Vehicle motion management for reduced tire wear

Abstract

A computer system (100) that includes processing circuitry (110) is provided. The processing circuitry is configured obtain data (120) indicative of a current or predicted driving scenario of a vehicle; obtain slip and slip rate limits (130, 132) for maintaining tire wear below or at a tire wear limit, wherein the slip limit is for a longitudinal slip and the slip rate limit is for a time rate-of-change of the longitudinal slip, and wherein the slip and slip rate limits are defined taking into account also assumed longitudinal and lateral tire forces necessitated by the current or predicted driving scenario of the vehicle; and control a longitudinal slip and slip rate of at least one wheel (142) of the vehicle in accordance with the slip and slip rate limits. A corresponding vehicle, computer implemented method, computer program product and computer-readable storage medium are also provided.

Description

Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 1 VEHICLE MOTION MANAGEMENT FOR REDUCED TIRE WEARTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The disclosure relates generally to vehicle motion management (VMM) invehicles. In particular aspects, the disclosure relates to VMM for reduced tire wear. Thedisclosure can be applied to heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses, and constructionequipment, among other vehicle types. Although the disclosure may be described withrespect to a particular vehicle, the disclosure is not restricted to any particular vehicle.BACKGROUND

[0002] Tire wear is a problem in many vehicles, and is often accelerated in e.g. batteryelectric vehicles (BEVs) where the use of regenerative braking may cause additional wear ontires of the one or more driven axles used for such braking. In addition, electric motors areoften capable of delivering higher torque at higher rates (compared to e.g. their internal combustion engine, ICE, counterparts) in both possible rolling directions of the tires, which may cause even more wear of the vehicle’s tires. As tires are worn, they may also provide one or more pollutants to the environment, including e.g. undesirable particles, compounds and chemicals released from the tires.

[0003] Contemporary solutions for reducing tire wear include making sure that the tiresare properly inflated, to regularly rotate tires between different sides and / or axles of the vehicle, and / or e.g. to make certain that there is no unintentional wheel misalignment or similar.

[0004] The present disclosure aims at providing an automated way of reducing vehicletire wear that improves upon currently available solutions. SUMMARY

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computersystem that includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to obtain data indicative of a current or predicted driving scenario of a vehicle; obtain slip and slip ratelimits for maintaining tire wear below or at a tire wear limit, and control a longitudinal slipand slip rate of at least one wheel of the vehicle in accordance with (both) the slip and slip rate limits. The slip limit is for a longitudinal slip and the slip rate limit is for a time rate-of-Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 2 change for the longitudinal slip. The slip and slip rate limits are defined taking into accountalso assumed longitudinal and lateral tire forces necessitated by the current or predicteddriving scenario of the vehicle. The first aspect of the present disclosure may seek to solvethe problem of how to avoid unnecessary tire wear while still allowing to obtain longitudinal and lateral tire forces as necessitated by in what situation the vehicle is currently in (or is expected to soon be in). A technical advantage may include that by taking into account both longitudinal slip and slip rate, both tire wear caused by steady-state slip as well as impulses on the tire rubber compound caused by an increased rate of change of the slip is taken into account. This while, based on the situation in which the vehicle is soon or currently in, allowing to still provide the necessary longitudinal and / or lateral tire forces required for safe handling of the vehicle.

[0006] As envisaged herein, the slip may of course also be limited by road-tire conditions(such as the friction coefficient of / between the road and the tire), which may be incorporated e.g. as part of the current or predicted driving scenario of the vehicle.

[0007] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the sliprate limit may depend on the obtained slip limit and / or on a current or target longitudinal slip of the at least one wheel. A technical benefit may include that this may take into account thatthe tire wear may depend both on the slip and slip rate, wherein the slip rate may also dependon the slip.

[0008] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, for asame tire wear, the slip and slip rate limits may be related such that a lower slip limit corresponds to a higher slip rate limit, and such that a higher slip limit corresponds to a lower slip rate limit. A technical benefit may include that for the same tire wear, a higher slip limit may be traded for a lower slip rate limit, and vice versa, and thus allow to further optimize the handling of the vehicle in situations where making one of the limits higher has higher priority.

[0009] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, theprocessing circuitry may be configured to categorize the current or predicted driving scenario as a particular one (scenario) of a predefined plurality of different driving scenarios, where each such driving scenario is associated with different slip and slip rate limits. The processing circuitry may be further configured to obtain the slip and slip rate limits as discussed in the first aspect above as the slip and slip rate limits associated with the particular drivingDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 3 scenario. A technical benefit may include that the same slip and slip rate limits may thus be used for a plurality of driving scenarios falling into a same predefined category, and that these categories may for example be constructed such that they cover different classes of driving scenarios.

[0010] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, thepredefined plurality of driving scenarios may include at least i) a normal driving scenario and ii) a safety-critical (driving) scenario. The slip limit associated with the normal drivingscenario may be lower than that associated with the safety-critical scenario. A technicalbenefit may include that during normal driving scenarios that are not safety-critical, longitudinal slip is limited and thus also tire wear, assuming that tire wear increases with increasing longitudinal slip.

[0011] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the sliplimit associated with the normal driving scenario may be found by prioritizing minimum (or lower) tire wear over maximum (or larger) longitudinal tire force, and wherein the slip limit associated with the safety-critical scenario may be found by prioritizing minimum lateral tire force over minimum tire wear. In the normal driving scenario, in some examples, the associated slip limit may be such that it allows for sufficiently large (but not maximum)longitudinal (and also lateral) tire forces. A technical benefit may include that maneuversassociated with a normal driving scenario can thus still be performed, if properly plannedahead, while still maintaining minimum or at least low tire wear. Similarly, in safety-criticalscenarios, maneuvers requiring low or no lateral tire forces, such as attempting to prevent roll-over, can be performed at the expense of increased tire wear.

[0012] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the sliprate limit associated with the normal driving scenario may be found by prioritizing lower tire wear over faster increase of longitudinal tire force and / or over faster decrease of lateral tire force. The slip rate limit associated with the safety-critical scenario may be found by prioritizing faster increase of longitudinal tire force and / or faster decrease of lateral tire force over lower tire wear. A technical benefit may include that in safety-critical scenarios such as when attempting to prevent vehicle roll-over, a desired removal of lateral tire forces may be achieved faster at the expense of increased tire wear.

[0013] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, thesafety may be to prevent roll-over of the vehicle, an emergency braking of the vehicle and / orDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 4 to improve traction of the vehicle on soft ground. A technical benefit may include that such scenarios may be properly handled by (fast) removal of lateral tire force and / or by high allowed slip (such as necessitated when attempting to drive on soft ground in order to not become stuck).

[0014] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, theplurality of different driving scenarios may further include iii) a performance-driving scenario. Each of the slip and slip rate limits associated with the performance-drivingscenario may be in between the slip and slip rate limit, respectively, associated with thenormal driving scenario and the safety-critical scenario. A technical benefit may include that the envisage solution may thus provide a reduced tire wear also in situations more critical than a normal driving scenario (e.g. when higher performance is needed as for harder braking and / or acceleration), while maintaining tire wear at a lower rate than that allowed in more safety critical scenarios. While maximizing longitudinal tire force, sufficient lateral tire forcecapability may also be maintained by not allowing the longitudinal slip to enter the safety-critical region wherein lateral tire force is reduced or even avoided.

