Compensating footprint length due to inflation pressure variations

Abstract

Various embodiments for compensating for footprint length due to inflation pressure variations in a tire are disclosed. Various embodiments may receive a tire pressure measurement of a tire and an uncompensated footprint length of the tire. Various embodiments may calculate an inflation difference between a tire pressure measurement and a target tire pressure of a tire. Various embodiments may then calculate the inflation ratio by at least determining the quotient of the inflation difference divided by the target tire pressure of the tire. Based at least on the inflation ratio, various embodiments may determine a compensated print length. Various embodiments may then send the compensated print length to the vehicle system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to compensating for footprint length due to inflation pressure changes. Background Art

[0002] The footprint length of a tire refers to the length of the portion that contacts the road. The footprint length can be a good indicator of many characteristics of a tire, such as traction, handling, wear, fuel efficiency, comfort, performance, and load-carrying capacity. The footprint length will vary depending on various factors of the tire, such as vehicle load, pressure, temperature, and the state of wear of the tire. Optimizing the footprint length can impact areas such as vehicle safety, fuel efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0004] 1. A method comprising:

[0005] receiving a tire pressure measurement of the tire from a sensor;

[0006] receiving an uncompensated footprint length of the tire from a sensor;

[0007] calculating an inflation difference between a tire pressure measurement and a target tire pressure for the tire;

[0008] calculating an inflation ratio by taking at least a quotient of the inflation difference and a target tire pressure for the tire;

[0009] determining a compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio; and

[0010] The compensated footprint length is sent to the vehicle computing system.

[0011] 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio comprises:

[0012] Calculating the inflation ratio by adding the inflation ratio to a fixed value; and

[0013] The compensated footprint length is calculated by taking the product of the uncompensated footprint length and the inflation ratio.

[0014] 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inflation ratio is further calculated by multiplying the quotient by a sensor compensation value.

[0015] 4. The method according to Option 3 further includes determining a sensor compensation value based at least on a calibration of the sensor.

[0016] 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the compensated footprint length is sent to a vehicle computing system causing a pressure regulator to adjust a tire pressure of the tire to achieve the compensated footprint length by at least the following steps:

[0017] sending a command to the vehicle computing system to modify tire pressure;

[0018] receiving an updated footprint length of the tire from the sensor; and

[0019] Based at least on a determination that the updated footprint length matches the compensated footprint length, an instruction is sent to the vehicle computing system to stop modifying the pressure.

[0020] 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to increase the tire pressure by adding air to the tire.

[0021] 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to reduce the tire pressure by releasing gas from the tire.

[0022] 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor calculates the tire pressure measurement by periodically sampling the tire pressure and determining an average tire pressure measurement for a tire pressure cycle.

[0023] 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the tire pressure measurement is an instantaneous measurement of the tire pressure at a specific point in time.

[0024] 10. A system comprising:

[0025] a computing device comprising a processor and a memory; and

[0026] Machine-readable instructions stored in the memory, which, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to at least:

[0027] receiving a tire pressure measurement of the tire from a sensor;

[0028] receiving an uncompensated footprint length of the tire from a sensor;

[0029] calculating an inflation difference between a tire pressure measurement and a target tire pressure for the tire;

[0030] calculating an inflation ratio by taking at least a quotient of the inflation difference and a target tire pressure for the tire;

[0031] The compensated footprint length is determined at least in part based on the inflation ratio.

[0032] 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the machine-readable instructions for determining the compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio further cause the computing device to at least:

[0033] Calculating the inflation ratio by adding the inflation ratio to a fixed value; and

[0034] The compensated footprint length is calculated by taking the product of the uncompensated footprint length and the inflation ratio.

[0035] 12. A system according to option 10, wherein the inflation ratio is further calculated by multiplying the quotient by the sensor compensation value.

[0036] 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the machine-readable instructions further cause the computing device to determine at least the sensor compensation value based at least on a calibration of the sensor.

[0037] 14. The system of claim 10, wherein the machine-readable instructions further cause the computing device to at least send the compensated footprint length to the vehicle computing system, which causes the pressure regulator to adjust the tire pressure of the tire to achieve the compensated footprint length by at least the following steps:

[0038] sending a command to the vehicle computing system to modify tire pressure;

[0039] receiving an updated footprint length of the tire from the sensor; and

[0040] Based at least on a determination that the updated footprint length matches the compensated footprint length, an instruction is sent to the vehicle computing system to stop modifying the pressure.

[0041] 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to increase the tire pressure by adding gas to the tire.

[0042] 16. The system of claim 10, wherein the sensor calculates the tire pressure measurement by periodically sampling the tire pressure and determining an average tire pressure measurement for a tire pressure cycle.

[0043] 17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to at least:

[0044] receiving a tire pressure measurement of the tire from a sensor;

[0045] receiving an uncompensated footprint length of the tire from a sensor;

[0046] calculating an inflation difference between a tire pressure measurement and a target tire pressure for the tire;

[0047] calculating an inflation ratio by taking at least the inflation difference and a target tire pressure for the tire; determining a compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio; and

[0048] Adjust tire pressure to compensate for the tire footprint length.

