Device for fixing electronic components to tire casing

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic system (1000) including a member (10) and a holding device (510), said device (510) comprising: - Base (511) and - a retaining wall (512) extending from a base (511) to an edge (513) and defining an open volume (520) for receiving the member (10); Equipped with - said volume (520) has an opening (516) defined by an edge (513); The member (10) includes a housing (12) circumscribing the inside of a cylinder (17) having an axis of rotation (15); The electronic system (1000) is characterized in that the retaining wall (512) includes a protruding element (550) that protrudes along the free edge (513) and extends over a thickness (e) in the direction of the rotation axis (15), and the housing (12) includes a cliff (50), which extends along the rotation axis (15) over a distance (h) that is greater than the thickness (e) of the wall (512).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for securing electronic components to a tire casing to communicate identification information about the tire casing or physical parameters of the tire casing measured by the electronic components during the life of the tire casing. [Background technology]

[0002] The development of electronic objects in tire casings has made tire casings connectable and pre-connected, stimulating the development of new services, for example, to optimize the use of tire casings. However, these electronic components may have thermomechanically fragile components, which means that the electronic components must be inserted after the tire casing is manufactured. Therefore, fastening devices have been inserted as an interface between the electronic components and the tire. These fastening devices are generally elastic so as not to impose large stresses on the tire casing, and are designed to accommodate the large deformations that the tire casing undergoes during use and attenuate the stresses transmitted to the electronic components. One of the most common designs of such devices is a patch having a base used for fastening to the tire casing and a self-closing wall extending from the base to an opening. The wall serves to hold the electronic component in place within the device, and the electronic component is firmly attached within the elastically deformable wall. The opening allows the insertion and removal of the electronic component from the patch due to the elasticity of the material.

[0003] WO 2018 / 150141 A1 discloses a patch of this nature. Specifically, the patch has a clamping system to limit openings, but in all respects resembles a patch for fixing electronic objects to a tire casing. Furthermore, with this type of patch, the mechanical strength of the system, including the patch and electronic components, can be compromised during the use of the tire casing to which the system is fixed. Particularly under high-speed driving conditions, the radius of curvature changes as the sector of the tire casing to which the patch is fixed enters and leaves the contact patch, resulting in increased forces acting on the patch and the electronic components. This can cause the fixing patch to deform to the extent that electronic components mounted inside the patch are at least partially released from their containing cavities, ultimately resulting in the electronic components being ejected from the patch. This ejection of electronic components is generally harmful to the electronic components, but it can also damage the tire casing structure itself, especially at high speeds, as the electronic components are thrown against the tire wall. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2018 / 150141 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The object of the subject invention below is to solve the problem of ejecting electronic components from a fixation patch in an economical and reliable manner that does not affect the operation of the electronic components contained within the fixation patch. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention relates to an electronic system including an electronic component and a holding device for holding the electronic component, the holding device being capable of being fixed to a wall of a tire casing, the holding device comprising: a base that can be fixed to the wall of the tire casing via its outer surface; a closed retaining wall capable of retaining the electronic component, extending from a base to a free edge and defining an open volume together with the base; Equipped with the volume capable of accommodating at least a portion of the electronic component is defined by an inner surface of the base and an inner surface of the retaining wall, and has an opening defined by a free edge of the retaining wall that is deformable for insertion of the electronic component into the volume; the electronic component includes a protective housing having an outer surface circumscribing the inside of a cylinder defined by two parallel planes and having a rotation axis perpendicular to the median plane of the outer surface of the base of the holding device, the retaining wall including a protruding element protruding along its free edge and extending over a thickness in the direction of the rotation axis of the cylinder surrounding the protective housing, the outer surface of the protective housing including a first cliff located radially inside the projection of the free edge of the retaining wall onto the outer surface in the direction of the rotation axis of the cylinder, a portion of the first cliff being tangent to the projection of the free edge onto the outer surface over an angular sector, the first cliff extending angularly over a portion of the projection of the free edge onto the outer surface, the first cliff having a major component in the direction of the rotation axis of the cylinder extending over a distance in the direction of the rotation axis of the cylinder surrounding the protective housing that is greater than the thickness of the protruding element in said direction.

[0007] Such a fixing device can address the above-mentioned technical problem because the end of the radial extension of the retaining wall is provided with a protruding element at its free edge, which provides a certain rigidity at this point of radial extension and therefore tightly controls the deformation of the patch opening so that the electronic component cannot be easily ejected from the fixing device. Therefore, the size of the radial extension also determines the size of the opening defined by the free edge, thereby forcing the electronic component to remain inside the open volume. Furthermore, the presence and size of a cliff on the protective housing of the electronic component limits the deformation of the retaining wall, forcing the electronic component to remain inside the open volume of the fixing device. On the other hand, the electronic component can also be removed in advance using an external tool that enlarges the opening in the retaining wall by applying a specific load uniformly across the entire free edge to reduce the radial extension of the retaining wall. This tool is not present within the tire, and since the specific nature of the external forces acting on the system during impact when the angular sector of the tire to which the electronic system is fixed enters the ground cannot be uniform across the entire free edge of the retaining wall, such forces are not applied to the system during tire use and at high speeds.

[0008] The cross section of the projecting elements is preferably included in the group comprising semicircular, semi-elliptical and quadrilateral.

