a desired year associated with the vehicle make and model previously selected The display 184 may include a list having a main menu option 186a and a plurality of selectable years 1865 1867 from which the user may select 0057 If the user selects a vehicle year the user may be presented with a display 188 as illustrated in FIG 13 The display 188 may include a title area 158 that provides a title of the display The display 188 may also include a user instruc tion 190 providing a user with an instruction to perform a task Forexample the user may be instructed to refer to a particular section of the vehicle s user manual for performing a certain function The display 188 may also include main menu selec tion display 192 and next selection display 194 displayed abovetwo ofthe selector buttons provided on the tire pressure monitor tool The user may use the selection displays 192 194 to return to a main menu of the tire pressure monitor tool or proceed to a next step of for example a reset procedure afte
25. ncludes identification data A service tech nician repeats this process at each wheel and then loads the identification and position information into the central moni toring station 0011 One drawback with such a system is that because many wheels are made from steel which is a magnetic mate rial tire pressure sensing systems may not operate properly because the steel wheels may shield the magnetic energy US 2009 0021362 Al Therefore the system may also be rendered inoperable because the pressure transmitter is not activated by the mag net 0012 Various tire manufacturers have suggested various locations for the pressure sensors Known systems include coupling a pressure sensor to the valve stem of the tire Other known systems and proposed systems locate the pressure sensors in various locations within the tire wall or tread 0013 These previous techniques have been limited in effectiveness The magnetic programming technique may be subject to interference and crosstalk for example in a factory where many such tire monitors are being assembled with tires and vehicles Also users of modular products are required to purchase a separate tool to interface with tire pressure moni tor systems SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 0014 In accordance with one embodiment of the inven tion a tire pressure monitor system tool is provided that stores information regarding a plurality of tire pressure monitor systems The information may incl
26. or example from the vehicle electronic control unit or by matching the vehicle data with vehicle data pro vided in a lookup table stored by the tool Upon determining the tire pressure monitor system installed on the vehicle a procedure determining module 66 may determine a proce dure to be followed to for example reset or diagnose the tire pressure monitor system of the vehicle Based on instructions input by a user a procedure selecting module 68 selects the procedure corresponding to the instructions input by the user Some procedures may require a user to perform procedures specific to a vehicle These procedures are typically located in an owner s manual of the vehicle Therefore a manual refer encing module 70 may be used to refer to the owner s manual so that the user may perform this procedure prior to continu ing to use the tool 10 0042 According to one embodiment of the invention an initiating module 72 may be used to initiate one or more tire pressure sensors of a vehicle Initiating the tire pressure sen sors places the sensors in a state that enables the sensors to communicate with the tool 10 and the electronic control unit of the vehicle After initiating the sensors the tire pressure monitor system of the vehicle may be for example reset using resctting module 74 The resetting module 74 enables the electronic control unit of the vehicle to determine loca tions identification numbers and other information regar
27. pressure monitor system interfacing means for inter facing with a tire pressure monitor system of the at least one vehicle tire pressure monitor system determining means for deter mining the tire pressure monitor system of the at least one vehicle procedure determining means for determining at least one of a tire pressure monitor system reset procedure and a tire pressure monitor system diagnostic procedure of the at least one vehicle 25 The tool according to claim 24 further comprising procedure selecting means for selecting at least one of the tire pressure monitor system reset procedure and the tire pressure monitor system diagnostic procedure of the vehicle 26 The tool according to claim 24 further comprising displaying means for displaying vehicle information Jan 22 2009 27 The tool according to claim 24 further comprising diagnosing means for diagnosing the tire pressure monitor system of the at least one vehicle 28 The tool according to claim 24 further comprising resetting means for resetting the tire pressure monitor system of the at least one vehicle 29 The tool according to claim 28 further comprising manual referencing means for referencing a vehicle owner s manual 30 The tool according to claim 28 further comprising notifying means for notifying a user of a status of the reset procedure 31 The tool according to claim 30 wherein the notifying means causes a vehicle electronic control unit to
