Patent ID: 7340369

Claim:
A detection device for detecting whether the kind of tires mounted on different wheels of a vehicle differs, the device comprising: means for detecting the rotational speeds of wheels mounted on the vehicle; means for detecting torque applied to driving wheels of the vehicle; means for calculating the inclination of a first straight line representing the relation between (1) a ratio of the rotational speed of a left front wheel to that of a left rear wheel of the vehicle and (2) torque applied to driving wheels of the vehicle; means for calculating the inclination of a second straight line representing the relation between (1) a ratio of the rotational speed of a right front wheel to that of a right rear wheel of the vehicle and (2) the torque applied to driving wheels; means for comparing the inclination of the first straight line with the inclination of the second straight line; means for comparing a difference or a ratio between the inclinations of the first and second straight lines with predetermined values for a difference or a ratio between the inclinations; means for determining from the difference or the ratio between the inclinations whether different tires are mounted on left and right sides of the vehicle; and means for providing an indication of whether different tires are mounted on left and right sides of the vehicle.