[0009] These shapes have the advantage that they allow for the provision of a contact-force gradient by providing a non-linear contact force, thereby ensuring better mechanical retention of the electronic component within the retaining device, in particular the retaining walls being less prone to deformation compared to geometric shapes that provide a linear progression, such as a triangle.

[0010] According to one particular embodiment, the protruding elements extend towards the open volume of the holding device.

[0011] While the presence of protruding elements at the free edge increases the amount of load that must be applied to deform the opening of the holding device and allow removal of the electronic component housed within the holding device, positioning the protruding elements toward the open volume of the holding device can improve the mechanical retention of the electronic component within the holding device by increasing the potential mechanical interaction between the holding device and the protective housing of the electronic component. For example, for the same protruding element, the entire surface of the protruding element can contact the outer surface of the protective housing, thereby increasing the contact area between the protruding element and the outer surface of the protective housing. If the protruding elements were positioned toward the outside of the holding device, only a portion of the outer surface of the protruding element could contact the electronic component due to a simple and inexpensive form of cliff, thus reducing the mechanical strength.

[0012] Advantageously, the first cliff wall is tangent to the projection of the free edge of the retaining wall onto the outer surface in the direction of the axis of rotation over at least one third of the total curved length of the projection of the free edge onto the outer surface.

[0013] The first cliff wall is preferably tangent to the projection of the free edge of the retaining wall onto the outer surface over at least half the curved length of the projection of the free edge onto the outer surface in the direction of the rotation axis.

[0014] Very advantageously, the first cliff wall is tangent to the projection of the free edge of the retaining wall onto the outer surface in the direction of the rotation axis over the entire curvilinear length of the projection of the free edge onto the outer surface.

[0015] By requiring that the first cliff wall of the protective housing of the electronic component and the free edge of the retaining wall, including the protruding element, contact at least one-third of the curved length of the free edge, this condition limits movement of the electronic component relative to the retaining device, as contact occurs immediately or with a delay depending on the relative movement imposed on the two objects. For a continuous, 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 result in direct contact between the first cliff wall and the protruding element, this contact occurs over a large sample of the relative movement of the two objects. When this contact occurs, a contact force is generated that opposes this movement and contributes to retaining the electronic component within the cavity of the retaining device. Increasing the angular contact area between the first cliff wall and the protruding element of the free edge of the retaining wall to the point of complete contact increases the magnitude and duration of retention of the electronic component within the open volume of the retaining device.

[0016] In one specific embodiment, the electronic component comprises: a wireless transmitter / receiver coupled to at least one wireless antenna; and a microprocessor located on the printed circuit board, coupled to the radio transmitter / receiver and powered by an energy source; said elements being enclosed in a protective housing.

[0017] The electronic component here includes a radio frequency transponder, i.e., a radio frequency communication component that can pick up commands and send / receive responses to these commands. Here, the radio frequency transponder is active, i.e., it includes an energy source that is mainly used to emit responses via radio frequency communication. This is because radio frequency communication is an energy-consuming function for large-content responses, such as the transmission of measurement data, and the operations and calculations performed in the microprocessor may also require energy. Regarding the calculation function, the microprocessor has a fairly high level of computing power, for example, for processing measurement data sent from measurement sensors connected to the microprocessor. It should be noted that the energy source, which may be, for example, a battery, is not only bulky but also heavy, and may result in considerable centrifugal forces and not inconsiderable impact forces if the electronic component is accidentally ejected from the fixed device.

[0018] According to one particular embodiment, the outer surface of the protective housing comprises a groove located radially outside and tangent to the projection of the free edge of the retaining wall onto the outer surface in the direction of the axis of rotation of the cylinder surrounding the protective housing, this groove defining a second volume capable of accommodating the protruding element.

[0019] When the protruding element extends into the open volume of the holding device, the presence of the groove increases the contact area between the holding device and the electronic component at the protruding element of the holding device, thereby enhancing the mechanical interaction between the two elements. Specifically, the groove can initially contact the protruding element as a result of geographical proximity and then accommodate the protruding element within the second volume, resulting in a stronger interaction between the two initially non-contacting elements and thus improving the overall mechanical integrity. As a result, a greater deformation energy is required to eject the electronic component from the holding device.

[0020] Advantageously, the groove extends angularly over the projection of the free edge onto the outer surface.

[0021] The free edge of the retaining device extends over 360 degrees to form an opening, and the protruding element is located on the free edge of the retaining wall. Therefore, the groove preferably extends over the entire projection of the free edge onto the outer surface of the protective housing to enhance the effectiveness of the interaction between the two parts.

[0022] The groove preferably extends in the direction of the axis of rotation of the cylinder surrounding the protective housing over a distance greater than one third of the thickness of the protruding element in said direction, preferably over a distance greater than half the thickness of the protruding element.

[0023] It is highly preferred that the groove extends in the direction of the axis of rotation of the cylinder surrounding the protective housing over a distance equal to the thickness of the projecting element in said direction.

[0024] The mechanical interlocking between the protruding elements within the groove is controlled by the depth of the groove. The greater the depth, the greater the force that mechanically locks the retaining wall into the groove of the electronic component. The mechanical strength of this locking has a threshold that is governed by the thickness of the protruding elements in the direction of the axis of rotation of the cylinder surrounding the protective housing. Ensuring that the depth of the groove is at least one-third the thickness of the protruding elements ensures that the additional deformation energy required to eject the electronic component is sufficient to enhance the mechanical integrity of the electronic system.

