Apparatus for removably inserting an electronic tire tag into a tire

• US 6,386,251 B1
• Filed: 12/06/1999
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Inventors: Koch, Russell W., Rensel, John D., Wilson, Paul B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Aftergut, Jeff H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rossi, Jessica
• Application Number:
  US09/455,977
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: B60/C 2.304, B60/C 2.306, B60/C 2.302, B60/C 2.300, 152/152.1, 152/367, 152/368, 152/369, 340/438, 340/442-449, 731/465
• US Class Current: 152/152.1
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/0072 Attaching fasteners to tyres, e.g. patches, in order to connect devices to tyres
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/0077 Directly attaching monitoring devices to tyres before or after vulcanization, e.g. microchips
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/04 mounted on the wheel or tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0493 for attachment on the tyre
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2241 used in or for vehicle tyres
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 152/10 Tires, resilient

Abstract

An improved method and apparatus permits the insertion and removal of an electronic monitoring device from a tire, while securing the electronic monitoring device to the tire so that stress, strain, impact, cyclic fatigue and vibration are minimized. After a rubber patch is vulcanized, the patch is permanently assembled to the innerliner of a vulcanized tire by affixing it to the tire innerliner. An electronic monitoring device, after having been encapsulated in a suitable rigid potting material to form a rigid tag, is fitted with a power source to form a tag assembly in a shape which allows for insertion into a cavity in the patch. The tag is carefully inserted into the cavity housing. The tag assembly is locked into place within the cavity using a suitable removable locking device.

Claims

1. In combination:

a tire having an innerliner;

a patch attached to the innerliner;

an electronic monitoring device having at least one sensor for sensing an engineering condition of a tire; and

the electronic monitoring device being connected to the patch with a threaded connection.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the threaded connection allows the monitoring device to be removed from the patch.

3. The combination of claim 1, wherein the patch is fabricated from a rubber material.

4. The combination of claim 3, wherein the monitoring device is encapsulated with a rigid potting material.

5. In combination:

a tire having an innerliner;

a patch attached to the innerliner;

the patch defining a cavity;

an electronic monitoring device having at least one sensor for sensing an engineering condition of the tire;

the electronic monitoring device being at least partially disposed in the cavity of the patch; and

the electronic monitoring device being threadably connected to the patch.

6. The combination of claim 5, wherein the electronic monitoring device is disposed entirely within the cavity of the patch.

7. The combination of claim 5, wherein the connection between the monitoring device and the patch allows the monitoring device to be removed from the patch.

8. The combination of claim 5, wherein the cavity defined by the patch has a substantially circular cross section.

9. The combination of claim 8, wherein the cavity defined by the patch is substantially cylindrical.

10. The combination of claim 9, wherein the monitoring device is encapsulated with a rigid potting material.

11. The combination of claim 10, wherein the encapsulated monitoring device is substantially cylindrical.

12. In combination:

a tire having an innerliner;

a patch attached to the innerliner;

the patch being substantially circular in cross section;

the patch defining a cylindrical cavity;

a substantially cylindrical encapsulated electronic monitoring device having at least one sensor for sensing an engineering condition of the tire;

the cylindrical electronic monitoring device being substantially disposed in the cylindrical cavity of the patch; and

the electronic monitoring device being threadably connected to the patch.

13. The combination of claim 12, wherein the patch includes a bottom surface and an upper surface;

the patch having a sidewall that slopes upwardly from the bottom surface to the upper surface.

14. The combination of claim 12, wherein the monitoring device may be unscrewed from the patch.