Method of sensing air leaks in tires and tire testing machines

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and system for detecting air leaks in tires and in a tire testing machine. Each of the tires is mounted on the tire testing machine; inflated with an air flow from an inflation system to a first pressure; and maintained at the first pressure by continued supply of air from the inflation system into the tire. The flow of the continued supply of air is measured with a calorimetric flow sensor calibrated to output a sensor signal having a full scale value corresponding to an identical model tire mounted on the tire testing machine with no air leaks in the model tire or the testing machine. The flow of the continued supply of air is compared with an averaged flow for previously measured tires mounted on the tire testing machine with no air leaks in the tires or the testing machine. A control signal indicating an air leak is outputted if the sensor signal is 20% to 80% of the full scale value.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.