[0025] The invention also relates to an arrangement of an electronic system and a tire casing that can rotate about an axis of rotation, said tire casing comprising a crown (S) and two sidewall portions (F) that extend from the crown (S) and terminate in two bead portions (B) that can be connected to a wheel, and wherein the electronic system is fixed to one of the surfaces of the tire casing, preferably to the radially inner surface of the tire casing, by the outer surface of the base of a retention device.

[0026] Advantageously, the electronic system is secured to the radially inner surface of the tire casing along the crown (S) of the tire casing.

[0027] This arrangement is the final destination of the electronic system that forms the first subject of the present invention. Because the electronic system includes electronic components, they cannot be attached to the tire casing at the green tire stage because they would not be able to withstand the thermal and mechanical stresses associated with the tire casing's manufacturing process. It is usually preferable to attach the electronic system after the tire is manufactured. Consequently, the electronic system is located on one of the tire casing's surfaces, which would normally be the outer surface. The electronic system is preferably located on the tire casing's radially inner surface, along the tire casing's natural axis of rotation. Therefore, under operating conditions on the tire casing, the electronic components are protected by the tire casing's rubber structure, thereby improving their mechanical durability. The arrangement of the electronic components along the crown allows for easy access to the measurement characteristics measured by the electronic components' sensors associated with the tread, thereby providing feedback on tire operating characteristics such as the static load experienced, running speed, etc.

[0028] In a state in which the tire casing can rotate about its axis of rotation in a main direction corresponding to the direction of movement of a forward-moving vehicle equipped with said arrangement relative to the ground, it is preferred that, when the electronic system is located entirely within the angular sector of the tire casing in contact with the ground, the center of mass of the point of the first cliff wall of the protective housing for the electronic components, which is tangent to the projection of the free edge of the retaining wall onto the outer surface, is located behind the axis of rotation of the cylinder surrounding the protective housing for the electronic components in the direction of movement of the vehicle.

[0029] When the tire is used for forward travel and the travel speed is very high, the portion of the first cliff of the protective housing, which is tangent to the free edge of the retaining wall and where the protruding element is located, is positioned relative to the rotation axis of the cylinder surrounding the protective housing, so that contact between the protruding element and the first cliff occurs immediately upon entry into the ground. As a result, the reaction force caused by this contact resists ejection of the electronic components from the retaining device. However, this is particularly true when the contact between the first cliff and the free edge where the protruding element is located does not cover the entire curved length of the free edge. Therefore, the orientation of the electronic system within the tire casing, when it is arranged along the crown (S) of the tire casing, is a factor that affects the non-ejection of the electronic components, especially at very high speeds. High and very high speed vehicle travel occurs when the vehicle is moving forward in forward gear.

[0030] The expression "behind" here means that the two points are spaced apart in said direction by a distance d, which may be zero.

[0031] It is highly preferred that the median plane of the portion of the first cliff wall tangent to the projection of the free edge of the retaining wall onto the outer surface, which defines an angular sector of the portion of the first cliff wall into two equal angular sectors in a cylindrical reference frame related to the cylinder surrounding the protective housing of the electronic component, has a normal having a principal component along the axis of rotation of the tire casing, and the normal is preferably collinear with the axis of rotation of the tire casing.

[0032] In order to ensure that the technical solution envisaged for holding the electronic components in the fixing device is effective in all types of use conditions on the vehicle, in particular when the tire casing is mounted on a steered axle of the vehicle, the part of the first cliff tangent to the free edge on which the protruding element is located is preferably angularly centered so that contact is equally good when driving straight, cornering to the right or cornering to the left.

[0033] The invention will be better understood on reading the following description, given by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals indicate the same parts throughout. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an electronic component that can be fixed to a tire via a retaining device according to the prior art; [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view in a radial plane of an electronic system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 10 is a view of the electronic system from above, i.e., from the same side as the opening of the cavity of the holding device, according to the same embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view in a radial plane of an electronic system according to a second embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 10 is a cross-sectional view in a radial plane of an electronic system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective cross-sectional view of a tire casing equipped with an electronic system according to the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic component 10 that can be secured to a tire casing using a retention device according to the prior art.

[0036] An electronic component 10, shown here in gray, is defined by a protective housing 12 that encloses all of the electronic components of the electronic component 10. The protective housing 12 has an outer surface 30 that circumscribes a cylinder 17 having an axis of rotation 15 that is perpendicular to the printed circuitry of the electronic component 10. The cylinder 17 having the axis of rotation 15 is truncated at its top by two parallel flat surfaces 16 and 16' that rest on the axial outer surfaces 14 and 14' of the protective housing 12, respectively.

[0037] The protective housing 12 has a shape that combines a cone and a parallelepiped. The cone shape facilitates insertion into and removal from the holding device. The cone has a parallelepiped on one of its outer axial faces that houses the radio antenna. The radio antenna is enclosed in the protective housing 12. The protective housing 12 can be a monolithic part or a part assembled from multiple components that are subsequently welded together.

