System and method for identifying tire contact length from radial acceleration signals - Patents.com

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a system and method for estimating at least one force acting on a vehicle mounted tire. A tire acceleration waveform (150) in a tire radial direction is detected from a sampled output of a tire mounted acceleration sensor (118). The acceleration waveform in the tire radial direction is integrated to generate a velocity waveform (step 220). A number of samples during contact is calculated from at least a first and a second peak in the velocity waveform, and a contact length is calculated based at least on the calculated number of samples during contact, a sampling rate of the output of the tire mounted acceleration sensor, and the speed of the vehicle. From at least the calculated contact length (166), at least one force acting on the tire is estimated, and an output signal corresponding to the estimated at least one force acting on the tire is generated.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to quantifying performance aspects of tires for wheeled motor vehicles. More specifically, the systems, methods, and associated algorithms disclosed herein relate to identifying tire contact lengths for wheeled motor vehicles, including but not limited to motorcycles, consumer vehicles (e.g., passenger cars and light trucks), commercial vehicles, and off-road (OTR) vehicles, based at least in part on radial acceleration signals from tire-mounted sensors. [Background technology]

[0002] Tire contact patch is one of the most useful indicators of tire performance. It can be directly related to specific operating conditions such as tire load, lean angle, and slip angle - all vital information for understanding tire wear, health, and traction potential.

[0003] Prediction of such performance measurements is an important tool for those who own or operate vehicles, especially in the context of fleet management. As tires are used, it is normal for the tread to become shallower over time, changing the overall performance of the tire. At some point, it becomes important to recognize the tire condition, since insufficient tire tread can create dangerous driving conditions. For example, if road conditions are not optimal, the tire may not be able to grip the road and the driver may lose control of his or her vehicle. Generally speaking, the shallower the tire tread, the more susceptible the driver may be to losing traction when driving in rain, snow, etc.

[0004] Typical on-board sensor measurements for a vehicle such as a large truck may include vehicle speed, radial acceleration, ambient temperature, tire inflation pressure, and tire contained air temperature (CAT). These measurements are all important when extending them to higher order predictions such as wear and durability. However, one of the most important pieces of information is still typically missing, which is the load acting on the tire, for which conventional sensors may be prohibitively expensive and / or unreliable. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In view of the aforementioned deficiencies in conventional systems, the approach disclosed herein for determining tire contact length may be implemented to estimate operating condition indicators, such as the load acting on a tire, which are critical to understanding tire wear, durability, traction, and other performance criteria.

[0006] Generally speaking, the systems and methods of the present disclosure may be used to estimate the contact length of a tire, which may be directly correlated to the load on the tire. High frequency accelerometer data (>1 kHz) may be preferably acquired using a tire-mounted sensor (TMS). Once this data is acquired, an algorithm determines the start and end of the contact patch, then corrects the start and end of the contact patch for the rotational speed of the tire, and finally estimates the load via a mapping relationship, such as via a stored look-up table or correlation equation.

[0007] Various embodiments of the present method can desirably improve upon conventional tools for contact length estimation because the method acts as a filter for noisy peaks in the sensor output data while providing a robust method for identifying both the start and end of a contact.

[0008] A first exemplary embodiment of a computer-implemented method disclosed herein may be provided for estimating at least one force acting on at least one tire mounted on a vehicle. The method includes detecting an acceleration waveform of the tire in a tire radial direction from a sampled output of a tire-mounted acceleration sensor, and then integrating the acceleration waveform in the tire radial direction to generate a velocity waveform. A number of samples during contact may be calculated from at least a first and a second peak in the velocity waveform, and a contact length may be calculated based at least on the calculated number of samples during contact, a sampling rate of the output of the tire-mounted acceleration sensor, and a speed of the vehicle. From the calculated contact length, at least one force acting on the tire may be estimated, and an output signal corresponding to the estimated at least one force acting on the tire may be generated.

[0009] In a second embodiment, an exemplary aspect according to the above-referenced first embodiment may include that each of the steps according to the above-referenced embodiment may be performed for each of a plurality of acceleration sensors mounted laterally across an inner liner of the tire, and a change in contact length may be calculated for each width between two or more of the plurality of acceleration sensors. Further, one or more forces on the tire may be estimated based on the calculated change in contact length for each width between two or more of the plurality of acceleration sensors.

