Device for fixing electronic component to casing

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic system (1000) comprising a component (10) and a holding device (510), said device (510) comprising:-a base (511),-a holding wall (512) extending from the base (511) up to an edge (513) and defining an open volume (520) housing the component (10),-said volume (520) having an opening (516) delimited by the edge (513); the member (10) comprises a housing (12) circumscribed in a cylinder (17) having an axis of rotation (15); characterised in that the retaining wall (512) comprises an element (550) protruding along the free edge (513) and extending a thickness (e) along the axis of rotation (15), the housing (12) comprises a cliff (50) extending along the axis of rotation (15) by a distance (h) greater than the thickness (e) of the wall (512).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for fixing an electronic component to a tire, the purpose of which is to transmit identification information about the tire or physical parameters of the tire, which are measured by the electronic component during the service life of the tire. Background Art

[0002] The development of electronic objects in tires has made it possible for tires to be connected and connected, which has promoted the development of new services, thereby, for example, optimizing the use of tires. Now, these electronic components sometimes have thermomechanically vulnerable parts, which requires the insertion of electronic components after the tire is manufactured. Therefore, the practice of inserting a fixing device as an interface between the electronic component and the tire has emerged. These fixing devices are usually elastic so as not to cause excessive stress to the tire, can conform to the significant deformations that the tire undergoes during use, and suppress the stress transmitted to the electronic component. One of the most common designs of this device is a patch, which has a substrate for fixing to the tire and is provided with a wall that closes itself and extends from the substrate until an opening. This wall is used to support or hold the electronic component in place within the device, and the electronic component is tightly mounted within the elastically deformed wall. Due to the elasticity of the opening material, the opening allows the electronic component to be inserted into and removed from the patch.

[0003] Document WO2018 / 150141A1 illustrates a patch of this nature. Although the patch specifically has a clamping system to limit the opening, it complies in all aspects with the patch for fixing an electronic object to a tire. In addition, during the use of the tire fixed by this system, this type of patch sometimes has mechanical strength problems of the system including the patch and the electronic component. Especially under high driving speed conditions, due to the change in the radius of curvature at the moment when the sector of the tire where the patch is fixed enters or leaves the ground contact surface, large forces are generated on the patch and the electronic component. This sometimes causes the fixed patch to deform to such an extent that the electronic component mounted within the patch at least partially disengages from the receiving cavity within the patch, which ultimately results in the ejection of the electronic component from the patch. This ejection of the electronic component, which is usually destructive to the electronic component, may also damage the structure of the tire itself due to the electronic component being thrown towards the tire wall (especially at high speeds).

[0004] The object of the following subject matter of the present invention is to solve the problem of the ejection of the electronic component from the fixed patch in a manner that is simultaneously economical, reliable and does not affect the operation of the electronic component housed within the fixed patch. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention relates to an electronic system, which includes an electronic component and a holding device for holding the electronic component and capable of being fixed to the wall of a tire, the holding device including:

[0006] a substrate, which can be fixed to the wall of the carcass via its outer surface,

[0007] a closed retaining wall capable of retaining the electronic component, extending from the base as far as a free edge and delimiting an open volume with the base,

[0008] the volume, which is capable of accommodating at least a portion of the electronic component, being defined by the inner surface of the base and the inner surface of the retaining wall, the volume having an opening delimited by the free edge of the retaining wall, the opening being deformable for inserting the electronic component into the volume;

[0009] The electronic component includes a protective shell defining an outer surface, the outer surface is circumscribed to the interior of a cylinder, the rotation axis of the cylinder is perpendicular to the median plane of the outer surface of the base of the retaining device, and the cylinder is defined by two parallel planes; characterized in that the retaining wall includes a protruding element, the protruding element protrudes along the free edge and extends a certain thickness in the direction of the rotation axis of the cylinder of the circumscribed protective shell, the outer surface of the protective shell includes a first cliff, the first cliff is radially located on the inner side of the projection of the free edge of the retaining wall on the outer surface in the direction of the rotation axis of the cylinder, a portion of the first cliff is tangent to the projection of the free edge on the outer surface in an angular sector, the first cliff extends at an angle on a portion of the projection of the free edge on the outer surface, and the first cliff having a main component in the direction of the rotation axis of the cylinder extends to a certain distance in the direction of the rotation axis of the cylinder of the circumscribed protective shell, the distance being greater than the thickness of the protruding element in the said direction.

[0010] This fixture is able to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, because the radially extending end of the retaining wall is equipped with a protruding element at its free end, which makes the radial extension have a certain rigidity at this point, so that the deformation of the patch opening can be effectively controlled, so that the electronic component is not easy to pop out from the fixture. Therefore, the size of the radial extension also determines the size of the opening defined by the free edge, thus forcing the electronic component to remain inside the open volume. In addition, the presence and size of the cliff on the protective shell of the electronic component limit the deformation of the retaining wall and therefore force the electronic component to remain inside the open volume of the fixture. However, the electronic component can still be removed using an external tool that previously expands the opening of the retaining wall by applying a uniform specific load to the entire free edge, thereby reducing the radial extension of the retaining wall. During the use of the tire, even at high speeds, it is impossible to apply such a force to the system because the tool is not in the tire, and because of the characteristics of the external force applied to the system at the moment of impact when the angular sector of the tire to which the electronic system is fixed enters the contact surface, the external force cannot be evenly distributed over the entire free edge of the retaining wall.

[0011] Preferably, the cross-section of the protruding element is included in the group comprising semi-circular, semi-elliptical, and quadrilateral shapes.

