The present disclosure relates to tire monitoring. More particularly
the present disclosure relates to a device for monitoring condition of automobile tires that enables a driver to check tire conditions on an indicator located near the driver's seat.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in
understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the
information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed
invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] Nowadays tires are formed with a tread that include channels
through which water, snow and other environmental debris commonly found on roads can pass as the vehicle travels along a public roadway. By allowing the water to enter the channel, the amount of water passing between the roadway surface and an outermost tire surface is minimized, thereby reducing the tendency of the water to lift the vehicle from the roadway surface. Such channels are mandated on all tires to be installed on vehicles that are licensed to travel public roadways, and depending on the type of tire, come in a variety of depths, widths and patterns.
[0004] Safety features are of great importance. However, when it comes to
safety concerns while driving, there's another vital aspect that gets ignored by many of us and i.e., the tyres of the vehicle. Very few people are aware of the fact that the condition of the tyres are responsible for proper braking, cornering and fuel economy, as they are the first source to make contact with the road. Depending on how much you drive each year, your tyre's tread may last for years but just because the tread is not worn out does not mean that your tires don't need to be replaced. Bridgestone, following industry standards, recommends that tyres should be withdrawn from service after ten years of the date of manufacture. Even we are driving a vehicle with more than ten years as we don't know about the life of all tyres. Hence, it causes an accident while driving.

[0005] Tread depth is a vertical measurement between the outermost
surface of the tire that contact the roadway surface and the bottom surface of the tread's channels that is approximately parallel to the outermost surface of the tire. Measuring the tread depth of a tire with a ruler is difficult and inaccurate. Often the tire with the tread depth being measured is installed on a vehicle that is resting on the ground, but this gives inaccurate result. Such inaccuracies can result in the erroneous conclusion that a questionable tire is safe to travel along public roadways when, in reality, it is not.
[0006] Attempts have been made to automate the measurement of a tire's
tread depth. Such devices utilize many laser light sources and sensors to illuminate the outermost surface of the tire's tread, along with side wall profiles. The measurements performed by lasers and sensors encompassed the entire circumference of the tire, and accordingly, required the tire to be removed from the vehicle and rotated by a dedicated stand positioned adjacent to the lasers and sensors. Such an arrangement is cumbersome, and makes inspection of tires of vehicles impractical.
[0007] There is therefore a need for a device to monitor tire condition that
is capable of detecting condition of tires of the vehicle, and notifying automatically when tires need to be replaced.
OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0008] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one
embodiment herein satisfies are as listed herein below.
[0009] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a device for
monitoring tire condition of a motor vehicle.
[0010] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a device
that assists a driver to check condition of tire continuously in a simple and reliable
way during travel.
[0011] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a device
that indicates the driver, when a tire needs to be replaced.

[0012] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a device to
monitor tire condition, which is simple and easy to use.
[0013] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a device to
monitor tire condition, which requires less maintenance cost.
SUMMARY
[0014] The present disclosure relates, in general to tire monitoring, and
more particularly the present disclosure relates to a device for monitoring
condition of automobile tires that enables a driver to check tire conditions on an
indicator located near the driver's seat.
[0015] An aspect of the present disclosure pertains to a device for
monitoring condition of a tire of a vehicle, the device may include at least one
sensor mounted to the tire for acquiring data relating to one or more
characteristics of the tire, and correspondingly generating a signal, a control unit
may include a processor for executing a set of instructions that are stored in a
memory, upon execution of which, the control unit receive the signal generated
by the at least one sensor, extract data relating to one or more characteristics of
the tire from the signal, and process the extracted data to monitor condition of the
tire, and correspondingly generating a warning signal, an indicator unit may be
positioned in the vehicle for receiving the warning signal transmitted by the
control unit.
[0016] In an aspect, the indicator unit may be configured to display the
indication that one of tires of the vehicle needs to be replaced.
[0017] In an aspect, the indicator unit may include any or a combination
of optical, acoustic, haptic display, and digital meter.
[0018] In an aspect, the one or more characteristics of the tire may include
any or a combination of tread depth, tread pattern, uneven tread wear, sidewall
wear, and sidewall puncture.
[0019] In an aspect, the device may include a communication unit to
provide wireless communication in between the at least one sensor and the control
unit.

