A method for estimating a tire property of a vehicle based on tire-to-road friction properties for a fleet of vehicles. The method includes: determining a tire-to-road friction for a plurality of vehicles, belonging to the fleet of vehicles, at a plurality of specified locations; determining a reference tire-to-road friction for the fleet of vehicles at each specified location; in a vehicle, determining a current tire-to-road friction at a first location being one of the specified locations; determining a difference between the current tire-to-road friction and the reference tire-to-road friction of the fleet for the first location; and estimating a tire property of the vehicle based on the determined difference. There is also provided a system configured to perform the described method.

A method of generating a three-dimensional topological surface representation of a tyre on a vehicle, the method comprising: using a tread depth measurement device to record tread depth data for a tyre surface moving relative to the tread depth measurement device; generating a movement profile of the tyre surface; and using the movement profile of the tyre surface to map the tread depth data onto a base tyre structure, thereby generating a three-dimensional topological surface representation of the tyre.

A system is provided for estimating a tread depth of a tire supporting a vehicle. The tire includes a pair of sidewalls that extend to a circumferential tread. The system includes a drive over reader, which includes a housing. At least one sensor is mounted in the housing to generate an image of the tire, which may be an image of the tire footprint or an image of the tread along a lateral line or section, and the tread depth is determined from the image. At least one piezoelectric actuator is mounted on the housing and is electrically connected to the at least one sensor to actuate the at least one sensor. A method for estimating a tread depth of a tire supporting a vehicle is also provided.

An estimation apparatus includes a rotation speed acquisition unit, a driving force acquisition unit, a slip ratio calculation unit, a slope calculation unit, and an estimation unit. The rotation speed acquisition unit sequentially acquires rotation speeds of the tires. The driving force acquisition unit sequentially acquires a driving force of the vehicle. The slip ratio calculation unit calculates a slip ratio based on the sequentially-acquired rotation speeds of the tires. The slope calculation unit calculates the slope of the slip ratio with respect to the driving force based on a large number of data sets of the slip ratio and the driving force, as a regression coefficient representing a linear relationship between the slip ratio and the driving force. The estimation unit estimates the wear state of the tires based on the slope.

A system and apparatus that reduces tire scrub on a truck and or trailer during turns. The system minimizes the redistribution of the load among the tires thereby spreading the load of the trailer or truck among the tires avoiding unnecessary overloading. The system operates without operator intervention and is capable of operating automatically on trailers, without control signals from the truck.

The invention relates to a system for determining the tire condition of a vehicle tire in a vehicle, said system comprising a number of sensors, which detect measurement values (m.sub.1, m.sub.2, m.sub.3) relevant to the tire condition, and a device for recording data and transmitting data, said device having a signal connection to the sensors on the input side. According to the invention, the signal output of the device has a preferably wireless signal connection to a readout unit, and the device generates actual tire parameters on the basis of the detected measurement values (m.sub.1, m.sub.2, m.sub.3) and directs said actual tire parameters to the readout unit.

An autonomous driving control apparatus may include a processor configured to determine a wear degree of a tire of a vehicle based on image data of the tire during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and to perform vehicle control depending on the wear degree of the tire; and a storage electrically connected to the processor and configured to store the image data and algorithms driven by the processor.

A tire includes a pair of sidewalls extending from a respective bead area to a tread. The tread is formed with a plurality of tread elements and a radially outer surface. A sensor unit is mounted to the tire and includes a pair of electrical contacts. The tread wear sensor plug includes a cylindrical projection extending through an opening formed in one of the tread elements, a flange, and a wire including proximal ends disposed in the flange and a distal end near a radially outer surface of the projection. An electrical circuit is formed by each proximal end of the wire electrically contacting a respective one of the sensor unit electrical contacts. When the tread element and the cylindrical projection wear down to the distal end of the wire, the wire and the circuit break. A notice is transmitted by the sensor unit when the circuit breaks.

A tire includes a pair of sidewalls extending from a respective bead area to a tread. The tread is formed with a plurality of tread elements and a radially outer surface, and a chamber is formed in one of the tread elements. A sensor unit is mounted to the tire and includes a pair of electrical contacts. The polymer plug includes a wire disposed in the chamber. The wire includes proximal ends and a distal end near a radially outer surface of the tread. A liquid polymer is injected into the chamber and cured. An electrical circuit is formed by each proximal end of the wire electrically contacts a respective one of the sensor unit electrical contacts. When the tread element wears down to the distal end of the wire, the wire and the circuit break. A notice is transmitted by the sensor unit when the circuit breaks.

A sensor retaining system for a vehicle tire is provided. The tire includes a pair of sidewalls extending from a respective bead area to a tread, which is formed with a plurality of tread elements. A sensor unit is mounted to the tire and includes a pair of electrical contacts. A tread wear sensor extends into one of the tread elements and includes a wire. The wire includes proximal ends, each one of which contacts a sensor unit electrical contact to create an electrical circuit. A flexible container is mounted to an innerliner of the tire. A cup includes a base and a sidewall that cooperate to form a cavity, and a bottom of the tread wear sensor and the sensor unit are received in the cavity. The cup maintains a connection between the electrical contacts and the wire proximal ends, and is disposed in the flexible container.