[0038] The component or monolithic part is obtained using a molding process from a plastic material, for example a thermosetting resin, and cold curing of the plastic completes the manufacture of the outer surface 30 of the protective housing 12.

[0039] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in a radial plane of an electronic system 1000 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] The electronic system 1000 consists of an electronic component 10 and a holding device 510 intended to be fixed to the wall of the tire casing.

[0041] The holding device 510 comprises a base 511 that can be fixed via its outer surface to the wall of the tire casing, and a closed holding wall 512 for holding the electronic component 10. The holding wall 512 extends from the base 511 to a free edge 513 and thus defines, together with the base 511, a volume 520. Here, a protruding element 550 is arranged at the free edge 513. This element 550 has the form of an annulus with a rectangular cross section centered on the rotation axis 15. The height of this protruding element 550 is indicated by "e". This volume 520 is open, so that the electronic component 10 can be inserted into and removed from the volume 520. The volume 520 is defined by an inner surface 515 of the holding wall 512 and an inner surface 514 of the base 511. An opening 516 in the volume 520 is defined by the free edge 513 of the holding wall 512. This opening 516 can be deformed to allow the electronic component 10 to be inserted into and removed from the volume 520.

[0042] 1, electronic component 10 includes a protective housing 12 that encloses all electronic components. This protective housing 12 defines an outer surface 30 that is circumscribed inside a cylinder having an axis of rotation 15 perpendicular to the median plane of the outer surface of base 511. This circumscribing cylinder is truncated by two parallel planes: a first plane belonging to inner surface 514 of base 511, and a second plane located axially outside opening 516 in retaining device 510.

[0043] The retaining wall 512 extends axially from the base 511 to a free edge 513 on which the protruding element 550 rests. The portion of the retaining wall 512 including the free edge 513 has an extension that extends primarily radially rather than axially to form a retaining lip for retaining the electronic component 10. One of the ends of the lip is the free edge 513 with the protruding element 550. The other end 530 is a closed line, the point of which has a tangent that has a radial component primarily relative to the rotation axis 15. The radial extension of the lip thus formed extends from the closed line 530 to the free edge 513 and contributes to retaining the electronic component 10 within the retaining device during high-speed travel when the system 100 is secured to the wall of a tire casing. Specifically, the protruding element 550 extending across the entire free edge 513 of the retaining wall means that more energy is required to deform this lip, which contributes to retaining the electronic component 10 within the retaining device 510. On the other hand, the lips open by applying a sustained, targeted force, allowing the removal and insertion of the electronic component 10 into the retaining device 510. Notably, this force must be uniform over the entire free edge 513, and such a force does not naturally occur as the angular sector of the tire casing carrying the electronic system moves in and out of the ground during travel.

[0044] Specifically, the protective housing 12 here has a cliff 50 extending outside the volume 520 of the holding device 510. This cliff 50 has a main component extending in the direction of the rotation 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 regarding the distance of the axial extension of this cliff 50 ensures, on the one hand, the positioning of the electronic component 10 relative to the opening 516 of the holding device 510, thereby ensuring a better retention of the electronic component 10 in the holding device 510. On the other hand, this cliff 50 must be located partially in the immediate vicinity of the free edge 513 with the protruding element 550 of the lip defined by the holding wall 512. As a result, it must be ensured that the projection 517 of the free edge 513 in the axial direction 15 onto the outer surface 30 of the protective housing 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 further constrained with respect to movement at least in a direction perpendicular to the tangent in the axial plane. Finally, to increase the potential immobilization directions, contact between the cliff 50 and the projection 517 of the free edge 513 onto the outer surface 30 should occur over an angular sector centered on the axis of rotation 15. Here, contact is ensured over 180 degrees, thereby constraining the relative movement of the electronic component 10 within the holding device 510 over half of the possible movement. In application to tires of steered axles, a 120-degree sector is desirable to prevent cornering situations where the positioning of the electronic system 1000 within the tire is potentially optimized.

[0045] The presence of the cliff 50 on the outer surface 30 of the electronic component 10, combined with the sizing of the lip defined by the retaining wall 512 having a free edge 513 with a protruding element 550, ensures that the electronic component 10 is not accidentally ejected from the retaining device 510 during normal use at high speeds when the electronic system 1000 is mounted on a vehicle tire.

[0046] Figure 3 is a top view of the electronic system 1000 of Figure 2, i.e., viewed axially from the same side of the electronic system 1000 as the opening of the volume of the retaining device 510 on the outside of the electronic system 1000.

[0047] Starting from the radial periphery of the electronic system 1000, the first visible feature is the axially outer edge of the base 511, which here is circular but could also be elliptical or quadrilateral. Next, a first circle 529 is visible, characterized by a change in curvature corresponding to the separation between the base 511 and the retaining wall 512. Material points on this circle 529 have vectors tangent to the base 511 whose principal component, starting from the base 511, is axial instead of radial. Next, a circle 530 is visible, corresponding to a closed line on the retaining wall 512, representing one end of the annular lip of the retaining wall 512. This lip terminates in a second circle 513, representing the free edge of the retaining wall 512. Between the circles 530 and 513, there is a first circle 17, shown in dotted lines, corresponding to the radially outer surface of the circle surrounding the outer surface of the protective housing 12 of the electronic component 10. Moving towards the electronic component 10, there is a second circle 551 shown in solid lines. This second circle 551 and the circle 513 define a protruding element 550 located axially above the lip.

