TIRE CONDITION TELEMETRICS SYSTEM

• US 20170278314A1
• Filed: 03/28/2017
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dana Heavy Vehicle Systems Group LLC (Dana, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dana Heavy Vehicle Systems Group LLC (Dana, Inc.)
• Inventors: Laskey, Ryan W., Turner, Douglas D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,424,129 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/24 Wear-indicating arrangements
• 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 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0484 Detecting an ongoing tyre inflation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A tire condition telemetrics system. The system includes a vehicle having an onboard computer and one or more wheel assemblies with one or more tires with a tire tread. A prediction as to when said tire tread will fall below a minimum tread depth in performed. The prediction is based on an amount of distance said wheel assemblies experience said wheel slip condition, a distance said wheel assemblies drive over said one or more road materials, a distance said wheel assemblies drive in rain and snow, a distance one or more loads are on said vehicle, an amount of braking force applied by one or more braking systems to said wheel assemblies and a speed of said vehicle when said braking force is applied.

Claims

1. A method of predicting and communicating a tire condition, comprising:

providing a vehicle having one or more wheel assemblies having one or more tires with a tire tread;

providing an onboard computer having one or more data processors, wherein said one or more processors are operably configured to receive and analyze data from one or more sensors;

measuring a tread depth of said tire tread of said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies;

determining an amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies experience a wheel slip condition;

determining an amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive over one or more road materials of one or more roads;

determining an amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive over one or more road grades;

determining an amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive in rain;

determining an amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive in snow;

determining an amount of braking force applied by one or more braking systems to said one or more wheel assemblies;

determining a speed of said vehicle when said braking force is applied to said one or more wheel assemblies by said one or more braking systems;

determining an amount of distance one or more loads are on said vehicle; and

predicting when said tread depth of said tire tread of said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies will fall below a Minimum tread depth, wherein said prediction is determined by said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies experience said wheel slip condition, said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive over said one or more road materials, said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive in said rain, said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive in said snow, said amount of distance said one or more loads are on said vehicle, said amount of braking force applied by said one or more braking systems to said one or more wheel assemblies and said speed of said vehicle when said braking force is applied to said one or more wheel assemblies by said one or more braking systems.

2. The method of predicting and communicating a tire condition of claim 1, wherein said prediction is performed by said onboard computer of said vehicle.

3. The method of predicting and communicating a tire condition of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

providing a vehicle telemetrics unit;

transmitting said prediction for when said tread depth of said tire tread of said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies will fall below said minimum tread depth to a cloud-based server, wherein said transmission occurs when one or more of said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies is within a pre-determined amount of distance from when one or more of said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies has been predicted to fall below said minimum tread depth with said telemetrics unit of said vehicle;

receiving said prediction for when said tread depth of said tire tread of said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies will fall below said minimum tread depth by said cloud-based server;

transmitting a request for a quote to repair and/or replace one or more of said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies from said cloud-based server to one or more tire service providers within a pre-determined serviceable radius from a geographic location of said vehicle;

receiving said request for said quote from said cloud-based server by said one or more tire service providers;

transmitting said quote from said one or more tire service providers to said cloud-based server; and

transmitting said quote from said cloud-based server to one or more vehicle owners and/or vehicle operators.

4. The method of predicting and communicating a tire condition of claim 1, wherein said tread depth of said one or more wheel assemblies is determined using a laser sensor and/or a hand gauge.

5. The method of predicting and communicating a tire condition of claim 1, wherein said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies experiences a wheel sip condition is determined using a tire traction system of said vehicle;

6. The method of predicting and communicating a tire condition of claim 1, wherein said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive over said one or more road materials is determined using a lane tracking system and/or a Global Positioning System of said vehicle.

7. The method of predicting and communicating a tire condition of claim 1, wherein said amount of distance said one or more loads are on said vehicle is determined by an air suspension system of said vehicle having one or more pressure sensors.

8. The method of predicting and communicating a tire condition of claim 1, wherein said amount of braking force applied by said one or more braking systems to said one or more wheel assemblies is determined using a brake system of said vehicle having one or more brake force sensors.

