SUPPORT FOR A TIRE MONITORING COMPONENT, SUPPORT AND MONITORING COMPONENT SYSTEM, TIRE AND WHEEL

• US 20070251620A1
• Filed: 04/25/2007
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2006
• 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: PENOT, Thierry, PERRIER, Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 7,788,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 152/152.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0493 for attachment on the tyre

Abstract

The invention relates to a support (18) for a component (20) for monitoring a tyre (14), of the type intended to be secured to a wheel (12) and tyre (14) system (16) and comprising means (22) of securing the component (20) in which support the securing means (22) has a component (20) retaining force which is an increasing function of the pressure of the medium surrounding the support (18).

Claims

1. A support for a component for monitoring a tire, of the type intended to be secured to a wheel and tire system and comprising means of securing the component, wherein said securing means comprises a component retaining force which is an increasing function of the pressure of the medium surrounding the support.

2. The support according to claim 1, in which the securing means are arranged in such a way that, when the support is secured to the wheel and tire system, and when the pressure of the medium surrounding the support is the atmospheric pressure, the component can be introduced in or extracted from the support.

3. The support according to claim 1, in which the securing means comprise a housing for the monitoring component, formed in the support, the support being designed so that the higher the pressure of the medium surrounding the support, the smaller the volume of the housing.

4. The support according to claim 3, in which, at atmospheric pressure, the dimensions of the housing exceed the dimensions of the component.

5. The support according to claim 3, made of a material the volume of which is a decreasing function of pressure, the housing being formed in the mass of the material.

6. The support according to claim 5, made of cellular foam comprising closed cells.

7. The support according to claim 6, in which the pressure obtaining inside each closed cell exceeds atmospheric pressure.

8. The support according to claim 7, in which the pressure obtaining inside each closed cell is below a nominal tire inflation pressure, for example, equal to 2.2 bar.

9. The support according to claim 8, in which the cellular foam is made of any one of the materials from the set consisting of polyethylene, polyurethane, 1,2-polybutadiene, polyisobutylene, polyisoprene, butyl rubber, thermoplastic elastomer and a blend of nitrile rubber and polyvinyl chloride.

10. The support according to claim 3, comprising a flexible envelope enclosing a gas, the flexible envelope being shaped such that its exterior surface defines the housing for the monitoring component, the gas pressure preferably exceeding atmospheric pressure and being below a nominal tire inflation pressure, for example equal to 2.2 bar.

11. The support according to claim 1, in which the securing means comprise:

component retaining means able to adopt a first position in which they release the component and a second position in which they retain the component, and

means for actuating the retaining means, which are able to cause the retaining means to switch from one position to the other, the actuating means being operated by the pressure of the medium surrounding the support.

12. The support according to claim 11, in which the actuating means comprise a mass of a material the volume of which is a decreasing function of pressure, the material for example being cellular foam comprising closed cells.

13. The support and tire monitoring component system, characterized in that the support is according to claim 1.

14. The system according to claim 13, in which the component is chosen from any one of the elements of the set consisting of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a strain gauge, an accelerometer, a relative humidity sensor, an emitter, a receiver, an electronic circuit, an identification device.

15. A tire characterized in that it comprises a support according to claim 1.

16. A wheel characterized in that it comprises a support according to claim 1.

17. A support for supporting a component for monitoring a tire, of the type intended to be mounted inside a wheel and tire system, said support comprising:

a support body for receiving and supporting the component, said support body comprising a retaining force which is an increasing function of a pressure surrounding said support body.

18. The support according to claim 17, wherein when said support body is secured to the wheel and tire system, the pressure of the medium surrounding the support is at atmospheric pressure, a component can be introduced into or extracted from the support body.

19. The support according to claim 18, wherein when the pressure surrounding the support body increases, a volume of at least a portion of the support body decreases.

20. The support according to claim 17, in which, at atmospheric pressure, the dimensions of the support body exceed the dimensions of the component.

21. The support according to claim 17, wherein said support body is made of cellular foam comprising closed cells.

22. The support according to claim 21, in which a cell pressure inside each of said closed cells exceeds atmospheric pressure.

23. The support according to claim 21, in which the cellular foam is made from at least one of polyethylene, polyurethane, 1,2-polybutadiene, polyisobutylene, polyisoprene, butyl rubber, thermoplastic elastomer and a blend of nitrile rubber and polyvinyl chloride.