[0049] 18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the machine readable instructions for determining the compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio further cause the computing device to at least:

[0050] Calculating the inflation ratio by adding the inflation ratio to a fixed value; and

[0051] The compensated footprint length is calculated by taking the product of the uncompensated footprint length and the inflation ratio.

[0052] 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the tire pressure measurement is a first tire pressure measurement, and the machine readable instructions to cause the tire to adjust the tire pressure to achieve the compensated footprint length further cause the computing device to at least:

[0053] Sends instructions to the pressure regulator to modify tire pressure;

[0054] receiving an updated footprint length of the tire from the sensor; and

[0055] Based at least on a determination that the updated footprint length matches the compensated footprint length, an instruction is sent to the pressure regulator to stop modifying the pressure.

[0056] 20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the sensor calculates the tire pressure measurement by periodically sampling the tire pressure and determining an average tire pressure measurement for a tire pressure cycle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] Many aspects of the present disclosure may be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but emphasis is placed on clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. In addition, in the drawings, the same reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

[0058] Figure 1A is an illustration of a front perspective view of a tire according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein a portion of the tire is shown cut away to illustrate sensors within the tire.

[0059] Figure 1B is a pictorial illustration of a tire footprint formed by a tire according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0060] Figure 2 is a diagram of a network environment according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0061] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing various embodiments according to the present disclosure. Figure 2 A flow chart of an example of functions implemented by executing a portion of an application in a computing environment in a network environment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] Various methods for compensating for footprint length due to inflation pressure changes in a tire are disclosed. Footprint length refers to the length of the portion of the tire that contacts the road surface, known as the contact patch. Footprint length measurement is important for tires because it is related to contact patch and traction, handling, wear and tire life, fuel efficiency, comfort, performance, and load-carrying capacity. However, footprint length varies depending on various factors of the tire, such as vehicle load, tire inflation pressure, temperature, and / or other tire factors. In some cases, an increase in inflation pressure will reduce footprint length. Conversely, a decrease in inflation pressure will increase footprint length. Additionally, in some cases, an increase in load or weight will also increase footprint length. Conversely, a decrease in load or weight will also reduce footprint length. When these factors change within a tire configured for an optimal footprint length, the result is that the tire will operate at a suboptimal footprint length. To address this issue, the tire may have to compensate to achieve the optimal desired footprint length, or other vehicle systems may need to account for the suboptimal footprint length.

[0063] Various methods have been used to calculate the compensated footprint length. However, many methods of calculating the compensated footprint length previously required knowledge of the vehicle's load state or at least an estimate of the vehicle's load, since the pressure sensitivity of the footprint length varies with load. For example, previous models may first use the footprint length to calculate an indicator of the vehicle's load state. This load indicator may then be used in a classification model along with the inflation pressure to predict the vehicle's load state. When the pressure sensitivity for each load state remains relatively constant, we can calculate the compensated footprint length. The compensated footprint length may then be used to calculate various other information, such as a detailed calculation of the vehicle's load. However, since the calculation to obtain the compensated footprint length depends on the estimated load, the detailed calculation of the load that depends on the compensated footprint length will also depend on the estimated load of the vehicle. This creates a circular dependency between the footprint length and the vehicle's load. This circular dependency often results in calculations that are prone to error or are not sufficiently accurate. In addition, the calculation of the estimated load often requires additional calculations and additional data storage, which may be challenging for the vehicle or other connected systems to accommodate. Therefore, it is desirable to find a way to simplify the calculations and eliminate the dependency on the vehicle's load.

[0064] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to calculating compensated footprint length without utilizing additional load calculations. Various embodiments of the present disclosure can estimate compensated footprint length with an accuracy similar to that of a load-related formula without any such dependence on vehicle load. In addition, since a load state classification model is not necessary, the present embodiments require fewer calculations and less data storage. Instead, the present embodiments take into account the nonlinear relationship between footprint length and inflation pressure to accurately calculate the compensated footprint length. By doing so, the footprint length is normalized, which allows comparison of different footprint length data sets collected under different tire inflation pressure conditions to portray values ​​associated with a common scale.

[0065] In the following discussion, a general description of the system and its components will be provided, followed by a discussion of its operation. Although the following discussion provides illustrative examples of the operation of the various components of the present disclosure, the use of the following illustrative examples does not exclude other implementations consistent with the principles disclosed by the following illustrative examples.

[0066] like Figure 1A , an example of a tire 100 mentioned in various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The tire 100 can include a multilayer structure made of various materials. Each tire 100 includes a pair of sidewalls extending to a circumferential tread 103, which engages the ground during vehicle operation. When mounted on a wheel 106, the tire 100 can be configured to maintain gas in an internal cavity between an inner wall transverse to the sidewall, an inner liner attached transversely to the circumferential tread 103, and an inner cavity of the wheel 106. The internal cavity can maintain a varying amount of pressure based on at least various configurations of the tire, such as tire size (e.g., depth, radius, circumference, etc.), tire material, and environmental conditions (e.g., ambient temperature, etc.).

