# US 10,308,134 B2 · Spherical wheel/tire assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,308,134 B2 - Document ID: US10308134B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/708,233 - Filed: 2017-09-19 - Published: 2018-09-06 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-02 - Assignees: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company - Applicants: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company - Inventors: Sebastien Willy Fontaine; Frederic Ngo; Armand René Gabriel Leconte; Stéphane Laurent Claude Bokken; Claude Ernest Felix Boes - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10308134B2 ## CPC - B60L 13/10: Combination of electric propulsion and magnetic suspension or levitation - B60C 1/0016: {Compositions of the tread} - B60C 7/1015: {using foam material} - B60C 11/0083: {characterised by the curvature of the tyre tread} - B60C 19/00: Tyre parts or constructions not otherwise provided for - C08C 19/20: Incorporating sulfur atoms into the molecule - C08C 19/22: Incorporating nitrogen atoms into the molecule - C08C 19/34: reacting with oxygen or oxygen-containing groups - C08C 19/42: reacting with metals or metal-containing groups - C08G 77/26: nitrogen-containing groups - C08G 77/455: containing polyamide, polyesteramide or polyimide sequences - C08L 15/00: Compositions of rubber derivatives (C08L11/00, C08L13/00 take precedence) - B60C 2019/005: {Magnets integrated within the tyre structure} - B60L 2200/14: Vehicles with one wheel only - B60L 2220/44: Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B60C: VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES - C08C: TREATMENT OR CHEMICAL MODIFICATION OF RUBBERS - C08G: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS - C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06) ## Abstract A support assembly for a vehicle travels along a road surface and rotates relative to the road surface and the vehicle. The first support assembly includes a spherical tread layer for contacting the road surface, a foam layer adjacent the spherical tread layer, the foam layer including adjustable elements for altering an outer physical contour of the spherical tread layer, the outer physical contour contacting the road surface, a spherical wheel/tire for supporting the spherical tread layer and the vehicle, and a drive system magnetically driving rotation of the spherical wheel/tire relative to the vehicle such that no portion of the spherical tread layer physically contacts the vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A support assembly for a vehicle travelling along a road surface and rotating relative to the road surface and the vehicle comprising: a spherical tread layer for contacting the road surface; a foam layer adjacent the spherical tread layer, the foam layer including adjustable elements for altering an outer physical contour of the spherical tread layer, the outer physical contour contacting the road surface; a spherical wheel/tire for supporting the spherical tread layer and the vehicle; and a drive system magnetically driving rotation of the spherical wheel/tire relative to the vehicle such that no portion of the spherical tread layer physically contacts the vehicle, the drive system including a radially extending fiber optic element for external communication, a radially extending electronic communication/power bus, and an energy harvester disposed in the foam layer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The support assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the drive system magnetically levitates the vehicle a first predetermined distance from the spherical wheel/tire and magnetically maintains the drive system at a constant orientation relative to the road surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The support assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the spherical tread layer comprises a rubber composition comprising an elastomer bearing a multidentate ligand capable of complexing with a metal ion, and a metal ion. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The support assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein the elastomer is a copolymer comprising polydimethylsiloxane chains with 2,6-pyridinecarboxamide ligands incorporated within the polymer chains. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The support assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein the elastomer comprises a functionalized elastomer comprising a polymeric backbone chain derived from a monomer comprising at least one conjugated diene monomer and optionally at least one vinyl aromatic monomer; and a functional group bonded to the backbone chain, the functional group comprising a multidentate ligand capable of complexing with a metal ion. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The support assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein the functionalized elastomer is of formula (I) XY-Z]n (I) wherein X is a polymer derived from a monomer comprising at least one conjugated diene monomer and optionally at least one vinyl aromatic monomer, Z comprises a multidentate ligand group capable of complexing with a metal ion, Y is a divalent group bonded to both X and Z, and n is the number of Y-Z] groups bonded to X. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The support assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein Z comprises a ligand selected from the group consisting of a substituted bipyridinyl groups, unsubstituted bipyridinyl groups, substituted terpyridinyl groups, unsubstituted terpyridinyl groups, substituted phenanthrolinyl groups, unsubstituted phenanthrolinyl groups, substituted pyrazinyl groups, and unsubstituted pyrazinyl groups. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The support assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the drive system includes a magnetically passive component that responds to variations of a magnetic field. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The support assembly as set forth in claim 8 wherein the drive system includes a magnetically active component that generates variations in the magnetic field. ### Claim 10 A support assembly for a vehicle travelling along a road surface and rotating relative to the road surface and the vehicle comprising: a spherical tread layer for contacting the road surface; a foam layer disposed radially inward of the spherical tread layer; a magnetic layer disposed radially inward of the foam layer, the magnetic layer including diamagnetic elements for penetrating a magnetic field with an opposed polarity to a permanent magnet of the vehicle; and a drive system magnetically driving rotation of the magnetic layer relative to the vehicle such that no portion of the spherical tread layer physically contacts the vehicle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The support assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein the drive system includes a permanent magnetic element and an electromagnetic element. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The support assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein the foam layer includes a material responsive to magnetic field variations such that the support assembly is controllably rotated about a spherical center of the spherical tread layer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The support assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein the drive system magnetically levitates itself a second predetermined distance from an outer surface of the spherical tread layer. ### Claim 14 A method for supporting a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: travelling along a road surface by the vehicle; rotating a spherical tread layer relative to the road surface and the vehicle with the spherical tread layer rolling along the road surface; magnetically driving rotation of a magnetic layer relative to the vehicle such that no portion of the spherical tread layer physically contacts the vehicle; adjusting an outer contour of the spherical tread layer for improving the contact between the outer contour and the road surface; altering a physical shape of an adjustable element radially beneath the spherical tread layer; and powering alteration of the adjustable element by an energy harvester. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method as set forth in claim 14 further including the step of magnetically altering the adjustable element by the energy harvester. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method as set forth in claim 14 further including the step of magnetically levitating the vehicle a first predetermined distance from the spherical tread layer.