Claims:STATEMENT OF CLAIMS
We claim:
1. A method for determining an optimal tyre pressure for at least one tyre of a vehicle, the method comprising
determining a baseline tyre pressure for the at least one tyre of the vehicle by a controller (102), wherein the baseline tyre pressure is determined based on at least one of a pre-defined ambient temperature range, a normal load for the vehicle, and a pre-defined speed range;
maintaining the baseline tyre pressure as the optimal tyre pressure by the controller (102), if the vehicle is within the pre-defined speed range while carrying the normal load and operating in the pre-defined temperature range; and
determining a different optimal tyre pressure for at least one tyre by the controller (102), if the vehicle is at least one of not within the pre-defined speed range; not carrying the normal load; and not operating in the pre-defined temperature range.

2. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the different optimal tyre pressure being determined by the controller (102) using a look up table.

3. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the baseline tyre pressure being determined by the controller (102) based on at least one of road surface, road conditions and weather conditions.

4. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the different tyre pressure being determined by the controller (102) based on at least one of road surface, road conditions and weather conditions.

5. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the controller (102) providing an alert, on determining that the different optimal tyre pressure does not match with the current tyre pressure.

6. A system for determining an optimal tyre pressure for at least one tyre of a vehicle, the system comprising a controller (102) configured for
determining a baseline tyre pressure for the at least one tyre of the vehicle, wherein the baseline tyre pressure is determined based on at least one of a pre-defined ambient temperature range, a normal load for the vehicle, and a pre-defined speed range;
maintaining the baseline tyre pressure as the optimal tyre pressure, if the vehicle is within the pre-defined speed range while carrying the normal load and operating in the pre-defined temperature range; and
determining a different optimal tyre pressure for at least one tyre, if the vehicle is at least one of not within the pre-defined speed range; not carrying the normal load; and not operating in the pre-defined temperature range.

7. The system, as claimed in claim 6, wherein the controller (102) is further configured for determining the different optimal tyre pressure being determined using a look up table.

8. The system, as claimed in claim 6, wherein the controller (102) is further configured for further determining the baseline tyre pressure based on at least one of road surface, road conditions and weather conditions.
9. The system, as claimed in claim 6, wherein the controller (102) is further configured for determining the different tyre pressure based on at least one of road surface, road conditions and weather conditions.

10. The system, as claimed in claim 6, wherein the controller (102) is further configured for providing an alert, on determining that the different optimal tyre pressure does not match with the current tyre pressure.
, Description:TEHCNICAL FIELD
[001] Embodiments herein relate to vehicle systems and more particularly to valves present in tyres of vehicles.

BACKGROUND
[002] An ideal volume of air accompanied by related pressure conditions within vehicular tyres is required for an optimal vehicle performance. Improper pressure maintained in vehicular tyres can hamper the vehicle’s efficiency, comfort, safety, and drivability. In particular, several vehicle owners and manufacturers have observed a reduction in the vehicle’s fuel efficiency when tyres operate under inappropriate pressure conditions. Also, tyre failure may result due to non-optimized tyre pressure. Tyre failure during operation can potentially result in immobilization of an associated vehicle or even accidents. Moreover, tyres operated at unsuitable pressures can adversely influence associated vehicle fuel economy.
[003] Over the years, electronic systems have been developed and incorporated into vehicular systems that monitor tyre pressure, providing regular feeds to a driver at all times. The feeds can be provided to the user/driver through a visual display. Such systems are known as tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). However, such systems merely measure the current tyre pressure, and do not consider other factors, which can determine an optimal tyre pressure for the current operating conditions of the vehicle.