[0012] The advantage of these shapes is that they provide a non-linear contact force, thereby enabling a contact force gradient to ensure better mechanical retention of the electronic component within the retention device. Specifically, compared to geometries that provide a linearly varying shape (such as a triangle), the retention wall is less prone to deformation.

[0013] According to a specific embodiment, the protruding element extends towards the open volume of the retention device.

[0014] Although the presence of the protruding element at the free edge increases the amount of load required to deform the opening of the retention device in order to remove the electronic component contained within the retention device, positioning the protruding element towards the open volume of the retention device increases the possible mechanical interaction between the retention device and the protective housing of the electronic component, thereby possibly improving the mechanical retention of the electronic component within the retention device. For example, for the same protruding element, the contact area between the protruding element and the outer surface of the protective housing increases because the entire surface of the protruding element can come into contact with the outer surface of the protective housing. By positioning the protruding element towards the outside of the retention device, only a portion of the outer surface of the protruding element can come into contact with the electronic component, forming a simple and inexpensive cliff, which reduces its mechanical strength.

[0015] Advantageously, the projection of the first cliff along the direction of the axis of rotation on the outer surface of the free edge of the retention wall is tangent to at least one-third of the entire curve length of the projection of the free edge on the outer surface.

[0016] Preferably, the projection of the first cliff along the direction of the axis of rotation on the outer surface of the free edge of the retention wall is tangent to at least half of the entire curve length of the projection of the free edge on the outer surface.

[0017] Very advantageously, the projection of the first cliff along the direction of the axis of rotation on the outer surface of the free edge of the retention wall is tangent to the entire curve length of the projection of the free edge on the outer surface.

[0018] By requiring that the first cliff of the protective housing of the electronic component be in contact with the free edge of the retaining wall including the protruding element over at least one-third of the curved length of the free edge, this condition restricts the movement of the electronic component relative to the retaining device because the contact will occur immediately or be delayed depending on the relative movement imposed by the two objects. For a continuous and closed free edge including the protruding element, one-third of the curved length represents an angular sector of at least 120 degrees. Even if the relative movement of the two objects does not directly cause contact between the first cliff and the protruding element, this contact will occur over a large sample of the relative movement of the two objects. When such contact occurs, a contact force is generated and this movement is blocked, thus contributing to holding the electronic component within the cavity of the retaining device. When the contact area angle between the first cliff and the protruding element of the free edge of the retaining wall becomes larger to the extent of full contact, this increases the holding amplitude and holding time of the electronic component within the open volume of the retaining device.

[0019] In a specific embodiment, the electronic component includes the following elements:

[0020] · A radio transmitter / receiver, which is connected to at least one radio antenna;

[0021] · A microprocessor, which is located on a printed circuit, connected to the radio transmitter / receiver and powered by an energy source,

[0022] The said elements are encapsulated in a protective housing.

[0023] Here, the electronic component includes a radio frequency transponder, that is, a radio frequency communication component capable of transmitting / receiving in order to pick up instructions and respond to the instructions. Here, the radio frequency transponder is active, that is, it includes an energy source, mainly used for transmitting responses through radio frequency communication. This is because radio frequency transmission is an energy-consuming function for large content responses such as transmitting measurement data, and the operations and calculations performed in the microprocessor may also require energy. For the calculation function, the microprocessor has quite complex calculation capabilities to process measurement data from measurement sensors (such as measurement sensors connected to the microprocessor). It should be noted that the energy source (such as a battery) may not only be bulky but also heavy, and if the electronic component accidentally pops out of the fixing device, it will cause significant centrifugal forces and impact forces, and these forces are not negligible.

[0024] According to a specific embodiment, the outer surface of the protective housing includes a groove, which is radially located outside the projection of the free edge of the retaining wall on the outer surface along the rotation axis of the cylinder circumscribing the protective housing and is tangent to the projection of the free edge of the retaining wall on the outer surface along the rotation axis of the cylinder circumscribing the protective housing, and the groove defines a second volume capable of accommodating the protruding element.

[0025] If the protruding element extends towards the open volume of the retaining device, the presence of the groove increases the mechanical interaction between the retaining device and the electronic component by increasing the contact area between the two components at the protruding element of the retaining device. Specifically, since the groove is very close to the protruding element in terms of geographical location, the groove first contacts the protruding element and is able to accommodate the protruding element inside the second volume. Therefore, a strong interaction will be generated between these two initially non-contact elements, which will improve the overall mechanical integrity. Therefore, greater deformation energy is required to eject the electronic component from the retaining device.

[0026] Advantageously, the groove extends angularly over the entire projection of the free edge on the outer surface.

[0027] The free edge of the retaining device extends 360 degrees to form an opening, and the protruding element is located at the free edge of the retaining wall. Therefore, in order to improve the effectiveness of the interaction between the two components, the groove preferably extends over the entire projection of the free edge on the outer surface of the protective housing.

[0028] Preferably, the groove extends a distance greater than one-third of the thickness of the protruding element in the direction of the axis of rotation of the cylinder circumscribing the protective housing, and preferably extends a distance greater than half of the thickness of the protruding element.

[0029] Very preferably, the groove extends a distance equal to the thickness of the protruding element in the direction of the axis of rotation of the cylinder circumscribing the protective housing.

[0030] The mechanical interlock between the groove and the protruding element therein is determined by the depth of the groove. The greater the depth, the greater the force with which the retaining wall mechanically anchors in the groove of the electronic component. The mechanical strength of this anchoring has a threshold, which depends on the thickness of the protruding element in the direction of the axis of rotation of the cylinder circumscribing the protective housing. Ensuring that the groove depth is at least one-third of the thickness of the protruding element ensures that the additional deformation energy required to remove the electronic component is sufficient to improve the mechanical integrity of the electronic system.

