Bridge patch for electromechanical transducer elements in tire assemblies
First Claim
1. A tire assembly, comprising:
- a tire having an inner liner;
a first pad and a second pad attached to said inner liner of said tire and separated from one another by a predetermined distance;
a bridge member having at least two ends, wherein at least one of said ends is attached to said first pad and the other end is attached to said second pad, said bridge member comprising a continuous element spanning between said first pad and said second pad, said bridge member separated from contact with said tire and mechanically isolated from the tire except through attachment to said first and second pads; and
an electromechanical transducer element attached to said bridge member and configured for converting mechanical energy from said tire into electrical energy, wherein said bridge member is configured with said first and second pads so as to control the mechanical energy imparted to said electromechanical transducer element as a result of the deformation of said inner liner during operation of said tire.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A bridge patch for use with a tire is provided. The bridge patch modifies the magnitude, orientation, or both of the mechanical forces, and particularly the stress-strain relationship, imparted by the inner liner of a tire in order to obtain the desired stress-strain relationship for operating an electromechanical transducer element attached to the bridge patch. The bridge patch includes at least one pad configured for attachment to the inner liner of the tire, and a bridge member attached to the pad and separated from contact with the tire. In certain embodiments, bridge patch includes a bridge member that is arch-shaped and is connected to two pads, one each located on the ends of the bridge member.
32 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A tire assembly, comprising:
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a tire having an inner liner; a first pad and a second pad attached to said inner liner of said tire and separated from one another by a predetermined distance; a bridge member having at least two ends, wherein at least one of said ends is attached to said first pad and the other end is attached to said second pad, said bridge member comprising a continuous element spanning between said first pad and said second pad, said bridge member separated from contact with said tire and mechanically isolated from the tire except through attachment to said first and second pads; and an electromechanical transducer element attached to said bridge member and configured for converting mechanical energy from said tire into electrical energy, wherein said bridge member is configured with said first and second pads so as to control the mechanical energy imparted to said electromechanical transducer element as a result of the deformation of said inner liner during operation of said tire. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of obtaining a desired stress-strain relationship on an electromechanical transducer element, comprising the steps of:
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providing a tire having an inner liner; placing at least a pair of pads at a predetermined distance apart from each other upon the inner liner of the tire; spanning the predetermined distance with a bridge element that is continuous between the pads, separated from contact with the inner liner of the tire, and mechanically isolated from the tire except through contact with the pads; and providing an electromechanical transducer element attached to the bridge element. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An assembly for attaching electronics to a tire, the tire having an inner-surface, the assembly comprising:
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a base element for attaching to the inner-surface of the tire, and a bridge member comprising a first end, a second end, and a continuous element connecting said first end and said second end, wherein said first end and said second end are attached to said base element, and wherein said bridge member is shaped so that no physical contact is made between said continuous element and the inner-surface of the tire except at said first and said second end; and an electromechanical transducer element attached to said bridge member and configured for converting mechanical energy from the tire into electrical energy, wherein said bridge member is configured upon said base element so as to control the mechanical energy imparted to said electromechanical transducer element as a result of the deformation of the inner surface during operation of the tire. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification