Method for adhering a device to a tire

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of adhering a device to a tire, the method including the step of applying an adhesive to the surface of the device, the step of applying the adhesive including the step of applying an inner portion (14) of the adhesive to the surface of the device (20) and the step of applying an outer line (16) of the adhesive that at least partially surrounds the inner portion of the adhesive to the surface of the device, the method further including the step of attaching the device to the tire, the step of attaching the device (20) to the tire including the step of applying pressure to the device to spread the inner portion (14) of the adhesive and the outer line (16) of the adhesive between the device and the tire to create a uniform adhesive film. One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a tire including the method of adhering the device to the tire.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method of adhering a device such as a radio frequency identification patch to a tire.

Background Art

[0002] There are many advantages to being able to attach a device such as a radio frequency identification (RFID) patch inside a tire. Such devices can provide many benefits by enabling smart monitoring and communication with the tire. For example, tire supply logistics can be improved by tracking tire deliveries and managing inventory levels. The device can also facilitate improvements in vehicle monitoring of, for example, tire position or mileage, and this can in turn be used for predictive maintenance of the tire.

[0003] If the device becomes detached from the tire, it may no longer be able to provide monitoring and communication functions, or the device may be completely lost. In such cases, the benefits of the device's functionality are lost. Therefore, it is important to securely and robustly adhere the device to the tire to ensure that the device remains adhered to the tire throughout the tire's life cycle.

[0004] To strongly adhere the device to the tire, a uniform adhesive layer that substantially covers all or most of the device is advantageous. Depending on the type of device and glue, it is also desirable to control the amount of adhesive. Devices with non-uniform, too much, or too little adhesive often have uncertain attachment to the tire. Similarly, devices with wrinkles or folds after attachment to the tire also have uncertain attachment.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Attaching the device to all tires, especially when attaching the device to a large number of tires, is a time-consuming and thus costly process. Therefore, it is also desirable to provide a way to ensure stable attachment without requiring a lot of time or expensive equipment.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] It has been found that by adhering the device to the vulcanized tire using the method described herein, a robust attachment is formed efficiently in terms of time. The present disclosure obtains a stable attachment while maintaining the integrity of the device adhered to the tire without wasting glue by ensuring an accurate amount of adhesive. Importantly, the method described herein overcomes multiple deficiencies of existing methods where there is insufficient adhesion, excessive use and discharge of glue during attachment, or wrinkles or damage to the device during attachment to the tire.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a method for adhering a device to a tire is provided. The method includes a step of applying an adhesive to the surface of the device and a step of attaching the device to the tire. The step of applying the adhesive may include a step of applying an inner portion of the adhesive to the surface of the device. The step of applying the adhesive may further include a step of applying an outer line of the adhesive to the surface of the device. The outer line of the adhesive may at least partially surround the inner line of the adhesive. The step of attaching the device to the tire may include a step of applying pressure to the device. This may be to spread the inner portion and the outer line of the adhesive on the device to create a uniform adhesive film between the device and the tire.

[0008] The device can be a patch.

[0009] The device can be configured to connect or support secondary components such as sensors or communication components. The device can be for monitoring characteristics of a tire such as temperature or internal pressure. The device can include a sensor, or can be configured to be connected to or support a sensor. The device can be a support.

[0010] The device can be configured to store identification information of the tire. The device can be configured to communicate wirelessly with a scanner.

[0011] The device can be a device for monitoring characteristics of a tire. The device can be a device for monitoring characteristics of the tire environment. Examples of characteristics can include the temperature, pressure, or other physical or chemical characteristics of the tire. The device can be a radio frequency identification (RFID) patch. The device can endow the tire with various functions such as tracking, identification, or monitoring, and can significantly improve the performance or logistics management of the tire.

[0012] The device can be, for example, a holder-type device for holding a sensor.

[0013] The device can include an adhesive surface. The adhesive surface can be the surface of the device where an adhesive is applied and directly fixed to the tire.