[0015] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the sliplimit associated with the performance-driving scenario may be found by prioritizing maximum longitudinal tire force over minimum tire wear. A technical benefit may be asalready explained, namely, to allow proper handling of the vehicle in performance situationsrequiring optimal traction and / or braking power, at the expense of a bit higher tire wear but still less than in safety critical situations.

[0016] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, theperformance-driving scenario may be to perform braking and / or acceleration in icyconditions, and / or driving in adverse (but still manageable) conditions in general wherein alot of longitudinal tire force but still some lateral tire force is still needed to stabilize the vehicle.

[0017] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, thenormal driving scenario may correspond to the lowest 75 percent of all possible drivingscenarios in terms of required longitudinal slip, preferably the lowest 85 percent, morepreferably the lowest 95% of all possible driving scenarios. Consequently, the normal drivingscenario will (statistically) be assumed in a large majority of the time during which the vehicle is driven, and result in tire wear being kept low or at a minimum due to theDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 5 restrictions on both longitudinal slip and slip rate imposed by the lower slip and slip ratelimits associated with this driving scenario. For example, if using a 95 percent limit, the morecritical one or more driving scenarios (such as the safety critical and / or performance-drivingscenario) and the increase in tire wear associated with these other scenarios will statisticallyonly be assumed 5% of the time during which the vehicle is driven, and thus serve tomaintain overall tire wear at a low level. What slip and slip rate limits that covers thelongitudinal and lateral tire forces necessitated in a certain percentage of all possible driving scenarios may for example be derived from historical log data obtain from previously driven vehicles, or similar.

[0018] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, thesafety-critical scenario may correspond to only the highest 5 percent of all possible drivingscenarios in terms of required longitudinal slip, preferably the highest 2.5 percent, morepreferably the highest 1 percent. A technical benefit may thus include that these limits, which result in the highest tire wear, are statistically only assumed very rarely, and thus still allows to reduce the overall tire wear over time.

[0019] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the slipand slip rate limits may be obtained from the use of a (or multiple) tire test bench(es) to determine tire wear at different longitudinal slips and slip rates. A technical benefit may include that for example a tire manufacturer may thus obtain such values in the lab, and the computer system as envisaged herein may use such values to set limits on the longitudinal slip and slip rate that will reduce the overall tire wear at least during normal driving scenarios.

[0020] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the slipand slip rate limits may instead, or in addition, be obtained based on physical models of tires(e.g. by numerical simulations and / or from mathematical expressions defined by suchmodels). A technical benefit may include that e.g. test bench experiments are not necessarilyneeded, and in particular not for each time a tire property is changed as part of tire development.

[0021] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, theprocessing circuitry may be configured to access a mapping between tire wear andlongitudinal slip and slip rate as found from such a test bench (experiment), or e.g. fromphysical models of tires, and to obtain the slip and slip rate limits used to control the slip ofDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 6the at least one wheel based on this mapping. For example, it may be envisaged that such amapping includes a tire wear value for each slip and slip rate pair, e.g. that provides a mapping from each point in the domain spanned by all possible slip and slip rates to a single tire wear value. If there are not such tire wear values provided for each possible pair of slip and slip rate, it is envisaged that e.g. interpolation and / or extrapolation methods may be used to obtain “missing” tire wear values based one or more tire wear values for neighboring slipand slip rate values. A technical benefit may include that the computer system can thus storethe results of e.g. test bench experiments in a memory and derive the slip and slip rate limitsbased on data found in such a memory.

[0022] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, theprocessing circuitry may be configured be configured to control the longitudinal slip and slip rate by controlling a rotational speed and acceleration of the at least one wheel.

[0023] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, theprocessing circuitry may be configured to control the rotational speed and acceleration of the at least one wheel by controlling one or more propulsion and / or brake actuators of the at least one wheel.

[0024] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, theprocessing circuitry may be configured to control the propulsion and / or brake actuators via a corresponding torque and / or speed request interface and / or via a corresponding brake request interface.

[0025] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provide a vehicle.The vehicle includes at least one wheel, at least one propulsion and / or brake actuator configured to propel and / or brake the at least one wheel, and the computer system of the first aspect (or any example thereof described herein) for controlling the longitudinal slip and slip rate of the at least one wheel using the at least one propulsion and / or brake actuator, in accordance with the current driving scenario of the vehicle. The second aspect may thus seek to solve the problem of how to provide a vehicle in which the tire wear of at least one wheel is reduced. A technical benefit may be the same or similar to that already described withreference to the computer system of the first aspect, i.e. to take into account that wear iscaused by both steady-state longitudinal slip and impulses that increases with rate at which the longitudinal slip is changed.Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 7

[0026] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, thevehicle may be a heavy-duty vehicle, such as a commercial vehicle, construction equipment vehicle or machine, and similar. For example, the vehicle may be a truck, a tractor, a bus, a wheel loader, an excavator, any other heavy-duty vehicle wherein there is a need to reduce the wear of its tires, and for which slip and slip rate may be controlled and limited.

[0027] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-implemented method. The method includes obtaining, by processing circuitry of a computer system (such as that of the first aspect), data indicative of a current or predicted driving scenario of a vehicle; obtaining, by the processing circuitry, slip and slip rate limits for maintaining tire wear below or at a tire wear limit, and controlling, by the processing circuitry, a longitudinal slip and slip rate of at least one wheel of the vehicle in accordance with the slip and slip rate limits. The slip and slip rate limits are as already described with reference to the computer system of the first aspect.

[0028] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, themethod may include performing any of the operations recited as performed by the processing circuitry in any example of the computer system described above with reference to the first aspect.

[0029] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided acomputer program product including program code for performing, when executed by the processing circuitry, the method of the third aspect.

[0030] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provide a computer-readable storage medium including instructions, which when executed by the processingcircuitry (such as that of the computer system of the first aspect), cause the processingcircuitry to perform the method of the fourth aspect. Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the computer-readable storage medium may be non- transitory.

[0031] The disclosed aspects, examples (including any preferred examples), and / oraccompanying claims may be suitably combined with each other as would be apparent to anyone of ordinary skill in the art. Additional features and advantages are disclosed in the following description, claims, and drawings, and in part will be readily apparent therefrom to those skilled in the art or recognized by practicing the disclosure as described herein.Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 8

[0032] There are also disclosed herein computer systems, control units, code modules,computer-implemented methods, computer readable media, and computer program products associated with the above discussed technical benefits. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Examples are described in more detail below with reference to the appendeddrawings.

[0034] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates various examples of a computer system accordingto the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an example vehicle including the computersystem of FIG.1 according to the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a flowchart of various examples of a methodaccording to the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a plot of examples of how longitudinal tire force,lateral tire force and tire wear depend on longitudinal slip according to the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a plot of examples of how derivative oflongitudinal tire force with respect to time and tire wear depend on longitudinal slip rate according to the present disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a plot of examples of how a particularlongitudinal tire force may be obtained using different slip rate limits according to the presentdisclosure.

[0040] FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a schematic diagram of an example computersystem for implementing examples disclosed herein, according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The detailed description set forth below provides information and examples of thedisclosed technology with sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice thedisclosure.

