MXPA98010815A - Method and apparatus for transmitting stored data and engineering conditions from a pneumatic to a rem site - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for verifying various engineering conditions of a tire, such as temperature, pressure, rotation of tires and other operating conditions of the tire. A tire tag is mounted inside the tire inside the pressure cavity and contains the stored data and detectors for certain conditions within the cavity. A separate transponder device mounts on the tire rim. The tire label contains a battery, an antenna and stored data that refer to the tire. The transponder device uses electronic circuits that collect data from the tire label. The tire label is acted upon by radio frequency waves transmitted from the transponder device, these data are retransmitted by the transponder device to the remote location by an antenna that extends from the transponder device through the rim to a site external to the tire.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING STORED DATA AND CONDITIONS OF ENGINEERING FROM A TIRE TO A REMOTE SITE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to a method for verifying various physical conditions of a tire and to a tire having a memory device containing stored information pertaining to the tire and a verification device that detects engineering conditions within the tire. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and tire constructions in which memory and verification devices are connected to the inner lining of the tire and contain electronic components for maintaining stored data with respect to the tire, preferably an antenna and a low consumption battery of energy to transmit and receive data to and from a transponder mounted on the tire lining. The transponder transmits the received data to a remote site by means of an external antenna of the tire.

Background Information It is convenient to check the condition of tires in terms of wear, internal pressure and internal temperature. It is particularly advantageous to check large truck tires as they are expensive and must be regularly maintained to maximize the efficiency of the vehicle. In the past, these verification activities have generally employed a passive integrated circuit embedded within the body of the tire and activated by a radio frequency transmission that energizes the circuit by inductive magnetic coupling. Passive devices that are based on inductive magnetic coupling or capacitive coupling, in general have the disadvantage of requiring long windings of coils, in this way requiring major modifications in the process of assembly and construction of tires. Another serious disadvantage with these passive devices is that the interrogator must be placed in close proximity to the tire, usually within a few centimeters of the tire, in order to allow communication between the tire and the device. Due to proximity requirements, continuous verification is impractical, since it will require an interrogator to be mounted on each wheel of the vehicle. Manual acquisition of data from the passive devices embedded in each of the tires of a parked vehicle, is also problematic and time-consuming due to proximity requirements. Other prior art devices used to verify tire conditions have comprised self-energized circuits that are placed external to the tire, such as the valve stem. Externally mounted devices have the disadvantage of being exposed to damage, such as the environment and by vandalism. Additionally, externally installed devices can easily be detached from the particular tire that is verified. Another disadvantage with known tire identification and verification devices is that communication transmissions are achieved using conventional radio frequencies which generally require a relatively large antenna that must be mounted externally or attached to the tire, so as to require relatively large modifications in the tire. the process of assembling or building tires. Many of these problems have been eliminated by the tire method and construction shown and described in U.S. Patents. Nos. 5,500,065; 5,562,787; 5,573,610 and 5,573,611. However, these devices are contained within the wheel-tire chamber and have difficulty transmitting data through the tire to external receivers. Also, some additional devices are contained within valve rods and do not connect directly to the tire, so that they do not provide a permanent record of the tire and a tire can be removed and replaced.

Different tire with another tire on the same rim that contains the device. Also, these prior art devices are already connected to the tire, wheel or valve stem exclusively and do not provide design flexibility that is desired in many applications. More importantly, when RF frequency communication is used, difficulties are encountered in transmitting signals to a distant remote site because the signals are required to pass through the tire wall or walls, which due to its thickness in truck tires, it materially reduces its transmission efficiency. Although the tire verification method and devices shown and described in the aforementioned 4 patents provide many advantages over the prior art, it is desirable to provide a tire verification system that allows for greater versatility and flexibility by allowing separation of functions from module in discrete components capable of improving reception of external RF communications in terms of signal / interference ratio, reproducibility and distance when using two separate devices, one of which connects directly to the inner lining of the tire to detect temperature and pressure and the second is a transponder that is mounted on the tire rim to transmit data from the tire derived wheels to an external receiver by an external antenna of the tire.

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for verifying tires, wherein an activatable memory device and detection or verification device, preferably combined in a tire tag, are mounted at least within a tire of a vehicle on its inner surface, this label contains stored data pertaining to the tire and detectors to perceive an engineering condition within the tire, and wherein the tire label is activated by a transponder mounted on the rim of the tire inside the cavity that is subjected to pressure formed within the tire. Another object of the invention is to provide this tire method and construction, wherein the memory and detection devices have a low energy consumption battery and an antenna for transmitting the stored data and perceived conditions, directly to the transponder mounted on the rim inside the tire cavity; and wherein the transponder may have a large power source or battery within the tire tag, for transmitting the stored data from the memory device to a remote site via an external antenna. Another object is to provide this method and tire construction wherein the detection device contains detectors for tire engineering conditions such as internal pressure and temperature, this information is also transmitted to a remote site by the transponder and external antenna. An additional objective is to provide this tire method and construction, wherein the transponder antenna extends directly through the tire rim or through the air control valve of the tire in order to terminate externally, thereby requiring less energy to transmit the stored and detected data to an external source, than would be required if the antenna were located completely within the pressure cavity of the tire, due to the interference caused by the surrounding steel bands, tire sidewalls and tire rim. A further object of the invention is to provide this method and tire construction wherein the antenna of the detection device when extending through the outer rim to the pressure cavity, can be provided by various sections in order to tune the antenna to correspond with a particular interrogator located at a remote site.