[0031] The present invention also relates to an arrangement of an electronic system and an outer tire capable of rotating about an axis of rotation, the outer tire comprising a crown (S), two sidewalls (F) extending from the crown (S) and terminating at two beads (B) capable of being connected to a wheel, wherein the electronic system is fixed to one of the surfaces of the outer tire through the outer surface of the base of the retaining device, preferably fixed to the radially inner surface of the outer tire.

[0032] Advantageously, the electronic system is fixed to the radially inner surface of the outer tire in alignment with the crown (S) of the outer tire.

[0033] This arrangement is the ultimate goal of the electronic system that forms the first subject of the present invention. Since the electronic system includes electronic components, these electronic components cannot be installed on the outer tire during the green tire stage. This is because the electronic components cannot withstand the thermal and mechanical stresses associated with the outer tire manufacturing method. It is generally best to install the electronic system after the tire has been manufactured. Therefore, the electronic system is positioned on one of the surfaces of the outer tire, and this surface is essentially the outer surface. Preferably, the electronic system is positioned on the radially inner surface of the outer tire relative to the natural rotation axis of the outer tire. Thus, when used on the outer tire, the electronic components are protected by the rubber structure of the outer tire, thereby improving the mechanical durability of the electronic components. Positioning it in alignment with the crown facilitates obtaining the measurement characteristics measured by the sensors of the electronic components associated with the ground contact surface, enabling feedback on tire usage characteristics such as the applied static load, driving speed, etc.

[0034] Preferably, when the outer tire is capable of rotating about the rotation axis in the main direction (which corresponds to the traveling direction of the vehicle equipped with this arrangement relative to the ground when moving forward), when the electronic system is completely located in the angular sector of the outer tire in contact with the ground, the centroid of the point on the outer surface where the first cliff of the protective housing of the electronic component is tangent to the projection of the free edge of the retaining wall is positioned behind the rotation axis of the cylinder circumscribing the protective housing of the electronic component in the traveling direction of the vehicle.

[0035] When the tire is used for forward travel, the tire may be at a very high driving speed. Positioning the portion of the first cliff of the protective housing that is tangent to the free edge of the retaining wall where the protruding element is located relative to the rotation axis of the cylinder circumscribing the protective housing ensures that contact between the protruding element and the first cliff will occur immediately upon entering the ground contact surface. Thus, the reaction force exerted by this contact will prevent the electronic component from popping out of the retaining device. This is especially the case when the tangency between the two elements (the first cliff and the free edge where the protruding element is located) does not cover the entire curve length of the free edge. Therefore, when this system is positioned in alignment with the crown (S) of the outer tire, the orientation of the electronic system in the outer tire is a factor affecting the non - ejection of the electronic component, especially at very high speeds. When the vehicle is moving forward in the forward gear, the vehicle is traveling at high and ultra - high speeds.

[0036] The "rear" mentioned here means that the two points are spaced apart by a distance d in the said direction, and this distance d can be zero.

[0037] Very preferably, the median plane of the portion of the first cliff that is tangent to the projection of the free edge of the retaining wall on the outer surface divides the angular sector of this portion of the first cliff into two equal angular sectors in a cylindrical reference system associated with the cylinder of the protective housing of the external electronic component, and the normal to the median plane has a main component along the axis of rotation of the outer tire, preferably this normal is collinear with the axis of rotation of the outer tire.

[0038] In order to ensure that the envisaged technical solution for holding the electronic component in the holding device is effective under all types of operating conditions on the vehicle, especially when the outer tire is mounted on the steering axle of the vehicle, the portion of the first cliff that is tangent to the free edge where the protruding element is located is preferably angularly centered so that good contact can be achieved when driving straight, turning right or turning left. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The present invention will be better understood after reading the following description, which is given by way of non-limiting example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same components, and in which:

[0040] · Figure 1 A perspective view of an electronic component that can be fixed to a tire via a holding device in the prior art is depicted;

[0041] · Figure 2 A sectional view in the radial plane of an electronic system according to a first embodiment of the present invention is depicted;

[0042] · Figure 3 A view of the electronic system according to the same embodiment of the present invention as seen from above, i.e., from the same side as the opening of the cavity of the holding device, is depicted;

[0043] · Figure 4 A sectional view in the radial plane of an electronic system according to a second embodiment of the present invention is depicted;

[0044] · Figure 5 A sectional view in the radial plane of an electronic system according to a third embodiment of the present invention is depicted;

[0045] · Figure 6 A perspective sectional view of an outer tire equipped with an electronic system according to the present invention is depicted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Figure 1 A perspective view of the electronic component 10 of the prior art that can be fixed to the outer tire using the holding device.

[0047] The electronic component 10 depicted in grey here is delimited by a protective housing 12 which encapsulates all the electronic components of the electronic component 10. The protective housing 12 has an outer surface 30 circumscribed by a cylinder 17 which has a rotational axis 15 perpendicular to the printed circuit of the electronic component 10. The cylinder 17 with the rotational axis 15 is truncated by two parallel planes 16 and 16' which are located on the axial outer surfaces 14 and 14' of the protective housing 12 respectively.

[0048] The protective housing 12 has a combined form of a cone and a parallelepiped. The conical shape makes it easier to insert into or remove from a holding device. The cone has a parallelepiped for placing a radio antenna on one of its axial outer surfaces. The radio antenna is encapsulated in the protective housing 12. The protective housing 12 is an integral part or a part assembled from multiple component parts which are then welded together.

