External pressure display for vehicle tires
First Claim
1. A method for displaying magnitude changes of a property within an enclosed vessel externally, comprising the steps of:
- (a) mounting a magnetic field source for rotation within the vessel providing a magnetic field having an axis of symmetry rotating in a particular plane;
(b) rotating the magnetic field source in opposite directions responsive to increasing and decreasing changes in magnitude of the property within the vessel, respectively;
(c) passively sensing orientation of the axis of symmetry of the magnetic field source outside the vessel with a planar display located in a plane parallel and proximate to the plane of rotation of the magnetic field source, the planar display having a plurality of pixels formed by magneto-optic materials each providing a visual effect representative of orientation of the axis of symmetry of the magnetic field; and
(d) correlating the orientation of the axis of symmetry of the magnetic field sensed to increases and decreases in magnitude of the property within the vessel.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A magnetically coupled pressure display system particularly adapted for pneumatic tires of motor vehicles includes pressure transducer coupled for rotating a magnet field source within the tire and an external magneto-optical liquid crystal display attached to or integrally incorporated into the exterior sidewall of the tire for visually indicating pressure within the tire responsive to the orientation of the magnetic field source within the tire. The external display exploits the magneto-optical effects of liquid crystals and can be conformally and permanently attached to the outer tire sidewall surface. Elements (pixels) comprising the display have selective light polarization properties globally determined by direction (orientation) of the magnetic field each experiences, the primary component of which is that provided by the magnetic field source rotated by the pressure transducer within the vehicle tire.
28 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A method for displaying magnitude changes of a property within an enclosed vessel externally, comprising the steps of:
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(a) mounting a magnetic field source for rotation within the vessel providing a magnetic field having an axis of symmetry rotating in a particular plane;
(b) rotating the magnetic field source in opposite directions responsive to increasing and decreasing changes in magnitude of the property within the vessel, respectively;
(c) passively sensing orientation of the axis of symmetry of the magnetic field source outside the vessel with a planar display located in a plane parallel and proximate to the plane of rotation of the magnetic field source, the planar display having a plurality of pixels formed by magneto-optic materials each providing a visual effect representative of orientation of the axis of symmetry of the magnetic field; and
(d) correlating the orientation of the axis of symmetry of the magnetic field sensed to increases and decreases in magnitude of the property within the vessel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 30)
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11. A method for displaying a magnetic field direction comprising:
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a) providing a magnetic field having a particular direction;
b) locating a magneto-optical material within the provided magnetic field;
c) providing a source of light for transmission through the magneto-optical material;
d) measuring light transmission properties of the magneto-optical material in relation to changes in orientation of the magneto-optical material within the provide magnetic field. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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12. A method for displaying a magnetic field direction comprising:
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a) providing a magnetic field having a particular direction;
b) locating a magneto-optical material within the provided magnetic field;
c) providing a source of light for transmission through the magneto-optical material;
is this necessary;
d) measuring light transmission properties of the magneto-optical material in relation to changes in orientation of the provided magnetic field.
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21. An apparatus for displaying magnitude changes of a property within an enclosed vessel externally, comprising in combination:
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(a) a magnetic field source mounted for rotation within the vessel, the magnetic field source providing a magnetic field having an axis of symmetry rotating in a particular plane upon rotation of the field source;
(b) means within the vessel for rotating the magnetic field source in opposite directions responsive to increasing and decreasing changes in magnitude of the property within the vessel, respectively;
(c) a planar display located in a plane parallel and proximate to the plane of rotation of the magnetic field source outside the vessel, the planar display having a plurality of pixels formed by magneto-optic materials each passively providing a visual effect representative of orientation of the axis of symmetry of the magnetic field; and
(d) correlating the orientation of the axis of symmetry of the magnetic field sensed to increases and decreases in magnitude of the property within the vessel. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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38. A pressure actuated bladder mechanism comprising in combination,
(i) a fixed radius outer cylindrical cup integral with an inner surface of a wall of a closed vessel; -
(ii) a hermetic, annular bladder chamber having expandable, flexible, inner radius and outer radius cylindrical walls and expandable, flexible end walls confined within the fixed radius outer cylindrical cup integral with the inner surface of a wall of the closed vessel;
(iv) a bladder fluid establishing a reference fluid pressure within the annular bladder chamber;
(v) a shaft aligned longitudinally within, surrounded by the annular bellow chamber, and (vi) means coupling between the flexible inner cylindrical wall of the bladder chamber and the shaft, increasing changes in fluid pressure within the closed vessel increase radius of the inner cylindrical wall of the bladder chamber rotating the shaft in a first direction, and decreasing changes in fluid pressure within the closed vessel decrease radius of the inner cylindrical wall of the bladder chamber rotating the shaft in a second direction opposite the first direction.
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Specification