[0067] The tire 100 may include a sensor 109. The sensor 109 may be fixed to an inner liner (e.g., Figure 1A ), the inner wall of the tire 100, or the interior of the wheel 106. In some embodiments, the sensor 109 can be fixed using an adhesive. In some embodiments, the sensor 109 can be fixed by being embedded in the structure to which the sensor 109 is fixed (e.g., the tire wall, the wheel 106, etc.).

[0068] Sensor 109 may be used to measure footprint length, inflation pressure, and temperature, as well as various other measurements. Sensor 109 may measure footprint length using metric units (e.g., millimeters, centimeters, etc.) or imperial units (e.g., inches, feet, etc.). Sensor 109 may measure inflation pressure in various unit types, such as pounds per square inch (PSI), Pascals (Pa) or kilopascals (kPa), bars, atmospheres (ATM), and kilograms per square centimeter (kg / cm 2). The sensor 109 may measure temperature in various unit scales, such as Celsius, Fahrenheit, Kelvin, or other temperature scales. In various embodiments, the sensor 109 may be a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensor.

[0069] exist Figure 1B , an example footprint 112 formed by tire 100 is depicted. The footprint shows the impression or indentation formed by tread 103 of tire 100 as it contacts a surface. Footprint 112 can be used to demonstrate various methods of measuring the footprint length of tire 100. For example, at least one method of measuring the footprint length is to measure the footprint length along a centerline 115 (e.g., Figure 1B Length 118 depicts the portion of footprint 112 measured using any standard measurement method.

[0070] The footprint length may be affected by various factors. For example, size or design, inflation pressure, weight distribution of the vehicle, vehicle load, road conditions, and / or various other factors. Specifically, an increase in inflation pressure may reduce the footprint length. Conversely, a decrease in inflation pressure may increase the footprint length. Additionally, an increase in the load or weight on tire 100 may also increase the footprint length. Conversely, a decrease in the load or weight on tire 100 may also reduce the footprint length. Additionally, various road conditions (such as off-road environmental conditions) may change the footprint length as they relate to the environment.

[0071] refer to Figure 2 , shows a network environment 200 according to various embodiments. The network environment 200 may include a computing environment 203 and one or more tires 100, which may communicate data with each other through a network 206.

[0072] The network 206 may include a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a personal area network (PAN), or a combination thereof. These networks may include wired or wireless components or a combination thereof. Wired networks may include Ethernet, cable networks, fiber optic networks, and telephone networks, such as dial-up, digital subscriber line (DSL), and integrated services digital network (ISDN) networks. Wireless networks may include cellular networks, satellite networks, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless networks (i.e., wireless networks such as cellular networks, satellite networks, and IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. ), Networks, microwave transmission networks, and other networks that rely on radio broadcasting. Network 206 may also include a combination of two or more networks 206. Examples of network 206 may include the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), and similar networks.

[0073] The computing environment 203 may include one or more computing devices, which include processors, memories, and / or network interfaces. For example, a computing device may be configured to perform calculations on behalf of other computing devices or applications. As another example, such a computing device may host and / or provide content to other computing devices in response to a request for content. As another example, such a computing device may be a central computing device installed in a vehicle. In addition, the computing environment 203 may use multiple computing devices, which may be arranged in one or more server groups or computer groups or other arrangements. Such computing devices may be located in a single installation, or may be distributed in many different geographical locations. For example, the computing environment 203 may include multiple computing devices, which together may include managed computing resources, grid computing resources, or any other distributed computing arrangements. In some cases, the computing environment 203 may correspond to elastic computing resources, in which the capacity of the allocated processing, network, storage, or other computing-related resources may vary over time.

[0074] Various applications or other functions may be executed in computing environment 203. Components executing on computing environment 203 include footprint length compensation application 209, as well as other applications, services, processes, systems, engines, or functions not discussed in detail herein.

[0075] Footprint length compensation application 209 may be executed to perform various actions. In various embodiments, footprint length compensation application 209 may receive tire pressure measurements from sensor 103 for tire 100. The tire pressure measurements may be stored in data storage 212 as pressure measurements 218. Footprint length compensation application 209 may also receive an uncompensated footprint length from sensor 103. The uncompensated footprint length may be stored in data storage 212 as footprint measurements 221. In at least one embodiment, footprint length compensation application 209 may calculate a compensated footprint length using the following formula:

[0076]

[0077] This formula is designed to obtain the "FPL compensated ” (FPL 补偿 ), which is the compensated footprint length. uncompensated ” (FPL 未补偿 ) variable may be the uncompensated footprint length received from sensor 103. measured ” (Inflatable 测量 ) variable may be a tire pressure measurement received from sensor 103. target ” (Inflatable 目标) variable may be the tire pressure identified in the tire placard information 215, such as the target pressure 224. The "SensorMod" variable may be a correction factor used to compensate the results received from the sensor 103 to ensure that a more sensitive particular brand of sensor 103 does not provide significantly different results than a different brand of sensor 103 that may be less sensitive. In various embodiments, the value of the "SensorMod" variable may be between ".5" and "1".

