Non-attached monitoring assembly for pneumatic tire
AssigneeBridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC
InventorsRussell W. Koch, Paul B. Wilson, Jack Dutcher, Guy J. Walenga, John D. Rensel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A monitoring assembly for a pneumatic tire includes an electronic monitoring device having at least one sensor disposed in a protective body. The monitoring assembly may be configured to float on a variety of liquids that are typically disposed within a tire. The body includes a device that predictably orients the monitoring assembly when the assembly is floating in the liquid. The monitoring assembly is simply placed in a tire before the tire is mounted on a vehicle rim and allowed to move about loosely in the tire chamber when the tire is in use.
Claims24
A monitoring assembly for use in a pneumatic tire, said assembly comprising:
- at least one sensor for detecting an engineering condition of a tire;
- a body surrounding said sensor;
- and
- a mass associated with the sensor;
- the mass adapted to position the sensor in a predictable configuration when the monitoring assembly is disposed in a liquid;
- wherein the combination of the body, the mass, and the sensor has a specific gravity less than one so that the monitoring assembly will float on liquids having a specific gravity of one and higher.
A monitoring device for use in a pneumatic tire having a liquid disposed in the pneumatic tire;
- the monitoring device comprising:
- a body;
- the body adapted to float in the liquid disposed in the tire;
- a sensor carried by the body;
- and orienting means for orienting the body when the body is disposed in the liquid.
In combination, a pneumatic tire, a rim, and a monitoring assembly;
- said pneumatic tire having a body mounted on the rim to form a chamber between said body and said rim;
- a liquid disposed in the pneumatic tire, the liquid having a specific gravity;
- said monitoring assembly being loosely disposed within said chamber whereby said monitoring assembly moves freely within said chamber being restrained only by said tire body and said rim;
- said monitoring assembly having a specific gravity less than the specific gravity of said liquid such that said monitoring assembly will float in said liquid;
- and
- a mass connected to the monitoring assembly;
- the mass adapted to orient the monitoring assembly in the liquid in a predictable orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.