Method for Monitoring a Tire, Tire Therefore, and Use Thereof

• US 20070241871A1
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Original Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Inventors: Pimort, Bertrand
• Granted Patent: US 7,652,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/442
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right

Abstract

A process for monitoring a tire (11 to 14) mounted on a land vehicle (VH), the process being implemented by means of a central control unit (UC) and an electronic chip (21g to 24g) implanted in a sidewall of the tire. A tire is provided with two chips (21g to 24g, 21d to 24d) implanted in its respective sidewalls, but only one of them is operational during use depending on the mounting direction of the. The chips of the same tire contain a given tire identification code (K11 to K14) and specific respective codes (Kg, Kd) that indicate their implantation in the tire. The process is implemented by compiling and/or updating, both in the central unit (UC) and in the operational chip (21g, 22d , 23g , 24d), historical records of the use of the tire by memorising updated values of evolutive parameters of the use of the tire, such as the number of kilometres (DIST) it has covered or its highest running speed (VMAX).

Claims

1. A process for monitoring a tire (11 to 14) fitted on a land vehicle (VH) provided with a central control unit (UC), comprising:

a preliminary stage that comprises implanting in a sidewall of the tire (11 to 14) an electronic chip (21g to 24g) in which is memorised at least an identification code (K11 to K14) which identifies the tire, and providing said chip (21g to 24g) and the central unit (UC) with respectively peripheral (31g to 34g) and central (41 to 44) communication circuits connected to one another via a data transmission path involving no physical contact; and

a functional stage comprising a monitoring operation that includes compiling and updating a historic record of the use of the tire by memorising updated values centralized by the control unit (UC), such values representing at least one evolutive parameter of the use of the tire such as the number of kilometres it has covered (DIST) or its highest running speed (VMAX),

wherein the preliminary stage comprises implanting in first and second sidewalls of the tire (11 to 14) respective first and second electronic chips (21g to 24g, 21d to 24d) only one of which (21g, 22d, 23g, 24d) is operational during use, in each of which is memorised the same tire identification code (K11 to K14) and in which are respectively memorised different respective implantation codes (Kg, Kd) of said chips (21g to 24g, 21d to 24d) in the tire, these first and second chips (21g to 24g, 21d to 24d) being respectively provided with first and second peripheral communication circuits (31g to 34g, 31d to 34d) of which only the communication circuit (31g, 32d, 33g, 34d) of the operational chip (21g, 22d, 23g, 24d) can be used during operation to communicate with the central communication circuit (41 to 44), and

wherein the functional stage comprises centralized and decentralized monitoring operations (MAJOURC, MAJOURD) that include, respectively, compiling and/or updating, in the central unit (UC) and in the operational chip (21g, 22d, 23g, 24d), active centralized and decentralized historical records (HCA, HDA) simultaneously dedicated to the tire identified by the identification code (K11 to K14) memorised in the operational chip (21g, 22d, 23g, 24d) and to a mounting situation of the tire identified by the implantation code (Kg, Kd, Kg, Kd) memorised in the said operational chip (21g, 22d, 23g, 24d).

2. The monitoring process according to claim 1, wherein before the centralized and decentralized monitoring operations (MAJOURC, MAJOURD) are implemented, the functional stage comprises a first verification operation (VERIF_—

1) that generates a first decision result (RES_—

1) if the active centralized historical record (HAC) is dedicated to the tire identified by the identification code (K11 to K14) memorised in the operational chip (21g, 22d, 23g, 24d), and a second decision result (RES_—

2) if it is not.

3. The monitoring process according to claim 2, wherein the functional stage comprises a search operation (RECH) which is conditionally carried out if the second decision result (RES_—

2) is produced, and which includes searching the central unit (UC) for any non-active historical record (HC) previously memorised and dedicated to the tire identified by the identification code (K11 to K14) memorised in the operational chip (21g, 22d, 23g, 24d), and if this search proves fruitful, generating a third decision result (RES_—

3) that includes activating the memorised historical record (HC), or if the search proves unfruitful, generating a fourth decision result (RES_—

4).

4. The monitoring process according to claim 1, wherein before the centralized and decentralized monitoring operations (MAJOURC, MAJOURD) are implemented, the functional stage comprises a second verification operation (VERIF_—

2) which generates a fifth decision result (RES_—

5) if the active centralized historical record (HCA) is dedicated to the tire identified by the identification code (K11 to K14) memorised in the operational chip (21g, 22d, 23g, 24d) but is not dedicated to the mounting situation identified by the implantation code (Kg, Kd, Kg, Kd) memorised in the said operational chip (21g, 22d, 23g, 24d).

5. The monitoring process according to claim 4, wherein the functional stage comprises a supplementing operation (MANIV) conditionally carried out if the fifth decision result (RES_—

5) has been generated, and during which any recorded element possibly missing from the active decentralized historical record (HDA) and available in the active centralized historical record (HCA) dedicated to the same tire is recopied from the said active centralized record (HCA) into the said active decentralized record (HDA).

6. The monitoring process according to 1, wherein the functional stage comprises a search operation (RECH) which is conditionally carried out if the second decision result (RES_—

2) is produced, and which includes searching the central unit (UC) for any non-active historical record (HC) previously memorised and dedicated to the tire identified by the identification code (K11 to K14) memorised in the operational chip (21g 22d, 23g, 24d), and if this search proves fruitful, generating a third decision result (RES_—

3) that includes activating the said memorised historical record (HC), or if the search proves unfruitful, generating a fourth decision result (RES_—

4);

wherein the centralized monitoring operation that follows the generation of the fourth decision result (RES_—

4) comprises the creation (CREAT) of a new active centralized historical record (HCA) dedicated to the tire identified by the identification code (K11 to K14) memorised in the operational chip (21g, 22d, 23g, 24d), and to the mounting situation identified by the implantation code (Kg, Kd, Kg, Kd) memorised in said operational chip, and wherein any recorded element possibly missing from the newly created active centralized historical record (HCA) and available in the active decentralized historical record (HDA) is recopied from the said active decentralized record (HDA) into the newly created active centralized record (HCA).

7. The monitoring process according to claim 2, wherein the first verification operation is carried out at least each time the vehicle (VH) is started.

8. A tire for implementing the monitoring process according to claim 1 , wherein the tire comprises at least first and second electronic chips (21g, 21d) respectively implanted in first and second sidewalls of the tire (11).

9. The monitoring process according to claim 1, comprising the step of monitoring the running conditions of a tire used in a degraded mode.

10. The monitoring process according to claim 4, wherein the second verification operation is carried out at least each time the vehicle (VH) is started.