[0010] In a third embodiment, the exemplary aspects according to the first or second embodiment referenced above may include the estimated one or more forces acting on the tire including a slip angle and / or a tilt angle of the tire.

[0011] In a fourth embodiment, the exemplary aspects according to the first to third embodiments referred to above may include that at least one map expressing the relationship between the contact length, the speed of the vehicle, and the load acting on the tire is pre-determined and retrievably stored. Thus, the load acting on the tire can be estimated from the calculated contact length, the speed of the vehicle, and the at least one map.

[0012] In various embodiments, the exemplary aspects according to the first through fourth embodiments referenced above may further include that the output signal may be provided to a user interface associated with the vehicle for display to a user of the vehicle, and / or to a user interface associated with a remote computing device via a fleet management telematics platform, and / or to a vehicle control unit.

[0013] If the output signal is provided to a vehicle control unit, the estimated load may be used as an input to, for example, a tire wear detection model, and / or a tire traction detection model, and / or a tire durability and health model.

[0014] In another embodiment disclosed herein, there is provided a system for estimating at least a load acting on at least one tire mounted on a vehicle, the system comprising a tire-mounted acceleration sensor configured to generate an output signal corresponding to a sampled acceleration of the tire in a tire radial direction, and a controller communicatively linked to the tire-mounted acceleration sensor, the controller further configured to direct the execution of steps in a method according to any of the above-referenced first to fourth embodiments, and optionally any one or more of the further above-referenced aspects according to the first to fourth embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated in more detail with reference to the drawings. [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a tire load estimation system disclosed herein. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a tire load estimation method disclosed herein. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of an exemplary radial acceleration waveform. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a graphical representation of an exemplary waveform resulting from the integration of the radial acceleration waveform of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of an exemplary mapping relationship between the calculated contact (footprint) length, the load acting on the tire, and the speed of the vehicle on which the tire is mounted. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a graphical representation of load estimation results using one embodiment of the method disclosed herein for on-vehicle testing. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a graphical representation of load estimation results using one embodiment of the method disclosed herein for flat belt testing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Various exemplary embodiments of the invention may now be described in detail, generally with reference to Figures 1-7. Where various figures may illustrate embodiments that share various common elements and features with other embodiments, similar elements and features may be given the same reference numerals and duplicate descriptions thereof may be omitted below.

[0017] Various embodiments of the system disclosed herein may include a centralized computing node (e.g., a cloud server) that is functionally in communication with multiple distributed data collectors and computing nodes (e.g., associated with individual vehicles) to effectively implement the models disclosed herein. Referring initially to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of the system 100 includes a data acquisition device 102 that is mounted on the vehicle and configured to at least acquire data and transmit said data to one or more downstream computing devices (e.g., a remote server 130) to perform associated calculations as disclosed herein. The data acquisition device may be a standalone sensor unit (not shown) suitably configured to collect raw measurement signals, such as signals corresponding to radial acceleration, contained air temperature, and / or internal air pressure of the tire, and transmit such signals continuously or selectively to a downstream computing device. The data acquisition device 102 may include an on-board computing device 102 that communicates with one or more distributed sensors, which may be portable or modular as part of a distributed vehicle data collection and control system, or may be provided integrally to a central vehicle data collection and control system. The data acquisition device 102 may include a processor 104 and memory 106 on which program logic 108 resides, and in various embodiments may include a vehicle electronic control unit (ECU) or a component thereof, or may otherwise be, for example, permanent, discrete in nature, or removably mounted to a vehicle mount.

[0018] Generally speaking, the system 100 disclosed herein may implement a number of components distributed across one or more vehicles, for example, not necessarily associated with a fleet management entity, but may further implement a central server network or an event-driven serverless platform that operatively communicates with each of the vehicle motors via a communications network.

[0019] The illustrated embodiment may include, for purposes of illustration and without specifically limiting the scope of the present invention, a tire mounted sensor unit 118, an ambient temperature sensor 112, a vehicle speed sensor 114 configured to collect acceleration data associated with the vehicle, a position sensor 116 such as a global positioning system (GPS) transponder, and a DC power source 110. The tire mounted sensor unit 118 may include one or more sensors configured to generate output signals corresponding to tire conditions including, but not limited to, radial acceleration, contained air temperature, inflation pressure, etc., and such sensors may take any of a variety of forms known to those skilled in the art for providing such signals. Various bus interfaces, protocols, and associated networks are known in the art for communication between respective data sources and the local computing device 102, and those skilled in the art will recognize a wide range of such tools and means for implementing the same.

