Wheel Acceleration Components for Robust Rotation Angle Estimation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wheel status estimation systems, particularly in heavy-duty vehicles, lack reliable and accurate methods for determining wheel rotational angle and motion due to the failure or inaccuracy of wheel speed sensors, leading to inadequate motion prediction and handling.

Innovation Solution

Utilizing a computer system with processing circuitry to analyze acceleration data from a vehicle's accelerometer, breaking down the data into gravitational, centripetal, and road-contact acceleration components to estimate wheel rotational angle and motion, enhancing accuracy through frequency and amplitude analysis.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If wheel speed sensors are used to measure wheel status, then wheel rotational speed and angle can be obtained, but the system reliability deteriorates when sensors fail or report inaccurate data

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewheel status measurement accuracyVSAvoidsystem reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses acceleration data from accelerometers as an intermediary measurement to estimate wheel status. Instead of directly measuring wheel speed and angle with potentially failing sensors, the system measures acceleration and derives wheel status through signal processing and estimation algorithms, providing a redundant measurement path that improves reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical/electrical wheel speed sensors with an accelerometer-based measurement system. By using acceleration measurements and mathematical estimation rather than direct sensor measurement, the system eliminates dependency on traditional wheel speed sensors and their associated failure modes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If acceleration data is decomposed into multiple components, then estimation accuracy improves, but computational complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewheel status estimation accuracyVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the total acceleration signal into distinct components (gravitational acceleration, centripetal acceleration, and road-contact acceleration) that correspond to different physical phenomena. This segmentation allows each component to be processed and analyzed separately, improving estimation accuracy while making the complex processing task more manageable through modular analysis

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4610120A1Estimating status of a wheel based on acceleration data
Publication Date: 2025.09.03 VOLVO TRUCK CORP
  • EP4610120A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4610120A1 patent drawingFigure 3a~3d
  • EP4610120A1 patent drawingFigure 4a~4d

AI summary

A computer system (900) comprising processing circuitry (902) configured to handle acceleration data of an accelerometer (2) is provided. The accelerometer (2) is arranged to measure acceleration of a wheel (10) of a vehicle (1). The processing circuitry (902) is configured to obtain acceleration data from the accelerometer (2). The acceleration data is indicative of a total acceleration measured by the accelerometer (2). The processing circuitry (902) is configured to derive from the acceleration data, a set of acceleration components. Each component in the set of acceleration components indicates a respective portion of the total acceleration. The processing circuitry (902) is configured to estimate a status of the wheel (10) based on the set of acceleration components. The status of the wheel (10) comprises a rotational angle of the wheel (10) and/or a rotational motion of the wheel (10).