Transmitting device, tire condition monitoring system, and tire assembly

• US 9,452,646 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2013
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Inventors: Kanenari, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US14/410,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20150191054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 340/445, 340/442, 340/447, 731/468, 731/465, 731/46, 731/464
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/04 mounted on the wheel or tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0494 Valve stem attachments positioned inside the tyre chamber

Abstract

A transmitting device in a tire condition monitoring system includes a sensor having a plane sensor detecting face that senses tire information; a transmitter that wirelessly transmits the tire information; and a housing within which the sensor and the transmitter are provided, that includes an internal space in contact with the sensor detecting face of the sensor, and a ventilation hole that communicates with the internal space and the tire cavity region and that extends in a linear manner. An inside opening part of the ventilation hole is inclined with respect to the sensor detecting face, and is provided on the wall surface of the internal space that extends parallel to the sensor detecting face. An angle θ between the extension direction of the ventilation hole extending from the internal space to the tire cavity region and the normal line direction of the sensor detecting face is 10°≦θ≦120°.

Claims

1. A transmitting device provided in a tire cavity region, the transmitter device transmitting tire information regarding a tire condition, comprising:

a sensor having a plane sensor detecting face sensing as tire information a condition of air filling a tire cavity region enclosed by a tire and a rim;

a transmitter wirelessly transmitting the detected tire information; and

a housing within which the sensor and the transmitter are provided, including an internal space in contact with the sensor detecting face of the sensor, and a ventilation hole communicating with the internal space and the tire cavity region and extending in a linear manner,

wherein an inside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the internal space is provided on a wall surface of the internal space, the wall surface being inclined with respect to the sensor detecting face, and

an angle θ

between a normal line direction of the wall surface and a normal line direction of the sensor detecting face is not less than 10 degrees and not more than 120 degrees.

3. The transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein when the ventilation hole is extended virtually into the internal space, a virtually extended portion of the ventilation hole contacts an inner wall surface of the housing facing the internal space, not the sensor detecting face.

7. The transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein a maximum height region having a maximum height of heights of an inner wall surface of the internal space measured with reference to the sensor detecting face is positioned between the inside opening part of the ventilation hole and the sensor detecting face when the maximum height region, the ventilation hole, and the sensor detecting face are viewed planarly from a direction normal to the sensor detecting face.

2. A transmitting device provided in a tire cavity region, the transmitter device transmitting tire information regarding the tire condition, comprising:

a sensor having a plane sensor detecting face sensing as tire information a condition of air filling a tire cavity region enclosed by a tire and a rim;

a transmitter wirelessly transmitting the detected tire information; and

a housing within which the sensor and the transmitter are provided, including an internal space in contact with the sensor detecting face of the sensor, and a ventilation hole communicating with the internal space and the tire cavity region and extending in a linear manner,

wherein an inside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the internal space is inclined with respect to the sensor detecting face, and, is provided on a wall surface of the internal space, the wall surface extending in a direction perpendicular to both an extension direction of the ventilation hole and a normal line direction of the sensor detecting face,

an angle θ

between the extension direction of the ventilation hole and the normal line direction of the sensor detecting face is not less than 10 degrees and not more than 120 degrees

a projection region is a region on an inner wall surface of the internal space obtained by projecting the sensor detecting face along the normal line direction onto the inner wall surface, and

a maximum height H₁of heights of an inner wall surface of the internal space measured along the normal line direction with reference to the sensor detecting face is higher compared with a maximum height H₂ of heights of the projection region measured along the normal line direction with reference to the sensor detecting face.

4. A transmitting device provided in a tire cavity region, the transmitter device transmitting tire information regarding the tire condition, comprising:

a sensor having a plane sensor detecting face sensing as tire information a condition of air filling a tire cavity region enclosed by a tire and a rim;

a transmitter wirelessly transmitting the detected tire information; and

a housing within which the sensor and the transmitter are provided, including an internal space in contact with the sensor detecting face of the sensor, and a ventilation hole communicating with the internal space and the tire cavity region and extending in a linear manner,

wherein an inside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the internal space is inclined with respect to the sensor detecting face, and, is provided on a wall surface of the internal space, the wall surface extending in a direction perpendicular to both an extension direction of the ventilation hole and a normal line direction of the sensor detecting face,

an angle θ

between the extension direction of the ventilation hole and the normal line direction of the sensor detecting face is not less than 10 degrees and not more than 120 degrees, and

an outside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the tire cavity region is provided on an inclined face of a projection projecting from an outer wall surface of the housing, the inclined face being inclined with respect to the sensor detecting face.

