Sensor housing fastening arrangement in wheels with pneumatic tires

• US 7,040,155 B1
• Filed: 12/02/2004
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokian Tyres PLC
• Original Assignee: Nokian Tyres PLC
• Inventors: Hakanen, Jukka, Kirjanen, Jari, Lundell, Tomi, Tuunanen, Ari
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Jewel V.
• Application Number:
  US11/004,610
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 731/468, 731/463, 340/442, 340/443, 340/444, 340/445
• US Class Current: 73/146.8
• 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 23/0494 Valve stem attachments positioned inside the tyre chamber

Abstract

An assembly with an electronic measuring apparatus for installing said electronic measuring apparatus on a rim of a vehicle wheel, on which a pneumatic tire may be mounted comprises: at least one sensor for sensing value(s) inside the mounted pneumatic tire; a housing having a bottom side adapted to seat against a rim bed in said rim, an outer side, and an attaching side connecting said bottom side and outer side; a tire valve body having a stem projecting through an opening in the rim and a shoulder extending radially at one end said valve body, and a locking piece for engagement with said stem to secure said tire valve body to said rim; an eccentric attachment component in said shoulder, said attachment component being eccentric in respect to said stem and having a length projecting away from said shoulder in an opposite direction than said stem; and a receiving hole or receiving recess in the attaching side of said housing for receiving said eccentric attachment component, whereupon said housing is movable in a plane perpendicular to the length of said eccentric attachment component.

Claims

1. An assembly with an electronic measuring apparatus for installing said electronic measuring apparatus on a rim of a vehicle wheel, on which a pneumatic tire may be mounted, said assembly comprising:

at least one sensor for sensing a value or values inside the mounted pneumatic tire, and electronics for processing said value(s);

a housing, in which said sensor and said electronics are contained, said housing having a bottom side adapted to seat against a rim bed in said rim, an outer side directed towards said tire when mounted, and an attaching side connecting opposite borders of said bottom side and outer side and transvere thereto;

a tire valve body having a stem projecting through an opening in the rim and a shoulder extending radially at one end said valve body, and a locking piece for engagement with said stem to secure said tire valve body to said rim;

an eccentric attachment component in the shoulder of said tire valve body, said attachment component being eccentric in respect to said stem and having a length projecting away from said shoulder in an opposite direction than said stem; and

a receiving hole or receiving recess in the attaching side of said housing for receiving said eccentric attachment component, whereupon said housing is movable in a plane perpendicular to the length of said eccentric attachment component.

2. An assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said shoulder has a planar base surface facing away from the rim, and said attaching side of the housing has a planar support surface facing towards the rim, whereupon said base surface and said support surface are movable along each other during installation of the electronic measuring apparatus.

3. An assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said eccentric attachment component is a flange with a periphery that is eccentric in respect to said stem and connected with a shaft to said shoulder.

4. An assembly as defined in claim 3, wherein said receiving hole or receiving recess comprises a slot for said flange, and a curved channel enabling movement of said shaft when the flange is rotated.

5. An assembly as defined in claim 3, wherein said shaft is eccentric in respect to said shoulder and eccentric in respect to said flange.

6. An assembly as defined in claim 3, wherein said flange has a larger diameter than said shaft.

7. An assembly as defined in claim 4, wherein said slot of the recess has dimensions enabling rotation of said flange around an eccentric centerline perpendicular to said attaching side of the housing, and a curved channel having transversal dimensions enabling movement of said shaft when the flange is rotated.

8. An assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said eccentric attachment component further comprises a stud and a nut;

and said receiving hole or receiving recess is a hole with matching diameter with said stud, and a surrounding support surface for said nut.

9. An assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said shoulder has an even thickness, whereupon said length of the eccentric attachment is parallel with a centerline of the stem.

10. An assembly as defined in claim 1, further comprising an externally threaded or toothed portion in said stem, and a locking piece for engagement with said threaded/toothed portion to clamp said rim between said locking piece and said shoulder to secure said valve stem and said housing with sensor(s) and electronics to said rim.

11. An assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor is a tire pressure sensor.

12. An assembly as defined in claim 1, further comprising a single contact area within the bottom side of said housing contacting with the rim bed of said rim.

13. An assembly as defined in claim 12, wherein the bottom side of said housing is concave with smaller radius than the rim bed or planar or convex for said single contact area between the rim bed and the housing.

14. An assembly as defined in claim 10, further comprising elastic material on the bottom side of said housing at least at said single contact area.

15. A combination of an electronic measuring apparatus and a rim of a vehicle wheel, on which a pneumatic tire may be mounted, said combination comprising:

a sensor for sensing a value or values inside the mounted pneumatic tire, and electronics for processing said value(s);

a housing with said sensor and said electronics therein, said housing having a bottom side adapted to seat against a rim bed of said rim, an opposite outer side, and a transversal attaching side connecting said bottom side and said outer side;

a tire valve body having a stem projecting through an opening in the rim and a shoulder extending radially at one end said valve body, and a locking piece for engagement with said stern to secure said shoulder against said rim;

an eccentric attachment component on said shoulder of the tire valve body and projecting away from said shoulder in opposite direction than said stern, said eccentricity being in respect to said stem;

a receiving hole or receiving recess in said attaching side of the housing for receiving said eccentric attachment component; and

a planar base surface on said shoulder and a planar support surface on said attaching side, said planar base and support surfaces being in contact with each other.