[0049] For example, the component parts or the integral part are obtained from a plastic material (such as a thermosetting plastic) using a molding method. The low-temperature curing of the plastic completes the production of the outer surface 30 of the protective housing 12.

[0050] Figure 2 It is a sectional view in a radial plane of an electronic system 1000 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] The electronic system 1000 consists of an electronic component 10 and a holding device 510 which is intended to be fixed to the wall of an outer tire.

[0052] The holding device 510 includes a base 511 capable of being fixed to the wall of the outer tire via its outer surface and a closed holding wall 512 whose purpose is to hold the said electronic component 10. The holding wall 512 extends from the base 511 to a free edge 513, thereby defining a volume 520 with the base 511. Here, a protruding element 550 is provided at the free edge 513. The element 550 has an annular form around the rotational axis 15 and has a rectangular cross-section. The height of the protruding element 550 is denoted as "e". The volume 520 is open, thus allowing the electronic component 10 to be inserted into and removed from the volume 520. The volume 520 is delimited by the inner surface 515 of the holding wall 512 and the inner surface 514 of the base 511. The opening 516 of the volume 520 is delimited by the free edge 513 of the holding wall 512. The opening 516 can be deformed to allow the electronic component 10 to be inserted into and removed from the volume 520.

[0053] Just as Figure 1, the electronic component 10 includes a protective housing 12 that encapsulates all the electronic components. The protective housing 12 defines an outer surface 30. The outer surface 30 is circumscribed within a cylinder, and the axis of rotation 15 of the cylinder is perpendicular to the median plane of the outer surface of the base 511. The circumscribed cylinder is truncated by two parallel planes, the first plane belonging to the inner surface 514 of the base 511, and the second plane being axially located outside the opening 516 of the holding device 510.

[0054] The holding wall 512 extends axially from the base 511 up to a free edge 513, above which its protruding element 550 is provided. The portion of the holding wall 512 including the free edge 513 has a mainly radial rather than axial extension, thus forming a holding lip for holding the electronic component 10. One end of the lip is the free edge 513 equipped with the protruding element 550. The other end 530 is a closing line, and the tangents of the points of the closing line have a mainly radial component in the direction relative to the axis of rotation 15. The radial extension of the thus formed lip extends from the closing line 530 to the free edge 513 and helps to hold the electronic component 10 within the holding device during high-speed travel when the system 100 is fixed to the wall of the outer tire. Specifically, the protruding element 550 extending over the entire free edge 513 of the holding wall means that more energy is required to deform the lip, which helps to hold the electronic component 10 within the holding device 510. However, the application of a continuous and well-directed force allows the lip to open, so that the electronic component 10 can be removed from and inserted into the holding device 510. In particular, the force needs to be uniform over the entire free edge 513, which does not occur naturally when the angular sector of the outer tire carrying the electronic system enters or leaves the ground contact surface during travel.

[0055] Specifically, the protective housing 12 herein has a cliff 50 that extends outside the volume 520 of the holding device 510. The cliff 50 has a main component that extends in the direction of the rotational axis 15. The axial extension "h" of the cliff is greater than the thickness "e" of the protruding element 550 at the free edge 513 in the direction of the axis 15. This condition of the axial extension distance of the cliff 50 on the one hand ensures the positioning of the electronic component 10 relative to the opening 516 of the holding device 510, thus ensuring that the electronic component 10 is better held within the holding device 510. On the other hand, the cliff 50 needs to be partially adjacent to the free edge 513, and the free edge 513 is equipped with a protruding element 550 of a lip defined by the holding wall 512. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the projection 517 of the free edge 513 on the outer surface 30 of the protective housing in the axial direction 15 is tangent to the cliff 50 of the electronic component 10. Therefore, the positioning of the electronic component 10 within the holding device 510 is more restricted at least in terms of movement in a direction perpendicular to the tangent line in the axial plane. Finally, in order to increase the possible directions of restricted movement, the tangency between the cliff 50 and the projection 517 of the free edge 513 on the outer surface 30 should occur in an angular sector around the rotational axis 15. Here, a tangency of more than 180 degrees is ensured, so that the restriction of the relative movement of the electronic component 10 within the holding device 510 exceeds half of the possible movements. For the application of the tire of the steering axle, in order to avoid situations during turning, a sector of 120 degrees is ideal, and the positioning of the electronic system 1000 within the tire is potentially optimized.

[0056] The presence of the cliff 50 on the outer surface 30 of the electronic component 10 in combination with the dimensions of the lip defined by the holding wall 512 (whose free edge 513 is equipped with a protruding element 550) ensures that when the electronic system 1000 is installed on the tire of a motor vehicle, the electronic component 10 will not accidentally pop out of the holding device 510 during normal use at high speed.

[0057] Figure 3 For Figure 2 a view of the electronic system 1000 as seen from above. This means that from the outside of the electronic system 1000, the electronic system 1000 can be observed in the axial direction from the same side as the volume opening of the holding device 510.

[0058] Starting from the radial periphery of the electronic system 1000, the first thing that can be seen is the axial outer edge of the substrate 511, which is circular here, although the outer edge of the substrate 511 can also be elliptical or quadrilateral. Next, the first circle 529 can be seen, which corresponds to the boundary between the substrate 511 and the retaining wall 512, and is characterized by a change in curvature. The mass points on this circle 529 have a vector tangent to the substrate 511, and the main component of this vector changes from being originally radial starting from the base 511 to being axial. Next, the circle 530 corresponding to the closed line of the retaining wall 512 can be seen. This circle represents one end of the annular lip of the retaining wall 512. This lip terminates at the second circle 513, which represents the free edge of the retaining wall 512. Next, between the circle 530 and the circle 513, there is a first circle 17 drawn in dashed lines, which corresponds to the outer surface of the circle that circumscribes the protective housing 12 of the external electronic component 10. Next, towards the electronic component 10, there is a second circle 551 drawn in solid lines. This second circle 551 and the circle 513 define a protruding element 550 located above the axial direction of the lip.

