Tire Pressure Control via Load and Time Prediction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tire pressure control systems for commercial vehicles are inefficient as they often result in overinflation during partial loading, leading to excessive tread wear and increased fuel consumption, and underinflation due to leakage, which can cause safety issues and require lengthy inflation times, straining the air supply system.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that adjust tire pressure based on the expected load and remaining travel time to a destination, using a data acquisition, processing, and control module to issue signals for inflation or deflation, ensuring optimal pressure levels are maintained without overburdening the air supply system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tires are inflated to maximum pressure level recommended for carrying legal load, then tire safety and structural integrity are improved, but fuel consumption increases and tread wear becomes excessive due to overinflation during partial loading
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts tire pressure based on real-time load conditions detected by sensors. When the vehicle is partially loaded or empty, the system reduces tire pressure to optimal levels, thereby reducing rolling resistance and fuel consumption. When fully loaded, it maintains maximum pressure for safety, creating a dynamic adaptation to varying operational conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameter of tire pressure based on detected load conditions. By monitoring weight sensors and calculating actual load, the system adjusts pressure parameters to match operational requirements, preventing both overinflation (which increases fuel consumption) and underinflation (which compromises safety)
2Use of energy by moving object
If tires are deflated to lower pressure level when load is low, then fuel consumption is reduced and tread wear is minimized, but tire structural integrity may be compromised if pressure is too low
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors load conditions through weight sensors and provides feedback to the pressure control system. This closed-loop feedback ensures that tire pressure is adjusted to the precise level needed for the current load, preventing both excessive pressure (wasting energy) and insufficient pressure (compromising structural integrity)
3Reliability
If automatic tire inflation system is used to maintain maximum pressure, then tire safety is ensured, but air consumption increases significantly and compressor capacity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of load conditions and only initiates inflation when actually needed. By using weight sensors to detect when the vehicle is fully loaded, the system activates the compressor only during necessary periods, preventing unnecessary air consumption while maintaining safety requirements
4Device complexity
If tire pressure is checked only occasionally, then system complexity is reduced, but tires become underinflated due to leakage between checks, increasing rolling resistance and fuel consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous monitoring of tire pressure through integrated pressure sensors, eliminating the need for occasional manual checks. This continuous surveillance detects pressure drops due to leakage in real-time, allowing immediate correction and maintaining optimal pressure throughout operation, thereby preventing increased rolling resistance and fuel consumption
5Productivity
If tire pressure is adjusted in advance before loading, then optimal pressure is ready for departure, but vehicle cannot safely move on low-pressure tires during the inflation process
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary inflation adjustments during the loading process itself, using the loading time to inflate tires to the required pressure level. Weight sensors detect when the vehicle reaches full load, and the system initiates or completes inflation during this period, ensuring optimal pressure is achieved before departure without requiring the vehicle to move on underinflated tires
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for controlling a pressure on at least one tire of a vehicle based on a remaining time of travelling to a destination of the vehicle and/or an expected load of the vehicle on a subsequent trip, includes: a data acquisition module to acquire data, the data being indicative of the remaining time of travelling to the destination and/or the expected load of the vehicle on the subsequent trip. The apparatus further includes a data processing module to determine a time of changing the pressure on the at least one tire based on the acquired data and a control module to issue a control signal to initiate the change of the pressure at the determined time.