TREAD WEAR ESTIMATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20170023441A1
• Filed: 07/21/2015
• Published: 01/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Inventors: Luk, Yiu Wah, Lotliker, Darshan Balkrishna
• Granted Patent: US 9,719,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/243 Tread wear sensors, e.g. electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/246 Tread wear monitoring systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/04 mounted on the wheel or tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• 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: G01M 17/02 Tyres

Abstract

A tire wear state estimation system for a tire calculates tire effective radius during measured distance intervals travelled by the tire from vehicle speed and tire rotation counters. The system includes a filter for selecting slow-speed effective radius measuring intervals and an estimator for estimating the tire effective radius during only those intervals in which the vehicle is travelling below a threshold speed.

Claims

1. A tire wear state estimation system comprising:

tire supporting a vehicle;

vehicle-based sensor for measuring a plurality of distance intervals travelled by the tire during vehicle operation at different vehicle speeds;

vehicle-based tire revolution counter for counting a tire revolution count within each of the plurality of distance intervals;

vehicle-based speed sensor for determining the vehicle ground speed during the plurality of distance intervals travelled by the tire;

slow-speed interval selector operative to select at least one slow-speed distance interval from the plurality of distance intervals operatively based on the vehicle travelling at a ground speed less than a pre-selected threshold level;

an effective radius estimator for estimating a slow-speed effective radius of the tire during the at least one slow-speed distance interval from the tire revolution count and the distance travelled by the tire during the at least one slow-speed distance interval; and

tire wear-state estimator operative to estimate a tire wear-state from the estimated slow- speed effective radius of the tire during the at least one slow-speed distance interval.

2. The tire wear state estimation system of claim 1, wherein the effective radius estimator is operative to estimate a slow-speed effective radius of the tire during a plurality of slow-speed distance intervals and the tire wear-state estimator is operative to estimate a tire wear-state from a combined averaging of the estimated slow-speed effective radius estimations of the tire during the plurality of slow-speed distance intervals.

3. The tire wear state estimation system of claim 2, wherein further comprising a display for communicating the estimated tire wear-state to an operator of the vehicle.

4. The tire wear state estimation system of claim 3, wherein the display comprises a handheld device communicating the estimated tire wear-state from the tire-wear state estimator.

5. A method for estimating tire wear state of a tire supporting a vehicle, comprising:

mounting a distance-measuring sensor to the vehicle to measure a plurality of distance intervals travelled by the tire during vehicle operation at different vehicle speeds;

mounting a tire revolution counter to the vehicle for counting a tire revolution count within each of the plurality of distance intervals;

mounting a speed sensor to the vehicle for determining the vehicle ground speed during the plurality of distance intervals travelled by the tire;

selecting at least one slow-speed distance interval from the plurality of distance intervals operatively based on the vehicle travelling at a ground speed less than a pre-selected threshold level;

estimating a slow-speed effective radius of the tire during the at least one slow-speed distance interval from the tire revolution count and the distance travelled by the tire during the at least one slow-speed distance interval; and

estimating a tire wear-state from the estimated slow-speed effective radius of the tire during the at least one slow-speed distance interval.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein further comprising:

estimating a slow-speed effective radius of the tire during a plurality of slow-speed distance intervals; and

estimating a tire wear-state from a combined averaging of the estimated slow-speed effective radius estimations of the tire during the plurality of slow-speed distance intervals.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein further comprising positioning a display within the vehicle for communicating the estimated tire wear-state to an operator of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein comprising communicating the estimated tire wear-state to a handheld device from the tire-wear state estimator.