Wheel sensing arrangement, wheel sensor and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A wheel sensing arrangement comprising:
- a wheel with a pneumatic tire and a rim, the tire and the rim forming a pneumatic chamber;
said rim having an offset recessed portion which is offset relative to the center of said rim;
a sensor unit located within said pneumatic chamber for sensing a plurality of conditions within said pneumatic tire of said wheel; and
a fastener configured to secure said sensor unit to said wheel rim;
wherein said sensor unit comprises a housing and an optical infrared sensor having a progressively widening conical field of view defining a circular zone on an inside surface of the tire;
whereby temperature values may be derived from said sensor unit that are representative of a surface temperature of said tire;
wherein said optical infrared sensor comprises a body and a sensor for sensing temperature of said body in addition to a temperature in the vicinity of said body and an ambient in tire pressure;
wherein said body of said optical infrared sensor is at least partly embedded in said housing and the angle of the field of view of said infrared sensor is configurable from viewing directly above said sensor to a relatively offset viewing angle;
wherein when said sensor is secured in said offset recessed portion to said rim, said sensor views a central portion of the tread portion of the inside surface of the tire.
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Abstract
A wheel sensor (4) comprises sensing means for sensing one or more conditions within a pneumatic tire (2) of a wheel (1) and an attachment means configured to secure said sensing means to the wheel rim (3); wherein said sensor (4) further comprises an optical sensor (6) pointing towards the inside surface (12) of said tire (2) for receiving radiation radiated from said inside surface (12); whereby temperature values may be derived representative of said tire surface temperature.
6 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A wheel sensing arrangement comprising:
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a wheel with a pneumatic tire and a rim, the tire and the rim forming a pneumatic chamber;
said rim having an offset recessed portion which is offset relative to the center of said rim;a sensor unit located within said pneumatic chamber for sensing a plurality of conditions within said pneumatic tire of said wheel; and a fastener configured to secure said sensor unit to said wheel rim; wherein said sensor unit comprises a housing and an optical infrared sensor having a progressively widening conical field of view defining a circular zone on an inside surface of the tire; whereby temperature values may be derived from said sensor unit that are representative of a surface temperature of said tire; wherein said optical infrared sensor comprises a body and a sensor for sensing temperature of said body in addition to a temperature in the vicinity of said body and an ambient in tire pressure; wherein said body of said optical infrared sensor is at least partly embedded in said housing and the angle of the field of view of said infrared sensor is configurable from viewing directly above said sensor to a relatively offset viewing angle; wherein when said sensor is secured in said offset recessed portion to said rim, said sensor views a central portion of the tread portion of the inside surface of the tire. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A wheel sensing method comprising the steps of:
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attaching an optical sensor unit comprising a housing and an optical infrared sensor to a rim of a wheel inside a pneumatic region of a tire, said rim having an offset recessed portion which is offset relative to the center of said rim, said optical infrared sensor comprising a body and a sensor, said body of said optical infrared sensor being at least partially embedded in said housing of said optical sensor unit; securing said sensor unit in said offset recessed portion to said rim; configuring said sensor from viewing directly above said sensor to a relatively offset viewing angle;
whereby said sensor views a central portion of the tread portion of the inside surface of the tire from said offset recessed portion;pointing said optical infrared sensor towards an inner surface of said tire;
said optical infrared sensor having a progressively widening conical field of view defining a circular zone on the inner surface of the tire;receiving radiation at said optical infrared sensor; determining signals representative of temperature values at said inner surface of said tire; sensing a temperature of the body of said optical infrared sensor in addition to a temperature in the vicinity of the body and an ambient in-tire pressure; and wirelessly transmitting signals from said optical infrared sensor for further processing of said signals.
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12. A wheel sensor unit comprising:
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a housing holding an optical infrared sensor; and a fastener for securing the optical infrared sensor to a wheel rim, wherein said optical infrared sensor has a progressively widening conical field of view defining a circular zone when activated against an inside surface of a tire; wherein the angle of said field of view of said infrared sensor is;
configurable from viewing directly above said sensor to a relatively offset viewing angle;
whereby when said sensor is secured in an offset recessed portion to a rim, said sensor views a central portion of the tread portion of an inside surface of the tire; andwherein said optical infrared sensor comprises a body and a sensor for sensing a temperature of the body in addition to a temperature in the vicinity of said body, and a ambient in-tire pressure. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification