Method and apparatus for facilitating tire replacement

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for facilitating tire replacement are disclosed. An example apparatus includes interface circuitry, machine readable instructions, and programmable circuitry to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine readable instructions to detect an underinflated tire of a vehicle; causing the air suspension system to increase a ground clearance height of the vehicle to a first height in response to detecting the underinflated tire; after the ground clearance height is increased to the first height, the air suspension system is caused to prevent air movement.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to vehicles, and more particularly to methods and apparatuses for facilitating tire replacement. BACKGROUND

[0002] Replacing a tire that is underinflated (e.g., has a flat tire) is a stressful and labor-intensive task. For example, a person can need to replace an underinflated tire on the side of a highway with high-speed traffic. SUMMARY

[0003] Example methods and apparatuses for facilitating tire replacement are disclosed. An example apparatus includes interface circuitry, machine-readable instructions, and programmable circuitry to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to detect an underinflated tire of a vehicle, cause an air suspension system to increase a ride height of the vehicle to a first height in response to detecting the underinflated tire, and cause the air suspension system to prevent air movement after the ride height is increased to the first height.

[0004] An example vehicle includes a suspension system including an air chamber coupled to a body of the vehicle to control a height of the body, a tire, interface circuitry, machine-readable instructions, and programmable circuitry to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to determine whether the tire is underinflated, cause air to be delivered to the air chamber to increase the height of the body to a first height after determining that the tire is underinflated, and prevent the air from moving into or out of the air chamber after the height of the body is increased to the first height.

[0005] An example method includes determining whether a tire of a vehicle is underinflated, causing air to be delivered to an air chamber coupled to a body of the vehicle to increase a height of the body of the vehicle to a first height after determining that the tire is underinflated, and preventing the air from moving into or out of the air chamber after the height of the body of the vehicle is increased to the first height. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example vehicle in which example tire replacement control circuitry operates to facilitate replacing a tire of the vehicle.

[0007] Figure 2 shows an example prompt that can be delivered by tire replacement control circuitry of Figure 1 to a user of a vehicle.

[0008] Figure 3 is a representation of machine-readable instructions that can be executed, instantiated, and / or implemented by example programmable circuitry to implement Figure 1A flowchart of example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations for a tire changing control circuit.

[0009] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an example processing platform including programmable circuitry structured to execute, instantiate, and / or carry out example machine-readable instructions and / or perform Figure 3 Example operations to implement Figure 1 Tire changing control circuit.

[0010] Generally speaking, the same reference numbers will be used to refer to the same or like parts throughout the drawings and the accompanying written description.The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Dealing with an underinflated (e.g., flat) tire is a stressful and labor-intensive situation for the user. For example, the user must exit their vehicle, jack up their vehicle to lift the underinflated tire off the ground, remove the underinflated tire, retrieve the spare tire, install the spare tire, and stow the underinflated tire. The difficulty is magnified in unusual weather and / or driving terrain.

[0012] Additionally, when a vehicle includes an air suspension system, jacking up the vehicle's body while the air suspension system attempts to maintain a target ground clearance height (e.g., ride height) may impact components of the air suspension system. More specifically, when a vehicle is lifted or raised near an underinflated tire, air may be released from the air compartments in which the portion of the vehicle is mounted. Consequently, the air compartments may empty before achieving the increase in ground clearance height required to lift the portion of the vehicle off the ground. Furthermore, when the air compartments empty, they may not retain a sufficient amount of air to separate components that they were not designed to contact.

[0013] The examples disclosed herein facilitate tire changes. Additionally, the examples disclosed herein prevent the air suspension system from being affected during tire changes. Turning to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 1 is a block diagram of an example vehicle 100 including a first tire 102 (e.g., a first wheel, a left front tire / wheel), a second tire 104 (e.g., a second wheel, a right front tire / wheel), a third tire 106 (e.g., a third wheel, a left rear tire / wheel), a fourth tire 108 (e.g., a fourth wheel, a right rear tire / wheel), and an example tire changing control circuit 110 for facilitating changing one of the tires 102, 104, 106, 108. Although Figure 1 The vehicle 100 includes four tires, but it should be understood that the examples disclosed herein may be implemented in vehicles having any number of tires.

[0014] exist Figure 1In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 includes an air suspension system 112 that includes air bays 114 (e.g., air bags, air springs, etc.), valves 116, an air compressor 118, and a pressure reservoir 120. The air bays 114 are positioned between a body (e.g., frame, chassis) of the vehicle 100 and another vehicle component, such as a control arm or axle, to support the weight of the vehicle 100 and to enable adjustment of a ground clearance height (e.g., ride height) of the vehicle 100. Specifically, the valves 116, air compressor 118, and pressure reservoir 120 can move air into the air bays 114 to increase the ground clearance height or move air out of the air bays 114 to decrease the ground clearance height. In some examples, the air bays 114 include two bays coupled to front and rear axles, respectively. In some examples, the air bays 114 include four bays associated with respective corners of the vehicle 100.

[0015] In Figure 1 In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 includes a height sensor 122 to detect a distance between a body of the vehicle 100 and a surface (e.g., a driving surface, ground) on which the vehicle 100 is positioned. The height sensor 122 can be coupled to the body of the vehicle 100 at or near the tires 102, 104, 106, 108 and / or axles of the vehicle 100. The height sensor 122 can detect a distance between (i) a mounting location of the air bays 114 coupled to raise and lower the body of the vehicle 100 and (ii) a point on the surface below the vehicle 100. In some examples, the height sensor 122 is implemented by a potentiometer, a Hall effect sensor, an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or any other sensor capable of measuring a distance between the body of the vehicle 100 and the surface below the vehicle 100.

[0016] In Figure 1 In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 includes tire pressure sensors 124 operably coupled to the tires 102, 104, 106, 108. For example, respective tire pressure sensors 124 can be positioned in respective tires 102, 104, 106, 108 (e.g., mounted on an inner side of a valve stem or rim) to measure respective tire pressures of the tires 102, 104, 106, 108. In some other examples, the tire pressure sensors 124 indirectly monitor tire pressure. For example, the tire pressure sensors 124 can measure another parameter, such as a wheel speed, that enables determination of a relative pressure differential between the tires 102, 104, 106, 108.