[0014] The device can be adhered to the tire using a chemical adhesive such as glue. The adhesive can include cyanoacrylate or be cyanoacrylate. The adhesive can be Cyberbond 2240 (registered trademark) or Sigel 3M (registered trademark). The adhesive can be applied to the surface of the device as a liquid or gel, for example, before attaching the device to the tire. The adhesive can be cured or partially cured before attaching the device to the tire. By partially curing the adhesive, the adhesive force of the device to the tire can be increased.

[0015] The inner portion of the adhesive and the outer line of the adhesive can be the same adhesive. By using the same adhesive, the process of attaching the device to the tire can be simplified.

[0016] This method may use only a single type of adhesive, or alternatively, the inner portion and the outer line of the adhesive may be different adhesives. Different types of adhesives may have different properties, such as curing time. By using different types of adhesives, the user may be able to enjoy the advantages of each type of adhesive.

[0017] The total amount of adhesive applied to form the inner portion and the outer line of the adhesive can be 0.3 g / dm 2 ~0.6 g / dm 2 This amount of adhesive can provide optimal adhesive strength while avoiding excessive glue that can lead to not only a decrease in adhesive strength but also waste.

[0018] When the adhesive is Cyberbond 2240 (registered trademark), the total amount of adhesive applied per unit area of the adhesive surface of the device can be 0.3 g / dm 2 ~0.5 g / dm 2 When the adhesive is Sigel 3M (registered trademark), the total amount of adhesive applied per unit area of the adhesive surface of the device can be 0.4 g / dm 2 ~0.6 g / dm 2 This can be the case.

[0019] The inner portion of the adhesive can be the inner line of the adhesive.

[0020] The inner portion of the adhesive can be applied on or along the center line of the device. The center line of the device can include a center point or a circle (for example, in the case of a device having a circular contour). The center line of the device can be a longitudinal center line.

[0021] The outer line of the adhesive can be separated from the inner portion of the adhesive. The outer line of the adhesive can be different from the inner portion of the adhesive.

[0022] The inner line and the outer line of the adhesive cannot be connected or intersect. They can be applied in separate steps or movements. The inner line of the adhesive and the outer line of the adhesive can define a gap between each other.

[0023] The outer line of the adhesive can define a shape corresponding to the outer contour of the device.

[0024] By having a shape corresponding to the outer contour of the device, the outer line of the adhesive can define a substantially constant distance between the outer line of the adhesive and the outer edge of the device (e.g., the adhesive surface of the device). Thereby, when the device is attached to the tire, the adhesive of the outer line can be evenly spread in the area between the outer line of the adhesive and the outer edge of the device.

[0025] The device can be oval, circular, oval-shaped, polygonal, or rectangular. Accordingly, the outer line of the adhesive can be oval, circular, oval-shaped, polygonal, or rectangular.

[0026] The outer line of the adhesive can be an unbroken line.

[0027] The outer line of the adhesive can completely surround the inner portion of the adhesive.

[0028] The line of the adhesive (inner or outer) can be an unbroken solid line, a dashed line, or a dotted line. The unbroken line of the adhesive can promote a more uniform spread of the adhesive when the device is attached to the tire. The dashed line of the adhesive can control the amount of adhesive applied, for example, by controlling the number and spacing of the line segments.

[0029] The outer line of the adhesive can define a closed loop surrounding the inner portion of the adhesive. This can facilitate the even application of the adhesive to the adhesive surface after the device is adhered to the tire.

[0030] The outer line of the adhesive can be arranged to extend to the outer part of the device. The outer line of the adhesive can be arranged to be spaced apart from the outer edge of the device. During the attachment of the device to the tire, the outer line of the adhesive can spread into the area between the outer line of the adhesive and the outer edge of the device to form a thin film. The size of the area between the outer line of the adhesive and the outer edge of the device can affect the ability of the adhesive to form a uniform thin film. If the outer line of the adhesive is too close to the center of the device, it may not be possible to spread wide enough to form a thin film over the entire adhesive surface. If the outer line of the adhesive is too close to the edge of the device, the adhesive may protrude from between the device and the tire when pressure is applied to the device.

