KR101790231B1 - In-situ measuring system and method of deformation of tire and road surface using tire with conductive tread - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tire capable of real-time measurement of ground pressure, degree of tread wear and road surface condition without a pressure sensor formed of a conductive material such as a tread constituting an outer shell. The tire is an elastic member having a hollow circular shape, A tread formed on the outer circumferential surface so as to have a concavo-convex shape by alternately arranging a plurality of engraved treads and positive-angled treads in a circumferential direction; A wheel coupled to the hollow of the tread; A skeleton attached to the inner surface of the tread to maintain the shape of the tread portion; A belt layer interposed between the tread and the skeleton; And a resistance measuring device installed on the tread and having an electrode terminal, wherein the tread is made of a conductive styrene-butadiene rubber composite whose electrical resistance is decreased with an increase in pressure, And the change in electrical resistance due to the deformation of the tread material between the electrode terminals is detected by the resistance measuring device. Therefore, it is possible to measure the deformation of the tire without using a separate pressure sensor or other sensor device, and a separate pressure sensor is not required There is provided a method for real-time measurement of a tire and a tire in which a conductive tread capable of measuring tire deformation in real time is provided without the need for a failure or maintenance of the sensor even if the tire continuously receives a large pressure during operation of the vehicle.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a tire deformation and a road surface real-time measurement system and method using a tire having a conductive tread, and a system and a method for real-

More particularly, the present invention relates to a tire capable of real-time measurement of ground pressure, degree of tread wear, and road surface condition without a pressure sensor, in which a tread constituting an outer shell is formed of a conductive material.

The tire is made of a tread that surrounds the outer periphery of the wheel and the wheel. The tread is filled with air to directly support the load of the vehicle, the road surface shock mitigation, the driving and control of the vehicle, Thus, the deformation of the tread is an important control information affecting rolling resistance and vehicle stability which affect fuel economy.

However, it is not easy to measure the tread deformity in real time, so it is common to measure the ground pressure and the degree of wear using the test equipment at the standstill. In addition, the conventional real-time measuring apparatus and measuring method are not directly measuring the grounding pressure but are indirectly measured by the built-in sensor and the pressure sensor which is a sensitive instrument is embedded in the tread, Is not yet available. Furthermore, in the presently disclosed prior art, direct measurement of the road surface flexure condition is practically difficult, real-time measurement of the road surface condition is dependent on costly optical equipment, optical equipment is complicated in warning of road surface condition due to image analysis, It is not widely commercialized.

As a related art disclosed in order to realize real-time measurement of tread deformity, a tire having a grounding pressure measuring sensor disclosed in Patent Registration No. 10-1343923 (registered on December 13, 2013) .

In the prior art, the prior art is provided with measurement sensor portions 2 disposed inside the tread 1 in a ring shape along the circumferential direction of the tire to measure the ground state of the tire, thereby measuring the ground pressure of the tire under travel To a tire having a grounding pressure measuring sensor capable of measuring the force in the vertical direction and the force in the horizontal direction acting on the inside of the tire.

According to the above-described prior art, the loads acting on the respective portions of the tire can be measured and utilized as wear prevention materials and tire design data, and the load changes of the tires are monitored in real time during excessive cornering or vehicle braking during operation. There is an advantage that can help.

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, since the measurement sensor is embedded in the tread, it is difficult to measure the ground pressure on the whole, and the pressure sensor, which is a sensitive equipment, can fail due to repetitive vehicle load, It is impossible to repair the sensor, and there is a problem that the cost of the sensor itself and the cost and time required for installing the sensor are required in order to install a separate sensor.

Therefore, even if a costly and non-replaceable pressure sensor is not used separately, it is possible to observe tread wear and tread abrasion more directly and more directly than the pressure sensor.

Patent Registration No. 10-1343923 (Registration date: December 16, 2013)

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tire and a tire which are easy to observe the ground pressure, And to provide a real-time measurement method of strain.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a tread having conductive treads according to the present invention comprises: a hollow circular elastic member having an inner circumferential surface that is opened and filled with air, A tread portion formed by alternately arranging an engraved tread and an embossed tread to form a concave-convex shape; A carcass attached to an inner circumferential surface of the tread portion to maintain the shape of the tread portion; And a belt inserted between the tread portion and the carcass, wherein the tread portion is made of a conductive composite material in which the electric resistance is reduced as the pressure is increased by forming carbon nanotubes mixed with the styrene butadiene rubber, And a resistance meter for detecting a change in electrical resistance of the tread portion due to deformation of the tread portion by the electrode inserted into the tread portion.

Preferably, the electrode is inserted into at least one of the positive tread.

