Determining tire leak rate

• US 10,442,257 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Abdossalami, Amin, Moore, Joseph K., Serbu, Liviu, Javid, Fahim, Alghooneh, Mansoor
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, Andre J
• Application Number:
  US15/656,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20190023089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 73146-1468
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0476 Temperature compensation of measured pressure values
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0486 comprising additional sensors in the wheel or tyre mounted monitoring device, e.g. movement sensors, microphones or earth magnetic field sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/06 Signalling devices actuated by deformation of the tyre , e.g. tyre mounted deformation sensors or indirect determination of tyre deformation based on wheel speed, wheel-centre to ground distance or inclination of wheel axle
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 17/00 Devices or apparatus for measuring tyre pressure or the pressure in other inflated bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 19/0092 Pressure sensor associated with other sensors, e.g. for measuring acceleration or temperature G01L9/025, G01L9/045, G01L9/065, G01L9/085, G01L9/105, G01L9/125, G01L19/02, G01L19/04 take precedence; measuring two or more variable G01D21/02; temperature sensors with pressure compensation G01K1/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/26 by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors

Abstract

Examples of techniques for determining tire leak rate are disclosed. In one example implementation, a method includes receiving, by a processing device, temperature data, pressure data, tire characteristics, and an estimated leak rate associated with the tire. The method further includes calculating, by the processing device, a temperature normalized fused pressure after fusing the temperature data and the pressure data. The method further includes determining, by the processing device, the tire leak rate based at least in part on a decay of the temperature normalized fused pressure over time. The method further includes providing, by the processing device, an alert to an operator of the vehicle that a leak is detected based at least in part on a comparison between the tire leak rate and a leak rate threshold.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining tire leak rate of a tire of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processing device, temperature data, pressure data, tire characteristics, and an estimated leak rate associated with the tire;

calculating, by the processing device, a temperature normalized fused pressure after fusing the temperature data and the pressure data;

determining, by the processing device, the tire leak rate based at least in part on a decay of the temperature normalized fused pressure over time; and

providing, by the processing device, an alert to an operator of the vehicle that a leak is detected based at least in part on a comparison between the tire leak rate and a leak rate threshold.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the alert indicates that the leak is classified as a limp home leak.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the leak is classified as a limp home leak when the tire leak rate is greater than a limp home leak rate threshold and less than a limp aside leak rate threshold.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the alert indicates that the leak is classified as a limp aside leak.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the leak is classified as a limp aside leak when the tire leak rate is greater than or equal to a limp aside leak rate threshold.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the temperature data is received from a temperature sensor associated with the tire, and wherein the pressure data is received from a pressure sensor associated with the tire.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein calculating the temperature normalized fused pressure is performed using a data fusion technique, wherein the data fusion technique is one of an Extended Kalman Filter and a particle filter.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processing device, wheel speed data for the tire;

comparing, by the processing device, a ratio between the wheel speed data and other wheel speed data for other tires of the vehicle; and

refining, by the processing device, the tire leak rate based at least in part on comparing the ratio between the wheel speed data and the other wheel speed data for other tires of the vehicle.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating, by the processing device, a remaining time before the tire becomes unusable based at least in part on the tire leak rate.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating, by the processing device, a remaining distance before the tire becomes unusable based at least in part on the tire leak rate.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

refining, by the processing device, the tire leak rate based at least in part on a rate of change of altitude.

12. A system for determining tire leak rate of a tire of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a memory comprising computer readable instructions; and

a processing device for executing the computer readable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising;

receiving, by the processing device, temperature data, pressure data, tire characteristics, and an estimated leak rate associated with the tire;

calculating, by the processing device, a temperature normalized fused pressure after fusing the temperature data and the pressure data;

determining, by the processing device, the tire leak rate based at least in part on a decay of the temperature normalized fused pressure over time; and

providing, by the processing device, an alert to an operator of the vehicle that a leak is detected based at least in part on a comparison between the tire leak rate and a leak rate threshold.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the alert indicates that the leak is classified as a limp home leak.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the leak is classified as a limp home leak when the tire leak rate is greater than a limp home leak rate threshold and less than a limp aside leak rate threshold.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the alert indicates that the leak is classified as a limp aside leak.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the leak is classified as a limp aside leak when the tire leak rate is greater than or equal to a limp aside leak rate threshold.

17. A computer program product for determining tire leak rate of a tire of a vehicle, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processing device to cause the processing device to perform a method comprising;

receiving, by the processing device, temperature data, pressure data, tire characteristics, and an estimated leak rate associated with the tire;

calculating, by the processing device, a temperature normalized fused pressure after fusing the temperature data and the pressure data;

determining, by the processing device, the tire leak rate based at least in part on a decay of the temperature normalized fused pressure over time; and

providing, by the processing device, an alert to an operator of the vehicle that a leak is detected based at least in part on a comparison between the tire leak rate and a leak rate threshold.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the alert indicates that the leak is classified as a limp home leak, and wherein the leak is classified as a limp home leak when the tire leak rate is greater than a limp home leak rate threshold and less than a limp aside leak rate threshold.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the alert indicates that the leak is classified as a limp aside leak, and wherein the leak is classified as a limp aside leak when the tire leak rate is greater than or equal to a limp aside leak rate threshold.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the temperature data is received from a temperature sensor associated with the tire, and wherein the pressure data is received from a pressure sensor associated with the tire.