[0020] Another aspect of the present disclosure pertains to a tire of a
vehicle, the tire may include at least one sensor mounted to the tire for acquiring data relating to one or more characteristics of the tire, and correspondingly generating a signal that may be transmitted to an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle, and the ECU extract the data from the signal, and process the extracted data to monitor condition of the tire, and correspondingly generate a warning signal to a dashboard of the vehicle.
[0021] In an aspect, the dashboard of the vehicle may display indication
that the tire of the vehicle needs to be replaced.
[0022] In an aspect, the one or more characteristics of the tire may include
any or a combination of tread depth, tread pattern, uneven tread wear, and sidewall wear, sidewall puncture.
[0023] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive
subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0024] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further
understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. The diagrams are for illustration only, which thus is not a limitation of the present disclosure.
[0025] In the figures, similar components and/or features may have the
same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a device for monitoring tire
condition, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0027] FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary view of sensors coupled to the
tires, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0028] FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary view of an indicator unit to
display tire condition, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0029] FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart of a method for monitoring tire
condition, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0030] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary view of a tire for monitoring tire
conditions, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the
disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The figures and description herein are directed to a device for monitoring condition of automobile tires that enables a driver to check tire conditions on an indicator located near the driver's seat.
[0032] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of a
device for monitoring conditions of a tire of a vehicle. The device (100) can be coupled with the tire of the vehicle, and the device (100) can include one or more sensors (102) (collectively referred as sensors (102), and individually referred as sensor (102)) arranged on an inner side of the tire opposite the tread of the tire (i.e. in mud guard) or in the tread wall. The sensor (102) can be configured to acquire data relating to one or more characteristics of the tire. The one or more characteristics of the tire can include but not limited to any or a combination of tread depth, tread pattern, uneven tread wear, sidewall wear, and sidewall

puncture. At least one sensor (102) can be deployed at each tire of the vehicle to acquire associated data of the tire.
[0033] The device (100) of the present invention is not limited to a four-
wheeled vehicle, but may also be applied to two-wheeled vehicles such as bicycles and bikes, multi-wheeled vehicles such as buses and trucks, or industrial vehicles such as forklifts.
[0034] In an embodiment, the sensor (100) can include, but not limited to
piezo elements, depth sensor, camera, ultrasonic sensor, laser, printed sensor, and internal tread sensor.
[0035] In an embodiment, the device (100) can include a control unit (104)
configured to analyse the data received from the sensors (102) to determine condition of the tire, and notify a driver that tire needs to be replaced. The control unit (104) can be located in a vehicle to allow for monitoring at predetermined intervals of time. For example, the control unit (104) can be positioned in a hub of a wheel, in a wheel well, in an engine compartment, or in the interior of the vehicle. The control unit (104) can include one or more processor(s). The one or more processor(s) can be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the one or more processor(s) can be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory 204 of the control unit (104). The memory can be a read only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM), and can store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines, which may be fetched and executed to create or share the data units over a network service.
[0036] In an embodiment, the control unit (104) can also include a variety
of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I/O devices, storage devices, transducers, actuators, and the like. In addition, the control unit (104) can include a database where data is either stored or generated as a result of functionalities implemented by any of the components of the control unit (104).

