Vehicle and vehicle tire monitoring system, apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A device for determining the occurrences of deflections of a vehicle tire due to a load while rotating upon a load-bearing surface, the device comprising:
- an accelerometer, adapted to be mounted on the tire, for sensing acceleration variations due to load-induced tire deflections and providing an output representative of said acceleration variations; and
an electrical circuit responsive to said output to provide signals representative of the occurrences of said deflections.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Vehicle and vehicle tire monitoring system, apparatus and method determine the load-induced deflection or deformation of a vehicle tire and based thereon, deflection-related information, such as tire load, molar air content, total vehicle mass and distribution of vehicle mass, may be provided. The tire deflection region or contact region of the loaded tire is detected by sensing the acceleration of the rotating tire by means of an accelerometer mounted on the tire, preferably on an inner surface such as the tread lining thereof. As the tire rotates and the accelerometer is off of the contact region, a high centrifugal acceleration is sensed. Conversely, when the accelerometer is on the contact region and not rotating, a low acceleration is sensed. The deflection points delimiting the contact region are determined at the points where the sensed acceleration transitions between the high and low values.
185 Citations
123 Claims
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1. A device for determining the occurrences of deflections of a vehicle tire due to a load while rotating upon a load-bearing surface, the device comprising:
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an accelerometer, adapted to be mounted on the tire, for sensing acceleration variations due to load-induced tire deflections and providing an output representative of said acceleration variations; and
an electrical circuit responsive to said output to provide signals representative of the occurrences of said deflections. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A device, adapted to be mounted on a vehicle tire, for determining the occurrences of deflections of the tire due to a load while rotating upon a load bearing surface, the device comprising:
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a substrate;
an accelerometer mounted on the substrate for sensing acceleration variations due to load induced tire deflections and providing an output representative of said acceleration variations; and
an electrical circuit mounted on the substrate, said circuit being responsive to said accelerometer output to provide signals representative of the occurrences of said deflections. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. In a tire adapted to be mounted on a vehicle wheel, a device for determining the occurrences of deflections of the tire due to a load while rotating upon a load-bearing surface, the device comprising:
an accelerometer mounted on the tire, the accelerometer being disposed to sense acceleration variations due to load-induced tire deflections and adapted to provide an output representative of said acceleration variations. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. In a tire adapted to be mounted on a vehicle wheel, a device for determining the occurrences of deflections of the tire due to a load while rotating upon a load-bearing surface, the device comprising:
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a substrate attached to the tire at a selected radial and circumferential location;
an accelerometer mounted on the substrate, the accelerometer being disposed to respond to acceleration variations in load-induced tire deflections and being adapted to provide an output representative of said acceleration variations; and
an electrical circuit mounted on the substrate, said circuit being responsive to said accelerometer output to provide signals representative of the occurrences of said deflections. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A device for determining the occurrences of deflections of a vehicle tire due to a load on the tire while rotating upon a load-bearing surface, the device comprising:
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means, adapted to be mounted on the tire relative to an inner surface thereof, for sensing acceleration variations in response to load-induced tire deflections and for providing an output representative of said acceleration variations; and
means responsive to said output for providing signals representative of the occurrences of said tire deflections.
