Abstract:
A method for determining the roughness of a tyre rolling surface by the steps of providing a first signal representative of the motion of at least one point of the tyre during rolling of the surface and processing the first signal for providing an output indicative of the roughness of the rolling surface of the tyre.
Abstract:
A method for determining the force at the hub of a wheel of a vehicle while traveling. The wheel includes a rim and at least one deformation sensor directly associated with the rim in at least one predetermined position and arranged according to at least one predetermined orientation. The method includes the steps of detecting at least one deformation component of the rim during travel through the at least one deformation sensor; applying to the at least one deformation component, during travel, a correlation parameter characteristic of the rim, between the force at the hub and the relative deformation of the rim to determine at least one force component at the hub correlated with the at least one deformation component of the rim. The determining of the correlation parameter preferably takes place through experimental tests that include the steps of providing a sample wheel having a rim substantially the same as that of the wheel and determining at least one correlation coefficient between at least one force component acting upon the sample wheel at the hub along at least one predetermined direction and at least one respective deformation component of the rim of the wheel.
Abstract:
A tire has a piezoelectric flexing element associated with an energy storage device (e.g., a capacitor). The piezoelectric flexure element is mounted in cantilever fashion in a housing so as to be positioned substantially along a plane orthogonal to a radial direction of the tire and, so that a first end of the piezoelement is restrained by the housing. A loading mass is coupled to the second end of the piezoelectric flexure element. A small gap is formed between the inner walls of the housing and the outer surface of the loading mass in order to allow limited flexure of the piezo-electric element. The housing including the piezoelectric is mounted in a tire portion in correspondence of a tread area of the tire, preferably on the inner surface of the tire. The piezoelectric element flexes under the action of the radial acceleration when the tire rotates. The loading mass and the gap are chosen to obtain a) small entity oscillations of the flexure element substantially during a complete revolution of the tire when the tire rotates at low speed; b) large entity oscillations of the flexure element substantially only during the passage of the tire portion including the piezoelectric element in the contact patch. Sufficient electrical power for powering an electronic device included within the tire is obtained, together with a long durability of the piezoelectric element.
Abstract:
A tyre has a piezoelectric flexing element associated with an energy storage device (e.g., a capacitor). The piezoelectric flexure element is mounted in cantilever fashion in a housing so as to be positioned substantially along a plane orthogonal to a radial direction of the tyre and, so that a first end of the piezoelement is restrained by the housing. A loading mass is coupled to the second end of the piezoelectric flexure element. A small gap is formed between the inner walls of the housing and the outer surface of the loading mass in order to allow limited flexure of the piezo-electric element. The housing including the piezoelectric is mounted in a tyre portion in correspondence of a tread area of the tyre, preferably on the inner surface of the tyre. The piezoelectric element flexes under the action of the radial acceleration when the tyre rotates. The loading mass and the gap are chosen to obtain a) small entity oscillations of the flexure element substantially during a complete revolution of the tyre when the tyre rotates at low speed; b) large entity oscillations of the flexure element substantially only during the passage of the tyre portion including the piezoelectric element in the contact patch. Sufficient electrical power for powering an electronic device included within the tyre is obtained, together with a long durability of the piezoelectric element.
Abstract:
A method for determining the force at the hub of a wheel of a vehicle while traveling. The wheel includes a rim and at least one deformation sensor directly associated with the rim in at least one predetermined position and arranged according to at least one predetermined orientation. The method includes the steps of detecting at least one deformation component of the rim during travel through the at least one deformation sensor; applying to the at least one deformation component, during travel, a correlation parameter characteristic of the rim, between the force at the hub and the relative deformation of the rim to determine at least one force component at the hub correlated with the at least one deformation component of the rim. The determining of the correlation parameter preferably takes place through experimental tests that include the steps of providing a sample wheel having a rim substantially the same as that of the wheel and determining at least one correlation coefficient between at least one force component acting upon the sample wheel at the hub along at least one predetermined direction and at least one respective deformation component of the rim of the wheel.
Abstract:
A method for determining the roughness of a tyre rolling surface by the steps of providing a first signal representative of the motion of at least one point of the tyre during rolling of the surface and processing the first signal for providing an output indicative of the roughness of the rolling surface of the tyre.