The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.

Ichiro Akiyama

Hikomitsu Noji

Soichiro Shirato

Kohtaroh Iwabuchi

Masakuni Kawamura

Haruo Tuchiya

A pneumatic tire that improves riding comfort under normal driving conditions, and improves durability under run-flat conditions, while inhibiting a weight increase. This pneumatic tire includes a carcass layer and belt layer. The carcass layer contains two or more carcass plies constituted of organic fiber cords. The belt layer contains at least two belt plies, each arranged radially outwards from the carcass layer of the tire in a tread part. The tread part includes a tread reinforcement rubber layer that is located between the radially outer carcass ply and the radially inner belt ply. Each side wall part includes a side reinforcement rubber layer having a crescent-shaped cross-section, located inwards from the axially inner carcass ply. At least one of the carcass plies constituting the carcass layer is folded back about bead cores respectively of bead parts.

Pneumatic tire with side reinforcement rubber layer and tread reinforcement rubber layer

A washer-type strain sensor, which generates an output representing a load acting thereon, is arranged between the vehicle body and the wheel. A dynamic load acting on the wheel is measured on the basis of the outputs of the strain sensor when the vehicle is traveling. A lateral force, a lateral-force coefficient, a slip angle, and steering characteristics of the wheel are obtained on the basis of the measured dynamic load, and thereby the cornering characteristics of the wheel are obtained.

Method for measuring dynamic characteristics of wheel of vehicle

An apparatus for measuring dynamic load characteristics of wheels, which can be relatively easily installed on a portion between the body of the vehicle and the wheel to receive force from the road surface, which is cheap yet makes it possible to grasp the dynamic load characteristics of the wheel during the travel maintaining a sufficient degree of accuracy. The apparatus comprises a washer-type strain sensor incorporated between the body of a vehicle and a wheel, at a portion where it receives force from the road surface, e.g., at a portion where a shock absorber of the suspension system is attached to the main body of vehicle, and a means for measuring an output of the washer-type strain sensor while the vehicle is traveling.

Growing community of inventors

Hiratsuka, Japan

Ichiro Akiyama