[0031] The distance between the outer edge of the device and the outer line of the adhesive can be made greater than 1 / 8 and less than 3 / 4 of the distance between the outer edge of the device and the inner part of the adhesive.

[0032] The distance between the outer edge of the device and the outer line of the adhesive can be made greater than 1 / 4 and less than 1 / 2 of the distance between the outer edge of the device and the inner part of the adhesive.

[0033] The outer line of the adhesive can be positioned in a band-like shape surrounding the inner part of the adhesive. The band can extend circumferentially on the device or its adhesive surface.

[0034] When measured from the outer edge, the band can extend 1 / 8 to 3 / 4 of the distance from the outer edge of the device to the inner part of the adhesive. When measured from the outer edge, the band can extend 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the distance between the outer edge and the inner part of the adhesive. The outer line of the adhesive can surround the inner part of the adhesive and can be offset from the outer edge of the device by 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the distance between the outer edge of the device and the inner part of the adhesive.

[0035] The distance between the outer edge of the device and the outer line of the adhesive can be approximately equal to 3 / 8 (three eighths) of the distance between the outer edge of the device and the inner part of the adhesive.

[0036] The amount of adhesive applied to form the inner portion of the adhesive may be 80% to 120% of the amount of adhesive applied to form the outer line of the adhesive.

[0037] Substantially equal amounts of adhesive may be applied as the inner portion and the outer line of the adhesive. The inner portion and the outer line of the adhesive may be configured to spread to cover substantially the same surface area of the device when adhered to the tire. Thereby, a reliable method of achieving a substantially uniform adhesive layer is obtained.

[0038] To achieve substantially equal amounts of glue applied to form the inner line and the outer line, the ratio of the amount of glue applied to each line in grams per millimeter is inversely proportional to the length of the line.

[0039] The step of attaching the device to the tire may include the step of attaching the device inside the tire. The device can be attached to the inner surface of the tire wall.

[0040] The step of attaching the device to the tire may include the step of first applying pressure to the center of the device and moving the pressure outward toward the outer edge of the device.

[0041] The step of first applying pressure to the central region of the device may include the step of applying pressure to the region corresponding to the inner portion of the adhesive. Thereby, the inner portion of the adhesive can be spread to the inner region (e.g., half) of the device or its adhesive surface.

[0042] Subsequently, by moving the pressure outward, the pressure can be moved toward the region corresponding to the outer line of the adhesive and finally beyond that region. Thereby, the outer line of the adhesive can generally be spread outward toward the outer edge of the device. Thereby, the outer line of the adhesive can be spread to the outer region (e.g., half) of the device.

[0043] By applying the adhesive in this way and applying pressure in this way in combination, it is possible to achieve reliability that could not be achieved previously in obtaining a uniform adhesive thin film.

[0044] The step of attaching the device to the tire may include the step of applying a pressure of 80 kPa to 120 kPa.

[0045] The pressure can be 50 kPa to 150 kPa, 80 kPa to 120 kPa, or 90 kPa to 110 kPa. The pressure may be 100 kPa. Depending on the selected pressure level, a robust attachment of the device to the tire is achieved.

[0046] The step of attaching the device to the tire may include the step of applying pressure for 1 second to 180 seconds.

[0047] The pressure can be applied for 1 second to 300 seconds, or 1 second to 180 seconds, or 3 seconds to 90 seconds. By applying the pressure for the selected duration, a robust adhesion is obtained.

[0048] Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a tire including a method of adhering a device described anywhere in this specification to a tire.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, there is provided a tire manufactured as described in this specification.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0050]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0051] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a method for adhering a device described in this specification to a tire. Although the flowchart of Figure 1 shows a specific order of steps, it should be understood that in other examples according to this disclosure, there may be steps with an order different from that shown in Figure 1.