28. r is shown it is to be understood that multiple transmitters including transmitters of different types may be used 0036 Thereceiver 38 may be used to receive signals trans mitted from a tire pressure sensor mounted on a wheel vehicle and an electronic control unit of a vehicle According to one embodiment of the invention the receiver 38 may operate at 315 Mhz and have a clock speed of 10 178 Mhz Alterna tively the receiver 38 may operate at 433 Mhz and have a clock speed of 13 225 Mhz Although only one receiver is shown it is to be understood that multiple receivers operating at different frequencies and having different clock speeds may be used Jan 22 2009 0037 The tool 10 may also include a power supply 40 As stated above the power supply may be for example three 3 size C batteries The power supply 40 may be in communi cation with a power regulator 42 The power regulator 42 may be used to regulate the power supplied to each device of the tool 10 0038 FIG 4 illustrates a block diagram ofthe tire pressure monitor tool 10 shown in FIGS 1 and 2 according to one embodiment of the invention The tool 10 may include a storing module 50 that stores information regarding a plural ity of tire pressure monitor systems According to one embodiment of the invention the information stored relates to a plurality of tire pressure monitor systems from a variety of vehicle manufactures and various models and years of the vehi
29. r performing the task instructed in the display 188 0058 Ifthe user selects the next selection display 194 the user may be presented with a display 196 as illustrated in FIG 14 The display 196 includes an instruction 190 and a main menu selection display 192 as discussed above The display 196 may also include a start selection display 198 presented above a selector button provided on the tire pressure monitor tool Ifthe user selects the start selection display 198 the user may be presented with a display 200 as illustrated in FIG 15 The display 200 may include a user instruction 190 and a next selection display 194 as discussed above After selecting the next selection display 194 the user may be presented with a display 202 as illustrated in FIG 16 0059 The display 202 may provide text and or graphics 204 illustrating that the tool is performing a function and may provide details regarding that function For example during a reset procedure the display 202 may indicate that a left front tire pressure sensor is being reset and instructs the user to please wait The display 202 may also include a main menu selection display 192 as discussed above 0060 Upon completion of the function a display 206 as illustrated in FIG 17 may be presented on the tire pressure monitor tool The display 206 may include a text area 190 that provides information to the user and may also include an interrogatory The interrogatory may be for exampl
30. rder for the ECU to provide such tire location information the ECU has a memory that stores tire identification information for comparison with the identifica tion conveyed from the transponder Also within the memory a certain tire location is associated with each stored tire iden tification Thus once a provided identification is matched to a stored identification a location on the vehicle is associated with the provided tire condition information Accordingly the operator is made aware that the tire at a certain location e g right front has the certain condition e g low inflation pressure 0005 Changes routinely occur regarding the tires and or transponders that are associated with a vehicle The changes can result in new different transponders being associated with the vehicle or a rearrangement of the locations of the transponders via rearrangement of the tires Examples of such changes occur when one or more new tires with new transponders are mounted on a vehicle e g the placement of the initial set of tires during vehicle manufacture or replace Jan 22 2009 ment of one or more tires when the tires are rotated during routine maintenance or when a transponder is replaced on an existing tire It should be readily apparent that new modified identification and location information regarding the tire must be provided or taught to the ECU 0006 In order to accomplish the teaching of the tire identific
31. ser to perform a procedure particular to the vehicle Therefore the tool may reference a vehicle owner s manual so that the user may follow the procedure identified in the owner s manual step 120 The procedure may be for example placing the vehicle in a learn mode such that the vehicle or electronic control unit is able to receive tire pressure monitor system information from tire pressure sensors provided on one or more wheels of the vehicle 0050 In step 122 one or more of the tire pressure sensors provided on the wheels of the vehicle may be initiated Initi ating the tire pressure sensors enable the sensors to commu nicate with the tool 10 and the vehicle electronic control unit Initiating the sensors may be performed by for example placing an antenna of a tire pressure monitor tool adjacent or near a valve stem of a wheel of the vehicle The tool 10 transmits and receives information between the vehicle elec tronic control unit and the tire pressure sensor such that the vehicle or the electronic control unit may determine a loca tion identification number tire pressure or other information from the tire pressure sensor 0051 Feedback may be provided to the user to for example indicate that a sensor has been successfully initiated or that the signal has been received by the tire pressure moni tor tool step 124 This information may be displayed on a display of the tire pressure monitor tool as illustrated in step 126 Th
