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AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorsHolger Moench, Mark Carpaij, Albert Comberg
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A sensor system is described, using self-mixing laser sensors (10) and an analyzer circuit (30) in order to determine the velocity of a vehicle, such as a car, and the rotational velocity of a wheel (20) of the car. Deviations between the velocity of the vehicle and the rotational velocity of the wheel (20) can be used to determine sliding of the wheel (20) and, finally, the traction or, more specifically, the coefficient of driving friction between the wheel (20) and the surface the car is driving on. Furthermore, a vehicle control system is described, initiating test accelerations of a wheel (20) by means of a control circuit (50) and control means (300, 400) in order to determine the coefficient of driving friction during driving. The test accelerations initiate short periods of sliding of the wheel (20) and the sliding is detected by means of the sensor system.
A sensor system comprising at least one laser sensor working with self-mixing interference comprising two, three, four or an array of Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser diodes which are adapted to emit laser radiation (11) in essentially the same direction, at least one rotation sensor and an analyzer circuit, the at least one laser sensor being adapted to generate measurement data resulting from a first velocity component of a vehicle, the rotation sensor being adapted to generate measurement data resulting from a first rotational velocity of a first wheel of the vehicle, the analyzer circuit being adapted to receive the measurement data generated by the at least one laser sensor, said rotation sensor and analyzer circuit being further adapted to determine the first velocity component of the vehicle and the first rotational velocity of the first wheel of the vehicle.
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A method of determining the traction between a wheel of a vehicle and a surface the vehicle is driving on, the method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.