[0078] The formula can be described at least as follows: footprint length compensation application 209 can calculate the inflation difference between the tire pressure measurement received from sensor 103 and the target pressure 224 of tire 100. Footprint length compensation application 209 can calculate the inflation ratio by at least taking the quotient of the inflation difference and the target pressure 224 of tire 100. Footprint length compensation application 209 can then determine a compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio and the inflation difference. In at least some embodiments, footprint length compensation application 209 can cause tire 100 to adjust the tire pressure to achieve the compensated footprint length. In some embodiments, footprint length compensation application 209 can send the compensated footprint length to other systems within the vehicle for further calculations. Further discussion of the functionality of footprint length compensation application 209 is provided in Figure 3 described in the discussion.

[0079] In addition, various data are stored in a data store 212 accessible to the computing environment 203. The data store 212 can represent a plurality of data stores 212, which can include relational databases or non-relational databases, such as object-oriented databases, hierarchical databases, hash tables or similar key-value data stores, as well as other data storage applications or data structures. In addition, combinations of these databases, data storage applications and / or data structures can be used together to provide a single logical data store. The data stored in the data store 212 is associated with the operation of various applications or functional entities described below. The data can include tire label information 215, pressure measurement values ​​218, and footprint measurement values ​​221, as well as possible other data.

[0080] The tire label information 215 may indicate information related to a specified tire 100. For example, the tire label information 215 may include tire size, which is often expressed as tire width, aspect ratio, and diameter (e.g., "P215 / 60R16," etc.). In another example, the tire label information 215 may include load capacity, spare tire information, tire type, speed rating, and various other information. In various embodiments, the tire label information 215 may include one or more recommended tire pressures, such as a target pressure 224, a maximum tire pressure, and a minimum tire pressure. The target pressure 224 may indicate the optimal tire inflation pressure for the tire under standard conditions. The target pressure 224 may be measured in various unit types, such as pounds per square inch (PSI), Pascals (Pa) or kilopascals (kPa), bars, atmospheric pressure (ATM), and kilograms per square centimeter (kg / cm 2 ).

[0081] The pressure measurement 218 may represent the inflation pressure of the tire 100 received from the sensor 103 of the tire 100 over a period of time. The pressure measurement 218 may be measured in various unit types, such as pounds per square inch (PSI), Pascals (Pa) or kilopascals (kPa), bars, atmospheres (ATM), and kilograms per square centimeter (kg / cm 2 ). When pressure measurements 218 are received from sensor 103 of tire 100, footprint length compensation application 209 may store the pressure measurements. Each pressure measurement 218 may be stored in association with the time at which pressure measurement 218 was taken and the tire 100 to which pressure measurement 218 corresponds.

[0082] Footprint measurements 221 may represent the length of a footprint of tire 100 received from sensor 103 over a period of time. Footprint measurements 221 may be measured in various unit types, such as metric units (e.g., millimeters, centimeters, etc.) or imperial units (e.g., inches, feet, etc.). In at least some embodiments, footprint measurements 221 may be measured along centerline 115 of footprint 112 formed by tire 100. Footprint measurements 221 may be stored by footprint length compensation application 209 as they are received from sensor 103 of tire 100. Each footprint measurement 221 may be stored in association with the time at which footprint measurement 221 was taken. Each footprint measurement 221 may also be stored in association with the tire 100 to which footprint measurement 221 corresponds.

[0083] Tire 100 may include various devices, such as sensor 103 and pressure regulator 227. Tire 100 and sensor 103 are Figure 1A. The pressure regulator 227 may be a device capable of regulating the pressure within the tire 100. For example, the pressure regulator 227 may cause the tire 100 to increase the inflation pressure within the tire 100 or to decrease the inflation pressure. In some embodiments, the pressure regulator 227 may be an air compressor that is continuously connected to the tire. In some embodiments, the pressure regulator 227 may receive instructions via the network 206 to increase or decrease the inflation pressure of the tire 100. In some embodiments, the instructions received via the network 206 may instruct to increase the inflation pressure to a specified amount of pressure. In some embodiments, the pressure regulator 227 may request and receive an inflation pressure measurement from the sensor 103. The inflation pressure measurement received from the sensor 103 may be used to determine when the inflation pressure within the tire 100 has been reached.

[0084] Next reference Figure 3 , a flow chart providing one example of the operation of a portion of the footprint length compensation application 209 is shown. Figure 3 The flowchart of provides only an example of many different types of functional arrangements that may be used to implement the operation of the illustrated portion of the footprint length compensation application 209. As an alternative, Figure 3 The flowchart of FIG. 200 may be viewed as an example of elements of a method implemented within the network environment 200 .

[0085] Beginning at block 303, the footprint length compensation application 209 may receive tire pressure measurements from the sensor 103. The sensor 109 may measure the inflation pressure of the tire 100 in various unit types, such as pounds per square inch (PSI), Pascals (Pa) or kilopascals (kPa), bars, atmospheres (ATM), and kilograms per square centimeter (kg / cm2). 2 Sensor 109 may send the inflation pressure to footprint length compensation application 209, which may receive the inflation pressure as a tire pressure measurement. Footprint length compensation application 209 may store the tire pressure measurement as pressure measurement 218 in data storage 212.

