A tire holding device includes a guide which is provided between a pair of conveyors in a plan view and is provided on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of any one of an upper rim and a lower rim in a tire transport direction, and the guide guides a tire so that the center of the tire is coincident with the center of any one of the upper rim and the lower rim in the tire transport direction as the tire approaches any one of the upper rim and the lower rim by means of a lifting device.

The present invention comprises apparatus and methods for testing a tire on a wheel. Particular embodiments of such methods include providing a tire testing surface upon which the tire is to operate and a tire having a radially outer annular side including a road-engaging surface. The methods further include engaging forcefully a radially outer annular side of the tire with the tire testing surface to create a footprint constituting an area of contact between the tire and the tire testing surface, the footprint having a width extending in an axial direction of the tire. The tire is then rotated while engaged with the tire testing surface according to the prior step and a particulate is discharged from a particulate discharge outlet of a particular discharging device, the outlet having a length extending at least substantially across the width of the footprint.

Embodiments provide a device, a tire pressure measurement system, a tire, a method and a computer program to obtain information indicating a tread depth of the tire. The device to obtain information indicating a tread depth of a tire of a vehicle comprises a transducer to provide acoustical signals based on electrical signals and vice versa. The device further comprises a control unit, which is coupled to the transducer. The control unit is configured to provide the transducer with a first electrical signal based on which the transducer provides an acoustical transmit signal. The control unit is further configured to obtain a second electrical signal from the transducer. The second electrical signal is based on a reflected version of the acoustical transmit signal. The control unit is further configured to process the second electrical signal to obtain information indicating the tread depth of the tire.

An apparatus for controlling tires includes a support plane configured for receiving a tire with axial middle line plane parallel to the support plane, defining an abutted lateral portion and a free lateral portion arranged at a specific height with respect to the support plane. A thrust element is configured for applying, to a measurement surface of the free lateral portion, a force directed toward the support plane. A positioning actuator is operatively associated with the thrust element and configured for moving the thrust element with at least one motion component perpendicular to a rotation axis of the tire. The apparatus also includes devices for modifying the angular position of the measurement surface. A control unit is programmed for detecting a first value of output data at each position of the measurement surface as a function of a first value of input data maintained substantially constant along at least one complete rotation of the measurement surface around the rotation axis and for detecting a second value of the output data at each position of the measurement surface. The second value of the output data corresponds with a second value of the input data maintained substantially constant along at least one complete rotation of the measurement surface. The control unit includes a module programmed for calculating, at each position of the measurement surface, a difference between the second value of the output data and the first value of the output data.