Resilient tires and wheels – Tires – resilient – With electrical conducting means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-07
2003-12-30
Ball, Michael W. (Department: 1733)
Resilient tires and wheels
Tires, resilient
With electrical conducting means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06668884
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to pneumatic tires and devices that are adhered to pneumatic tires to monitor the conditions of the tires. More particularly, the present invention is related to the connection of the monitoring device to the tire. Specifically, the present invention relates to the method of attaching and the attachment of a monitoring device to the inner surface of a pneumatic tire using a surface preparation and an adhesive.
2. Background Information
It is desired in the art to monitor the conditions of tires while they are installed and in use on a particular vehicle. It is particularly desirable to measure tire wear, internal temperature, and internal pressure. Other desirable measurements may be the number of tire rotations that have occurred in given time. These measurements are preferably capable of being taken while the tire is in use without having to remove the tire from the vehicle or otherwise interrupt the use of the vehicle to take the measurements. It is particularly desirable to monitor the conditions and statistics on large off-the-road truck tires because the off-the-road tires are expensive and subject to harsher conditions than typical passenger car tires. The off-the-road tires on large trucks and other vehicles also must be regularly maintained to maximize vehicle efficiency. It is also desirable to monitor the tires of certain on road trucks and buses.
Numerous types of such monitoring devices are known in the art. One type of known monitoring device uses a passive integrated circuit embedded within the body of the tire that is activated by a radio frequency transmission that energizes the circuit by inductive magnetic coupling. Other prior art devices used for monitoring tire conditions include self-powered circuits that are positioned external of the tire, such as at the valve stem. Other active, self-powered programmable electronic devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,065, 5,573,610, 5,562,787, and 5,573,611 which are assigned to the assignee of the present application.
One problem common to each of these monitoring devices is the problem of attaching the monitoring device to the tire. The attachment problem is difficult when the monitoring device is attached to the inside surface of the tire, the outside surface of the tire, or imbedded within the body of the tire. The attachment problem is difficult because the forces on the electronic device are significant and numerous. Tires not only are subjected to rotational forces when the vehicle is moving but also are subjected to various impact forces when the tire contacts bumps or surface irregularities. The attachment of the monitoring device to the tire must be strong enough and secure enough to maintain the position of the monitoring device with respect to the tire while experiencing all of these forces while also protecting the monitoring device from damage resulting from these forces.
Another problem with the attachment of a monitoring device to a tire is that the tire must be balanced about its rotational axis to efficiently perform. The monitoring device itself already adds weight to the tire that may require the tire to be counterbalanced. It is thus desired to minimize the weight of the attachment so that additional counterbalancing weights do not have to be added to the tire. It is thus desired to provide an attachment that is strong and secure while being small and lightweight.
Another problem experienced with attaching a monitoring device to a pneumatic tire is that the surface where the monitoring device is being anchored is often not stable. Tires are designed to flex and stretch to accommodate various pressures and forces. The attachment of the monitoring device to the tire must accommodate the movement and stretching of the tire surface where the monitoring device is connected. Such accommodation must last throughout the life of the tire and function at a wide range of temperatures and pressures. In the patents listed above, the monitoring devices are held in a pocket that is formed with a piece of material connected to the innerliner of the tire. Although these pockets function for their intended purposes, the construction of the pockets increases the counterbalancing problem and increase the complexity of the assembly steps.
A further problem experienced in connecting a monitoring device to a pneumatic tire is that tires are manufactured on automated assembly lines. The attachment method must be able to be relatively easily engineered into the existing automated tire assembly lines to be useful. As such, the method of attaching the monitoring device to the pneumatic tire should minimize any manual steps or steps that require precise component manipulation.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an attachment that may be used to connect a monitoring device to the inner surface of a pneumatic tire that overcomes each of the problems experienced in the art.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an attachment that maintains the connection between the monitoring device and the tire when the tire experiences predictable rotational and shock forces.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide an attachment for connecting a monitoring device to a pneumatic tire that is lightweight so that the tire does not have to be excessively counterbalanced.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an attachment for connecting a monitoring device to the interior of a pneumatic tire that accommodates the stretching and movement of the inner surface of the pneumatic tire.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a method for attaching a monitoring device to the interior surface of a pneumatic tire that is easy to perform and may be performed by automated machinery in a tire manufacturing line.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a method for attaching a monitoring device to the inner surface of a pneumatic tire that may be used at a variety of locations inside the pneumatic tire.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a method for attaching a monitoring device to the inner surface of a pneumatic tire that does not require additional structural elements to be inserted into the tire or attached to the tire to secure the monitoring device.
An additional objective of the present invention is to provide an attachment and method for attaching a monitoring device to the interior surface of a pneumatic tire that is of simple construction, that achieves the stated objectives in a simple, effective, and inexpensive manner, that solves the problems, and that satisfies the needs existing in the art.
These and other objectives and advantages of the present invention are achieved by an attachment that includes an adhesive characterized by high viscosity at room temperature and capable of curing at 100° C. and lower, the adhesive adhering a monitoring device to the innerliner of a pneumatic article where the innerliner is at least 0.06 inch thick.
Other objectives of the present invention are achieved by a method for adhering a monitoring device to a tire including the steps of selecting a portion of the innerliner of the tire where the monitoring device will be connected; roughening the selected portion of the innerliner; applying an adhesive to at least one of the monitoring device and roughened portion; placing a monitoring device on the roughened portion of the innerliner; and curing the adhesive.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4765852 (1988-08-01), Koch et al.
patent: 5300164 (1994-04-01), DeTrano et al.
patent: 5462617 (1995-10-01), Bender et al.
patent: 5573611 (1996-11-01), Koch et al.
patent: 5960844 (1999-10-01), Hamaya
Koch Russell W.
Wilson Paul B.
Ball Michael W.
Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC
Haran John T.
Huber Michael R.
Sand Michael
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