[0086] Continuing to block 306, footprint length compensation application 209 may receive the uncompensated footprint length from sensor 103. Sensor 109 may measure the footprint length of tire 100 using metric units (e.g., millimeters, centimeters, etc.) or imperial units (e.g., inches, feet, etc.). Sensor 109 may send the footprint length of tire 100 to footprint length compensation application 209, which may receive the footprint length of the tire as the uncompensated footprint length. Footprint length compensation application 209 may store the uncompensated footprint length as footprint measurement 221 in data storage 212.

[0087] Continuing to block 309, footprint length compensation application 209 may calculate the inflation difference. In at least one embodiment, footprint length compensation application 209 may calculate the inflation difference by subtracting target pressure 224 identified for tire 100 from the tire pressure measurement received at block 303. This may be expressed as Inflation difference =Inflation measured -Inflation target , where “Inflation measured The variable may be a tire pressure measurement received from sensor 103, "Inflation target The variable may be a tire pressure identified in tire placard information 215, such as target pressure 224. In at least some embodiments, the tire pressure measurement used in the preceding formula may be an average tire pressure over a period of time, rather than a recent tire pressure measurement. To calculate the average tire pressure measurement, footprint length compensation application 209 may receive pressure measurements 218 for a specified period of time from data storage 212, add their values, and then divide by the total number of pressure measurements 218 for the period of time.

[0088] Continuing to block 312, footprint length compensation application 209 may calculate an inflation ratio. In at least one embodiment, footprint length compensation application 209 may calculate an inflation ratio by dividing the inflation difference calculated at block 309 by target pressure 224 identified for tire 100. This may be expressed as Among them, "Inflation difference ” (Inflatable 差 ) is calculated in block 309, “Inflation target ” (Inflatable 目标 ) variable may be the tire pressure identified in the tire placard information 215 , such as the target pressure 224 .

[0089] Continuing to block 315, the footprint length compensation application 209 may determine a compensated footprint length. In some embodiments, the footprint length compensation application 209 may determine the compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio calculated at block 312. For example, the compensated footprint length may be calculated based on the following formula: FPL compensated =FPL uncompensated *(1+SensorMod*Inflation ratio ), where “FPL uncompensated ” (FPL 未补偿) variable may be the uncompensated footprint length received from sensor 103 at block 306, the "SensorMod" variable may be a correction factor or sensor compensation value used to compensate the result received from sensor 103, and the "Inflation ratio ” (Inflatable 比率 ) variable is the value calculated at block 312. In at least some embodiments, the value of the "SensorMod" variable can be "1", which means that the "SensorMod" variable has a value of "1" for "Inflation ratio ” variable has no effect. In at least some embodiments, the “SensorMod” variable can be another value that causes the results to be normalized to an expected value, which can be based at least on the calibration of sensor 103.

[0090] Continuing to block 318, footprint length compensation application 209 may send the compensated footprint length to other vehicle computing systems. In at least one embodiment, footprint length compensation application 209 may send the compensated footprint length to pressure regulator 227 to adjust tire pressure and achieve the compensated footprint length. In at least some embodiments, footprint length compensation application 209 may modify tire pressure by sending one or more instructions to at least pressure regulator 227 of tire 100, so that the tire adjusts tire pressure to achieve the compensated footprint length. The instructions sent to pressure regulator 227 may include instructions to increase or decrease pressure, the compensated footprint length amount calculated at block 315, or various other data. Thus, pressure regulator 227 may increase or decrease pressure in tire 100. Footprint length compensation application 209 may continue to receive updated footprint lengths from sensor 103, as described in block 306. In some embodiments, footprint length compensation application 209 may determine that the received updated footprint length matches the compensated footprint length calculated in block 315. In response, footprint length compensation application 209 may send an instruction to pressure regulator 227 to stop modifying the pressure of tire 100. In some embodiments, pressure regulator 227 may determine when to stop modifying the pressure of tire 100 without receiving an instruction from footprint length compensation application 209. In at least another embodiment, footprint length compensation application 209 may send the compensated footprint length to the load calculation system. By sending the compensated footprint length to the load calculation system, the system may use the compensated footprint length in subsequent calculations (e.g., a load estimation algorithm). Once block 318 is completed, Figure 3 The flowchart ends.

[0091] Many of the software components discussed above are stored in the memory of each computing device and are executable by the processor of each computing device. In this regard, the term "executable" refers to a program file in a form that can ultimately be run by a processor. An example of an executable program can be a compiler that can be converted into a machine code in a format that can be loaded into a random access portion of a memory and run by a processor; a source code that can be expressed in an appropriate format, such as an object code that can be loaded into a random access portion of a memory and executed by a processor; or a source code that can be interpreted by another executable program to generate instructions in a random access portion of a memory for execution by a processor. The executable program can be stored in any part or component of a memory, including a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a solid-state drive, a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive, a memory card, an optical disk (such as a compact disk (CD) or a digital versatile disk (DVD), a floppy disk, a tape, or other storage component.

