Method of generating tire load histories and testing tires

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10960716-B2
Application number	US-201615744133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2016
Priority date	Jul 14, 2015
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

A method includes obtaining simulated tire data for a simulated tire, simulated vehicle data for a simulated vehicle, and simulated test course data. The simulated tire data includes data to build a basic tire model. The simulated vehicle data includes data to build a basic vehicle model. The simulated test course data includes position-based course data in a horizontal plane and position-based course data in a vertical direction. The method further includes generating a tire load history from the basic tire model, the basic vehicle model, and the simulated test course data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for testing a tire comprising:
identifying a vehicle test course, the vehicle test course including a surface and a predetermined vehicle travel path;
driving a vehicle along the predetermined vehicle travel path;
measuring vehicle accelerations and speed during the driving of the vehicle;
providing the measured vehicle accelerations and speed to a computer;
generating a virtual test course from the measured vehicle accelerations and speed;
collecting tire performance information from a tire or database, wherein the tire performance information includes at least a force and moment characteristic;
providing the collected tire performance information to the computer;
generating a virtual tire from the collected tire performance information, wherein the virtual tire comprises a first simulated tire;
providing vehicle attribute information to the computer, wherein the vehicle attribute information comprises a simulated vehicle;
generating a tire load history based on maneuvering the simulated vehicle through the virtual test course;
conducting a tire wear test, the tire wear test comprising:
placing a test tire on a tire wear test machine,
starting the tire wear test machine,
rotating a tire relative to a wear surface and manipulating the test tire to track the tire load history,
stopping the rotation of the wear surface or removing the test tire from the wear surface after a predetermined time interval, and
measuring wear on the test tire.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein collecting vehicle test course information further comprises obtaining data pertaining to at least one of road undulation and aerodynamic drag.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the vehicle test course information is modified to account for a wind profile consisting of wind direction and velocity.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising processing the measured vehicle accelerations and speed to derive position-based course data in a horizontal plane.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising processing the measured vehicle accelerations and speed to derive position-based course data in a vertical direction.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the position-based course data in the horizontal plane includes data relating to banking.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the position-based course data in the horizontal plane includes data relating to road crowning.

8. One or more hardware memory devices having embodied thereon computer-useable instructions that, when executed, implement a method for effectuating tire testing, the method comprising:
obtaining simulated tire data for a simulated tire, wherein the simulated tire data includes data to build a basic tire model;
obtaining simulated vehicle data for a simulated vehicle, wherein the simulated vehicle data includes data to build a basic vehicle model;
obtaining simulated test course data, wherein the simulated test course data includes position-based course data in a horizontal plane based on measured accelerations and speeds of a vehicle driven on a test course and derived through vector integration, and position-based course data in a vertical direction based on measured accelerations and speeds of a vehicle driven on a test course and derived through scalar integration; and
generating a tire load history from the basic tire model, the basic vehicle model, and the simulated test course data.

9. The one or more hardware memory devices of claim 8 , wherein the implemented method further comprises utilizing the tire load history in conjunction with a machine to test tire performance.

10. The one or more hardware memory devices of claim 8 , wherein the simulated vehicle is selected from the group consisting of automobiles and trucks.

11. A method of generating a virtual test course comprising:
obtaining acceleration data and speed data measured from a vehicle driven through a test course;
processing the acceleration data and the speed data measured from the vehicle to derive position-based course data in a horizontal plane through vector integration;
processing the acceleration data, the speed data, and a distance travelled in a given step to derive position-based course data in a vertical direction through scalar integration; and
producing a virtual test course based on the position-based course data in the horizontal plane and the position-based course data in the vertical direction.

12. The method of generating a virtual test course of claim 11 , wherein the obtaining acceleration data and speed data describing a vehicle driven through a test course includes selecting a physical test course, providing a physical vehicle, and providing an accelerometer.

13. The method of generating a virtual test course of claim 12 , wherein the obtaining acceleration data and speed data describing a vehicle driven through a test course further includes driving the physical vehicle along the physical test course, and taking measurements with the accelerometer.

14. The method of generating a virtual test course of claim 11 , wherein the obtaining speed data includes obtaining speed data through a GPS.

Assignees

• Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Llc

Inventors

• Xie Ke Jun
• Knuth Erik F
• Stalnaker David O
• Turner John L

Classifications

• G01M17/022

  the tyre co-operating with rotatable rolls · CPC title

• B60C99/006 Primary

  Computer aided tyre design or simulation · CPC title

• B60W2520/125

  Lateral acceleration · CPC title

• G06F30/20

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title