A distance sensor is used for automatically detecting whether an outer wheel of a dual-wheel axle is present. The distance sensor is mounted to detect a distance between the sensor and an outer wheel of a dual-wheel axle. A controller compares the distance information with an expected range of distances if the outer wheel is present and determines that the wheel is not present if the measured distance falls outside the expected range. The methods and systems are particularly suitable for mobile machines, such as a combine harvester, having a rollover risk reduction system and/or a stability control system reliant on accurate width data for the machine, and which can be configured to apply different limits for maximum steering angle and/or maximum speed depending on whether the outer wheel is found to be present.

An excitation device exciting a vehicle 12 by applying a vibration to at least one of a plurality of tires 12t of the vehicle includes: a first restricting part 16 arranged in one of a front and rear direction of at least one of the plurality of tires 12t to restrict a movement of the vehicle in the front and rear direction; a second restricting part 20 arranged in another of a front and rear direction of the one of tires 12t to restrict a movement of the vehicle in the front and rear direction; and an actuator 22 configured to be able to drive at least one of the first restricting part and the second restricting part so as to increase or decrease a distance between each other in a front and rear direction of the vehicle.

A control method of a vehicle (1) according to the present disclosure is a control method for controlling the vehicle (1) that has tires (6) mounted thereon and drives autonomously on a course (200) that includes a banked section. The control method includes a setting step of setting a weighting for a plurality of sensors (12) configured to detect information about the vehicle (1) or the course (200), and a detection step of performing detection of a position of the vehicle (1) and/or an obstacle around the vehicle (1) using the weighting for the plurality of sensors (12) and a detection result of the sensors (12). In the setting step, the weighting is changed between the banked section (230) and sections other than the banked section (230).

A method for efficiently estimating a degree of wear of a tire in which a normalized deformation speed index is set as a wear measure. The normalized deformation speed index is obtained by normalizing an index of a deformation speed near an edge of a tire contact patch, the index being calculated from magnitudes of peaks appearing in a radial acceleration waveform obtained by differentiating tire radial acceleration detected by an acceleration sensor. The degree of wear of the tire is estimated using the wear measure, the ground contact time ratio, a worn tire approximate formula and an approximate formula when a tire is new, which have been obtained in advance and each represents a relationship between the wear measure and the ground contact time ratio obtained by running a plurality of tires having tire sizes different from each other.

Embodiments relate to tire characterization systems and methods for combining direct tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) and tire resonance analysis in indirect tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) for the extraction of tire characteristics to characterize other tire parameters. In embodiments, iTPMS and methods that utilize anti-lock braking system (ABS) sensed signals coupled to an electronic control unit (ECU) that may comprise circuitry and/or controllers to process the sensed signals using a resonance frequency analysis (RFA) technique can be combined with direct tire pressure sensor measurements from direct TPMS systems. Because direct TPMS systems deliver a precise value of a tire characteristic (for example, tire pressure), one of the unknown parameters that influence the resonance effects can be removed. As a results, the detected resonance can be used to characterize another tire parameter that would not be accessible without knowledge of the precise value of the tire characteristic delivered by the direct TPMS system.

A module for detecting a vibrational behavior of a mechanical component includes an attachment component configured to be rigidly mechanically connected to the mechanical component in order to absorb a mechanical vibration of the mechanical component, a circuit board including a circuit, the circuit board being configured to detect the mechanical vibration of the mechanical component and, based on the detected vibration, to wirelessly transmit a signal indicative of the vibrational behavior, and at least one spacer mechanically connecting the circuit board to the attachment component such that the mechanical vibration is transferable from the attachment component to the circuit board.

A tyre condition monitoring system comprising a sensing unit adapted for approximation to a tyre to take a measurement of, or at least from which can be derived, tread depth, the sensing unit being adapted for deployment by manual approximation to a tyre and to store and/or transmit measurement data from one or more or all of a set of tyres on a vehicle as well as for mechanical approximation to a tyre for continuing and/or programmed measurement.

A tire device has a tire side device and a vehicle body side system, and determines a road surface condition and detects a tire wear state. The tire side device includes a vibration detection unit that outputs a detection signal according to a magnitude of a tire vibration, a control unit extracts a feature amount during one rotation of the tire, and a first data communication unit that transmits a road surface data including a feature amount. The vehicle body side system includes a second data communication unit that receives road surface data, a road surface determination part that determines a road surface condition based on the road surface data, an integral calculation part that calculates an integral value of the feature amount in a specific frequency band included in the road surface data, and a wear determination part that detects the tire wear state from the integral value.

A motor vehicle includes a rear bumper and a microphone. The rear bumper includes an internal cavity that is open towards a front portion of the vehicle. The microphone includes a sound pickup component arranged to acquire a sound signal generated by at least one tire of the vehicle, each of which includes at least one audible wear indicator. The sound pickup component of the microphone is attached to a wall of the rear bumper, and is positioned at a transverse level located between rear tires of the vehicle, preferably in the internal cavity.

A test bench and a method to predict pressure oscillations in a vehicle tire. The tire is rotatably positioned, via a bearing on a test bench rim, the tire is pressurized with fluid, a load is applied on the tire, the tire is accelerated according to pre-determinable speed ramp to a final speed, the fluid in accordance with the tire speed, undergoes an oscillation excitation, and reacts to the oscillation excitation with a pressure oscillation. The method is characterized in that an effective force of the tire, due to the pressure oscillation, at the bearing is continuously detected, and that a descriptive data set is determined for the tire speed over the frequency, a timing signal of the speed ramp undergoes a Fourier transformation and, in an analogous manner, a reference data set is created through the use of a vehicle rim instead of the test bench rim.