Method for monitoring a condition of a tire

• US 6,624,748 B1
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Inventors: Eschbach, Elyse Kristen, Phelan, John Roux, Pollack, Richard Stephen, Starkey, Gene Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US10/089,133
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 340/442-448, 731/465, 731/46, 731/468, 731/462, 152/152.1, 152/151, 152/152, 152/154.1, 152/154.2
• US Class Current: 340/442
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0493 for attachment on the tyre

Abstract

Provided is a method of monitoring conditions of a pneumatic tire comprising a central tread, one or more belt(s) disposed radially inwardly of the tread and an inner-liner disposed radially inwardly of the belt(s), the belt(s) having a side edge. An electronic tag and associated condition sensors are disposed within the tire. The method includes: sensing a first temperature which is temperature of the tire inner-liner adjacent to the bet edge with the electronic tag; sensing a second temperature which is the air temperature within the tire with the electronic tag; and sensing air pressure within the tire with the electronic tag.

Claims

1. Method of monitoring conditions of a pneumatic tire, the pneumatic tire comprising a central tread, one or more belt(s) disposed radially inwardly of the tread and an innerliner disposed radially inwardly of the belt, the belt(s) having a side edge, comprising disposing an electronic tag and associated condition sensors within the tire, characterized by:

sensing a first temperature which is the temperature of the tire innerliner substantially immediately radially inward of the belt edge with the electronic tag;

sensing a second temperature which is the air temperature within the tire with the electronic tag; and

sensing air pressure within the tire with the electronic tag.

2. A method, according to claim 1, characterized by:

sensing the conditions by performing sensing at a sequence of discrete time intervals.

3. A method, according to claim 2, characterized by:

comparing a value of one or more of the conditions sensed at an immediately previous time interval to a current value of the one or more conditions.

4. A method, according to claim 2, characterized by:

at a current time interval, determining whether select one or more of the conditions has changed by a threshold amount since an immediately previous time interval.

5. A method, according to claim 4, characterized in that:

the select one or more conditions is either or both of the first and second temperatures; and

the threshold amount is plus or minus two degrees centigrade.

6. A method, according to claim 4, characterized in that:

the select one or more conditions is the air pressure within the tire; and

the threshold amount is plus or minus two pounds per square inch.

7. A method, according to claim 1, characterized by:

disposing the electronic tag at a shoulder portion (28) of the tire.

8. A method, according to claim 1, characterized by:

disposing the electronic tag at an area of the innerliner where the tire is thickest.

9. A method, according to claim 1, characterized by:

disposing the electronic tag at an area of the innerliner where the tire is least able to dissipate heat.

10. A method, according to claim 1, characterized by:

disposing the electronic tag at an area of the innerliner where the temperature samples are the most closely related to determining whether or not an internal breakdown of the tire is imminent.