Also preferably, the electrodes are inserted in parallel in the width direction of the tread portion.

In this case, preferably, a plurality of the electrodes are inserted along the circumferential direction of the tread portion.

Particularly preferably, the electrode is arranged radially symmetrically with respect to the center of the tread portion.

The tire deformation real-time measuring method according to the present invention is characterized in that the tire deformation real-time measuring method is formed into a hollow circular shape having a constant thickness, the inner circumferential surface is opened and air is filled, and a plurality of engraved treads and positive-angled treads are alternately formed in the circumferential direction, A tread having a shape; A method for real-time measurement of tread deformation of a tire with respect to a tire including a carcass attached to an inner circumferential surface of the tread portion to maintain the shape of the tread portion and a belt inserted between the tread portion and the carcass, Preparing a conductive material having a reduced electrical resistance while being mixed therewith, preparing a resistance measuring instrument, inserting an electrode of a resistance measuring instrument into the conductive material to manufacture a tread portion, preparing a tire by using the tread portion, And measuring a change in electrical resistance of the tread portion in real time as the tread portion is deformed by the resistance measuring device while the automobile is mounted on the vehicle.

In this case, the styrene butadiene rubber is preferably in a liquid phase in the step of manufacturing the tread portion.

Preferably, the electrode is disposed by inserting a plurality of electrodes in the width direction of the tire and the circumferential direction of the tire.

The method of real-time measurement of tire and tire deformation with conductive tread according to the present invention has the following effects.

First, deformation measurement of a tire is possible without a separate pressure sensor or other sensor device.

Second, since a separate pressure sensor is not required, tire deformation measurement can be performed in real time even if the tire continuously receives a large pressure during operation of the vehicle, there is no need of sensor failure or maintenance.

Third, since the tread itself constituting the outer skin of the tire acts as a pressure sensor, the sensor action of the tread is maintained until the life of the tire is exhausted, unlike the conventional tire which can not maintain or replace the sensor even if the sensor fails.

Fourth, since the tread itself constituting the outer surface of the tire acts as a pressure sensor, the ground pressure can be directly measured and the entire surface can be measured. Thus, it is possible to measure remarkably more accurately than before and to measure both the ground pressure, .

1 is a front sectional view of a tire having a ground pressure measuring sensor according to the prior art,
2A is a perspective view of a tire according to the present invention,
FIG. 2B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2A,
3 is a structural diagram of a resistance characteristic test equipment of a tread in the present invention,
Fig. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between load and voltage in the test of Fig. 3,
5 is a graph showing the relationship between load and resistance in the test of Fig. 3,
6 is a side view of a tire according to the present invention,
7 is a graph showing changes in load with time,
8 is a conceptual diagram showing a density change of a tread material according to a pressure,
9 is a conceptual diagram showing a principle of measuring the road surface condition of a tire according to the present invention,

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the present invention, the ground pressure of a tire is conventionally measured indirectly by inserting a separate pressure sensor into a tire or by radially inserting a resistance that is sequentially removed in accordance with wear of the tire, To a tire which is formed of a conductive material whose resistance varies according to the pressure of the tire.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a tread 11 composed of a conductive additive mixed with styrene-butadiene rubber (hereinafter referred to as "SBR ") while forming the outer surface of a tire, A wheel 14 coupled to the center of the tread 11, a skeleton 13 for retaining the shape of the tread 11, a resistance meter 15 having an electrode terminal 151 formed on the tread 11, .

The shape of the tread 11 is the same as that of a normal tire tread, so that irregularities are formed in the circumferential direction of the tire on the outer circumferential surface in contact with the ground. The irregularities are formed by alternately arranging the engraved treads 112 and the embossed treads 111 .

The conductive additive added to the SBR in the present invention may be a nano-sized Cu-Ni powder or a carbon nano tube (hereinafter referred to as "CNT "). However, other additives known in the art may be used as long as they are additives capable of imparting conductivity to SBR.

In this case, the liquid SBR is applied to reduce the rolling resistance of the SBR of the present invention, and the tread material of the present invention is formed by uniformly dispersing the nano-sized Cu-Ni powder or CNT and the vulcanization agent in the liquid SBR, .

The conductive tread material (hereinafter referred to as "SC") of the present invention, which is formed by mixing the SBR with nano-sized Cu-Ni powder or CNT, ensures conductivity even when a much smaller amount than the existing carbon black is added . In the present invention, the change in resistance of the SC is measured to determine the tire ground contact pressure, the tire wear state, the road surface state, and the like so that the tire material Acts as a pressure sensor.