[0020] In some embodiments, the data acquisition devices and equivalent data sources disclosed herein are not necessarily limited to vehicle-specific sensors and / or gateway devices, but may also include third party entities and associated networks, program applications resident on user computing devices such as driver interfaces, fleet management interfaces, and any enterprise devices or other providers of raw streams of log data as may be deemed appropriate for the algorithms and models disclosed herein.

[0021] In some embodiments, one or more of the various sensors 112, 114, 116, 118 may be configured to communicate with the downstream platform without a local on-board device or gateway component, for example, via a cellular communications network or via a mobile computing device (not shown) carried by a user of the vehicle.

[0022] The system may include additional distributed program logic, for example, resident on a fleet management server or other user computing device 140, or a user interface on a device (not shown) resident on the vehicle or associated with its driver for real-time notification (e.g., via visual and / or audio indicators), the fleet management device being operatively linked to the on-board device in some embodiments via a communications network. System programming information may be provided on-board by the driver or by the fleet manager, for example.

[0023] The term "user interface" as used herein, unless otherwise specified, may include any input / output module that facilitates user interaction with a user device with a processing unit, server, device, etc. disclosed herein, including, but not limited to, downloaded or otherwise resident program applications, web browsers, web portals such as individual web pages or web pages collectively defining a hosted website, etc. The user interface, with respect to a personal mobile computing device, may further be described in the context of buttons and display portions, which may be independently located or otherwise associated with one another, for example, with a touch screen, and may further include voice and / or visual input / output capabilities without explicit user interaction capabilities.

[0024] The vehicle and tire sensors 112, 114, 116, 118, etc. may further be provided with unique identifiers in one embodiment, whereby the on-board device processor may distinguish between signals provided from respective sensors on the same vehicle, and further in certain embodiments, the central processing unit and / or fleet maintenance oversight client device may distinguish between signals provided from tires and associated vehicles and / or tire sensors across multiple vehicles. In other words, the sensor output values ​​may be associated with a particular tire, a particular vehicle, and / or a particular tire-vehicle system for purposes of on-board or remote / downstream data storage and implementation for calculations as disclosed herein, in various embodiments. The on-board data acquisition device 102 may directly communicate with the downstream processing stage 130, as shown in FIG. 1, or alternatively, the driver's mobile device or a computing device on-board the truck may be configured to receive, process, and transmit the on-board device output data to one or more downstream processing units.

[0025] The raw signals received from the tire mounted sensors 118 may be stored in the on-board device memory 106, or an equivalent local data storage network operatively linked to the on-board device processor 104, for selective retrieval and transmission through the data pipeline stages as needed for calculations according to the methods disclosed herein. As used herein, a local or downstream "data storage network" generally refers to a separate, centralized or distributed logical and / or physical entity configured to store data and enable selective retrieval therefrom, and may include, for example, but not limited to, memories, look-up tables, files, registers, databases, database services, and the like. In some embodiments, the raw data signals from the various sensors 112, 114, 116, 118 may be communicated in substantially real-time from the vehicle to a downstream processing unit, such as the server 132. Alternatively, taking into particular account the inherent inefficiencies in continuous data transmission of high frequency data, the data may be compiled, encoded, and / or summarized for more efficient (e.g., periodic time-based, or alternatively defined event-based) transmission, for example, from the vehicle to a processing unit via a suitable (e.g., cellular) communications network.

[0026] Once the vehicle and / or tire data is transmitted via the communications network to a downstream server 132 or equivalent processing system, it may be stored, for example, in a database 134 associated therewith, further processed for processing via one or more algorithmic models as disclosed herein, or may be retrievable as input. The models may be implemented, at least in part, via execution of a processor, and may enable selective retrieval of the vehicle and / or tire data, as well as electronic communication for inputting any additional data or algorithms from databases, look-up tables, etc. stored in association with the processing unit.

