Method for determining an indicator of the stresses to which a construction vehicle tire is subjected

• US 7,299,692 B1
• Filed: 07/10/2006
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Compagnie générale des établissements Michelin
• Original Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Inventors: Moreno, Jose Angel, Contreras, Marcos
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen; Andre J.
• Application Number:
  US11/484,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20070220962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 731/46, 701/29, 701/50, 152/153
• US Class Current: 73/146
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/08 for incorporation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining an indicator of the stresses to which a construction vehicle fire is subjected during a given period in which the product of the load transported by the vehicle and the distance traveled by the vehicle during the period is adjusted by an adjustment factor based on use parameters of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for determining an indicator of stresses to which a vehicle tire is subjected during a period, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a load transported by the vehicle during the period;

determining a distance traveled by the vehicle during the period;

determining a product of the load transported by the vehicle and the distance traveled by the vehicle during the period;

determining at least one use parameter of the vehicle; and

adjusting the product of the load and the distance by an adjustment factor based on the at least one use parameter of the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment factor is determined based on at least one use parameters measured in real time during the period, the at least one measured use parameter relating to a physical characteristic comprising at least one of:

a slope of terrain traversed by the vehicle, a radius of a curve traversed by the vehicle, an overload amount carried by the vehicle, a width of a track traversed by the vehicle, and an amount of snow cover in an operation area of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a dumper, and the indicator of the stresses to which the vehicle tire is subjected relates to the dumper running on tracks of a mine or quarry.

4. The method according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the adjustment factor is based on a sum of use parameters, each multiplied by a corresponding weighting factor.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the indicator of the stresses to which the vehicle tire is subjected is determined for a period of less than about one minute.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the indicator of the stresses to which the vehicle tire is subjected is determined for a period of less than about 30 seconds.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment factor is determined by a computer.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a leasing cost for a duration of use of the vehicle tire based on the indicator of stresses.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the duration of use corresponds to a plurality of periods, and the leasing cost for the duration of use is based on a total of the stress indicators for the periods.

10. A method for determining an indicator of stresses to which a construction vehicle tire is subjected during a use period, the construction vehicle comprising means for measuring at least one physical parameter in real time, the means being connected to storage elements and to a computer, the method making it possible to establish, using the computer, the indicator of the stresses to which the construction vehicle tire is subjected during the use period by:

determining a load transported by the vehicle during the use period, using a means for measuring a transported load;

calculating a distance traveled by the vehicle during the use period, using a means for measuring the distance;

calculating the product of the load transported by the vehicle and the distance traveled by the vehicle; and

adjusting the product of the load and the distance by an adjustment factor based on the at least one physical parameter, as measured by the measuring means.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the indicator of stresses is determined based at least in part on parameters measured during operation of the construction vehicle in its operational environment.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising determining a leasing cost for a duration of use of the construction vehicle tire based on the indicator of stresses.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the duration of use corresponds to a plurality of use periods, and the leasing cost for the duration of use is based on a total of the stress indicators for the use periods.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the leasing cost is further based on a predetermined monetary coefficient.

15. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein, in the event of irreparable damage to the tire, a residual value is substituted for the determined leasing cost.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the residual value is determined based on a production cost and a raw materials cost of the tire.