OBJECTS
[004] The principal object of embodiments herein is to determine an optimal air pressure for a tyre in a vehicle, based on the current operating conditions of the vehicle.
[005] Another object of embodiments herein is to provide an alert to the user, if the current air pressure in the tyre does not match the determined optimal tyre pressure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[006] Embodiments herein are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, through out which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[007] FIGs. 1a, 1b and 1c depict a plurality of tyre monitors and a controller in a vehicle for monitoring the tyres of the vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[008] FIG. 2 depicts the controller, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[009] FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting the process of the controller determining an optimal tyre pressure, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and
[0010] FIGs. 4a, 4b and 4c are detailed flowcharts depicting the process of the controller determining an optimal tyre pressure, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0012] The embodiments herein determine an optimal air pressure for a tyre in a vehicle, based on the current operating conditions of the vehicle. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 4, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown preferred embodiments.
[0013] The vehicle as referred to herein can be any vehicle comprising of at least one tyre. Examples of the vehicle as referred to herein can be but not limited to cars, vans, trucks, buses, tractors, scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, and so on.
[0014] FIGs. 1a, 1b and 1c depict a plurality of tyre monitors and a controller in a vehicle for monitoring the tyres of the vehicle. A tyre monitor 101 can be present at each tyre of the vehicle 103, such that each tyre monitor 101 can monitor the movement of each tyre. The tyre monitors 101 can communicate with a controller 102. The tyre monitors 101 can communicate with the controller 102 using at least one of a wired means (such as a bus, CAN (Controller Area Network) bus, and so on) or a wireless means (such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi, cellular communication networks, radio frequency communication means, and so on).
[0015] In an embodiment, the controller 102 can be present inside the vehicle 103 (as depicted in FIG. 1a). In an embodiment, the controller 102 can be integrated with an ECU (Engine Control Unit) present in the vehicle. In an embodiment herein, the controller 102 can be an independent module. In an embodiment herein, the controller 102 can be integrated with a tyre monitor 101 (as depicted in FIG. 1b). In an embodiment herein, the controller 102 can be present external to the vehicle 103 (as depicted in FIG. 1c). In an example, the controller 102 can be present in a device belonging to a user of the vehicle 103 (such as a mobile phone, smart phone, tablet, computer, wearable computing device, a security system of the vehicle 103, and so on). In an example, the controller 102 can be a dedicated module present external to the vehicle 103.
[0016] The controller 102 can communicate with other entities such as vehicle systems (such as the infotainment systems, instrument cluster, dashboard systems, ECU, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), location sensing means (such as vehicle navigation systems, user devices providing location information, and so on), user devices, data servers, application servers, the cloud, or any other device as configured by the user or any other authorized person.
[0017] FIG. 2 depicts the controller. The controller 102, as depicted, comprises of a Tyre Management Module (TMM) 201, a memory 202, and a communication interface 203. The memory 202 can be at least one of a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory. The memory 202 can be present internally to the controller 102. The memory 202 can be present in another system present in the vehicle 103, such as the ECU, and the controller 102 can store and access data from the memory 202. The memory 202 can comprise of data such as pre-configured thresholds for the motion of the tyres, user configurations, and so on. The memory 202 can comprise of information received from the tyre monitor 101. The memory 202 can comprise of results of operations performed by the TMM 201. The memory 202 can comprise of time stamps of the received information.
[0018] The communication interface 202 can enable the controller 102 to communicate with at least one external entity. Examples of the external entity can be but not limited to the tyre monitors 101, the vehicle systems (such as the infotainment systems, instrument cluster, dashboard systems, ECU, ESC, location sensing means (such as vehicle navigation systems, user devices providing location information, and so on), user devices, data servers, application servers, the cloud, or any other device as configured by the user or any other authorized person.
[0019] The TMM 201 can determine optimal tyre pressure for the tyres, based on conditions such as nature of vehicle speed, occupant/load mass, road surface, road conditions and weather conditions (temperature, humidity and so on), . The conditions can be determined based on data received from various external entities. For example, the TMM 201 can determine the road conditions, using information received from the location sensing means. The location sensing means can indicate to the TMM 201 that the vehicle is currently travelling on a road/highway, which can indicate the vehicle is currently moving on a tarred surface. For example, the TMM 201 can receive information such as the temperature, humidity, vehicle speed, time, and so on, from vehicle systems such as the ECU, the ESC, the vehicle HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems, and so on. The TMM 201 can determine the optimal tyre pressure, using look-up-tables or an appropriate algorithm, stored in the memory 202. The look-up-tables can comprise of pre-determined data, which was previously determined and stored in the memory 202.
