System and method for predicting tire traction capabilities and active safety applications

A system for automatically estimating and selectively applying vehicle tire traction characteristics, the system comprising:

• a computing device or network functionally linked to a vehicle via a communications network,
• wherein vehicle data collected via an onboard device and/or one or more sensors and comprising movement data and location data in association with the vehicle is transmitted from the vehicle to the computing device or network, and
• wherein the computing device or network is configured to:
• generate a tire wear model based at least in part on a first feedback loop from comparing estimated tire wear via the transmitted vehicle data with corresponding determined actual tire wear;
• generate a tire traction model based at least in part on a second feedback loop from comparing estimated tire traction, via the transmitted vehicle data and the estimated tire wear, with corresponding determined actual tire traction;
• determine a tire wear status for at least one tire associated with the vehicle based on current vehicle data and by applying the generated tire wear model;
• predict one or more tire traction characteristics for the at least one tire, based at least on the transmitted vehicle data and the determined tire wear status and by applying the generated tire traction model;
• and
• provide the one or more predicted tire traction characteristics to an active safety unit associated with the vehicle,
• wherein the active safety unit is configured to selectively modify one or more vehicle operation settings based on at least the predicted one or more tire traction characteristics.

A system for automatically estimating and selectively applying vehicle tire traction characteristics, the system comprising:

• a first computing device or network functionally linked to each of a plurality of vehicles via a communications network;
• a fleet management computing device or network functionally linked to the first computing device or network;
• and
• a vehicle control system associated with each of the plurality of vehicles,
• wherein, for each of the plurality of vehicles:
• vehicle data collected via an onboard device and/or one or more sensors and comprising movement data and location data in association with the vehicle is transmitted from the respective vehicle to the first computing device or network;
• the first computing device or network is configured to
• generate a tire wear model based at least in part on a first feedback loop from comparing estimated tire wear via the transmitted vehicle data with corresponding determined actual tire wear;
• generate a tire traction model based at least in part on a second feedback loop from comparing estimated tire traction, via the transmitted vehicle data and the estimated tire wear, with corresponding determined actual tire traction;
• determine a tire wear status for at least one tire associated with the vehicle based on current vehicle data and by applying the generated tire wear model;
• predict one or more tire traction characteristics for the at least one tire, based at least on the transmitted vehicle data and the determined tire wear status and by applying the generated tire traction model;
• and
• provide the one or more predicted tire traction characteristics to the fleet management computing device or network;
• and
• the fleet management computing device or network is configured to interact with the respective vehicle control system for modifying the one or more vehicle operation settings based on at least the predicted one or more tire traction characteristics.