Electronic assembly with a patch for a tire

Abstract

An electronic assembly (1) for a tire comprises an electronic module (30) and a rubber patch (10) provided with a housing (14) suitable for allowing the positioning of an active part of the electronic module (30) in said housing (14), wherein the patch (10) is configured according to a substantially elongate axial profile with a base (12) and a top (19) separated by a lateral wall (11), said patch (10) comprising a lateral opening (13) communicating with the housing (14); the electronic module (30) is configured according to a substantially elongate axial profile and comprises a gripping head (31) extending axially so as to project out of the patch (10); and the gripping head (31) of the electronic module (30) is covered with a protective rubber jacket (20).

Claims

1. An electronic assembly for a tire comprising an electronic module and a rubber patch provided with a housing configured to allow positioning of an active part of the electronic module in the housing, wherein the rubber patch is configured according to a substantially elongate axial profile with a base and a top separated by a lateral wall, the rubber patch comprising a lateral opening communicating with the housing, for insertion and removal of the active part of the electronic module into the housing, and the lateral opening being arranged on the lateral wall, wherein the electronic module is configured according to a substantially elongate axial profile and comprises a gripping head extending axially so as to project out of the rubber patch when the active part of the electronic module is positioned in the housing, and wherein the gripping head of the electronic module is covered with a protective rubber jacket the profile of which is designed to substantially seal the rubber patch when the active part of the electronic module is positioned in the housing.

2. The electronic assembly according to claim 1, wherein the rubber patch comprises a lateral orifice configured to be in fluidic communication with a cavity in the tire when the rubber patch is fixed against an inner wall of the tire.

3. The electronic assembly according to claim 1, wherein the rubber patch and a housing of the electronic module have, on a side opposite to the lateral opening, a substantially conical axial profile.

4. The electronic assembly according to claim 1, wherein the rubber patch and a housing of the electronic module have, on a side of the lateral opening, a substantially circumferential axial profile.

5. The electronic assembly according to claim 1, wherein the rubber patch and a housing of the electronic module have, on a side opposite to the lateral opening, a substantially conical axial profile, wherein the rubber patch and the housing of the electronic module have, on a side of the lateral opening, a substantially circumferential axial profile, and wherein the housing of the electronic module comprises two zones, one being an antenna zone, on the side of the substantially conical axial profile, and one being an electronic components zone, on the side of the substantially circumferential axial profile.

6. The electronic assembly according to claim 5, wherein the electronic components zone has a thickness greater than the antenna zone.

7. The electronic assembly according to claim 1, wherein the housing is situated at a distance d from the base.

8. The electronic assembly according to claim 7, wherein an air chamber is arranged under the housing.

9. The electronic assembly according to claim 8 further comprising a porous foam insert, for insertion into the air chamber.

10. The electronic assembly according to claim 1, wherein a surface area of the lateral opening is substantially smaller than a maximum transverse surface area of the electronic module.

11. The electronic assembly according to claim 1, wherein the electronic module is configured to supply tire identification data and data relating to physical operating parameters of the tire onto which the electronic assembly is fixed.

12. A rubber patch for an electronic assembly according to claim 1.

13. A protective jacket for an electronic assembly according to claim 1.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) All the embodiment details are given in the following description, complemented by the FIGS. 1a to 5, presented only as nonlimiting examples, and in which:

(2) FIG. 1a is a perspective view of an example of an electronic assembly;

(3) FIG. 1b is a top view of the electronic assembly of FIG. 1a;

(4) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of an electronic module;

(5) FIG. 3a is a perspective view of the electronic module of FIG. 2 with a protective jacket;

(6) FIG. 3b is a top view of the electronic module of FIG. 3a with the protective jacket;

(7) FIG. 4a is a perspective view of an example of a patch;

(8) FIG. 4b is a bottom view of the patch of FIG. 4a;

(9) FIG. 4c is a longitudinal cross section of the patch of FIG. 4a in order to show the internal housing;

(10) FIG. 4d is a cross-section in elevation of the patch of FIG. 4a;

(11) FIG. 5 is an elevation view from behind of an example of a patch on which a protective cover is placed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(12) As illustrated in FIGS. 1a, 1b, 2, 3a and 3b, the electronic assembly 1 for a tyre is composed of an electronic module 30 comprising a gripping head 31, a rubber patch 10 provided with a housing 14 for insertion of the electronic module 30, and a protective rubber jacket 20 specifically provided to cover the gripping head 31 of the electronic module 30.

(13) The electronic module 30 is designed to supply tyre identification data and data relating to the physical operating parameters of the tyre onto which the assembly 1 is fixed.

(14) As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3a and 3b, the electronic module 30 is substantially elongate, configured according to an axial profile and oriented along the axis A-A. It comprises, also oriented along the axis A-A, a gripping head 31 designed so as to project out of the patch 10 when the active part of the electronic module 30 is positioned in the housing 14 of the patch. The gripping head allows a user to manipulate the electronic module to insert it into and/or extract it from the patch. In the examples illustrated, for example in FIGS. 4b and 4d, the electronic module is provided with an antenna zone 16 and an electronic components zone (for components other than the antenna). As illustrated, the electronic components zone 15 has a thickness greater than the antenna zone 16, the latter being easy to produce with a minimalist thickness.

