Conductive Tread Filament Sensing for Uneven Tire Wear
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing treadwear sensors are difficult to install, cannot withstand harsh tire environments, fail to provide precise and repeatable wear indications, and often only detect wear in one area, missing uneven or irregular wear patterns.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a conductive filament in the tire tread at a predetermined wear depth, connected to an electrically active sensor, which breaks and triggers an alert when the tread wears down, and extending this filament circumferentially to detect uneven wear, integrated with a sensor unit that can transmit data wirelessly to vehicle systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a treadwear sensor is installed in the tire tread, then wear detection capability is improved, but installation difficulty and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sensor from a complex external installation scenario and integrates it directly into the tire tread structure during manufacturing. The sensor is embedded within the tread material itself, eliminating separate installation steps and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining wear detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor is nested within the tire tread structure, with the conductive filament embedded in the tread material and connected to sensor contacts integrated into the tire's existing architecture. This nesting approach allows the sensor to function as part of the tire itself rather than as an add-on component.
2Device complexity
If a single-point wear sensor is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but detection completeness deteriorates due to inability to detect uneven wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wear detection function across multiple locations in the tire tread. Instead of a single sensor point, conductive filaments are distributed at different positions and orientations within the tread, allowing each segment to detect wear in its local area. The collective data from these segments provides comprehensive wear pattern detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds spatial distribution as a new dimension to the sensor configuration. By placing conductive filaments at multiple locations and orientations throughout the tread cross-section, the system transitions from single-point detection to multi-dimensional wear mapping, enabling detection of uneven and irregular wear patterns.
3Measurement precision
If the conductive filament is placed deep in the tread, then wear detection precision is improved, but reliability decreases due to earlier exposure and breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary protective actions by enclosing the conductive filament within the tread material matrix before the tire enters service. The filament is embedded during manufacturing at a depth that allows accurate wear measurement while the surrounding tread material provides protection during normal operation, delaying exposure and breakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The tread material itself serves as a protective cushion around the conductive filament. This cushioning effect absorbs mechanical stresses and protects the delicate filament from premature breakage while still allowing it to detect wear at the appropriate depth threshold.
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
The solution provides a durable, precise, and comprehensive method for detecting tire wear, including uneven and irregular patterns, and automatically alerts for replacement or retreading, enhancing vehicle safety and maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
a conductive filament (139) of the treadwear sensor extends through the uncured tire carcass (129) in a lateral direction
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are various embodiments for sensing irregular wear of a tire tread. A tire is providing having an innerliner adjacent to a belt package, an undertread adjacent to the belt package opposite the innerliner, and a tread adjacent to the undertread opposite the belt package. The tread includes a plurality of tread elements and a conductive filament disposed laterally within the tread. The conductive filament includes a pair of ends extending radially through the undertread and the belt package to the innerliner and terminates into a corresponding pair of sensor contacts. A sensor adjacent to a radially inward side of the innerliner is also included in the tire, the sensor having a pair of electrical contacts in electrical contact with the sensor contacts.