Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090151828 | TIRE WITH ANTENNA ENCAPSULATED WITH RUBBER COMPOUND CONTAINING THERMOPLASTIC - The present invention is directed to a pneumatic tire comprising an electronic sensing device at least partially encapsulated by an elastomeric composition, the elastomeric composition comprising:
| 06-18-2009 |
20090195373 | INITIATOR SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM - An initiator system and method is provided for a tire pressure monitoring system. The initiator system includes a service station through which the vehicle passes. While situated within the service station, an initiation signal is generated prompting data transmission from wheel unit based tire pressure monitoring device to a receiver. An output device may be employed to visually display information responsive to the transmitted data. | 08-06-2009 |
20090322480 | RFID TAG AND METHOD OF VEHICLE ATTACHMENT THEREOF - An electronic tag for a vehicle includes an antenna; a data transmitter coupled to the antenna; and an elastomeric coating layer encapsulating the transmitter and antenna. The tag may attach to the vehicle by means of a tire or otherwise affixed to the body of the vehicle. The antenna may be configured as a dipole accessible by an external signal from substantially a 360 degree sphere surrounding the tag package. An adhesive material layer may be included to encapsulate the elastomeric material coated transmitter and antenna and utilized to attach the tag to a vehicle component. | 12-31-2009 |
20100007465 | READER AND METHOD FOR WHEEL-BASED RFID DEVICES - A drive over, reader system for a wheel-based, electric field-actuated transponder device includes a vehicle support pad surface; an antenna device on the support pad located to operatively align with a wheel-based transponder device of the vehicle with the vehicle positioned on the pad in a read location; a transmitter device and a receiver device coupled to the antenna device for generating an upwardly directed electric field to actuate the transponder device and receive a responsive signal back from the transponder device. The upwardly directed electric field operatively engages the transponder device as the vehicle drives over the antenna device. Multiple antennae may be aligned in a linear array to subject the transponder device to multiple electric fields as the vehicle traverses the support pad. The antenna device of the reader system may be configured as a layered panel positioned on the support pad or as a dipole antenna embedded within the support pad. | 01-14-2010 |
20100090819 | INTEGRATED READ STATION FOR A WHEEL-MOUNTED VEHICLE - A read station and method for a vehicle includes a support pad for admitting and exiting a vehicle onto an upper pad surface; two or more data-receiving systems, one or both of such systems receiving a data transmission from a vehicle situated on the read station pad surface. The data-receiving systems include an identification-data transmission system and a monitored parameter-data transmission system. One or more of the read station data-receiving systems may be configured to effect data transmission from the vehicle as the vehicle moves across the support pad. The information-data transmission system couples a vehicle wheel unit based RFID tag with an electric field established by one or more system antennae disposed on the support pad. The monitored parameter-data communication system includes one or more wheel-unit mounted monitoring device(s) transmitting data to one or more receivers disposed within the read station and an initiator sub-system that transmits a signal from pad based antenna(s) to initiate a data transmission sequence. | 04-15-2010 |
20100174437 | METHOD OF DETERMINING VEHICLE PROPERTIES - Vehicle properties are determined by providing both actual and real-time data of the tires to the vehicle control system. The data includes both static and dynamic tire data. The properties are determined by the following steps: a) putting a vehicle in motion, the vehicle being provided with a set of tires and a vehicle control system wherein at least one tire has means to communicate with the vehicle control system and the vehicle control system has a processor, a vehicle observer, and a preprogrammed vehicle model; b) sending either static or dynamic tire information from the tire to the vehicle control system via the tire communication means; and c) estimating a vehicle property using the received tire information. | 07-08-2010 |
20110043342 | TIRE STATUS DISPLAY SYSTEM FOR A CARGO TRAILER - A multi-tire trailer and display system includes a trailer and a tire status display unit externally mounted to the trailer and operative to communicate a visible trailer tire inflation pressure status indicia, the display unit mounted to a forward end of the trailer at a mounting location operatively visible to an operator of a tractor during coupled operation of the tractor and the trailer. The display unit has a display panel operatively illuminated for visibly communicating the inflation status of the trailer tires and the display panel may communicate changes in the inflation status of the trailer tires by differentiated colored light emission. The display unit is at an elevated mounting location at a forward end of the trailer so as to be visible by means of a rear-view tractor mirror to an operator of a tractor coupled to the trailer as well as ground personnel. A data processing unit receives tire pressure measurement data from the trailer tires and controls the illumination of the display unit attached to the trailer. | 02-24-2011 |
