Tire with a sensor and method for determining a wear variable of such a tire

• US 6,666,080 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2002
• Issued: 12/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Seifert, Franz, Buist, Wolf-Eckhart, Pohl, Alfred, Steindl, Reinhard
• Primary Examiner(s): OEN, WILLIAM L
• Application Number:
  US10/233,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20030005760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 731/46, 731/462, 731/463, 731/464, 731/465, 737/14, 737/56, 737/20--27, 152/152.1, 152/342.1, 152/454, 152/456, 152/511, 152/539, 152/540, 152/544, 152/548, 340/438, 340/442, 340/443, 340/445, 340/446, 340/447, 340/448
• US Class Current: 73/146
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/24 Wear-indicating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/243 Tread wear sensors, e.g. electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 2019/004 Tyre sensors other than for detecting tyre pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/13 Aquaplaning, hydroplaning

Abstract

The tire comprises a radially inner carcass (1), a base layer (2) which is applied to said carcass radially, externally; a profile comprising numerous profile elements (3, 4, 5) applied radially, externally to said base layer (2); and a sensor (6) which is located in the base layer (2) and associated with one profile element (5) selected from said profile elements (3, 4, 5) and which is used to determine a maximum force exerted on said selected profile element (5). The selected profile element (5) is mechanically separate from all of the other profile elements (3, 4). The method for determining a wear value for a tire of this type that turns and rolls on a base surface (10) provides that the maximum force is measured while the tire is rolling and that the wear value is determined from this maximum force.

Claims

1. A tire comprising a radially inner carcass, a base layer which is attached radially thereto on the outside, a profile which comprises a large number of profile elements provided radially on the outside of the base layer, and a sensor which is arranged in the base layer and assigned to a profile element selected from the profile elements, for determining a maximum force acting on the selected profile element, wherein the selected profile element on the base layer is offset from the other profile elements, and wherein the other profile elements project beyond the selected profile element as long as the wear of the tire remains below a predefined limit.

2. The tire as claimed in claim 1, in which the sensor is a pressure sensor.

3. The tire as claimed in claim 2, in which the sensor is a piezoelectric element.

4. The tire as claimed in claim 1, in which the sensor is connected to a transponder which is arranged in the base layer and comprises an antenna, the transponder and the sensor being configured to generate a signal which can be emitted via the antenna and which contains information relating to the maximum force.

5. The tire as claimed in claim 4, in which the transponder is configured in such a way that the signal additionally contains an identification information item.

6. The tire as claimed in claim 4, in which the sensor with the transponder constitutes a passive electronic circuit.

7. The tire as claimed in claim 5, in which the sensor with the transponder constitutes a passive electronic circuit.

8. The tire as claimed in claim 6, in which the transponder comprises a surface wave element.

9. The tire as claimed in claim 6, in which the sensor is embodied as a power source for the transponder.

10. The tire as claimed in claim 8, in which the sensor is embodied as a power source for the transponder.

11. A method for determining a wear variable of a tire which rolls in a rotating fashion on an underlying surface and comprises a radially inner carcass, a base layer which is attached radially thereto on the outside, a profile which comprises a large number of profile elements provided radially on the outside of the base layer, and a sensor which is arranged in the base layer and assigned to a profile element selected from the profile elements, for determining a maximum force acting on the selected profile element, the selected profile element being offset from the other profile elements, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing the profile elements with profiles projecting beyond the profile of the selected profile element as long as the wear of the tire remains below a predefined limit,

b) measuring a maximum force acting on the selected profile element during the rolling using the sensor; and

c) determining the wear variable from the maximum force.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

a) the wear variable is first set to be equal to zero;

b) a chronological profile of the maximum force is recorded; and

c) the wear variable is set to be equal to one when a first significant change in the maximum force occurs.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

a) after the occurrence of the first significant change, the chronological profile is recorded again; and

b) when a second significant change which is opposed to the first significant change occurs within a predefined time period after the first change the wear variable is set to be equal to zero again.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, in which the sensor is connected to a transponder which is arranged in the base layer, and a signal which contains an information item corresponding to the maximum force is generated by means of the transponder and emitted by the tire.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, in which the signal additionally contains an identification information item which is associated with the tire.

16. The method as claimed claim 13, in which the signal is received by an evaluation unit which is mechanically separated from the tire and which determines the wear variable from the information.

17. The method as claimed claim 14, in which the signal is received by an evaluation unit which is mechanically separated from the tire and which determines the wear variable from the information.

18. A method for determining a wear variable of a tire which rolls in a rotating fashion on an underlying surface and comprises a profile which comprises a large number of profile elements provided radially on the outside of the tire, and a sensor which is arranged and assigned to a profile element selected from the profile elements, wherein the profile of the profile elements project beyond the profile of the selected profile element as long as the wear of the tire remains below a predefined limit, for determining a maximum force acting on the selected profile element, the selected profile element being mechanically isolated from all the other profile elements, the method comprising the steps of:

a) the maximum force acting on the selected profile element is measured during the rolling using the sensor; and

b) the wear variable is determined from the maximum force.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

a) setting the wear variable set to be equal to zero;

b) recording a chronological profile of the maximum force; and

c) setting the wear variable to be equal to one when a first significant change in the maximum force occurs.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

a) after the occurrence of the first significant change, recording the chronological profile; and

b) when a second significant change which is opposed to the first significant change occurs within a predefined time period after the first change, setting the wear variable to be equal to zero.