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42. In a vehicle wheel comprising a tire mounted on a wheel rim, the tire having known geometric parameters, the tire and rim defining a cavity for retaining air under pressure, an apparatus within said cavity for monitoring the load-induced deformation imposed on the tire during rotation thereof on a load-bearing surface, said apparatus comprising:
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a. a device attached to the tire for determining the occurrences of deflections of the tire due to a load on the tire while rotating upon the load bearing surface, the device comprising;
(1) an accelerometer disposed to sense acceleration variations due to load-induced tire deflections and being adapted to provide an output representative of said acceleration variations;
(2) an electrical circuit responsive to said accelerometer output to provide signals representative of the occurrences of said tire deflections; and
(3) a transmitter coupled to said electrical circuit and adapted to transmit signals representative of said tire deflection signals; and
b. a receiver positioned to receive said signals transmitted by said transmitter. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. In a vehicle wheel comprising a tire mounted on a wheel rim, the tire and rim defining a cavity for retaining air under pressure, an apparatus for monitoring the load imposed on the tire during rotation thereof on a load-bearing surface, said apparatus comprising:
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an accelerometer disposed to sense acceleration variations due to load induced tire deflections and for providing an output representative of said acceleration variations;
a first electrical circuit responsive to said accelerometer output to provide signals representative of the occurrences of said tire deflections;
a pressure sensor disposed to sense the pressure of the air within the cavity and provide an output representative of said pressure;
a second electrical circuit responsive to said pressure sensor output to provide signals representative of said air pressure; and
a transmitter coupled to said first and second electrical circuits and adapted to transmit signals representative of said tire deflection and pressure signals;
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58. In a vehicle wheel comprising a tire mounted on a wheel rim, the tire and rim defining a cavity for retaining air under pressure, an apparatus for monitoring the molar quantity of air within the tire during rotation thereof on a load-bearing surface, said apparatus comprising:
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an accelerometer disposed to sense acceleration variations due to load induced tire deflections and for providing an output representative of said acceleration variations;
a first electrical circuit responsive to said accelerometer output to provide signals representative of the occurrences of said tire deflections;
a pressure sensor disposed to sense the pressure of the air within the cavity and to provide an output representative of said pressure;
a second electrical circuit responsive to said pressure sensor output to provide signals representative of said air pressure;
a temperature sensor disposed to sense the temperature of the air within the cavity and to provide an output representative of said temperature;
a third electrical circuit responsive to said temperature sensor output to provide signals representative of said air temperature; and
a transmitter coupled to said first, second and third electrical circuits and adapted to transmit signals representative of said tire deflection and air pressure and temperature signals.
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59. An apparatus for monitoring a load induced deformation imposed on a tire during rotation thereof on a load-bearing surface, the tire having known geometric parameters, said apparatus comprising:
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means, attached to a localized region within the tire, for sensing the acceleration of said localized region in response to variations in load-induced tire deflections, and for providing an output representative of said acceleration;
means responsive to said acceleration-representative output for transmitting signals representative of the occurrences of said tire deflections;
means for receiving said transmitted signals; and
means for computing the tire deformation using the received signals and the known geometric parameters of the tire.
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60. An apparatus for monitoring the load imposed on a tire during rotation thereof on a load-bearing surface, the tire having known geometric parameters, the tire being mounted on a wheel rim, the tire and rim defining a cavity for retaining air under pressure, said apparatus comprising:
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means, attached to a localized region within the tire, for sensing the acceleration of said localized region due to load-induced tire deflections, and for providing an output representative of said acceleration;
means for sensing the air pressure within said cavity and for providing an output representative of said pressure;
means responsive to said acceleration-representative output and said pressure-representative output for transmitting signals representative of said pressure and the occurrences of said tire deflections;
means for receiving said transmitted signals; and
means for computing the tire load based on received signals and the known geometric parameters of the tire.
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61. An apparatus for monitoring the molar quantity of air within a tire during rotation thereof on a load-bearing surface, the tire having known geometric parameters, the tire being mounted on a wheel rim, the tire and rim defining a cavity for retaining air under pressure, said apparatus comprising:
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means, attached to a localized region within the tire, for sensing the acceleration of said localized region due to load-induced tire deflections, and for providing an output representative of said acceleration;
means for sensing the air pressure within said tire and for providing an output representative of said pressure;
means for sensing the air temperature within said tire and for providing an output representative of said temperature;
means responsive to said acceleration-representative output, said pressure-representative output and said temperature-representative output for transmitting signals representative of said pressure and said temperature and of the occurrences of said tire deflections;
means for receiving said transmitted signals; and
means for computing the tire molar air content based on the received signals and the known geometric parameters of the tire.
