US 11,852,561 B2
Portable tire contact sensors
Robert M. Podoloff, Framingham, MA (US); Camilo Aladro, Newton, MA (US); Michael Harty, Winthrop, MA (US); Christopher George, Lynn, MA (US); Arnon Ofaim, Watertown, MA (US); Gary Loomis, Leominster, MA (US); and Gabor Papp, Lexington, MA (US)
Assigned to Tekscan, Inc., Norwood, MA (US)
Filed by Tekscan, Inc., South Boston, MA (US)
Filed on Apr. 29, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/733,059.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/182,024, filed on Apr. 30, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0349782 A1, Nov. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. G01M 17/02 (2006.01); G01L 1/18 (2006.01); B60C 25/00 (2006.01); G01L 1/14 (2006.01); G01L 1/20 (2006.01)
CPC G01M 17/022 (2013.01) [B60C 25/007 (2013.01); G01L 1/146 (2013.01); G01L 1/18 (2013.01); G01L 1/205 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A lightweight, portable system for measuring the size, shape and vertical pressure profile of a contact area occurring between a moving tire and a real or simulated road surface, the system comprising:
a thin, flexible elongate array of force or pressure sensing elements mounted on a strip of material and configured to extend across a width of the tire to sense a contact patch;
a means for scanning the array of sensing elements to determine a contact force or pressure on a surface of the array at a time;
a means for storing data associated with the contact force or pressure on the surface of the array at the time;
a means for collecting the stored data for analysis on an external computing device;
a means for wirelessly transferring the stored data to the external computing device; and
a means for removably attaching the strip to one of the moving tire and the real or simulated road surface.