TIRE INFORMATION TRANSMITTER, TIRE INFORMATION ACQUIRING SYSTEM, AND TIRE/WHEEL ASSEMBLY

• US 20090102633A1
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Inventors: Morita, Hiroyuki, Yamaguchi, Norishige, Titami, Takahide, Ebinuma, Toshimitsu, Nihei, Hideki, Nakatani, Koji
• Application Number:
  US11/571,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20090102633A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/442
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/041 Means for supplying power to the signal- transmitting means on the wheel

Abstract

A tire information transmitter is mounted in a tire cavity region surrounded by a tire inner circumference surface and a wheel wall surface and senses atmospheric information in the tire cavity region to wirelessly transmit to outside the tire cavity region. The transmitter has a sensor for sensing atmospheric information in the tire cavity region, a circuit board having a processing circuit for processing a sensed signal from the sensor and having a transmitting circuit for wirelessly transmitting a processed signal and a battery for supplying power for driving the circuits. The battery is made as an encapsulated body of a thin plate shape, having a thin plate surface, by encapsulating battery components with an insulation film, and the encapsulated body has an area ratio of the thin plate surface to a thickness of the thin plate shape of not less than 200 mm, and a mass of not more than 5 g. A tire information acquiring system has the transmitter and a receiver for receiving a signal from the transmitter.

Claims

1. A tire information transmitter which is mounted in a tire cavity region surrounded by a tire inner circumference surface and a wheel wall surface, and senses atmospheric information in the tire cavity region to wirelessly transmit to outside the tire cavity region, the tire information transmitter comprising:

a sensor for sensing atmospheric information in the tire cavity region,

a circuit board having a processing circuit for processing a sensed signal from the sensor and having a transmitting circuit for wirelessly transmitting a processed signal, and,

a battery for supplying power for driving the processing circuit and the transmitting circuit,

wherein the battery is made as an encapsulated body of a thin plate shape, having a thin plate surface, by encapsulating battery components with an insulation film, and the encapsulated body has an area ratio of the thin plate surface to a thickness of the thin plate shape of not less than 200 mm, and mass of not more than 5 g.

2. The tire information transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the sensor, the circuit board, and the battery are housed in a housing having a curbed mounting surface with a certain curvature corresponding to a curbed wheel circumference rotating surface,

the battery and the circuit board are arranged in the housing in an order of the battery and the circuit board seen from a side of the mounting surface, and

an antenna element for signal transmission of the transmitting circuit, together with the processing circuit and the transmission circuit, is arranged on a side of a substrate surface opposite to the mounting surface as viewed from the circuit board.

3. The tire information transmitter according to claim 2, wherein the circuit board is of a plate shape,

the battery has a thickness of not more than 3 mm, and

the housing has a height, in a vertical direction, with respect to the mounting surface of the housing, of not more than one tenth of a curvature radius of the mounting surface.

4. The tire information transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the battery is a primary battery made as an encapsulated body by encapsulating a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator, and non-aqueous electrolyte with an insulation film.

5. The tire information transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the thin plate surface of the battery is an abutting surface for abutting the substrate surface of the circuit board.

6. The tire information transmitter according to claim 5, wherein the abutting surface of the battery is a flat surface of a rectangular shape, and has thickness of the battery in a vertical direction with respect to the abutting surface of not more than one third of any of longitudinal and lateral lengths specifying a size of the abutting surface.

7. The tire information transmitter according to claim 6, wherein a positive electrode lead and a negative electrode lead of the battery are extended in parallel from the encapsulated body along the abutting surface, and connected to a circuit on the circuit board.

8. The tire information transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the atmospheric information includes at least one of inflation pressure or temperature in the tire cavity region.

9. A tire information acquiring system comprising:

a tire information transmitter which is mounted in a tire cavity region surrounded by a tire inner circumference surface and a wheel wall surface, and senses atmospheric information in the tire cavity region to wirelessly transmit to outside the tire cavity region,

a receiver provided outside the tire cavity region for receiving a signal from the tire information transmitter,

the tire information transmitter comprising;

a sensor for sensing atmospheric information in the tire cavity region,

a circuit board having a processing circuit for processing a sensed signal from the sensor and having

a transmitting circuit for wirelessly transmitting a processed signal, and,

a battery for supplying power for driving the processing circuit and the transmitting circuit, in which the battery is made as an encapsulated body of a thin plate shape, having a thin plate surface, by encapsulating battery components with an insulation film, and the encapsulated body has an area ratio of the thin plate surface to a thickness of the thin plate shape of not less than 200 mm, and a mass of not more than 5 g,

wherein the tire information transmitter continually transmits the atmospheric information in the tire cavity region to the receiver.

10. A tire/wheel assembly in which a tire information transmitter which is mounted in a tire cavity region surrounded by a tire inner circumference surface and a wheel wall surface, and senses atmospheric information in the tire cavity region to wirelessly transmit to outside the tire cavity region, is mounted on a wheel circumference rotating surface in the tire cavity region,

the tire information transmitting comprising:

a sensor for sensing atmospheric information in the tire cavity region,

a circuit board having a processing circuit for processing a sensed signal from the sensor and having a transmitting circuit for wirelessly transmitting a processed signal, and,

a battery for supplying power for driving the processing circuit and the transmitting circuit,

in which the battery is made as an encapsulated body of a thin plate shape, having a thin plate surface, by encapsulating battery components with an insulation film, and the encapsulated body has an area ratio of the thin plate surface to a thickness of the thin plate shape of not less than 200 mm, and a mass of not more than 5 g.

11. The tire/wheel assembly according to claim 10, wherein the tire information transmitter is arranged on a wheel circumference defined by a wheel rotation axis as a center of the circumference, in a position opposite to a position in which a wheel valve is arranged.

12. A tire information transmitter which is mounted in a tire cavity region surrounded by a tire inner circumference surface and a wheel wall surface, and senses atmospheric information in the tire cavity region to wirelessly transmit to outside the tire cavity region, the tire information transmitter comprising:

a sensor for sensing atmospheric information in the tire cavity region,

a circuit board having a processing circuit for processing a sensed signal from the sensor and having a transmitting circuit for transmitting a processed signal, and,

a battery for supplying power for driving the processing circuit and the transmitting circuit, in which the battery has an internal resistance of not more than 5Ω

, and a mass energy density of not less than 130 mAh/g.