Quantifying tread rib edge locations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10997708-B2
Application number	US-201815944024-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2018
Priority date	Apr 3, 2018
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

A computer-implemented method, an apparatus and a computer-program product for determining a quality of a tire. The apparatus includes a sensor array configured to obtain a footprint of the tire, and a processor. The processor determines an intensity profile of the footprint, locates an edge of a tread rib of the tire from the change in intensity, and determines from the location of the tread rib edge a relative quality of the tire.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method of determining a quality of a tire, comprising:
capturing a footprint of the tire at a sensor array, the tire placed on the sensor array at a misalignment angle with respect to a coordinate axis of the sensor array;
applying a geometric transformation at a processor to rotate the footprint to align with the coordinate axis;
determining, at the processor, an intensity profile of the footprint, wherein the intensity profile is a profile of force measured at the sensor array along the coordinate axis of the sensor array;
locating, at the processor, an edge of the tread rib of the tire from a change in intensity along the intensity profile; and
determining, at the processor, a relative quality of the tire from the location of the tread rib edge;
wherein the location of the tread rib edge is determined within a resolution beyond the resolution of the sensor array by obtaining the footprint at the misalignment angle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the footprint at the sensor array further comprises one of: (i) applying the tire to a face of the sensor array with static load; and (ii) rolling the tire across the face of the sensor array.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising cropping the footprint about a centroid of the footprint.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising locating the tread rib edge from a location of an extremum of a derivative of the intensity profile.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the intensity profile is an intensity along a direction transverse to the tread ribs of the tire and the intensity at a selected location is an average of intensities recorded along a tread rib direction at the selected location.

6. An apparatus for determining a quality of a tire, comprising:
sensor array configured to capture a footprint of the tire placed thereon at a misalignment angle with respect to a coordinate axis of the sensor array; and
a processor configured to:
apply a geometric transformation to rotate the footprint to align with the coordinate axis,
determine an intensity profile of the footprint, wherein the intensity profile is a profile of force measured at the sensor array along the coordinate axis of the sensor array,
locate an edge of the tread rib of the tire from a change in intensity along the intensity profile, and
determine from the location of the tread rib edge a relative quality of the tire;
wherein the location of the tread rib edge is determined within a resolution beyond the resolution of the sensor array using the misalignment angle of the tire with the coordinate axis of the sensor array.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the sensor array is configured to obtain the footprint by one of: (i) receiving the tire at a face of the sensor array with an applied static load; and (ii) having the tire rolled across the face of the sensor array.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to crop the footprint about a centroid of the footprint.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to create the intensity profile along a direction transverse to the tread ribs of the tire wherein the intensity at a selected location is an average of intensities record along a tread rib direction at the selected location.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured locate the edge from a location of an extremum of a derivative of the intensity profile.

11. A computer-program product for determining a quality of a tire, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprises instructions to:
capture a footprint of the tire placed on a sensor array at a misalignment angle with respect to a coordinate axis of the sensor array;
apply a geometric transformation to rotate the footprint to align with the coordinate axis,
determine an intensity profile of the footprint, wherein the intensity profile is a profile of force measured at the sensor array along a direction of the coordinate axis;
locate an edge of the tread rib of the tire from a change in intensity along the intensity profile; and
determine from the location of the tread rib edge a relative quality of the tire;
wherein the location of the tread rib edge is determined within a resolution beyond the resolution of the sensor array using the misalignment angle of the tire with the coordinate axis of the sensor array.

12. The computer-program product of claim 11 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium further comprises instructions to crop the footprint about a centroid of the footprint.

13. The computer-program product of claim 11 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium further comprises instructions to create the intensity profile along a direction transverse to the tread ribs of the tire and-the intensity at a selected location is an average of intensities record along a tread rib direction at the selected location.

14. The computer-program product of claim 13 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium further comprises instructions to locate the tread rib edge from a location of an extremum of a derivative of the intensity profile.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Oblizajek Kenneth L

Classifications

• G06T2207/30164

  Workpiece; Machine component · CPC title

• G06T7/13

  Edge detection · CPC title

• G01M17/02

  Tyres · CPC title

• G01M17/027

  using light, e.g. infrared, ultraviolet or holographic techniques · CPC title

• G06T7/0006 Primary

  using a design-rule based approach · CPC title