ATTACHMENT STRUCTURE

• US 20140124636A1
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Nagaya, Gou
• Granted Patent: US 9,469,164 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 248/205.3
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/0072 Attaching fasteners to tyres, e.g. patches, in order to connect devices to tyres
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/0061 Accessories, details or auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 19/00 Tyre parts or constructions not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/00 Devices for measuring, signalling, controlling, or distributing tyre pressure or temperature, specially adapted for mounting on vehicles; Arrangement of tyre inflating devices on vehicles, e.g. of pumps or of tanks; Tyre cooling arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0493 for attachment on the tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/20 Devices for measuring or signalling tyre temperature only

Abstract

A mounting structure (200, 1200) is provided with a base (210) which has a base lower surface (211) adhered to the inner surface of a tire (100) and which also has a base upper surface (212) provided on the reverse side of the base lower surface (211). The base lower surface (211) has, before the base (210) is adhered to the inner surface of the tire (100), a shape recessed toward the center of the base (210).

Claims

1. An attachment structure that attaches a function component having a function of detecting a state of a tire to an inner surface of the tire, comprising:

a pedestal formed of an elastic member, and including a pedestal lower surface bonded to the inner surface of the tire, and a pedestal upper surface arranged opposite the pedestal lower surface, wherein

the pedestal lower surface has a shape recessed toward a center of the pedestal in a cross section along a tire circumferential direction, in a state before the pedestal is bonded to the inner surface of the tire.

2. The attachment structure according to claim 1, wherein

the pedestal lower surface deforms to a shape running along the inner surface of the tire in the cross section along the tire circumferential direction, in a state after the pedestal is bonded to the inner surface of the tire.

3. The attachment structure according to claim 1, wherein a difference between a center portion of the pedestal lower surface and an end of the pedestal lower surface is equal to or more than 1 mm.

4. The attachment structure according to claim 1, wherein

the pedestal includes a pedestal inclined surface that continues from an end of the pedestal lower surface in the tire circumferential direction to an end of the pedestal upper surface in the tire circumferential direction, and

the pedestal inclined surface has a shape recessed toward a center of the pedestal in a tire circumferential direction, in a state before the pedestal is bonded to the inner surface of the tire.

5. The attachment structure according to claim 4, wherein

the pedestal inclined surface has a depressed portion recessed with a curvature of a curvature radius R toward a center of the pedestal in the tire circumferential direction, in a state after the pedestal is bonded to the inner surface of the tire,

in a cross section along the tire circumferential direction,

a denotes a point farthest from an inner surface of the tire, in the depressed portion;

b denotes a point at which to contact with the inner surface of the tire, in the depressed portion;

c denotes an intersection point that intersects with a perpendicular line that extends down from the a to the pedestal lower surface, in the pedestal lower surface;

ac denotes a line segment that links the a and the c;

bc denotes a line segment that links the b and the c;

A denotes a shorter length, out of the ac and the bc; and

B denotes a longer length, out of the ac and the bc, and

the R satisfies a relationship of (A²+B²)/(2×

A)<

R<

(A²+B²)^0.5, when the A and the B satisfy a condition of ⅓

^0.5×

B<

A<

B.

6. The attachment structure according to claim 5, wherein

in a cross section along the tire circumferential direction,

the R satisfies a relationship of (A²+B²)/(2×

A)<

R, when the A and the B satisfy a condition of A<

⅓

^0.5×

B.

7. The attachment structure according to claim 1, wherein

in a state before the pedestal is bonded to the inner surface of the tire, the pedestal lower surface comprises:

a flat portion that is located opposite the pedestal upper surface and that has a flat shape in a cross section along the tire circumferential direction; and

a curved portion that is located from an end of the flat portion to an end of the pedestal lower surface and that has an arch shape with a predetermined curvature in a cross section along a tire circumferential direction, wherein

the flat portion and the curved portion are linked smoothly.

8. The attachment structure according to claim 1, further comprising:

a frame having a bottom plate formed of a member having a predetermined rigidity and having a frame lower surface placed on the pedestal upper surface and a frame upper surface arranged opposite the frame lower surface;

a base which is formed of a member having a predetermined rigidity and on which the function component is mounted; and

a fitting member for fixing the base to the frame, wherein

the frame upper surface is defined by a first direction and a second direction crossing the first direction,

the frame includes, on the frame upper surface, a pair of first-direction lateral walls extending along the first direction and standing upright in a vertical direction relative to the frame upper surface,

the base is placed on the frame upper surface so as to be fit between the pair of first-direction lateral walls,

the pair of first-direction lateral walls of the frame include a lateral wall engagement piece that bends toward the other one of the first-direction lateral walls, as a tip of the vertical direction relative to the frame upper surface,

the base includes, at both sides in the second direction, a pair of lateral walls extending along the first direction and standing upright in a vertical direction relative to the frame upper surface,

the fitting member is placed to be fit between the lateral wall of the base placed on the frame upper surface and the lateral wall engagement piece of the frame,

the lateral wall of the base has an inclination relative to the first direction, and has the upper surface contacting the fitting member, and

the fitting member has an inclination to run along the upper surface of the lateral wall, and has a lower surface contacting the upper surface of the lateral wall.

9. The attachment structure according to claim 1, further comprising:

a frame having a bottom plate formed of a member having a predetermined rigidity and having a frame lower surface placed on the pedestal upper surface and a frame upper surface arranged opposite the frame lower surface; and

a base which is formed of a member having a predetermined rigidity and on which the function component is mounted, wherein

the frame upper surface is defined by a first direction and a second direction crossing the first direction,

the frame includes, on the frame upper surface, a pair of first-direction lateral walls extending along the first direction and standing upright in a vertical direction relative to the frame upper surface,

the base is placed on the frame upper surface so as to be fit between the pair of first-direction lateral walls,

the pedestal includes a pair of protrusions extending along the second direction and arranged with an interval in the first direction, and

the frame is placed to be fit between the pair of protrusions in the first direction.

10. The attachment structure according to claim 9, wherein

the base includes a pair of groove portions extending along the second direction and arranged with an interval in the first direction, and

the base is placed in the pedestal so that the pair of protrusions are fit to the pair of groove portions.

11. The attachment structure according to claim 10, wherein

in a vertical direction relative to the frame upper surface, a depth of the pair of groove portions is smaller than a height of the pair of protrusions.

12. The attachment structure according to claim 9, wherein

a neck is arranged between the function component and the base,

the pair of first-direction lateral walls include a lateral wall engagement piece that bends toward the other one of the first-direction lateral walls, as a tip in the vertical direction relative to the frame upper surface,

in an orthogonal direction relative to the first direction, a size of the neck is smaller than sizes of the function component and the base, and

the lateral wall engagement piece is curved at a location of the neck and is placed to be fit between the function component and the base.