[0048] Through the opening defined by circle 513, two semicircles 51 and 52 are visible, here corresponding to the axial ends of cliff 50 of protective housing 12 of electronic component 10. Thus, cliff 50 is primarily, but not exclusively, axial. Circle 51 is tangent to circle 513 throughout its entire semicircle, thus sweeping out a 180-degree angular sector about the axis of rotation of circumscribing cylinder 17 on the outer surface of protective housing 12. Here, the angular sector is divided into two 90-degree angular sectors, each by median plane 55, whose normal is collinear with vector V. As an aid to understanding, this top view is defined in axial planes U and V, whose normal corresponds to the axis of rotation of circumscribing cylinder 17. When electronic system 1000 is fixed to the wall of a tire casing, local vector U of the electronic system in FIG. 3 preferably corresponds to a circumferential direction vector of the cylindrical reference frame associated with the tire, about its natural axis of rotation. Therefore, when mounted on a vehicle, when the vehicle is in forward gear for forward movement and the tires are running along the road, the portion of the cliff 50 tangent to the free edge 513 of the retaining wall is located behind the rotation axis of the electronic system 1000. As a result, the electronic component 10 is reliably held in the retaining device 510 more effectively.

[0049] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view in a radial plane of an electronic system 1000 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] This second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the position of the protruding elements 550 of the holding device 510 .

[0051] The holding device 510 comprises a base 511 that can be fixed via its outer surface to the wall of the tire casing and a closed holding wall 512 for holding the electronic component 10. The holding wall 512 extends from the base 511 to a free edge 513 and thus defines, together with the base 511, a volume 520. Here, a protruding element 550 is arranged on the free edge 513, directed towards the volume 520 of the holding device 510. This element 550 has the form of an annulus with a semicircular cross section centered on the rotation axis 15. The height of this protruding element 550 is indicated by "e". This volume 520 is open, so that the electronic component 10 can be inserted into and removed from the volume 520. The volume 520 is defined by an inner surface 515 of the holding wall 512 and an inner surface 514 of the base 511. An opening 516 in the volume 520 is defined by the free edge 513 of the holding wall 512. The opening 516 is deformable to allow insertion and removal of the electronic component 10 from the volume 520 .

[0052] 1, electronic component 10 includes a protective housing 12 that encloses all electronic components. This protective housing 12 defines an outer surface 30 that is circumscribed inside a cylinder having an axis of rotation 15 perpendicular to the median plane of the outer surface of base 511. This circumscribing cylinder is truncated by two parallel planes: a first plane belonging to inner surface 514 of base 511, and a second plane located axially outside opening 516 in retaining device 510.

[0053] The retaining wall 512 extends axially from the base 511 to a free edge 513 that is provided with a protruding element 550 of semicircular cross section. The portion of the retaining wall 512 that includes the free edge 513 has an extension that extends primarily radially rather than axially to form a retaining lip for retaining the electronic component 10. One of the ends of the lip is the free edge 513 that is provided with the protruding element 550. The other end 530 is a closed line whose points are tangent to the retaining wall 512 and have a tangent vector that originates from the base 511 and has a radially-oriented main component relative to the axis of rotation 15. The radial extension of the lip thus formed extends from the closed line 530 to the free edge 513 and contributes to retaining the electronic component 10 in the retaining device during high-speed travel when the system 100 is fixed to the wall of a tire casing. Specifically, the protruding element 550 extending over the entire free edge 513 of the retaining wall 512 means that more energy is required to deform this lip, which contributes to retaining the electronic component 10 within the retaining device 510. On the other hand, the application of a sustained, targeted force opens the lip, allowing removal and insertion of the electronic component 10 into and out of the retaining device 510. Notably, this force needs to be uniform over the entire free edge 513, a force that does not naturally occur as the angular sector of the tire casing carrying the electronic system moves in and out of the contact patch where the tire contacts the ground during travel.

[0054] Specifically, the protective housing 12 here has a cliff 50 extending outside the volume 520 of the holding device 510. This cliff 50 has a main component extending in the direction of the rotation 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 regarding the distance of the axial extension of this cliff 50 ensures, on the one hand, the positioning of the electronic component 10 relative to the opening 516 of the holding device 510, thereby ensuring a better retention of the electronic component 10 in the holding device 510. On the other hand, this cliff 50 must be located partially in the immediate vicinity of the free edge 513 with the protruding element 550 of the lip defined by the holding wall 512. As a result, it must be ensured that the projection 517 of the free edge 513 in the axial direction 15 onto the outer surface 30 of the protective housing 12 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 further restricted with respect to movement at least in a direction perpendicular to the tangent in the axial plane. Finally, to increase the number of possible fixation directions, contact between the cliff wall 50 and the projection 517 of the free edge 513 onto the outer surface 30 should occur over an angular sector centered on the rotation axis 15. Here, ensuring contact over 180 degrees constrains the relative movement of the electronic component 10 within the holding device 510 over half of the possible movement. Ensuring contact over the entire free edge 513 prevents all possible movement. However, this has the disadvantage that more energy is required to deform the holding wall 512 during the insertion / removal phase of the electronic component 10 relative to the holding device 510. In the case of application to tires of steered axles, a 120-degree sector is desirable to prevent cornering situations where the positioning of the electronic system 1000 within the tire is potentially optimized.