[0092] Memory includes volatile and non-volatile memory and data storage components. Volatile components are components that do not retain data values ​​when power is off. Non-volatile components are components that retain data when power is off. Therefore, memory can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk drive, solid state drive, USB flash drive, memory card accessed by a memory card reader, floppy disk accessed by an associated floppy disk drive, optical disk accessed by an optical drive, magnetic tape accessed by an appropriate tape drive, or other memory components, or any combination of two or more of these memory components. In addition, RAM can include static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or magnetic random access memory (MRAM) and other such devices. ROM can include programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or other similar memory devices.

[0093] Although the applications and systems described herein can be implemented as software or code executed by general hardware as described above, as an alternative, they can also be implemented in dedicated hardware or a combination of software / general hardware and dedicated hardware. If implemented in dedicated hardware, each can be implemented as a circuit or state machine using any one or combination of a variety of technologies. These technologies may include, but are not limited to, discrete logic circuits with logic gates, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) with appropriate logic gates, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other components, etc., for implementing various logical functions when one or more data signals are applied. These technologies are generally well known to those skilled in the art, so they are not described in detail herein.

[0094] The flow chart shows the functions and operations of the implementation of each part of each embodiment of the present disclosure. If implemented in software form, each block can represent a module, segment or code portion including program instructions to implement a specified logical function. The program instruction can be implemented in the form of source code or machine code, the source code includes human-readable statements written in a programming language, and the machine code includes digital instructions that can be recognized by a suitable execution system (such as a processor in a computer system). Machine code can be converted from source code through various processes. For example, a compiler can be used to generate machine code from source code before executing the corresponding application program. As another example, machine code can be generated from source code while using an interpreter to execute. Other methods can also be used. If implemented in hardware form, each block can represent a circuit or multiple interconnected circuits to implement a specified logical function.

[0095] Although the flowchart shows a specific execution order, it should be understood that the execution order may be different from the depicted order. For example, the execution order of two or more blocks may be disrupted relative to the shown order. In addition, two or more blocks displayed in succession may be executed simultaneously or partially simultaneously. In addition, in some embodiments, one or more blocks shown in the flowchart may be skipped or omitted. In addition, any number of counters, state variables, warning signals or messages may be added to the logic flow described herein for purposes of enhancing practicality, statistics, performance measurement, or providing troubleshooting assistance, etc. It should be understood that all such changes are within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0096] In addition, any logic or application including software or code described herein may be embodied in any non-transitory computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system (e.g., a processor in a computer system or other system). In this sense, logic may include statements, including instructions and declarations that can be obtained from a computer-readable medium and executed by an instruction execution system. In the context of the present disclosure, a "computer-readable medium" may be any medium that can contain, store, or maintain the logic or application described herein for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system. In addition, a collection of distributed computer-readable media located on multiple computing devices (e.g., a storage area network or a distributed or clustered file system or database) may also be collectively considered a single non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0097] Computer readable media may include any of a number of physical media, such as magnetic, optical, or semiconductor media. More specific examples of suitable computer readable media include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape, magnetic floppy disk, magnetic hard disk, memory card, solid state drive, USB flash drive, or optical disk. In addition, the computer readable medium may be a random access memory (RAM), including static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or a magnetic random access memory (MRAM). In addition, the computer readable medium may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other types of storage devices.

[0098] In addition, any logic or application described herein can be implemented and constructed in a variety of ways. For example, the one or more applications can be implemented as modules or components of a single application. In addition, one or more applications described herein can be executed in a shared or separate computing device or a combination thereof. For example, multiple applications described herein can be executed in the same computing device, or in multiple computing devices in the same computing environment 203.

[0099] Unless expressly stated otherwise, disjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, or Z" should be understood as generally used to indicate that an item, term, etc. may be X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X; Y; Z; X or Y; X or Z; Y or Z; X, Y, or Z; etc.), depending on the context. Thus, such disjunctive language is generally not intended to, and should not, imply that certain embodiments require that at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z each be present.

[0100] It should be emphasized that the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure are merely examples of possible implementations for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many changes and modifications may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and changes are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure and are protected by the following claims.

[0101] The following clauses describe various embodiments of the present disclosure.While the following clauses describe some embodiments of the present disclosure, other embodiments of the present disclosure are also set forth above.

[0102] Item 1 - A method comprising receiving a tire pressure measurement of a tire from a sensor; receiving an uncompensated footprint length of the tire from the sensor; calculating an inflation difference between the tire pressure measurement and a target tire pressure for the tire; calculating an inflation ratio by at least taking the quotient of the inflation difference and the target tire pressure for the tire; determining a compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio; and sending the compensated footprint length to a vehicle computing system.

[0103] Clause 2—A method according to clause 1, wherein determining the compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio comprises: calculating the inflation ratio by adding the inflation ratio and a fixed value; and calculating the compensated footprint length by deriving the product of the uncompensated footprint length and the inflation ratio.

[0104] Clause 3—The method according to clause 1 or clause 2, wherein the inflation ratio is further calculated by multiplying the quotient by the sensor offset value.