[0017] In Figure 1In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 also includes one or more object detection sensors 126 (e.g., optical sensors, cameras) and door ajar sensors 128. The object detection sensors 126 can be operably coupled to the underside of the vehicle 100 to detect objects beneath the vehicle 100, such as a vehicle jack being used to raise a portion of the vehicle 100 (e.g., a corner) for tire changing. The door ajar sensors 128 are coupled to respective doors of the vehicle 100 to detect whether the doors are in an open position. For example, the door ajar sensors 128 can be implemented by switches, Hall effect sensors, or any other sensor capable of detecting the presence of a door relative to a latch to which the door is coupled when closed.

[0018] Figure 1 The tire change control circuit 110 can be instantiated (e.g., created as an instance, formed for any length of time, embodied, implemented, etc.) by programmable circuitry, such as a central processing unit (CPU) executing first instructions. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 1 The tire change control circuit 110 can be instantiated (e.g., created as an instance, formed for any length of time, embodied, implemented, etc.) by: (i) an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and / or (ii) a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that is structured and / or configured to perform operations corresponding to the first instructions in response to executing second instructions. It should be appreciated that, Figure 1 Some or all of the circuits of the tire change control circuit 110 can thus be instantiated at the same or different times. Figure 1 Some or all of the circuits of the tire change control circuit 110 can be instantiated, for example, concurrently on hardware and / or in one or more threads that are serially executed on hardware. Further, in some examples, Figure 1 Some or all of the circuits of the tire change control circuit 110 can be implemented by microprocessor circuitry executing instructions and / or FPGA circuitry performing operations to implement one or more virtual machines and / or containers.

[0019] The tire change control circuit 110 is communicatively coupled to the air suspension system 112. For example, the tire change control circuit 110 can be communicatively coupled to the valves 116 and / or the air compressor 118 to control movement of air into and out of the air compartments 114. Additionally, the tire change control circuit 110 is communicatively coupled to the height sensor 122, the tire pressure sensor 124, the object detection sensors 126, and the door ajar sensors 128.

[0020] In some examples, the tire change control circuit 110 is an internal component of the vehicle 100. For example, the tire change control circuit 110 can be implemented by a portion of an electronic control unit of the vehicle 100. In some examples, at least a portion of the tire change control circuit 110 is implemented by a device that is external to and / or separable from the vehicle 100, and the air suspension system 112, the height sensor 122, the tire pressure sensor 124, the object detection sensor 126, and / or the door seal sensor 128 can receive information from and / or transmit information to the device. For example, the tire change control circuit 110 can be implemented by an application on a user device, such as a smartphone and / or tablet computer of a user associated with the vehicle 100.

[0021] The tire change control circuit 110 includes a user interface circuit 130 to facilitate communication with a user of the vehicle 100. For example, the user interface circuit 130 can include and / or be communicatively coupled to a display (e.g., a touchscreen), a speaker, a microphone, and / or any other component with which a user can interact to enable communication between the user and the tire change control circuit 110. In some examples, the user interface circuit 130 prompts the user to select a particular operating mode in which the vehicle 100 will operate. For example, when the user plans to change at least one of the tires 102, 104, 106, 108 and / or has completed changing one of the tires 102, 104, 106, 108, the user can activate and / or deactivate a tire change mode via the user interface circuit 130. In some examples, when the tire change mode is triggered, the user interface circuit 130 renders instructions to the user regarding how to change the tire. Other operating modes can include an off-road mode and / or a maintenance mode. In some examples, the user interface circuit 130 is instantiated by programmable circuitry executing user interface instructions and / or is configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowchart of Figure 3

[0022] ​The tire replacement control circuit 110 includes an underinflated tire detection circuit 132 to detect when at least one of the tires 102, 104, 106, 108 is underinflated (e.g., has a flat tire). For example, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 can analyze the first tire pressure of the first tire 102, the second tire pressure of the second tire 104, the third tire pressure of the third tire 106, and / or the fourth tire pressure of the fourth tire 108 measured by the tire pressure sensors 124. The underinflated tire detection circuit 132 can determine whether at least one of the tires 102, 104, 106, 108 is underinflated based on the tire pressures. For example, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 can determine that the first tire 102 is underinflated in response to the first tire pressure being less than an average of the second tire pressure, the third tire pressure, and the fourth tire pressure by at least a threshold percentage of the average. In some examples, the threshold percentage is greater than or equal to 15%. In some examples, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 determines that a tire is underinflated in response to the tire pressure of the tire being less than an average of the three highest tire pressures associated with the vehicle 100 by at least a threshold percentage. That is, when the vehicle includes more than four tires, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 can utilize the average of the three highest tire pressures to determine whether another tire is underinflated to avoid unnecessary calculations and to more quickly detect an underinflated tire. In some examples, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 determines that one of the tires 102, 104, 106, 108 is underinflated in response to the associated tire pressure not satisfying a pressure threshold. In some examples, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 detects an underinflated tire in response to detecting (i) an object (e.g., an automobile jack) under the vehicle 100 via the object detection sensor 126 (e.g., object detection sensor) while the vehicle 100 is stationary and (ii) an increase in the ground clearance height of the vehicle 100 via the height sensor 122.

[0023] The tire change control circuit 110 includes a height adjustment circuit 134 to increase the ground clearance height of the vehicle 100 in response to determining that at least one of the tires 102, 104, 106, 108 is underinflated. That is, the height adjustment circuit 134 can cause the air suspension system 112 to increase the ground clearance height of the vehicle 100 to a first height. For example, the height adjustment circuit 134 can control the valve 116 and / or the air compressor 118 to cause air to be delivered to the air compartment 114 to increase the height of the body of the vehicle 100 over the air compartment 114 to the first height. In some examples, the first height is approximately the maximum ground clearance height associated with the vehicle 100. As used herein, an "approximately" maximum ground clearance height associated with the vehicle 100 encompasses the maximum ground clearance height associated with the vehicle 100 (e.g., the maximum ground clearance height that the vehicle 100 can achieve with the air suspension system 112), and more broadly encompasses a height that is within 15% of the maximum ground clearance height of the vehicle 100.

[0024] In some examples, the height adjustment circuit 134 suspends increasing the ground clearance height (e.g., suspends moving air into the air compartment 114) in response to the door ajar sensor 128 indicating that at least one door of the vehicle 100 is in an open position (e.g., ajar). Thus, the height adjustment circuit 134 can suspend the ground clearance height increase for the user to go out and / or in.

