Abstract: A tire and membrane system includes a tire, an electronics package, and a membrane body attached to the electronics package. A width of the membrane body is less than 120% of a width of a tread of the tire. A length of the membrane body is less than 50% of a circumference of the tire. A bottom surface of the membrane body is configured to lie flat against an inner surface of the tire. The membrane body is not attached to the tire.

Abstract: A system for powering an electronic device within a tire is provided, the system comprising: a generator; an electrically conductive wheel coated in a non-conductive coating, the wheel including rim lips, wherein one of the rim lips includes a conductive area; the tire including bead portions, sidewalls, shoulders, a tread oriented in a tread region, and an inner surface; a conductive element extending from a bead portion, and in contact with the inner surface; an electronic device within the vehicle tire; and a ground path extending through a thickness of the vehicle tire from the inner surface to an exterior surface in a contact patch of the tread; wherein the generator is electrically connected to the electrically conductive wheel; wherein the electronic device is electrically connected to the conductive element and the ground path; and wherein the conducive element contacts the conductive area.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for vehicle wheel position localization includes accumulating in data storage information regarding temperature characteristics corresponding to each of a respective plurality of wheel positions for each of one or more types of vehicles. The information regarding temperature characteristics may be information regarding temperature rise characteristics associated with a given load. Contained air temperature data is collected from sensors respectively associated with a tire mounted on a vehicle. The sensors may for example be TPMS sensors. A local computing unit or remote server identifies a wheel position associated with the tire, based on a comparison of the collected contained air temperature over a period of time with respect to the stored information regarding temperature characteristics.

Abstract: Tire sensing systems operable to determine one or more physical characteristics of a tire include millimeter wave transmitting and receiving devices. A processor is communicatively coupled with a memory that includes instructions to transmit and receive a millimeter wave toward and from the tire. Memory also includes instructions to image first and second radial extents of the tire based on the received millimeter wave as well as instructions to determine a dimensional difference between the first and second radial extents of the tire. Vehicles including such tire sensing systems as well as non-transitory machine-readable storage mediums and methods are also included.

Abstract: An assembly for mounting an electronics package to a tire includes an electronics package, a mount with a peripheral flange, and an attachment patch. The electronics package is connected to the mount, which is in contact with the tire. The attachment patch is connected to the mount and includes a central opening that it smaller than the peripheral flange. The attachment patch is further affixed to the tire.

Abstract: A system for powering an electronic device within a tire is provided, the system comprising: a generator; an electrically conductive wheel coated in a non-conductive coating, the wheel including rim lips, wherein one of the rim lips includes a conductive area; the tire including bead portions, sidewalls, shoulders, a tread oriented in a tread region, and an inner surface; a conductive element extending from a bead portion, and in contact with the inner surface; an electronic device within the vehicle tire; and a ground path extending through a thickness of the vehicle tire from the inner surface to an exterior surface in a contact patch of the tread; wherein the generator is electrically connected to the electrically conductive wheel; wherein the electronic device is electrically connected to the conductive element and the ground path; and wherein the conducive element contacts the conductive area.

Abstract: A tire and membrane system includes a tire, an electronics package, and a membrane body attached to the electronics package. A width of the membrane body is less than 120% of a width of a tread of the tire. A length of the membrane body is less than 50% of a circumference of the tire. A bottom surface of the membrane body is configured to lie flat against an inner surface of the tire. The membrane body is not attached to the tire.

Abstract: Tires having a magnetic tire sealing material containing magnetic particles are described for detecting the presence of one or more sealed punctures in the tire. The tires can have a sealed tire portion that is formed by the magnetic tire sealing material flowing into and filling a puncture in the tire. The sealed tire portion includes a portion having magnetic particles and the portion being at the outer surface of the tire such as in the tread area. The tire can be positioned within the detection zone of an apparatus capable of detecting magnetic particles to indicate whether the tire contains a sealed puncture filled with the magnetic tire sealing material.

Abstract: A system for powering an electronic device within a tire is provided, the system comprising: a generator; an electrically conductive wheel coated in a non-conductive coating, the wheel including rim lips, wherein one of the rim lips includes a conductive area; the tire including bead portions, sidewalls, shoulders, a tread oriented in a tread region, and an inner surface; a conductive element extending from a bead portion, and in contact with the inner surface; an electronic device within the vehicle tire; and a ground path extending through a thickness of the vehicle tire from the inner surface to an exterior surface in a contact patch of the tread; wherein the generator is electrically connected to the electrically conductive wheel; wherein the electronic device is electrically connected to the conductive element and the ground path; and wherein the conducive element contacts the conductive area.

Abstract: Tires having an electrically conductive tire sealing material containing metallic electrically conductive particles are described for detecting the presence of one or more sealed puncture areas in the tire. The tires can have a sealed tire portion that is formed by the electrically conductive tire sealing material flowing into and filling a puncture in the tire. The sealed tire portion includes a portion having electrically conductive particles and the portion being at the outer surface of the tire such as in the tread area. The tire can be positioned to be in contact with a conductive section of an apparatus capable of measuring electrical conductivity.

