Measuring and testing – Tire – tread or roadway – Tire inflation testing installation
Reexamination Certificate
2003-10-03
2004-08-31
Jules, Frantz F. (Department: 3617)
Measuring and testing
Tire, tread or roadway
Tire inflation testing installation
C340S442000, C152S152100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06782741
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
The invention relates to tires fitted with removable electronic monitoring modules and a device for fastening such modules onto the tires, which modules are generally encapsulated in rigid casings.
It has nowadays become very important to be able to monitor the operating conditions of tires, such as load, internal pressure and internal temperature, in order in particular to reduce the cost of the tires and to maximize the efficiency of a vehicle. Of course, such monitoring is particularly advantageous on tires for heavy vehicles or earthmover tires, which are expensive and some of which can be recapped.
The currently existing electronic monitoring modules, which may have their own power supply or may require an external power-supply source, are capable of storing information for future evaluation and/or of transmitting data on demand. It should be noted that typical modules are described in particular in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,862,486, 5,218,861; and 5,573,610. It is important to be able to access the module during the life of the tire, to see the module or even in order to repair or modify it.
Nowadays, it is preferred, to the extent that the progress achieved permits, to position these modules inside the tire rather than on the outside, where they are exposed to environmental attack such as climatic conditions, incidents on the road or even vandalism.
In order to make it possible to make this means of fastening removable and also for the fastening to be able to take place during after-sales service, certain solutions have been proposed which use repair patches in which a casing bearing the module is removably inserted.
European Patent Publication EP-0 936 089 shows such solutions in which modules comprising both circuits and recharging batteries are inserted into rubber patches comparable to those used for effecting repairs. These devices have a circular housing enabling the module to be put in place, the patches being fixed beneath the crown of the tire by a self-vulcanizing system. Different systems for fastening the module in the housing are presented, such as a module with a locking ring or with a thread for screwing it in.
Although such solutions may be of interest, they nevertheless have numerous drawbacks, because the position of the patch beneath the crown is liable in certain cases to generate magnetic perturbations on the module which are linked to the presence, in particular, of metal plies in the crown. It may therefore be useful to be able to place such a device elsewhere in the tire, for example at the tire bead zone. However, the presence of batteries in the module makes the latter heavier and bulkier, which adversely affects the positioning of the latter in the tire bead zone.
This zone is in fact subjected deformations which risk adversely affecting the high strength of the interface between the patch and the tire. This phenomenon is furthermore accentuated by the large size of the surface of the patch bearing the module, which will produce a large working surface on the tire. It will furthermore be noted that the embodiment shown in the EP document does not make it possible to use a more conventional repair system with a bonding rubber with heat-gluing which improves this strength of the interface.
The subject of the invention is tires and removable fastening devices for electronic monitoring modules which may include batteries, which overcomes all the above disadvantages.
According to the invention, the device for fastening an electronic monitoring module onto a tire comprises a patch of rubber mix, the surface of which is intended to be in contact with the air bears at least one rigid treaded insert intended to cooperate with a screw and a lug borne by a casing bearing the electronic monitoring module.
The invention also relates to a tire thus equipped.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6255940 (2001-07-01), Phelan
patent: 6462650 (2002-10-01), Balzer et al.
patent: 6688353 (2004-02-01), Koch
patent: 6705365 (2004-03-01), Wilson
patent: 0 936 089 (1999-08-01), None
patent: 936089 (1999-08-01), None
patent: WO 99/41093 (1999-08-01), None
Farley Felipe J.
Farrell Martin
Jules Frantz F.
Michelin & Recherche et Technique S.A.
Remick E. Martin
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