Embedded sensor and analytics module for non-pneumatic tires
This technology embeds an accelerometer directly into the spoke of a non-pneumatic tire (the airless kind used in military, industrial, and emerging autonomous vehicle applications) and continuously measures how the tire vibrates as it rolls over a surface. By combining that vibration data with the tire's speed and the load it's carrying, the system calculates a real-time 'mean vibration characteristic' that describes how the tire is actually performing under current conditions. In some implementations, this characteristic is then used to actively adjust the stiffness of the tire's spokes, essentially giving the tire a tunable suspension-like response without any air pressure. The result is a tire that can monitor its own structural health, adapt to road conditions, and flag performance anomalies before they become failures.
What you could build
A smart tire system for airless tires used in autonomous delivery robots, military ground vehicles, or industrial forklifts that continuously monitors tire health and road conditions, sold as an integrated sensor-and-software module to non-pneumatic tire OEMs or fleet operators who need reliability data without pneumatic infrastructure.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense contractors and vehicle systems integrators in Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads corridor working on autonomous ground vehicles and military logistics platforms would have direct interest.
Readiness: Concept
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- UTKARSH GUPTA, RAJVARDHAN NALAWADE, SAIED TAHERI
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed November 21, 2023
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20240286441A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.