System for evaluating the condition of a tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10222299-B2
Application number	US-201515305465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2015
Priority date	May 2, 2014
Publication date	Mar 5, 2019
Grant date	Mar 5, 2019

Abstract

A system, which is structured to evaluate a condition of a tire, includes a housing, a tire-wear detector, a tire-presence detector, and an electronic activator. The housing, when the system is deployed, is placed on a ground surface. The tire-presence detector detects a presence of a tire on the housing. The electronic activator activates the tire-wear detector when the tire-presence detector detects the presence of the tire on the housing. The tire-wear detector, when activated, detects a wear condition of the tire when the tire passes over the housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for evaluating a tire condition, the system comprising:
a housing;
a tire-wear detector, which detects a tire-wear condition;
a tire-presence detector, which detects a presence of a tire on the housing; and
an electronic activator, which activates the tire-wear detector when the tire-presence detector detects the presence of the tire on the housing,
wherein the tire-wear detector, upon activation, detects the tire-wear condition of the tire when the tire passes over the housing while the housing is placed on a ground surface,
wherein the tire-presence detector detects the presence of the tire on the housing by detecting vibrations caused by contact of the tire on the housing, and
wherein the tire-wear detector is deactivated in accordance with a signal from the tire-wear detector.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein a distance, projected over a surface parallel to the ground surface, between the tire-presence detector or an access ramp and the tire-wear detector is greater than a distance traveled by a vehicle at a predetermined speed for a time duration corresponding to an amount of time necessary for activating the tire-wear detector.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the tire-presence detector detects vibrations from a shock wave that spreads in the housing upon contact of the tire on the housing.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the tire-presence detector includes at least one of: a ferroelectric sensor, an organic piezoelectric sensor, a piezoelectric cable, a piezoelectric fibre, a piezoelectric transducer, a piezoelectric bimetallic strip, and a sensor formed of an inorganic piezoelectric composite applied to a support.

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the tire-presence detector is fixed directly on the housing.

6. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the tire-presence detector is fixed on a printed circuit or a plate that is rigidly connected to the housing.

7. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the tire-presence detector is embedded in a material forming the housing.

8. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a second tire-presence detector, which detects a presence of a tire on the housing.

9. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a threshold detector, which detects an output value of the tire-wear detector relative to a predetermined threshold value, and which issues a command to the tire-wear detector to switch off based on a detection result.

10. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a sensitivity adjustment circuit, which sets a sensitivity of the tire-presence detector.

11. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic activator includes circuitry for modifying an operating mode of a microcontroller of the tire-wear detector.

12. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic activator includes circuitry for affecting a power supply of the tire-wear detector.

13. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the tire-wear detector is deactivated in accordance with a signal from the second tire-presence detector.

14. A system for evaluating a tire condition, the system comprising:
a housing;
a tire-wear detector, which detects a tire-wear condition;
a tire-presence detector, which detects a presence of a tire on the housing; and
an electronic activator, which activates the tire-wear detector when the tire-presence detector detects the presence of the tire on the housing,
wherein the tire-wear detector, upon activation, detects the tire-wear condition of the tire when the tire passes over the housing while the housing is placed on a ground surface,
wherein the tire-presence detector detects the presence of the tire on the housing by detecting vibrations caused by contact of the tire on the housing, and
wherein the tire-wear detector is deactivated in accordance with a falling edge of a signal from the tire-wear detector.

15. A system for evaluating a tire condition, the system comprising:
a housing;
a tire-wear detector, which detects a tire-wear condition;
a tire-presence detector, which detects a presence of a tire on the housing; and
an electronic activator, which activates the tire-wear detector when the tire-presence detector detects the presence of the tire on the housing,
wherein the tire-wear detector, upon activation, detects the tire-wear condition of the tire when the tire passes over the housing while the housing is placed on a ground surface,
wherein the tire-presence detector detects the presence of the tire on the housing by detecting vibrations caused by contact of the tire on the housing, and
wherein the tire-wear detector is deactivated in accordance with a rising edge of a signal from the tire-wear detector.

16. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the sensitivity adjustment circuit sets a sensitivity of the tire-presence detector so that the tire-presence detector detects a heavier vehicle tire but not a lighter vehicle tire.

17. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a ramp.

18. The system according to claim 17 , wherein the tire-presence detector is not located in the ramp.

19. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the tire-presence detector comprises a piezoelectric detector.

Assignees

• Michelin & Cie
• Michelin Rech Tech

Inventors

• Ledoux Thomas
• Pernot Alexandre
• Martin Denis
• Pagès Alexandre
• Forissier Timothée
• Heredia Guillaume
• Claeyssen Frank

Classifications

• B60C11/246 Primary

  Tread wear monitoring systems · CPC title

• B60C11/243

  Tread wear sensors, e.g. electronic sensors · CPC title

• G01B7/26

  for measuring depth · CPC title

• G01M17/02 Primary

  Tyres · CPC title

• B60C25/0551

  mechanical · CPC title