Systems and methods for an energy harvester proximate to a rotatable component of a vehicle's wheel are disclosed. In some embodiments, an energy harvester system includes: a substrate having a first surface configured to contact and interface with a surface of a wheel, and a second surface opposite the first surface; a piezoelectric component configured to produce energy in response to mechanical strain imparted on the piezoelectric component, wherein the piezoelectric component is configured to deform while experiencing the mechanical strain so as to contact at least a portion of the second surface.

A method of monitoring the pressure of a tire of an aircraft is disclosed including taking two or more pressure readings from the tire at different times; calculating an estimated deflation rate based on the pressure readings; and calculating a time for the tire to deflate to a reference pressure level based on the estimated deflation rate. Two or more temperature readings are each associated with one of the pressure readings, and the estimated deflation rate is calculated by normalising each pressure reading based on its associated temperature reading and a common reference temperature to obtain a temperature-normalised pressure reading, and calculating the estimated deflation rate based on the temperature-normalised pressure readings. The estimated deflation rate is compared with a threshold, and a warning provided if the estimated deflation rate exceeds the threshold.

A tire wear estimation system is provided. The system includes at least one tire that supports a vehicle. At least one sensor is affixed to the tire to generate a first predictor. A lookup table or a database stores data for a second predictor. One of the predictors includes at least one vehicle effect. A model receives the predictors and generates an estimated wear rate for the at least one tire.

A tire with a built-in antenna includes a radio wave transmissive resin filled in the tire and an antenna arranged in the radio wave transmissive resin, and the antenna transmits a radar wave when an antenna surface of the tire facing a radiation surface of the antenna comes into contact with a ground surface.

A system for adaptive tire force prediction in a motor vehicle includes a control module that executes program code portions that receive real-time static and dynamic data from motor vehicle sensors, that model forces at each tire of the motor vehicle at one or more incremental time steps, that estimate actual forces at each tire of the motor vehicle at each of the one or more incremental time steps, that adaptively predict tire forces at each tire of the motor vehicle at each of the one or more incremental time steps, that generate one or more control commands for actuators of the motor vehicle, that capture discrepancies between real-time force estimations and nominal force calculations at each tire of the motor vehicle, and that apply compensation parameters to reduce tracking errors in the one or more control commands to the one or more actuators of the motor vehicle.

Sensor modules mountable on a wheel are described. A sensor module mountable adjacent to a rim of a wheel includes a first set of one or more piezoelectric sensors; and a first elastic support with the first set of one or more piezoelectric sensors coupled thereon so that the first set of one or more piezoelectric sensors are spaced apart from the rim of the wheel. A wheel that includes a rim and the sensor module is also disclosed. A method includes receiving a force on a tire mounted on a rim of a wheel. The tire is in contact with an elastic support with one or more piezoelectric sensors coupled thereon so that the force causes strain in the elastic support and the one or more piezoelectrical sensors. The method also includes, in response to receiving the force, generating electrical signals from the one or more piezoelectric sensors.

A method of sensing wheel rotation can include: sensing magnetic force information in an environment of a wheel by a magnetometer to obtain measured magnetic force information; generating relative magnetic force information by performing mathematical operation processing in accordance with the measured magnetic force information, where the relative magnetic force information does not change with geomagnetic field and does change with a rotation angle of a wheel; and obtaining angle information related to the rotation angle of the wheel in accordance with the relative magnetic force information.

A tire performance monitoring system including: a tire monitoring device configured to obtain, values indicative of a tire parameter of a tire over a time period, the tire monitoring device comprising a local memory configured to store a performance coefficient corresponding to performance of the tire; and a processing system configured to determine a tire performance characteristic based on the values and the performance coefficient.

A method of determining a tire performance characteristic of a tire. The method includes determining that a remote memory, remote from a tire monitoring device associated with the tire, is unavailable, and the remote memory is configured to store a performance coefficient of the tire corresponding to performance of the tire during a first time period. Where the remote memory is unavailable, the method includes either calculating the performance coefficient at a remote device or, obtaining, using the remote device, the performance coefficient from a local memory of the tire monitoring device. The method includes obtaining, using the remote device and from the tire monitoring device, a plurality of values indicative of a tire parameter of the tire during a second time period, and determining, at the remote device and based on the plurality of values and the performance coefficient, the tire performance characteristic.

A method of monitoring the pressure of a tire of an aircraft is disclosed including taking two or more pressure readings from the tire at different times; calculating an estimated deflation rate based on the pressure readings; and calculating a time for the tire to deflate to a reference pressure level based on the estimated deflation rate. Two or more temperature readings are each associated with one of the pressure readings, and the estimated deflation rate is calculated by normalising each pressure reading based on its associated temperature reading and a common reference temperature to obtain a temperature-normalised pressure reading, and calculating the estimated deflation rate based on the temperature-normalised pressure readings. The estimated deflation rate is compared with a threshold, and a warning provided if the estimated deflation rate exceeds the threshold.