Wireless Sensor Integration in Elastomeric Tires
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Solution Overview
Problem
Elastomeric articles such as vehicle tires face reduced performance and lifespan due to excessive internal and external forces, leading to overheating and heat-related wear, which can negatively impact operational efficiency and productivity, especially in work-related tasks like hauling or cargo transfer.
Innovation Solution
Integration of wireless sensors within the tire to monitor parameters like temperature, pressure, stress, strain, and vibrations, providing real-time data for active management of tire conditions and vehicle operation, using non-silicon based sensors like LCD, conductive polymers, or RFID devices that can be embedded deeply within the tire material without causing occlusions, and powered by energy scavenging techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional tire monitoring methods are used, then tire conditions can be monitored, but real-time data for active management is not available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds multiple sensor types (temperature, pressure, stress, strain, vibration sensors) within the tire structure itself, nesting them deep within the tire material. This allows real-time monitoring of tire conditions without adding external monitoring equipment, thus providing real-time data while managing system complexity through integrated design
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system is designed to monitor multiple tire parameters simultaneously (temperature, pressure, stress, strain, vibrations) using a single integrated system. This multi-functional approach provides comprehensive real-time data for active management without requiring separate monitoring systems for each parameter
2Object-affected harmful factors
If sensors are embedded deeply within tire material, then occlusions are avoided, but sensor integration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Sensors are embedded deep within the tire material layers, nesting them within the tire structure rather than mounting them on the surface. This deep embedding eliminates occlusion effects where sensors would block air flow or interfere with tire material properties, while the integrated nesting approach manages integration complexity by incorporating sensors during tire manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
Different sensor types are strategically positioned at specific locations within the tire structure where they can measure local conditions (temperature, pressure, stress, strain, vibration) without interfering with each other or tire performance. This localized sensor placement optimizes measurement quality while managing integration complexity through purposeful spatial distribution
3Measurement precision
If more sensors are integrated to monitor multiple parameters, then monitoring precision improves, but system complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated sensor system monitors multiple tire parameters (temperature, pressure, stress, strain, vibrations) simultaneously using a unified wireless sensor network. This multi-functional approach improves comprehensive monitoring precision while managing energy consumption through shared communication infrastructure and selective data transmission based on operational needs
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system provides real-time feedback on tire conditions through wireless communication, enabling active management of vehicle operation. The feedback mechanism allows the system to transmit data selectively based on threshold exceedances or operational requirements, improving monitoring precision while optimizing energy consumption by avoiding continuous high-power transmission
Data Source
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AI summary
A sensor system for obtaining data from an elastomeric article includes at least one wireless sensor. The sensor length-scales range from nano- to micro-scale devices that are small enough to avoid becoming occlusions within the article. The article may include sensors embedded within one of the materials of the article, a layer of sensors built into the article, and a string of sensors disposed within a component or embedded within a component of the article. The sensors may be configured to provide data related to one or more of temperature, pressure, sidewall flex, stress, strain and other parameters. The sensors may be LCD sensors, and/or conductive polymer sensors, and/or bio-polymer sensors and/or polymer diodes suitable for sensing data during the operation of the tire. A power circuit using energy generated by the tire may provide power to the sensors.