Patent ID: 7267148

Claim:
A tire whose tread comprises a plurality of first tread elements and a plurality of second tread elements, each of the first and second tread elements having a contact surface that, during normal operation of a vehicle wheel equipped with the tire, comes into contact with the ground in a contact area on each revolution of the tire, the first and second tread elements being configured such that, at least under a first rolling condition, the contact surfaces of the first tread elements slide relative to the ground during passage through the contact area, whereas the contact surfaces of the second tread elements do not slide under the first rolling condition, the first tread elements each comprising a sensor capable of producing a signal representative of a level of tangential force in the contact surface of the respective first tread element during passage through the contact area, wherein all of the first tread elements are oriented to extend from the tire perpendicularly and are configured to slide under substantially the same conditions, and an estimate of a tangential force on the vehicle wheel is obtainable based on the signal produced by each of the first tread elements.