[0042] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an example computer system 100 according to thepresent disclosure. The computer system 100 includes processing circuitry 110 that isDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 9 configured to obtain data indicative of a current or predicted driving scenario of a vehicle. The computer system 100 may for example form part of the vehicle, or in some other way be configured to control all or parts of the vehicle.

[0043] The processing circuitry 110 may be configured to obtain the data as part ofvarious signals 120 from one or more suitable sensors 122 of the vehicle, or at least somehow decide what the current (or soon-to-be) driving scenario of the vehicle will be. As envisaged herein, a “driving scenario” may for example be classified as a normal driving scenario, a safety-critical (driving) scenario, a performance-driving scenario, or similar, depending on which longitudinal and lateral tire forces that are deemed required to safely handle the drivingscenario. The driving scenario may e.g. correspond to desired maximum and / or minimumvalues of longitudinal and lateral tire forces as necessitated by the driving scenario, andsimilar. The processing circuitry 110 may be configured to on its own figure out what thecurrent (or soon-to-be, i.e. the predicted) driving scenario will be based on the signals 120 from the sensors 122, or e.g. receive an indication of the driving scenario from some other entity (not shown) configured to perform such determination and / or prediction.

[0044] The processing circuitry 110 is further configured to obtain slip and slip rate limitsfor maintaining a tire wear (of e.g. at least one wheel 142) of the vehicle. The slip and sliprate limits may for example be obtained as parts 130, 132 of one or more signals, e.g. from a storage / memory 134 accessible to the processing circuitry 110. The storage 134 may e.g. be an external storage (and even a remote storage accessed via a wireless or wired network), a more local storage accessible via a cable or bus, or e.g. an internal storage to the computer system 100 or even the processing circuitry 110. The exact configuration, location and way of accessing the storage / memory 134 is not important, as long as the processing circuitry 110 can somehow obtain the slip and slip rate limits.

[0045] The slip rate limit is a limit on a longitudinal slip (of a wheel / tire), and the sliprate limit is a limit on a time rate-of-change (a temporal rate-of-change) of the longitudinalslip. As used herein, a longitudinal slip ^ (or slip ratio) may be defined as a ratio of alongitudinal slip velocity (or velocity magnitude) of a patch of the tire in contact with ground to a longitudinal velocity (or velocity magnitude) of a center of the wheel (wherein the center of the wheel is e.g. assumed to move with a same velocity as that of the vehicle). Forexample, the longitudinal slip ^ may be defined asDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 10where ^^ is the longitudinal velocity of the center of the wheel, ^ is the radius of the wheel(at the point of contact), and ^ is the (longitudinal component of the) rotational speed(measured in e.g. revolutions per second). As used above, the “longitudinal velocity of thecenter of the wheel” is the speed of the vehicle in the plane of the tire. A positive slip value^ > 0 may thus indicate that wheel is spinning (as its contact patch moves faster than thevehicle moves relative ground), and a negative slip value ^ < 0 may indicate that the wheel isinstead skidding (as its contact patch moves slower than the vehicle moves relative ground).With e.g. the wheel fully braked, ^^ = 0 and ^ = −1 indicates that the wheels are slidingwithout rotating. If there is no movement of the vehicle but the wheels still rotate, ^^ = 0 and^ → ∞. The longitudinal slip rate is defined as how fast the longitudinal slip ^ changes overtime, and is defined as a parameter ^̇ where the dot indicates “time rate-of-change”, i.e. thederivative of ^ with respect to time ^. As used herein, if not stated to the contrary, the terms“longitudinal slip” and “slip” will be used interchangeably.

[0046] As envisaged generally herein, a tire wear of the at least one wheel 142 may bedefined by a function ^, which may indicate e.g. how much mass of the tire (or how much tread depth, or how much of the overall radius of the tire, or similar) that is lost for every driven time-interval, for every driven distance-interval, or similar. For example, tire wear may be indicated in units of mass per time, distance per time, mass per distance, distance perdistance, or similar. The exact definition of tire wear is not important, as long as it suffices toprovide at least an indication of how fast a tire of the vehicle will wear over time or at leastover distance if assuming that tire wear is minimal if the vehicle is not driven at all. As tiresand their dynamics are complex, other factors may of course also be taken into account, such as tire wear per driven distance as a function of temperature, loading of the vehicle, and similar. It may also be envisaged to assume that tire wear may be formulated as adimensionless parameter. The wear of a tire may also be formulated in terms of how muchforce the tire is able to generate. As an example, a new tire may be able to generate e.g.5000 N worth of force at a particular slip, while an old (or fully worn) tire may be able to generate only 1000 N, or similar. Tire wear may be formulated e.g. in terms of Newtons, or e.g. in terms of how much of the original force generating capability that remains. For example, a new tire may be assigned a tire wear of 0% (corresponding to a tire health of 100%), while aDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 11 fully worn tire may be assigned a tire wear of 100% (corresponding to a tire health of 0%), or similar. In any way, for the purpose of the present disclosure, it is sufficient that tire wear is defined in some way that allows tire wear to be compared for different slip and slip ratelimits. Generally herein, it is assumed that tire wear is a function of at least longitudinal slipand longitudinal slip rate, i.e. that ^ = (^, ^̇, [⋯ ]).

[0047] As used herein, the slip and slip rate limits define limits for how much slip andslip rate that is allowed in order to keep the tire wear below a tire wear limit, such as ^^^^. It is envisaged hat how much wear that is caused for different slip and slip rates may be obtained from e.g. tire test benches, wherein, in a controlled lab environment, tires may be driven with different slip and slip rates and the resulting tire wear may be observed and recorded. By so doing, it is envisaged that e.g. a mapping between tire wear and at least some different slip and slip rates may be created, and that e.g. interpolation and / or extrapolation can be used to find a tire wear corresponding to slip and slip rate pairs that was not considered during the test bench experiments. For example, a tire wear for a particular, missing pair of slip and slip rate values can be obtained based on tire wear values for one or more neighboring pairs of slip and slip rate values, and similar. In more sophisticated examples, it is envisaged that functional expressions may be derived based on such test bench experiments, such that an estimated tire wear value may be obtained using one or moreequations involving ^ and ^̇. In yet other examples, numerical models and / or computersimulations can be used to find such tire wear values, based on e.g. physical or non-physicalmodels of a tire and its tire wear for different values of ^ and ^̇.

[0048] As one example, test bench experiments may include measurements of tire wearfor different slip and slip rates. For example, measurements may be made for different slip and slip rates, and the resulting tire wear may be recorded. Tire wear may for example be recorded as the change in thread depth when the tire is used with a particular slip and slip rate during a predefined time interval, and each slip and slip rate pair may be recorded together with the resulting tire wear to generate a matrix, wherein each recorded tire wear is thus indexed by a particular slip and slip rate. Each pair of slip and slip rate values (or settings) may be performed on a new tire. In other examples, multiple measurements may be performed on a same tire, and it may be recorded at what slip and slip rate the tire wear starts to accelerate, or similar. Measurements may be performed such that slip is held constant while slip rate is varied, or vice versa, or by varying both slip and slip rate betweenDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 12 consecutive measurements, or similar. As envisaged herein, exactly how to measurements are performed is not important as long as they are sufficient to create a mapping between slip, slip rate and tire wear as envisaged herein.

