Patents by Inventor Julien Flament

Julien Flament has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10369850
    Abstract: A tire has a form of a torus that is open radially on an inside portion. The tire includes inner and outer walls, a crown, two sidewalls, two beads, a crown reinforcement, and a carcass reinforcement anchored in the beads and extending at least from the beads as far as the crown. The inner wall is covered at least in part with an airtight layer, and the airtight layer is covered at least in part with a layer of a self-sealing product. Each of the beads includes an annular reinforcing structure, with each annular reinforcing structure being formed of a plurality of windings of a single metal thread. The windings are arranged in a plurality of radially superposed layers, with each layer having a group of the windings arranged axially in a side by side manner, such that the superposed layers have a hexagonal cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin
    Inventors: Jose Merino Lopez, Michel Ahouanto, Serge Lefebvre, Julien Flament
  • Patent number: 9669663
    Abstract: Tyre comprising a tread, this tread including a rolling surface (12) intended to come into contact with the ground, at least one circumferential row of upstanding elements (11), these upstanding elements (11) being separated from one another in the circumferential direction by incisions (20) of transverse or substantially transverse orientation, each incision (20) of transverse or substantially transverse orientation leading onto the rolling surface (12) and having a depth P, each incision (20) forming, on the rolling surface of the tyre when new, two facing edges (21, 22), these edges (21, 22) delimiting at least one narrow portion (30) of the incision, i.e. a portion having a mean width LE less than or equal to 2 mm, and at least one wide portion (40) of the incision, i.e.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignees: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE S.A.
    Inventors: Eric Berger, Julien Flament, Olivier Muhlhoff
  • Patent number: 9233580
    Abstract: Tire tread provided with circumferential grooves delimiting two edge rows provided with a plurality of transverse grooves, those of one edge row forming at least one bearing block protruding on at least one delimiting wall, each comprising a surface capable of coming into contact with another surface during contact with the ground and at least one passageway for a fluid between each bearing block of a groove and the bottom of the groove. For each edge row, the mean surface indentation ratio Tc is at least 0.7 and at most 1.6 times E/R, where E is the mean thickness for all grooves comprising active surfaces measured between a radially outermost point of the active surface and a radially outermost point of the reinforcing belt, R is the mean distance for all transverse grooves comprising active surfaces measured between the point of the active surface that is radially outermost and the rotation axis of the tire provided with the tread.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignees: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ESTABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE S.A.
    Inventors: Julien Flament, François Le-Hen
  • Publication number: 20150075691
    Abstract: A tyre has a form of a torus that is open radially on an inside portion. The tyre includes inner and outer walls, a crown, two sidewalls, two beads, a crown reinforcement, and a carcass reinforcement anchored in the beads and extending at least from the beads as far as the crown. The inner wall is covered at least in part with an airtight layer, and the airtight layer is covered at least in part with a layer of a self-sealing product. Each of the beads includes an annular reinforcing structure, with each annular reinforcing structure being formed of a plurality of windings of a single metal thread. The windings are arranged in a plurality of radially superposed layers, with each layer having a group of the windings arranged axially in a side by side manner, such that the superposed layers have a hexagonal cross section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2013
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Applicants: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ESTABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, Michelin Recherche et Techniques S.A.
    Inventors: Jose Merino Lopez, Michel Ahouanto, Serge Lefebvre, Julien Flament
  • Publication number: 20140202604
    Abstract: The invention relates to a tyre designed to be fitted to a light vehicle, comprising: two beads (20) designed to come into contact with a mounting rim, each bead comprising at least one annular reinforcing structure (70); two side walls (30) extending the beads radially outwards, the two side walls meeting in a crown; at least one carcass reinforcement (60) anchored in the beads and extending from the beads, through the side walls as far as the crown, the carcass reinforcement comprising a plurality of carcass reinforcing elements (61), these carcass reinforcing elements being textile and oriented radially; a crown reinforcement consisting of a fabric (180) of textile reinforcing elements, which are oriented at ±45° with respect to the circumferential direction; the crown reinforcement being surmounted by a textile hooping reinforcement (100) and by a tread (40), the hooping reinforcement being formed of reinforcing elements (101) that are oriented circumferentially.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventor: Julien Flament
  • Publication number: 20140166172
    Abstract: Tyre comprising a tread, this tread including a rolling surface (12) intended to come into contact with the ground, at least one circumferential row of upstanding elements (11), these upstanding elements (11) being separated from one another in the circumferential direction by incisions (20) of transverse or substantially transverse orientation, each incision (20) of transverse or substantially transverse orientation leading onto the rolling surface (12) and having a depth P, each incision (20) forming, on the rolling surface of the tyre when new, two facing edges (21, 22), these edges (21, 22) delimiting at least one narrow portion (30) of the incision, i.e. a portion having a mean width LE less than or equal to 2 mm, and at least one wide portion (40) of the incision, i.e.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicants: MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE S.A., COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Eric Berger, Julien Flament, Olivier Muhlhoff
  • Publication number: 20130192733