[0052] In a first step 110, a first portion of an adhesive is applied to the surface of the device to be adhered to the tire. This surface is typically the generally flat lower surface of the device, such as the flat surface of an RFID patch (e.g., as shown in Figure 2), or the lower surface of a "holder" type device (e.g., as shown in Figure 3).

[0053] The adhesive is a liquid or gel adhesive applied to the device, for example, by a glue gun. The adhesive is applied to the device immediately before attaching the device to the tire. Such application of the adhesive is quick and reliable.

[0054] The first portion of the adhesive is the inner portion of the adhesive and is applied towards the center of the surface. The first portion of the adhesive can be a line of adhesive or a single point of adhesive. The first portion of the adhesive can be applied on or along a part or all of the center line of the device.

[0055] In this example, the first portion of the adhesive is configured to cover the central portion of the area to be adhered during use. The first portion of the adhesive spreads to the central area of the device (e.g., the patch) after attaching the device to the tire and is configured to form an adhesive film to adhere that portion of the surface to the tire. The first portion of the adhesive is configured to cover substantially half of the surface area to be adhered, for example, half of the surface of the patch (e.g., positioned and aligned).

[0056] In some examples, the adhesive is Cyberbond 2240 (registered trademark) or Sigel 3M (registered trademark).

[0057] In the second step 120, the second portion of the adhesive is applied to the surface. The second portion is the outer line of the adhesive. The outer line of the adhesive is applied so as to at least partially surround the inner portion of the adhesive.

[0058] In this example, the outer line of the adhesive is configured to cover the outer portion of the area that is adhered to the tire during use. The outer portion of the adhesive spreads to the outer area of the device after the device (e.g., a patch) is attached to the tire and is configured to form an adhesive film to adhere that portion of the surface to the tire. The outer line of the adhesive is configured (e.g., positioned) to cover substantially half of the surface area to be adhered, such as half of the surface of the patch. The outer line of the adhesive contains substantially the same amount of adhesive as the inner portion of the adhesive.

[0059] In this example, 0.3 g / dm 2 ~0.6 g / dm 2 of the adhesive is applied to the device.

[0060] By applying the adhesive in two separate portions, an inner portion and an outer line, the adhesive can be applied to the device quickly and an arrangement is obtained where the adhesive spreads reliably over the bonding surface.

[0061] The outer line of the adhesive is the same adhesive as the inner portion of the adhesive.

[0062] In some examples, depending on the specific adhesive used, the device and the adhesive can be left for a certain period of time to cure the glue.

[0063] After applying the adhesive to the device and optionally curing it, the method proceeds to step 130 where the device is attached to the tire. The device can be attached by hand or by machine.

[0064] Step 130 of attaching the device to the tire includes positioning the device at a desired position and applying pressure to the device to fix it to the tire. By applying pressure, the inner portion and the outer line of the adhesive are spread over the entire adhesive surface. The adhesive is spread so as to create an adhesive film of uniform thickness between the device and the tire. The adhesive film of uniform thickness provides a more reliable and stronger bond.

[0065] To form an adhesive film of uniform thickness, in this example, pressure is first applied to the central portion of the adhesive surface of the device and then moved outward toward the outside of the device. As a result, the inner portion of the adhesive spreads from the center of the adhesive surface toward the outer line of the adhesive. The inner portion of the adhesive provides a thin uniform adhesive film over approximately 50% of the adhesive surface. The outer line of the adhesive then spreads outward toward the outer contour of the device. The outer line of the adhesive forms a thin uniform adhesive film over the remaining 50% of the adhesive surface.

[0066] Pressure is applied to the device for 1 second to 180 seconds. In this specific example, pressure is applied for 3 seconds to 90 seconds. The pressure applied to the device is 80 kPa to 120 kPa. Applying pressure with the correct time and the correct force is important to achieve a firm bond between the device and the tire.

