Bridgestone/firestone, Inc.

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC

Stanley J Olesky

John L Turner

Neel K Mani

Vladimir Roth

Hidetoshi Yokota

Thomas R Branca

David C Christy

Brian E Moore

Paul B Wilson

David O Stalnaker

Richard J Macioce, Jr

Fu-Min Chen

Wayne A Indorf

James A Popio

An apparatus is mounted to a vehicle for obtaining a camber angle measurement. The apparatus includes a lower elongated member, a vertical elongated member, and an upper elongated member. The apparatus further includes a lower coupling that connects the lower elongated member to the vertical elongated member. The lower coupling allows the vertical elongated member to rotate about an axis, and prevents the lower elongated member from rotating about its longitudinal axis. The apparatus also includes an upper coupling that connects the vertical elongated member to the upper elongated member. A lower connector is connected to the lower elongated member, and is configured to be connected to a wheel of a vehicle. An upper connector is connected to the upper elongated member, and is configured to be connected to the vehicle.

Wheel measurement apparatus

The invention improves tire flat spotting by providing a bead assembly that has bead filler elements disposed outside the body cords so that the turn up portion of the ply of body cords is disposed immediately back against the main portion of the ply of body cords above the bead core. This carcass structure increases the stiffness of the lower sidewall and decreases the flat spotting experience by the tire. In one embodiment of the invention, a reinforcing ply is wrapped around the bead filler elements to further increases the stiffness of the lower sidewall. In another embodiment, a bead filler element is disposed inside the body cords so that an air pocket is not formed in the carcass during the manufacturing process.

Pneumatic tire having multiple element bead assembly

A system ( ) for measuring the dynamic orientation of the plane of a wheel ( ) on a vehicle ( ). The system ( ) includes a test surface ( ) which rotates with the wheel ( ) and a orientation-determining device ( ) which is unattached to the vehicle ( ). The test surface ( ) is positioned in a plane corresponding to the plane of the wheel ( ) and the orientation-determining device ( ) determines the orientation of the plane of the test surface ( ) at a specific point of time while the vehicle is being driven. A processor ( ) receives output signals from the orientation-determining device ( ) and converts the output signals into data corresponding to the orientation of the wheel plane for the specific instant in time.

System for determining the dynamic orientation of a vehicle wheel plane

A friction testing machine and method for measuring friction characteristics between a test sample and a friction surface. The machine and method are particularly suited for measuring the coefficient of friction between a rubber specimen or a tread element and different friction surfaces at different sliding velocities, contact pressures and orientations. A preferred embodiment of machine is self-contained and portable, configured for easy and quick changing of the friction surface, and provides for rotating the test sample about an axis normal to the sliding surface and the direction of movement of the sample relative to the friction surface. In general, a friction test machine according to the invention comprises a sample holder configured to hold a sample in frictional engagement with a friction surface, and a motion device for effecting relative movement between the friction surface and sample holder in a first direction. Also provided is a variable weight loading device on the sample holder for loading the sample holder such that a selected load can be applied to the sample normal to the friction surface, and a force measurement device for obtaining a measurement indicative of the frictional force resisting such relative movement between the sample holder and the friction surface effected by the motion device.

Portable universal friction testing machine and method

An apparatus and related methods for capturing a digital foot print image of a tire and for extrapolating load-deflection curves of the tire is presented. A frame carries a test pod that is coupled to a tire to perform various tests. In one application, a loading plate couples the tire to a transparent plate on the test pod where a camera captures a digital gray-scale image of the tire foot print. A processor converts the gray-scale image into a pressure map wherein each pixel of the digital image is correlated to a pressure value. In another application, the loading plate couples the tire to a sliding cover plate on the test pod, wherein the loading plate is incremented through a plurality of load values at predetermined inflation pressures. By using two inflation pressures, the processor extrapolates further load-deflection curves for the tire at other inflation pressures. The apparatus also provides a unique way for imparting camber on the tire during the above tests. The data collected from the foot print image and load-deflection curves may be used to analyze the construction, operation, noise generation characteristics and performance of the tire.

Apparatus and related methods for automatically testing and analyzing

An apparatus and method uses a pair of transducers, such as lasers, mounted on the tire/wheel assembly of a mowing vehicle for measuring the actual angles of camber experienced by the vehicle tire as the vehicle moves along an actual road surface. The pair of lasers are mounted in a predetermined horizontal spaced relationship on a bracket mounted on and extending perpendicularly outwardly from a non-rotating hub mounted on the tire/wheel assembly. The reflected laser beams from the pair of lasers are continually measured as the vehicle moves along the road surface. The reflected beams determine the change in spacings of the two lasers above the road surface from which can be calculated the angles of camber continuously imparted on the tire/wheel assembly. This data is collected and stored in a computer located in the vehicle and captures the tire's operating camber angles with respect to an actual road surface when used on a particular vehicle. The stored data is later supplied to tire test equipment at a remote test facility to duplicate the actual road camber experienced on the test tire on other test tires at the test facility to simulate the real-world environment for a particular tire on a particular vehicle without repeating the more costly tests on the actual moving vehicle at a remote test track.

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Akron, OH, United States of America

Stanley J Olesky