[0025] By increasing the ground clearance height to approximately the maximum height associated with the vehicle 100, the tire change control circuit 110 reduces the distance that the user has to raise the body of the vehicle 100 (e.g., via a car jack) to lift the underinflated tire (e.g., the first tire 102) off of the surface on which the tires 102, 104, 106, 108 are located. Thus, the increase in the ground clearance height minimizes or otherwise reduces the work performed by the user to change the underinflated tire. The height increase and the work performed by the user can be further reduced by a block on top of which the car jack is positioned to reduce the distance between the car jack and the body of the vehicle 100. In some examples, the height adjustment circuit 134 is instantiated by a programmable circuit that executes height adjustment instructions and / or is configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowchart of Figure 3 .

[0026] The tire change control circuit 110 includes a suspension lock control circuit 136 to cause the air suspension system 112 to prevent movement of air into and out of the air compartments 114 in response to an increase in the ride height of the vehicle to a first height. Thus, the suspension lock control circuit 136 prevents the air suspension system 112 from being affected when the air suspension system 112 is attempting to maintain a particular ride height and / or keeps the vehicle level when a user is raising a portion of the vehicle 100 to change a deflated tire.

[0027] Further, when the deflated tire detection circuit 132 detects that a user is changing a deflated tire in response to detecting (i) an object (e.g., a car jack) under the vehicle 100 while the vehicle 100 is stationary and (ii) an increase in the ride height of the vehicle 100, the suspension lock control circuit 136 can prevent the air suspension system 112 from being affected in substantially real-time. In some examples, in response to detecting (i) an object (e.g., a car jack) under the vehicle 100 while the vehicle 100 is stationary and (ii) an increase in the ride height of the vehicle 100, the suspension lock control circuit 136 prevents air from moving out of the air compartments 114 while enabling air to move into the air compartments 114 so that the height adjustment circuit 134 can still cause the ride height to increase to reduce the work required by the user to change the tire while preventing the air suspension system 112 from being affected. In some other examples, in response to detecting (i) an object (e.g., a car jack) under the vehicle 100 while the vehicle 100 is stationary and (ii) an increase in the ride height of the vehicle 100, the suspension lock control circuit 136 prevents movement of air into and out of the air compartments 114 to avoid ride height adjustments while the vehicle is being jacked up and to ensure protection of the air suspension system 112.

[0028] In some examples, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 determines that the tire replacement is complete based on input received by the user interface circuit 130 (e.g., when a user exits the tire replacement mode via the user interface circuit 130). In some examples, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 determines that the tire replacement is complete based on information from the height sensor 122 and / or the object detection sensor 126. For example, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 can determine that the tire replacement is complete when information from the object detection sensor 126 indicates that the automobile jack is removed from under the vehicle 100. In some examples, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 determines that the tire replacement is complete in response to information from the height sensor 122 indicating that a corner of the vehicle body of the vehicle 100 is raised above about the maximum height of the vehicle 100 and subsequently lowered to about the maximum height of the vehicle 100. In some examples, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 determines that the tire replacement has been completed in response to respective wheel speeds of the tires 102, 104, 106, 108 indicating that the relative pressure differential between the tires 102, 104, 106, 108 is within a threshold range.

[0029] After an underinflated tire has been replaced, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 prevents a subsequent determination that a spare tire placed in the location of the underinflated tire is underinflated (e.g., has a leak). Specifically, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 will continue to read low tire pressures from the respective tire pressure sensor 124 associated with the replaced underinflated tire. To prevent false underinflated tire alerts and annoyance to the user, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 ignores the low tire pressures and monitors the replacement tire for installation of another tire pressure sensor 124 that is communicatively coupled to the tire replacement control circuit 110. For example, after a first tire 102 has been replaced, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 prevents a subsequent determination that the left front tire of the vehicle 100 is underinflated until the pressure of the left front tire is determined to be within a range of an average pressure associated with the remaining tires of the plurality of tires (e.g., the second tire 104, the third tire 106, and the fourth tire 108) (e.g., within 3 pounds per square inch (PSI), within 5%, etc.). In some examples, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 is instantiated by a programmable circuit that executes underinflated tire detection instructions and / or is configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowchart of Figure 3

[0030] ​Further, when the tire change is complete, the suspension lock control circuit 136 can activate the valve 116 and / or the air compressor 118 to adjust the amount of air in the air compartment 114. Thus, the suspension lock control circuit 136 can activate the valve 116 and / or the air compressor 118 to move air out of the air compartment 114 to reduce the ground clearance height (e.g., to the height to which the vehicle 100 is to be driven). In some examples, the suspension lock control circuit 136 is instantiated by a programmable circuit executing suspension lock control instructions and / or is configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowchart of Figure 3

[0031] Figure 2 An example prompt 200 that can be delivered by the tire change control circuit 110 to a user of the vehicle is shown. For example, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 can cause the user interface circuit 130 to render the prompt 200 in response to detecting an underinflated tire. The prompt 200 includes a tire change option 202, an off-road option 204, a service option 206, an ignore option 208, and an exit option 210. Thus, when the user interface circuit 130 determines that the tire change option 202 has been selected, the tire change control circuit 110 causes the vehicle 100 to enter the tire change mode, as discussed above. Alternatively, when the user interface circuit 130 determines that the off-road option 204, the service option 206, the ignore option 208, or the exit option 210 has been selected, the tire change control circuit 110 prohibits entry into the tire change mode. When an underinflated tire is detected while the vehicle 100 is operating in off-road mode, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 can cause the user interface circuit 130 to render another prompt to the user that does not include the off-road option 204.

[0032] Although Figure 1 example ways of implementing the tire change controller circuit 110 are shown in Figure 1 one or more of the elements, processes, and / or apparatuses shown in Figure 1 may be combined, divided, rearranged, omitted, eliminated, and / or implemented in any other way. Further, the example user interface circuit 130, the example underinflated tire detection circuit 132, the example height adjustment circuit 134, the example suspension lock control circuit 136, and / or more generally the Figure 1 ​The example tire change control circuit 110 can be implemented in hardware alone or in hardware in combination with software and / or firmware. Thus, for example, any of the example user interface circuit 130, the example underinflated tire detection circuit 132, the example height adjustment circuit 134, the example suspension lock control circuit 136, and / or more generally the example tire change control circuit 110 can be implemented by programmable circuitry in combination with machine-readable instructions (e.g., firmware or software), processor circuitry, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, logic circuitry, programmable processor, programmable microcontroller, graphics processing unit (GPU), digital signal processor (DSP), ASIC, programmable logic device (PLD), and / or field programmable logic device (FPLD) such as an FPGA. Still further, Figure 1 The example tire change control circuit 110 can include one or more elements, processes, and / or devices to supplement or replace those shown in Figure 1 and / or can include more than one of any or all of the illustrated elements, processes, and devices.

