TIRE WEAR COMPENSATED LOAD ESTIMATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

A system and method for estimating a load bearing on a vehicle tire is disclosed. The system comprises a vehicle tire (12) having a tire cavity; an inflation pressure measuring sensor (15) attached to the tire for measuring an inflation pressure level within the tire cavity; a contact patch length sensor (14) attached to the tire for measuring the contact patch length of the tire (12) when the tire (12) is rolling against a ground surface and carrying a tire load; a tire rolling speed sensor (14) for measuring a rolling speed of the tire (12); a tire wear state estimation calculator for estimating a tire wear state of a tread (13) of the tire (12) and/or a hub acceleration sensor for measuring a hub acceleration of a hub supporting the vehicle tire (12); and a tire load calculator for estimating a tire load from the contact patch length, the inflation pressure level, and the tire rolling speed.