[0059] Through the opening defined by the circle 513, two semi - circles 51 and 52 can be seen here, which correspond to the axial ends of the cliffs 50 of the protective housing 12 of the electronic component 10. Thus, the cliff 50 is mainly axial, but not only axial. The circle 51 is tangent to the circle 513 over its entire semi - circle, thereby sweeping a 180 - degree angular sector around the axis of rotation of the circumscribed cylinder 17 on the outer surface of the protective housing 12. Here, the angular sector is divided into two 90 - degree angular sectors by the median plane 55, and the normal of this median plane is collinear with the vector V. For ease of understanding, this view observed from above is limited to the axial planes U, V, and the normal of this axial plane corresponds to the axis of rotation of the circumscribed cylinder 17. Once the electronic system 1000 has been fixed to the wall of the outer tire, Figure 3 the local vector U of the electronic system should preferably correspond to the direction vector of the circumferential direction of the cylindrical reference system associated with the tire around its natural axis of rotation. Thus, once installed on the vehicle, when the tire is moving along the road and the vehicle is in the forward gear to move forward, the part of the cliff 50 that is tangent to the free edge 513 of the retaining wall is located behind the axis of rotation of the electronic system 1000. This thus ensures a more effective retention of the electronic component 10 within the retaining device 510.

[0060] Figure 4 Cross - sectional view in the radial plane of the electronic system 1000 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the position of the protruding element 550 of the retaining device 510.

[0062] The retaining device 510 includes a base 511 capable of being fixed to the wall of the outer tire via the outer surface and a closed retaining wall 512, the purpose of the retaining wall 512 being to retain the electronic component 10. The retaining wall 512 extends from the base 511 up to a free edge 513, thereby defining a volume 520 with the base 511. Here, a projecting element 550 is provided at the free edge 513 facing the volume 520 of the retaining device 510. This element 550 is in the form of an annulus around the axis of rotation 15, the annulus having a semi-circular cross-section. The height of the projecting element 550 is denoted as "e". The volume 520 is open, thus allowing the electronic component 10 to be inserted into and removed from the volume 520. The volume 520 is defined by the inner surface 515 of the retaining wall 512 and the inner surface 514 of the base 511. The opening 516 of the volume 520 is delimited by the free edge 513 of the retaining wall 512. This opening 516 is deformable to allow the electronic component 10 to be inserted into and removed from the volume 520.

[0063] As Figure 1 , the electronic component 10 includes a protective housing 12 encapsulating all the electronic components. The protective housing 12 defines an outer surface 30. The outer surface 30 circumscribes the inside of a cylinder, the axis of rotation 15 of the cylinder being perpendicular to the median plane of the outer surface of the base 511. The circumscribed cylinder is truncated by two parallel planes, the first plane belonging to the inner surface 514 of the base 511 and the second plane being axially outside the opening 516 of the retaining device 510.

[0064] The retaining wall 512 extends axially from the base 511 up to the free edge 513, which is provided with a projecting element 550 of its semi-circular cross-section. The portion of the retaining wall 512 including the free edge 513 has an essentially radial rather than axial extension, thus forming a retaining lip for retaining the electronic component 10. One end of the lip is the free edge 513 equipped with the projecting element 550. The other end 530 is a closing line, the tangential vector of the points of which is tangent to the retaining wall 512 and has a major component starting from the base 511 in the radial direction with respect to the axis of rotation 15. The radial extension of the lip thus formed extends from the closing line 530 up to the free edge 513 and contributes to retaining the electronic component 10 within the retaining means during high-speed travel when the system 100 is fixed to the wall of the outer tire. Specifically, the projecting element 550 extending over the entire free edge 513 of the retaining wall 512 means that more energy is required to deform the lip, which contributes to retaining the electronic component 10 within the retaining means 510. However, the application of a continuous and well-directed force allows the lip to open, so that the electronic component 10 can be removed from and inserted into the retaining means 510. In particular, the force needs to be uniform over the entire free edge 513, which does not occur naturally during travel when the angular sector of the outer tire carrying the electronic system enters or leaves the ground contact patch of the tire with the ground.

[0065] Specifically, the protective housing 12 here has a cliff 50 that extends outside the volume 520 of the holding device 510. The cliff 50 has a main component that extends in the direction of the rotational axis 15. The axial extension "h" of the cliff is greater than the thickness "e" of the protruding element 550 at the free edge 513 in the direction of the axis 15. This condition of the axial extension distance of the cliff 50 ensures on the one hand the positioning of the electronic component 10 relative to the opening 516 of the holding device 510, thus ensuring that the electronic component 10 is better held within the holding device 510. On the other hand, the cliff 50 needs to be partially adjacent to the free edge 513, which is equipped with a protruding element 550 of a lip defined by the holding wall 512. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the projection 517 of the free edge 513 on the outer surface 30 of the protective housing 12 in the axial direction 15 is tangent to the cliff 50 of the electronic component 10. Thus, the positioning of the electronic component 10 within the holding device 510 is more restricted at least in terms of movement in a direction perpendicular to the tangent line in the axial plane. Finally, in order to increase the possible directions of restricted movement, the tangency between the cliff 50 and the projection 517 of the free edge 513 on the outer surface 30 should occur in an angular sector around the rotational axis 15. Here, a tangency of more than 180 degrees is ensured, so that the restriction of the relative movement of the electronic component 10 within the holding device 510 exceeds half of the possible movements. By ensuring tangency along the entire free edge 513, all possible movements are prevented. However, its disadvantage is that: during the stage of removing / inserting the electronic component 10 from / into the holding device 510, more energy is required to deform the holding wall 512. For the application of tires of a steering axle, in order to avoid situations during turning, a sector of 120 degrees is ideal and potentially optimizes the positioning of the electronic system 1000 within the tire.