16. A combination as defined in claim 15, wherein said contact between the planar base surface and the planar support surface is a gliding contact during installation of said housing of said electronic measuring apparatus on the rim.

17. A combination as defined in claim 15, wherein said contact between the planar base surface and the planar support surface is a tight contact prohibiting a glide after installation of said housing of said electronic measuring apparatus on the rim.

18. A combination as defined in claim 15, wherein said planar base surface and said planar support surface are perpendicular to a length of said eccentric attachment component.

19. A combination as defined in claim 15, wherein said planar base surface and said planar support surface are perpendicular to a centerline of said stem.

20. A combination as defined in claim 15, wherein said eccentric attachment component is a flange with a flange diameter, a flange thickness and a periphery that is eccentric in respect to said stem and connected with a shaft to said shoulder.

21. A combination as defined in claim 20, wherein said receiving hole or receiving recess comprises:

a slot with a slot width respective the flange diameter and a slot thickness respective the flange thickness, and

a curved channel between said slot and said planar support surface with a channel width enabling movement of said shaft when the flange is rotated.

22. A combination as defined in claim 20, wherein said shaft is eccentric in respect to said shoulder and eccentric in respect to said flange.

23. A combination as defined in claim 21, wherein said shaft has a shaft diameter that is smaller than said flange diameter.

24. A combination as defined in claim 21, wherein said shaft has a shaft diameter, and said channel has a width respective said shaft diameter.

25. A combination as defined in claim 15, wherein said eccentric attachment component further comprises a stud with a stud diameter and a nut engaging said stud.

26. A combination as defined in claim 25, wherein said receiving hole or receiving recess is a hole with a hole diameter matching with said stud diameter, and a surrounding support surface for said nut.

27. A combination as defined in claim 15, wherein the said shoulder has an even thickness, whereupon said eccentric attachment is parallel with the stem.

28. A combination as defined in claim 15, further comprising an externally threaded or toothed portion in said stem, and a locking piece for engagement with said threaded/toothed portion to clamp said rim between said locking piece and said shoulder to secure said valve stem and said housing to said rim.

29. A combination as defined in claim 15, wherein said sensor is a a tire pressure sensor.

30. A combination as defined in claim 15, further comprising one contact area at said bottom side of the housing contacting with a rim bed of said rim.

31. A combination as defined in claim 15, wherein the bottom side of said housing is concave with smaller radius than the rim bed or planar or convex for said single contact area between the rim bed and the housing.

32. An assembly as defined in claim 31, further comprising elastic material on the bottom side of said housing at least at said single contact area.

33. An assembly with an electronic measuring apparatus for installing said electronic measuring apparatus on a rim of a vehicle wheel, on which a pneumatic tire may be mounted, said assembly comprising:

at least one sensor for sensing a value or values inside the mounted pneumatic tire, and electronics for processing said value(s);

a housing, in which said sensor and said electronics are contained, said housing having a bottom side adapted to seat against a rim bed in said rim, an outer side directed towards said tire, and an attaching side connecting opposite borders of said bottom side and outer side and transversal thereto;

a tire valve body having a stem projecting through an opening in the rim and a shoulder extending radially at one end said valve body, and, a locking piece for engagement with said stem to secure said tire valve body with the shoulder and the stem to said rim;

a projecting attachment component or a receiving recess in said shoulder of the tire valve body in a plane transversal to the stem; and

a receiving recess or a projecting attachment component respectively in said attaching side of the housing, in engagement with said projecting attachment component or said receiving recess of the shoulder, whereupon said housing is movable in said plane transversal.

34. An assembly as defined in claim 33, wherein said projecting attachment component is an attachment bar and said receiving recess is a receiving groove, said attachment bar and said receiving groove together forming a linear attachment component, said linearity being in a direction transversal to said stem.

35. An assembly as defined in claim 33, wherein said projecting attachment component is an eccentric attachment component on said shoulder projecting away from the shoulder, and said receiving recess is a receiving hole or receiving slot in said attaching side of the housing, said shoulder and said attaching side having planar surfaces against each other.

36. A combination as defined in claim 33, wherein said sensor is a tire pressure sensor.

37. A combination as defined in claim 36, further comprising a temperature sensor.

38. A combination as defined in claim 33, further comprising a single contact area inside said bottom side of the housing contacting with a rim bed of said rim.

39. An assembly as defined in claim 33, further comprising elastic material on the bottom side of said housing at least at said single contact area.

40. An assembly as defined in claim 33, wherein said said plane is perpendicular to a centerline of the stem.