Any driver knows from experience how difficult it is to determine the moment when a wheel goes flat while in motion. The result of driving on the rim is well known. At best it is cord destruction and it therefore becomes impossible to restore the damaged tire. In the worst of cases there is the car's loss of lateral stability uncontrolled driving into the opposite lane or to the side of the road, with all kinds of consequences.

“Faulty car tires and brakes are at the top of the list of accident causes”

According to US data, over 3.5 million liters of fuel are lost every day in America due to underinflated tires, and 240 million tires are dumped every year. Leading car companies in the United States, Europe and Japan are now actively engaged in developing tire pressure control systems. Systems on Porsche and General Motors cars are well known, but they are based on the use of an anti-blocking system (ABS) and installed on individually ordered cars. No system for controlling car tire pressure while driving exists in either foreign or domestic quantity-produced cars.

The INCA-system serves for measuring and displaying pressure reduction in tires of moving cars.

The operation of INCA-systems is based on precision measuring of wheel rotation frequency differences occurring when pressure in one of the wheels is lowered and its radius reduces correspondingly. Results of measurement do not depend on car speeds within the range of 20 to 200 km/h and traveling on roadway pavement.

Technical devices of INCA-systems include:

· induction sensing elements installed on each wheel of the car. The sensing elements consist of two diametrically opposed constant magnets in the internal surface of the wheel rim and an induction coil mounted on the protective brake shield;

· an INCA signal processing and display unit mounted on the car dashboard;

· wire communication lines for interconnecting sensing elements with the INCA unit.

Algorithms for processing signals coming from INCA modification sensing elements are fitted with hardware, while those for processing signals arriving from INCA-PLUS and INCA-SUPER modifications are realized by software with pressure reduction in each wheel displayed on light diode indicators or in digital form as absolute values of pressure in each wheel.

The INCA-system allows for determination of the pressure differences in wheel pairs, starting from 0.1 bar, by readings of control indicators. Thus, for example, when the speed of a car is 90 km/h and pressure falls for 40 sec, the INCA-system has time to warn the driver 5 times about a pressure drop. This is time enough to stop in a safe place after smooth braking.

The INCA-system is distinguished by its high interference resistance, precision, reliability, small size and relatively low cost.

· are sufficiently simple in terms of technological manufacture and their production can be arranged at existing production areas of instrument-making enterprises;

· do not require design alterations when installed in a car;

· computer modifications (INCA-PLUS and INCA-SUPER) may be integrated into the computer system of promising domestic and foreign cars.

The INCA-system is also capable of determining unevenness of initial tire wear when visual control is not effective; determining a slipping wheel or wheels without leaving the car when it is bogged down in dirt, snow, etc., and also detecting an impermissible play of wheels and bearings.

TECHNICAI. EFFECT:

Today pressure in tires of a moving car is virtually the only parameter not controlled in production-type cars. Equipping production-type cars with INCA-systems of various modifications would enhance road safety diminish wear of tires, reduce fuel consumption and decrease environment pollution, especially in large cities.

ECONOMIC EFFECT:

The possibility for arranging high income business on à practically unlimited sales market:

· a comparatively low retail price of the INCA- system (from 50 to 150 US dollars depending on the modification);

· the potential sales market includes the entire world car fleet (over 500 million cars) with an annual increase exceeding 45 million cars.

COMMERCIAI. SUCCESS of INCA-systems is based on the unlimited market for selling qualitatively new products in the absence of any real competition.

To stimulate sales of INCA-systems it is possible to attract insurance companies offering a new type of service insuring car tires.

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