Patent ID: 7069134

Claim:
A control system for a vehicle having multiple wheels, each of the wheels having a tire mounted thereon, the system comprising: a first wheel speed sensor associated with the first wheel, the first wheel speed sensor configured to generate a first wheel speed signal indicative of a speed for the first wheel; a second wheel speed sensor associated with the second wheel, the second wheel speed sensor configured to generate a second wheel speed signal indicative of a speed for the second wheel; a first pressure sensor associated with the first tire, the first pressure sensor configured to generate a first pressure signal indicative of a tire pressure for the first tire; a second pressure sensor associated with the second tire, the second pressure sensor configured to generate a second pressure signal indicative of a tire pressure for the second tire; a first processor configured to receive the first and second wheel speed signals, and to generate a first processed signal when the first and second wheel signals indicate that the speed of the first wheel is different from the speed of the second wheel; a second processor configured to receive the first and second pressure signals, and to generate a second processed signal when the first and second pressure signals indicate that the first tire has a pressure that is different from the pressure of the second tire; and a third processor configured to receive the first and second processed signals, to generate a tire blowout signal when both the first and second processed signals have been generated, and to activate at least one of an active safety system and a passive safety system with the tire blowout signal.