[0033] Figure 3 illustrated in FIG. 10 represent example machine-readable instructions that can be executed by programmable circuitry to implement and / or instantiate the tire change control circuit 110 of Figure 1 and / or represent example operations that can be executed by programmable circuitry to implement and / or instantiate the tire change control circuit 110 of Figure 1 The machine-readable instructions can be one or more executable programs or portions of one or more executable programs for execution by programmable circuitry, such as the programmable circuitry 412 shown in the example processor platform 400 discussed below in connection with Figure 4

[0034] ​The program may be embodied in instructions (e.g., software and / or firmware) stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readable and / or machine-readable storage media, such as cache memory; magnetic storage devices or disks (e.g., floppy disks, hard disk drives (HDDs), etc.); optical storage devices or disks (e.g., Blu-ray discs, compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), etc.); redundant arrays of independent disks (RAID); registers; ROM; solid-state drives (SSDs); SSD memory; non-volatile memory (e.g., electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, etc.); volatile memory (e.g., any type of random access memory (RAM), etc.); and / or any other storage device or storage disk. The instructions of the non-transitory computer-readable and / or machine-readable media may be programmed and / or executed by programmable circuitry located in one or more hardware devices, but the entire program and / or portions thereof may alternatively be executed and / or instantiated and / or embodied in dedicated hardware by one or more hardware devices rather than by programmable circuitry. The machine-readable instructions may be distributed across multiple hardware devices and / or executed by two or more hardware devices (e.g., a server and a client hardware device). For example, the client hardware device may be implemented by an endpoint client hardware device (e.g., a hardware device associated with a user and / or machine user) or an intermediate client hardware device gateway (e.g., a radio access network (RAN) that may facilitate communications between a server and an endpoint client hardware device). Similarly, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include one or more media. Furthermore, although reference is made to Figure 3 The flowchart depicts an example program, but many other methods of implementing the example tire changing control circuit 110 may alternatively be used. For example, the order of execution of the flowchart blocks may be changed, and / or some of the blocks described may be changed, eliminated, or combined. Additionally or alternatively, any or all of the flowchart blocks may be implemented using one or more hardware circuits (e.g., processor circuits, discrete and / or integrated analog and / or digital circuits, FPGAs, ASICs, comparators, operational amplifiers (op-amps), logic circuits, etc.) that are structured to perform the corresponding operations without executing software or firmware. The programmable circuits may be distributed across different network locations and / or distributed locally on one or more hardware devices (e.g., single-core processors (e.g., single-core CPUs), multi-core processors (e.g., multi-core CPUs, XPUs, etc.). For example, the programmable circuits may be a CPU and / or FPGA located in the same package (e.g., the same integrated circuit (IC) package or in two or more separate housings), one or more processors in a single machine, multiple processors distributed across multiple servers in a server rack, multiple processors distributed across one or more server racks, etc., and / or any combination thereof.

[0035] The machine-readable instructions described herein can be stored in one or more of a compressed format, an encrypted format, a fragmented format, a compiled format, an executable format, a packaged format, etc. The machine-readable instructions as described herein can be stored as data (e.g., computer-readable data, machine-readable data, bit(s) (e.g., computer-readable bit(s), machine-readable bit(s), etc.), bitstream(s) (e.g., computer-readable bitstream(s), machine-readable bitstream(s), etc.), etc.) or data structures (e.g., stored as portions of instructions, code, representations of code, etc.) that can be used to create, manufacture, and / or produce machine-executable instructions. For example, the machine-readable instructions can be fragmented and stored on one or more storage devices, disks, and / or computing devices (e.g., servers) located at the same or different locations of a network or collection of networks (e.g., in the cloud, in edge devices, etc.). The machine-readable instructions can require one or more of installation, modification, adaptation, updating, combining, supplementing, configuring, decryption, decompression, unpacking, distribution, reassignment, compilation, etc. in order to make it directly readable, interpretable, and / or executable by a computing device and / or other machine. For example, the machine-readable instructions can be stored in multiple portions that are individually compressed, encrypted, and / or stored on separate computing devices, where the portions, when decrypted, decompressed, and / or combined, form a set of computer-executable and / or machine-executable instructions that together implement one or more functions and / or operations of a program such as described herein.

[0036] In another example, the machine-readable instructions can be stored in a state in which they can be read by programmable circuitry, but require the addition of a library (e.g., a dynamic link library (DLL)), a software development kit (SDK), an application programming interface (API), etc. in order to execute the machine-readable instructions on a particular computing device or other device. In another example, the machine-readable instructions can require configuration (e.g., storage settings, input data, recording network addresses, etc.) before the machine-readable instructions and / or one or more corresponding programs can be executed in whole or in part. Thus, machine-readable, computer-readable, and / or machine-readable media as used herein can include instructions and / or programs regardless of the particular format or state of the machine-readable instructions and / or programs.

[0037] The machine-readable instructions described herein can be represented by any past, present, or future instruction language, scripting language, programming language, etc. For example, the machine-readable instructions can be represented using any of the following languages: C, C++, Java, C#, Perl, Python, JavaScript, HyperText Markup Language (HTML), Structured Query Language (SQL), Swift, etc.

[0038] As mentioned above, the present invention may be implemented using executable instructions (e.g., a computer-readable instruction and / or a plurality of machine-readable instructions) stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readable media and / or machine-readable media. Figure 3 As used herein, the terms non-transitory computer-readable medium, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, non-transitory machine-readable medium and / or non-transitory machine-readable storage medium are expressly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage device and / or storage disk, and exclude propagation signals and exclude transmission media. Examples of such non-transitory computer-readable media, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, non-transitory machine-readable medium and / or non-transitory machine-readable storage medium include optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, HDDs, flash memories, read-only memories (ROMs), CDs, DVDs, caches, any type of RAM, registers and / or any other storage device or storage disk in which information is stored for any duration (e.g., for an extended period of time, permanently, for transient situations, for temporary buffering and / or for caching information). As used herein, the terms "non-transitory computer-readable storage device" and "non-transitory machine-readable storage device" are defined to include any physical (mechanical, magnetic and / or electrical) hardware to retain information for a period of time, but exclude propagation signals and exclude transmission media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable storage devices and / or non-transitory machine-readable storage devices include any type of random access memory, any type of read-only memory, solid-state memory, flash memory, optical disks, magnetic disks, disk drives, and / or redundant array of independent disks (RAID) systems. As used herein, the term "device" refers to a physical structure, such as a mechanical and / or electrical device, hardware, and / or circuitry, that may or may not be configured and / or manufactured to execute computer-readable instructions, machine-readable instructions, etc.

