The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for monitoring a tire pressure considering a low pressure situation. Provided is a tire pressure monitoring apparatus considering a low pressure situation including: a radius analyzing unit which calculates a radius analysis value using a relative velocity difference and an average velocity calculated from wheel velocities of the wheels mounted on the vehicle; a critical value setting unit which compares the calculated radius analysis value with a predetermined determination reference value and sets different critical values in accordance with the comparison result; and a low pressure determining unit which determines a low pressure of a tire mounted on a vehicle using the set critical value.

A wheel assembly for a surface vehicle is presented. The wheel assembly comprises a tire comprising an envelope structure which by its inner surface encloses a cavity. The envelope structure comprises an outer, surface-engaging side having a circumferential surface, and opposite side walls which are integral with and extend from the surface-engaging side. The sides walls by their free ends define an inner, rim-engagement side of the tire by which the tire is connectable to a wheel hub. Each of the opposite side walls comprises a surface pattern defining a suspension assembly within the side wall to thereby prevent stretching of the tire envelope towards its maximal volume when the envelope is compressed with gas, while allowing deformation of the tire envelope when loaded or depressurized such that the surface engaging side of the tire maintains a substantially constant contact with the surface.

A vehicle includes a vehicle frame, front wheels, and rear wheels. The vehicle also includes front drive means for driving the front wheels with a front nominal speed, rear drive means for driving the rear wheels with a rear nominal speed, and control means. The control means are adapted and configured for selectively controlling the front drive means and the rear drive means so that either the front nominal speed is different from the rear nominal speed, or so that the front nominal speed is equal to the rear nominal speed.

A tubeless tire on a rim having a hollow core foam insert in the cavity of the tire and a loop of elastic material holding the foam insert in a relatively closed loop against the rim. The foam insert has a length that equals or almost equals the circumference of the rim. The loop of elastic material passes through the hollow core of the foam insert and also has a length that equals the circumference of the rim.

Two or more quiet vehicles traveling together sense each other and communicate to each other the condition of the respective drivers of the vehicles and announce their presence to pedestrians and other motorists using noise sounds. The characteristics of the emitted sounds are selected according to a level of threat presented by the quiet vehicles.

Systems and methods implemented in algorithms, software, firmware, logic, or circuitry may be configured to process data to determine whether an object external to an autonomous vehicle is a person (e.g., such as a pedestrian) or other classification (e.g., such as a vehicle), and may be further configured to determine a position of the person relative to the autonomous vehicle. Logic may be configured to direct acoustic energy (e.g., via vehicular acoustic beam-forming) to an object external to the autonomous vehicle as an audible acoustic alert. The vehicle-related acoustic beam may be directed to a driver in another vehicle. Logic may be configured to track the motion of external objects, such as a pedestrian crossing from one side of the street to the other, and may correspondingly steer the direction of the vehicle-related acoustic beam(s) to track the person's movement.

Two or more quiet vehicles traveling together sense each other and communicate to each other the condition of the respective drivers of the vehicles and announce their presence to pedestrians and other motorists using noise sounds. The characteristics of the emitted sounds are selected according to a level of threat presented by the quiet vehicles.

Systems and methods implemented in algorithms, software, firmware, logic, or circuitry may be configured to process data to determine whether an object external to an autonomous vehicle is a person (e.g., such as a pedestrian) or other classification (e.g., such as a vehicle), and may be further configured to determine a position of the person relative to the autonomous vehicle. Logic may be configured to direct acoustic energy (e.g., via vehicular acoustic beam-forming) to an object external to the autonomous vehicle as an audible acoustic alert. The vehicle-related acoustic beam may be directed to a driver in another vehicle. Logic may be configured to track the motion of external objects, such as a pedestrian crossing from one side of the street to the other, and may correspondingly steer the direction of the vehicle-related acoustic beam(s) to track the person's movement.

A vehicle approach alert device includes: a microcomputer having a memory that stores approach alert sound data, and a signal generator that generates an approach alert sound voltage waveform signal based on the approach alert sound data. The vehicle approach alert device alerts approach of a vehicle by outputting a vehicle approach alert sound from a sound outputting body according to the approach alert sound voltage waveform signal. The microcomputer further includes: an obtaining device that obtains a sound outputting body temperature; and a sound pressure correcting device that corrects a voltage level of the approach alert sound voltage waveform signal to be larger as the sound outputting body temperature increases.

The presence of an electrically-powered quiet vehicle is accomplished by determining a state of mind or physical state of the driver, determining the presence and proximity of humans and other objects, how the vehicle is being operated and generating a noise correlative to the threat posed by the vehicle to humans and other objects.