A further objective is to provide this tire method and construction, wherein the label of the tire containing the detection and memory devices, can be fastened to the tire wall either during manufacture of the tire or fastened after manufacture when using a product. chemical or thermoactivatable adhesive, in such a way and in location to minimize tension, effort, cyclic fatigue, impact and vibration.

A still further object of the invention is to provide this method, construction of tire and apparatus using two separate devices, one of which is a tire label that is connected directly to the inner lining of the tire to detect temperature and pressure and the second device that It is a simple transponder that is connected to the tire rim to transmit data collected from the tire label, directly to an external receiver, by an antenna that either directly extends through a sealed opening in the rim or through the valve for air control. These objects and advantages are obtained by the improved method of the present invention, the general nature of which can be established as a method for transmitting stored data and an engineering condition of a tire to a remote site, wherein the tire is mounted on a rim forming an internal pressure cavity, the method comprises the steps of providing the tire with a device that provides data storage relating to the tire and which detects an engineering condition of the tire; fasten the device to the tire inside the internal pressure cavity; providing a transponder including an amplifier, a first antenna, a first power source and a control circuit for detecting the tire data stored in the device and an engineering condition detected by the device; hold the transponder inside the pressure cavity adjacent to the rim and remote of the device; locating a portion of the first antenna externally of the pressure cavity; transmit the stored data and the engineering condition detected from the device to the transponder; and retransmit the stored data and the detected engineering condition from the transponder to a remote site by the first antenna located externally to the pressure cavity. These objectives and advantages are additionally obtained by a tire mounted on a rim and defining a pressure cavity between the tire and the rim having first means for storing data concerning the tire and for detecting an engineering condition within the tire and second means to transmit the data and detected engineering condition to a remote site; the first means includes a data storage device mounted on the tire within the pressure cavity and containing stored data pertaining to the tire and a detector device mounted on the tire within the pressure cavity; second means including a transponder mounted adjacent to the rim and remote within the first means within the pressurized cavity for collecting data from the data storage device and from the detecting device and for retransmitting the collected data to a remote location not connected to the tire; and the transponder further includes a power source and a first antenna that extends through the rim to a site external to the tire cavity to transmit the stored data and the detected engineering condition to a remote site.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred embodiments of the invention, illustrative of the best way in which applicants have contemplated applying the principles, are set forth in the following description and are illustrated in the drawings and are indicated and set forth in a particular and distinctive manner in the appended claims. Figure 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the half of a tire with the memory and detection devices contained within a tire label mounted on its inner liner and the transponder mounted on the air control valve within the tire pressure cavity; Figure 2 is a fragmentary diagrammatic sectional view similar to Figure 1 showing the transponder mounted on the rim and the antenna passing through a sealed opening; Figure 3 is a block diagram of the component of the tire ticket containing the memory and detection devices; and Figure 4 is a block diagram of the components of the transponder. Similar numbers refer to similar parts through the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES With reference to Figure 1 of the drawings, a partial sectional view of a tire 1 having a tire label 2 fastened to the inner liner 3 is illustrated in a region closely adjacent to the heel packing 4. The tire 1 is it mounts on a usual metal rim indicated generally at 6 forming an internal pressure chamber of the cavity 8, which receives a supply of air through the air control valve 10 to regulate the air pressure inside the tire. The preferred location of the tire label 2, as discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,065; 5,562,787; 5,573,610 and 5,573,611, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, is an approximate distance of 2.54 to 5.08 cm (1 to 2") above the bottom of the tire bead in order to reduce cyclical stress. Figure 3, the label of the tire 2 includes a memory device, a verification or detection device 14, and preferably includes an antenna 16 and a battery 18. The memory device 12 preferably contains stored data such as identification information that refer to the particular tire on which the label 2 is mounted. The detection device 14 it preferably includes detectors for an engineering condition of the tire such as internal temperature and / or pressure. The tag 2 can be assembled with the tire during its manufacture or secured thereto by a thermally activatable solvent or adhesive, as described in the four patents identified above. According to one of the main features of the invention, the transponder 20 is mounted on or incorporated