GM’s tyre and wheel vibration monitoring system
22/03/2024
General Motors (GM) has filed a patent for a system that will be able to detect and monitor vibrations in the wheels and tyres of a vehicle.
The new GM patent application has been assigned the patent number US 11815426 B2 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and was published on 14 November 2023. The patent was originally filed on 16 October 2020 and lists several Canadian-based engineers as the inventors, including Anushya Viraliur Ponnuswami, Joseph K Moore, Halit Zengin, Eungkil Lee and Mansoor Alghooneh.
The patent describes a system that incorporates a plurality of encoders and an analyser, with the encoders providing multiple pulse train signals from multiple vehicle wheels. As each encoder provides pulse signals to the analyser, the analyser generates multiple pulse-per-revolution signals and angular velocity signals in response. The analyser also incorporates an input phasor array representative of the pulse-per-revolution signals, which enables the generation of a report that can identify at least one vibrating wheel and tyre in the system.
As highlighted in the patent, vibrations are a common occurrence in motor vehicles and wheels, and tyres can vibrate with each rotation. This periodic vibration may stem from manufacturing defects, normal tyre wear, irregular tyre thickness or other possible causes. As such, a system capable of monitoring tyre and wheel vibrations would prove to be useful. Although the patent does not mention autonomous vehicles (AVs) specifically, it is conceivable that this system could prove particularly useful in applications where there is no human pilot to monitor the vehicle status, such as long-haul autonomous trucking or autonomous ridehailing services.
More recently, GM has filed to patent a system that enables a wireless vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) trailer connection, as well as a crash protection system designed to protect passengers lying down in a vehicle. Further GM patent filings made in the last year include a system that can estimate electric vehicle (EV) energy consumption during off-roading and an aroma-based in-vehicle notification system.