[0049] As also envisaged herein, there may in some situations be additional variablestaken into account, such as e.g. tire operating temperature, ambient temperature, road surfacefriction, road surface temperature, road surface type, etc., and that more advanced mappings,e.g. ^ = ^(^, ^̇, Θ) where Θ is a set of one or more such additional parameters, whereinhow they affect the tire wear may for example also be studied in a controlled lab environment.

[0050] In yet other examples, tire wear as a function of ^ and ^̇ (and perhaps also of oneor more other variables / parameters, i.e. Θ) can be derived based on statistical / historical data collected during driving of vehicles, wherein the tire wear is recorded as function of these parameters. In yet other examples, it is envisaged that e.g. machine learning algorithms and / or one or more artificial neural network architectures can be used, wherein these aretrained to estimate tire wear based on ^, ^̇ and optionally one or more of the other parametersΘ.

[0051] In some examples, the processing circuitry 110 may be further configured toperform, or at least obtain a result of, such a mapping, e.g. as part of an operation S324 of the method 300.

[0052] The processing circuitry 110 is further configured to control a longitudinal slipand slip rate of the at least one wheel 142 of the vehicle in accordance with the slip and slip rate limits (i.e. to control the slip such that the slip and slip rate limits are not exceeded, ore.g. gone beyond). For this purpose, the processing circuitry 110 may be configured tocommunicate with (via e.g. one or more signals 144), i.e. to command, some other system140 of the vehicle responsible for providing such control based on the one or more signals 144. In other examples, the computer system 100 and processing circuitry 110 may themselves be configured to perform all of the needed control, in which case the system 140 and computer system 100 may be said to form part of, or be, a same system.

[0053] Control of the slip and slip rate for the at least one wheel 142 may for exampleinclude to control a rotational speed (e.g. ^) and rotational acceleration (e.g. ^)̇ of the wheel 142, by controlling e.g. one or more propulsion and / or brake actuators of the wheel 142. A propulsion actuator may e.g. be an engine / transmission 150 configured to, upon demand,Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 13apply propulsion torque to the wheel 142. Here, “engine” may refer to one or more internalcombustion engines (ICEs), one or more electric machines (such as electric motors), or somehybrid solution involving both one or more ICEs and one or more electric machines. Similarly, a brake actuator may include a brake system 160 configured to provide braking torque force / torque at the wheel 142, and may be e.g. a mechanical braking system, a pneumatic braking system, a hydraulic braking system, a hydropneumatic / -hydraulic braking system, a magnetic braking system, an electromagnetic braking system (such as one or more electrical machines operated as generators while connected to the wheel 142), or any combination of these or other suitable examples.

[0054] In some examples, the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to thepropulsion and / or brake actuators via corresponding interfaces provided for such control. For example, the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to communicate with a torqueand / or speed request interface 152 configured to accept requests for wheel torque, wheelspeed, and similar, and to then control the wheel 142 in accordance with such requests. Insome examples, the interface 152 is also configured to return back information about e.g.current wheel torque, wheel speed, wheel torque and / or speed rate-of-change, and similar, and / or current limits of how much wheel torque, wheel speed, wheel torque and / or speedrate-of-change, and similar, that is obtainable by the propulsion system 150, and theprocessing circuitry 110 may for example take such additional information into account to e.g. avoid requesting wheel torque and / or speed that is currently not possible due tolimitations of the propulsion system or similar. Similarly, in some examples, the processingcircuitry 110 may be configured to also, or instead, communicate with a brake requestinterface 162 configured to receive requests for brake torque, wheel speed, and similar, and to control a braking of the wheel 142 in accordance with such requests. In some examples, the interface 162 may also be configured to return information about e.g. a current brake torque, wheel speed, etc., and / or current limits for how much brake torque that can be applied, at what rate brake torque can be applied, current brake force and / or brake force rate limits, and similar, and the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to consider such information in order not to request brake torque, wheel speed, brake force, and similar, from the interface162 that the brake system / actuator 160 can currently not generate. In any way, it is hereinassumed that the processing circuitry 110 is configured such that it may in some wayDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 14influence how the wheel 142 is propelled and / or braked, in a way that respects the slip andslip rate limits, and to thus keep the tire wear ^ below (or at) the tire wear limit ^^^^ .

[0055] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an example vehicle according to the presentdisclosure, in form of a truck 200. Here, the vehicle is thus a heavy-vehicle, and it is assumedthat in other examples the vehicle may be some other heavy-vehicle or even a non-heavyvehicle, i.e. any vehicle wherein there is a need to reduce tire wear and in which slip and sliprate of at least one wheel / tire can be performed. The truck 200 includes at least one wheel142a, 142b, e.g. as part of the system 140 including, or being able to control, at least onepropulsion and / or brake actuator 150, 160 configured to propel and / or brake the at least onewheel 142a, 142b. The truck 200 further includes the computer system 100 as described withreference to FIG.1, for control of the at least one propulsion and / or brake actuator 150, 160 in accordance with a current or predicted driving scenario of the truck 200 (i.e. to control theslip and slip rate of the wheel 142a, 142b not to exceed the obtained slip and slip rate limits).

[0056] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates examples of a computer-implemented method 300as envisaged herein, as performed by e.g. the processing circuitry 110 of the computer system100. As part of e.g. an operation S310, the method 300 includes obtaining the data indicativeof the current or predicted driving scenario of the vehicle (such as the truck 200). As part ofan operation S320, the method 300 includes obtaining the slip and slip rate limits formaintaining the tire wear ^ below or at the tire wear limit ^^^^ . As part of an operationS330, the method 300 includes controlling the longitudinal slip and slip rate of the at least one wheel 142 of the vehicle in accordance with the slip and slip rate limits, i.e. such that theslip and slip rate is kept within (e.g. below) the slip and slip rate limits obtained based on thedriving scenario. Optional operations S332 and S334 may include the processing circuitry110 controlling the at least one propulsion and / or braking actuator, and interfacing with theone or more interfaces, respectively.

[0057] How the present disclosure envisages to define and use slip and slip rate limitswill now be described in more detail with reference also to FIGS.4, 5 and 6.

[0058] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a plot 400 of various curves as a function of slip^. A curve 410 indicates how tire wear ^ depends on ^, at least for some particular value of^̇, if assuming that tire wear ^ depends on both ^ and ^̇. The curve 410 may not necessarilyillustrate a real curve as would be obtained from e.g. a tire manufacturer having access to tire test benches, but serves to illustrate the overall concept of the present disclosure. PhrasedDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 15 differently, in a real curve 410 as obtained from e.g. a tire manufacturer, the shape, magnitude and similar of the curve 410 may be different than that shown in FIG.4. However,it is assumed that at least the overall concept of increasing slip ^ resulting in increased tirewear ^ would still apply, which is the most important thing to consider for the purpose ofthe present disclosure.

[0059] The plot 400 further includes a curve 420 that indicates how longitudinal tire force^^ depends on slip ^. As is often seen, the longitudinal tire force ^^ first increases withincreasing slip, and obtains a maximum at a non-zero slip ^ after which it may graduallydecrease again (but likely stay finite or even constant).

