Method and system for evaluating tire state and tire configured for same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10005326-B2
Application number	US-201715454984-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2017
Priority date	May 11, 2016
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

The disclosed technology generally relates to tires, and more particularly to a method of and a smart tire system for evaluating a state of a tire, and providing an alarm, and to a smart tire configured for the method and the system. In one aspect, a method includes determining whether an abnormality or a problem exists in a state of a tire, by processing a tire state value from a TPMS sensor. Processing the tire state can be carried out by a sensor processor and/or a sensor information processor. The method additionally includes providing an alarm to a user, e.g., a driver. The method additionally includes verifying the determination of whether there is an abnormality or a problem. Thus, the disclosed method includes determining the state of a tire and providing an alarm, where the alarm has high reliability because it is generated based on examination of various parameters of the tire state, including, e.g., pressure, temperature and/or acceleration. The disclosed technology additionally relates to a system and a smart tire configured to implement the method. The method, the system and the tire according to embodiments may be improvements over existing methods, systems and tires.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of determining a tire state and providing an alarm using a smart tire system, wherein the smart tire system comprises a tire equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensor unit, the TPMS sensor unit including a TPMS sensor and a sensor processor, and a sensor information processor, the method comprising the following steps:
(a) generating discrete time-series tire state signals by measuring state variables inside the tire using the TPMS sensor;
(b) determining, using the sensor processor, whether there is a problem associated with one or more samples of the discrete time-series tire state signals by comparing the samples of the discrete time-series tire state signals against a problem determination reference;
(c) generating a first alarm to a driver using the sensor processor upon making a determination that there is an abnormal sample in the samples of the discrete time-series tire state signals in the step (b);
(d) transmitting the discrete time-series tire state signals to the sensor information processor using the TPMS sensor unit;
(e) determining whether one or more of n samples have a problem by sequentially comparing the n samples immediately after an abnormal sample with a problem determination reference, using the sensor information processor;
(f) generating a second alarm for the driver using the sensor information processor, upon making a determination that one or more of the n samples have a problem in the step (e); and
(g) removing the first alarm using the sensor information processor, upon making a determination that none of the n samples have a problem in the step (e),
wherein in the discrete time-series tire state signals transmitted to the sensor information processor, the steps (e) and (f) are performed on the n sample after making the determination that that none of the n samples have a problem in the step (g).

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step (c) further comprises, using the sensor processor, keeping only the abnormal sample and samples within a predetermined range before and after the abnormal sample in a memory included in the TPMS sensor unit.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor information processor includes an information storage, wherein the method further comprises storing the discrete time-series tire state signals transmitted in the step (d).

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising, using the sensor information processor transmitting the discrete time-series time state signals stored in the information storage to an external server.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising, using the sensor information processor, keeping only a sample within a predetermined range before and after the latest sample of the discrete time-series tire state signals transmitted in the step (d).

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising, using the sensor information processor, permanently recording information associated with the abnormal sample in the information storage.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising, using the sensor information processor, permanently recording information including all of the n samples in the information storage, upon making a determination that one or more of the n samples have a problem in the step (f).

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising, using the sensor information processor, permanently keeping information associated with the abnormal sample and samples within a predetermined range before and after the abnormal sample in the information storage, upon making a determination that one or more of the n samples have a problem in the step (f).

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, using the sensor information processor, transmitting information associated with the abnormal sample to a problem management server.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising, using the sensor information processor, transmitting information associated with the abnormal sample and samples within a predetermined range before and after the abnormal sample to the problem management server, upon making a determination that one or more of the n samples have a problem in the step (f).

11. A method of determining a tire state and providing an alarm using a smart tire system, wherein the smart tire system comprises a tire equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensor unit, the TPMS sensor unit including a TPMS sensor and a sensor processor, and a sensor information processor, the method comprising the following steps:
i) generating discrete time-series tire state signals by measuring state variables inside the tire using the TPMS sensor;
ii) transmitting the discrete time-series tire state signals to the sensor information processor;
iii) determining, using the sensor information processor, whether there is a problem with samples of the discrete time-series tire state signals by comparing the samples of the discrete time-series tire state signals against a problem determination reference;
iv) generating a first alarm to a driver using the sensor information processor, when it is determined that there is an abnormal sample in the samples of the discrete time-series tire state signals in the step iii);
v) determining whether one or more of n samples have a problem by sequentially comparing n samples right after an abnormal sample determined as having a problem in the step iv) with a problem determination reference, using the sensor information processor;
vi) generating a second alarm for the driver using the sensor information processor, when it is determined that one or more of the n samples have a problem in the step v);
vii) removing the first alarm using the sensor information processor, when it is determined that all of the n samples do not have a problem in the step v); and
viii) performing the step iii) to vi) for samples after the n samples are determined as having no problem in the step vii).

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sensor information processor includes an information storage for keeping the discrete time-series tire state signals transmitted in the step ii).

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprises, using the sensor information processor, transmitting the discrete time-series time state signals kept in the information storage to an external server.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising, using the sensor information processor, keeping only a sample within a predetermined range before and after the latest sample of the discrete time-series tire state signals transmitted in the step ii).

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising, using the sensor information processor, permanently recording information associated with the abnormal sample in the information storage in the step iv).

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising, using the sensor information processor, permanently recording information associated with the n samples on the information storage when it is determined that one or more of the n samples have a problem in the step vi).

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising, using the sensor information processor, permanently keeping information associated with the abnormal sample and samples within a predetermined range before and after the abnormal sample in the information storage, when it is determined that one or more of the n samples have a problem in the step vi).

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, using the sensor information processor, transmitting information associated with the abnormal sample to a problem management server in the step i

Assignees

• Hankook Tire Co Ltd

Inventors

• So Soon Hong
• Heo Jeong Mu
• Ihm Jae Wook
• Kim Jeong Heon

Classifications

• B60W2422/70

  on the wheel or the tyre · CPC title

• B60C23/0474

  Measurement control, e.g. setting measurement rate or calibrating of sensors; Further processing of measured values, e.g. filtering, compensating or slope monitoring · CPC title

• B60C23/0405

  Mechanically generated visible signals, e.g. by using a gauge needle · CPC title

• B60C23/0488

  Movement sensor, e.g. for sensing angular speed, acceleration or centripetal force · CPC title

• B60C23/0481

  System diagnostic, e.g. monitoring battery voltage, detecting hardware detachments or identifying wireless transmission failures · CPC title