Tire having a cavity for receiving an electronic detector

• US 7,556,074 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Compagnie générale des établissements Michelin
• Original Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Inventors: Borot, Martine
• Primary Examiner(s): Knable; Geoffrey L
• Application Number:
  US11/083,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20050217774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 152/152.1, 152/154.1, 152/510
• US Class Current: 152/152.1
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/0077 Directly attaching monitoring devices to tyres before or after vulcanization, e.g. microchips
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/20 by the flat-tyre method, i.e. building on cylindrical drums
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0493 for attachment on the tyre

Abstract

A tire includes a cavity formed therein to receive a removable electronic monitoring module. A mouth of the cavity opens into the inside volume of the tire and is located along a section of a joint of a first layer formed by the assembly of rubber profiled elements adjacent to the inside volume of the tire. The joint can extend radially or circumferentially. The cavity can be formed by inserting an element into the tire body and then leaving the element in place or removing it prior to vulcanization.

Claims

1. A tire comprising a first layer forming the inner liner of said tire adjacent to the inside volume of said tire and resulting during the build up of the tire before vulcanization, said inner liner having a first lip and a second lip arranged in mutually facing relationship to form a joint of the inner liner when bringing the first and second lips together during tire build-up, said joint being an actual joint within the inner liner layer itself, said tire including a cavity disposed between the first layer and a second layer which is bonded to the first layer on a side thereof facing away from the tire'"'"'s inside volume, wherein the cavity is embedded within a body of the tire, the cavity arranged to removably receive an electronic monitoring module;

the cavity having a module-receiving mouth which opens into the inside volume of the tire and which is located along an open part of the joint of said inner liner, wherein the open part of the joint is shorter than a non-open part of the joint and forms a continuation of the non-open part.

2. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the cavity is formed by a localized absence of rubber bonds between the inner liner and the second layer.

3. The tire according to claim 1, wherein rubber material forming the inner liner comprises an air-tight material.

4. The tire according to claim 1 wherein the mouth of the cavity is oriented substantially radially on the tire.

5. The tire according to claim 1 wherein the mouth of the cavity is oriented substantially circumferentially on the tire.

6. The tire according to claim 1 wherein an angular orientation of the cavity mouth relative to the tire'"'"'s circumferential direction is in the range of 0°

to 90°

.

7. The tire according to claim 1 wherein the cavity is located radially between a bead heel and an upper crown of the tire.

8. The tire according to claim 1 further including an electronic monitoring module within the cavity.

9. The tire according to claim 1 wherein the joint is a butt joint.

10. The tire according to claim 1 wherein the tire body further comprises a backing layer disposed across the cavity and bonded to the second layer.

11. The tire according to claim 10 wherein the backing layer is formed of the same rubber material as the first layer.

12. The tire according to claim 1 wherein walls of the cavity arranged to contact an electronic monitoring device are covered by a protective layer of extensible material.

13. The tire according to claim 12 wherein the extensible material comprises a woven or non-woven fabric base.

14. The tire according to claim 12 wherein the extensible material comprises an elastomeric material.

15. A non-vulcanized rubber tire comprising a first layer forming the inner liner of said tire adjacent an inside volume of said tire and resulting during build-up of said non-vulcanized rubber tire before vulcanization, said inner liner having a pair of lips facing one another to form a joint of the inner liner, said joint being a joint within the inner liner layer itself, said tire including a cavity disposed between the first layer and a second layer bonded to the first layer on a side thereof facing away from the tire'"'"'s inside volume, wherein said cavity is embedded within a body of said tire, an adhesion-preventing material disposed between portions of said lips and between said inner liner and said second layer at a location adjacent to said lips, wherein a first length of said joint provided with said adhesion-preventing material is less than a remaining second length of said joint and defines a continuation of said first length, said adhesion-preventing material being operable to prevent vulcanization and form said cavity accessible through a mouth defined by said lips and opening into the inside volume of said tire, the cavity arranged to removably receive an electronic monitoring module.