Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin

Michelin Recherche Et Technique S.a.

University of Missouri

Michelin Recherche Et Techniques S.a.

David Andrew Judd

Frank E Gramling

Bradley D Schober

Christian Albert Beccavin

Reza Zoughi

Michael D Petrovich

Mohammad Tayeb Ghasr

Verner Steve Nicholson

Julien Matthieu Flament

Lee P Brandon

Anton Felipe Thomas

Patrice R Estor

Thomas Kurfess

Frank E Gramlin

Gene Edward De Amicis

Gene Edward DeAmicis

Gheorghe Bunget

Qin Shen

Roger Hartman, Ii

Gene Edward Deamicis

A sensor device is provided for use in tire inspection. The sensor device is configured for removable placement along the inner surface of the tire. The sensor device includes multiple rows of sensors, which are used to provide signals that can compensate for the effect of vibrations or mechanical agitation as the sensors are passed over the inner surface of the tire. The sensor device may have a profile that allows for placement of the multiple rows of sensors in close proximity to the inner surface of the tire.

Multiple row sensing device for a tire

The present disclosure describes methods of inspecting polymeric material that includes one or more elongated ferrous reinforcements. The method includes applying a magnetic field to any one or more reinforcements. The method further includes positioning an array of magnetic flux sensors near the one or more reinforcements, and detecting the presence of magnetic flux leakage along any of the one or more reinforcements. It is then determined whether the magnetic flux leakage occurs at a damaged location along the one or more reinforcements or at a reinforcement joint.

Method for inspection of polymeric material with ferrous reinforcement to determine presence of reinforcement joint or damage

A method of detecting tire mold () bladder () leakage is provided that includes placing an uncured tire () into a mold (), and inflating a bladder (), that has a fluid (), within the mold. Sufficient heat and pressure are applied to at least partially cure the tire when the uncured tire is in the mold (). The mold () is opened and electronic smelling is conducted on the at least partially cured tire (). The electronic smelling is performed in order to determine whether the bladder () is leaking the fluid ().

Method of detecting tire mold bladder leakage by smell

A method of manufacturing a tire is provided that includes curing the tire () in a curing press () and applying microwave energy at a given frequency band into the tire. The interaction between the microwave energy and the tire is monitored to obtain a complex reflection coefficient. A root-mean-squared error is calculated using the measured complex reflection coefficient and a reference reflection coefficient. The reference reflection coefficient is from a fully cured tire made from the same material as the tire. Continuous monitoring of the interaction takes place to obtain the complex reflection coefficient along with continuous calculation of the root-mean-squared error at different times during the curing of the tire in the curing press. The calculated root-mean-squared errors are used to determine whether to stop the curing of the tire in the curing press.

Monitoring of cure state through the use of microwaves

A method of using a sensor device for tire inspection is provided. Signals are received from multiples rows of sensors separated by a predetermined distance. The sensors are positioned next to the inner surface of the tire for inspection. Signals from the different rows of sensors are used to identify e.g., breaks in the reinforcements of the tire and also used to identify undesirable signals generated from vibration or jarring of the sensor device.

Method of using multiple row sensing device for a tire

A sensor device for tire inspection is provided. The sensor device is configured for removable placement upon or near the surface of the tire. The sensor device includes one or more tire inspection sensors configured to inspect e.g., the condition of one or more components or portions of the tire. The sensor device also includes one or more proximity sensors configured to detect whether the sensor device is in proper proximity of the tire such that the one or more tire inspection sensors can operate correctly.

Sensing device with proximity detection for tire inspection

A flux leakage detection system and a method for providing a quality indicator for a flux leakage detection system are provided.

Magnetic flux sensor quality indicator apparatus and method

A sensor device is provided for use in tire inspection. The sensor device is configured for removable placement along the inner surface of a tire. The sensor device has a profile that allows placement of one or more sensors in close proximity to the inner surface of the tire. The profile allows the sensor device to be used with a variety of tire sizes and shapes.

