Tire producing electrical power

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10035385-B2
Application number	US-201615049186-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2016
Priority date	Mar 3, 2015
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

The present application relates to a tire ( 2 ) comprising a tread portion ( 4 ) and sidewalls ( 6 ) terminating with beads, with inner sides defining an annular cavity; a deformable structure ( 8 ) located in the annular cavity in contact with the inner side of the tread portion ( 4 ), said structure ( 8 ) comprising bendable elements ( 10 ); wherein the bendable elements ( 10 ) of the deformable structure ( 8 ) comprise a piezoelectric material ( 10 2 ) so as to produce electrical energy from bending of said elements ( 10 ) and comprise at least one thermoelectric material ( 10 1 , 10 3 ) so as to produce electrical energy from heat of said elements.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tire comprising:
a tread portion and sidewalls, with inner sides defining an annular cavity;
a deformable structure located in the annular cavity in contact with the inner side of the tread portion, said structure comprising bendable elements;
wherein the bendable elements of the deformable structure comprise a piezoelectric material so as to produce electrical energy from bending of said elements and comprise a thermoelectric material so as to produce electrical energy from heat of said elements.

2. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein the bendable elements are rods and the deformable structure is a deformable mesh structure of said rods.

3. The tire according to claim 2 , wherein the deformable mesh structure forms an annular structure in the cavity.

4. The tire according to claim 2 , wherein the deformable mesh structure, the tread portion and the sidewalls are produced by 3-D printing.

5. The tire according to claim 2 , wherein the deformable mesh structure extends radially over at least half of the height of the height of the tire, said height being measured radially from an outer surface of the tread portion until end portions of the sidewalls.

6. The tire according to claim 2 , wherein the deformable mesh structure comprises at least two adjacent meshes in a radial direction.

7. The tire according to claim 2 , wherein the deformable mesh structure comprises at least five adjacent meshes in an axial direction.

8. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein the deformable structure is in contact with the sidewalls.

9. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein the tire is a non-pneumatic tire, the sidewalls comprising venting holes.

10. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein the rods comprise a core made of the thermoelectric material, a first sleeve made of the piezoelectric material around said core and a second sleeve made of the thermoelectric material around the first sleeve.

11. The tire according to claim 1 , further comprising an electrical control unit and electrical leads connecting the piezoelectric material and the thermoelectric materials with said unit.

12. The tire according to claim 11 , further comprising at least one of a sensor and a pump, electrically connected to the control unit and wherein said unit comprises at least one electrical energy storage element.

13. The tire according to claim 1 , wherein the outer surfaces of the tread portion and of the sidewalls are made of a rubber with carbon black, and are textured so as to provide extending portions of a diameter of less than 0.5 mm.

14. A tire comprising:
a tread portion and sidewalls terminating with beads, with inner sides defining an annular cavity;
a deformable structure located in the annular cavity in contact with the inner side of the tread portion, said structure comprising bendable elements;
wherein the bendable elements of the deformable structure comprise a piezoelectric material so as to produce electrical energy from bending of said elements and comprise a thermoelectric material so as to produce electrical energy from a temperature difference in said elements;
an electrical emitter for wirelessly cooperating with a remote electrical receiver.

15. Tire according to claim 14 , further comprising at least one sensor, said sensor and the emitter being electrically fed by the electrical energy produced by the bendable elements, the emitter emitting signals representative of at least one of the list of parameters of the tire comprising temperature and pressure.

16. Tire according claim 14 , wherein the emitter emits the electrical energy produced by the bendable elements, said energy being received by the receiver.

Assignees

• Goodyear Tire & Rubber

Inventors

• Fontaine Sebastien Willy
• Leconte Armand René Gabriel
• Ngo Frederic
• Boes Claude Ernest Felix

Classifications

• B60C13/00

  Tyre sidewalls; Protecting, decorating, marking, or the like, thereof (B60C17/08 takes precedence; tyre shoulders B60C11/01; removable tyre sidewall trim rings B60B7/01) · CPC title

• B60C15/00

  Tyre beads, e.g. ply turn-up or overlap · CPC title

• B60C1/00

  Tyres characterised by the chemical composition or the physical arrangement or mixture of the composition · CPC title

• B60C11/00

  Tyre tread bands; Tread patterns; Anti-skid inserts · CPC title

• B60C23/0411 Primary

  Piezoelectric generators · CPC title