into the air control valve 10, which extends through a conventional opening 22 formed in the rim 6. The transponder 20 of Preference is circumscribed within an encapsulation material to be less affected by the ambient temperature, pressures and other arduous environment to which it may be exposed. As illustrated in Figure 4, the transponder 20 preferably includes the battery 24, an antenna 26, a microcircuit 28 containing the appropriate electronic control circuits that are connected to and operated with an amplifier 30 to direct the antenna 26 with the information, this information is then transmitted by the antenna 26 to a remote interrogation unit. If desired, the transponder 20 may have more than one antenna to transmit and receive at the same time with more than one frequency. This interrogation unit can be located in the cabin of a truck or it can be remotely located in a totally external site, whether mobile or fixed, operable when the tire or vehicle is in the proximity of the interrogation unit. The details of the microcircuit 28, amplifier 30 and tire tag 2 are preferably of the type that are described in detail in the four patents previously referred to, and thus are not described in more detail. Figure 2 shows a modified transponder 34 that is mounted directly on the outer surface 36 of the rim 6 instead of the valve 10. The antenna 26 extends through a seal washer 40, which sits in an aperture 38 cut out in the rim 6, in order to extend externally to the tire, to provide the increased efficiency desired in the transmission of the collected data and an increase in the signal / interference ratio and improved signal reproducibility and allow greater distances of transmission are achieved between the tire of the vehicle and a remote interrogator since there is no loss of appreciable signal intensity which to date results when the signal pending to be transmitted from the interior of the tire through the side wall of the tire. According to another of. the main features of the invention, the improved tire construction and apparatus exploits the wireless communications capability of transponders to receive and transmit data within the tire to a fixed storage device that retains the service history tire ID (temperatures, pressures , etc.) and to receive and transmit the same or similar data to an external source through radio frequency (RF) communications. This is in contrast to tire labels of the prior art which are exclusively connected to the tire, wheel or valve stem and which have all the components incorporated therein. In this way, the improved apparatus of the invention adds design flexibility to the tire label module and allows separation of the module functions into discrete components by improving the restriction of external RF communications in terms of signal / interference ratio, reproducibility and distance since the signals do not have to be transmitted through the tire to external receivers or interrogators. Similarly, the transponder can be mounted directly on the rim or on the air control valve, without affecting the concept of the invention with the antenna in both cases extending through the rim to an external location of the tire. The improved apparatus is constituted by at least two electronic components, one of which is similar in many respects to the tire labels defined in the aforementioned patents that is connected to the inner liner. This can use a patch and contain electronic components to detect temperature and pressure; and provide storage data ID in memory. This device will transmit / receive data to / from a second device, that is to say a transponder 20, which is located inside the cavity or envelope of the wheel-tire. This transponder is a relatively device 1 simple and economical and therefore, in addition to providing improved communication, it does so at a reduced cost. Likewise, mounting the transducer directly on the rim or the air control valve does so without affecting the high temperatures incurred by the tire during its initial manufacture and vulcanization and subsequent retreading, which is common in tires with a size of larger trucks. Also, the particular microcircuit and its detector do not need to be dedicated to a particular tire but can be changed to achieve various results without specific consideration to the particular tire in which they will be mounted. Also, the battery 24 can be considerably larger and have greater power output than the Jl S battery of the tire label 2. This simplifies the label 2 and reduces its cost and size compared to the tire labeling devices of the systems of verification of the previous technique. Also, the battery 24 can be larger and more powerful, since it will not affect the travel provided by the tire, since it is mounted on the tire rim and is not located on one side of the inner lining of the tire as in previous devices. Also, the battery is not affected by the vulcanization heat and can be replaced easier than if it were formed as an integral component of the tire label that can be formed as an integral part of the tire. An important advantage of the verification system of the present invention is the placement of the antenna 26 outside the cavity 8 when feeding through the washer 40 or other type of sealed opening in the tire, or by incorporating it in or on the inflation rod 10 as illustrated in Figure 1. This allows the battery 24 to consume less energy to transmit the information to a remote interrogator, since it is not surrounded by usual steel bands and the sidewalls of the tire as the prior art systems wherein the antenna is fully located within the tire cavity. In addition, the antenna can be "tuned" by varying its length as it is easily accessible to the outside of the tire.

