METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE TREAD DEPTH OF A VEHICLE TIRE
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for determining the tread depth of a vehicle tire, with the tire being mounted on a vehicle, the tire being rolled over or placed on a measuring station, the tread of the tire being optically sensed transversely to the rolling direction of the tire on at least one measuring line, a ray fan extending from a light source being reflected at the tire surface and a signal of the reflected ray fan being recorded by a sensor, and the signal of the reflected ray fan being evaluated by way of a triangulation method, is characterized in that the signal is recorded in a non-orthogonal manner to the tire surface.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1-11. -11. (canceled)
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12. A method for determining the tread depth of a vehicle tire, with the tire being mounted on a vehicle, comprising the steps wherein
the tire is rolled over or placed on a measuring station; -
the tread of the tire is optically sensed transversely to the rolling direction of the tire on at least one measuring line, wherein a ray fan extending from a light source being reflected at the tire surface and a signal of the reflected ray fan is recorded by a sensor in a non-orthogonal manner to the tire surface, and wherein measuring is carried out outside a foot print of the tire on the measuring station; and the signal of the reflected ray fan is evaluated by way of a triangulation method; wherein a surface angle of the tire is determined as an angle between a normal to the tire surface and the direction towards the light source or the direction towards the sensor. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
by performing several measurements on the tire surface in different distances to the tire;
orusing the diameter of the tire for calculation.
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14. The method of claim 12, wherein the ray fan is produced in a light section process.
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15. The method of claim 12, wherein the ray fan is produced in a light section process using a laser.
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16. The method of claim 12, wherein the ray fan is produced by a line shaped shadowing of at least one spot light source.
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17. The method of claim 16, wherein signals of both edges of the line shaped shadowing are evaluated to determine the surface angle of the tire.
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18. An apparatus for determining the tread depth of a vehicle tire, with the tire mounted on a vehicle, comprising
a measuring station including a light source and a sensor, wherein the light source produces a ray fan extending along at least one measuring line transversely to the rolling direction of the tire and outside a foot print of the tire wherein the sensor records signals of the ray fan reflected from the tire surface in a non-orthogonal manner with respect to the tire surface; - and
an evaluation unit for the signals of the ray fan reflected from the tire surface which runs through a triangulation method; wherein the measuring station is further configured to determine a surface angle of the tire as an angle between a normal to the tire surface and the direction towards the light source or the direction towards the sensor. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification