An apparatus and method for monitoring parameters of a tire using a piezoelectric device is provided. The piezoelectric device is mounted as part of a tire mountable apparatus with a circumferential orientation in a tire such that that the direction defined by length of the piezoelectric device is generally aligned with the direction of rotation of the tire. This can lead to increased coupling of the piezoelectric device to changing circumferential tire shape as the piezoelectric device enters and exits the contact patch of the tire while at the same time reducing the coupling of the piezoelectric device to changing lateral tire shape. Contact patch entry and exit times from piezoelectric signals generated by the piezoelectric device can be more readily identified, leading to increased accuracy of tire parameters determined from the contact patch entry and exit times, such as tire revolution count, tire speed, and contact patch angle.

A flexible sensor for monitoring operating parameters, including pressure and temperature, of a flexible structure, such as a tire, provides electrodes and an active area that are formed of flexible materials. In particular, the active area may be formed from an elastomeric piezoresistive material, such as an ionic liquid-polymer. The flexible properties of the sensor allow it to be readily incorporated into the body of a tire during manufacture. This allows the operating parameters of the tire to be monitored, such as in real-time, while the tire is in operation. Furthermore, the sensor is formed of materials that allow the sensor to be formed using additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D (three-dimensional) printing. As such, the sensor may be 3D printed together with another structure, such as a tire tread, so that the sensor is integrated therein.

A method for tire sensing includes providing a tire comprising (a) a tire body having an outer wall for contact with a surface and opposite side walls, and an inside surface and (b) at least one flexible strain gauge positioned along the inside surface of the tire body, wherein the at least one flexible strain gauge is positioned to sense tire deflections or strain. The method further includes sensing tire data indicate of the tire deflections using the at least one flexible strain gauge and communicating the tire data to a data acquisition system, control system, or computer system. The flexible strain gauge(s) may be soft dielectric capacitive sensors, soft resistive sensors, or soft capacitive/resistive sensors.

An electrostatic capacitance detection device is provided, which is provided with a first electrode, an insulating layer on the first electrode, and a second electrode on the insulating layer, the electrostatic capacitance detection device being configured to calculate a shear force applied from above an upper portion of the second electrode.

An auto-location system locates a position of a tire that supports a vehicle. The system includes a sensor unit that is mounted on the tire and includes a footprint length measurement sensor to measure a length of a footprint of the tire. A processor is in electronic communication with the sensor unit and receives the measured footprint length. A driving event classifier is executed on the processor and employs the measured footprint length to determine the position of the tire on the vehicle. An auto-location output block is executed on the processor and receives the determined position of the tire on the vehicle and generates a message correlating the sensor unit to the position of the tire on the vehicle.

A functional component to be attached inside a tire, for detecting a state of the tire as information, including: a first substrate having a first sensor that detects a state of the tire; a second substrate having a second sensor that detects a state of the tire different from the state of the tire detected by the first sensor; and a connection means that electrically connects the first substrate and the second substrate, in which the first substrate further includes a communication means that outputs the information detected by the first sensor and the second sensor to outside of the tire, and in which the first substrate and the second substrate are stacked in a tire radial direction, and the second substrate is disposed on an outer side in the tire radial direction.

A method for estimating the load of a tire supporting a vehicle includes providing the tire, in which the tire includes a pair of sidewalls extending to a circumferential tread, and the tread includes a plurality of tread blocks. A length of the tire footprint is indicated with a first time interval, and a full rotation of the tire is indicated with a second time interval. The first time interval may be indicated by peaks of an amplitude of a tire-based magnetic sensor signal, and the second time interval may be indicated by peaks of the amplitude of the tire-based magnetic sensor signal or by a linear speed of the vehicle. The load on the tire is determined from a ratio of the first time interval to the second time interval at an inflation pressure of the tire. A tire load estimation system is also provided.

A method for determining the thickness of a tire of a motor vehicle being equipped with at least a tire pressure monitoring sensor placed in contact with the internal wall of the tire facing the tread, including the following steps: at least two successive reference times are determined; at least one instant of passage of a half-deflection angle is determined; the half-deflection angle is determined; then the value of a mean external radius, which radius is estimated in a range of angular positions, is determined; a value of a mean internal radius, which radius is estimated in a range of angular positions, is determined; then the thickness of the tire being the difference between the mean external radius and the mean internal radius.

The present disclosure discusses a method of operating a vehicle having a set of tires and an active suspension system. The method includes operating the vehicle to travel along a road surface, sensing, using a smart tire assembly, a magnitude of one or more physical quantities associated with at least one tire of the set of tires, and controlling the active suspension system of the vehicle based at least in part on the magnitude of the sensed one or more physical quantities.

A functional component in which an electronic component capable of acquiring information inside a tire is housed and which is attachable to an inner peripheral surface of the tire, the functional component including a housing having a housing part for the electronic component and a bottom surface facing the inner peripheral surface of the tire, and a tubular part extending from a peripheral edge of the bottom surface toward the inner peripheral surface.