(15) In the examples illustrated, the thin antenna zone is preferably provided with a substantially conical axial profile. The components zone 15 is arranged with a substantially circumferential axial profile.

(16) The patch is illustrated in FIGS. 1a and 1b. It comprises a housing 14 suitable for allowing the active part of the electronic module 30 to be housed.

(17) Like the electronic module that it houses and protects, the patch 10 is configured according to a substantially elongate axial profile with a base 12 and a top 19 separated by a lateral wall 11.

(18) As illustrated in particular in FIGS. 4a and 4c, the patch 10 comprises a lateral opening 13 communicating with the housing 14. This lateral opening 13 allows the insertion and/or the removal of the active part of the electronic module 30 in the housing 14. This opening 13 is arranged on the lateral wall 11, on the side of the circumferential profile. The surface area of the opening 13 is substantially smaller than the maximum transverse surface area of the electronic module 30 so as to produce a closure with a light grip, sufficient to render the placement and the closure tight. The surface area difference is advantageously of the order of 10%.

(19) A lateral orifice 18, visible in FIGS. 4b and 4d, allows fluidic communication with the cavity of the tyre when the patch 10 is put in place against the inner wall of the tyre.

(20) Like the electronic module 30, the patch 10 and the electronic module housing 14 have, on the side opposite the lateral opening 13, a substantially conical axial profile. Moreover, on the side of said lateral opening 13, the patch has a substantially circumferential axial profile.

(21) Also so as to correspond to the architecture of the electronic module 30, the electronic module housing 14 comprises two zones, i.e. an antenna zone 16, on the side of the substantially conical axial profile, and an electronic components zone 15, on the side of the substantially circumferential axial profile.

(22) The electronics components zone 15 has a thickness greater than the antenna zone 16.

(23) As FIG. 4d shows, the housing 14 is situated at a distance “d” from the base 12. An air chamber 17 is arranged under the housing 14. This chamber is used for example to house a porous foam insert, to protect the electronic components.

(24) To make the electronic assembly uniform, and protect the electronic module well, the gripping head 31 of the electronic module 30 is covered with a protective rubber jacket 20, as shown for example in FIGS. 3a and 3b. This jacket is provided to provide a substantially tight closure of the patch 10 when the active part of the electronic module 30 is housed in its housing 14.

(25) Recapping System and Method

(26) FIG. 5 illustrates another aspect of the invention, relating to a method and a system for recapping tyres comprising an electronic assembly as previously described fixed to an inner wall of a tyre.

(27) In the system provided, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the patch comprises outer lateral walls 11 that are inclined to form a dovetailed outer profile. The system also comprises a protective cover 40 for the rubber patch 10 suitable for covering said patch. Like the outer walls of the patch 10, the protective cover 40 comprises inner lateral walls 41 that are inclined to form a dovetailed inner profile suitable for holding for the cover 40 against the patch 10. The cover can easily be put in place for example by snap-fitting it against the patch. To facilitate its removal, the cover 40 is elastically deformable so as to be able to unsnap it from the patch. The cover put in place against the patch protects the latter during the vulcanization operation provided at the end of a tyre recapping process cycle. The vulcanization of the new tread is thus performed without the risk of damaging the patch, which could otherwise crack or form incipient break zones without such protection. To this end, the cover 40 is advantageously made of silastene.

(28) By virtue of the recapping system previously described, and more particularly by virtue of the cover 40, an advantageous recapping method can be implemented. This implementation further provides for removal of the electronic module 30 from the patch 10 used as a fixing in order to avoid this element, which is particularly brittle and sensitive to heat and pressure, being damaged because of the extreme conditions due to the vulcanization phase. A new tread is applied to the tyre. A possible step of preparation of the surface receiving the tread is advantageously performed, in order to optimize the laying, and promote a lasting hold of, the new tread. A protective cover 40 resistant to vulcanization is laid against the patch so as to cover the latter. This step takes place before the vulcanization, and possibly, before the laying of the new tread. The step of vulcanization of the tyre with the new tread is then implemented, the cover 40 serving as protection for the patch. When stripped from the mould, the protective cover 40 of the patch can be removed, and the electronic module 30 can be reinserted into the rubber patch 10.

(29) This recapping method makes it possible to fit and vulcanize a new tread on a tyre carcass comprising an electronic assembly as previously described.

REFERENCE NUMBERS EMPLOYED IN THE FIGURES

(30) 1 Electronic assembly 10 Rubber patch 11 Outer lateral wall of the patch (inclined) 12 Base 13 Opening 14 Housing 15 Components zone 16 Antenna zone 17 Air chamber 18 Communicating orifice 19 Top of the patch 20 Protective rubber jacket 30 Electronic module 31 Gripping head 32 Antenna 40 Protective cover 41 Inner lateral wall (inclined and corresponding substantially to the outer wall of the patch)