[0027] An embodiment of a method 200 for estimating at least one force acting on at least one tire mounted on a vehicle will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0028] 3, a first step 210 of an exemplary method 200 includes detecting a tire acceleration waveform 150 in the tire radial direction from a sampled output of a tire-mounted acceleration sensor 118. In one embodiment, the sampled output includes high frequency accelerometer data (e.g., >1 kHz), although the methods disclosed herein are not so limited unless otherwise specified.

[0029] The acceleration waveform in the tire radial direction may then be integrated to generate a velocity waveform (step 220), and the number of samples during contact is calculated from at least a first and second peak in the velocity waveform (step 230). With exemplary reference to FIG. 4, from a physical understanding of the velocity (integrated acceleration) profile 160, one skilled in the art will understand that the entry and exit of the contact patch (footprint) 166 are identifiable as corresponding to peaks 162 and 164, respectively. The difference in the number of samples between peaks 162 and 164 of the integrated accelerometer signal may be determined, thus corresponding to the number of samples taken in the footprint region 166. For example, one particular advantage of such a step over conventional techniques may be that the integration acts as a filter to filter out noisy peaks in the accelerometer data 150.

[0030] In a next step 240, the length of the contact patch 166 may be calculated further based at least on the number of samples during the calculated contact, the sampling rate of the output of the tire-mounted acceleration sensor, and the speed of the vehicle.

[0031] From at least the calculated contact length, at least one force acting on the tire can be estimated (step 250). The at least one force can be, for example, a radial load acting on the tire, estimated using at least the calculated contact length, the tire internal inflation pressure, and the vehicle speed. In one embodiment, at least one map (e.g., a look-up table, a correlation equation, etc.) may be pre-determined and retrievably stored, the map representing, for example, a relationship between the contact length, the vehicle speed, the tire internal inflation pressure, and the load acting on the tire. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, the load 168 acting on the tire can be estimated from the calculated contact length 166, the vehicle speed (e.g., 65 kph), and the corresponding defined curve 170 on the map.

[0032] In various embodiments, alternative forces may be estimated using similar techniques. For example, multiple sensors may be placed laterally across the tire inner liner (step 260) and the change in contact length may be determined with respect to width (step 262). This information may then be used to determine the tire's slip angle or lean angle, and thus the cornering force (step 264).

[0033] Method 200 may further continue with an output signal being generated corresponding to an estimated at least one force acting on the tire, e.g., a radial load (step 270). In various embodiments, the output signal may be provided to a user interface associated with the vehicle for local display to a user of the vehicle (step 272), and / or to a user interface associated with a remote computing device, e.g., via a fleet management telematics platform (step 274), and / or to a vehicle control unit. If the output signal is provided to the vehicle control unit, the estimated load may be utilized as an input to, for example, a tire wear detection model (step 276), and / or a tire traction detection model (278).

[0034] An exemplary tire wear model may, for example, estimate tire wear values ​​based on a "digital twin" virtual representation of various physical parts, processes, or systems, where the digital and physical data are paired and combined with a learning system, such as a neural network. For example, the above-referenced output signals and associated position / route information may be provided to generate a digital representation of the vehicle tires for estimating tire wear, and a subsequent comparison of the estimated tire wear to the determined actual tire wear may be implemented as feedback for a machine learning algorithm. The wear model may be implemented in the vehicle for processing via an on-board system, or the tire data and / or vehicle data may be processed to provide representative data to a hosted server for remote wear estimation.

[0035] In various embodiments, the method may further include predicting wear values ​​at one or more future time points, and such predicted values ​​may be compared to respective thresholds. For example, a feedback signal corresponding to a predicted tire wear state (e.g., predicted tread depth at a given distance, time, etc.) may be provided via an interface, e.g., to an on-board device associated with the vehicle itself, or to a mobile device associated with the user, integrating a user interface configured to provide a warning or notification / recommendation that a tire should be replaced or will soon need to be replaced. Other tire-related threshold events may be predicted and implemented for alerts and / or interventions within the scope of the present disclosure, e.g., based on predicted tire wear including tire rotation, alignment, inflation, etc. The system may generate such alerts and / or intervention recommendations based on individual thresholds, groups of thresholds, and / or non-threshold algorithmic comparisons against predefined parameters.

