Methods and apparatus for assessing tire health

• US 10,514,322 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2017
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Uhrich, Michael James, Pursifull, Ross Dykstra
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, Andre J
• Application Number:
  US15/846,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20190187026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/246 Tread wear monitoring systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 2019/004 Tyre sensors other than for detecting tyre pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/00 Devices for measuring, signalling, controlling, or distributing tyre pressure or temperature, specially adapted for mounting on vehicles; Arrangement of tyre inflating devices on vehicles, e.g. of pumps or of tanks; Tyre cooling arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/002 by monitoring conditions other than tyre pressure or deformation
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/02 Signalling devices actuated by tyre pressure hand-held tyre pressure gauges G01L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/20 Devices for measuring or signalling tyre temperature only
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/02 Tyres
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for assessing tire health are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a vehicle speed sensor, and a processor. The processor of the of the example apparatus to obtain load data for a wheel of a vehicle, obtain speed data for the vehicle, determine a power associated with heating a tire coupled to the wheel based on the load data and the speed data, and determining a condition of the tire based on the power.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor; and

a processor to;

obtain load data for a wheel of a vehicle, obtain speed data for the vehicle, determine a power associated with heating a tire coupled to the wheel based on the load data and the speed data, and determining a condition of the tire based on the power.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a temperature sensor to determine a temperature for the tire prior to determining the power.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is to process the speed data using a filter.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the filter uses a linear estimation algorithm.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the linear estimation algorithm implements at least one of a Kalman filter, a batch least squares filter, or a recursive least squares filter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is to determine if the power is greater than a threshold.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the threshold is an expected power for the load data and the speed data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is to indicate the condition of the tire via a display of the vehicle.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is to determine a temperature of the tire when determining the condition of the tire.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is to determine a pressure of the tire when determining the condition of the tire.

11. A method comprising:

obtaining load data for a wheel of a vehicle;

obtaining speed data for the vehicle;

determining a power associated with heating a tire coupled to the wheel based on the load data and the speed data; and

determining a condition of the tire based on the power.

12. The method of claim 11, further including determining if the power is greater than a threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the threshold is an expected power for the load data and the speed data.

14. The method of claim 11, further including indicating the condition of the tire via a display of the vehicle.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a vehicle steering sensor; and

a processor to;

obtain vehicle steering data of a vehicle, determine a power associated with heating a tire based on the steering data, and determine a condition of the tire based on the power.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is to determine a turning loss measurement based on the steering data.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is to obtain load data for a wheel of the vehicle and speed data for the vehicle.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is to determine if the power is greater than a threshold.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the threshold is an expected power for the steering data, the load data and the speed data.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is to indicate the condition of the tire via a display of the vehicle.