20110043343 | TIRE MONITORING SYSTEM FOR A TANDEM TRACTOR TRAILER SYSTEM - A tandem tractor and trailer system includes a tractor having a cab and a trailer, each having multiple wheel units, each wheel unit having a mounted tire and a tractor tire pressure measuring device. A first display unit mounts within the cab of the tractor and a second display unit to the exterior of the trailer, each display unit operating to communicate to an operator of the tractor a visible indicia of tractor and trailer tire inflation pressure status, respectively, based upon pressure measurements of the tractor and trailer tire pressure measuring devices, respectively. The second display unit may mount to a forward end of the trailer at a mounting location operatively visible by differentiated colored light emission through a rear view mirror to the operator of the tractor during operation of the tractor and the trailer. The system may include one or more receivers operatively mounted to the tractor and trailer to receive measured tire inflation pressure data from the tractor and trailer tire pressure measuring devices, respectively, and communicate the received measured tire inflation pressure data by hard wire or wireless transmission to a common shared or local data processing unit(s). | 02-24-2011 |
20110043354 | VEHICLE TIRE MONITORING SYSTEM - A multi-tire vehicle tire monitoring system includes a plurality of tire monitoring units mounted to measure at least one measured tire parameter of a respective tire on a vehicle and transmit measured tire parameter data responsive to the tire parameter measurement. The system further includes antennae for receiving the measured tire parameter data from tire monitoring units within a respectively assigned zone of tires of the vehicle, each zone encompassing a plurality of tires, and communicating the received measured tire parameter data to a data processing unit. Each antenna is fixedly mounted in an operable spatial relationship to a respective assigned zone of tires. A display may be operatively coupled to the vehicle data processing unit to visually indicate to a user a status of measured tire parameters of tires by zone. | 02-24-2011 |
20110146867 | SELF-INFLATING TIRE - A self-inflating tire assembly includes an annular air tube connected to a tire and defining an annular air passageway, the air tube being composed of a flexible material operative to allow an air tube segment opposite a tire footprint to flatten, closing the passageway, and resiliently unflatten into an original configuration. The air tube is sequentially flattened by the tire footprint in a direction opposite to a tire direction of rotation to pump air along the passageway to an inlet device for exhaust from the passageway or to an outlet device for direction into the tire cavity. The inlet device is positioned within the annular passageway 180 degrees opposite the outlet device such that sequential flattening of the air tube by the tire footprint effects pumping of air along the air passageway with the tire rotating in either a forward or reverse direction of rotation. | 06-23-2011 |
20110146868 | SELF-INFLATING TIRE ASSEMBLY - A self-inflating tire assembly includes an air tube mounted within a tire sidewall groove. The air tube is in contacting engagement with opposite angled groove surfaces surrounding the air tube. A segment of the air tube is flattened from an expanded diameter to a flat diameter by bending and compression of the groove in a rolling tire footprint to force air evacuated from the flattened segment along a tube air passageway. The sidewall groove extends into an annular, axially extending, sidewall surface such as an axially oriented surface of a tire chafer protrusion located in non-contacting relationship with the rim. | 06-23-2011 |
20110148592 | ANTENNA ASSEMBLY FOR A TAG READER - An antenna assembly includes a stand having a convex outer surface positioned to intercept and engage a vehicle tire as the vehicle tire passes over the convex stand surface. The height and contour of the convex stand surface slows the rotational rate of the vehicle tire, and thereby a transmitting device carried by the tire, to a preferred rotational read rate as the vehicle tire passes over the convex surface. One or more antenna members mount to the stand proximal to the convex surface, each antenna having a directionally aimed tilted antenna field positioned to continuously receive data transmission from the electronic transmitting device as the vehicle tire passes over the convex stand surface at the reduced rotational read rate. | 06-23-2011 |
20110148593 | METHOD FOR READING A VEHICLE TAG WITHIN A READ STATION - A method of reading a data transmission from an electronic transmitting device mounted to a vehicle tire assembly includes: positioning a convex upper surface of a stand to intercept a vehicle tire of the vehicle tire assembly; establishing rotational engagement between the vehicle tire and the convex upper surface of the stand to slow the speed of the vehicle and reduce the rotational rate at which the vehicle tire rotates to a targeted reduced rotational read rate; and directing an antenna field from at least one antenna toward an approach path (and at least one antenna toward the exiting path) of the vehicle tire to the convex upper surface and lower surface of the stand to receive data transmission from the electronic transmitting device as the vehicle tire passes over the stand upper surface then down the lower surface at the reduced rotational read rate. | 06-23-2011 |
20120060993 | SELF-INFLATING TIRE ASSEMBLY - A self-inflating tire assembly includes an air tube mounted within a tire sidewall groove. The air tube is in contacting engagement with opposite angled groove surfaces surrounding the air tube. A segment of the air tube is flattened from an expanded diameter to a flat diameter by bending and compression of the groove in a rolling tire footprint to force air evacuated from the flattened segment along a tube air passageway. The sidewall groove extends into an annular, axially extending, sidewall surface such as an axially oriented surface of a tire chafer protrusion located in non-contacting relationship with the rim. | 03-15-2012 |