[0036] As another example, a hierarchical wear model as disclosed herein may enable a fleet management system to track the performance of not only specific vehicles and tires, but also associated routes, drivers, etc. Using the predicted wear rates obtained by the methods herein, a fleet manager may, for example, ascertain which trucks, drivers, routes, and / or tire models are burning through tread the fastest or conversely, conserving tread. Additionally, accurate wear modeling may desirably provide decision support regarding fleet tire purchasing. Wear predictions may be aggregated, for example, into a predicted tire purchase estimation model for a given year, month, week, etc.

[0037] As another example, an autonomous vehicle fleet may include multiple vehicles with different minimum tread condition values, and the fleet management system may be configured to proactively disable deployment of vehicles below a minimum threshold. The fleet management system may further implement different minimum tread condition values ​​corresponding to wheel positions. The system may thus be configured to act on the minimum tire tread value of each of multiple tires associated with the vehicle, or in one embodiment, may calculate an aggregate tread condition of multiple tires for comparison to a minimum threshold.

[0038] Tire wear conditions (e.g., tread depth) may be provided as inputs to a traction model, for example, along with the output signals referenced above, and the traction model may be configured to provide an estimated traction condition or one or more traction characteristics for each tire. Similar to the wear models described above, the traction model may include a "digital twin" virtual representation of a physical part, process, or system, where digital and physical data are paired and combined with a learning system, such as an artificial neural network. Real vehicle and / or tire data from a particular tire, vehicle, or tire-vehicle system throughout the lifecycle of the respective asset may be provided to generate a virtual representation of the vehicle tire for tire traction estimation, and subsequent comparison of the estimated tire traction with the corresponding measured or determined actual tire traction may be implemented as feedback for a machine learning algorithm, preferably executed at a server level.

[0039] The traction model, in various embodiments, may utilize results from prior testing including, for example, stopping distance test results, tire traction test results, etc., collected for associated combinations of values ​​of multiple tire-vehicle systems and input parameters (e.g., tire tread, inflation pressure, road surface characteristics, vehicle speed and acceleration, slip ratio and angle, normal force, braking pressure and load) such that tire traction output can be effectively predicted for a given setting of current vehicle data and tire data inputs.

[0040] In one embodiment, the output from the traction model may be incorporated into an active safety system. As used herein, the term "active safety system" may preferably include systems as generally known to those skilled in the art, including but not limited to examples such as collision avoidance systems, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), anti-lock braking systems (ABS), etc., which may be configured to utilize traction model output information to achieve optimal performance. For example, collision avoidance systems are typically configured to take evasive action, such as automatically engaging the brakes of the vehicle to avoid or mitigate a potential collision with a target vehicle, and enhanced information on the traction capabilities of the tires, and thus the braking capabilities of the tire-vehicle system, in which enhanced information on the traction capabilities of the tires, i.e. the braking capabilities of the tire-vehicle system, is highly desirable.

[0041] In another embodiment, a rideshare autonomous fleet may use output data from traction model 278 to disable or otherwise selectively remove vehicles with low tread depths during inclement weather, or potentially limit their maximum speeds.

[0042] In some embodiments, the method 200 may also include providing inputs such as estimated forces acting on the tire, estimated wear, etc., as inputs to a tire durability and health model, either alone or in combination with other relevant metrics of the severity of tire use. Such models may be implemented to estimate relative fatigue characteristics, for example, as an indicator of durability events such as tread / belt separation. Such models may also be implemented to estimate relative tire aging characteristics, for example, or to predict wear conditions at one or more future time points. Feedback signals corresponding to such durability events may be provided via an interface to an on-board device 102 associated with the vehicle itself, or to a mobile device associated with a user, and may be integrated with a user interface configured to provide warnings or notifications / recommendations of intervention events, such as one or more tires should or will soon require, for example, changing, rotating, aligning, inflating, etc. Outputs from the tire durability and health model may also or alternatively be provided to the traction model referenced above.

[0043] FIG. 6 shows exemplary results using the above-referenced method 200 to estimate the load acting on a tire for on-vehicle testing, with test results 180, 182, 184 each stabilizing after several footprints collected within 50 pounds (lbf) of the actual load.

[0044] FIG. 7 shows further exemplary results using the above-referenced method 200 to estimate the load acting on a tire for flat belt testing at 50 miles per hour (mph), with test results 190, 192, 194, 196, and 198 each also stabilizing after several footprints collected within 50 lbf of the actual load.

