System for residual tire life prediction by ultrasound
First Claim
1. A pulse ultrasonic reflection system, useful for residual tire life prediction by monitoring cord/rubber condition of at least one ply of a tire carcass, which comprises:
- a transmitter transducer that converts high-frequency electrical pulses provided to its input into pulses of ultrasonic vibrations for transmittal into an area of the multi-ply containing portion of the carcass of a tire to be tested;
clock means to provide voltage signals at its output;
means having an input and an output, said means being constructed to provide a pulse of high-frequency electrical energy at its output after it is triggered by each voltage signal that is received at its said input, said pulse-providing means having an input connected to said output of said clock means that by its periodic voltage signals initiates and controls the frequency at which the high-frequency electrical pulses are provided by said pulse-providing means to said transmitter transducer;
a receiver transducer, that in the system is either mounted relative to said transmitter transducer to provide a pitch-catch type or is constructed with said transmitter transducer to provide a pulse-echo type of pulse ultrasonic reflection system, to receive ultrasonic energy reflected by the tire after each ultrasonic pulse provided to the tire by said transmitter transducer, said receiver transducer having an output that provides voltage signals based on said received reflected ultrasonic energy;
amplifier means including an amplifier having an output and an input that is connected to said output of said receiver transducer;
gate means having first and second inputs and having a gate with an output, said gate means having;
its said first input connected to said output of said amplifier; and
its said second input connected to one of said outputs of said receiver transducer, said pulse-providing means and said clock means,said gate means being constructed to be responsive to a voltage signal at said second input of said gate means to open said gate of said gate means, after a predetermined delay, for a predetermined period of time to provide time-gated voltage signals at said output of said gate, after each pulse is provided by said pulse-providing means to said transducer, based on the reflected ultrasonic energy only from the interior portion of the tire, that includes at least one ply of the tire, to which the ultrasonic energy is applied by said transmitter transducer;
processing means having an output and an output that is connected to said output of said gate of said gate means, said processing means being constructed to convert the time-gated amplified signals from said output of said gate, after each electrical pulse provided to said transmitter transducer, to one voltage signal representing the cord/rubber condition of plies of the carcass of the tire; and
means having an input connected to said output of said processing means and constructed to provide a visual readout based on said voltage signal, provided at said output of said processing means, that indicates the condition of plies of the carcass of the tire.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system, preferably a pulse echo reflection system, for residual tire life prediction by ultrasound includes: a transmitter transducer; means to provide pulses of electrical energy to the transmitter transducer, that converts the electrical pulses into pulses of ultrasonic vibrations and transmits them into an area of the plycontaining portion of the carcass of a tire, having a number of plies in the carcass, to be tested; clock means to control the frequency of the electrical pulses; a receiver transducer mounted relative to the transmitter transducer to receive ultrasonic energy reflected by the tire; amplifier means connected to the receiver transducer to receive reflected ultrasonic energy from different levels within that portion of the carcass of the tire, including reflected ultrasonic energy from plies of the carcass of the tire; processing means having an input connected to the amplifier; and gate means responsive to the clock means to provide, after a delay following each electrical pulse, a time-gated signal from the output of the amplifier means to the input of the processing means that, for each ultrasonic pulse to the tire, includes only the amplified signals corresponding to the reflected ultrasonic energy from a level adjacent but outwardly of the outermost ply of that portion of the carcass of the tire to a level inwardly of at least the outermost ply of that portion of the carcass. The processing means is constructed to provide a signal indicative of ply degradation or separation based on the time-gated signal.
31 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A pulse ultrasonic reflection system, useful for residual tire life prediction by monitoring cord/rubber condition of at least one ply of a tire carcass, which comprises:
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a transmitter transducer that converts high-frequency electrical pulses provided to its input into pulses of ultrasonic vibrations for transmittal into an area of the multi-ply containing portion of the carcass of a tire to be tested; clock means to provide voltage signals at its output; means having an input and an output, said means being constructed to provide a pulse of high-frequency electrical energy at its output after it is triggered by each voltage signal that is received at its said input, said pulse-providing means having an input connected to said output of said clock means that by its periodic voltage signals initiates and controls the frequency at which the high-frequency electrical pulses are provided by said pulse-providing means to said transmitter transducer; a receiver transducer, that in the system is either mounted relative to said transmitter transducer to provide a pitch-catch type or is constructed with said transmitter transducer to provide a pulse-echo type of pulse ultrasonic reflection system, to receive ultrasonic energy reflected by the tire after each ultrasonic pulse provided to the tire by said transmitter transducer, said receiver transducer having an output that provides voltage signals based on said received reflected ultrasonic energy; amplifier means including an amplifier having an output and an input that is connected to said output of said receiver transducer; gate means having first and second inputs and having a gate with an output, said gate means having;
its said first input connected to said output of said amplifier; andits said second input connected to one of said outputs of said receiver transducer, said pulse-providing means and said clock means, said gate means being constructed to be responsive to a voltage signal at said second input of said gate means to open said gate of said gate means, after a predetermined delay, for a predetermined period of time to provide time-gated voltage signals at said output of said gate, after each pulse is provided by said pulse-providing means to said transducer, based on the reflected ultrasonic energy only from the interior portion of the tire, that includes at least one ply of the tire, to which the ultrasonic energy is applied by said transmitter transducer; processing means having an output and an output that is connected to said output of said gate of said gate means, said processing means being constructed to convert the time-gated amplified signals from said output of said gate, after each electrical pulse provided to said transmitter transducer, to one voltage signal representing the cord/rubber condition of plies of the carcass of the tire; and means having an input connected to said output of said processing means and constructed to provide a visual readout based on said voltage signal, provided at said output of said processing means, that indicates the condition of plies of the carcass of the tire. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A pulse ultrasonic reflection system for residual tire life prediction, which comprises:
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imparting pulses of ultrasonic energy into an area of a tire in a manner to provide pulses of reflected acoustic energy so that each reflected pulse includes reflected ultrasonic energy from the plies of the carcass of the tire; converting the pulses of reflected acoustic energy to pulses of electrical signals; amplifying the electrical signals; processing the pulses of amplified electrical signals to provide information with respect to the amplitude of those amplified electrical signals based on the reflected acoustic energy from at least one of the plies of the carcass; determining the difference between that information and information obtainable by the same processing of amplified signals from acoustic energy reflected from the same ply or plies of an unused, new tire that is the same type and that has a satisfactory ply construction and has a satisfactory bonding of the cords to the rubber matrix of the tire carcass; and predicting from that difference the extent of circumferential degradation and thus the life of the tire being tested by the system. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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Specification