[0020] The TMM 201 can determine the optimal tyre pressure using the conditions mentioned above, by comparing with a base tyre optimum pressure. If the TMM 201 determines that the current tyre pressure is not within a pre-configured range of the determined optimal tyre pressure, the TMM 201 can perform at least one pre-configured action, such as providing an alert to the user, and storing the alert and related data in a pre-configured location, and so on.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting the process of the controller determining an optimal tyre pressure. The TMM 201 determines (301) the optimal tyre pressure for the tyres, based on conditions such as nature of vehicle speed, occupant/load mass, road surface, road conditions and weather conditions (temperature, humidity and so on), using look-up-tables or suitable algorithm, stored in the memory 202. The TMM 201 checks (302) if the determined optimal tyre pressure matches with the current tyre pressure, as received from the tyre monitor 101. If the TMM 201 determines that the current tyre pressure does not match with the determined optimal tyre pressure, the TMM 201 performs (303) at least one pre-configured action, such as providing an alert to the user, and storing the alert and related data in a pre-configured location, and so on. The various actions in method 300 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 3 may be omitted.
[0022] FIGs. 4a, 4b and 4c are detailed flowcharts depicting the process of the controller determining an optimal tyre pressure. The TMM 201 determines (401) a baseline tyre pressure for each of the tyres (X). The TMM 201 can determine the baseline tyre pressure, based on conditions such as a pre-defined ambient temperature range (which can be based on factors such as location of the vehicle, the date and time, and so on), a normal load for the vehicle (which can be defined based on the usage of the vehicle, load carrying capacity of the vehicle, and so on), a pre-defined speed (which can be defined based on the typical usage of the vehicle), and so on. In an embodiment herein, the pre-defined speed can be a range of speeds. For example, if the vehicle is used in the city, the pre-defined speed can be the city speed. In another example, if the vehicle is mainly used on the highway, the pre-defined speed can be higher than the city speed. These conditions can be defined by a user of the vehicle, or any other authorized person (such as a service personnel).
[0023] The TMM 201 checks (402) if the vehicle speed is within the pre-defined speed range. If the vehicle speed is less than the pre-defined speed, the TMM 201 further checks (403) if the vehicle is carrying the normal load. If the vehicle is carrying the normal load, the TMM 201 further checks (404) if the current temperature of the vehicle is within a pre-defined temperature range of the ambient temperature. If the current temperature of the vehicle is within a pre-defined temperature range of the ambient temperature, the TMM 201 considers (405) X as the optimum pressure. If the current temperature of the vehicle is not within a pre-defined temperature range of the ambient temperature, the TMM 201 considers (406) X1 as the optimum pressure.
[0024] If the vehicle speed is not less than the pre-defined speed, the TMM 201 further checks (407) if the vehicle is carrying the normal load. If the vehicle is carrying the normal load, the TMM 201 further checks (408) if the current temperature of the vehicle is within a pre-defined temperature range of the ambient temperature. If the current temperature of the vehicle is within a pre-defined temperature range of the ambient temperature, the TMM 201 considers (409) X2 as the optimum pressure. If the current temperature of the vehicle is not within a pre-defined temperature range of the ambient temperature, the TMM 201 considers (410) X3 as the optimum pressure. If the vehicle is not carrying the normal load, the TMM 201 further checks (411) if the current temperature of the vehicle is within a pre-defined temperature range of the ambient temperature. If the current temperature of the vehicle is within a pre-defined temperature range of the ambient temperature, the TMM 201 considers (412) X4 as the optimum pressure. If the current temperature of the vehicle is not within a pre-defined temperature range of the ambient temperature, the TMM 201 considers (413) X5 as the optimum pressure.
[0025] If the vehicle is not carrying the normal load, the TMM 201 further checks (414) if the current temperature of the vehicle is within a pre-defined temperature range of the ambient temperature. If the current temperature of the vehicle is within a pre-defined temperature range of the ambient temperature, the TMM 201 considers (415) X6 as the optimum pressure. If the current temperature of the vehicle is not within a pre-defined temperature range of the ambient temperature, the TMM 201 considers (416) X7 as the optimum pressure.
[0026] The tyre pressures (X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7) can be pre-defined and based on each of the conditions. The memory 202 can comprise of look-up tables. The look-up tables can comprise of tyre pressures for each of the conditions, as listed in FIGs. 4a, 4b and 4c. The tyre pressures can be separate for each tyre of the vehicle. The tyre pressures can be defined by the car manufacturer or any other authorized person.
[0027] The various actions in method 400 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIGs. 4a, 4b and 4c may be omitted.
[0028] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the network elements. The network elements shown in Figs 1 and 2 include blocks which can be at least one of a hardware device, or a combination of hardware device and software module.
[0029] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.