[0060] The plot 400 further includes a curve 430 that indicates how lateral tire force ^^depends on ^. The curve 430 illustrates that it is assumed that the lateral tire force ^^ willdecrease with increasing slip ^, and even approach zero or close to zero force for high slip values.

[0061] Generally, it is noted that all curves 410, 420 and 430 shown in the plot 400 maynot necessarily be exact representations of reality, but that they at least indicate, in a nominalsense, the overall expected dependence for tire wear ^ and longitudinal and lateral tire force^^and ^^, respectively, on slip ^.

[0062] Illustrated in FIG. 4 is also how, in some examples, it is envisaged to define aplurality of different driving scenario categories each corresponding to a particular slip limitvalue. In the example as illustrated in FIG. 4, there are three such slip limits 440, 442 and 444(corresponding to e.g. parameters ^^, ^^ and ^^) corresponding to three different drivingscenario categories. The first category corresponds to driving scenarios in which the therebynecessitated longitudinal and lateral forces ^^ and ^^ are obtained with slip ^ below ^^. Thefirst category may for example correspond to a normal driving scenario category, and may for example be defined such that if only a certain percentage of all possible driving categories (as evaluated based on e.g. historical data and / or statistics) are known to necessitate longitudinal and lateral forces obtainable with a slip less than ^^, those driving scenarios are categorized as belonging to the first category (e.g. the normal driving scenario category). Such apercentage may for example be e.g. 75%, 85% or 95%, of all possible driving scenarios. As aresult, if defining ^^such that it provides desirable longitudinal and lateral forces for say 95% of all driving scenarios, only 5% of the time spent driving a vehicle will (statistically)Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 16 require higher slip than ^^, and if ^^is set such that it corresponds to minimum, or at least low, tire wear, a reduction of tire wear will thus be obtained in approximately 95% of alldriving situations, as slip is then not allowed to go above ^^. As illustrated in FIG. 4, ^^ mayfor example be defined such that it allows both relatively high longitudinal and lateral tire force, while at the same time keeping tire wear low. The first category may thus be said to prioritize minimum (or low) tire wear over maximum longitudinal tire force (while still providing sufficiently high longitudinal and lateral tire forces for the vehicle handling e.g. 95% of all driving situations).

[0063] As also illustrated in FIG. 4, one or more additional driving scenario categoriesmay also be introduced, such as a third category with an associated slip limit ^^ that is above^^. In this category, which may e.g. be referred to as a safety-critical (driving) category, all driving scenarios that requires high longitudinal tire force and little or no lateral tire force may be included, and may e.g. correspond to the 5%, 2.5% or e.g.1% of all possible driving scenarios that thus requires the highest slip ^. Examples of such driving scenarios may e.g. include attempting to prevent vehicle roll-over, in which lateral tire force is not desirable, (automated) emergency braking scenarios, attempting to gain / maintain traction in soft conditions such as mud (in which high slip is desirable in order to not get stuck), and similar. As such high slip ^, as shown in FIG.4, also correspond to the highest tire wear, such acategory may be said to prioritize e.g. minimum lateral tire force (and / or high longitudinaltire force) over lower tire wear. However, including only a few percent of all possible, andalso more unlikely, driving scenarios, the second driving category is likely not assumed veryoften, and the high tire-wear associated therewith is likely not an issue over time. Mostimportantly, this category allows to increase tire wear at least temporarily in order to improve vehicle safety and handling in the most critical situations.

[0064] In other examples, a second driving situation category is also included, andassociated with a slip limit ^^located in between ^^and ^^. This category may be referred to as e.g. a performance-driving scenario category, and include driving scenarios in which e.g. more longitudinal tire force is required than in the first category, but in which no or littlelateral tire force is not required (or even desirable). Such a category may for example includesituations in which it is desirable to quickly accelerate and / or brake the vehicle, wherein maximum longitudinal tire force is desirable, and wherein at least some lateral tire force is also desirable. The tire wear will of course increase with respect to the first category, but notDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 17be as high as in the third category (i.e. above ^^). The second category may for exampleinclude all driving scenarios for which longitudinal and lateral tire forces obtainable between ^^and ^^are desirable. For example, the first category may correspond to the 75% of allpossible driving scenarios requiring the lowest slip ^, the third category may correspond tothe 5% of all possible driving scenarios requiring the highest slip ^, and the second categorymay correspond to the remaining percentage of the possible driving scenarios that requires slip between ^^and ^^. Other percentage numbers are of course also possible, and may be optimized by studying of e.g. historical data recorded from vehicles driving with different slip and by recording the tire wear resulting therefrom. For example, the first category maycorrespond to as much as 95% of all possible driving scenarios, the third category to only thetop 1 % of all possible driving scenarios, and the second category to the remaining 4%, andsimilar. In such a scenario, the minimum to low tire wear of the first category would beobtained during e.g.95% of all driving time, the somewhat hire tire wear of the second category would be obtained during only 4% of all driving time, and the high tire wear of thethird category would, although even higher, only be obtained during 1% of all driving time,and the overall tire wear over time would thus still likely be reduced by the control of slip based on resulting tire wear as envisaged herein.

[0065] The processing circuitry 110 may in some examples be configured to performsuch categorization, or at least obtain an indication of what category into which the current / predicted driving scenario should be sorted into, as part of e.g. an operation S322 of the method 300.

[0066] It is to be noted that the plot 400 only illustrates the upper-right quadrant, and thatit may be extended to also show part of the curves 410, 420 and 430 corresponding to negative slip ^. Then, curve 410 is assumed to be mirrored relative the vertical axle andremain positive for negative ^ (e.g. such that ^(^) = ^(−^)); curve 420 is assumed to bemirrored relative both the vertical and horizontal axle, and be negative for negative ^ (e.g.such that ^^(^) = −^^(−^)), and the curve 430 is assumed to be mirrored relative thevertical axis and remain positive for negative ^ (e.g. such that ^^(^) = ^^(−^)).

[0067] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a plot 500 which includes curves as a function ofthe time rate-of-change ^^ / ^^ (or ^̇) of the longitudinal slip, i.e. of the slip rate. A curve 510illustrates tire wear ^ as a function of ^̇ (for at least some particular value of ^), and a curveDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 18520 illustrates the time-derivative of the longitudinal tire force, ^^^ / ^^ (or ^^)̇ as a functionof slip rate ^̇. As mentioned earlier herein, the curves 510 and 520 may not necessarily beexactly as they would be in a real situation, e.g. with the curve 510 obtained from a tiremanufacturer having performed bench tests for tires at different ^̇ (and ^). Instead, the curves510 and 520 serve to illustrate the overall concept of the present disclosure, namely that the tire wear can be assumed to increase with increasing slip rate, and that longitudinal tire force rate-of-change increases (linearly) with increasing ^̇.

[0068] For example, how the longitudinal tire force time rate-of-change depends on theslip rate ^̇ may be obtained from for example the Magic Formula (often attributed to HansBastiaan Pacejka) ^^ = ^ ⋅ sin{^ ⋅ arctan[^^ − ^ ⋅ (^^ − arctan(^^))]},where ^, ^, ^ and ^ are fitting constants. By use of the chain rule, the time derivative of ^^may be expressed aswhere ^(^) depends on ^ and determines the relationship between ^^^ / ^^ and ^̇.