32. stems and proce dures relating to these tire pressure monitor systems Accord ing to one embodiment of the invention the tool includes an update interface that may be for example an RS232 port 0017 In accordance with another embodiment of the invention the tool may interface with an electronic control unit of a vehicle This may be useful for example for diag nosing problems with a tire pressure monitor system By interfacing with the electronic control unit the tool may determine a tire pressure monitor system installed on the vehicle use functions of the electronic control unit to analyze a tire pressure monitor system and provide notice to a user regarding completion of a procedure For example by inter facing with the electronic control unit of the vehicle the tool may cause a vehicle horn to sound or one or more lights to flash to indicate that a procedure has been successfully com pleted 0018 There has thus been outlined rather broadly certain embodiments of the invention in order that ihe detailed Jan 22 2009 description thereof herein may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated There are of course additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto 0019 In this respect before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail it is to be understood
33. to be selected among other selectable functions 0055 FIG 9 illustrates a vehicle information screen dis play 168 that displays information regarding a particular vehicle The display 168 may include an information display area 170 that displays vehicle data regarding a particular vehicle The display 168 also includes selection displays 172 174 that enable a user to either reuse the vehicle data provided on the display 168 or create new vehicle data respectfully FIG 10 illustrates a display 176 that enables a user to select a vehicle make The display 176 may include a title area 158 that provides a title of the display The display 176 may also include a list of selectable options 178a 1787 that a user may use to either select a vehicle make or return to the main menu The display 176 may also include the selection displays 162 164 and 166 described above The user may use the selection Jan 22 2009 displays 162 164 and 166 to navigate and select a particular vehicle make or a main menu option for returning to the main menu 0056 Ifauser selects a vehicle make the user may then be presented with a display 180 as shown in FIG 11 The display 180 may enable a user to select a particular model associated with the vehicle make selected using the display 176 The display 180 may include a list of selectable models associated with the vehicle make selected and also enable the user to return to the main menu The display 180 may a
34. tool according to one embodiment of the invention 0024 FIG 4 is a block diagram of a tire pressure monitor tool according to one embodiment of the invention 0025 FIGS 5 and 6 illustrate a method of communicating with a tire pressure monitor system of a vehicle according to one embodiment of the invention 0026 FIGS 7 9 illustrate initial screens that may be dis played by a tire pressure monitor tool according to one embodiment of the invention 0027 FIGS 10 18 illustrate procedure screens that may be displayed by a tire pressure monitor tool according to one embodiment of the invention 0028 FIGS 19 20 illustrate diagnostic procedure screens that may be displayed by a tire pressure monitor tool accord ing to one embodiment of the invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION 0029 FIG 1 illustrates a tire pressure monitor tool 10 according to one embodiment of the invention The tool 10 includes an antenna 12 display 14 selector button 16a 16c port 18 a power button 20 a casing 22 and passages 24 The antenna 12 may be used to transmit signals from the tool 10 to an electronic control unit of a vehicle and a tire pressure sensor mounted for example on a rim or tire ofa vehicle The display 14 may be used to display information to a user regarding for example the tool 10 a tire pressure monitor system ofa vehicle or status information regarding a resetting or diagnostic function of the tool 10 The selector buttons 16a 16c m
35. ude procedures for reset ting and diagnosing the tire pressure monitor system The tool may include a storing module that stores the information and a displaying module that causes the information to be dis played on a display of the tool 0015 The tool may enable a user to input data regarding a vehicle For example the user may input make model and year information of a vehicle The user may input the data by for example navigating one or more lists presented to the user on the display using a keypad provided on the tool Based on the vehicle data input by the user the tool may determine a tire pressure monitor system installed on the vehicle using the information stored Based on the tire pressure monitoring system installed on the vehicle the tool may determine one or more reset or diagnostic procedures that may be performed by the tool to reset or diagnose the tire pressure monitor system The tool may also reference the owner s manual of the vehicle should the user be required to perform one or more proce dures specific to one or more types of vehicles 0016 In accordance with another embodiment of the invention the tool may include an updating module that updates the information stored by the tool The updating module may be used to modify or add information to the stored information The updating module may interface with a computer the Internet or other data source to obtain infor mation regarding tire pressure monitor sy
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