Tire-Mount Vibration Sensor for Road Surface Risk Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle risk avoidance systems struggle to detect road surface conditions over a wide range during travel, as they rely on braking to generate differences in tire and vehicle body speed, limiting their ability to detect slipperiness accurately and frequently.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle risk avoidance device equipped with tire mount sensors that detect vibrations to determine road surface conditions, transmitting high-frequency data to a communication center for accurate risk assessment and control, allowing for continuous detection without braking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If braking is used to generate difference between tire rotational speed and vehicle body speed for detecting road surface slipperiness, then measurement precision of road surface condition is improved, but productivity (detection frequency and range) deteriorates because detection cannot occur continuously during traveling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical braking-based detection method with a vibration-based detection method. Instead of using wheel speed sensors that require braking to detect slipperiness, the invention uses vibration sensors (accelerometers) mounted on the vehicle body to detect vibrations caused by tire-road interaction. This substitution allows continuous detection during normal traveling without requiring braking actions, thereby resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces vibration signals as an intermediary to indirectly measure road surface conditions. Rather than directly measuring tire slipperiness through speed differences, the system uses vibration characteristics (frequency, amplitude) of the vehicle body as caused by tire-road contact as an intermediary indicator. This intermediary approach enables continuous detection during normal driving while maintaining the ability to assess road surface slipperiness accurately.
2Productivity
If vibration-based detection is used to detect road surface conditions, then productivity (detection frequency and range) is improved, but measurement precision may deteriorate due to difficulty in distinguishing road surface vibrations from other vehicle vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the vibration detection into specific frequency ranges and components. By analyzing vibrations in particular frequency bands and separating road surface-induced vibrations from other vehicle vibrations through spectral analysis, the system can isolate the relevant signals. This segmentation approach allows continuous detection while maintaining precision by focusing on the specific vibration characteristics caused by road surface conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where the detected vibration data is continuously analyzed and compared against reference patterns. The system uses the vibration signals to infer road surface conditions, and this information feeds back into the control system to adjust detection parameters and improve accuracy over time. This feedback loop enables the system to distinguish road surface vibrations from other sources even during continuous operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the detection of road surface conditions at higher frequencies and over a wider range, enabling more effective risk avoidance controls during vehicle travel.
Implementation Method 1
a vibration detection unit for outputting a detection signal according to a magnitude of vibration of the tire
Data Source
AI summary
A tire mount sensor detects a road surface condition such as a type of a road surface and a road surface μ, and transmits road surface data indicating a detection result to a communication center. The communication center collects road surface data more precisely, and the vehicle receives the more precise road surface data from the communication center. Based on received more precise road surface data, the risk of the vehicle is determined. Thus, the road surface condition is detected using the tire mount sensor, so that the road surface condition is detected without braking. Accordingly, it is possible to detect the road surface condition with high frequency, so that the road surface condition is detected in wider area, and it is possible to perform the control more appropriately for avoiding the risk based on the road surface condition during a travel.