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62. In a vehicle wheel comprising a tire mounted on a wheel rim, the tire having known geometric parameters, the tire and rim defining a cavity for retaining air under pressure, an apparatus for monitoring the load-induced deformation imposed on the tire during rotation thereof on a load-bearing surface, said apparatus comprising:
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an accelerometer attached to a wall of the tire, the accelerometer being disposed to sense acceleration variations due to load-induced tire deflections and being adapted to provide an output representative of said acceleration variations;
an electrical circuit responsive to said accelerometer output to provide signals representative of the occurrences of said tire deflections; and
a transmitter coupled to said electrical circuit, said transmitter being adapted to transmit signals representative of said tire deflection signals. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75)
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76. A method for determining the occurrence of a deflection of a vehicle tire due to a load on the tire while rotating on a load bearing surface, the method comprising the steps of:
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sensing acceleration in a local region of the tire;
detecting an acceleration variation caused by the load induced deflection of the tire; and
generating a signal in response to the detected acceleration variation, said signal indicating the occurrence of the deflection. - View Dependent Claims (77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82)
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83. A method for determining the occurrence of a deflection of a vehicle tire due to a load on the tire while rotating on a load bearing surface comprising the steps of:
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sensing acceleration in a local region of the tire;
generating a first signal representative of the sensed acceleration;
comparing the first signal with a second signal representative of a reference acceleration; and
generating a third signal indicating the occurrence of the deflection in response to the comparison of the first and second signals. - View Dependent Claims (84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89)
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90. A method for determining the deformation of a loaded vehicle tire mounted on a rim, the tire having a contact region between the tire and a load-bearing surface, the contact region being delimited by a leading edge and a trailing edge, the tire having known geometric parameters, the tire and rim defining an interior tire cavity, the method comprising the steps of:
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sensing acceleration in a local region of the tire;
detecting the occurrences of a first acceleration variation and a second acceleration variation occurring, respectively, at said leading and trailing edges of the contact region;
determining the elapsed time between the occurrences of said first and second acceleration variations;
determining the rotational period of the tire based on the time between the occurrences of sequential acceleration variations at said leading edge or at said trailing edge; and
computing the tire deformation based on the ratio of said elapsed time to said rotational period and the known geometric parameters of the tire. - View Dependent Claims (91)
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92. A method for determining the molar air content of a loaded vehicle tire mounted on a rim, the tire having a contact region between the tire and a load-bearing surface, the contact region being delimited by a leading edge and a trailing edge, the tire having known geometric parameters, the tire and rim defining an interior tire cavity, the method comprising the steps of:
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measuring the pressure and the temperature of the air within the tire cavity;
generating signals representative of said measured air pressure and temperature;
sensing acceleration in a local region of the tire;
detecting the occurrences of a first acceleration variation and a second acceleration variation occurring, respectively, at said leading and trailing edges of the contact region;
determining the elapsed time between the occurrences of said first and second acceleration variations and generating a signal representative of said elapsed time;
determining the rotational period of the tire based on the time between the occurrences of sequential acceleration variations at said leading edge or at said trailing edge; and
computing the molar air content of the loaded tire based on said signals and the known geometric parameters of the tire.
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93. A method for determining the leakage of molar air content from a loaded vehicle tire mounted on a rim, the tire having a contact region between the tire and a load-bearing surface, the contact region being delimited by a leading edge and a trailing edge, the tire having known geometric parameters, the tire and rim defining an interior tire cavity, the method comprising the steps of:
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measuring the pressure and the temperature of the air within the tire cavity;
generating signals representative of said measured air pressure and temperature;
sensing acceleration in a local region of the tire;
detecting the occurrences of a first acceleration variation and a second acceleration variation occurring, respectively, at said leading and trailing edges of the contact region;
determining the elapsed time between the occurrences of said first and second acceleration variations and generating a signal representative of said elapsed time;
determining the rotational period of the tire based on the time between the occurrences of sequential acceleration variations at said leading edge or at said trailing edge; and
computing the molar air content of the loaded tire based on the said signals and the known geometric parameters of the tire; and
determining that the rate of change of the molar air content is negative.
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94. A method for determining the load on a loaded vehicle tire mounted on a rim, the tire and rim defining an interior tire cavity, the tire having a contact region between the tire and a load-bearing surface, the contact region being delimited by a leading edge and a trailing edge, the tire having known geometric parameters, said method comprising the steps of:
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measuring the pressure of the air within the tire cavity;
generating a signal representative of said measured air pressure;
sensing acceleration in a local region of the tire;
detecting the occurrences of a first acceleration variation and a second acceleration variation occurring, respectively, at said leading and trailing edges of the contact region;
determining the elapsed time between the occurrences of said first and second acceleration variations and generating a signal representative of said elapsed time;
determining the rotational period of the tire based on the time between the occurrences of sequential acceleration variations at said leading edge or at said trailing edge; and
computing the load on the loaded tire based on the known geometric parameters of the tire and said signals.
