Conductive Knitted Tire Inner Layer for Durable Power Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for installing conductors as antennas and heating elements on the inner surface of pneumatic tires face challenges in method efficiency and wiring integration, particularly regarding conductor installation and power feeding methods.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic tire design incorporating an electrically conductive knitted fabric with yarns of both electrical and non-electrical conductivity, strategically embedded in the tire's inner surface rubber layer, allowing for stretchability and efficient power transmission through a network of conductive members aligned with the tire's stretch direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conductor is adhered to the tire inner surface for antenna or heating purposes, then electrical functionality is achieved, but the wiring installation method is complex and durability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the conductor and the tire inner surface into a single integrated structure by embedding the conductive yarn within the rubber layer during tire manufacturing. This merging eliminates the need for separate adhesion processes, reduces installation complexity, and ensures the conductor becomes an inherent part of the tire structure, thereby improving durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductor (conductive yarn) is pre-positioned and embedded within the tire inner surface rubber layer before the tire is put into service. This preliminary integration during the manufacturing stage simplifies subsequent installation of electrical components and ensures the conductor is securely fixed from the outset, enhancing both ease of operation and reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If wiring is installed on the tire inner surface, then electrical components can be powered, but the tire structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The tire inner surface is designed with multi-functionality by integrating both the structural rubber layer and the electrical conduction function into a single component. The rubber layer serves both as the tire's structural element and as the wiring substrate, eliminating the need for separate wiring channels or adhesive layers, thus reducing overall structural complexity while enabling electrical component integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the wiring structure with the tire's inner surface rubber layer, creating a unified component that performs both mechanical and electrical functions. This combination reduces the number of separate parts and simplifies the overall tire structure while maintaining the ability to power electrical components.
3Reliability
If a knitted fabric with stretchability is used for the conductive member, then conductor fatigue is reduced, but manufacturing precision becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the conductive member by using a knitted fabric structure instead of a rigid conductor. This knitted structure provides stretchability and flexibility, allowing the conductor to deform with the tire without fatigue. The parameter change from rigid to flexible structure resolves the contradiction by prioritizing fatigue resistance while the manufacturing process is designed to accommodate this flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive member is designed as a flexible knitted fabric that can stretch and deform with the tire structure. This flexible structure prevents conductor fatigue by accommodating tire movements and deformations, while the knitting process itself provides sufficient manufacturing precision for proper placement and integration into the tire inner surface.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables effective installation and integration of wiring and electrical components on the tire's inner surface, enhancing durability and power transmission efficiency while maintaining tire uniformity and reducing the risk of conductor fatigue.
Implementation Method 1
an electrically conductive member, at least a part of the electrically conductive member being disposed on an inner cavity side of the tire inner surface rubber layer, and the electrically conductive member includes a knitted fabric including a yarn, at least a part of the yarn having electrical conductivity
Implementation Method 2
the knitted fabric having stretchability
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic tire includes: a tire inner surface rubber layer constituting a tire inner surface; and an electrically conductive member, at least a part of the electrically conductive member being disposed on an inner cavity side of the tire inner surface rubber layer. The electrically conductive member includes a knitted fabric including a yarn, at least a part of the yarn having electrical conductivity, the knitted fabric having stretchability. The electrically conductive member is electrically connected to an electrical device provided in the tire. The electrically conductive member is disposed extending along the tire inner surface in a tire radial direction, and a direction in which the electrically conductive member extends aligns with a direction in which the knitted fabric has stretchability. The knitted fabric is configured by mixing a yarn having electrical conductivity and a yarn having non-electrical conductivity.