[0039] Figure 3 is a flow diagram representative of example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations 300 that may be executed, instantiated, and / or performed by programmable circuitry to facilitate protecting the air suspension system 112 and reducing labor performed by a user. Figure 3Example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations 300 begin at block 302, where the tire change control circuit 110 determines whether a deflated (e.g., flat) tire is detected. For example, the tire pressure sensors 124 can measure a first tire pressure of the first tire 102, a second tire pressure of the second tire 104, a third tire pressure of the third tire 106, and / or a fourth tire pressure of the fourth tire 108. Further, the deflated tire detection circuit 132 can determine whether at least one of the tires 102, 104, 106, 108 is deflated based on the tire pressures. In some examples, the deflated tire detection circuit 132 determines that a tire is deflated in response to a tire pressure of the tire being at least a threshold percentage less than an average of the three highest tire pressures associated with the vehicle 100. For example, the deflated tire detection circuit 132 can determine that the first tire 102 is deflated in response to the first tire pressure being at least a threshold percentage less than an average of the second tire pressure, the third tire pressure, and the fourth tire pressure. In some examples, the threshold percentage is greater than or equal to 15%. In some examples, the deflated tire detection circuit 132 determines that one of the tires 102, 104, 106, 108 is deflated in response to the associated tire pressure not satisfying a pressure threshold. In some examples, the deflated tire detection circuit 132 detects a deflated tire in response to detecting (i) an object (e.g., an automobile jack) under the vehicle 100 via the object detection sensor 126 and (ii) an increase in the ground clearance height of the vehicle 100 via the height sensor 122 while the vehicle 100 is stationary. When a deflated tire is detected, the operations 300 proceed to block 304. Otherwise, the operations 300 repeat block 302.

[0040] At block 304, the tire change control circuit 110 prompts the user to select an operating mode. For example, the user interface circuit 130 can provide a request to the user to enter a tire change mode in response to detecting a deflated tire. In some examples, the user interface circuit 130 enables the user to navigate to a mode selection screen, such as Figure 2 Example display screen.

[0041] At block 306, the tire change control circuit 110 determines whether to trigger a tire change mode. In some examples, the user interface circuit 130 triggers the tire change mode in response to a user selecting the tire change mode and / or accepting a request to enter the tire change mode. In some examples, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 triggers the tire change mode in response to detecting (i) an object (e.g., an automobile jack) under the vehicle 100 and (ii) an increase in the ride height of the vehicle 100. In some examples, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 triggers the tire change mode after (i) detecting an underinflated tire, (ii) the vehicle 100 being parked, and (iii) a door of the vehicle 100 being open. For example, the underinflated tire detection circuit 132 can identify when a door of the vehicle is open via the door ajar sensor 128. In some examples, the user interface circuit 130 renders instructions to the user on how to change a tire when the tire change mode is triggered. When the tire change mode is triggered, the operation 300 proceeds to block 308. Additionally, when the tire change mode is not triggered, the operation 300 returns to block 302.

[0042] At block 308, the tire change control circuit 110 raises the vehicle 100. The height adjustment circuit 134 can cause the air suspension system 112 to increase the ride height of the vehicle 100 to approximately a maximum height associated with the vehicle 100. For example, the height adjustment circuit 134 can control the valve 116 and the air compressor 118 to cause air to be delivered to the air compartments 114 to increase the height of the vehicle body of the vehicle 100 over the air compartments 114. In some examples, the height adjustment circuit 134 suspends increasing the ride height (e.g., suspends moving air into the air compartments 114) in response to the door ajar sensor 128 indicating that at least one door of the vehicle 100 is in an open position (e.g., ajar). Thus, the height adjustment circuit 134 can suspend the ride height increase for the user to exit and / or enter. As a result of increasing the ride height to approximately the maximum height associated with the vehicle 100, the tire change control circuit 110 reduces the distance a user raises the vehicle body (e.g., via an automobile jack) to lift the underinflated tire (e.g., the first tire 102) off of the surface on which the tires 102, 104, 106, 108 are located. Thus, the increase in the ride height minimizes or otherwise reduces the work performed by the user to change the underinflated tire.

[0043] At block 310, the tire change control circuit 110 locks the air suspension system 112. For example, after the ground clearance height is increased to approximately the maximum height associated with the vehicle 100, the suspension lock control circuit 136 can prevent air from moving into or out of the air compartments 114. Thus, the suspension lock control circuit 136 prevents the air suspension system 112 from being affected while the air suspension system 112 is attempting to maintain a particular ground clearance height and / or keeps the vehicle level while the user is raising a portion of the vehicle body to change a deflated tire.

[0044] At block 312, the tire change control circuit 110 determines whether the tire change is complete. For example, the user interface circuit 130 can identify that the tire change is complete in response to the user exiting the tire change mode. In some examples, after the user exits the tire change mode, the user interface circuit 130 prompts the user to confirm that there are no objects (e.g., car jacks) under the vehicle 100. In some examples, the deflated tire detection circuit 132 determines whether the tire change is complete based on information from the height sensor 122 and / or the object detection sensor 126. When the tire change is complete, the operation 300 proceeds to block 314. Additionally, when the tire change is not complete, the operation 300 repeats block 312.

[0045] At block 314, the tire change control circuit 110 unlocks the air suspension system 112. For example, the suspension lock control circuit 136 can enable the valve 116 and / or the air compressor 118 to adjust the amount of air in the air compartments 114. Thus, the suspension lock control circuit 136 can cause the valve 116 and / or the air compressor 118 to move air out of the air compartments 114 to decrease the ground clearance height (e.g., to a height at which the vehicle 100 is to be driven).

[0046] In some examples, after a flat tire has been replaced, the flat tire detection circuit 132 prevents a subsequent determination that a spare tire placed in the location of the flat tire is flat (e.g., has a leak). Specifically, the flat tire detection circuit 132 will continue to read low tire pressure from the respective tire pressure sensor 124 associated with (e.g., embedded in) the flat tire that was replaced. To prevent confusion to the user, the flat tire detection circuit 132 ignores or does not cause the user interface circuit 130 to provide a flat tire alert for the low tire pressure and / or a request to enter the tire replacement mode. Instead, the flat tire detection circuit 132 monitors the replacement tire into which another tire pressure sensor 124 is to be installed, which is communicatively coupled to the tire replacement control circuit 110. For example, after a first tire 102 has been replaced, the flat tire detection circuit 132 prevents a subsequent determination that the front left tire of the vehicle 100 is flat until a pressure of the front left tire is determined to be within a range of an average pressure associated with the remaining tires of the plurality of tires (e.g., the second tire 104, the third tire 106, and the fourth tire 108) (e.g., within 3 PSI, within 5%, etc.).