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95. A method for determining the total mass of a vehicle supported by a plurality of wheels, each of the wheels comprising a tire mounted on a rim, the tire and rim of each wheel defining an interior tire cavity, each tire having a contact region between the tire and a load-bearing surface, the contact region being delimited by a leading edge and a trailing edge, each tire having known geometric parameters, said method comprising the steps of:
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a. for each tire;
(1) measuring the pressure of the air within the tire cavity;
(2) generating a signal representative of said measured air pressure;
(3) sensing acceleration in a local region of the tire;
(4) detecting the occurrences of a first acceleration variation and a second acceleration variation occurring, respectively, at said leading and trailing edges of the contact region;
(5) determining the elapsed time between the occurrences of said first and second acceleration variations and generating a signal representative of said elapsed time; and
(6) determining the rotational period of the tire based on the time between the occurrences of sequential acceleration variations at said leading edge or at said trailing edge; and
b. computing the total mass of the vehicle based on said signals from each of the plurality of tires and their known geometric parameters.
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96. A method for determining the distribution of mass of a vehicle supported by a plurality of wheels, each of the wheels comprising a tire mounted on a rim, the tire and rim of each wheel defining an interior tire cavity, each tire having a contact region between the tire and a load-bearing surface, the contact region being delimited by a leading edge and a trailing edge, each tire having known geometric parameters and position on the vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
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a. for each tire;
(1) measuring the pressure of the air within the tire cavity;
(2) generating a signal representative of said measured air pressure;
(3) sensing acceleration in a local region of the tire;
(4) detecting the occurrences of a first acceleration variation and a second acceleration variation occurring, respectively, at said leading and trailing edges of the deflection;
(5) determining the elapsed time between the occurrences of said first and second acceleration variations and generating a signal representative of said elapsed time; and
(6) determining the rotational period of the tire based on the time between the occurrences of sequential acceleration variations at said leading edge or at said trailing edge; and
b. computing the distribution of mass of the vehicle based on said signals and the known geometric parameters and positions of each of the plurality of tires. - View Dependent Claims (97, 98, 99, 100)
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101. A system for monitoring in real time the load-induced deflection on at least one tire supporting a vehicle and for providing deflection-related information, the at least one tire being mounted on a rim and defining with said rim an interior tire cavity, the at least one tire having a contact region between the at least one tire and a load-bearing surface, the at least one tire having known parameter values, the at least one tire having an on-contact time and a rotational period, said system comprising:
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an accelerometer disposed within the at least one tire to sense acceleration variations due to load induced tire deflections and for providing an output representative of said acceleration variations;
an electrical circuit responsive to said accelerometer output for producing signals from which the ratio of the on-contact time to the rotational period of the at least one tire may be determined;
a transmitter mounted within the tire cavity responsive to said ratio-determining signals, for transmitting a signal representative thereof to a location within said vehicle remote from the at least one tire;
a receiver within the vehicle remote from the at least one tire for receiving said signals transmitted by the transmitter mounted within the tire cavity;
a memory for storing known values comprising parameter values of the at least one tire; and
a computer connected to said receiver and memory for computing said deflection-related information based on said transmitted signal and said known tire parameter values. - View Dependent Claims (102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113)
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114. A vehicle tire including a sidewall having an exterior surface, the tire comprising:
machine-readable information disposed on the exterior surface of the tire sidewall within a local region of said surface, the information identifying at least one parameter value relating to the determination of the load-induced deformation capability of the tire. - View Dependent Claims (115, 116, 117, 118)
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119. An electronic package adapted to be attached to an inner surface of a vehicle tire, the package comprising:
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a base plate attached to said package; and
an adhesive patch, operatively associated with said base plate, for attaching the package to said inner surface of the tire. - View Dependent Claims (120, 121)
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122. A vehicle tire having a wall, an inner surface and an interior cavity, the tire comprising:
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an electronic package;
a post anchored in the wall of the tire and having an end projecting from said inner surface into the interior cavity of the tire; and
a fastener coupling the electronic package to the projecting end of the post. - View Dependent Claims (123)
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Specification