US 9,315,078 B2 · Real-time wireless dynamic tire pressure sensor and energy harvesting system

Abstract

An instantaneous/real-time wireless dynamic tire pressure sensor (DTPS) for characterizing pavement qualities and for detecting surface and subsurface pavement defects under normal driving conditions. Signal processing provides quantitative assessment of surface conditions. DTPS includes a vehicle tire valve stem-mounted pressure sensor and wheel hub-mounted signal conditioning, amplification, and transmitting circuitry. A signal processing computer within the vehicle is wirelessly coupled to the hub-mounted circuitry. Tire pressure changes caused by ground vibration excitation from the interaction between the tire and pavement at normal driving speeds are detected. When acoustic radiation from a surface wave is significantly stronger than acoustic noise, subsurface information can be extracted. An energy harvester based on strong magnetostatic coupling between a high permeability core solenoid, fixed proximate a vehicle wheel, and a bias magnet array, fixedly mounted in conjunction with a dust shield, can provide power the DIPS.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A system disposed in a vehicle for measuring surface height profile of the roadway over a range of driving speeds, comprising:

a dynamic tire pressure sensor coupled to a valve stem of a first tire of the vehicle for dynamically measuring tire pressure changes caused by the interaction of the respective tire and the roadway while the vehicle is moving on the roadway;
a signal processing circuitry, centrally disposed on a first wheel of the vehicle, the first tire being mounted on the first wheel and the signal processing circuitry having electrical communication with the pressure sensor for receiving input of the dynamic tire pressure data from the dynamic tire pressure sensor and producing an output of the processed tire pressure data;
and
a signal recovery and processing computer having an associated database, the computer disposed with the vehicle for receiving the processed tire pressure data from the signal processing circuitry, for providing an output of the surface height profile of the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling, and for storing the analyzed data in the database.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Real-time wireless dynamic tire pressure sensor and energy harvesting system

Life of this patent

Real-time wireless dynamic tire pressure sensor and energy harvesting system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28