5. The transmitting device according to claim 4, wherein the internal space is a space defined by an inner wall surface in the projection of the housing, and a peripheral surface of the sensor including the sensor detecting face.

6. A transmitting device provided in a tire cavity region, the transmitter device transmitting tire information regarding the tire condition, comprising:

a sensor having a plane sensor detecting face sensing as tire information a condition of air filling a tire cavity region enclosed by a tire and a rim;

a transmitter wirelessly transmitting the detected tire information; and

a housing within which the sensor and the transmitter are provided, including an internal space in contact with the sensor detecting face of the sensor, and a ventilation hole communicating with the internal space and the tire cavity region and extending in a linear manner,

wherein an inside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the internal space is inclined with respect to the sensor detecting face, and, is provided on a wall surface of the internal space, the wall surface extending in a direction perpendicular to both an extension direction of the ventilation hole and a normal line direction of the sensor detecting face,

an angle θ

between the extension direction of the ventilation hole and the normal line direction of the sensor detecting face is not less than 10 degrees and not more than 120 degrees,

the transmitting device is connected to a tire valve for filling a tire with air, and

when a center position of an air inlet on a tire cavity region side at which air is introduced into the tire cavity region from the tire valve, a center position of an outside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the tire cavity region, and a center position of the inside opening part are viewed planarly from a direction normal to the sensor detecting face, and a virtual plane is considered normal to a straight line from a center position of the air inlet towards a center position of the outside opening part, the virtual plane passing through the center position of the outside opening part viewed planarly,

the center position of the inside opening part is positioned on a same side as the center position of the air inlet of a virtual line corresponding to the virtual plane when viewed planarly from a direction normal to the sensor detecting face as boundary.

8. A tire condition monitoring system, comprising:

a transmitting device, a receiving device, and a monitoring unit,

wherein the transmitting device includes,

a sensor having a plane sensor detecting face sensing as tire information a condition of air filling a tire cavity region enclosed by a tire and a rim;

a transmitter that wirelessly transmits the detected tire information; and

a housing within which the sensor and the transmitter are provided, including an internal space in contact with the sensor detecting face of the sensor, and a ventilation hole communicating with the internal space and the tire cavity region and extending in a linear manner,

wherein an inside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the internal space is provided on a wall surface of the internal space, the wall surface being inclined with respect to the sensor detecting face, and

an angle θ

between a normal line direction of the wall surface and a normal line direction of the sensor detecting face is not less than 10 degrees and not more than 120 degrees,

the receiving device receives the tire information transmitted from the transmitting device, and

the monitoring unit determines a presence or absence of an abnormality of the tire on a basis of the tire information.

9. A tire assembly, comprising:

a tire;

a rim fitted to the tire; and

a transmitting device provided in a tire cavity region between the tire and the rim, and transmitting tire information regarding a tire condition,

wherein the transmitting device includes,

a sensor having a plane sensor detecting face sensing as tire information a condition of air filling a tire cavity region enclosed by a tire and a rim;

a transmitter that wirelessly transmits the detected tire information; and

a housing within which the sensor and the transmitter are provided, including an internal space in contact with the sensor detecting face of the sensor, and a ventilation hole communicating with the internal space and the tire cavity region and extending in a linear manner,

wherein an inside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the internal space is provided on a wall surface of the internal s ace the wall surface being inclined with respect to the sensor detecting face, and

an angle θ

between a normal line direction of the wall surface and a normal line direction of the sensor detecting face is not less than 10 degrees and not more than 120 degrees.

10. The tire assembly according to claim 9, wherein the angle between the normal line direction of the sensor detecting face and an outer side direction in a tire radial direction is between 0 degrees and 15 degrees.

12. The tire assembly according to claim 9, wherein when the ventilation hole is extended virtually into the internal space, a virtually extended portion of the ventilation hole contacts an inner wall surface of the housing facing the internal space, not the sensor detecting face.

16. The tire assembly according to claim 9, wherein a maximum height region having a maximum height of heights of an inner wall surface of the internal space measured with reference to the sensor detecting face is positioned between the inside opening part of the ventilation hole and the sensor detecting face when the maximum height region, the ventilation hole, and the sensor detecting face are viewed planarly from a direction normal to the sensor detecting face.