[0105] Clause 4 - The method of clause 3, further comprising determining a sensor compensation value based at least on a calibration of the sensor.

[0106] Clause 5 - A method according to any of clauses 1-4, wherein the tire pressure measurement is a first tire pressure measurement, and causing the tire to adjust the tire pressure to achieve the compensated footprint length includes: sending an instruction to a pressure regulator to modify the tire pressure; receiving an updated footprint length of the tire from a sensor; and sending an instruction to the pressure regulator to stop modifying the pressure based at least on a determination that the updated footprint length matches the compensated footprint length.

[0107] Clause 6—The method of clause 5, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to increase the tire pressure by adding gas to the tire.

[0108] Clause 7—The method of clause 5, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to reduce the tire pressure by releasing gas from the tire.

[0109] Clause 8—A method according to any of clauses 1-7, wherein the sensor calculates the tire pressure measurement by periodically sampling the tire pressure and determining an average tire pressure measurement over a tire pressure cycle.

[0110] Clause 9—A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 7, wherein the tire pressure measurement is an instantaneous measurement of tire pressure at a particular point in time.

[0111] Clause 10 - A system comprising: a computing device comprising a processor and a memory; and machine-readable instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to at least receive a tire pressure measurement of a tire from a sensor; receive an uncompensated footprint length of the tire from the sensor; calculate an inflation difference between the tire pressure measurement and a target tire pressure for the tire; calculate an inflation ratio by at least taking the quotient of the inflation difference and the target tire pressure for the tire; determine a compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio; and cause the tire to adjust the tire pressure to achieve the compensated footprint length.

[0112] Clause 11 - A system according to clause 10, wherein the machine-readable instructions for determining the compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio further cause the computing device to calculate the inflation ratio at least by adding the inflation ratio and a fixed value; and calculate the compensated footprint length by obtaining the product of the uncompensated footprint length and the inflation ratio.

[0113] Clause 12—A system according to clause 10 or clause 11, wherein the inflation ratio is further calculated by multiplying the quotient by the sensor offset value.

[0114] Clause 13 - The system of clause 12, wherein the machine readable instructions further cause the computing device to determine at least the sensor compensation value based at least on a calibration of the sensor.

[0115] Clause 14 - A system according to any of clauses 10-13, wherein the tire pressure measurement is a first tire pressure measurement, and the machine-readable instructions that cause the tire to adjust the tire pressure to achieve the compensated footprint length further cause the computing device to at least send an instruction to the pressure regulator to modify the tire pressure; receive an updated footprint length of the tire from the sensor; and send an instruction to the pressure regulator to stop modifying the pressure based at least on a determination that the updated footprint length matches the compensated footprint length.

[0116] Clause 15—The system of clause 14, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to increase the tire pressure by adding gas to the tire.

[0117] Clause 16—The system of clause 14, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to reduce the tire pressure by releasing gas from the tire.

[0118] Clause 17 - A system according to any of clauses 10-16, wherein the sensor calculates the tire pressure measurement by periodically sampling the tire pressure and determining an average tire pressure measurement over the tire pressure cycle.

[0119] Clause 18—A system according to any of clauses 10-16, wherein the tire pressure measurement is an instantaneous measurement of tire pressure at a particular point in time.

[0120] Item 19 - A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to at least receive a tire pressure measurement of a tire from a sensor; receive an uncompensated footprint length of the tire from the sensor; calculate an inflation difference between the tire pressure measurement and a target tire pressure for the tire; calculate an inflation ratio by at least taking the quotient of the inflation difference and the target tire pressure for the tire; determine a compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio; and cause the tire to adjust the tire pressure to achieve the compensated footprint length.

[0121] Clause 20 - A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 19, wherein the machine-readable instructions for determining the compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio further cause the computing device to calculate the inflation ratio at least by adding the inflation ratio and a fixed value; and calculate the compensated footprint length by obtaining the product of the uncompensated footprint length and the inflation ratio.

[0122] Clause 21 - The non-transitory computer readable medium of clause 19 or clause 20, wherein the inflation ratio is further calculated by multiplying the quotient by the sensor compensation value.

[0123] Clause 22 - The non-transitory computer readable medium of clause 21, wherein the machine readable instructions further cause the computing device to at least determine the sensor compensation value based at least on a calibration of the sensor.

[0124] Clause 23 - A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of clauses 19-22, wherein the tire pressure measurement is a first tire pressure measurement, and the machine-readable instructions that cause the tire to adjust the tire pressure to achieve the compensated footprint length further cause the computing device to at least send an instruction to the pressure regulator to modify the tire pressure; receive an updated footprint length of the tire from the sensor; and send an instruction to the pressure regulator to stop modifying the pressure based at least on a determination that the updated footprint length matches the compensated footprint length.

[0125] Clause 24—The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 23, wherein the instructions to modify the pressure are instructions to increase the tire pressure by adding gas to the tire.

[0126] Clause 25—The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 23, wherein the instructions to modify the pressure are instructions to reduce the tire pressure by releasing gas from the tire.

