Contact patch measurements during hydroplaning events
First Claim
1. A method of analyzing a contact patch of a tire during a hydroplaning event, comprising:
- obtaining a piezoelectric sensor output signal from at least one piezoelectric sensor mounted in a tire, the piezoelectric sensor output signal being generated at least in part during a hydroplaning event;
analyzing, with one or more processing devices, the piezoelectric sensor output signal to determine a contact patch entry and a contact patch exit for the tire;
detecting, with the one or more processing devices, a signal perturbation in the piezoelectric sensor output signal, the signal perturbation corresponding to the hydroplaning event and occurring at a time between a time associated with the contact patch entry and a time associated with the contact patch exit; and
assessing a quantitative degree of hydroplaning for the tire during the hydroplaning event based at least in part on the signal perturbation,wherein the quantitative degree of hydroplaning indicates how much of the contact patch was separated from a static surface by a fluid during the hydroplaning event.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for determining the contact patch parameters of a tire while rolling on deformable surfaces, such as during a hydroplaning event, are provided. More particularly, a piezoelectric sensor configured to provide a piezoelectric sensor output signal indicative of the time-varying curvature of a rolling tire can be mounted in a tire. The piezoelectric sensor output signal can be analyzed to detect a signal perturbation corresponding to the hydroplaning event. One or more characteristics of the contact patch during the hydroplaning event can be analyzed based on the signal perturbation. For instance, a parameter indicative of the shape of the contact patch during the hydroplaning event can be assessed based on the signal perturbation.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method of analyzing a contact patch of a tire during a hydroplaning event, comprising:
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obtaining a piezoelectric sensor output signal from at least one piezoelectric sensor mounted in a tire, the piezoelectric sensor output signal being generated at least in part during a hydroplaning event; analyzing, with one or more processing devices, the piezoelectric sensor output signal to determine a contact patch entry and a contact patch exit for the tire; detecting, with the one or more processing devices, a signal perturbation in the piezoelectric sensor output signal, the signal perturbation corresponding to the hydroplaning event and occurring at a time between a time associated with the contact patch entry and a time associated with the contact patch exit; and assessing a quantitative degree of hydroplaning for the tire during the hydroplaning event based at least in part on the signal perturbation, wherein the quantitative degree of hydroplaning indicates how much of the contact patch was separated from a static surface by a fluid during the hydroplaning event. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for analyzing a contact patch of a tire during a hydroplaning event, comprising:
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at least one piezoelectric sensor configured to generate a piezoelectric sensor output signal representative of a time varying curvature of a tire during tire rotation; one or more processing devices, the one or more processing devices configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in one or more computer readable media that when executed by the one or more processing devices cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising; obtaining a piezoelectric sensor output signal from at least one piezoelectric sensor mounted in a tire, the piezoelectric sensor output signal being generated at least in part during a hydroplaning event; analyzing, with one or more processing devices, the piezoelectric sensor output signal to determine a contact patch entry and a contact patch exit for the tire; detecting, with the one or more processing devices, a signal perturbation corresponding to the hydroplaning event in the piezoelectric sensor output signal, the signal perturbation occurring at a time between a time associated with the contact patch entry and a time associated with the contact patch exit; and assessing a quantitative degree of hydroplaning for the tire during the hydroplaning event based at least in part on the signal perturbation, wherein the quantitative degree of hydroplaning indicates how much of the contact patch was separated from a static surface by a fluid during the hydroplaning event.
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Specification