[0037] In an embodiment, the control unit (104) can be configured to
receive the signal generated by the at least one sensor (102), extract data relating to one or more characteristics of the tire from the signal. Further, the extracted to one or more characteristics are processed to monitor condition of the tire. The one or more characteristics of the tire may include, but not limited to any or a combination of tread depth, tread pattern, uneven tread wear, sidewall wear, and sidewall puncture.
[0038] To process the one or more characteristics, each of the
characteristics extracted from the received signal can be compared with associated pre-defined value/pattern stored in the memory. And, upon detection of at least one of the characteristics beyond the predefined value/pattern, the control unit (104) can generate a warning signal.
[0039] In an embodiment, the device (100) can include an indicator unit
(106) that can be coupled to the vehicle. The indicator unit (106) can be located near the driver's seat to enable the driver to check the warnings easily. And, the indicator unit (106) can include any or a combination of optical, acoustic, haptic display, and digital meter. Upon receiving the warning signals from the control unit (104), the indicator unit (106) can display information such as 50% or 40% life remaining, or the tire needs to be replaced urgently, or the tire can be retreated easily there is no need to change the tire. Thus, prevents the owner/user to visit a mechanic to check tire condition every time.
[0040] In an exemplary embodiment, the tread depth of the tire can be
derived from the degree of deformation (degree of bending) and by comparing the current deformation with previous measured values and/or previously store values, stored in the memory of the control unit (104), and warning can be displayed on the digital meter (106). Also, the current tread depths of all the tires of the vehicle can also be displayed by the digital meter (106) irrespective of whether a limiting value is reached (exceeding or undershooting of a threshold value), so that the driver of the vehicle can themselves decide whether the tires needs to be changed or not.

[0041] In an exemplary embodiment, the normal wear for a tire is an even
reduction in tread depth across the tire, a tire is considered worn out and should be replaced when the tread has worn to less than 1/16 inch deep. Also, Excess wear on a single side of the tire tread indicates that tire is leaning too much in or out from the vehicle. The wear can be caused by a suspension out of alignment or worn parts in the suspension or steering system.
[0042] In an exemplary embodiment, the device (100) can include sensors
such as temperature sensor and pressure sensor associated with each of the tire of
the vehicle, and notify the user by displaying a warning on the indicator unit (106)
or actuate an alarm (not shown) to notify the driver, that the air in the associated
tire is abnormal or there is a puncture in the associated tire. In this case, a
loudspeaker, which is preinstalled in the vehicle, may be used as an alarm.
[0043] In an embodiment, the device (100) can include a communication
unit (108) to provide wireless communication in between the at least one sensor (102) and the control unit (104). The communication unit (108) can include an be a fiber-optic cable, electrically conductive cable, GSM module, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Module, Bluetooth, Li-Fi, and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), and the likes. The signal generated by the sensor (102) can be transmitted to the control unit (104) through the communication unit (108), similarly, the warning signal generated by the control unit (104) can be transmitted to the indicator unit (106) through the communication unit (108).
[0044] Referring to FIG. 2A, a vehicle is disclosed, the vehicle can be The
monitoring apparatus of the present invention is not limited to a four-wheeled vehicle, but may also be applied to two-wheeled vehicles such as bicycles and bikes, multi-wheeled vehicles such as buses and trucks, or industrial vehicles such as forklifts. A sensor (102-1) can be mounted on the mudguard of a first tire, and similarly the sensor (102-2) can be mounted on the mudguard of a first tire, or at any other place above the tire to acquire one or more characteristics of the tire. Each of the sensors (102) can be configured to acquire data of the associated tire only, and the acquired data can be transmitted to a control unit (104), and the

control unit (104) can process the acquired data and correspondingly display warning to the driver based on the condition of the tire.
[0045] Referring to FIG. 2B, an indicator unit (106) (i.e. a digital meter
(106)) is disclosed. The digital meter (106) can be operatively coupled with the control unit (106), and can facilitate in displaying the condition of the tires. For example, information of each of the tires can be displayed on associated digital meter, in percentage as shown in FIG. 2B. Life remaining of front left (FL) tire is 40%, front right (FR) tire is 30%, rear left (RL) is 60%, and rear right (RR) tire is 80%). Based on this, the driver can go to mechanic to retead the tire or to replace the tire.
[0046] FIG. 3 illustrate steps of working of the device (100), the device
(100) can be installed with each of the tires of the vehicle, or a single device can
be installed in the vehicle, a sensor (102) can be attached to each of the tires of the
vehicle. At step 302, data related to one or more characteristics of each of tires
can be acquired from each of the sensor (102). Acquired data can be transmitted
to a control unit (104), the control unit (104) can be configured to process the data
at step (304) to detect condition of the tire. The condition of tire can be displayed
on an indicator unit (as shown in step 306) to notify the driver, and return to main
module to start acquiring data through the sensor (102), as shown in step (308).
[0047] In an illustrative embodiment, a tire (400) is disclosed as shown in
FIG. 4, the tire (400) can include a sensor (102) which can be positioned such that one or more characteristics but not limited to such as tread depth, tread pattern, uneven tread wear, sidewall wear, and sidewall puncture, of the tire can be acquired. The sensor (102) can be configured to generate a signal based on the acquired one or more characteristics. The generated signal can be transmitted to an electronic control unit (402) (i.e. ECU) of the vehicle, and the ECU (402) can extract value/pattern of each of the characteristics from the received signal, and compare the extracted values/patterns with a predefined set of values/patterns, and correspondingly generate a warning signal that can be transmitted to a dashboard (404) of the vehicle, and the driver can be notified regarding the condition of the tire (400).

