Back to results
US 6,550,320 B1Granted
System and method for predicting tire forces using tire deformation sensors
AssigneeContinental Aktiengesellschaft
InventorJames M. Giustino
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for predicting the forces generated in the tire contact patch from measurements of tire deformations, including separating the lateral force, the vertical force, and the circumferential torque using measurements of tire deformations. A system and method for using a trained neural network or bilinear equations to determine any combination or permutation of one or more of any of the following from tire sidewall deformation sensors, e.g., magnetic tire sidewall torsion measuring (SWT) sensors: the lateral force acting on the tire, the circumferential torque acting on the tire, the longitudinal force acting on the tire, the vertical force acting on the tire, and forces and/or torques having any one or more of the foregoing as components thereof.
Claims45
A vehicle control system, comprising:
- a force prediction unit for being placed in circuit communication with a tire deformation sensor and at least one other sensor, the tire deformation sensor being separate from a tire and arranged non-rotatingly with respect to the tire in the vicinity of the tire, said force prediction unit receiving a coupled tire deformation input from the tire deformation sensor, said coupled tire deformation input relating to a circumferential torque applied to the tire and further relating to another force acting on the tire that is skewed with respect to a longitudinal force corresponding to the circumferential torque and said force prediction unit receiving at least one other tire sensor input from the at least one other sensor, said force prediction unit characterized by implementing preprogrammed equations having constants determined from previously collected data to determine from at least the coupled tire deformation input and the at least one other sensor input an output corresponding to a predicted circumferential torque or longitudinal force acting on the tire, said determination of predicted circumferential torque or longitudinal force including said force prediction unit decoupling a first portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the circumferential torque applied to the tire from a second portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the other, skewed force acting on the tire.
A vehicle control system, comprising:
- a force prediction unit for being placed in circuit communication with a tire deformation sensor and at least one other sensor, the tire deformation sensor being separate from a tire and arranged non-rotatingly with respect to the tire in the vicinity of the tire, said force prediction unit receiving a coupled tire deformation input from the tire deformation sensor, said coupled tire deformation input relating to a circumferential torque applied to the tire and further relating to a lateral force acting on the tire and said force prediction unit receiving at least one other tire sensor input from the at least one other sensor, said force prediction unit characterized by implementing preprogrammed equations having constants determined from previously collected data to determine from at least the coupled tire deformation input and the at least one other sensor input an output corresponding to a predicted lateral force acting on the tire, said determination of predicted lateral force including said force prediction unit decoupling a first portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the lateral force acting on the tire from a second portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the circumferential torque applied to the tire.
A vehicle control system, comprising:
- a force prediction unit for being placed in circuit communication with a tire deformation sensor and at least one other sensor, the tire deformation sensor being separate from a tire and arranged non-rotatingly with respect to the tire in the vicinity of the tire, said force prediction unit receiving a coupled tire deformation input from the tire deformation sensor, said coupled tire deformation input relating to a circumferential torque applied to the tire and further relating to a vertical force acting on the tire and said force prediction unit receiving at least one other tire sensor input from the at least one other sensor, said force prediction unit comprising a preprogrammed processor receiving the coupled tire deformation input and the at least one other sensor input, said force prediction unit characterized by implementing preprogrammed equations having constants determined from previously collected data to determine from at least the coupled tire deformation input and the at least one other sensor input an output corresponding to a predicted vertical force acting on the tire, said determination of predicted vertical force including said force prediction unit decoupling a first portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the vertical force acting on the tire from a second portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the circumferential torque applied to the tire.
A vehicle control system comprising:
- (a) a force prediction unit for being placed in circuit communication with a tire deformation sensor and at least one other sensor, the tire deformation sensor being separate from a tire and arranged non-rotatingly with respect to the tire in the vicinity of the tire, said force prediction unit receiving a coupled tire deformation input from the tire deformation sensor, said coupled tire deformation input relating to a circumferential torque applied to the tire and further relating to another force acting on the tire that is skewed with respect to a longitudinal force corresponding to the circumferential torque and said force prediction unit receiving at least one other tire sensor input from the at least one other sensor, said force prediction unit comprising a preprogrammed processor receiving the coupled tire deformation input and the at least one other sensor input, said force prediction unit characterized by implementing preprogrammed equations having constants determined from previously collected data to determine from at least the coupled tire deformation input and the at least one other sensor input an output corresponding to a predicted circumferential torque or longitudinal force acting on a tire and outputting a predicted circumferential torque or longitudinal force output corresponding to the predicted circumferential torque or longitudinal force acting on the tire, said determination of predicted circumferential torque or longitudinal force including said force prediction unit decoupling a first portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the circumferential torque applied to the tire from a second portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the other, skewed force acting on the tire;
- and
- (b) a control unit in circuit communication with said force prediction unit for receiving the predicted circumferential torque or longitudinal force output and for being placed in circuit communication with vehicle actuators, said control unit characterized by altering the dynamic state of the vehicle via the actuators responsive at least in part to the predicted circumferential torque or longitudinal force output from the force prediction unit.