[0047] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an example programmable circuit platform 400 structured to execute and / or instantiate Figure 3 example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations of Figure 1 the tire replacement control circuit 110. The programmable circuit platform 400 can be, for example, a mobile device (e.g., a cell phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer such as an iPad TM ), an internet appliance, or any other type of computing and / or electronic device.

[0048] The programmable circuit platform 400 of the illustrated example includes a programmable circuit 412. The programmable circuit 412 of the illustrated example is hardware. For example, the programmable circuit 412 can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, FPGAs, microprocessors, CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, and / or microcontrollers from any desired family or manufacturer. The programmable circuit 412 can be implemented by one or more semiconductor-based (e.g., silicon-based) devices. In this example, the programmable circuit 412 implements the example user interface circuit 130, the example flat tire detection circuit 132, the example height adjustment circuit 134, and the example suspension lock control circuit 136.

[0049] The programmable circuit 412 of the illustrated example includes local memory 413 (e.g., cache, registers, etc.). The programmable circuit 412 of the illustrated example communicates with a main memory 414, 416 including a volatile memory 414 and a non-volatile memory 416 via a bus 418. The volatile memory 414 can be implemented by synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and / or any other type of RAM device. The non-volatile memory 416 can be implemented by flash memory and / or any other desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory 414, 416 of the illustrated example is controlled by a memory controller 417. In some examples, the memory controller 417 can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, microcontrollers, or any other type of circuitry from any desired family or manufacturer to manage the flow of data to and from the main memory 414, 416. Dynamic random access memory and / or any other type of RAM device. The non-volatile memory 416 can be implemented by flash memory and / or any other desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory 414, 416 of the illustrated example is controlled by a memory controller 417. In some examples, the memory controller 417 can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, microcontrollers, or any other type of circuitry from any desired family or manufacturer to manage the flow of data to and from the main memory 414, 416.

[0050] The programmable circuit platform 400 of the illustrated example also includes interface circuit 420. The interface circuit 420 can be implemented by hardware in accordance with any type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a Bluetooth® interface, a near-field communication (NFC) interface, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) interface, and / or a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) interface.

[0051] In the illustrated example, one or more input devices 422 are connected to the interface circuit 420. The input device 422 permits a user (e.g., a human user, a machine user, etc.) to input data and / or commands into the programmable circuit 412. The input device 422 can be implemented by, for example, an audio sensor, a microphone, a camera (still or video), a keyboard, a button, a touchscreen, a trackpad, a trackball, a pointing device, and / or a voice recognition system.

[0052] One or more output devices 424 are also connected to the interface circuit 420 of the illustrated example. The output device 424 can be implemented, for example, by a display device (e.g., a light emitting diode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, an in-place switching (IPS) display, a touchscreen, etc.), a tactile output device, and / or a speaker. In some examples, the input device 422 and / or the output device 424 implement at least a portion of the user interface circuit 130. Thus, the interface circuit 420 of the illustrated example generally includes a graphics driver card, a graphics driver chip, and / or graphics processor circuitry, such as a GPU.

[0053] ​The interface circuitry 420 of the illustrated example also includes communication devices, such as transmitters, receivers, transceivers, modems, residential gateways, wireless access points, and / or network interfaces, to facilitate data exchange with external machines (e.g., any type of computing device) via a network 426. Communication may occur via, for example, an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line (DSL) connection, a telephone line connection, a coaxial cable system, a satellite system, a beyond-line-of-sight wireless system, a line-of-sight wireless system, a mobile telephone system, an optical connection, etc.

[0054] The programmable circuit platform 400 of the illustrated example also includes one or more mass storage disks or devices 428 for storing firmware, software, and / or data. Examples of such mass storage disks or devices 428 include magnetic storage devices (e.g., floppy disks, drives, HDDs, etc.), optical storage devices (e.g., Blu-ray discs, CDs, DVDs, etc.), RAID systems, and / or solid-state storage disks or devices, such as flash memory devices and / or SSDs.

[0055] Can be Figure 3 The machine-readable instructions 432 implemented by the machine-readable instructions may be stored in the mass storage device 428, in the volatile memory 414, in the non-volatile memory 416, and / or on at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (such as a CD or DVD) that may be removable.

[0056] “Comprise” and “contain” (and all forms of these terms) are used herein as open-ended terms. Thus, whenever a claim utilizes any form of “comprise” or “contain” (e.g., comprise, contain, include, encompass, have, etc.) as a preamble or within any of the clauses of a claim statement, it is understood that additional elements, items, etc. can be present without falling outside the scope of the corresponding claim or statement. As used herein, when the phrase “at least” is used as a transitional term in the preamble of a claim, it is an open term, in the same manner as the terms “comprise” and “contain” are open terms. The term “and / or” when used in the form, such as A, B, and / or C, means that any combination or subset of A, B, C is meant, such as (1) only A, (2) only B, (3) only C, (4) A with B, (5) A with C, (6) B with C, and (7) A with B with C. As used herein in the context of describing structures, components, articles, objects, and / or things, the phrase “at least one of A and B” is intended to refer to implementations including any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing structures, components, articles, objects, and / or things, the phrase “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer to implementations including any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B. As used herein in the context of describing performance or execution of processes, instructions, actions, activities, etc., the phrase “at least one of A and B” is intended to refer to implementations including any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing performance or execution of processes, instructions, actions, activities, etc., the phrase “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer to implementations including any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B.

[0057] As used herein, singular references (e.g., “a,” “an,” “one,” “the,” etc.) do not exclude multiple. As used herein, the term “one” or “an” object refers to one or more than one of the object. The terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” are used interchangeably herein. Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of means, elements or actions can be implemented by, e.g., a single entity or object. Additionally, although individual features can be included in different examples or claims, these can be combined, and the inclusion in different examples or claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and / or advantageous.

[0058] As used herein, unless otherwise noted, the term“over” describes a relative position of one component over another with respect to the earth, If a second component has at least a portion that is between the earth and the first component, then the first component is over the second component. Likewise, as used herein, when a first component is closer to the earth than a second component, the first component is“under” the second component. As described above, a first component can be over or under a second component in one or more of the following ways: there are other components between them, there are no other components between them, the first and second components touch, or the first and second components do not directly contact each other.

