Abstract: A method and a system for determining a cornering angle of a tire fitted on a vehicle during a running of the vehicle on a rolling surface includes the steps of determining the lateral acceleration of a portion of the tire tread spaced apart from the equatorial plane of the tire; determining a rotation speed of the tire; and determining the cornering angle from the lateral acceleration and the radial speed by using characteristic curves of lateral acceleration amplitude versus predetermined values of cornering angle for at least one rotation speed.

Abstract: A method for monitoring a tire during running includes acquiring and storing, at least temporarily, a first curve representing an acceleration profile of a first point of a tread area of the tire; acquiring and storing, at least temporarily, at least one second curve representing an acceleration profile of a second point of the tread area; and comparing the first curve and the at least one second curve, or parameters derived from the first curve and the at least one second curve, so as to determine a dynamic behavior of the tire. The first and second points are located substantially on a same meridian plane of the tire. A related tire, wheel for a vehicle, system for monitoring a tire during running, and method for controlling a vehicle are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of signalling an aquaplaning condition of a tyre, the latter rolling on a rolling surface, a footprint area being defined between the tyre and the rolling surface, a layer of water being interposed between the tyre and the rolling surface, includes: detecting a first signal representative of a deformation of the tyre due to rolling of the tyre on the rolling surface, the first signal including at least one portion representative of the interaction between the tyre and the layer of water; processing the first signal so as to determine a parameter representative of an aquaplaning condition of the tyre as a function of the first signal; and generating a notification signal as a function of the at least one parameter. A system for signalling an aquaplaning condition of a tyre.

Abstract: A method for wear control of vehicle tyres, includes: detecting deformation of an inner surface of a first tyre by means of a first sensor; determining a first level of wear of the first tyre; detecting a deformation of an inner surface of a second tyre by means of a second sensor; determining a second level of wear of the second tyre; comparing the first and second levels of wear with each other; and generating a notification signal representative of the comparison. Also disclosed is a system for wear control of vehicle tyres, a method of determining the wear of a tyre and a system for determining the wear of a tyre.

Abstract: Fastened to a tire is a detecting device consisting of a detecting unit including an antenna operatively connected to a sensor unit and a power supply unit including a piezoelectric element mounted in a housing. The piezoelectric element is disposed within the housing so as to have a first end substantially fixed to the housing and a second end associated with a loading mass, a gap being formed between at least one inner wall of the housing and an outer surface of the loading mass. The piezoelectric element is positioned substantially along a plane orthogonal to a radial direction of the tire. An anchoring body has a base portion with a fastening surface secured to the radially internal surface of the tire. The detecting unit is brought into engagement with the anchoring body by insertion of the inner perimetral edge of the antenna into a perimetral groove formed between the base portion and a retaining portion.

Abstract: Fastened to a tire is a detecting device consisting of a detecting unit including a sensor associated with an annular antenna having an inner perimetral edge, and an anchoring body having a base portion with a fastening surface secured to the radially internal surface of the tire. The detecting unit is removably brought into engagement with the anchoring body by insertion of the inner perimetral edge of the antenna into a perimetral groove formed between the base portion and a retaining portion. The anchoring body has an overall height of about 0.2 to about 1.5 times a maximum distance measure between two mutually spaced apart points along the inner perimetral edge.

Abstract: A method for determining a load exerted on a tire, fitted on a vehicle, during running of the vehicle on a rolling surface, is disclosed. The method includes acquiring a first signal comprising a first signal portion representative of a radial deformation; measuring an amplitude of the radial deformation in the first signal portion; estimating a rotation speed of the tire corresponding to the radial deformation; estimating an inflation pressure of the tire corresponding to the radial deformation; and deriving the load exerted on the tire from the amplitude, the rotation speed, and the inflation pressure. The first signal portion is representative of the radial deformation to which a first tread area portion of the tire is subjected during passage of the first tread area portion through a contact region between the tire and the rolling surface. A system for determining the load exerted on the tire is also disclosed.

Abstract: A tire having an internal surface of substantially toroidal conformation, includes an electronic device including an electronic unit and an antenna, the latter being connected with the electronic unit and having an inner perimetral edge, and an anchoring body mounted on the internal surface for engagement between the electronic device and the tire, the anchoring body including at least two portions, said electronic unit being arranged between the portions. Each of the portions has a fastening surface secured to the internal surface of the tire and a groove in which the inner perimetral edge of the antenna is fitted to maintain a constraint between the electronic unit and the anchoring body. Also disclosed is a method of installing an electronic unit into a tire.

Abstract: A wheel for vehicles includes a rim, a tyre mounted on the rim, and at least one device for energy generation operatively associated with the tyre. The device for energy generation includes a first element that is fixed relative to the rim or to the tyre, and a second element mounted on the first element and free to rotate relative to the first element around a predetermined rotation axis. The second element has a mass centre eccentric to the predetermined rotation axis. The device for energy generation further includes an electric generator having a stator mounted on the first element and a rotor mounted on the second element.

Abstract: A device includes: a wireless receiver unit adapted to receive signals from at least one sensor mounted on a vehicle, wherein the signals received from the at least one sensor carry data related to operating parameters of at least one vehicle's component, detected by the at least one sensor; an interface adapted to the coupling of the device to a peripherals connection port of a vehicle's data processing system integrated in the vehicle, the peripherals connection port being accessible to users within the vehicle's cabin for the connection of peripheral type electronic devices. The device, when coupled to the peripherals connection port of the vehicle's data processing system, is operable to transfer thereto the data related to vehicle's operating parameters detected by the at least one sensor and to enable the vehicle's data processing system to process the transferred data for the interpretation of the operating parameters.