[0069] As also illustrated in FIG. 5, it is envisaged to also introduce multiple limits forthe slip rate ^̇, e.g. first, second and third (or e.g. first and third, first and second, etc.) sliprate limits 540, 542 and 544, respectively (referred to as e.g. parameters ^^̇^, ^^̇^ and ^^̇^).These limits may correspond to same driving scenario categories as those illustrated and described with reference to FIG.4, and e.g. such that the first slip rate limit ^^̇^correspondsto the normal driving scenario category, the second slip rate limit ^^̇^ corresponds to theperformance-drive scenario category, and the third slip rate limit ^^̇^ corresponds to thesafety-critical (driving) scenario category. It may thus be envisaged that e.g. the slip rate limit^^̇^is found by prioritizing lower tire wear over faster increase of longitudinal tire force and / or over faster decrease of lateral tire force, and e.g. that the slip rate limit ^^̇^is found byprioritizing faster increase of longitudinal tire force and / or faster decrease of lateral tire forceover lower tire wear, and similar. A quicker removal of lateral tire force ^^, e.g. a higher ^^̇,may be desirable in order to more quickly resolve a roll-over situation, in which e.g. deep slipbraking with high slip rate ^̇ may be performed to remove the lateral tire force as quickly aspossible, at the expense of at least temporarily increase tire wear.Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 19

[0070] In general, it may be assumed at least in some examples that the slip and slip ratelimits may depend on each other, such that to stay below a same tire wear limit, a lower sliplimit may allow for a higher slip rate limit, and vice versa. In other words, a relatively lower slip limit may be applied together with a relatively higher slip rate limit and / or a relatively higher slip limit may be applied together with a relatively lower slip rate limit. The envisaged solution thus provides an improved flexibility in that many different driving situations requiring e.g. low slip and high slip rate, low slip rate and high slip, etc., can be handled while still being able to reduce overall tire wear. For example, it may be assumed that the slip rate limits are functions of the corresponding slip limits (and / or of a current or target slip of the wheel), and / or that the slip limits are functions of the corresponding slip rate limits(and / or of a current or target slip rate of the wheel). More generally, it may be assumed that^ = ^(^, ^̇) (i.e. there is a mapping between tire wear and ^ and ^̇, and that imposing of theslip and slip rate limits may be such that ^ is confined to be below the tire wear limit ^^^^as long as ^ ∈ ^ and ^̇ ∈ ^, where ^ is a set of allowed slip values and ^ is a set of allowedslip rate values, i.e. such that a slip limit is the boundary of the set ^ and a slip rate limit is theboundary of the set ^, as envisaged herein.

[0071] It is to be noted that the plot 500 only illustrates the upper-right quadrant, and thatit may be extended to also show part of the curves 410, 420 and 430 corresponding tonegative slip rate ^̇. Then, curve 510 is assumed to be mirrored relative the vertical axle andremain positive for negative ^̇ (e.g. such that ^^^̇ ^ = ^^−^^̇); and curve 520 is alsoassumed to be mirrored relative the vertical axis (e.g. such that ^^̇^^^̇ = ^^̇(−^̇).

[0072] FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a plot 600 of how a target longitudinal tire force^^^^^can be achieved using different slip rate limits. The plot 600 includes a curve 610 showing how the longitudinal tire force ^^changes towards the target value ^^^^^when the slip rate is high (e.g. ^^̇^^^), e.g. within the realm of the safety-critical scenario category. The plot 600 includes a curve 620 showing how the longitudinal tire force ^^changes towards the target value ^^^^^when the slip rate is instead low (e.g. ^^̇^^), e.g. within the realm of the normal driving scenario category. Both curves 610 and 620 are obtained for a same slip, andit can be seen how, as indicated already by the curve 520 in FIG. 5, the higher slip rate ^^̇^^^leads to a faster increase of ^^but also to some overshooting and oscillations around ^^^^^,while the lower slip rate ^^̇^^ leads to a slower convergence towards ^^^^^ but with noDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 20 overshoot and no oscillating behavior. Thus, in situations wherein a fast approach to the target longitudinal tire force is desirable, a higher slip rate limit may be useful, as long as the eventual overshoot and / or oscillations are acceptable. In other situations, wherein a quick reaching of the target ^^^^^is not critical, the slip rate limit can be reduced and also result in a reduced tire wear (see FIG.5) or the possibility to allow a higher slip (limit) while maintaining a same tire wear.

[0073] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a computer system 700 for implementingexamples disclosed herein (such as the computer system 100). The computer system 700 isadapted to execute instructions from a computer-readable medium to perform these and / orany of the functions or processing described herein. The computer system 700 may beconnected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a LAN (Local Area Network), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), automotive network communication protocol (e.g., FlexRay), an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. While only a single device is illustrated, the computer system 700 may include any collection of devices that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Accordingly, any reference in the disclosure and / or claims to a computer system, computing system, computer device, computing device, control system, control unit, electronic control unit (ECU), processor device, processing circuitry, etc., includes reference to one or more such devices to individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. For example, control system may include a single control unit, or a plurality of control units connected or otherwise communicatively coupled to each other, such that any performed function may be distributed between the control units as desired. Further, such devices may communicate with each other or other devices by various system architectures, such as directly or via a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, etc.

[0074] The computer system 700 may comprise at least one computing device orelectronic device capable of including firmware, hardware, and / or executing softwareinstructions to implement the functionality described herein. The computer system 700 mayinclude processing circuitry 702 (e.g., processing circuitry including one or more processordevices or control units, such as the processing circuitry 110), a memory 704, and a systembus 706. The computer system 700 may include at least one computing device having theprocessing circuitry 702. The system bus 706 provides an interface for system componentsDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 21including, but not limited to, the memory 704 and the processing circuitry 702. Theprocessing circuitry 702 may include any number of hardware components for conducting data or signal processing or for executing computer code stored in memory 704. The processing circuitry 702 may, for example, include a general-purpose processor, an application specific processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a circuit containing processing components, a group of distributed processing components, a group of distributed computers configured for processing, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed toperform the functions described herein. The processing circuitry 702 may further includecomputer executable code that controls operation of the programmable device.

[0075] The system bus 706 may be any of several types of bus structures that may furtherinterconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and / or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The memory 704 may be one or more devices for storing data and / or computer code for completing or facilitating methods described herein. The memory 704 may include database components, object code components, script components, or other types of information structure for supporting the various activities herein. Any distributed or local memory device may be utilized with the systems and methods of this description. The memory 704 may be communicably connected to the processing circuitry 702 (e.g., via a circuit or any other wired, wireless, or network connection) and may include computer code for executing one or more processes describedherein. The memory 704 may include non-volatile memory 708 (e.g., read-only memory(ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc.), and volatile memory 710 (e.g., random-access memory (RAM)), or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desiredprogram code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures, and whichcan be accessed by a computer or other machine with processing circuitry 702. A basicinput / output system (BIOS) 712 may be stored in the non-volatile memory 708 and caninclude the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer system 700.

[0076] The computer system 700 may further include or be coupled to a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium such as the storage device 714, which may comprise, forDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 22 example, an internal or external hard disk drive (HDD) (e.g., enhanced integrated drive electronics (EIDE) or serial advanced technology attachment (SATA)), HDD (e.g., EIDE orSATA) for storage, flash memory, or the like. The storage device 714 and other drivesassociated with computer-readable media and computer-usable media may provide non- volatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and the like.