[0066] The presence of the cliff 50 on the outer surface 30 of the electronic component 10 in combination with the dimensions of the lip defined by the holding wall 512 (whose free edge 513 is equipped with a protruding element 550) ensures that when the electronic system 1000 is installed on a tire of a motor vehicle, the electronic component 10 does not accidentally pop out of the holding device 510 during normal use at high speed.

[0067] Figure 5 Cross-sectional view in the radial plane of the electronic system 1000 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] The third embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that there is a groove 51 on the outer surface 30 of the protective housing 12 of the electronic component 10.

[0069] The retaining device 510 includes a base 511 capable of being fixed to the wall of the outer tire via the outer surface, and a closed retaining wall 512, the purpose of the retaining wall 512 being to retain the electronic component 10. The retaining wall 512 extends from the base 511 up to a free edge 513, thereby defining a volume 520 with the base 511. Here, a protruding element 550 is provided at the free edge 513 pointing towards the open volume 520 of the retaining device 510. This element 550 has an annular form around a rotation axis 15, the annulus having a semi-circular cross-section. The height of the protruding element 550 is denoted as "e". The volume 520 is open to allow the electronic component 10 to be inserted into the volume 520. The volume 520 is defined by the inner surface 515 of the retaining wall 512 and the inner surface 514 of the base 511. The opening 516 of the volume 520 is delimited by the free edge 513 of the retaining wall 512. This opening 516 is deformable to allow the electronic component 10 to be inserted into and removed from the volume 520.

[0070] As Figure 1 , the electronic component 10 includes a protective housing 12 encapsulating all the electronic components. This protective housing 12 defines an outer surface 30. This outer surface 30 is circumscribed within a cylinder, the rotation axis 15 of the cylinder being perpendicular to the median plane of the outer surface of the base 511. The circumscribed cylinder is truncated by two parallel planes, the first plane belonging to the inner surface 514 of the base 511 and the second plane being axially outside the opening 516 of the retaining device 510.

[0071] The retaining wall 512 extends axially from the base 511 up to the free edge 513, which is provided with a projecting element 550 of its semi-circular cross-section. The part of the retaining wall 512 including the free edge 513 has an extension that is mainly radial rather than axial, thus forming a retaining lip for retaining the electronic component 10. One end of the lip is the free edge 513 equipped with the projecting element 550. The other end 530 is a closing line, the tangential vector of the points of which is tangent to the retaining wall 512 and has a main component starting from the base 511 in the radial direction with respect to the axis of rotation 15. The radial extension of the lip thus formed extends from the closing line 530 up to the free edge 513 and helps to retain the electronic component 10 within the retaining means during high-speed travel when the system 100 is fixed to the wall of the outer tire. Specifically, the projecting element 550 extending over the entire free edge 513 of the retaining wall 512 means that more energy is required to deform the lip, which helps to retain the electronic component 10 within the retaining means 510. However, the application of a continuous and well-directed force allows the lip to open, so that the electronic component 10 can be removed from and inserted into the retaining means 510. In particular, the force needs to be uniform over the entire free edge 513, which does not occur naturally during travel when the angular sector of the outer tire carrying the electronic system enters or leaves the ground contact patch of the tire with the ground.

[0072] Specifically, the protective housing 12 here has a cliff 50 that extends outside the volume 520 of the holding device 510. The cliff 50 has a main component that extends in the direction of the rotation axis 15. The axial extension "h" of the cliff 50 is greater than the thickness "e" of the protruding element 550 at the free edge 513 in the direction of the axis 15. This condition of the axial extension distance of the cliff 50 ensures on the one hand the positioning of the electronic component 10 relative to the opening 516 of the holding device 510, thus ensuring that the electronic component 10 is better held within the holding device 510. On the other hand, the cliff 50 needs to be partially adjacent to the free edge 513, which is equipped with a protruding element 550 of a lip defined by the holding wall 512. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the projection 517 of the free edge 513 on the outer surface 30 of the protective housing 12 in the axial direction 15 is tangent to the cliff 50 of the electronic component 10. Therefore, the positioning of the electronic component 10 within the holding device 510 is more restricted at least in terms of movement in a direction perpendicular to the tangent line in the axial plane. Finally, in order to increase the possible directions of restricted movement, the tangency between the cliff 50 and the projection 517 of the free edge 513 on the outer surface 30 should occur in an angular sector around the rotation axis 15. Here, a tangency of more than 180 degrees is ensured, so that the restriction of the relative movement of the electronic component 10 within the holding device 510 exceeds half of the possible movements. By ensuring tangency along the entire free edge 513, all possible movements are prevented. However, its disadvantage is that: during the stage of removing / inserting the electronic component 10 from / into the holding device 510, more energy is required to deform the holding wall 512. For the application of tires of a steering axle, in order to avoid situations during turning, a sector of 120 degrees is ideal and potentially optimizes the positioning of the electronic system 1000 within the tire.