    Abstract: Tire tread provided with circumferential grooves delimiting two edge rows provided with a plurality of transverse grooves, those of one edge row forming at least one bearing block protruding on at least one delimiting wall, each comprising a surface capable of coming into contact with another surface during contact with the ground and at least one passageway for a fluid between each bearing block of a groove and the bottom of the groove. For each edge row, the mean surface indentation ratio Tc is at least 0.7 and at most 1.6 times E/R, where E is the mean thickness for all grooves comprising active surfaces measured between a radially outermost point of the active surface and a radially outermost point of the reinforcing belt, R is the mean distance for all transverse grooves comprising active surfaces measured between the point of the active surface that is radially outermost and the rotation axis of the tire provided with the tread.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicants: MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE S.A., COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Julien Flament, François Le-Hen
  • Patent number: 7454964
    Abstract: An effort transmitted between a vehicle wheel and a wheel support is determined by mounting a tire/wheel assembly for rotation on a wheel support having a dynamic hub rigidly connected on a fixed frame such that the only degree of freedom of the assembly is rotation about the hub axis. The tire is pressed against an excitation device and the resulting fixed support effort transmitted between the wheel and the wheel support is measured. On the basis of the measured fixed support effort, there is calculated a suspended support effort which would be transmitted between the wheel and a wheel support having a degree of freedom of suspension in at least one direction (X, Y, Z) in relation to the excitation device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche Et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Julien Flament, Patrice Estor, Christophe Egerszegi
  • Publication number: 20070179679
    Abstract: A method for determining effort transmitted between the wheel of a vehicle and a wheel support, comprising the following steps: the wheel (36) is pivotably mounted in a wheel support (27), said wheel being provided with a tyre; the tyre is pressed against means of excitation (29); a fixed support effort (F<SP>SF</SP>) which is transmitted between the wheel and the wheel support when the tyre is excited with the means of excitation is measured, wherein the wheel support (27) is fixed in at least one direction in relation to the means of excitation. The invention is characterised by a step consisting in calculating (37) a suspended effort (F<SP>SS</SP>), which is transmitted between the wheel and the wheel support (30), having a degree of freedom of suspension in at least one direction in relation to the means of excitation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2004
    Publication date: August 2, 2007
    Inventors: Julien Flament, Patrice Estor, Christophe Egerszegi
  • Publication number: 20070144657
    Abstract: A method for controlling uniformity in tire manufacturing includes the steps of measuring the radial runout of an uncured tire carcass, modeling the radial force variation contribution of the carcass from the radial runout measurement, measuring the thickness of the tire tread, modeling the mass imbalance of the tread from the tread thickness measurement, forming a green tire by loading the tread onto the carcass at an angle whereby the radial force variation contribution of the carcass is opposed to the tread mass imbalance determined from the tread mass imbalance model, and placing the green tire in a curing press at an angle which minimizes the radial force variation or mass imbalance of the green tire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2006
    Publication date: June 28, 2007
    Inventors: Julien Flament, James Michael Traylor
  • Publication number: 20060137802
    Abstract: A method for controlling uniformity in tire manufacturing includes the steps of building at least one tire according to a series of process steps, determining summit mass imbalance of a tire, modeling green carcass radial runout as a sum of vectors representing contributions arising from the tire building steps, determining carcass force variation, determining a vectorial equation for the prediction of high speed uniformity based on at least the green tire radial runout and the summit mass imbalance of the tire, modifying the process to rotate the summit in relation to the carcass in order to optimize high speed uniformity per the said vectorial equation, and building at least one additional tire according to the modified series of process steps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2005
    Publication date: June 29, 2006
    Inventors: Julien Flament, James Traylor
  • Publication number: 20050262933
    Abstract: Methodology for characterizing non-uniformity forces at a tire spindle, such as low and high speed radial force variations and high speed tangential force variations include the steps of measuring radial run out and radial or tangential force variations at high and/or low speeds. From such measurements, the contribution of a predetermined type of stiffness variation (e.g. radial, tangential, extensional, bending) to respective radial and/or tangential force variations can be determined. Signature analysis statistical methods may also be utilized to characterize such tire non-uniform forces for different steps and reference physical angles of a tire construction process. Based on the characterization of such tire non-uniform forces, additional process steps may further correspond to tire grading and/or sorting processes, physical tire modification processes and tire manufacturing processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2004
    Publication date: December 1, 2005
    Inventors: Fang Zhu, Julien Flament
  • Patent number: 6516849
    Abstract: A vehicle wheel, comprising a rim, a disc, a tire defining with the rim a circumferential cavity C, and at least one resonator suitable for attenuating a natural resonant frequency of said cavity, said wheel also comprising a safety support, for supporting the tread of this tire from the inside in the event of loss of inflation pressure, said support providing at least one of the walls of said resonator. The invention also provides for the safety support comprising resonators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Julien Flament, Denis Jubert
  • Publication number: 20020104600
    Abstract: A vehicle wheel, comprising a rim, a disc, a tire defining with the rim a circumferential cavity C, and at least one resonator suitable for attenuating a natural resonant frequency of said cavity, said wheel also comprising a safety support, for supporting the tread of this tire from the inside in the event of loss of inflation pressure, said support providing at least one of the walls of said resonator. The invention also provides for the safety support comprising resonators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2002
    Publication date: August 8, 2002
    Applicant: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.(Switzerland)
    Inventors: Julien Flament, Denis Jubert