An electrostatic energy generator may include one or more first tire cord fabrics each including a conductive material which is a wire-shaped electrode and a non-conductive material, the non-conductive material configured to surround an outer peripheral surface of the conductive material, and one or more second tire cord fabrics each including a conductive material which is a wire-shaped electrode, and a material configured to surround an outer peripheral surface of the conductive material that is different from the non-conductive material of the first tire cord fabric, wherein the first tire cord fabric and the second tire cord fabric are arranged in a longitudinal direction so as to be in contact with each other and form a bundle, such that frictional electricity is generated due to a friction between the first tire cord fabric and the second tire cord fabric.

A vehicle control device including a tire-side device and a vehicle-side device is provided. The tire-side device includes a vibration detection unit that outputs a detection signal corresponding to a magnitude of vibration of a tire, a signal processing unit that generates data representing a friction coefficient between the tire and a road surface by processing the detection signal, and a transmitter that transmits the data. The vehicle-side device includes a receiver that receives the data and a travel control unit that estimates the friction coefficient based on the data, acquires a braking distance of the vehicle based on the friction coefficient, and controls acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle based on the braking distance.

A system and method for detecting the presence or measuring the quantity of liquid within a tire assembly is disclosed. The system includes an energy source, an energy detector, a controller, and a determination indicator. The energy source is configured to direct energy towards the liquid, with the energy interacting with the liquid. The energy detector is configured to detect at least a portion of the energy after having interacted with the liquid and to generate signals indicative of the detected energy. The controller is configured to receive user input and to control at least one of the energy source and the energy detector in response to the user input. The controller is further configured to receive the signals generated by the energy detector, to respond to the signals by generating a determination regarding the liquid within the tire assembly, and to generate a signal indicative of the determination. The determination indicator is configured to receive the signal indicative of the determination and to provide user output which is indicative of the determination

A tire inspection method includes: capturing a transmission image of a tire including a steel chafer at a bead portion; generating an image at an inspection device from the captured image of a full revolution of the tire with the steel chafer portions extracted using a spatial filter generated in accordance with an incline of the wires of the steel chafer; detecting a locus of a front side edge and a back side edge of the steel chafer; generating an image from the captured image with the steel chafer portions removed; detecting a locus of a turned-up edge of a carcass from this image; and determining at the inspection device the position of the carcass to be appropriate or not on the basis of the locus of the turned-up edge of the carcass.

A tire inspection method includes: capturing a transmission image of a tire including a steel chafer at a bead portion; generating an image at an inspection device from the captured image of a full revolution of the tire with the steel chafer portions extracted using a spatial filter generated in accordance with an incline of the wires of the steel chafer; detecting a locus of a front side edge and a back side edge of the steel chafer; generating an image from the captured image with the steel chafer portions removed; detecting a locus of a turned-up edge of a carcass from this image; and determining at the inspection device the position of the carcass to be appropriate or not on the basis of the locus of the turned-up edge of the carcass.

Systems (100) and methods (200) are provided for estimating at least a load acting on a vehicle-mounted tire (122). In an embodiment, tire-mounted sensor (118) generates output signals corresponding to at least tire inflation pressure and footprint length. A linear model between load and footprint length for the tire is retrievably stored (214, 224), along with derived model coefficients as a function of at least sensed tire inflation pressure. Local controller (102), remote server (130), or other computing device (140) is linked to tire-mounted sensor and data storage (106, 134), and further configured to estimate the load (230) acting upon the tire from the linear model, based on at least footprint length, sensed tire inflation pressure, and the derived model coefficients (222), and to generate an output signal corresponding to the estimated load (240) for display (242, 244), wear detection (246), traction detection (248), or other control functions.

Device (10, 23) for monitoring the operation of a tyre (30) mounted on a respective rim (31). The monitoring device is arranged inside a chamber (32) delimited by the tyre (30) and by the respective rim (31) and comprises a device for detecting slippage between said tyre (30) and said rim (31), a processor and an electric power supply device adapted to supply said processor and said slippage detection device. The slippage detection device comprises a colour sensor, an illuminator and an annular surface (23) having a plurality of sectors (23a), wherein consecutive sectors have different colours. The illuminator is adapted to emit a light incident on one of said sectors (23a) of said annular surface (23), and the colour sensor is adapted to detect a light reflected by said sector (23a) illuminated by said incident light and to provide a signal indicative of the colour of said reflected light. The invention further relates to a method for monitoring the operation of a tyre (30), which method uses said monitoring device 10, 23).

A vehicle positioning system using RFTD tags. HF RFTD tags are mounted in a vehicle wheel, more particularly a tire and an RFID antenna is provided in proximity to the wheel. A controller causes interrogation of RFID tags as the wheel turns and on the basis of the received identifiers ascertains a distance traveled, for example based on known distance between RFID tags on the wheel.

A vehicle positioning system using RFTD tags. HF RFTD tags are mounted in a vehicle wheel, more particularly a tire and an RFID antenna is provided in proximity to the wheel. A controller causes interrogation of RFID tags as the wheel turns and on the basis of the received identifiers ascertains a distance traveled, for example based on known distance between RFID tags on the wheel.

This invention improves the precision and reliability with which rolling resistance can be measured. This rolling-resistance testing method includes a rolling-resistance measurement stage and a determination stage. In the rolling-resistance measurement stage, a component force meter is used to measure the tangential axial force that occurs in a tire axle when the tire is rotated under load. In the determination stage, the axial force is measured in a no-load stopped state in which the tire has been separated from a drum, said axial force is compared to a threshold, and if the axial force is greater than said threshold, a determination that an anomaly has occurred in the test is made.