[0073] The outer surface 30 of the protective housing 12 has a groove 51 at the level of the protruding element 550. The groove 51 defines an annular recess with a semi-circular cross-section around the rotation axis 15, and the annular recess extends radially by a distance greater than the radial extent of the protruding element 550. In addition, the distance by which the groove 51 extends axially is denoted as "e'", which is slightly greater than one-third of the thickness "e" of the protruding element 550.

[0074] The combination of the presence of the cliff 50 on the outer surface 30 of the electronic component 10, the dimensions of the lip defined by the holding wall 512 (whose free edge 513 is equipped with a protruding element 550), and the dimensions of the groove 51 aligned with the protruding element 550 ensures that when the electronic system 1000 is installed on a tire of a motor vehicle, the electronic component 10 will not accidentally pop out of the holding device 510 during normal use at high speed.

[0075] Figure 6Shows a cross-section of the pneumatic tire 100 according to the present invention, which is also a tire casing, comprising a crown S that extends through two sidewalls F and terminates at two beads B. In this case, the tire 100 is intended to be mounted on a wheel (not shown in this figure), at the two beads B. Thus, a closed cavity containing at least one pressurized fluid is delimited, which is delimited by both the second radially inner surface 130 of the pneumatic tire 100 and the outer surface of the wheel. The pneumatic tire 100 also includes a first radially outer surface 140 of the pneumatic tire 100.

[0076] The axis corresponding to the reference axis or natural axis of rotation of the pneumatic tire 100 and the median plane 211 will be denoted as the reference axis 201. The median plane 211 is perpendicular to the reference axis 201 and equidistant from the two beads B. The intersection of the reference axis 201 and the median plane 211 determines the center of the pneumatic tire 100. A Cartesian reference system is defined at the center of the pneumatic tire 100, which is composed of the reference axis 201, a vertical axis 203 perpendicular to the ground, and a longitudinal axis 202 perpendicular to the other two axes. In addition, a plane passing through the reference axis 201 and the longitudinal axis 202, parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the median plane 211, will be defined as the axial plane 212. Finally, a plane perpendicular to the median plane 211 and the axial plane 212 and passing through the vertical axis 203 will be called the vertical plane 213.

[0077] Any point mass of the pneumatic tire 100 is uniquely defined by its cylindrical coordinates (Y, R, θ). The scalar Y represents the axial distance from the center of the pneumatic tire 100 in the direction of the reference axis 201, which is defined by the orthogonal projection of the point mass of the tire 100 on the reference axis 201. A plane that forms an angle θ with the vertical plane 213 around the reference axis 201 will be defined as the radial plane 214. In this radial plane 214, the point mass of the pneumatic tire 100 is referenced by the distance R from the center of the pneumatic tire 100 in the direction perpendicular to the reference axis 201, which is determined by the orthogonal projection of this point mass on the radial axis 204. The unit vector perpendicular to the radial plane 214 represents the circumferential direction of the tire casing 100, and this unit vector forms a right-handed coordinate system (direct trihedron) with the unit vectors of the axial direction 201 and the radial direction 204. It should be noted that Figure 6 Includes an arrow 300 carried by the longitudinal axis 202, and the arrow 300 indicates the traveling direction of the pneumatic tire 100 when the pneumatic tire 100 is mounted on a vehicle and the vehicle is moving forward.

[0078] The pneumatic tire 100 has a retaining device 510 on its radially inner surface 130. When the retaining device 510 is made of an elastic material, the retaining device 510 is fixed to the surface 130 by adhesive bonding according to the usual prior art. The retaining device 510 is fixed to be aligned with the crown S of the outer tire 100, which improves its durability because the retaining device 510 positioned in this way is less affected during the operation of mounting or removing the outer tire 100 on or from the wheel. Specifically, the retaining device 510 is located in an area away from the bead B of the outer tire 100. In this case, the retaining device 510 is equipped with an electronic component 10 in its open volume, and this volume constitutes a housing designed to accommodate the electronic component 10. Thus, in this case, the outer tire 100 is ready to be mounted on the wheel, thereby forming a wheel-tire assembly. The electronic component 10 can provide various functions, such as identifying certain components, such as the electronic component itself, the tire. However, the electronic component can also be equipped with pressure and / or temperature sensors to evaluate the inflation pressure of the wheel-tire assembly. Finally, it can also be equipped with sensors that directly measure the curvature of the outer tire, such as accelerometers or deflectometers, so that common variables of the tire, such as angular velocity, travel distance, and static load applied, can be derived. All these variables can identify the performance quality of the outer tire, such as, for example, its wear, grip, or the inherent variables of the ground on which the outer tire travels.

[0079] In Figure 6 the specific case, the electronic components of the electronic component 10 are encapsulated in a protective housing. The protective housing has a cliff that extends beyond the retaining device 510. Here, the cliff is tangential to the free edge of the retaining wall of the retaining device 510 as a whole. The free edge equipped with a protruding element defines the opening of the retaining device 510, through which the electronic component 10 is inserted into or removed from the accommodating volume of the retaining device 510. In this specific case, the centroid of the point of the tangent line between the cliff of the electronic component 10 and the free edge of the retaining device 510 equipped with its protruding element lies on the rotation axis of the electronic component 10, which corresponds to the specific case where the part of the cliff tangent to the free edge is located behind the rotation axis of the electronic component.

