The solution proposed by the invention consists of a method for monitoring the tyres of vehicles transporting excavations in mines, using tyre handling equipment, said tyres being equipped with radio frequency identification tags and physical parameter sensors; said method also using a database comprising the identifiers of the vehicles, the identifiers of the tyres, the identifiers of the sensors and of the positions of the tyres on the axles.

Apparatus and method for mounting a tire on a rim of a wheel and/or for removing a tire from a rim of a wheel of a vehicle. This apparatus is generally known as a tire changer. The tire changer of the present invention uses contactless sensors, in particular radar sensors, to scan the geometric dimensions of the wheel to be maintained and, in general, to accurately control the mounting/demounting tools.

A tire defect detection system for detecting defects in a tire. The system includes at least one infrared camera, a pneumatic source and a computing device. The pneumatic source inflates the tire to a predetermined pressure. After inflation, the infrared camera captures a reference frame of a section of the tire. A period of time after capturing the reference frame, the infrared camera captures a subsequent frame. The subsequent frame is compared to the reference frame to detect a portion of the section of the tire that has a lower temperature. The lower temperature is caused by an escape of air from the tire through a defect. The escaping air cools the area of the tire around the defect, so a decrease in temperature indicates the defect.

The invention concerns a device and a method for detecting a tire on a vehicle to determine whether there is a single or twin tire on an axle. The device has an optical sensor for this purpose, the sensor detecting at least one region of a rim on which a tire to be determined is mounted. An evaluation unit is also provided which is designed to determine a shape of the area of the rim from the sensor signals and to generate a signal from the shape which represents the type of tire.

A method and computer program product are disclosed. The method includes tracking a distance travelled on a set of tires, determining a threshold, determining whether the distance travelled has exceeded the threshold, and notifying the user that the distance travelled has exceeded the threshold. The computer program product includes code to perform tracking a distance travelled on a set of tires, determining a threshold, determining whether the distance travelled has exceeded the threshold, and notifying the user that the distance travelled has exceeded the threshold.

A tire defect detection system for detecting defects in a tire. The system includes at least one infrared camera, a pneumatic source and a computing device. The pneumatic source inflates the tire to a predetermined pressure. After inflation, the infrared camera captures a reference frame of a section of the tire. A period of time after capturing the reference frame, the infrared camera captures a subsequent frame. The subsequent frame is compared to the reference frame to detect a portion of the section of the tire that has a lower temperature. The lower temperature is caused by an escape of air from the tire through a defect. The escaping air cools the area of the tire around the defect, so a decrease in temperature indicates the defect.

The invention relates to a method for mounting/demounting a tyre (T) on a rim (R). The method comprises the steps of: determining an initial reference position for the mounting/demounting device (U1, U2), said initial reference position being proximal to an edge (E) of the wheel rim (R); linking the position of the mounting/demounting device (U1, U2) with the initial reference position; adjusting the position of the mounting/demounting device (U1, U2) with respect to either the first or the second direction; continuously detecting the position of the mounting/demounting device (U1, U2) with respect to said either first or second direction; and continuously and automatically adjusting the position of the mounting/demounting device (U1, U2), with respect to the other one of said either first or second direction, at least in dependence of the initial reference position.

The invention is directed to a valve stem system (1) for tubeless wheels. The valve stem system (1) includes a valve stem body (2) with a first end (3) and a second end (4), wherein the second end (4) is located in a tire/rim-volume when mounted at the wheel. A first valve (5) is arranged at the second end (4) of the valve stem body (2). The first valve (5) is a self-sealing one-way valve. A second valve (10) is removably mountable at the first end (3) and is, when mounted, at least partially housed in the valve stem body (2). The second valve (10) comprises a valve stem core inserted in the valve stem body (2) and can be added or removed from the valve stem body (2) while pressure is maintained within the tire by the first valve (5). The invention further concerns a probe (30) for a valve stem system, a method to test the amount of sealant in a wheel and a refilling assembly (80) for a wheel.

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 tire defect detection system for detecting defects in a tire. The system includes at least one infrared camera, a pneumatic source and a computing device. The pneumatic source inflates the tire to a predetermined pressure. After inflation, the infrared camera captures a reference frame of a section of the tire. A period of time after capturing the reference frame, the infrared camera captures a subsequent frame. The subsequent frame is compared to the reference frame to detect a portion of the section of the tire that has a lower temperature. The lower temperature is caused by an escape of air from the tire through a defect. The escaping air cools the area of the tire around the defect, so a decrease in temperature indicates the defect.