Method of tread wear sensor installation in a tire

A method of installing a tread wear sensor in a tire of the tire type comprising a tire carcass enclosing a tire cavity and a tire tread region on a radially outward region of the tire carcass, the tire further having a plurality of tread elements projecting from a base of the tire tread region, the method comprising:

• configuring a plurality of tread wear indicators to include respectively at least one sacrificial resistive sensor element having a known resistance value;
• affixing the at least one resistive sensor element of the plurality of tread wear indicators to respective selected tread elements positioned at dispersed axial locations across the tread region;
• placing each one resistive sensor element in an orientation wherein the sensor element is substantially parallel to a ground engaging surface of the respective tread element at a known sensor depth from the ground engaging surface;
• the at least one sensor element operative to sacrificially abrade and change in resistance responsive to progressive tread wear on the respective tread element;
• measuring a change in resistivity in the one sensor element of each of the plurality of tread wear indicators;
• determining a tread wear status profile based on the measured change in resistivity of the one sensor element of each of the plurality of tread wear indicators.

A method of installing a tread wear sensor in a tire of the tire type comprising a tire carcass enclosing a tire cavity and a tire tread region on the a radially outward regions of the tire carcass, the tire further having a plurality of tread elements projecting from a base of the tire tread region, the method comprising:

• configuring a tread wear indicator to include at least one sacrificial resistive sensor element having a known resistance value;
• affixing the at least one resistive sensor element of the tread wear indicator to a selected tread element in a sensor element orientation placing the sensor element substantially parallel to a ground engaging surface of the tread element at a known sensor depth from the ground engaging surface;
• the at least one sensor element operative to sacrificially abrade and change in resistance responsive to progressive tread wear on the one tread element to the sensor depth;
• affixing a data transmission device to the tire, the data transmission device including data transmission means for wirelessly transmitting data from the tire;
• measuring a change in resistivity in the one sensor element;
• wireless sly transmitting data reflecting the measured change in resistivity from the tire to a data processor;
• determining tread wear status of the one selected tread element based on the data reflecting measured change in resistivity of the one sensor element.