Sensor-incorporated tire and tire condition estimating method

• US 7,568,384 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Bridgestone
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Bridgestone
• Inventors: Morinaga, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen; Andre J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JENKINS, JERMAINE L
• Application Number:
  US10/567,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20060201240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 73146-1468, 340440-447
• US Class Current: 73/146
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/246 Tread wear monitoring systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/12 Friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1725 Using tyre sensors, e.g. Sidewall Torsion sensors [SWT] for tyre pressure and temperature detection B60C23/00

Abstract

In order to accurately and stably estimate the conditions of a running tire, a vehicle is equipped with a sensor-incorporating tire having, at an equal distance from the center in the axial direction of the tire, pressure sensors (11A, 11B) buried in a tread rubber positioned on the outer side in the radial direction of the tire belt layer of a tire tread portion and on the inner sides in the radial direction of tread blocks, the contact length L_A of the car body side and the contact length L_B of the opposite side of the center in the axial direction of the tire are detected by using the duration times of pressure values from the pressure sensors (11A, 11B) and a wheel speed from a wheel speed sensor (14), and the ratio R=L_A/L_B of the contact length L_A to the contact length L_B is computed to estimate lateral force generated by the tire, or the average contact length L_AB which is the average value of the contact lengths L_A and L_B is computed to determine a load applied to the tire.

Claims

1. A sensor-incorporating tire which incorporates sensors for detecting the conditions of a running tire, comprising:

at least two tire input detection means for detecting an input from the road which acts on a tire tread portion, which are buried in a tread rubber on the outer side in the radial direction of a tire belt layer;

wherein two of the tire input detection means are arranged at linearly symmetrical positions which are equally distant in the axial direction from the center in the axial direction of the tire.

2. The sensor-incorporating tire according to claim 1, wherein the tire input detection means are arranged on the inner side in the radial direction of a tread block contact portion.

3. The sensor-incorporating tire according to claim 1, wherein the tire input detection means are pressure sensors whose detection direction is a tire radial direction.

4. The sensor-incorporating tire according to claim 1, wherein the tire input detection means are pressure sensors whose detection direction is a tire circumferential direction.

5. A tire condition estimating method comprising the steps of:

detecting the contact lengths of at least two locations of a tire tread portion by using

wheel speed measuring means, and

a sensor-incorporating tire comprising at least two tire input detection means for detecting an input from the road which acts on a tire tread portion, which are buried in a tread rubber on the outer side in the radial direction of a tire belt layer; and

estimating the conditions of a running tire based on the detected contact lengths.

6. The tire condition estimating method according to claim 5, wherein the contact lengths at linearly symmetrical positions which are equally distant in the axial direction from the center in the tire axial direction of the tire tread portion are detected to estimate lateral force generated by the tire from the ratio of the contact lengths.

7. The tire condition estimating method according to claim 5, wherein the contact lengths at linearly symmetrical positions which are equally distant in the axial direction from the center in the tire axial direction of the tire tread portion are detected to estimate a load applied to the tire from the average value of the contact lengths.

8. The tire condition estimating method according to claim 6, wherein the contact lengths at linearly symmetrical positions which are equally distant in the axial direction from the center in the tire axial direction of the tire tread portion are detected to estimate a load applied to the tire from the average value of the contact lengths, and the lateral force estimated value is corrected by using this load estimated value.

9. The tire condition estimating method according to claim 5, wherein the attitude angle of the tire is estimated from the level ratio of the front half to the latter half of ground contact of the tire input detection value and the ratio of the contact lengths at linearly symmetrical positions which are equally distant in the axial direction from the center in the tire axial direction of the tire tread portion.

10. The tire condition estimating method according to claim 6, wherein the attitude angle of the tire is estimated from the level ratio of the front half to the latter half of ground contact of the tire input detection value and the ratio of the contact lengths at linearly symmetrical positions which are equally distant in the axial direction from the center in the tire axial direction of the tire tread portion, and the lateral force estimated value is corrected by using this attitude angle estimated value.

11. The tire condition estimating method according to claim 5, wherein the contact lengths at linearly symmetrical positions which are equally distant in the axial direction from the center in the tire axial direction of the tire tread portion are detected to estimate whether the tire is approaching the grip limit from a change in the ratio of the contact lengths.

12. The tire condition estimating method according to claim 5, wherein the contact lengths at linearly symmetrical positions which are equally distant in the axial direction from the center in the tire axial direction of the tire tread portion are detected to estimate a friction coefficient between the tire and the road from a change in the ratio of the contact lengths.

13. The tire condition estimating method according to claim 12, wherein the estimated road friction coefficient is corrected based on a slip ratio computed from the wheel speed of a driving wheel and the wheel speed of a driven wheel.

14. A tire condition estimating method comprising the steps of:

monitoring the ratio of tire input detection values at linearly symmetrical positions which are equally distant in the axial direction from the center in the tire axial direction of the tire tread portion obtained by using a sensor-incorporating tire comprising at least two tire input detection means for detecting an input from the road which acts on a tire tread portion, which are buried in a tread rubber on the outer side in the radial direction of a tire belt layer; and

estimating that the unsymmetrical wear of the tire proceeds when the ratio exceeds a preset threshold value for a predetermined time or longer.