US 11,738,604 B2
Sensor retaining system for vehicle tire
Junling Zhao, Hudson, OH (US); Peter Jung-min Suh, Stow, OH (US); Jeffrey McKay West, Uniontown, OH (US); Arun Kumar Byatarayanapura Gopala, Copley, OH (US); Michael William Kestner, Canton, OH (US); and Andrew Peter Killmeyer, Macedonia, OH (US)
Assigned to The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, OH (US)
Filed by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, OH (US)
Filed on Oct. 15, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/502,077.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/125,447, filed on Dec. 15, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0185031 A1, Jun. 16, 2022
Int. Cl. B60C 11/24 (2006.01); B60C 19/00 (2006.01)
CPC B60C 11/243 (2013.01) [B60C 11/246 (2013.01); B60C 2019/004 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sensor retaining system for a vehicle tire, comprising:
the tire including:
a pair of sidewalls, each one of which extends radially outwardly from a respective bead area to a ground-contacting tread; and
the tread being formed with a plurality of tread elements;
a sensor unit being mounted to the tire, the sensor unit including a pair of electrical contacts;
a tread wear sensor, the tread wear sensor extending into a selected one of the tread elements;
the tread wear sensor including a wire, the wire including proximal ends, each one of the proximal ends electrically contacting a respective one of the sensor unit electrical contacts to create an electrical circuit;
a flexible container being mounted to an innerliner of the tire;
a cup, the cup including a base and a sidewall that cooperate to form a cavity;
a bottom of the tread wear sensor and the sensor unit being received in the cavity of the cup, wherein the cup maintains a connection between the electrical contacts and the wire proximal ends , the cup sidewall being formed with an inwardly-extending flange feature that directly contacts the sensor unit; and
the cup being disposed in the flexible container.