Synergos, Lllp

Tom Gormley

Frank S Barnes

Richard Frey

A vehicle tire inspection apparatus includes a flat plate, a flexible bladder containing a quantity of fluid, and transducers on the plate. The plate is made of a transparent yieldable resilient bendable material capable of transmitting an inflated vehicle tire footprint and of undergoing a deflection in response to the supported weight on the tire applied thereon. The bladder is supported on the top side of the plate and has an upper opaque portion of a first color, a lower transparent portion and an enclosed interior cavity. The fluid contained within the cavity is of a second color different from the first color of the upper bladder portion. The fluid is displaceable within the bladder as the upper bladder portion is forced toward the lower bladder portion when the tire is applied upon the upper bladder portion so as to create an image of the footprint of the tire viewable on the bottom side of the plate by contrast between the second color of the fluid viewable where a tread of the tire does not press the upper bladder portion against the lower bladder portion on the top side of the plate and the first color of the opaque material of the upper bladder portion viewable where the tread of the tire presses the upper bladder portion against the lower bladder portion on the top side of the plate. The transducers are attached to the bottom side of the plate and undergo deformations proportional to the deflection of the plate and produce electrical signals proportional to the deformations.

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, CO, United States of America

Tom Gormley