Bridgestone Corporation

Bridgestion Corporation

Yoshinori Imamura

Yuji Sakaguchi

Takeo Takagi

Koji Takao

Masanobu Toyofuku

Eiji Ichihara

Shuhei Tsuchie

Takehiko Yamada

Tatehiko Yamada

There are provided a process and the like for judging a residual lifetime of a run-flat tire and an end stage of the residual lifetime thereof during continuous running at a run-flat state. The process for judging the residual lifetime of the tire of the invention is characterized in that in a vehicle equipped with a run-flat tire system comprising run-flat tiresand detection unitseach arranged in the respective tireand capable of measuring an atmosphere temperature in at least an interiorof the tire, when the tireis continuously run at the run-flat state by an extreme lowering of an internal pressure accompanied with the occurrence of puncture or the like, after a limit temperature being statistically an occurrence of trouble is previously set, the atmosphere temperature inside tire of the run-flat tire continuously running at the run-flat state is measured, and a runnable time and/or distance until the run-flat tire results in trouble is predicted by using the atmosphere temperature inside tire measured and data calculated therefrom.

Method device and recording medium where program is recorded, for deciding residual travel life and end of life of run-flat tire that continues traveling in run-flat condition

A tire-information administration system includes a plurality of sensor modules installed in tires; at least one reception module configured to receive data from the sensor modules; and a central control module configured to command the reception module to acquire data from the sensor modules. The central control module includes a predetermined number of connection ports for the reception module, assigned in advance to each sensor modules; and a specifically configured control means. The control means sequentially outputs at predetermined sampling time a command of data acquisition from a sensor module, to the connection port assigned to each sensor module; assigns the connection port to the sensor module for the next sampling, when there is a data input from the sensor module in response to the command; assigns data acquisition from the sensor module to another connection port, and assigns the other connection port to the sensor module for the next sampling, when there is no data input from the sensor module even by the command issuance. Thus, the tire-information administration system maintains communications even in case of troubles of the reception modules or damages of tires.

Tire-information administration system

A method for directly and accurately estimating friction coefficient of a road surface independently from the slip rate is disclosed. The method measures tangential and vertical forces acting on an elastic bodyof an elastic wheel, and calculates the friction coefficient of a road surface based on the measured values of these forces and angular rate of the wheel

Road surface friction coefficient estimating method, signal multiplex transmission method and signal multiplex transmission device

A magnet for control valve includes a housing having an inlet and an outlet for a pressurized fluid, a valve seat member having a conical inner surface valve seat, a spherical valve body adapted to be in line contact with the valve seat, a throttle adjusting plate made of a magnetic material shiftable toward and away from the valve seat, and an electromagnet for attracting and releasing the throttle adjusting plate to shift the valve body toward and away from the valve seat. According to the invention a sheet, preferably made of urethane foam is arranged on a side of the throttle adjusting plate opposite to the valve body, thereby eliminating noise caused by self-oscillation of the valve body and throttle adjusting plate, while maintaining high responsibility as a magnetic control valve.

Magnetic flow control valve

A magnet for control valve includes a housing having an inlet and an outlet for a pressurized fluid, a valve seat member having a conical inner surface valve seat, a spherical valve body adapted to be in line contact with the valve seat, a throttle adjusting plate made of a magnetic material shiftable toward and away from the valve seat, and an electromagnet for attracting and releasing the throttle adjusting plate to shift the valve body toward and away from the valve seat. According to the invention, a sheet, preferably made of urethane foam is arranged on a side of the throttle adjusting plate opposite to the valve body, thereby eliminating noise caused by self-oscillation of the valve body and throttle adjusting plate, while maintaining high responsibility as a magnet control valve.

A brake device for use in an arm of a robot or manipulator cmprises a brake drum, a lever pivotally supported at its intermediate portion, a brake shoe provided on the lever between its pivotally supported point and its one end, a pneumatic actuator axially contractible upon applying internal pressure thereinto and having a movable end connected to the one end or the other end of the lever, and a spring connected to one end of the lever not connected to the actuator so as to operate to elongate the actuator. This brake device is remarkably small-sized and of light-weight and consumes only small amount of fluid pressure to contribute economy of energy in comparison with prior art brake devices. The brake device according to the invention is applicable to a robot arm comprising a rotating member connected to the brake drum so as to rotate together, and two elastic actuators whose one ends are connected to a stationary member and the other are connected to each other through the rotating member in a manner to rotate the rotating member by contraction of the one actuator and simultaneous extension of the other actuator. At least one of the actuators is a pneumatic actuator axially contractible upon applying internal pressure thereinto.

Growing community of inventors

Kodaira, Japan

Yoshinori Imamura