The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 12, 2015
Filed:
Jun. 15, 2010
Patrice R. Estor, Greer, SC (US);
Julien Matthieu Flament, Clemont-Ferrand, FR;
Verner Steve Nicholson, Pelzer, SC (US);
Anton Felipe Thomas, Greer, SC (US);
Gene Edward DE Amicis, Mt. Pleasant, SC (US);
Frank E. Gramling, Simpsonville, SC (US);
David Andrew Judd, Mauldin, SC (US);
Bradley D. Schober, Greer, SC (US);
Patrice R. Estor, Greer, SC (US);
Julien Matthieu Flament, Clemont-Ferrand, FR;
Verner Steve Nicholson, Pelzer, SC (US);
Anton Felipe Thomas, Greer, SC (US);
Gene Edward De Amicis, Mt. Pleasant, SC (US);
Frank E. Gramling, Simpsonville, SC (US);
David Andrew Judd, Mauldin, SC (US);
Bradley D. Schober, Greer, SC (US);
Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A., Granges-Paccot, CH;
Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand, FR;
Abstract
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.