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.

An integrated tread wear sensor and tire pressure monitoring system sensor unit container for a tire includes a tread wear sensor plug and a sensor container. The tread wear sensor plug includes a cylindrical projection extending through an opening formed in a selected tread element of the tire. A flange extends outwardly from the projection and includes a contact surface that is mounted to an innerliner of the tire. A conductive wire is disposed in the tread wear sensor plug and includes proximal ends disposed in the flange and a distal end disposed near a radially outer surface of the projection. The sensor container includes a wall extending radially from the flange of the tread wear sensor plug and terminating in a lip. A container cavity is defined by the flange, the wall, and the lip, and receives a tire pressure monitoring system sensor.

A tire for a vehicle includes: a tread extending in a circumferential direction about a rotational axis of the tire; and wear indicators disposed in the tread and spaced apart from each other to be arranged in the circumferential direction. A harmonic noise signal caused by the tire when the tire rolls on a road surface to move the vehicle has neighboring first and second frequency peaks in a frequency spectrum of the harmonic noise signal, and the number of the wear indicators is in a range of 16 to 96 to generate, and when the tire rolls to move the vehicle at a speed in a target range, the wear indicators cause an additional frequency peak positioned between the first and second frequency peaks in the frequency spectrum when the tread is worn to reach a wear threshold.

A method for estimating the state of wear of a tire comprises: recording a vibroacoustic signal (1001) produced by the tire running on a road during a time frame; converting the time signal (1001) into a frequency signal (1002) over a frequency range; segmenting the frequency range into frequency bands and associating a datum representing the frequency signal with each band, with the representative datum forming a variable of a matrix (1003); predicting a state of wear from the matrix, by means of machine learning (1004) from the data based on a learning database, according to modalities each representing a state of wear of the tire; and determining the state of wear of the tire (1005) after a number N of identical predictions in a series M of consecutive predictions.

A modular drive-over vehicle inspection system for measuring tire tread depth at multiple points on each individual wheel of a moving vehicle passing through an inspection lane, and which is capable of accommodating vehicles having a range of axle configurations, including three or more of any combination of single-wheel axles, super-single wheel axles, and dual-wheel axles.

A method of monitoring one or more wheels of a vehicle is described. The method includes receiving first accelerometer measurements of a first accelerometer mounted on the vehicle's first wheel when the vehicle is moving during an interval of time, determining based on the first accelerometer measurements a first path followed by the first accelerometer when the vehicle is moving during the interval of time, determining based on the first path that the vehicle's first wheel is out of balance with respect to an axle of the vehicle's first wheel, and responsive to determining that the vehicle's first wheel is out of balance, transmitting to a user device a first alert that the vehicle's first wheel is out of balance.

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.

A method performed by an electronic device to monitor one or more wheels of a vehicle. The method includes receiving first accelerometer measurements of a first accelerometer mounted on the vehicle's first wheel when the vehicle is moving during an interval of time, determining based on the first accelerometer measurements a first path followed by the first accelerometer when the vehicle is moving during the interval of time, receiving second accelerometer measurements of a second accelerometer mounted on a vehicle's second wheel when the vehicle is moving during the interval of time, determining, based on the second accelerometer measurements, a second path followed by the second accelerometer when the vehicle is moving during the interval of time, and determining based on a comparison of the first path with the second path that at least one of the vehicle's first wheel and the vehicle's second wheel is misaligned.

This application relates to a tire monitoring system. In one aspect, the system includes a sensor module installed in a tire provided in a vehicle to obtain tire data and a communication module. The communication module may include a transceiver configured to transmit and receive the tire data, and an output unit configured to output one of a caution signal and a warning signal. The communication module may also include a controller configured to determine whether a state of the tire is abnormal based on the tire data and control the output unit to output one of the caution signal and the warning signal based on the determination result.

An automated tread analysis system and methods for using are described. The automated tread analysis system may include a sensing system having a plurality of cameras providing a plurality of sequential two-dimensional images. The automated tread analysis system may also include an analysis system configured to provide at least one surface model of a first object via photogrammetry using the plurality of sequential two-dimensional images. The automated tread system may execute processing software reading data corresponding to the at least one surface model of the first object. The surface model may correspond to a current condition of the first object. The processing software executed by the user system may analyze the at least one surface model of the first object and provide at least one indicative wear metric based on the analysis of the surface model of the first object.