Abstract: A method for determining the force at the hub of a wheel of a vehicle while traveling. The wheel includes a rim and at least one deformation sensor directly associated with the rim in at least one predetermined position and arranged according to at least one predetermined orientation. The method includes the steps of detecting at least one deformation component of the rim during travel through the at least one deformation sensor; applying to the at least one deformation component, during travel, a correlation parameter characteristic of the rim, between the force at the hub and the relative deformation of the rim to determine at least one force component at the hub correlated with the at least one deformation component of the rim.

Abstract: A tyre includes a flexible piezoelectric element associated with an energy storage device (e.g. a capacitor). The flexible piezoelectric element is mounted in cantilever-beam fashion within a housing so that a first end thereof is fixed to the housing. A loading mass is associated with the second end of the flexible piezoelectric element. A small gap is formed between the inner walls of the housing and the outer surface of the loading mass in order to allow limited flexure of the piezoelectric element. The housing, including the piezoelectric element, is mounted in a crown portion of the tyre, preferably on the inner surface of the tyre. The piezoelectric element flexes under the action of the longitudinal acceleration when the tyre rotates. Sufficient electrical power for powering an electronic device included within the tyre is obtained, together with a long durability of the piezoelectric element.

Abstract: A method for determining the roughness of a tyre rolling surface by the steps of providing a first signal representative of the motion of at least one point of the tyre during rolling of the surface and processing the first signal for providing an output indicative of the roughness of the rolling surface of the tyre.

Abstract: An oscillating structure is coupled to a crown portion of a tyre. The oscillating structure includes a housing and a piezoelectric element coupled to the housing. The piezoelectric element is able to oscillate in an oscillation direction, which could match either a longitudinal or a radial direction of the tyre. An electrical signal generated by the piezoelectric element is processed so as to determine at least one operating parameter of the tyre. The processing includes determining whether a rotation speed of the tyre is greater than a threshold speed; and, in the negative, extracting information for determining the at least one operating parameter of the tyre from a low-pass filtered signal. Such low-pass filtered signal is obtained by removing at least frequency components of the electrical signal having a frequency higher than or equal to a resonance peak frequency of the oscillating structure.

Abstract: A method of determining at least one parameter representative of at least one interaction along a longitudinal direction between a tyre and the ground, includes identifying a first parameter representative of a radial deformation of the tyre; determining a first and a second value of the first parameter in respective neighbourhoods of a first and a second longitudinal end of a footprint area defined between the tyre and ground; calculating a linear combination of the values thereby obtaining a second parameter; determining a third parameter representative of an angular velocity of the tyre; calculating a ratio between the second and third parameters; and calculating a main parameter, starting from the ratio, according to an algorithm, which main parameter is representative of a longitudinal interaction between the tyre and the ground.

Abstract: Fastened to a tyre is a detecting device consisting of a detecting unit including a sensor associated with an annular antenna having an inner perimetral edge, and an anchoring body having a base portion with a fastening surface secured to the radially internal surface of the tyre. The detecting unit is removably brought into engagement with the anchoring body by insertion of the inner perimetral edge of the antenna into a perimetral groove formed between the base portion and a retaining portion. The anchoring body has an overall height of about 0.2 to about 1.5 times a maximum distance measure between two mutually spaced apart points along the inner perimetral edge.

Abstract: A pneumatic tyre for vehicle wheels with a radially inner surface of a substantially toroidal conformation, includes at least one antenna provided with an electrically conductive elongated body in engagement with the radially inner surface through a plurality of constraint elements. Each pair of consecutive constraint elements identifies an orthodromic distance smaller than the length of the elongated-body portion between this pair of elements. Also described is a method of setting the antenna on the inner surface of the tyre.

Abstract: A wheel for vehicles includes a rim, a tyre mounted on the rim, and at least one device for energy generation operatively associated with the tyre. The device for energy generation includes a first element that is fixed relative to the rim or to the tyre, and a second element mounted on the first element and free to rotate relative to the first element around a predetermined rotation axis. The second element has a mass centre eccentric to the predetermined rotation axis. The device for energy generation further includes an electric generator having a stator mounted on the first element and a rotor mounted on the second element.

Abstract: A tyre having an internal surface of substantially toroidal conformation, includes an electronic device including an electronic unit and an antenna, the latter being connected with the electronic unit and having an inner perimetral edge, and an anchoring body mounted on the internal surface for engagement between the electronic device and the tyre, the anchoring body including at least two portions, said electronic unit being arranged between the portions. Each of the portions has a fastening surface secured to the internal surface of the tyre and a groove in which the inner perimetral edge of the antenna is fitted to maintain a constraint between the electronic unit and the anchoring body. Also disclosed is a method of installing an electronic unit into a tyre.

Abstract: A method and a system for determining a cornering angle of a tyre fitted on a vehicle during running of the vehicle on a rolling surface. The tyre has an equatorial plane. In the method, the length of the contact region between the tyre and the rolling surface is estimated, the length being measured at a distance from the equatorial plane; the load exerted on the tyre is estimated; a camber angle to which the tyre is subjected, is estimated; and the cornering angle is derived from the camber angle, tyre load and contact region length.