[0055] The presence of the cliff 50 on the outer surface 30 of the electronic component 10, combined with the sizing of the lip defined by the retaining wall 512 having a free edge 513 with a protruding element 550, ensures that the electronic component 10 is not accidentally ejected from the retaining device 510 during normal use at high speeds when the electronic system 1000 is mounted on a vehicle tire.

[0056] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view in a radial plane of an electronic system 1000 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] This third embodiment differs from the second embodiment through the presence of a groove 51 on the outer surface 30 of the protective housing 12 of the electronic component 10 .

[0058] The holding device 510 comprises a base 511 that can be fixed via its outer surface to the wall of the tire casing and a closed holding wall 512 for holding the electronic component 10. The holding wall 512 extends from the base 511 to a free edge 513 and thus defines a volume 520 together with the base 511. Here, a protruding element 550 is arranged on the free edge 513, facing the open volume 520 of the holding device 510. This element 550 has the form of an annulus with a semicircular cross section centered on the rotation axis 15. The height of this protruding element 550 is indicated by "e". This volume 520 is open, so that the electronic component 10 can be inserted into it. The volume 520 is defined by an inner surface 515 of the holding wall 512 and an inner surface 514 of the base 511. An opening 516 of the volume 520 is defined by the free edge 513 of the holding wall 512. The opening 516 is deformable to allow insertion and removal of the electronic component 10 from the volume 520 .

[0059] 1, electronic component 10 includes a protective housing 12 that encloses all electronic components. This protective housing 12 defines an outer surface 30 that is circumscribed inside a cylinder having an axis of rotation 15 perpendicular to the median plane of the outer surface of base 511. This circumscribing cylinder is truncated by two parallel planes: a first plane belonging to inner surface 514 of base 511, and a second plane located axially outside opening 516 in retaining device 510.

[0060] The retaining wall 512 extends axially from the base 511 to a free edge 513 that is provided with a protruding element 550 of semicircular cross section. The portion of the retaining wall 512 that includes the free edge 513 has an extension that extends primarily radially rather than axially to form a retaining lip for retaining the electronic component 10. One of the ends of the lip is the free edge 513 that is provided with the protruding element 550. The other end 530 is a closed line whose points are tangent to the retaining wall 512 and have a tangent vector that originates from the base 511 and has a radially-oriented main component relative to the axis of rotation 15. The radial extension of the lip thus formed extends from the closed line 530 to the free edge 513 and contributes to retaining the electronic component 10 in the retaining device during high-speed travel when the system 100 is fixed to the wall of a tire casing. Specifically, the protruding element 550 extending over the entire free edge 513 of the retaining wall 512 means that more energy is required to deform this lip, which contributes to retaining the electronic component 10 within the retaining device 510. On the other hand, the application of a sustained, targeted force opens the lip, allowing removal and insertion of the electronic component 10 into and out of the retaining device 510. Notably, this force needs to be uniform over the entire free edge 513, a force that does not naturally occur as the angular sector of the tire casing carrying the electronic system moves in and out of the contact patch where the tire contacts the ground during travel.

[0061] Specifically, the protective housing 12 here has a cliff 50 extending outside the volume 520 of the holding device 510. This cliff 50 has a main component extending 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 regarding the distance of the axial extension of this cliff 50 ensures, on the one hand, the positioning of the electronic component 10 relative to the opening 516 of the holding device 510, thereby ensuring a better retention of the electronic component 10 in the holding device 510. On the other hand, this cliff 50 must be located partially in the immediate vicinity of the free edge 513 with the protruding element 550 of the lip defined by the holding wall 512. As a result, it must be ensured that the projection 517 of the free edge 513 in the axial direction 15 onto the outer surface 30 of the protective housing 12 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 further restricted with respect to movement at least in a direction perpendicular to the tangent in the axial plane. Finally, to increase the number of possible fixation directions, contact between the cliff wall 50 and the projection 517 of the free edge 513 onto the outer surface 30 should occur over an angular sector centered on the rotation axis 15. Here, ensuring contact over 180 degrees constrains the relative movement of the electronic component 10 within the holding device 510 over half of the possible movement. Ensuring contact over the entire free edge 513 prevents all possible movement. However, this has the disadvantage that more energy is required to deform the holding wall 512 during the insertion / removal phase of the electronic component 10 relative to the holding device 510. In the case of application to tires of steered axles, a 120-degree sector is desirable to prevent cornering situations where the positioning of the electronic system 1000 within the tire is potentially optimized.

[0062] The outer surface 30 of the protective housing 12 has a groove 51 located at the level of the protruding element 550. This groove 51 defines an annular recess of semicircular cross section about the axis of rotation 15 and extends radially over a distance greater than the radial extent of the protruding element 550. The groove 51 also extends axially over a distance "e'" that is slightly greater than one-third the thickness "e" of the protruding element 550.

[0063] The presence of the cliff 50 on the outer surface 30 of the electronic component 10, combined with the sizing of the lip defined by the retaining wall 512 having a free edge 513 with a protruding element 550, and the sizing of the groove 51 aligned with the protruding element 550, ensures that the electronic component 10 is not accidentally ejected from the retaining device 510 during normal use at high speeds when the electronic system 1000 is mounted on a vehicle tire.

[0064] 6 shows a cross section of a pneumatic tire 100, also a tire casing, according to the present invention, including a crown S extending by two sidewall portions F and terminating in two bead portions B. In this case, the tire 100 is intended to be mounted on a wheel (not shown) at the two bead portions B. Thus, the second radially inner surface 130 of the pneumatic tire 100 and the outer surface of the wheel together define an enclosed cavity containing at least one pressurized fluid. The pneumatic tire 100 also includes a first radially outer surface 140 of the pneumatic tire 100.

[0065] An axis corresponding to the reference axis or natural rotation axis of the pneumatic tire 100, and a median plane 211 perpendicular to the reference axis 201 and equidistant from the two bead portions B, are designated as the reference axis 201. The intersection of the reference axis 201 and the median plane 211 determines the center of the pneumatic tire 100. A Cartesian frame of reference is defined at the center of the pneumatic tire 100, and is composed of the reference axis 201, a longitudinal axis 203 perpendicular to the ground, and a longitudinal axis 202 perpendicular to the other two axes. Furthermore, a plane passing through the reference axis 201 and the longitudinal axis 202, parallel to the ground plane, and perpendicular to the median plane 211 is designated as the axial plane 212. Finally, a plane passing through the longitudinal axis 203 and perpendicular to both the median plane 211 and the axial plane 212 is designated as the longitudinal plane 213.

[0066] Any material point on the pneumatic tire 100 is uniquely defined by its cylindrical coordinates (Y, R, θ). The scalar Y represents the axial distance to the center of the pneumatic tire 100 in the direction of the reference axis 201 and is defined by the orthogonal projection of the material point on the tire 100 onto the reference axis 201. A plane that is centered on the reference axis 201 and makes an angle θ with respect to a vertical plane 213 is defined as a radial plane 214. A material point on the pneumatic tire 100 is referenced in this radial plane 214 by its distance R to the center of the pneumatic tire 100 in a direction perpendicular to the reference axis 201, as identified by the orthogonal projection of the material point on the radial axis 204. The unit vector perpendicular to the radial plane 214, which forms a rectangular trihedron with the axial 201 and radial 204 unit vectors, represents the circumferential direction of the tire casing 100. Note that FIG. 6 includes an arrow 300 carried by the longitudinal axis 202 that indicates the direction of movement of the pneumatic tire 100 when the pneumatic tire 100 is mounted on a vehicle and the vehicle is moving forward.

[0067] The pneumatic tire 100 has a retaining device 510 on its radially inner surface 130, which, when made of an elastomeric material, is secured to the surface 130 by adhesive bonding in accordance with conventional prior art techniques. The retaining device 510 is secured along the crown S of the tire casing 100, and such a placement of the retaining device 510 increases durability by minimizing problems during the mounting and dismounting of the tire casing 100 onto a wheel. Specifically, the retaining device 510 is located in an area away from the bead B of the tire casing 100. In this case, the retaining device 510 includes the electronic component 10 within an open volume that forms a housing designed to receive the electronic component 10. As a result, in this case, the tire casing 100 is prepared for mounting on a wheel to form a wheel-tire assembly. The electronic component 10 can provide various functions, such as identifying itself and specific components, such as the tire. However, the electronic component can also include a pressure sensor and / or a temperature sensor to assess the air pressure of the wheel-tire assembly. Finally, the tire may also be equipped with sensors such as accelerometers or flexometers that can directly measure the curvature of the tire casing and derive typical tire variables such as angular velocity, distance traveled, static load experienced, etc. All these variables allow the identification of performance qualities of the tire casing, such as wear, grip, or specific variables of the surface on which the tire casing is running.

[0068] 6, the electronic components of the electronic component 10 are enclosed in a protective housing. This protective housing has a cliff wall extending above the holding device 510. Here, the entire cliff wall is tangent to the free edge of the holding wall of the holding device 510. The free edge with the protruding elements defines an opening in the holding device 510 that allows the insertion or removal of the electronic component 10 into or from the storage volume of the holding device 510. In this particular case, the center of gravity of the point of tangent between the cliff wall of the electronic component 10 and the free edge with the protruding elements of the holding device 510 is located on the axis of rotation of the electronic component 10, which corresponds to the particular case where the part of the cliff wall tangent to the free edge is located behind the axis of rotation of the electronic component. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10 Electronic Materials 12 Protective housing 15 Rotation axis 30 Outer surface of protective housing 50 Cliff 510 Holding device 511 Base 512 Retaining Wall 513 Free edge of retaining wall 514 Inner surface of base 515 Inner surface of retaining wall 516 Volume Opening 517 Free Edge Projection 520 volume 530 Closed Line 550 Protruding elements 1000 Electronic Systems e Height of the protruding element h Axial extension of cliff

