A tire (12) with a polymer plug (10) for tread wear sensing is disclosed. The tire (12) comprises a pair of sidewalls (20), each one of which extends radially outwardly from a respective bead area (16) to a tread (22). The tread (22) is formed with a plurality of tread elements (32) and a radially outer surface (34). A chamber (42) is formed in a selected one of the tread elements (32). A sensor unit (28) is mounted to the tire (12), the sensor unit (28) including a pair of electrical contacts (54). The polymer plug (10) includes a wire (60) being disposed in the chamber (42), the wire (60) including proximal ends (62) and a distal end (64) near the radially outer surface (34) of the tread (22). A cured polymer is provided in the chamber (42). An electrical circuit (56) is formed by each proximal end (62) of the wire (60) electrically contacting a respective one of the sensor unit electrical contacts (54), whereby when the selected one of the tread elements (32) wears down to the distal end (64) of the wire (60), the distal end (64) of the wire breaks, thereby breaking the electrical circuit (56).
TIRE WITH POLYMER PLUG FOR TREAD WEAR SENSING AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING
REIFEN MIT POLYMERSTECKER FÜR LAUFFLÄCHENABNUTZUNGSERFASSUNG UND VERFAHREN ZUR HERSTELLUNG
PNEU DOTÉ D'UN BOUCHON DE POLYMÈRE POUR LA DÉTECTION D'USURE DE BANDE DE ROULEMENT ET SON PROCÉDÉ DE FABRICATION
02.04.2025
Patent
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch