Tire wear monitoring system

• US 7,353,700 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2004
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: C.R.F. Societa Consortile Per Azioni
• Original Assignee: C.R.F. Societa Consortile Per Aziono
• Inventors: Perlo, Piero, Pullini, Daniele
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen; Andre J.
• Application Number:
  US10/573,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20070035386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 731/46
• US Class Current: 73/146
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/24 Wear-indicating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 2019/005 Magnets integrated within the tyre structure

Abstract

Tire wear monitoring system, including a wearing part (110, 111) to be monitored, said wearing part (110, 111) being associated with magnetic elements (113) and magnetic field sensing means (114), for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements (113), associated to said wearing part (113) of said tire. According to the invention, said magnetic field sensing means (114) for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements (113) are associated with a wheel to which said tire belongs.

Claims

1. Tire wear monitoring system, including a wearing part to be monitored, said wearing part being associated with magnetic elements and magnetic field sensing means, for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements, associated with said wearing part of said tire,

wherein said magnetic field sensing means for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements are associated with a wheel to which said tire belongs, and

wherein the wearing part comprises tire tread with magnetic particles inserted therein that act as the magnetic elements.

2. System according to claim 1, wherein said magnetic field sensing means for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements are associated with a rim of said wheel.

3. System according to claim 1, wherein said magnetic field sensing means for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements are associated with the tire of said wheel.

4. System according to claim 3, wherein said magnetic field sensing means for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements are inserted close to the wearing part of said tire.

5. System according to claim 3, wherein said magnetic field sensing means for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements are applied to the internal part of said tire.

6. System according to claim 4, wherein said magnetic field sensing means for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements are located close to blocks of said wearing part of the tire.

7. System according to claim 1, wherein said magnetic field sensing means include one or multiple sensors comprising magnetoresistive elements suitable for varying their resistance in correspondence with the intensity variation of the magnetic field generated by said magnetic elements.

8. System according to claim 7, wherein said magnetoresistive element includes metal conduction regions, comprised of metal nanoparticles, and semiconductive conduction regions in a configuration of disordered mesoscopic structure.

9. System according to claim 7, wherein said magnetoresistive element includes pores in a semiconductor substrate, metal being deposited in said pores.

10. System according to claim 1, wherein in that said magnetic elements are substantially located in correspondence with blocks of said wearing part.

11. Monitoring system of the physical properties of a tire, wherein the system includes a control unit in a signal communication relation with sensing means of said physical properties and conversion means of the vibrational energy associated with the tire motion, in electric energy, and

wherein said sensing means of physical properties include the magnetic elements and the magnetic sensing devices configured according to the system according to claim 1.

12. System according to claim 11, wherein said sensing means of physical properties include one or multiple magnetic sensing devices placed to predetermined distances from a magnetic element associated with a region of the tire for measuring the pressure thereof.

13. System according to claim 12, wherein said magnetic sensing devices include one or multiple sensors including magnetoresistive elements suitable for varying their resistance in correspondence with the intensity variation of the magnetic field generated by the variation of said predetermined distances from a magnetic element associated with a region of the tire for measuring the pressure thereof.

14. System according to claim 13, wherein said magnetoresistive element includes metal conduction regions, comprised of metal nanoparticles and semiconductive conduction regions in a configuration of disordered mesoscopic structure.

15. System according to claim 14, wherein said magnetoresistive element includes pores in a semiconductor substrate, metal being deposited in said pores.

16. Tire wear monitoring system, including a wearing part to be monitored, said wearing part being associated with magnetic elements and magnetic field sensing means, for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements, associated with said wearing part of said tire,

wherein said magnetic field sensing means for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements are associated with a wheel to which said tire belongs,

wherein the magnetic elements are inserted into the wearing part, and

wherein the magnetic field sensing means are inserted into the wearing part.

17. System according to claim 16, wherein the wearing part comprises tire tread, and the magnetic elements and the magnetic field sensing means are located in the tire tread.

18. System according to claim 17, wherein the magnetic elements are substantially located in correspondence with blocks of the wearing part.

19. System according to claim 18, wherein the blocks have centered vertical axes sections, and wherein the magnetic field sensing devices measure the intensity variation of the magnetic field along the sections.

20. System according to claim 16, wherein said magnetic field sensing means for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements are associated with a rim of said wheel.

21. System according to claim 16, wherein said magnetic field sensing means for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements are associated with the tire of said wheel.

22. System according to claim 21, wherein said magnetic field sensing means for sensing an intensity of a magnetic field emitted by said magnetic elements are inserted close to the wearing part of said tire.

23. System according to claim 16, wherein said magnetic field sensing means include one or multiple sensors comprising magnetoresistive elements suitable for varying their resistance in correspondence with the intensity variation of the magnetic field generated by said magnetic elements.

24. System according to claim 23, wherein said magnetoresistive element includes metal conduction regions, comprised of metal nanoparticles, and semiconductive conduction regions in a configuration of disordered mesoscopic structure.

25. System according to claim 23, wherein said magnetoresistive element includes pores in a semiconductor substrate, metal being deposited in said pores.