Sensing tyre pressure, damper condition and wheel balance from vibration measurements

Abstract

The majority of disturbance and control forces affecting a vehicle are transmitted through the tyre-ground interfaces. For optimum performance, components at each wheel station should be regularly inspected and maintained. Failure to maintain tyre pressures at correct levels results in increased tyre wear, increased fuel consumption, reduced ride comfort and degradation of vehicle handling. Worn dampers also reduce ride comfort and are detrimental to handling. Unbalanced wheels lead to vibration and wear in steering linkages. A system is proposed which will monitor these parameters while the vehicle is being driven in the normal way. The system is based upon measuring the vertical vibration at each wheel/axle station. Subsequent signal processing enables a dashboard indication of tyre pressures, damper effectiveness and wheel unbalance to be made available to the driver.