[0059] As used in this patent, a statement that one part is located on another part, such as positioned on, located on, disposed on, or formed on, means that there is direct contact between the referenced parts, or that one part is above the other part with one or more intermediate parts therebetween.

[0060] As used herein, unless otherwise noted, a connection reference, such as attached, coupled, connected, and linked, can include an intermediate member between the element being referenced and the element to which it is connected and / or relative movement between the elements being referenced. As such, connection references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and / or in fixed relation to one another. As used herein, a statement that any part is“contacting” another part defines that there are no intermediate parts between the parts.

[0061] Unless specifically stated otherwise, as used herein, descriptors such as“first,”“second,”“third,” etc. do not in any way impose or otherwise connote any meaning in terms of priority, physical order, arrangement in a list, and / or ordering and are merely used as labels and / or arbitrary names to distinguish elements so as to facilitate an understanding of the disclosed examples. In some examples, a descriptor“first” can be used to refer to an element in the detailed description, while a different descriptor such as“second” or“third” can be used in the claims to refer to the same element. In such cases, it will be understood that such descriptors are used only to clearly identify those elements within the context of the discussion, e.g., within the claims, where those elements can otherwise share the same name.

[0062] “Substantially real-time” as used herein refers to occurring in near instantaneous fashion, recognizing that there can be real-world delays for computation time, transmission, etc. Thus, unless otherwise noted,“substantially real-time” refers to real-time + / - 1 second.

[0063] As used herein, the phrase“in communication” (including variations thereof) encompasses direct communication and / or indirect communication through one or more intermediary components and does not require direct physical (for example, wired) communication and / or constant communication, but additionally includes selective communication at periodic intervals, scheduled intervals, aperiodic intervals, and / or one-time events.

[0064] As used herein, a“programmable circuit” is defined to include: (i) one or more special-purpose circuits (for example, application-specific circuits (ASICs)) structured to perform particular operations and including one or more semiconductor-based logic devices (for example, electrical hardware implemented by one or more transistors); and / or (ii) one or more general-purpose semiconductor-based circuits that are programmable with instructions to perform particular functions and / or operations and including one or more semiconductor-based logic devices (for example, electrical hardware implemented by one or more transistors). Examples of programmable circuits include programmable microprocessors such as central processing units (CPUs) that can execute first instructions to perform one or more operations and / or functions, FPGAs that can be programmed with second instructions to cause a configuration and / or structure of the FPGAs to instantiate one or more operations and / or functions corresponding to the first instructions, graphics processing units (GPUs) that can execute first instructions to perform one or more operations and / or functions, digital signal processors (DSPs) that can execute first instructions to perform one or more operations and / or functions, XPU, network processing units (NPUs), one or more microcontrollers and / or integrated circuits such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) that can execute first instructions to perform one or more operations and / or functions. For example, an XPU can be implemented by a heterogeneous computing system that includes multiple types of programmable circuits (for example, one or more FPGAs, one or more CPUs, one or more GPUs, one or more NPUs, one or more DSPs, and / or the like and / or combinations thereof) and orchestration technology (for example, an application programming interface (API)) that can assign computing tasks to any one or more of the multiple types of programmable circuits that are best suited and available to perform the computing tasks.

[0065] As used herein, an integrated circuit is defined to include one or more semiconductor packages containing one or more circuit elements such as transistors, capacitors, inductors, resistors, current paths, diodes, and / or the like. For example, an integrated circuit can be implemented as one or more of an ASIC, an FPGA, a chip, a microchip, a programmable circuit, a semiconductor substrate that couples multiple circuit elements, a system-on-chip (SoC), and / or the like.

[0066] From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that example systems, apparatus, articles of manufacture, and methods to facilitate tire replacement have been disclosed.

[0067] Example methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture to facilitate tire replacement are disclosed herein. Additional examples, and combinations thereof, include each of the following:

[0068] Example 1 includes an apparatus comprising an interface circuit, machine-readable instructions, and programmable circuitry to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to detect an underinflated tire of a vehicle, cause an air suspension system to increase a ride height of the vehicle to a first height in response to detecting the underinflated tire, and cause the air suspension system to prevent air movement after the ride height is increased to the first height.

[0069] Example 2 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the first height is approximately a maximum ride height associated with the vehicle.

[0070] Example 3 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the underinflated tire is a first tire, wherein the vehicle includes a second tire, a third tire, and a fourth tire, and wherein the programmable circuitry is to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to detect the underinflated tire in response to a pressure of the first tire being at least a threshold percentage less than an average pressure of the second tire, the third tire, and the fourth tire.

[0071] Example 4 includes the apparatus of Example 3, wherein the threshold percentage is greater than or equal to 15%.

[0072] Example 5 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the programmable circuitry is to detect the underinflated tire in response to the underinflated tire having a pressure that does not satisfy a pressure threshold.

[0073] Example 6 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the programmable circuitry is to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to cause the air suspension system to suspend increasing the ride height when a door of the vehicle is in an open position.

[0074] Example 7 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the programmable circuitry is to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to detect the underinflated tire in response to (i) detecting an object under the vehicle while stationary and (ii) an increase in the ride height of the vehicle.

[0075] Example 8 includes a vehicle comprising: a suspension system comprising an air chamber coupled to a body of the vehicle to control a height of the body; a tire; an interface circuit; machine-readable instructions; and a programmable circuit to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to determine whether the tire is underinflated; cause air to be delivered to the air chamber to increase the height of the body to a first height after determining that the tire is underinflated; and prevent air from moving into or out of the air chamber after the height of the body is increased to the first height.

[0076] Example 9 includes the vehicle of Example 8, further comprising a sensor to measure a pressure of the tire, and wherein the programmable circuit is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to determine whether the tire is underinflated based on the pressure.

[0077] Example 10 includes the vehicle of Example 9, wherein the tire is a first tire of a plurality of tires, and wherein the programmable circuit is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to determine that the tire is underinflated when a pressure of the first tire is at least a threshold less than an average pressure of remaining tires of the plurality of tires.

[0078] Example 11 includes the vehicle of Example 10, wherein the threshold is greater than or equal to 15% of the average pressure of the remaining tires of the plurality of tires.

[0079] Example 12 includes the vehicle of Example 10, wherein the pressure is a first pressure, wherein the first tire is associated with a first location, and wherein, in response to receiving an indication that the tire has been replaced, the programmable circuit is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to enable air to move out of the air chamber and prevent a subsequent determination that a second tire placed in the first location is underinflated until a second pressure associated with the second tire is determined to be within a range of an average pressure associated with the remaining tires of the plurality of tires.