Claims

1. An electronic system (1000) comprising an electronic component (10) and a holding device (510) for holding the electronic component (10), the holding device (510) being capable of being fixed to a wall of a tire casing, the holding device (510) comprising: a base (511) that can be fixed to the wall of said tire casing through its outer surface; a closed retaining wall (512) capable of retaining said electronic component (10), extending from said base (511) to a free edge (513) and defining, together with said base (511), an open volume (520); Equipped with the volume (520) capable of accommodating at least a portion of the electronic component (10) is defined by an inner surface (514) of the base (511) and an inner surface (515) of the retaining wall (512), and has an opening (516) defined by the free edge (513) of the retaining wall (512) that can be deformed for the insertion of the electronic component (10) into the volume (520); The electronic component (10) includes a protective housing (12) having an axis of rotation (15) perpendicular to the median plane of the outer surface of the base of the holding device and defining an outer surface (30) circumscribing the inside of a cylinder (17) defined by two parallel planes (16, 16'); The retaining wall (512) includes a protruding element (550) that protrudes along the free edge (513) and extends over a thickness (e) in the direction of the rotation axis (15) of the cylinder (17) surrounding the protective housing (12), and the outer surface (30) of the protective housing (12) includes a first cliff (50) that is located radially inside a projection (517) of the free edge (513) of the retaining wall (512) onto the outer surface (30) in the direction of the rotation axis (15) of the cylinder (17), and the first cliff (50) a part of which is tangent to the projection (517) of the free edge (513) onto the outer surface (30) over an angular sector, the first cliff (50) extending angularly over a part of the projection of the free edge onto the outer surface (30), the first cliff (50) having a major component in the direction of the rotation axis (15) of the cylinder (17) extending over a distance (h) in the direction of the rotation axis (15) of the cylinder (17) surrounding the protective housing (12) being greater than the thickness (e) of the protruding element (550) in said direction, An electronic system (1000).

2. The cross section of said protruding element (550) is included in the group including semicircular, semi-elliptical, and quadrilateral. The electronic system (1000) of claim 1.

3. the protruding element (550) extends towards the open volume (520) of the holding device (510); 3. An electronic system (1000) according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the first cliff (50) is angularly tangent to the projection (517) of the free edge (513) of the retaining wall (512) onto the outer surface (30) in the direction of the rotation axis (15) over at least one third of the entire curved length of the projection (517) of the free edge (513) onto the outer surface (30), preferably over at least half of the curved length of the projection (517) of the free edge (513) onto the outer surface (30); An electronic system (1000) according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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

6. The electronic component (10) is a wireless transmitter / receiver coupled to at least one wireless antenna; and a microprocessor located on a printed circuit, coupled to said radio transmitter / receiver and powered by an energy source; It includes the element, The elements are enclosed in the protective housing (12). An electronic system (1000) according to one of claims 1 to 5.

7. the outer surface (30) of the protective housing (12) comprises a groove (51) located radially outside and tangent to the projection of the free edge (513) of the retaining wall (512) onto the outer surface (30) in the direction of the rotation axis (15) of the cylinder (17) surrounding the protective housing (12), the groove (51) defining a second volume (52) capable of accommodating the protruding element (550); An electronic system (1000) according to one of claims 3 to 6.

8. the groove (51) extends angularly over the projection of the free edge onto the outer surface (30); The electronic system (1000) of claim 7.

9. the groove (51) extends in the direction of the axis of rotation (15) of the cylinder (17) surrounding the protective housing (12) over a distance greater than one-third of the thickness of the protruding element (550) in said direction, preferably over a distance greater than half the thickness of the protruding element (550); 9. An electronic system (1000) according to claim 7 or 8.

10. the groove (51) extends in the direction of the axis of rotation (15) of the cylinder (17) surrounding the protective housing (12) over a distance equal to the thickness of the protruding element (550) in said direction; The electronic system (1000) of claim 9.

11. 11. An arrangement of an electronic system (1000) according to one of claims 1 to 10 and a tire casing (100) rotatable about a rotation axis (201), the tire casing (100) comprising a crown (S) and two sidewall portions (F) extending from the crown (S) and terminating in two bead portions (B) connectable to a wheel, the electronic system (1000) being fixed by the outer surface of the base (511) of the holding device (510) to one of the surfaces (130, 140) of the tire casing (100), preferably to the radially inner surface (130) of the tire casing (100). An arrangement characterized by:

12. The electronic system (1000) is fixed to the radially inner surface (130) of the tire casing (100) along the crown (S) of the tire casing (100).

12. The arrangement according to claim 11.

13. In a state where the tire casing (100) can rotate about a rotation axis (201) in a main direction corresponding to the direction of movement (300) of a forward moving vehicle with said arrangement relative to the ground, when the electronic system (1000) is located entirely within an angular sector of the tire casing (100) in contact with the ground, the center of mass of a point of the first cliff wall (50) of the protective housing (12) of the electronic component (10), which is tangent to the projection (517) of the free edge (513) of the retaining wall (512) onto the outer surface (30), is located behind the rotation axis (15) of the cylinder (17) surrounding the protective housing (12) of the electronic component (10) in the direction of movement (300) of the vehicle.

13. The arrangement according to claim 12.

14. a median plane of the portion of the first cliff wall (50) that is tangent to the projection of the free edge (513) of the retaining wall (512) onto the outer surface (30) and that defines an angular sector of the portion of the first cliff wall (50) into two equal angular sectors in a cylindrical reference frame related to the cylinder (17) that surrounds the protective housing (12) of the electronic component (10), has a normal having a principal component along the rotation axis (201) of the tire casing (100), the normal preferably being collinear with the rotation axis (201) of the tire casing (100); 14. The arrangement according to claim 13.

Images