[0067] FIG. 2 shows an example of a device used in the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows the adhesive applied to the lower surface 12 of the device 10 for attachment to a tire according to the method described herein.

[0068] The device 10 in FIG. 2 is an RFID patch 10. The patch is planar and oval-shaped. FIG. 2 shows the lower surface 12 of the patch 10. The lower surface 12 is the adhesive surface of the patch, i.e., the surface that is fixed to the tire. FIG. 2 shows the patch 10 before attachment to the tire.

[0069] The inner portion 14 of the adhesive is applied to the patch 10. The inner portion 14 of the adhesive in this example is a line of adhesive along the center line of the RFID patch 10. The center line extends longitudinally along the center of the patch 10. The amount of adhesive applied as the inner portion 14 is selected to cover substantially half of the lower surface 12 of the patch when the RFID patch 10 is attached to the tire, that is, the inner portion of the adhesive surface of the RFID patch 10.

[0070] The outer line 16 of the adhesive is applied to the lower surface 12 of the RFID patch 10. The outer line 16 of the adhesive is a continuous line of adhesive. The outer line 16 of the adhesive completely surrounds the inner portion 14 of the adhesive. The amount of adhesive applied as the outer portion 16 is selected to cover substantially half of the lower surface 12 of the patch when the RFID patch 10 is attached to the tire, that is, the outer peripheral portion of the adhesive surface of the RFID patch 10.

[0071] In this example, the adhesive is Cyberbond 2240 (registered trademark), and a total amount of adhesive (that is, including both the inner portion and the outer line) such that it is 0.3 g / dm 2 ~0.5 g / dm 2 is applied. Substantially half of this adhesive forms the inner portion, and half forms the outer portion. Since the inner portion and the outer line of the adhesive have substantially the same amount of adhesive, the ratio of the cross-sectional area (that is, the width of the line times the thickness) of the inner portion of the adhesive to the outer line of the adhesive is inversely proportional to the lengths of the two lines. In other words, the amount of glue applied per millimeter of line is inversely proportional to the length of the line.

[0072] The outer line 16 of the adhesive has a contour (that is, a shape) corresponding to the outer contour of the patch 10. In this example, the outer line 16 is oval.

[0073] The outer line 16 of the adhesive is applied within the band 18 on the lower surface 12 of the patch 10. The band 18 represents the area of the bonding surface where, even after applying the outer line 16, a substantially uniform film thickness can be achieved after attaching the device to the tire. The band 18 is a circumferential band positioned between the center and the outer edge of the patch. The band 18 extends from a location at a first distance a from the outer edge of the patch 10 to a location at a second distance c from the outer edge of the patch 10. In this example, when the total width of the patch is 2W, the band 18 extends from a location 0.25W from the outer edge of the patch 10 to a location 0.5W from the outer edge of the patch. That is, the band 18 extends from a location 1 / 8 of the total width of the patch from the outer edge to a location 1 / 4 of the total width of the patch from the outer edge.

[0074] To attach the patch 10 of FIG. 2 to the tire, the lower surface 12 is positioned against the tire and pressure is applied to spread the inner line 14 and the outer line 16 of the adhesive between the patch 10 and the tire into a uniform adhesive film. First, pressure is applied towards the center of the patch 10, i.e., the position corresponding to the inner portion 14 of the adhesive, to spread the inner portion of the adhesive. Subsequently, the pressure is moved outwards towards the outer line 16 of the adhesive to spread the outer line 16 of the adhesive towards the outer edge of the patch 10. A pressure of about 100 kPa is applied for about 60 seconds. Then, the patch 10 is adhered to the tire.

[0075] FIG. 3A is a bottom view of a second device 20 to be adhered to a tire. FIG. 3B is a side view of the same device 20 to be adhered to a tire 30.