The installation of the electrode terminal 151 in the resistance meter 15 is not particularly limited, but is shown inserted in the embossed tread 111 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2B. Since the engraved tread 112 does not directly receive the pressure of the road surface until the embossed tread 111 is completely worn, the electrode terminal 151 of the resistance measuring instrument 15 is pressed against the embossed tread 111 for direct measurement of the grounding pressure. As shown in Fig.

In the present invention, the degree to which the resistance SC varies as the material of the tread 11 is varied can be measured with a measuring device constituted by the circuit shown in Fig. Here, the SC is fixed between the clamps 3 and 4, wherein the clamps 3 and 4 which fix the SC act as an electrode and pressurize the SC specimen.

Also, in the present invention, the resistance measuring instrument 15 in which the electrode terminal 151 is inserted into the embossed tread 111 has a configuration similar to that of the measuring instrument of FIG. The resistance measuring device 15 may include two electrode terminals 151, a lead 152 and a detector 153 as shown in FIG. 2B. In this case, a battery and a fixed resistor are built in the detector 153 So that the circuit configuration of the resistance meter 15 substantially becomes the same as the circuit configuration of the meter of FIG. However, the resistance measuring device 15 may further include a ground electrode (not shown) in addition to the two electrode terminals 151.

In the present invention, as the material SC of the conductive tread 11 is deformed under pressure, the internal density becomes higher, and the distance between the microstructures constituting the SC becomes smaller, so that the resistance becomes smaller. These characteristics are shown in the graphs shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and the conceptual diagram in Fig.

The graphs of FIGS. 4 and 5 are graphs showing the results measured by the measuring instrument of FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, as a large force is applied between the upper clamp electrode 3 and the lower clamp electrode 4, the SC acting as a variable resistor increases in density due to compressive deformation of the SC, and the resistance of the SC itself decreases .

4 is a result of measuring the change in resistance of the SC itself, FIG. 5 shows that the magnitude of the voltage applied to the fixed resistor R shown in FIG. 3 linearly increases as the SC is applied with a large force Graph.

Because the total current of the measuring device of FIG. 3 increases as the resistance of the SC itself increases due to a large force applied to the SC, and therefore the magnitude of the current passing through the fixed resistance R increases, The magnitude of the voltage across the stage also increases linearly.

A preferred embodiment for the installation of the resistance meter 15 is as shown in Figs. 2B and 6. FIG. 2B shows the mounting position of the resistance measuring device 15 in the tire width direction, and FIG. 6 shows the mounting position in the circumferential direction of the tire.

Since the resistance measuring device 15 is provided along the circumferential direction of the tire to determine the road surface contact pressure and the road surface state, it is necessary to check the degree of wear of the tire, the degree of uniformity of wear and the degree of eccentricity of the tire, May be provided in parallel in the width direction of the tire. At this time, the electrode terminal 151 of the resistance measuring instrument 15 is inserted into the embossed tread 111 from the portion of the tread 11 of the tire that directly contacts the ground.

In order to obtain a uniform measurement value per unit time when the electrode terminal 151 is inserted into the tread 11, preferably, the electrode terminal 151 is disposed radially symmetrically with respect to the center of the tire, The intervals are all the same.

In this case, since a plurality of resistance measuring devices 15 are provided in the width direction, the rows of the resistance measuring devices 15 arranged in the width direction are arranged radially symmetrically so that the rows of the resistance measuring devices 15 arranged in the width direction They are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction.

Although not shown, a communication module (not shown) for collecting the measured values of each resistance measuring instrument 15 or each measured value of each resistance measuring instrument 15 and transmitting it to the interior of the vehicle may be installed. A control calculator (not shown) may be provided to calculate the ground pressure by calculating the resistance value of the received SC as another variable of the vehicle speed.

The control operator (not shown) can first obtain the ground contact pressure of the tire from the resistance value of the SC and calculate whether or not the uneven wear is generated from the difference between the resistance values of the inside and outside of the tire, It is possible to determine which of the tires is particularly worn. From this, the replacement timing of the tire can also be easily calculated.

Although the tire seems to be uniformly formed in the circumferential direction apparently, there is inevitable unevenness due to the limit of the design and manufacturing process, so that the degree of uneven wear of the tire is always checked to ensure the maximum safety operation. At this time, the measurement of the degree of uneven wear of the tire due to the measurement of the SC resistance value according to the present invention can maximally protect the driver from the danger that may occur in the structure of the tire.

In addition, even if a straight run is attempted, whether a specific tire is punctured or a particular tire is worn more severely than the rest can easily be derived from the tire according to the present invention, Can be directly received, so that safe driving and maintenance costs can be reduced.

