Pneumatic automobile tire with integrated sensors and traction control system

• US 6,339,956 B1
• Filed: 05/07/1999
• Issued: 01/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental AG
• Original Assignee: Continental AG
• Inventors: Fries, Volkmar, Köbe, Andreas, Kleinhoff, Klaus, Huinink, Heinrich
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCALL, ERIC SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US09/307,505
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 731/46, 731/462, 731/463, 731/464, 731/465, 152/152.1, 340/438, 340/442, 340/443, 340/445, 340/446, 340/447, 340/448
• US Class Current: 73/146
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 15/06 Flipper strips, fillers, or chafing strips and reinforcing layers for the construction of the bead
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 19/00 Tyre parts or constructions not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0493 for attachment on the tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/00 Arrangements for adjusting wheel-braking force to meet varying vehicular or ground-surface conditions, e.g. limiting or varying distribution of braking force by changing number of effective brake cylinders in power brake systems B60T17/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/171 Detecting parameters used in the regulation; Measuring values used in the regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/52 Torque sensing, i.e. wherein the braking action is controlled by forces producing or tending to produce a twisting or rotating motion on a braked rotating member
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/20 Tyre data
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 1/062 the reinforcing cords being characterised by the strand configuration
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 1/145 comprising elements for indicating or detecting the rope or cable status
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/165 with acoustic surface waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/102 using sensors located at a non-interrupted part of the flexible member
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/108 for measuring a reaction force applied on a single support, e.g. a glider
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/167 using piezoelectric means

Abstract

A pneumatic vehicle tire includes a carcass, a bead with a bead core arranged in the bead, and a first sensor located within the bead. The first sensor delivers signals which are correlated to frictional forces transmitted by the pneumatic vehicle tire during operation. This sensor has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end includes a heel attached to the bead core and the second end extends radially outward from the bead core within the tire. A plurality of such sensors can be included in each tire, some for measuring longitudinal forces in a circumferential direction of the tire and others for measuring lateral forces in an axial direction of the tire.

Claims

1. Pneumatic vehicle tire comprising:

a carcass,

a bead with a bead core arranged in said bead, and

a first sensor located within said bead, wherein said first sensor delivers signals which are correlated to longitudinal and lateral forces transmitted by the pneumatic vehicle tire during operation of the pneumatic vehicle tire wherein;

(a) said sensor operates in a passive radio transmission method,

(b) the sensor receives a radio signal from a non-rotating sender,

(c) the sensor alters the received radio signal in a defined correlation with a variable to be sensed, and

(d) the sensor transmits an altered signal to a receiver.

2. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 1, wherein said first sensor has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end includes a heel attached to the bead core, and wherein the second end extends radially outward from the bead core within the tire.

3. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 1, wherein said first sensor is flat and of sufficient axial extent to sense longitudinal forces in a circumferential direction of the tire.

4. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 1, wherein said first sensor is flat and of sufficient extent in a circumferential direction of the tire to sense lateral forces in an axial direction of the tire.

5. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 1, further comprising a second sensor, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are arranged on a track near the bead core in uniform phase distribution in order to measure a longitudinal force in a circumferential direction of the tire and/or to measure tire deflection.

6. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 1, further comprising a second sensor and a third sensor, wherein the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor are arranged on a track near the bead core in uniform phase distribution in order to measure lateral force in an axial direction of the tire.

7. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensors for sensing longitudinal forces in a circumferential direction of the tire and a plurality of sensors for sensing lateral forces in an axial direction of the tire.

8. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 1,

the carcass of which having a point of inflection in its cross section,

said point of inflection being arranged in a first radial distance from the bead core,

wherein said sensor has a sensitive surface comprising a radial center Ssm thereon,

said radial center being arranged at a second radial distance from the bead core,

said first radial distance and said second radial distance being of the same amount at which a cross section of the carcass has a point of inflection.

9. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is provided with at least one layer with at least one piezoelectric crystal which couples an electric wave to an acoustic surface wave, thereby reducing a propagation speed of the electric wave to a propagation speed of the acoustic surface wave.

10. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 9, wherein the piezoelectric crystal is SiO₂.

11. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 9, wherein the sensor is provided with an interdigital converter.

12. The pneumatic vehicle tire according claim 11, wherein:

(a) the radio signal being received by the sensor has a reception frequency,

(b) the altered signal sent by the sensor has a transmission frequency, and

(c) both the transmission frequency and the reception frequency lie between 20 MHz and 2.5 GHz.

13. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 1, wherein the tire includes a plurality of sensors and all sensors of the tire operate with transmission frequencies which differ from one another at least to such a degree that the signals transmitted by the sensors back to a receiver can be separated from one another.

14. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 12, wherein the tire includes a plurality of sensors for sensing longitudinal forces in a circumferential direction of the tire and a plurality of sensors for sensing lateral forces in an axial direction of the tire, wherein all longitudinal force sensors operate with a first transmission frequency, wherein signals sent back to the receiver can be separated from one another because the sensors significantly differ with respect to an arrangement of reflecting structures incorporated in the sensors, and wherein all lateral force sensors operate with a second transmission frequency, wherein signals sent back to the receiver can be separated from one another because the sensors significantly differ with respect to an arrangement of reflecting structures incorporated in the sensors.

15. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 12, wherein the tire includes a plurality of sensors for sensing longitudinal forces in a circumferential direction of the tire and a plurality of sensors for sensing lateral forces in an axial direction of the tire,

wherein each longitudinal force sensor operates with a different transmission frequency, and wherein each lateral force sensor operates with a transmission frequency that matches one of the transmission frequencies of the longitudinal force sensors, wherein all longitudinal force sensors have a first reflecting structure, and wherein all lateral force sensors have a second reflecting structure which differs from the first reflecting structure at least to such a degree that the signals of all sensors contained in one tire can be separated from one another.

16. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 12, wherein all sensors of said tire operate with a first transmission frequency, wherein signals transmitted back to the receiver can be separated from one another because the sensors differ with respect to an arrangement of reflecting structures incorporated in the sensors at least to such a degree that the signals transmitted back to the receiver significantly differ from one another.

17. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 1, further comprising an annular antenna in said tire, wherein the annular antenna may be uninterrupted or divided into sectors, wherein a mean radius of said annular antenna lies near or exactly on a radius on which a cross section of the carcass has a turning point.

18. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 1, further comprising surface wave components directly embedded in a region of the tire that is free of butyl rubber.

19. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 1, wherein:

(a) the sensor receives the radio signal from the non-rotating sender in a phase position,

(b) the sensor alters the phase position of the received radio signal in a defined correlation with the variable to be sensed, and

(c) the sensor transmits said signal with an altered phase position to said receiver.

20. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 19, wherein:

(a) the sensor transmits a plurality of signals after receiving one radio signal;

(b) all the transmitted signals are altered in their phase positions in a defined correlation with the variable being sensed, and

(c) the tire including the sensor is identifiable among other tires of the vehicle by a sequence of transmitted signals in the plurality of transmitted signals because of the one received radio signal.

21. The pneumatic vehicle tire according claim 1, wherein:

(a) the radio signal being received by the sensor has a reception frequency,

(b) the altered signal sent by the sensor has a transmission frequency, and

(c) both the transmission frequency and the reception frequency lie between 20 MHz and 2.5 GHz.

22. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 21, wherein both the transmission frequency and the reception frequency are identical.

23. The pneumatic vehicle tire according to claim 12, wherein both the transmission frequency and the reception frequency are identical.