Patent ID: 7760080

Claim:
A tire monitoring assembly for association with a movable tire of a vehicle, said tire having flexible side walls and a flexible tread, the assembly adapted to provide information about a property of said tire, the assembly comprising: a power generating system adapted to be coupled with said tire to generate energy from movement of said tire; and a circuit coupled to said power generating system and including an energy storage device, said circuit being operable in an active mode when said tire moves and in a passive mode when said tire is not moving, said circuit being arranged to provide the information about the property of said tire and including at least one wireless transmission component for transmitting a signal relating to the property of said tire, said at least one wireless transmission component requiring energy to transmit the signal relating to the tire property, said circuit being constructed and arranged such that in the active mode, said power generating system generates energy which is used by said circuit or stored in said energy storage device, said circuit being constructed and arranged such that in the passive mode, said circuit receives power from a signal received by said circuit to enable and cause said at least one wireless transmission component to transmit the signal relating to the property of said tire, when: 1) said energy storage device does not contain sufficient energy to power said circuit, and 2a) the property of said tire is above a threshold, wherein said at least one wireless transmission component does not transmit a signal relating to the property of said tire when the property is not above the threshold, or 2b) the property of said tire is below a threshold, wherein said at least one wireless transmission component does not transmit a signal relating to the property of said tire when the property is not below the threshold.