20120073716 | DISTRIBUTED PUMP SELF-INFLATING TIRE ASSEMBLY - A self-inflating tire assembly includes one or more air tube(s) connected to a tire and having a plurality of adjoining diaphragm chambers separated by a one-way valve. An air passageway extends through the air tube and the diaphragm chambers. The one-way valve allows a directional passage of air through the valve from an inlet valve side an outlet valve side. The footprint in a rotating tire sequentially collapses the diaphragm chambers to directionally pump air through the one-way valve between the diaphragm chambers and along the air passageway from an air tube inlet device to an air tube outlet device. | 03-29-2012 |
20130299055 | PERISTALTIC TUBE AIR MAINTENANCE TIRE ASSEMBLY AND METHOD - An elongate air tube is positioned within a tire sidewall cavity in contacting internal engagement with the tire sidewall to form an assembly. The air tube includes an internal elongate air passageway and wing projections projecting in opposite directions at an axially inward body portion. The wing projections seat within cavity pockets to retain the air tube within the cavity. The air tube body operatively compresses responsive to impinging stress forces from the tire sidewall against the air tube body, whereby the air tube body reconfiguring from an expanded unstressed configuration into a compressed configuration to constrict the air passageway. The air tube body decompresses into the expanded configuration upon reduction of the impinging stress forces against the air tube body. | 11-14-2013 |
20140020805 | BYPASS AIR MAINTENANCE TIRE AND PUMP ASSEMBLY - An air maintenance tire and pump assembly includes a pair of inline valves are positioned on respective opposite sides of an in-tire air passageway inlet junction and a pair of outlet valves positioned at a downstream side of a respective inline valve. A bypass valve is further provided extending between the downstream valve sides of the inline valves, the bypass valve operative to open and bypass the flow of inlet air through the outlet valves to the tire cavity in the event that a tire cavity pressure is greater than a preset pressure level and close when a tire cavity pressure is less than the preset pressure level. | 01-23-2014 |
20140109405 | METHOD OF ASSEMBLYING A SEGMENTED VEIN AIR PUMP IN A TIRE - A method of assembling an air pump in a tire is provided including: opening an axial air passageway of an elongate flexible air tube at one end; inserting one by one a plurality of one-way check valves into the air passageway from the one end to form an axial array of spaced apart check valves along the air passageway, each check valve having an external nominal width greater than a nominal width of the air tube passageway; establishing a press fit engagement between each check valve and air tube internal sidewalls defining the air passageway to place each check valve at a respective preferred position within the air passageway; retaining the check valves in the respective preferred positions within the air passageway by radial pressure from the air tube internal sidewalls and closing the one end of the flexible air tube. | 04-24-2014 |
20140110029 | VEIN PUMP ASSEMBLY FOR AIR MAINTENANCE TIRE - An air maintenance tire and air pump assembly is provided including a tire and an elongate tubular air passageway enclosed within a flexing region of a tire sidewall. A plurality of check valve devices are spaced apart and positioned along the air passageway into multiple air passageway segments. A check valve membrane opens to allow pressurized air to directionally pass through the check valve device from an upstream passageway segment to a downstream passageway segment and closes to prevent air from passing in an opposite direction through the check valve from the downstream segment to the upstream segment. | 04-24-2014 |
20140261943 | TIRE WITH OUTER GROOVE CONTAINING BONDED TUBE - The invention relates generally to a pneumatic rubber tire which contains an outer, annular, circular groove which contains a flexible tube bonded to the walls of the groove. | 09-18-2014 |
20150059952 | FILTER ASSEMBLY FOR AIR MAINTENANCE TIRE - A tire assembly is disclosed, wherein the tire has a tread portion and a pair of sidewalls extending radially inward from the tread portion to join with a respective bead; a supporting carcass for the tread portion and sidewalls; and a pump passageway positioned within a bending region of the tire. The pump passageway is operative to open and close as the tire rotates. The tire assembly further includes a valve assembly in fluid communication with the pump passageway. The tire further includes a pocket formed in the tire, and a filter assembly is mounted in the pocket. The filter assembly is in air flow communication with the valve assembly, wherein the filter assembly is formed of a housing and a cover, wherein the cover has one or more holes for communicating air into the housing, wherein the cover is connected to the housing, the housing having an interior cavity having a filter media housed therein, the housing having a hole in fluid communication with the valve assembly, wherein a flexible collar surrounds the cover. | 03-05-2015 |
20150059953 | METHOD OF ASSEMBLY OF AIR MAINTENANCE TIRE SYSTEM - A tire assembly is disclosed, wherein the tire has a tread portion and a pair of sidewalls extending radially inward from the tread portion to join with a respective bead; a supporting carcass for the tread portion and sidewalls; and a pump passageway positioned within a bending region of the tire. The pump passageway is operative to open and close as the tire rotates. The tire assembly further includes a valve assembly in fluid communication with the pump passageway. The tire further includes a pocket formed in the tire, and a filter assembly is mounted in the pocket. The filter assembly is in air flow communication with the valve assembly, wherein the filter assembly is formed of a housing and a cover, wherein the cover has one or more holes for communicating air into the housing, wherein the cover is connected to the housing, the housing having an interior cavity having a filter media housed therein, the housing having a hole in fluid communication with the valve assembly, wherein a flexible collar surrounds the cover. | 03-05-2015 |