Electro-Mechanical Sensor System Proposal to Address Automobile Tire Blowouts

Abstract

Tire malfunctions that contribute to motor vehicle accidents in the United States vary from 19,000 to 78,000 annually [1,2] with as many as 46% of those crashes occurring at high speeds on expressways. [3] In 2017, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 738 fatalities attributable to blown tires. No other means of transportation would be allowed to operate with a similar rate of safety failure – especially with a known cause. The automobile industry has made strides developing precautions for vehicle operators with tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMSs) and run-flat tires. However, the technology is incomplete. This paper purports to aid the existing tire safety technology by providing additional electro-mechanical options capable of preventing blowout occurrences, reducing rollovers, and minimizing casualties. This proposal incorporates the existing TPMSs and RFTs with overrides, power electronics, tire sensors and voice activation with passive and active schemes based on the tire contact patch.