Claims

1. An electronic system (1000), comprising an electronic component (10) and a holding device (510) for holding the electronic component (10) and capable of being fixed to the wall of an outer tire, the holding device (510) comprising: - a base (511) capable of being fixed to the wall of the outer tire via its outer surface, - a closed holding wall (512) capable of holding the electronic component (10), extending from the base (511) up to a free edge (513) and defining with the base (511) an open volume (520), - the volume (520) capable of receiving at least a part of the electronic component (10), defined by the inner surface (514) of the base (511) and the inner surface (515) of the holding wall (512), and the volume (520) having an opening (516) delimited by the free edge (513) of the holding wall (512), the opening being deformable to insert the electronic component (10) into the volume (520); The electronic component (10) comprises a protective housing (12) defining an outer surface (30), the outer surface being circumscribed inside a cylinder (17), the axis of rotation (15) of which is perpendicular to the median plane of the outer surface of the base of the holding device, and the cylinder being delimited by two parallel planes (16, 16'); Characterized in that the holding wall (512) comprises a protruding element (550) protruding along the free edge (513) and extending a thickness (e) in the direction of the axis of rotation (15) of the cylinder (17) circumscribing the protective housing (12), the outer surface (30) of the protective housing (12) comprising a first cliff (50) radially located inside the projection (517) on the outer surface (30) of the free edge (513) of the holding wall (512) in the direction of the axis of rotation (15) of the cylinder (17), a part of the first cliff (50) being tangent to the projection (517) of the free edge (513) on the outer surface (30) in an angular sector, the first cliff (50) extending angularly over a part of the projection of the free edge on the outer surface (30), the first cliff (50) having a main component in the direction of the axis of rotation (15) of the cylinder (17) extending a distance (h) in the direction of the axis of rotation (15) of the cylinder (17) circumscribing the protective housing (12), the distance (h) being greater than the thickness (e) of the protruding element (550) in said direction.

2. The electronic system (1000) according to claim 1, wherein, The cross-sectional shape of the protruding element (550) belongs to the group of the following geometries, the group comprising semi-circular, semi-elliptical, quadrilateral.

3. The electronic system (1000) according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein, The protruding element (550) extends towards the open volume (520) of the holding device (510).

4. The electronic system (1000) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The projection (517) of the free edge (513) of the holding wall (512) of the first cliff (50) on the outer surface (30) in the direction of the axis of rotation (15) is angled and tangent to at least one third of the entire curved length of the projection (517) of the free edge (513) on the outer surface (30), preferably angled and tangent to at least half of the entire curved length of the projection (517) of the free edge (513) on the outer surface (30).

5. The electronic system (1000) according to claim 4, wherein, The projection (517) of the free edge (513) of the holding wall (512) of the first cliff (50) on the outer surface (30) in the direction of the axis of rotation (15) is tangent to the entire curved length of the projection (517) of the free edge (513) on the outer surface (30).

6. The electronic system (1000) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The electronic component (10) comprises the following elements: · A radio transmitter / receiver connected to at least one radio antenna; · A microprocessor located on a printed circuit, connected to the radio transmitter / receiver and powered by an energy source, The elements are encapsulated in a protective housing (12).

7. The electronic system (1000) according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein, The outer surface (30) of the protective housing (12) includes a groove (51) that is located radially outside and tangent to the projection of the free edge (513) of the holding wall (512) on the outer surface (30) in the direction of the axis of rotation (15) of the cylinder (17) circumscribing the protective housing (12), and the groove (51) defines a second volume (52) capable of accommodating a protruding element (550).

8. The electronic system (1000) according to claim 7, wherein, The groove (51) extends angularly over the entire projection of the free edge on the outer surface (30).

9. The electronic system (1000) according to any one of claims 7 and 8, wherein, The groove (51) extends in the direction of the axis of rotation (15) of the cylinder (17) circumscribing the protective housing (12) a distance greater than one third of the thickness of the protruding element (550) in that direction, preferably a distance greater than half of the thickness of the protruding element (550).

10. The electronic system (1000) according to claim 9, wherein, The groove (51) extends in the direction of the axis of rotation (15) of the cylinder (17) circumscribing the protective housing (12) a distance equal to the thickness of the protruding element (550) in that direction.

11. Arrangement of an electronic system (1000) and a pneumatic tyre (100) capable of rotating about a rotation axis (201) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, said pneumatic tyre (100) comprising a tread (S), two sidewalls (F) extending from the tread (S) and ending at two beads (B) capable of being connected to a wheel, wherein, The electronic system (1000) is fixed to one of the surfaces (130, 140) of the outer tire (100) by the outer surface of the base (511) of the holding means (510), preferably fixed to the radially inner surface (130) of the outer tire (100).

12. The arrangement according to claim 11, wherein, The electronic system (1000) is fixed to the radially inner surface (130) of the outer tire (100) in alignment with the crown (S) of the outer tire (100).

13. The arrangement according to claim 12, wherein, When the outer tire (100) is capable of rotating about a rotation axis (201) in a main direction corresponding to the direction of travel (300) of the vehicle equipped with said arrangement relative to the ground, when the electronic system (1000) is entirely located in the angular sector of the outer tire (100) in contact with the ground, the centroid of the point of the first cliff (50) of the protective housing (12) of the electronic component (10) that is tangent to the projection (517) of the free edge (513) of the retaining wall (512) on the outer surface (30) is positioned behind the rotation axis (15) of the cylinder (17) circumscribing the protective housing (12) of the electronic component (10) in the direction of travel (300) of the vehicle.

14. The arrangement according to claim 13, wherein The median plane of the portion of the first cliff (50) that is tangent to the projection of the free edge (513) of the retaining wall (512) on the outer surface (30) divides the angular sector of this portion of the first cliff (50) into two equal angular sectors in the cylindrical reference system associated with the cylinder (17) circumscribing the protective housing (12) of the electronic component (10), and the normal to the median plane has a main component along the rotation axis (201) of the outer tire (100), preferably this normal is collinear with the rotation axis (201) of the outer tire (100).

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