9. The method of predicting and communicating a tire condition of claim 1, wherein said speed of said vehicle when said braking force is applied to said one or more wheel assemblies by said one or more braking systems is determined using a powertrain system of said vehicle having one or more speed sensors.

10. The method of predicting and communicating a tire condition of claim 1, wherein said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies have driven in said snow and/or rain is determined using one or more wiper system sensors.

11. The method of predicting and communicating a tire condition of claim 1, wherein said amount of distance traveled over one or more road grades is determined using a global position system of said vehicle.

12. A method of predicting and communicating a tire condition, comprising:

providing a vehicle having a telemetrics unit and one or more wheel assemblies having one or more tires with a tire tread;

measuring a tread depth of said tire tread of said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies;

determining an amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies experience a wheel slip condition;

determining an amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive over one or more road materials of one or more roads;

determining an amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive over one or more road grades;

determining an amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive in rain;

determining an amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive in snow;

determining an amount of braking force applied by one or more braking systems to said one or more wheel assemblies;

determining a speed of said vehicle when said braking force is applied to said one or more wheel assemblies by said one or more braking systems;

determining an amount of distance one or more loads are on said vehicle;

transmitting said tread depth of said tire tread measures, said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies experience said wheel slip condition, said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive over said one or more road materials, said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive over said one or more road grades, said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive in said rain, said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive in said snow, said amount of braking force applied by said one or more braking systems to said one or more wheel assemblies, said speed of said vehicle when said braking force is applied to said one or more wheel assemblies by said one or more braking systems and said amount of distance said one or more loads are on said vehicle to a cloud-based server for analysis with said telemetrics unit of said vehicle; and

predicting when said tread depth of said tire tread of said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies will fall below a minimum tread depth, wherein said prediction is performed by said cloud-based server, wherein said prediction is determined by said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies experience said wheel slip condition, said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive over said one or more road materials, said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive in said rain, said amount of distance said one or more wheel assemblies drive in said snow, said amount of distance said one or more loads are on said vehicle, and said amount of braking force applied by said one or more braking systems to said one or more wheel assemblies and said speed of said vehicle when said braking force is applied to said one or more wheel assemblies by said one or more braking systems.

13. The method of predicting and communicating a tire condition of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting a request for a quote to repair and/or replace said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies from said cloud-based server to one or more tire service providers within a pre-determined serviceable radius from a geographic location of said vehicle;

receiving said request for said quote from said cloud-based server by said one or more tire service providers;

transmitting said quote from said one or more tire service providers to said cloud-based server; and

transmitting said quote from said cloud-based server to one or more vehicle owners and/or vehicle operators.

14. A method of predicting and communicating a tire condition, comprising:

providing a vehicle having a telemetrics system and one or more wheel assemblies having one or more tires with a tire tread;

providing one or more tire inflation systems include connection with said one or more wheel assemblies, wherein said one or more tire inflation and tire monitoring systems have one or more pressures sensors operable configured to measure an internal pressure within said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies;

providing a computer having one or more data processors, wherein said one or more data processors are operably configured to receive and analyze data collected from said one or more pressure sensors of said one or more tire inflation and tire monitoring systems;

monitoring continuously said internal pressure of said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies;

identifying a leak within one or more of said one or more tires by detecting a drop in said internal pressure of said one or more tires;

monitoring a rate of said leak over time;

determining how far said vehicle can drive before said internal pressure falls below a minimum internal air pressure;

transmitting to a cloud-based server information relating to said leak identified, wherein said information relating to said leak identified is transmitted to said cloud-based server using said telemetrics unit of said vehicle;

receiving said information relating to said leak identified by said cloud-based server;

transmitting a request for a quote to repair and/or replace said one or more tires of said one or more wheel assemblies from said cloud-based server to one or more tire service providers within a pre-determined serviceable radius from a geographic location of said vehicle;

receiving said request for said quote from said cloud-based server by said one or more tire service providers;

transmitting said quote from said one or more tire service providers to said cloud-based server; and

transmitting said quote from said cloud-based server to one or more vehicle owners and/or vehicle operators.