It is also easily apparent that the memory and detection devices on label 2 can be activated directly by an external interrogator and operate without their own internal battery, although the use of a low power consumption battery and an antenna contained within the label is it prefers that the same can be achieved relatively cheaply and will provide increased versatility. Another advantage is that the memory device 12, due to its low cost of production and installation will have a particular memory referring to the tire where it is fixed and does not require erasing and reprogramming when it is placed on a different tire and remains in the tire throughout. his life. Again, the main advantage is that the verification system of the present invention is more versatile as it contributes to design flexibility to the tire label and allows separation of the module functions into discrete components capable of improving the reception of RF communication external in terms of signal / interference ratio, reproducibility and distance. Accordingly, the improved method and apparatus for transmitting stored data and tire engineering conditions to a remote site are simplified, provide an effective, safe, economical and efficient device and method, which achieve all the enumerated objectives, allow to eliminate difficulty that meet with previous devices and methods and solves problems and obtains new results in the previous technique. In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clarity and comprehension, but unnecessary limitations shall not be implied beyond the requirements of the prior art, because those terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be widely considered. Still further, the description and illustration of the invention is by way of example and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exact details shown and described. Having now described the features, discoveries and principles of the invention, the manner in which the improved method and apparatus are constructed and used to transmit stored data and engineering conditions of a tire to a remote site, the construction features and the new and useful advantageous results obtained, the structures devices and elements assemblies, new and useful parts and combinations and method steps are set forth in the appended claims.

Claims (20)

1. A method for transmitting stored data and an engineering condition of a tire to a remote location, wherein the tire is mounted on a rim that forms an internal pressure cavity, the method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: providing the tire with a device that supplies data storage relating to the tire and that detects an engineering condition of the tire; securing the tire device within the internal pressure cavity; providing a transponder including an amplifier, a first antenna, a first power source and a control circuit for detecting the tire data stored in the device and the engineering conditions detected by the device; hold the transponder inside the pressure cavity adjacent to the rim and remote to the device; locating a portion of the first antenna externally of the pressure cavity; transmit the stored data and the engineering condition detected from the device to the transponder; and retransmitting the stored data and engineering condition detected from the transponder to a remote site by the first antenna located externally to the pressure cavity.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes the step of fastening the storage and data detection device to the inner lining of the tire.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that it includes the step of joining the storage device and data detection to the inner lining of the tire within the pressure cavity after finishing the molding of the tire.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes the step of securing the transponder to the rim inside the tire pressure cavity.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that it includes the step of extending the first antenna externally to the pressure cavity as the antenna passes through a sealed opening of the rim.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes the step of mounting the transponder in an air control valve of the tire.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that it includes the step of extending the first antenna externally to the pressure cavity when passing the antenna through the air control valve.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes the step of providing the data storage and detection device within a second antenna and a second power source.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes the step of using radio frequency (RF), to transmit the stored data and the detected engineering condition from the storage device and data detection to the transponder and from the transponder to the remote location.

10. A tire mounted on a rim and defining a cavity for pressure between the tire and the rim and having first means for storing data relating to the tire and for detecting an engineering condition within the tire and second means for transmitting the data and condition of engineering detected to a remote site; the first means includes a data storage device mounted on the tire inside the pressure cavity and containing stored data relating to the pneumatic and a detector device mounted on the * tire inside the pressure cavity; and second means including a transponder mounted adjacent to the edge and remote from the first means within the pressure cavity to collect data from the data storage device and from the detecting device and to retransmit the collected data to a remote, unconnected site to the tire; and the transponder further includes a power source and a first antenna that extends through the rim to a site external to the tire cavity to transmit the stored data and the detected engineering condition to a remote site.

11. The tire according to claim 10, characterized in that the data storage device and the sensing device are encapsulated by a material and fastened to an inner liner of the tire in the vicinity of the tire bead.

12. The tire according to claim 10, characterized in that the rim includes an air control valve and wherein the first antenna extends through the valve.

13. The tire according to claim 10, characterized in that the transponder is mounted on the rim; wherein the rim includes a sealed opening and wherein the first antenna extends through the sealed opening.

14. The tire according to claim 10, characterized in that the transponder includes RF circuit means for retransmitting the collected data to the remote location.

15. The tire according to claim 10, characterized in that the means for detecting and storing data include a battery and circuit means. RF to transmit the detected engineering condition and the stored data to the transponder.

16. The tire according to claim 10, characterized in that the energy source is a battery.

17. Apparatus for verifying a tire, characterized in that it comprises: a tire label containing stored data relating to a particular tire wherein the label is adapted to be mounted on an inner tire lining within a tire pressure socket and a detector for a tire engineering condition inside the tire; and a separate transponder device adapted to be mounted on a rim and where the tire is mounted, the transponder device includes a first antenna, an amplifier and a first source of energy to receive a detected engineering condition and the data stored from the label of the pneumatic and for transmitting the data and engineering condition detected to a remote location by the first antenna and first power source, wherein the first antenna is adapted to extend from the transponder device externally to the tire.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that the tire label includes an outer housing of a material suitable for securing the tire label to the interior of the tire.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that the tire label includes a second energy source and a second antenna.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that each of the tire label and the transponder device includes radio frequency (RF) circuit means for transmitting the data and the detected engineering condition.