[0048] The tire (400) can be used not only in tires of passenger vehicles
but also in motorcycles, trucks or other utility vehicles.
[0049] A warning for the driver of the vehicle is preferably issued
considerably before the legally prescribed minimum tread depth or other characteristics are reached, so that, on the one hand, there is sufficient reliability in the event of measuring inaccuracies and, on the other hand, the driver has enough time or can still travel for a sufficiently long time until the tires are changed. The driver can also be informed of the distance which can still be travelled with the same tires, for which distance it is still possible to drive without danger due to the tire profile, where the tread depth or the time/number of kilometers which can still be travelled before the tires (400) have to be changed, can be calculated therefrom.
[0050] Although the present invention has been described above on the
basis of preferred exemplary embodiments, it is not restricted thereto but rather
can be modified in a variety of ways. The abovementioned exemplary
embodiments can also be combined with one another in a desired fashion.
[0051] From all that has been said, it will be clear that there has thus been
shown and described herein a sensor which fulfills the various objects and advantages sought therefor. It will become apparent to those skilled in the art, however, that many changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications of the subject tire wear sensor is possible and contemplated. All changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention, which is limited only by the claims which follow.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
[0052] The proposed invention provides a device for monitoring tire
condition of a motor vehicle.
[0053] The proposed invention provides a device for assisting a driver to
check condition of tire continuously in a simple and reliable way during travel.

[0054] The proposed invention provides a device for indicating the driver,
when a tire needs to be replaced.
[0055] The proposed invention provides a device for monitoring tire
condition, which is simple and easy to use.
[0056] The proposed invention provides a device for monitoring tire
condition, which requires less maintenance cost.

We Claim:

1. A device (100) for monitoring condition of a tire of a vehicle, the device
comprising:
at least one sensor (102) mounted to the tire for acquiring data relating to one or more characteristics of the tire, and correspondingly generating a signal;
a control unit (104) comprising a processor for executing a set of instructions that are stored in a memory, upon execution of which, the control unit:
receive the signal generated by the at least one sensor;
extract data relating to one or more characteristics of the tire from the signal; and
process the extracted data to monitor condition of the tire, and correspondingly generating a warning signal; and
an indicator unit (106)coupled to the vehicle for receiving the warning signal transmitted by the control unit.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indicator unit (106) is configured to display the indication that one of tires of the vehicle needs to be replaced.
3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein indicator unit (106) is any or a combination of optical, acoustic, haptic display, and digital meter.
4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the tire comprises any or a combination of tread depth, tread pattern, uneven tread wear, sidewall wear, and sidewall puncture.
5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device comprising a communication unit (108) to provide wireless communication in between the at least one sensor and the control unit.
6. A tire (400) of a vehicle, the tire comprising:
at least one sensor (102) mounted to the tire for acquiring data relating to one or more characteristics of the tire, and correspondingly

generating a signal, wherein the generated signal are transmitted to an electronic control unit (402) (ECU) of the vehicle, wherein the ECU (402) extract the data from the signal, and process the extracted data to monitor condition of the tire, and correspondingly generate and transmit a warning signal to a dashboard (404) of the vehicle.
7. The tire of the vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the dashboard (404) of the vehicle display the indication that the tire of the vehicle needs to be replaced.
8. The tire of the vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the tire include any or a combination of tread depth, tread pattern, uneven tread wear, and sidewall wear, sidewall puncture.