In the present invention, virtual regions each having a width of 1/2n (where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) of the detection width of a force sensor provided on a tire travel surface are set in a region to be measured of a tire. The contact position between the tire travel surface and tire is shifted along a prescribed direction such that the force sensor touches a single virtual region a plurality of times, and the sensor is used to carry out force measurement a plurality of times. Mapping data is generated that associates each measurement time with data about the positional relationship between the virtual regions and sensor. Force values for each virtual region are calculated on the basis of the sensor detection values and the force balance relationship between the sensor and virtual regions determined by a mapping data generation unit.

An object surface managing method comprising: (a) emitting detecting light to the groove via alight source; (b) receiving first reflected detecting light from the surface and second reflected detecting light from a bottom of the groove via a light sensor; and (c) calculating a groove depth of the groove according to the first reflected detecting light and the second reflected detecting light.

A tire state management system (10) is provided with an image data acquisition unit (210) for acquiring 1st image data acquired by imaging the outer surface at a first timing and second image data acquired by imaging the outer surface at a second timing later than the first timing, a damage portion acquisition unit (220) for acquiring a damage included in the 1st image data and a damage included in the 2nd image data, a vehicle operation information acquisition unit (230) for acquiring operation information of a vehicle on which a tire is mounted, and a maintenance prediction unit (240) for estimating a progress speed based on the damage included in the 1st image data and the progress speed included in the 2nd image data and predicting a maintenance timing for the tire based on the progress speed and the operation information.

A hand-held device for measuring tire pressure and temperature including a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, an optical pointer, a processor responsive to an output of the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor, and a display. The processor is configured to output a value on the display indicative of a measured tire pressure.

A tire uniformity tester having: a spindle capable of rotating while holding a tire; a drum; a pressing mechanism that rotatably supports the drum and makes it possible to press a tire attached to the spindle into the drum through the relative movement of the drum and spindle; a uniformity measurement unit for measuring the uniformity of the tire during forward rotation and reverse rotation; and a control device. The control device controls the driving of the rotation of the spindle and the relative positions of the spindle and drum so that when the rotation direction of the spindle is reversed, the spindle and drum are separated from each other such that the spindle rotation speed reaches zero in a state in which the outer peripheral surface of the drum and the tire tread surface are not in contact with each other.

A system for monitoring parameters of a vehicle wheel assembly includes a wheel speed sensor configured to produce a wheel speed signal, and a wheel assembly monitoring module operatively connected to the wheel speed sensor. The wheel assembly monitoring module determines a dynamic response of the wheel speed signal at one or more wheel speeds. A wheel assembly health module provides one of a visual output, an audible output, and a haptic output indicating that the wheel assembly has exceeded a selected wheel assembly parameter threshold based on the dynamic response of the wheel speed signal.

The present disclosure provides a driving companion tread-life indicator system and methods of operation thereof. One example computer-implemented method includes receiving data associated with one or more tread depth measurements. The one or more tread depth measurements were made by a measurement device external to a vehicle. The one or more tread depth measurements are descriptive of a tread depth of at least one tread of at least one tire of the vehicle. The method includes associating a respective time value with each of the one or more tread depth measurements. The method includes accessing a model that correlates the one or more tread depth measurements to a projected tread depth. The method includes determining an estimated time at which the projected tread depth is expected to equal or pass a tread depth threshold based at least in part on the model. The method includes providing the estimated time to a notification system.

A system, which is structured to evaluate a condition of a tire, includes a housing, a tire-wear detector, a tire-presence detector, and an electronic activator. The housing, when the system is deployed, is placed on a ground surface. The tire-presence detector detects a presence of a tire on the housing. The electronic activator activates the tire-wear detector when the tire-presence detector detects the presence of the tire on the housing. The tire-wear detector, when activated, detects a wear condition of the tire when the tire passes over the housing.

Tires having a magnetic tire sealing material containing magnetic particles are described for detecting the presence of one or more sealed punctures in the tire. The tires can have a sealed tire portion that is formed by the magnetic tire sealing material flowing into and filling a puncture in the tire. The sealed tire portion includes a portion having magnetic particles and the portion being at the outer surface of the tire such as in the tread area. The tire can be positioned within the detection zone of an apparatus capable of detecting magnetic particles to indicate whether the tire contains a sealed puncture filled with the magnetic tire sealing material.

In order to provide a tire inspection apparatus which is capable of identifying, when performing an appearance inspection of a tire, a location of a rubber burr from a captured image of a tire side and avoiding detection of the rubber burr as a defect in a subsequent inspection step using image processing, the tire inspection apparatus is provided with a storage unit for storing a model pattern of a molded object to be molded on the tire side to be inspected and a master image of the tire side, the master image being prepared when the molded object(s) and an unnecessary molded object(s) are molded together as a conforming article, a model pattern locating unit for locating the model pattern on the captured image of the tire side to be inspected in a position of the captured image showing a highest degree of agreement, and an unnecessary molded object location identifying unit for identifying a location of the unnecessary molded object from the captured image by comparing the position of the model pattern located on the captured image against a position of the model pattern on the master image.