Abstract: A tire and securing element assembly includes a tire inflated at a first pressure and a securing element. The securing element is an inflatable hoop inflated at a second pressure at least 10% greater than the first pressure. The securing element abuts an inner surface of the tire across 30-90% of a tread width. The securing element has a cross sectional area between about 0.4 and 47.0 cm2.

Abstract: A system for powering an electronic device within a tire is provided, the system comprising: a generator electrically connected to an electrically conductive wheel, the tire being mounted upon the wheel; the tire including bead portions, sidewalls, shoulders, a tread oriented in a tread region, and an inner surface; at least one conductive element extending from a bead portion, and in contact with the inner surface along a sidewall, along a shoulder, and terminating in the tread region; at least one electronic device within the vehicle tire; and at least one ground path extending through a thickness of the vehicle tire from the inner surface to an exterior surface in a contact patch of the tread; and wherein the at least one electronic device is electrically connected to the at least one conductive element and the at least one ground path.

Abstract: A system for powering an electronic device within a tire is provided, the system comprising: a generator electrically connected to an electrically conductive wheel, the tire being mounted upon the wheel; the tire including bead portions, sidewalls, shoulders, a tread oriented in a tread region, an inner surface, and a metallic cord oriented within an interior of the tire; at least one conductive element extending from a bead portion and piercing into the interior of the tire and electrically connecting to the metallic cord; at least one electronic device within the vehicle tire; and at least one ground path extending through a thickness of the vehicle tire from the inner surface to an exterior surface in a contact patch of the tread; and wherein the at least one electronic device is electrically connected to the metallic cord and the at least one ground path.

Abstract: A system for powering an electronic device within a tire is provided, the system comprising: a generator; an electrically conductive wheel coated in a non-conductive coating, the wheel including rim lips, wherein one of the rim lips includes a conductive area; the tire including bead portions, sidewalls, shoulders, a tread oriented in a tread region, and an inner surface; a conductive element extending from a bead portion, and in contact with the inner surface; an electronic device within the vehicle tire; and a ground path extending through a thickness of the vehicle tire from the inner surface to an exterior surface in a contact patch of the tread; wherein the generator is electrically connected to the electrically conductive wheel; wherein the electronic device is electrically connected to the conductive element and the ground path; and wherein the conducive element contacts the conductive area.

Abstract: A system for powering an electronic device within a tire is provided, the system comprising: a generator electrically connected to an electrically conductive wheel, the tire being mounted upon the wheel; the tire including bead portions, sidewalls, shoulders, a tread oriented in a trend region, an inner surface, and a metallic cord oriented within an interior of the tire; at least one conductive element extending from a bead portion and piercing into the interior of the tire and electrically connecting to the metallic cord; at least one electronic device within the vehicle tire; and at least one ground path extending through a thickness of the vehicle tire from the inner surface to an exterior surface in a contact patch of the tread; and wherein the at least one electronic device is electrically connected to the metallic cord and the at least one ground path.

Abstract: A tire and wheel assembly includes a wheel having a portal and a tire mounted on the wheel, thereby forming a cavity. The assembly further includes a deflection sensor mounted on the wheel over the portal, at a location outside the cavity such that no portion of the deflection sensor is inside the cavity.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for efficiently estimating vehicle tire wear. Vehicle kinetics (first) data are provided via one or more sensors associated with the vehicle and/or at least one associated tire. The vehicle kinetics data are locally processed to compress or otherwise generate second data as a reduced subset thereof, said second data representative of the first data and comprising any one or more predetermined wear-specific features extracted therefrom. The second data are selectively transmitted via a communications network to a remote computing system, which processes the second data to estimate a wear characteristic for the at least one tire. Alternatively, the second data processed to generate third data as a reconstruction of the first data, and the third data and the any one or more extracted features are processed to estimate a wear characteristic for the at least one tire.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for Bayesian updating of distributions of factors that affect tire wear. Information is accumulated in data storage regarding probability distributions corresponding to each of a respective plurality of tire wear factors. Vehicle data comprising movement data and location data collected in association with a vehicle is transmitted from the vehicle to a centralized (e.g., cloud) computing device or network. At least one observation corresponding to one or more of the plurality of factors is generated based on the transmitted vehicle data. A Bayesian estimation is then generated of a tire wear status at a given time for at least one tire associated with the vehicle, based at least on the at least one generated observation and the stored information regarding probability distributions. The predictions accordingly carry a measure of uncertainty, and Bayesian inference can be used to update distributions based on the observations.

Abstract: A radar-based-sensing system for a tire includes a plurality of sensors disposed circumferentially around a tire annulus. Each sensor in the plurality of sensors is permanently disposed within the tire annulus. Each sensor in the plurality of sensors is further disposed radially above any metal structures within the tire annulus, and each sensor in the plurality of sensors emits waves and senses reflected waves when rotating.

Abstract: An assembly for mounting an electronics package to a tire includes an electronics package, a mount with a peripheral flange, and an attachment patch. The electronics package is connected to the mount, which is in contact with the tire. The attachment patch is connected to the mount and includes a central opening that it smaller than the peripheral flange. The attachment patch is further affixed to the tire.