Tire vibration and loose wheel detection

• US 10,286,923 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2017
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hattab, Oussama, Landolsi, Fakhreddine, Makki, Imad Hassan
• Primary Examiner(s): Paige, Tyler D
• Application Number:
  US15/814,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20190144006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 701 36
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/021 Means for detecting failure or malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2400/00 Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/081 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0205 Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/029 Adapting to failures or work around with other constraints, e.g. circumvention by avoiding use of failed parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/14 Determining imbalance G01M1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/22 and converting vibrations due to imbalance into electric variables
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/007 Wheeled or endless-tracked vehicles G01M17/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A vehicle computer includes a memory and a processor programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory. The instructions include receiving a wheel speed from a wheel speed sensor, receiving a vehicle speed from a vehicle speed sensor, determining a mean vibration magnitude in accordance with the wheel speed and the vehicle speed, and detecting a vibrating vehicle wheel based on the mean vibration magnitude.

Claims

1. A vehicle computer comprising:

a memory; and

a processor programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory, the instructions including;

receiving a wheel speed from a wheel speed sensor;

receiving a vehicle speed from a vehicle speed sensor;

identifying a speed range from the vehicle speed;

estimating a wheel radius from the wheel speed sensor;

selecting a frequency bin of interest according to the speed range and the estimated wheel radius;

determining a mean vibration magnitude relative to the selected frequency bin of interest; and

detecting a vibrating vehicle wheel based on the mean vibration magnitude.

2. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to generate an intermediate signal for the vehicle wheel based on the wheel speed and the selected frequency bin of interest.

3. The vehicle computer of claim 2, wherein the processor is programmed to determine the mean vibration magnitude based at least in part on the intermediate signal.

4. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to recursively determine the mean vibration magnitude.

5. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to detect the vibrating vehicle wheel by comparing the mean vibration magnitude to a threshold.

6. The vehicle computer of claim 5, wherein the processor is programmed to detect the vibrating vehicle wheel as a result of determining that the mean vibration magnitude exceeds the threshold.

7. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to autonomously operate a host vehicle in accordance with a remedial action as a result of detecting the vibrating vehicle wheel.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a wheel speed from a wheel speed sensor;

receiving a vehicle speed from a vehicle speed sensor;

identifying a speed range from the vehicle speed;

estimating a wheel radius from the wheel speed sensor;

selecting a frequency bin of interest according to the speed range and the estimated wheel radius;

determining a mean vibration magnitude relative to the selected frequency bin of interest; and

detecting a vibrating vehicle wheel based on the mean vibration magnitude.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating an intermediate signal for the vehicle wheel based on the wheel speed and the selected frequency bin of interest.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining the mean vibration magnitude based at least in part on the intermediate signal.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the mean vibration magnitude includes recursively determining the mean vibration magnitude.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein detecting the vibrating vehicle wheel includes comparing the mean vibration magnitude to a threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein detecting the vibrating vehicle wheel includes detecting the vibrating vehicle wheel as a result of determining that the mean vibration magnitude exceeds the threshold.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising autonomously operating a host vehicle in accordance with a remedial action as a result of detecting the vibrating vehicle wheel.