The disclosed technology includes a system comprising a tire-mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU). The IMU can be configured to measure linear acceleration data and angular velocity data associated with a tire, and the system can be configured to determine various indicators of tire health based on the linear acceleration data and angular velocity data. The system can be configured to determine a distance between the IMU and an outer rolling surface of the tire. The system can be configured to monitor changes in this distance over time, which can be indicative of tread wear over time. Accordingly, the system can be configured to monitor change in the tread depth over time such that the system is configured to monitor tread depth of the tire.

The aim of the disclosed solution is to present a method of inserting an insert to a tread a tire such that the insert, particularly a fragile insert such as an insert comprising electronic components, may be protected against gripping and impact forces during its insertion. The disclosed solution is premised on an insert being housed, at least partially, in a sleeve upon and during its installation to a tread of a tire. Thus, the sleeve may be employed to provide protection for the insert against gripping and/or impact forces during the insertion of the insert into the tread a tire.

Methods of measuring a thickness of a material are disclosed. An oscillating signal at a measurement frequency is applied to a circuit including an inductive component and a capacitive component provided using a pair of capacitive sensor electrodes adjacent the material. The measurement frequency is less than a resonant frequency of the circuit, and the resonant frequency is based on the inductive component and the capacitive component. Information regarding a value of a measured parameter is generated based on applying the oscillating signal at the measurement frequency to the circuit. A value of the measured parameter is related to the thickness of the material.

A component life prediction system configured to predict the remaining life of a consumable component installed on an aircraft. The system includes a processor configured to: receive wear information indicative of a current wear state of the component; receive schedule information indicative of a future flight schedule for the aircraft; and determine the remaining life of the component based on the received wear information and the received schedule information.

A tire comprising an electronic circuit for measuring tread depth of a tread of the tire, wherein a groove is associated with the tread, the electronic circuit comprising a first conductive portion embedded in the tire and comprising a first conductive wire portion which extends in the tread and terminates open at an outer peripheral portion of the tread, a second conductive portion embedded in the tire and comprising a second conductive wire portion which extends in the tire and terminates open at an outer peripheral portion of the groove, and an electronic connection portion, wherein the first and second conductive portions are electrically connected via the electronic connection portion and extend from the electronic connection portion to the outer peripheral portions of the tread and groove, respectively.

A system and method are provided for automatically alerting drivers to potential tread ware problems to enable them to avoid the danger hazards associated with worn treads. A tread-evaluation station is placed at a location where images of tires may be captured. Images of tires are recorded when a vehicle is at or near the tread-evaluation station. An automated analysis is performed on the images. Based on the automated analysis, tires depicted in the captured images are classified into categories of wear. The automated analysis may include a detection component trained to detect tires in images, and a classification model trained to assign a classification to the wear status of the tires identified by the detection component. The tread-evaluation station may further be trained to predict when tires that do not currently need replacing will need replacing.

A method of measuring a tread depth of a tire includes transmitting at least one radio wave from a transmitter through a tread of the tire. The at least one radio wave reflected from a road surface is received with a receiver. The tread depth of the tire is determined based on comparing the at least one radio wave reflected from the road surface with the at least one radio wave from the transmitter.

A wear state detection device includes an element configured to generate voltage based on deformation of a tread portion during tire rotation, a voltage detection unit configured to detect the voltage generated by the element, a speed detection unit configured to detect vehicle speed or tire rotation speed, a storage area configured to store waveform data over time of the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit together with the vehicle speed or the tire rotation speed detected by the speed detection unit, a calculation unit configured to calculate frequency of exceedance of a predetermined threshold value based on the waveform data in a predetermined speed range and a predetermined time period stored in the storage area, and a determination unit configured to determine a progress condition of wear of the tread portion based on the frequency of exceedance of the predetermined threshold value calculated by the calculation unit.

This disclosure relates to an approach for monitoring a tire for a puncture based on a change in a voltage established based on a resistance of a material disposed within the tire. In one example, the material is a conductive material layer. In another example, the material is a resistive strip. The systems and methods described herein can monitor for a change in an established voltage over time that is a function of parameters including the resistance of the conductive material layer or the resistive strip, and an applied voltage, to provide an indication of the change in the resistance in the material. The change in resistance of the material can be indicative of the puncture within the tire. The systems and methods described herein can alert a vehicle operator of the puncture within the tire.

This disclosure provides a tire formed of a body having multiple plies and a tread that surrounds the body. The plies and/or the treads and/or other surfaces of the tire include one or more resonators that respond to being interrogated by an externally generated excitation signal. Multiple resonators formed of electrically-conducting materials are disposed (e.g., printed) on the plies and/or tread and/or other surfaces of the tire. Each of a group of multiple resonators can be individually configured to respond to different frequencies of the excitation signal such that the presence of a response (e.g., a measured attenuation of the excitation signal return) or lack of response (e.g., based on comparison of the excitation signal return to calibration curves) from individual ones of the multiple resonators can be combined to form a serial number that is unique to the tire or other elastomer-containing component (e.g., belts, hoses, etc.) being interrogated.