11. A tire assembly, comprising:

a tire.

a rim fitted to the tire; and

a transmitting device provided in a tire cavity region between the tire and the rim, and transmitting tire information regarding the tire condition,

wherein the transmitting device includes,

a sensor having a plane sensor detecting face sensing as tire information a condition of air filling a tire cavity region enclosed by a tire and a rim;

a transmitter that wirelessly transmits the detected tire information; and

a housing within which the sensor and the transmitter are provided, including an internal space in contact with the sensor detecting face of the sensor, and a ventilation hole communicating with the internal space and the tire cavity region and extending in a linear manner,

wherein an inside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the internal space is inclined with respect to the sensor detecting face, and, is provided on a wall surface of the internal space, the wall surface extending in a direction perpendicular to both an extension direction of the ventilation hole and a normal line direction of the sensor detecting face,

an angle θ

between the extension direction of the ventilation hole and the normal line direction of the sensor detecting face is not less than 10 degrees and not more than 120 degrees,

a projection region is a region on an inner wall surface of the internal space obtained by projecting the sensor detecting face along the normal line direction onto the inner wall surface, and

a maximum height H₁ of heights of an inner wall surface of the internal space measured along the normal line direction with reference to the sensor detecting face is higher compared with a maximum height H₂ of heights of the projection region measured along the normal line direction with reference to the sensor detecting face.

13. A tire assembly, comprising:

a tire;

a rim fitted to the tire; and

a transmitting device provided in a tire cavity region between the tire and the rim, and transmitting tire information regarding the tire condition,

wherein the transmitting device includes,

a sensor having a plane sensor detecting face sensing as tire information a condition of air filling a tire cavity region enclosed by a tire and a rim;

a transmitter that wirelessly transmits the detected tire information; and

a housing within which the sensor and the transmitter are provided, including an internal space in contact with the sensor detecting face of the sensor, and a ventilation hole communicating with the internal space and the tire cavity region and extending in a linear manner,

wherein an inside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the internal space is inclined with respect to the sensor detecting face, and, is provided on a wall surface of the internal space, the wall surface extending in a direction perpendicular to both an extension direction of the ventilation hole and a normal line direction of the sensor detecting face,

an angle θ

between the extension direction of the ventilation hole and the normal line direction of the sensor detecting face is not less than 10 degrees and not more than 120 degrees, and

an outside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the tire cavity region is provided on an inclined face of a projection projecting from an outer wall surface of the housing, the inclined face being inclined with respect to the sensor detecting face.

14. The tire assembly according to claim 13, wherein the internal space is a space defined by an inner wall surface in the projection of the housing, and a peripheral surface of the sensor including the sensor detecting face.

15. A tire assembly, comprising:

a tire;

a rim fitted to the tire; and

a transmitting device provided in a tire cavity region between the tire and the rim, and transmitting tire information regarding the tire condition,

wherein the transmitting device includes,

a sensor having a plane sensor detecting face sensing as tire information a condition of air filling a tire cavity region enclosed by a tire and a rim;

a transmitter that wirelessly transmits the detected tire information; and

a housing within which the sensor and the transmitter are provided, including an internal space in contact with the sensor detecting face of the sensor, and a ventilation hole communicating with the internal space and the tire cavity region and extending in a linear manner,

wherein an inside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the internal space is inclined with respect to the sensor detecting face, and, is provided on a wall surface of the internal space, the wall surface extending in a direction perpendicular to both an extension direction of the ventilation hole and a normal line direction of the sensor detecting face,

an angle θ

between the extension direction of the ventilation hole and the normal line direction of the sensor detecting face is not less than 10 degrees and not more than 120 degrees

the transmitting device is connected to a tire valve for filling a tire with air, and

when a center position of an air inlet on a tire cavity region side at which air is introduced into the tire cavity region from the tire valve, a center position of the outside opening part of the ventilation hole facing the tire cavity region, and a center position of the inside opening part are viewed planarly from a direction normal to the sensor detecting face, and a virtual plane is considered normal to a straight line from a center position of the air inlet towards a center position of the outside opening part, the virtual plane passing through a center position of the outside opening part viewed planarly,

the center position of the inside opening part is positioned on a same side as the center position of the air inlet of a virtual line corresponding to the virtual plane when viewed planarly from a direction normal to the sensor detecting face as boundary.