Sensor device for tire inspection

A sensor device is provided for use in tire inspection along a bead portion of the tire. The sensor device includes a magnet array configured to provide the desired fields of magnet flux for a sensor array, which is used to detect damage to reinforcements of a body ply of the tire near the bead portion. The fields of magnetic flux are sufficient to provide for damage detection in the bead portion without overly saturating the sensor array. The sensor device also allows for positioning the sensor array proximate to the inner surface of the tire for improved detection.

Sensor device with magnet and sensor array for tire inspection

An impact-acoustic method for testing a tire is provided along with a tire anomaly detection system in which an actuatable impactor is provided with an acoustic transducer and a force transducer. A plurality of discriminator quantities is calculated from acoustic signals and force signals and the calculated discriminator quantities are compared with stored discriminator quantities to determine whether an anomaly is present in the tire.

Method and apparatus for non-destructive detection of tire anomalies

Disclosed is an apparatus and methodology for detecting anomalies in cables within a tire structure. A plurality of magnetic field sensitive sensors are aligned within a magnetic field provided by a magnet. The alignment of sensors and magnet is such that flux lines from the magnet are generally parallel to the plane occupied by the magnetic sensors. A tire cable anomaly present between the magnetic field sensitive sensors produces a detectable difference in signals produced by the magnetic field sensitive sensors as a result of the formation of perpendicular flux patterns produced by the anomaly. A signal processing circuit receiving input signals from the sensors evaluates differences between the signals from each of the plurality of sensors by pairing the output signal from each sensor with the output signal from each of the others of the plurality of sensors and produces an output signal upon the differences meeting selected criteria. The output signal may include an externally measurable signal and/or may include a visual signal indicating presence of a tire anomaly.

Tire metallic cable anomaly detection method and apparatus

A tire testing apparatus and method for detecting anomalies in the surface of a tire is disclosed. A high voltage probe having a conductive spring electrode is placed adjacent a portion of a tire surface such that the conductive spring electrode is compressed against the surface of the tire. Relative motion is imparted between the high voltage probe and the surface of the tire. An electrical discharge occurs between the high voltage probe and a reference electrode at the location of an anomaly on the surface of the tire. The apparatus and method are configured to determine a precise azimuthal and radial position on the tire of the electrostatic discharge. The conductive spring electrode can have a length sufficient to ensure contact with a given point on the tire surface during a charge cycle for the high voltage probe at increased tire surface speeds.

High voltage probe apparatus and method for tire inner surface anomaly detection

A tire surface anomaly detection system and method are disclosed. The system and method are generally based on the principle that a tire surface anomaly will have a different heat transfer rate than that of the uniform mass surrounding the tire surface anomaly. Embodiments of the present disclosure apply thermal energy to the surface of a tire and monitor the infrared energy at the surface of the tire to generate one or more infrared images of the surface of the tire. The infrared images are analyzed by an image processing system to determine and locate thermal gradients on the surface of the tire. The presence of a thermal gradient in the infrared images generally indicates the presence of an anomaly in the surface of the tire. In this manner, the present disclosure provides an objective technique for identifying, locating, and classifying tire surface anomalies.

Tire surface anomaly detection

An apparatus and method for high voltage discharge testing of a tire is disclosed. In particular embodiments, a high voltage probe is maintained against the surface of a tire. The high voltage probe is energized and relative motion is provided between the surface of the tire and the high voltage probe. At the presence of an anomaly that penetrates the insulating material of the tire surface, an electrical discharge will occur between the conductive spring electrode and a reference electrode. The reference electrode is positioned adjacent the bead portion of the tire such that the electrical discharge will travel from the high voltage probe through the anomaly in the surface of the tire to one or more carcass plies in the tire. The carcass plies will carry the electrical discharge to the bead portion of the tire, where the electrical discharge will pass to the reference electrode.

Growing community of inventors

Mauldin, SC, United States of America

David Andrew Judd