FIG. 9 is a view showing the principle of a method of determining the state of a road surface with a tire 10 having a conductive tread according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the road surface is suddenly lowered due to a constant speed, the vehicle does not descend smoothly along the road but descends in the air between a and b sections. Therefore, in this case, if the pressure applied to the tire suddenly decreases as in the period a to b, it can be judged that the road surface is turned down.

The size of the section to be turned down and its internal shape is obtained by collecting data such as whether the pressure increase is greater than the flatness when the tire is landed at the point b or whether there is a point where the pressure suddenly decreases again such as a small point and a point c Loses. 9, the pressure applied to the landed tire at the point d continues to be higher than the flat point at the point d, and the ground pressure at the point of the flat point is maintained again at the point f so that the size and shape of the curvature finally between the point a and the point f Can be checked.

In this case, a communication device (not shown) in which information on the shape and size of the road surface in the abnormal state can be automatically transmitted to the trailing vehicle is additionally installed inside the vehicle, so that the tire 10 having the conductive tread according to the present invention It can inform the road condition to the unmounted vehicle so that safe driving around the area can be achieved.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

A: Width of unloaded tread unloaded B: Width of embossed tread under load
C: Height of unpressed embossed tread D: Height of embossed tread under load
L: Load R: Fixed resistance
SC: Conductive tread material
3: upper clamp electrode 4: lower clamp electrode
10: Tire with conductive tread 11: Tread
11-1: Tread outer circumferential surface 11-2: Sidewall
12: Belt portion 13: Skeleton
14: Wheel 15: Resistance Meter
111: embossed tread 112: embossed tread
113: shoulder 151: electrode terminal
152: lead 153: detector

Claims (9)

A tread having a hollow circular shape, the inner surface of the tread being opened to form a circular hole, the outer surface of the tread being formed in a concavo-convex shape by alternately arranging a plurality of engraved treads and positive relief treads in the circumferential direction;
A wheel coupled to the hollow of the tread;
A skeleton attached to the inner surface of the tread to maintain the shape of the tread portion;
A belt layer interposed between the tread and the skeleton;
A resistance meter installed on the tread and having an electrode terminal;
The resistance measuring device receives the resistance value of the tread obtained by using the electrode terminal, calculates the change of the tire ground pressure in accordance with the vehicle speed, determines that the road surface is turned down when the ground pressure decreases, An operator; And
And a communication device for transmitting the road surface condition information to the following vehicle,
Wherein the tread is made of a conductive styrene-butadiene rubber composite in which the electrical resistance is reduced as pressure increases,
The conductive styrene-butadiene rubber composite is formed by mixing nano-sized Cu-Ni powder or carbon nanotube powder with a liquid styrene-butadiene rubber,
Wherein the resistance measuring device includes a conductive tread having an electrode terminal inserted in a tread and a resistance measuring device detecting a change in electrical resistance due to deformation of the tread material between the electrode terminals. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the electrodes are inserted into at least one of the positive treads. The method of claim 3,
Wherein a plurality of the electrodes are inserted in parallel in a width direction of the tread portion. The method of claim 3,
Wherein a plurality of the electrodes are inserted along the circumferential direction of the tread portion. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the electrode is disposed radially symmetrically with respect to a center of rotation of the tread. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > 15. < / RTI > A plurality of embossed treads formed in the circumferential direction and a plurality of embossed treads alternately repeatedly formed in the width direction to form a concave and convex shape, Wow; A skeleton attached to an inner peripheral surface of the tread portion to maintain the shape of the tread portion; And a belt inserted between the tread portion and the skeleton of the tire,
Preparing a conductive material in which the electrical resistance is reduced while the styrene-butadiene rubber and the carbon nanotube are compressed, preparing a resistance measuring device, inserting an electrode of the resistance measuring device into the conductive material to manufacture a tread;
Preparing a tire from the tread portion, assembling the tire with the wheel, and mounting the tire on the automobile;
Measuring a change in electrical resistance of the tread portion in real time as the tread portion is deformed by the resistance measuring device while the vehicle is running with the tire mounted thereon;
Calculating a resistance value of the resistance received from the resistance calculator by the control calculator based on the vehicle speed and obtaining the road surface state information by determining the tire ground contact pressure change as a section where the road surface is turned down when the ground pressure is decreased; And
And transmitting the road surface state information to a trailing vehicle using a communication device. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the liquid phase styrene butadiene rubber and the carbon nanotube are mixed in the step of preparing the tread portion. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein a plurality of the electrodes are installed in the width direction of the tire and the circumferential direction of the tire in the step of manufacturing the tread portion.

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