A tire sensor device for monitoring a condition of a tire includes a plurality of sensors including a temperature sensor and an accelerometer. The tire sensing device further includes memory configured to store data received by the plurality of sensors and one or more processors coupled with the memory. The one or more processors are configured to perform one or more initial processing operations on the data received by the plurality of sensors. The tire sensor device further includes an antenna, coupled with the one or more processors, configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more external devices.

In various aspects, the performance optimization system described herein optimizes vehicle performance through smart alerts communicated to an operator, owner, or fleet manager of a vehicle. When a vehicle characteristic is outside of the target range, a smart alert can be communicated to the user to encourage the user to bring the vehicle characteristic back into a target range. Aspects of the performance optimization system can focus on tire characteristics, which are one type of vehicle characteristic. Exemplary tire characteristics can include tire pressure, tire tread, and tire alignment. In order to generate smart alerts, vehicle information can be gathered from a variety of sources. In particular, information about a tire can be collected from an onboard tire pressure monitoring system, tire mats, or other mechanisms. This information can be analyzed to determine whether vehicle characteristics are inside or outside of a target range for the particular characteristic. When outside the target range, a smart alert is generated.

A tire pressure monitoring system includes tire pressure sensors installed within vehicle tires, a receiver, an alerting device, an electronic input/output device and an electronic controller. The receiver receives tire pressure signals from the tire pressure sensors, The electronic input/output device provides manual input of instruction and data. The electronic controller is configured to monitor tire pressure and in response to tire pressure in each of vehicle tires achieving a change from a first preset tire pressure to a second preset tire pressure the alerting device is operated to alert a person changing the tire pressure that the change has been achieved. The first preset tire pressure corresponds to paved road driving conditions and the second preset tire pressure corresponds to off-road driving conditions.

A tire pressure monitoring system interface comprising: a receiver configured to receive tire pressure signals from each of a plurality of tire pressure sensors of a corresponding plurality of vehicle wheels; an alerting device; an electronic input/output device configured to display at least one menu with data selections of tire pressure related data and receive manually inputted instructions; and an electronic controller having electronic memory and being electronically connected to the receiver, the alerting device and the electronic input/output device, the electronic controller being configured to: operate the electronic memory to access data that defines a first tire pressure and a second tire pressure for each of the plurality of wheels, the first tire pressure being for on-road driving conditions and the second tire pressure being for off-road driving conditions, display the at least one menu via the electronic input/output device, receive at least one of data input, data selection and operation instructions, the instructions including requesting off-road driving conditions; monitor tire pressure in each of the plurality of vehicle wheels; determining wheel by wheel whether or not the change in tire pressure in each of the plurality of wheels has been manually achieved by a person manually changing the tire pressure outside of the vehicle; and operating the alerting device to alert the person manually changing the tire pressure that the change in tire pressure has been achieved for each wheel, wheel by wheel.

A vehicle dynamic control monitoring system includes a vehicle, a warning indicator, at least one vehicle dynamic control system (VDC), a tire pressure sensor and an electronic controller. The vehicle has a plurality of wheels rotatably mounted to the vehicle. The warning indicator is installed to the vehicle at a location visible to a vehicle operator. The at least one VDC and the tire pressure sensor are installed to the vehicle. The electronic controller is connected to the warning indicator, the at least one VDC and the tire pressure sensor. The electronic controller is configured such that in response to determining that at least one of the wheels has a tire pressure that is below a predetermined tire pressure range, the warning indicator is displayed indicating that the at least one VDC will operate with reduced effectiveness.

Methods, apparatuses, systems, and computer program products for wheel theft detection and notification using a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, wheel theft detection and notification using a TPMS includes monitoring, by an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle, one or more parameters associated with a tire monitoring sensor (TMS) coupled to a wheel assembly of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the ECU determines, based on the monitored one or more parameters, that the wheel assembly is in a compromised state associated with the wheel assembly being dislocated from the vehicle or in danger of being dislocated from the vehicle. In response to determining that the wheel assembly is in the compromised state, the ECU triggers an alarm of a vehicle security system.

An off-road vehicle speed control assembly that includes a speed control device, a speed sensor, tire pressure sensors and an electronic controller. The speed control device controls speed of a vehicle power plant. The electronic controller is in electronic communication with the speed control device, the speed sensor and the plurality of tire pressure sensors and is configured to operate the speed control device in at least two different modes of operation: a normal mode in which the plurality of tires are inflated to a high-speed tire pressure; and, a first off-road mode in which the plurality of tires are inflated to a first off-road tire pressure that is less than the high-speed tire pressure. In the normal mode, speeds of the vehicle are unrestricted by the electronic controller. In the first off-road mode, speed of the vehicle is restricted.

A sensing system for a vehicle includes wheel end sensors (WES), each WES proximate to at least one predetermined tire and configured to sense angular data, including at least one of angular position, angular velocity, angular acceleration, and/or angular displacement. The system includes a plurality of tire pressure monitoring (TPM) sensors, each TPM sensor inside one of the tires and configured to sense pressure, temperature, and angular data within said tire. The sensing system is configured to compare the angular data sensed by each WES to the angular data sensed by each TPM sensor to automatically identify, for each TPM sensor, a corresponding WES, and based on the position on the vehicle of the predetermined tire of the corresponding WES, identify the position on the vehicle corresponding to said TPM sensor.

In various aspects, the performance optimization system described herein optimizes vehicle performance through smart alerts communicated to an operator, owner, or fleet manager of a vehicle. When a vehicle characteristic is outside of the target range, a smart alert can be communicated to the user to encourage the user to bring the vehicle characteristic back into a target range. Aspects of the performance optimization system can focus on tire characteristics, which are one type of vehicle characteristic. Exemplary tire characteristics can include tire pressure, tire tread, and tire alignment. In order to generate smart alerts, vehicle information can be gathered from a variety of sources. In particular, information about a tire can be collected from an onboard tire pressure monitoring system, tire mats, or other mechanisms. This information can be analyzed to determine whether vehicle characteristics are inside or outside of a target range for the particular characteristic. When outside the target range, a smart alert is generated.

An apparatus includes a grid circuit having dimensions corresponding to an inner surface of a tire, a computational device coupled to the grid circuit, and a wireless communications device coupled to the computational device. The wireless communications device is configured to transmit detection of damage to the grid circuit. A computer-implemented method includes monitoring a grid circuit positioned in a tire to detect damage to conductors of the grid circuit, detecting damage to at least one of the conductors of the grid circuit, and transmitting information about the damage to a computer of a vehicle. A computer-implemented method includes receiving, from a computational device coupled to a grid circuit in a tire, information about damage to the grid circuit and outputting an indication that the tire is damaged.