A tire comprises a tread portion having a tread surface and buttress surfaces. The buttress surfaces have inclinations such that the tread edges shift axially outwards as the tread portion is worn off. The tread rubber includes a radially outermost first rubber layer and a radially inner second rubber layer. The loss tangent δ2 of the second rubber layer is larger than the loss tangent δ1 of the first rubber layer. One of or each of the buttress surfaces is provided with an outer lateral groove. The outer lateral groove is located axially outside the tread edge when the tire is new, and when the tread portion is worn off and the tread edge shifts axially outward, the outer lateral groove is at least partially located axially inward of the tread edge.

A tire comprises a tread portion having a tread surface and buttress surfaces. The buttress surfaces have inclinations such that the tread edges shift axially outwards as the tread portion is worn off. The tread rubber includes a radially outermost first rubber layer and a radially inner second rubber layer. The loss tangent δ2 of the second rubber layer is larger than the loss tangent δ1 of the first rubber layer. One of or each of the buttress surfaces is provided with an outer lateral groove. The outer lateral groove is located axially outside the tread edge when the tire is new, and when the tread portion is worn off and the tread edge shifts axially outward, the outer lateral groove is at least partially located axially inward of the tread edge.

A distance sensor is used for automatically determining the size of a wheel on a mobile machine. The distance sensor is mounted to detect distance information relating to a distance between the sensor and an outer circumferential surface of the wheel. The distance information is received by a controller configured to determine the radius of the wheel based at least in part on the distance information. The controller may compare the measured radius with data for a range of standard wheel sizes and determine which standard wheel size is fitted. The measured wheel radius and/or the determined standard wheel size can used as an input for a control system on the machine which requires wheel size data, such as an axle height adjustment system.

A computer-implemented method can comprise determining, by a device comprising a processor, wear state information representative of a wear state of a tire of a vehicle based on an output from a sensor of the vehicle, and in response to the wear state of the tire being determined to exceed a tire wear threshold, generating, by the device, an alert signal associated with the wear state of the tire.

A tire wear state estimation system includes a tire that supports a vehicle. A sensor unit is mounted on the tire and includes a footprint centerline length measurement sensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, and electronic memory capacity for storing identification information for the tire. A processor is in electronic communication with the sensor unit and receives the measured centerline length, the measured pressure, the measured temperature and the identification information. A tire construction database stores tire construction data and is in electronic communication with the processor. The identification information is correlated to the tire construction data. An analysis module is stored on the processor and receives the measured centerline length, the measure pressure, the measured temperature, the identification information, and the tire construction data as inputs. The analysis module includes a prediction model that generates an estimated wear state for the tire from the inputs.

A hand-held device for obtaining a three-dimensional topological surface profile of a tire, the device comprising: a base comprising an aperture; a light source arranged in use to generate an elongate pattern of light, and to project said pattern through the aperture onto a rolling surface of the tire; a detector arranged to image a region of the rolling surface of the tire; a plurality of pairs of guide wheels mounted on respective axles mounted on the base, wherein the guide wheels on adjacent axles are linked by gears; and a rotary encoder arranged to generate a signal corresponding to rotation of an axle.

A tyre includes a tread portion having a tread surface being provided with a plurality of lateral grooves extending in a tyre axial direction. In a cross-sectional view perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the at least one of the plurality of lateral grooves, the at least one of the plurality of lateral grooves includes a pair of groove walls and a groove bottom. At least one of the pair of groove walls includes a serrated portion including first surfaces and second surfaces that are arranged alternately. Each first surface is inclined outwardly in a groove width direction toward the groove bottom and has a radially inner end thereof, and each second surface extends substantially parallel with the tread surface from the radially inner end of a respective one of the first surfaces toward a groove centerline of the at least one of the plurality of lateral grooves.

A tread portion of a pneumatic tire includes a columnar wear measurement magnet that has magnetic flux density or magnetic field strength formed thereby decreased due to wear thereof along with wear of tread rubber of the tread portion and a columnar reference magnet provided at a position where the columnar reference magnet is not worn with the wear of the tread rubber. The wear measurement magnet and the reference magnet extend from a tread surface side toward a tire cavity region of the pneumatic tire, and an end of the reference magnet on the tread surface side is located farther from a tread surface where the tread portion contacts the ground than an end of the wear measurement magnet on the tread surface side.

A robot management system executes, for a plurality of transport robots, an estimation process for estimating load applied to the transport robots based on a current value during traveling and a traveling distance or a traveling time of the transport robots. The robot management system determines a transport robot to be used from among the transport robots based on an estimation result in the estimation process.

This invention relates to tire tread wear monitoring. A sacrificial magnet portion is arranged in a tread of the tire so that it undergoes wear along with the tread and generates a useful magnetic field signal indicative of remaining tread thickness. With a magnetic field sensor arranged on or in the tire, an overall magnetic field signal is measured, which includes the useful magnetic field signal, and a superimposed interfering magnetic field signal generated by magnetizable material contained in the tire. A non-sacrificial magnet portion is used to saturate the magnetizable material at least locally so as to make the interfering magnetic field signal sensed by the magnetic field sensor substantially independent of the useful magnetic field signal sensed by the magnetic field sensor. Further aspects of the invention relate to tires, e.g., vehicle tires, featuring a tire tread wear monitoring system.