[0045] Throughout this specification and claims, unless the context dictates otherwise, the following terms take at least the meanings explicitly associated with them herein. The meanings identified below do not necessarily limit the terms but merely provide illustrative examples of the terms.

[0046] The meaning of "a," "an," and "the" may include plural references, and the meaning of "in" may include "in" and "on."

[0047] As used herein, the phrase "in one embodiment" does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but it may.

[0048] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. The described functionality can be implemented in various ways for each particular application, and such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0049] The various illustrative logic blocks and modules described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed by a machine, such as a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively the processor may be a controller, microcontroller, or state machine, combinations thereof, and the like. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0050] The steps of a method, process, or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of computer readable medium known in the art. An exemplary computer readable medium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from and write information to the memory / storage medium. Alternatively, the medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. Alternatively, the processor and the medium may reside as separate components in a user terminal.

[0051] As used herein, conditional language, such as "can," "might," "may," "eg," among others, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include certain features, elements, and / or conditions, but other embodiments do not include those particular features, elements, and / or conditions, unless specifically stated otherwise or otherwise understood within the context in which it is used. Thus, such conditional language is generally not intended to suggest that features, elements, and / or conditions are in any way required for one or more embodiments, nor is it generally intended to suggest that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for determining, with or without author input or prompting, whether those features, elements, and / or conditions should be included in or implemented in any particular embodiment.

[0052] Although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention may be described in this disclosure with respect to methods typically performed by or for a fleet management system, and more specifically for an autonomous vehicle fleet or commercial truck application, the present invention is in no way expressly limited thereto, and the term "vehicle" as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, refers to an automobile, truck, or equivalent of either, whether self-propelled or not, which may include one or more tires, and thus may require accurate estimation or prediction of internal tire pressure loss and possible failure, replacement, or intervention.

[0053] As used herein, unless otherwise noted, the term "user" may refer to, for example, a driver, passenger, mechanic, technician, fleet management personnel, or any other person or entity that may be associated with a device having a user interface for providing the features and steps disclosed herein.

[0054] The foregoing detailed description has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. Thus, while novel and useful specific embodiments of the invention have been described, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, except as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. 1. A computer-implemented method (200) for estimating at least one force acting on at least one tire mounted on a vehicle, the method comprising: a) detecting (210) a tire acceleration waveform in a tire radial direction from a sampled output of a tire-mounted acceleration sensor (118); b) integrating the acceleration waveform in the tire radial direction to generate a velocity waveform (220); c) calculating (230) a number of samples during ground contact from at least a first and a second peak in the velocity waveform; d) calculating a contact length based at least on the calculated number of samples during contact, a sampling rate of the output of the tire-mounted acceleration sensor, and a speed of the vehicle (240); e) estimating (250) at least one force acting on the tire from the calculated contact length; f) generating (270) an output signal corresponding to the estimated at least one force acting on the tire; the estimated at least one force acting on the tire includes a load; at least one map representing a relationship between the contact length and the load acting on the tire at a predetermined speed of the vehicle is pre-determined and retrievably stored; In step e), the load acting on the tire is estimated from the calculated contact length based on the map.

2. performing each of steps a) through f) for each of a plurality of acceleration sensors mounted laterally across an inner liner of the tire (260); calculating (262) a change in contact length for each width between two or more of the plurality of acceleration sensors; and estimating (264) the at least one force on the tire based on a change in the calculated contact length for each width between two or more of the plurality of acceleration sensors; The method of claim 1 , wherein the estimated at least one force comprises one or more of a slip angle and a lean angle of the tire (264).

3. The output signal: a user interface (272) associated with the vehicle for display to a user of the vehicle; a user interface (274) associated with the remote computing device via the fleet management telematics platform; and / or 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated load is provided to a vehicle control unit, which utilizes the estimated load as an input to a tire wear detection model (276), as an input to a tire traction detection model (278), and / or as an input to a tire durability and health model.

4. A system (100) for estimating at least one force acting on at least one tire mounted on a vehicle, the system comprising: a tire-mounted acceleration sensor (118) configured to generate an output signal corresponding to a sampled acceleration of the tire in a tire radial direction; A system (100) comprising: a controller (102, 130, 140) communicatively linked to the tire-mounted acceleration sensor and further configured to direct the performance of operations in the method (200) of any one of claims 1 to 3.

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