[0077] Computer-code which is hard or soft coded may be provided in the form of one ormore modules. The module(s) can be implemented as software and / or hard-coded in circuitry to implement the functionality described herein in whole or in part. The modules may bestored in the storage device 714 and / or in the volatile memory 710, which may include anoperating system 716 and / or one or more program modules 718. All or a portion of theexamples disclosed herein may be implemented as a computer program 720 stored on atransitory or non-transitory computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium (e.g.,single medium or multiple media), such as the storage device 714, which includes complexprogramming instructions (e.g., complex computer-readable program code) to cause theprocessing circuitry 702 to carry out actions described herein. Thus, the computer-readableprogram code of the computer program 720 can comprise software instructions for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by the processing circuitry 702. In some examples, the storage device 714 may be a computer program product (e.g., readable storage medium) storing the computer program 720 thereon, where at least a portion of a computer program 720 may be loadable (e.g., into a processor) for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by theprocessing circuitry 702. The processing circuitry 702 may serve as a controller or controlsystem for the computer system 700 that is to implement the functionality described herein.

[0078] The computer system 700 may include an input device interface 722 configured toreceive input and selections to be communicated to the computer system 700 when executinginstructions, such as from a keyboard, mouse, touch-sensitive surface, etc. Such input devicesmay be connected to the processing circuitry 702 through the input deviceinterface 722 coupled to the system bus 706 but can be connected through other interfaces,such as a parallel port, an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 1394 serialport, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, an IR interface, and the like. The computer system700 may include an output device interface 724 configured to forward output, such as to adisplay, a video display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tubeDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 23(CRT)). The computer system 700 may include a communications interface 726 suitable forcommunicating with a network as appropriate or desired.

[0079] The operational actions described in any of the exemplary aspects herein aredescribed to provide examples and discussion. The actions may be performed by hardwarecomponents, may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the actions, or may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. Although a specific order of method actions may be shown or described, the order of theactions may differ. In addition, two or more actions may be performed concurrently or withpartial concurrence.

[0080] In summary of all of the above, it has been presented an improved way ofmanaging tire wear in a vehicle, wherein a driving situation of the vehicle is used to decide upon limits for both longitudinal slip and longitudinal slip rate (of change, with time), andwhere at least one wheel of the vehicle is controlled in accordance with both theses limits. Byfurther categorizing each driving situation into one of multiple predefined categories, slip and slip rate limits may be provided which can be made to cover e.g. most of the normal driving scenarios while maintaining a minimum or low tire wear, and which may also cover performance-driving and / or more safety-critical scenarios at the expense of a temporarily increased tire wear that will, due to the rareness of such scenarios, still lead to an overall lowtire wear over time. The present disclosure has suggested that how tire wear is affected bydifferent slip and slip rates can be studied experimentally in e.g. a tire test bench, and that the results of such experiments (or e.g. numerical and / or mathematical models) can be used to define slip and slip rate limits that corresponds to different levels of tire wear.

[0081] The proposed solution thus enables to reduce overall tire wear, and in particular toe.g. use tires with optimized rolling resistance and range for e.g. battery electric vehicles (BEVs) which would otherwise not be allowed (based on e.g. current regulations) due to such tires being prone to wearing out too quickly if not controlled in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0082] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspectsonly and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms"a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the termsDocket No.: P2023-1454WO01 24 "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and / or "including" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0083] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc., may be usedherein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms.These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a firstelement could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0084] Relative terms such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or "lower" or "horizontal"or "vertical" may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element to another elementas illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed aboveare intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to theother element, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element isreferred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

[0085] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) usedherein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art towhich this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should beinterpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0086] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the aspectsdescribed above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present disclosure andappended claims. In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed aspects forpurposes of illustration only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the disclosure being set forth in the following claims.

[0087] The following is an exemplifying list of examples envisaged herein:Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 25Example 1: A computer system including processing circuitry configured to: - obtain dataindicative of a current or predicted driving scenario of a vehicle; - obtain slip and slip ratelimits for maintaining tire wear below or at a tire wear limit, wherein the slip limit is for a longitudinal slip and the slip rate limit is for a time rate-of-change of the longitudinal slip, and wherein the slip and slip rate limits are defined taking into account also assumed longitudinal and lateral tire forces necessitated by the current or predicted driving scenario ofthe vehicle; and - control a longitudinal slip and slip rate of at least one wheel of the vehiclein accordance with the slip and slip rate limits. Example 2: The computer system of example 1, wherein the slip rate limit depends on the obtained slip limit and / or on a current or target longitudinal slip of the at least one wheel. Example 3: The computer system of example 1 or 2, wherein for a same tire wear, the slip and slip rate limits are related such that a lower slip limit corresponds to a higher slip rate limit, and such that a higher slip limit corresponds to a lower slip rate limit. Example 4: The computer system of any one of the preceding examples, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to categorize the current or predicted driving scenario as a particular one of a predefined plurality of different driving scenarios each associated with different slip and slip rate limits, and to obtain the slip and slip rate limits as the slip and slip rate limits associated with the particular driving scenario. Example 5: The computer system of example 4, wherein the predefined plurality of different driving scenarios includes at least i) a normal driving scenario and ii) a safety-critical scenario, wherein the slip limit associated with the normal driving scenario is lower than that associated with the safety-critical scenario. Example 6: The computer system of example 5, wherein the slip limit associated with the normal driving scenario is found by prioritizing minimum tire wear over maximum longitudinal tire force, and wherein the slip limit associated with the safety-critical scenario is found by prioritizing minimum lateral tire force over minimum tire wear. Example 7: The computer system of example 5 or 6, wherein the slip rate limit associated with the normal driving scenario is found by prioritizing lower tire wear over faster increase of longitudinal tire force and / or over faster decrease of lateral tire force, and wherein the slip rate limit associated with the safety-critical scenario is found by prioritizing faster increase of longitudinal tire force and / or faster decrease of lateral tire force over lower tire wear.Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 26 Example 8: The computer system of any one of examples 5 to 7, wherein the safety-critical scenario is to prevent roll-over of the vehicle, an emergency braking of the vehicle and / or to improve traction of the vehicle on soft ground. Example 9: The computer system of any one of examples 5 to 7, wherein the plurality of different driving scenarios further includes iii) a performance-driving scenario, wherein each of the slip and slip rate limits associated with the performance-driving scenario is in between the slip and slip rate limit, respectively, associated with the normal driving scenario and the safety-critical scenario. Example 10: The computer system of example 9, wherein the slip limit associated with the performance-driving scenario is found by prioritizing maximum longitudinal tire force over minimum tire wear. Example 11: The computer system of example 9 or 10, wherein the performance-driving scenario is to perform braking and / or acceleration in icy conditions. Example 12: The computer system of any one of examples 5 to 11, wherein the normal driving scenario covers at least the lowest 75 percent of all possible driving scenarios in terms of required longitudinal slip, preferably the lowest 85 percent, more preferably the lowest 95 percent. Example 13: The computer system of example 12, wherein the safety-critical scenario corresponds to only the highest 5 percent of all possible driving scenarios in terms of required longitudinal slip, preferably only the highest 2.5 percent, more preferably only the highest 1 percent. Example 14: The computer system of any one of the preceding examples, wherein the slip and slip rate limits are obtained from the use of a tire test bench to determine tire wear at different longitudinal slips and slip rates. Example 15: The computer system of example 14, wherein the processing circuity is configured to access a mapping between tire wear and longitudinal slip and slip rate as found from such a test bench, and to obtain the slip and slip rate limits based on said mapping. Example 16: The computer system of any one of the preceding examples, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the longitudinal slip and slip rate by controlling a rotational speed and acceleration of the at least one wheel.Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 27 Example 17: The computer system of example 16, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the rotational speed and acceleration of the at least one wheel by controlling one or more propulsion and / or brake actuators of the at least one wheel. Example 18: The computer system of example 17, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the propulsion and / or brake actuators via a corresponding torque and / or speed request interface and / or via a corresponding brake request interface.Example 19: A vehicle, including: - at least one wheel; - at least one propulsion and / or brakeactuator configured to propel and / or brake the at least one wheel, and - the computer systemof any one of examples 1 to 18 for controlling the longitudinal slip and slip rate of the at least one wheel using the at least one propulsion and / or brake actuator, in accordance with thecurrent or predicted driving scenario of the vehicle.Example 20: A computer implemented method, including: - obtaining, by processingcircuitry of a computer system, data indicative of a current or predicted driving scenario of avehicle; - obtaining, by the processing circuitry, slip and slip rate limits for maintaining tirewear below or at a tire wear limit, wherein the slip limit is for a longitudinal slip and the sliprate limit is for a time rate-of-change for the longitudinal slip, and wherein the slip and sliprate limits are defined taking into account also assumed longitudinal and lateral tire forcesnecessitated by the current or predicted driving scenario of the vehicle, and - controlling(S330), by the processing circuitry, a longitudinal slip and slip rate of at least one wheel of the vehicle in accordance with the slip and slip rate limits. Example 21: A computer program product including program code for performing, when executed by the processing circuitry, the method of example 20. Example 22: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions, which when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform the method of example 20.