[0127] Clause 26—The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 19-25, wherein the sensor calculates the tire pressure measurement by periodically sampling the tire pressure and determining an average tire pressure measurement for a tire pressure cycle.

[0128] Clause 27—The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 19-25, wherein the tire pressure measurement is an instantaneous measurement of tire pressure at a particular point in time.

[0129] Clause 28—The method of any of clauses 1-9, wherein the vehicle computing system is configured to calculate a load of the vehicle.

[0130] Clause 29—The system of any of clauses 10-18, wherein the machine-readable instructions further cause the computing device to send at least the compensated footprint length to the vehicle computing system.

[0131] Clause 30—The system of clause 29, wherein the vehicle computing system is configured to calculate a load of the vehicle.

[0132] Clause 31 - The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 19-27, wherein the machine-readable instructions further cause the computing device to at least send the compensated footprint length to the vehicle computing system.

[0133] Clause 32—The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 31 , wherein the vehicle computing system is configured to calculate a load of the vehicle.

[0134] Clause 33 - A method according to any of clauses 1-4, wherein sending the compensated footprint length to a vehicle computing system causes a pressure regulator to adjust the tire pressure of the tire to achieve the compensated footprint length by at least the following steps: sending an instruction to the vehicle computing system to modify the tire pressure; receiving an updated footprint length of the tire from a sensor; and sending an instruction to the vehicle computing system to stop modifying the pressure based at least on a determination that the updated footprint length matches the compensated footprint length.

[0135] Clause 34—The method of clause 33, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to increase the tire pressure by adding gas to the tire.

[0136] Clause 35—The method according to clause 33, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to reduce the tire pressure by releasing gas from the tire.

[0137] Clause 36 - A system according to any of clauses 10-13, wherein the machine-readable instructions further cause the computing device to at least send the compensated footprint length to a vehicle computing system, which causes the pressure regulator to adjust the tire pressure of the tire to achieve the compensated footprint length by at least the following steps: sending an instruction to the vehicle computing system to modify the tire pressure; receiving an updated footprint length of the tire from a sensor; and sending an instruction to the vehicle computing system to stop modifying the pressure based at least on a determination that the updated footprint length matches the compensated footprint length.

[0138] Clause 37—A system according to clause 36, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to increase the tire pressure by adding gas to the tire.

[0139] Clause 38—The system of clause 36, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to reduce the tire pressure by releasing gas from the tire.

[0140] Clause 39 - A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of clauses 19-22, wherein the machine-readable instructions further cause the computing device to at least send the compensated footprint length to a vehicle computing system, which causes the pressure regulator to adjust the tire pressure of the tire to achieve the compensated footprint length by at least the following steps: sending an instruction to the vehicle computing system to modify the tire pressure; receiving an updated footprint length of the tire from a sensor; and sending an instruction to the vehicle computing system to stop modifying the pressure based at least on a determination that the updated footprint length matches the compensated footprint length.

[0141] Clause 40—The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 39, wherein the instructions to modify the pressure are instructions to increase the tire pressure by adding gas to the tire.

[0142] Clause 41 - The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 39, wherein the instructions to modify the pressure are instructions to reduce the tire pressure by releasing gas from the tire.

Claims

1. A method comprising: receiving a tire pressure measurement of the tire from a sensor; receiving an uncompensated footprint length of the tire from a sensor; calculating an inflation difference between a tire pressure measurement and a target tire pressure for the tire; calculating an inflation ratio by taking at least a quotient of the inflation difference and a target tire pressure for the tire; determining a compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio; as well as The compensated footprint length is sent to the vehicle computing system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the compensated footprint length based at least in part on the inflation ratio comprises: The inflation ratio is calculated by adding the inflation ratio to a fixed value; as well as The compensated footprint length is calculated by taking the product of the uncompensated footprint length and the inflation ratio. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the charging ratio is further calculated by multiplying the quotient by a sensor offset value. The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining a sensor compensation value based at least on a calibration of the sensor.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein sending the compensated footprint length to a vehicle computing system causes a pressure regulator to adjust a tire pressure of the tire to achieve the compensated footprint length by at least the following steps: sending a command to the vehicle computing system to modify tire pressure; receiving an updated footprint length of the tire from the sensor; and Based at least on a determination that the updated footprint length matches the compensated footprint length, an instruction is sent to the vehicle computing system to stop modifying the pressure.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to increase the tire pressure by adding air to the tire.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the instruction to modify the pressure is an instruction to reduce the tire pressure by releasing gas from the tire.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor calculates the tire pressure measurement by periodically sampling the tire pressure and determining an average tire pressure measurement for a tire pressure cycle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the tire pressure measurement is an instantaneous measurement of tire pressure at a particular point in time.

10. A system comprising: A computing device including a processor and a memory; as well as Machine-readable instructions stored in the memory, which, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to at least: receiving a tire pressure measurement of the tire from a sensor; receiving an uncompensated footprint length of the tire from a sensor; calculating an inflation difference between a tire pressure measurement and a target tire pressure for the tire; calculating an inflation ratio by taking at least a quotient of the inflation difference and a target tire pressure for the tire; The compensated footprint length is determined at least in part based on the inflation ratio.

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