A vehicle control system comprising:
- (a) a force prediction unit for being placed in circuit communication with a tire deformation sensor and at least one other sensor, the tire deformation sensor being separate from a tire and arranged non-rotatingly with respect to the tire in the vicinity of the tire, said force prediction unit receiving a coupled tire deformation input from the tire deformation sensor, said coupled tire deformation input relating to a circumferential torque applied to the tire and further relating to a lateral force acting on the tire and said force prediction unit receiving at least one other tire sensor input from the at least one other sensor, said force prediction unit comprising a preprogrammed processor receiving the coupled tire deformation input and the at least one other sensor input, said force prediction unit characterized by implementing preprogrammed equations having constants determined from previously collected data to determine from at least the coupled tire deformation input and the at least one other sensor input an output corresponding to a predicted lateral force acting on the tire and outputting a predicted lateral force output corresponding to the predicted lateral force acting on the tire, said determination of predicted lateral force including said force prediction unit decoupling a first portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the lateral force acting on the tire from a second portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the circumferential torque applied to the tire;
- and
- (b) a control unit in circuit communication with said force prediction unit for receiving the predicted lateral force output and for being placed in circuit communication with vehicle actuators, said control unit characterized by altering the dynamic state of the vehicle via the actuators responsive at least in part to the predicted lateral force output from the force prediction unit.
A vehicle control system comprising:
- (a) a force prediction unit for being placed in circuit communication with a tire deformation sensor and at least one other sensor, the tire deformation sensor being separate from a tire and arranged non-rotatingly with respect to the tire in the vicinity of the tire, said force prediction unit receiving a coupled tire deformation input from the tire deformation sensor, said coupled tire deformation input relating to a circumferential torque applied to the tire and further relating to a vertical force acting on the tire and said force prediction unit receiving at least one other tire sensor input from the at least one other sensor, said force prediction unit comprising a preprogrammed processor receiving the coupled tire deformation input and the at least one other sensor input, said force prediction unit characterized by implementing preprogrammed equations having constants determined from previously collected data to determine from at least the coupled tire deformation input and the at least one other sensor input an output corresponding to a predicted vertical force acting on a tire and outputting a predicted vertical force output corresponding to the predicted vertical force acting on the tire, said determination of predicted vertical force including said force prediction unit decoupling a first portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the vertical force acting on the tire from a second portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the circumferential torque applied to the tire;
- and
- (b) a control unit in circuit communication with said force prediction unit for receiving the predicted vertical force output and for being placed in circuit communication with vehicle actuators, said control unit characterized by altering the dynamic state of the vehicle via the actuators responsive at least in part to the predicted vertical force output from the force prediction unit.
A method of predicting the circumferential torque or longitudinal force acting on a tire, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a force prediction unit for being placed in circuit communication with a tire deformation sensor and at least one other sensor, the tire deformation sensor being separate from the tire and arranged non-rotatingly with respect to the tire in the vicinity of the tire, said force prediction unit receiving a coupled tire deformation input from the tire deformation sensor, said coupled tire deformation input relating to a circumferential torque applied to the tire and further relating to another force acting on the tire that is skewed with respect to a longitudinal force corresponding to the circumferential torque and said force prediction unit receiving at least one other tire sensor input from the at least one other sensor, said force prediction unit comprising a preprogrammed processor receiving the coupled tire deformation input and the at least one other sensor input, said force prediction unit characterized by implementing preprogrammed equations having constants determined from previously collected data to determine from at least the coupled tire deformation input and the at least one other sensor input an output corresponding to a predicted vertical force acting on a tire;
- (b) collecting tire deformation input from the tire deformation sensor and the at least one other tire sensor input from the at least one other sensor;
- and
- (c) determining with the force prediction unit the circumferential torque or longitudinal force acting on a tire from the collected tire deformation input and the collected at least one other tire sensor input, said determination of predicted circumferential torque or longitudinal force including said force prediction unit decoupling a first portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the circumferential torque applied to the tire from a second portion of said coupled tire deformation input relating to the other, skewed force acting on the tire.
1 more element
A method of training a neural network to determine the circumferential torque or longitudinal force acting on a tire from a tire deformation sensor and at least one other sensor, comprising the steps of:
- (a) collecting tire deformation input from a tire deformation sensor and at least one other tire sensor input from at least one other sensor, the tire deformation sensor being separate from the tire and arranged non-rotatingly with respect to the tire in the vicinity of the tire;
- (b) collecting an input corresponding to the circumferential torque or longitudinal force acting on the tire;
- (c) training the neural network to predict the circumferential torque or longitudinal force acting on a tire using as training data at least the collected tire deformation input relating to the length of the changing air gap between the tire deformation sensor and the tire, the collected at least one other tire sensor input, and the collected input corresponding to the circumferential torque or longitudinal force acting on the tire.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.