Claims

1. Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 28 Claims What is claimed is:

1. A computer system (100) comprising processing circuitry (110) configured to: -obtain data (120) indicative of a current or predicted driving scenario of a vehicle;- obtain slip and slip rate limits (130, 132) for maintaining tire wear below or at a tirewear limit, wherein the slip limit is for a longitudinal slip and the slip rate limit is for a timerate-of-change of the longitudinal slip, and wherein the slip and slip rate limits are definedtaking into account also assumed longitudinal and lateral tire forces necessitated by thecurrent or predicted driving scenario of the vehicle; and- control a longitudinal slip and slip rate of at least one wheel of the vehicle inaccordance with the slip and slip rate limits.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the slip rate limit depends on the obtainedslip limit and / or on a current or target longitudinal slip of the at least one wheel.

3. The computer system of claim 1 or 2, wherein for a same tire wear, the slip and slip ratelimits are related such that a lower slip limit corresponds to a higher slip rate limit, and suchthat a higher slip limit corresponds to a lower slip rate limit.

4. The computer system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processingcircuitry is configured to categorize the current or predicted driving scenario as a particular oneof a predefined plurality of different driving scenarios each associated with different slip andslip rate limits, and to obtain the slip and slip rate limits as the slip and slip rate limits associated with the particular driving scenario.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the predefined plurality of different drivingscenarios comprises at least i) a normal driving scenario and ii) a safety-critical scenario,wherein the slip limit associated with the normal driving scenario is lower than that associatedwith the safety-critical scenario. Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 296. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the slip limit associated with the normaldriving scenario is found by prioritizing minimum tire wear over maximum longitudinal tireforce, and wherein the slip limit associated with the safety-critical scenario is found by prioritizing minimum lateral tire force over minimum tire wear.

7. The computer system of claim 5 or 6, wherein the slip rate limit associated with thenormal driving scenario is found by prioritizing lower tire wear over faster increase oflongitudinal tire force and / or over faster decrease of lateral tire force, and wherein the slip ratelimit associated with the safety-critical scenario is found by prioritizing faster increase of longitudinal tire force and / or faster decrease of lateral tire force over lower tire wear.

8. The computer system of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the safety-critical scenariois to prevent roll-over of the vehicle, an emergency braking of the vehicle and / or to improve traction of the vehicle on soft ground.

9. The computer system of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the plurality of differentdriving scenarios further comprises iii) a performance-driving scenario, wherein each of theslip and slip rate limits associated with the performance-driving scenario is in between the slipand slip rate limit, respectively, associated with the normal driving scenario and the safety- critical scenario.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the slip limit associated with theperformance-driving scenario is found by prioritizing maximum longitudinal tire force over minimum tire wear.

11. The computer system of claim 9 or 10, wherein the performance-driving scenario is toperform braking and / or acceleration in icy conditions.

12. The computer system of any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein the normal driving scenariocovers at least the lowest 75 percent of all possible driving scenarios in terms of requiredlongitudinal slip, preferably the lowest 85 percent, more preferably the lowest 95 percent. Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 3013. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the safety-critical scenario corresponds toonly the highest 5 percent of all possible driving scenarios in terms of required longitudinalslip, preferably only the highest 2.5 percent, more preferably only the highest 1 percent.

14. The computer system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the slip and slip ratelimits are obtained from the use of a tire test bench to determine tire wear at different longitudinal slips and slip rates.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the processing circuity is configured toaccess a mapping between tire wear and longitudinal slip and slip rate as found from such a test bench, and to obtain the slip and slip rate limits based on said mapping.

16. The computer system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processingcircuitry is configured to control the longitudinal slip and slip rate by controlling a rotational speed and acceleration of the at least one wheel.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the processing circuitry is configured tocontrol the rotational speed and acceleration of the at least one wheel by controlling one or more propulsion and / or brake actuators of the at least one wheel.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the processing circuitry is configured tocontrol the propulsion and / or brake actuators via a corresponding torque and / or speed request interface and / or via a corresponding brake request interface.

19. A vehicle (200), comprising:- at least one wheel (142a, 142b);- at least one propulsion and / or brake actuator (150; 160) configured to propel and / orbrake the at least one wheel, and -the computer system (100) of any one of claims 1 to 18 for controlling thelongitudinal slip and slip rate of the at least one wheel using the at least one propulsion and / orbrake actuator, in accordance with the current or predicted driving scenario of the vehicle. Docket No.: P2023-1454WO01 3120. A computer implemented method (300), comprising:- obtaining (S310), by processing circuitry of a computer system, data indicative of acurrent or predicted driving scenario of a vehicle; -obtaining (S320), by the processing circuitry, slip and slip rate limits for maintainingtire wear below or at a tire wear limit, wherein the slip limit is for a longitudinal slip and the slip rate limit is for a time rate-of-change for the longitudinal slip, and wherein the slip andslip rate limits are defined taking into account also assumed longitudinal and lateral tireforces necessitated by the current or predicted driving scenario of the vehicle, and -controlling (S330), by the processing circuitry, a longitudinal slip and slip rate of atleast one wheel of the vehicle in accordance with the slip and slip rate limits.

21. A computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by the processing circuitry, the method of claim 20.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform the method of claim 20.

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