[0080] Example 13 includes the vehicle of Example 9, wherein the programmable circuit is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to cause the suspension system to suspend moving air to the air chamber to increase the height of the body when a door of the vehicle is in an open position.

[0081] Example 14 includes the vehicle of Example 9, wherein the programmable circuit is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to determine that the tire is underinflated in response to: (i) detecting an object under the vehicle while stationary and (ii) an increase in the height of the body.

[0082] Example 15 includes the vehicle of Example 9, wherein the first height is approximately a maximum height associated with a body of the vehicle.

[0083] Example 16 includes a method comprising determining whether a tire of a vehicle is underinflated; causing air to be delivered to an air compartment coupled to a body of the vehicle to increase a height of the body to a first height after determining that the tire is underinflated; and preventing the air from moving into or out of the air compartment after the height of the body is increased to the first height.

[0084] Example 17 includes the method of Example 16, wherein determining whether a tire of a vehicle is underinflated comprises comparing a first pressure of the tire to a second pressure associated with one or more other tires of the vehicle, and determining that the tire is underinflated when the first pressure is less than at least 15% of the second pressure.

[0085] Example 18 includes the method of Example 16, wherein the first height is approximately a maximum height associated with a body of the vehicle.

[0086] Example 19 includes the method of Example 16, wherein the tire is a first tire of a plurality of tires, wherein the first tire is associated with a first location, and the method further comprises identifying that the first tire has been replaced; enabling air to move out of the air compartment; and preventing a subsequent determination that a second tire placed in the first location is underinflated until a pressure of the second tire is within a range of an average pressure associated with remaining tires of the plurality of tires.

[0087] Example 20 includes the method of Example 16, further comprising: detecting an object under the vehicle while the vehicle is stationary; detecting an increase in a height of the vehicle; and determining that the tire is underinflated after (i) detecting the object under the vehicle while the vehicle is stationary and (ii) detecting the increase in the height of the vehicle.

[0088] The accompanying claims are hereby incorporated into this detailed description by reference. While certain example systems, devices, articles, and methods have been disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all systems, devices, articles, and methods falling within the scope of the claims.

[0089] According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle having: a suspension system including an air chamber coupled to a body of the vehicle to control a height of the body; a tire; an interface circuit; machine-readable instructions; and a programmable circuit to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to determine whether the tire is underinflated; cause air to be delivered to the air chamber to increase the height of the body to a first height after determining that the tire is underinflated; and prevent air from moving into or out of the air chamber after the height of the body is increased to the first height.

[0090] According to embodiments, the present invention further features a sensor to measure a pressure of the tire, and wherein the programmable circuit is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to determine whether the tire is underinflated based on the pressure.

[0091] According to embodiments, the tire is a first tire of a plurality of tires, and wherein the programmable circuit is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to determine that the tire is underinflated when a pressure of the first tire is at least a threshold less than an average pressure of remaining tires of the plurality of tires.

[0092] According to embodiments, the threshold is greater than or equal to 15% of the average pressure of the remaining tires of the plurality of tires.

[0093] According to embodiments, the programmable circuit is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to cause the suspension system to suspend moving air to the air chamber to increase the height of the body when a door of the vehicle is in an open position.

[0094] According to embodiments, the programmable circuit is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to determine that the tire is underinflated in response to: (i) detecting an object under the vehicle while stationary and (ii) an increase in the height of the body.

[0095] According to embodiments, the first height is approximately a maximum height associated with the body of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A device comprising: Interface circuit; machine-readable instructions; as well as Programmable circuitry configured to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to: Detect under-inflated tires on vehicles; In response to detecting the underinflated tire, causing an air suspension system to increase a ground clearance height of the vehicle to a first height; and The air suspension system is caused to prevent air movement after the ground clearance height is increased to the first height.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first height is approximately a maximum ground clearance height associated with the vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the underinflated tire is a first tire, wherein the vehicle includes second, third, and fourth tires, and wherein the programmable circuitry is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to detect the underinflated tire in response to a pressure of the first tire being at least a threshold percentage less than an average pressure of the second, third, and fourth tires. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the threshold percentage is greater than or equal to 15%.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the programmable circuit is to detect the underinflated tire in response to the underinflated tire having a pressure that does not meet a pressure threshold.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 or claim 4, wherein the programmable circuit is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to cause the air suspension system to suspend increasing the ground clearance height when a door of the vehicle is in an open position.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the programmable circuit is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to detect the underinflated tire in response to: (i) detecting an object beneath the vehicle while stationary and (ii) an increase in the ground clearance height of the vehicle.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the object is a car jack.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the pressure is a first pressure, wherein the tire is associated with a first position, and wherein in response to receiving an indication that the tire has been changed, the programmable circuit is to at least one of: instantiate or execute the machine-readable instructions to: effecting air movement in the air suspension system; and Prior to determining that a second pressure associated with a second tire positioned in the first position is within a range of the average pressures associated with the remaining tires of the plurality of tires, subsequent determination that the second tire is underinflated is prevented.

10. A method comprising: Determine if the vehicle's tires are underinflated; After determining that the tire is underinflated, causing air to be delivered to an air compartment coupled to a vehicle body to increase the height of the vehicle body to a first height; and After the height of the vehicle body is increased to the first height, the air is prevented from moving into or out of the air compartment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether the tire of the vehicle is underinflated comprises: comparing a first pressure of the tire to a second pressure associated with one or more other tires of the vehicle; as well as The tire is determined to be underinflated when the first pressure is less than the second pressure by at least 15% of the second pressure.

12. The method of example 10 or claim 11, wherein the first height is approximately a maximum height associated with the vehicle body.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the tire is a first tire of a plurality of tires, wherein the first tire is associated with a first location, and the method further comprises: identifying that the first tire has been replaced; as well as Air is enabled to move out of the air compartment.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising preventing a subsequent determination that a second tire positioned in the first location is underinflated until a pressure of the second tire is determined to be within a range of average pressures associated with the remaining tires of the plurality of tires.

15. The method of claim 10 or claim 14, further comprising: detecting an object beneath the vehicle while the vehicle is stationary; detecting an increase in the height of the vehicle; as well as The tire is determined to be underinflated after (i) detecting the object beneath the vehicle while the vehicle is stationary and (ii) detecting the increase in the height of the vehicle.

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