Tire Sensor Circular Buffer for Contact Patch Data Acquisition

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Solution Overview

Problem

Tire-mounted sensors face challenges in acquiring meaningful data due to limited memory and high power consumption, especially when vehicle speed changes, leading to incomplete data acquisition and increased power usage.

Innovation Solution

A sensor system that uses a circular buffer to store data until a predefined delay after recognizing a contact patch perturbation, allowing for faster acquisition and reduced memory requirements, and adapts to changing wheel rotation speeds by recognizing leading and trailing edge conditions or peaks, enabling efficient data transmission and low power consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If continuous data acquisition is performed to ensure complete contact patch data, then measurement precision is improved, but memory requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontact patch data completenessVSAvoidmemory capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by continuously storing data in a circular buffer before the contact patch arrives, so that when the contact patch is detected, the data is already ready for immediate processing and transmission, eliminating the need for large memory capacity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The data acquisition process is segmented into continuous background storage (circular buffer) and selective contact patch capture, separating the functions of general data collection from specific event recording, thereby reducing overall memory requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Measurement precision

If high sampling rate is used during contact patch to ensure data resolution, then measurement precision is improved, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesampling rateVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses periodic action by switching between low-power sleep mode and high-rate sampling mode, activating high sampling rate only during the brief contact patch period when data is needed, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining measurement precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The sampling rate is made dynamic, adjusting between low rate during non-contact periods and high rate during contact patch, allowing the system to optimize between power consumption and measurement precision based on real-time conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Use of energy by moving object

If sleep period is extended to reduce power consumption, then energy efficiency is improved, but response time increases when vehicle speed changes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidacquisition delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by continuously storing data in the circular buffer during sleep period, so when contact patch is detected, data is immediately available for transmission without waiting for acquisition, reducing response time while maintaining low power consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The circular buffer acts as an intermediary between the sensor and processing units, decoupling the sleep-wake cycle from data availability, allowing the system to sleep longer without increasing acquisition delay since data is pre-stored in the buffer

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Productivity

If data transmission is performed immediately upon contact patch detection, then productivity is improved, but power consumption increases due to frequent wake-ups

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata acquisition speedVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-processing and preparing data in the circular buffer before transmission, so when wake-up occurs, data is ready for immediate transmission, improving productivity without requiring more frequent wake-ups

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses partial action by transmitting only the relevant contact patch data from the buffer rather than all accumulated data, improving transmission efficiency and reducing the time needed to wake up and transmit, thereby balancing productivity and power consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3741588B1Contact patch data acquisition

Publication Date: 2023.03.01 MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES SA

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AI summary

A sensor system (100) for acquiring a perturbation, induced by a contact patch of a tire, in data generated by a sensor system mounted in the tire. The sensor system (100) comprising at least one sensor (110) adapted for generating the data related to a physical property of the tire, and an acquisition system (120) comprising memory (122). The sensor system (100) is adapted for triggering the acquisition system (120) to acquire the data and for storing it in a buffer in the memory (122), until a predefined delay after the perturbation is recognized, wherein the perturbation is recognized by comparing the stored data with at least one characterizing feature of the perturbation.