[0076] The device 20 in FIGS. 3A and 3B is a holder-type device configured to support a secondary device or component. The device 20 is circular. The device 20 is substantially flat and has a recess 28 configured to house and hold a sensor (not shown), such as a secondary device like a TMS (Tire Mounting Sensor). The recess includes a cavity 24 within the body of the device 20 and an opening 25 defined by a flange 26 of the device. The cavity is configured to house a portion of the secondary component, and the opening 25 and the flange 26 are configured to prevent the secondary component from inadvertently separating from the device 20 during use.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 3A, an adhesive is applied to the adhesive surface of the device (i.e., the surface that is adhered to the tire 30). In this case, the adhesive surface is the flat lower surface of the device 20.

[0078] The inner portion 34 is applied as a small central mass or circular mass of the adhesive. Substantially half of the total adhesive applied to the device 20 is applied as this central mass of the adhesive. In other examples, the inner portion 34 of the adhesive can be applied as a circular line of the adhesive.

[0079] In FIG. 3A, the outer line 32 of the adhesive is applied in a circular contour corresponding to the outer contour of the device 20. The outer line 32 of the adhesive is a dashed or dotted line. In other examples, the outer line 32 can be a solid line of the adhesive. In the example of FIG. 3A, the outer line 32 of the adhesive is positioned approximately 1 / 3 of the way from the outer contour of the device 20 to the center. That is, the outer line of the adhesive is spaced approximately r / 3 from the outer edge of the patch, where r is the radius of the device 20.

[0080] Device 20 is attached to the surface of tire 30 by applying pressure to the device to spread the inner portion and outer lines of the adhesive in a substantially uniform film over substantially the entire bonding surface. FIG. 3B shows device 20 attached to tire 30. Adhesive thin film 22 can be seen between device 20 and tire 30. The substantially uniform adhesive thin film 22 firmly secures the device to tire 30.

[0081] The present invention has been described purely by way of example. Within the scope of the appended claims, detailed changes can be made to the present invention. Furthermore, features from one example can be combined with alternative examples as long as they are not explicitly excluded.

Claims

1. A method of adhering a device to a tire, comprising: applying an adhesive to a surface of the device, the applying of the adhesive comprising: applying an inner portion of the adhesive to the surface of the device; and applying an outer line of the adhesive to the surface of the device that at least partially surrounds the inner portion of the adhesive; and the method further comprising: attaching the device to the tire, the attaching of the device to the tire comprising: applying pressure to the device to spread the inner portion and the outer line of the adhesive to create a uniform adhesive film between the device and the tire. A method as described above.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inner portion of the adhesive and the outer line of the adhesive are the same adhesive.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) patch or a holder-type device that holds a sensor.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inner portion of the adhesive is an inner line of the adhesive.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the outer line of the adhesive is separated from the inner portion of the adhesive and is different from the inner portion of the adhesive.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inner portion of the adhesive is applied on or along the center line of the device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the outer line of the adhesive defines a shape corresponding to the outer contour of the device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the outer line of the adhesive is an unbroken line that completely surrounds the inner portion of the adhesive.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the distance between the outer edge of the device and the outer line of the adhesive is greater than 1 / 8 and less than 3 / 4 of the distance between the outer edge of the device and the inner portion of the adhesive.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the amount of adhesive applied to form the inner portion of the adhesive is 80% to 120% of the amount of adhesive applied to form the outer line of the adhesive.

11. In the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the total amount of adhesive applied to form the inner part and the outer line of the adhesive is 0.3 g / dm ２ to 0.6 g / dm ２ per square decimeter of surface area.

12. In the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the step of attaching the device to the tire includes first applying pressure to the center of the device and moving the pressure outward toward the outer edge of the device.

13. In the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the step of attaching the device to the tire includes applying a pressure of 80 kPa to 120 kPa.

14. In the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, the step of attaching the device to the tire includes applying the pressure for 1 second to 180 seconds.

15. A method for manufacturing a tire including the method according to claims 1 to 14.

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