With the rapid level of development in the car. all parts of the car plays an important role even if they looks trivial. Just like wheel speed sensor. A car’s wheel speed sensor is one of those parts which are normally ignored by the driver and passengers of a car. but without it the car wouldn’t perform or work at all. In this article, I am going to discuses three important points why the wheel speed sensor is important in all modern vehicle, how it works and at what level it contribute to establish the safety and performance of a car.
What Are Wheel Speed Sensors?
Each wheel on a vehicle has an electronic component called a wheel speed sensor that records that wheel’s speed and sends this information in real time to other systems. This information is required for many vehicle systems that play a role in the safety and performance of the automobile. Having data about how quickly each wheel is moving allows these systems to adjust their operation to best make the vehicle drive well and steer safely.
How Wheel Speed Sensors Operate
Wheel speed sensors generally employ one of two primary technologies:
Inductive Sensors: Magnet + coil = electrical signal. As a tone ring with teeth speeds past a sensor, the magnetic field will change, producing an alternating current in the coil and translating it to a signal letting you know how fast the wheel is spinning.
Hall Effect Sensors: The principle behind a hall effect sensor is that a voltage is induced which depends on the angle of the magnetic field relative to the probe. In particular, the magnitude of the magnetic field produced by the wheel changes as a tone ring with teeth separating the spokes as a wheel passes over it and, thus, a voltage is induced in the device that is a pulse train the frequency of which is directly dependent upon the speed of the wheel.
Why Wheel Speed Sensors Are Important
Wheel speed sensors play a pivotal role in the following vehicle systems:
anti-lock braking system (ABS): When you slam on your brakes, the wheels can lock up, causing the vehicle to skid, which can easily cause you to lose control. When your wheels lock up, they can’t turn, so the vehicle skids. Any skid in an emergency stopping situation can be dangerous. If your brakes lock up, your wheels will no longer be able to turn, which means that you won’t be able to steer around anything that you are trying to avoid. This is where ABS helps. ABS constantly monitors the speed of the vehicle’s wheels. If one or more wheels start to lock up, ABS modulates the brake pressure at each wheel so that the wheel never locks up. If the wheels never lock up, you can keep control of the vehicle while you brake hard.
Traction Control System (TCS): This system is widespread in modern cars. During acceleration on slippery surfaces, one wheel can spin faster than another. TCS checks for this event and reduces the power from the engine to control the speed or applies braking to help maintain traction.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC): ESC is an electronic stability control system that helps you stay in control of your vehicle when skidding occurs. It works by measuring the speed of the wheels and when skidding is detected, braking is applied to individual wheels or engine power is reduced to help you stay in control of your vehicle.
Adaptive cruise control (ACC) [oregonlive] Wheel speed sensors: Sending information from the wheel sensors to the car’s computer, controlling the car’s speed under the direction of the ACC gear, helping to keep the car riding smoothly while at the same time keeping a safe braking distance behind the vehicle in front of you.
Collision Avoidance Systems: ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) utilise wheel speed data to estimate where your car is going and make corrections to mitigate or avoid a collision – or to help you manage a high-risk scenario.
Common Issues with Wheel Speed Sensors
Despite their importance, wheel speed sensors can encounter several issues:
faulty sensors can trigger erroneous readings on the ABS, TCS and ESC systems, and could cause your vehicle to brake oddly. An illumination of warning lights on your dashboard could be a sign of this.
Contamination: Dirt, dust or debris on or in a sensor can cause erroneous reads on wheel speed. Regular maintenance and cleaning should keep this from happening.
Short-Circuits: Rodents or poor wiring: If this occurs, the rodent should be removed. If this does not solve the problem, the wiring should be repaired.
Bad Tone Rings:The Tone rings that work with the Speed Sensors are often damaged or misaligned which makes the speed of the wheel inaccurate.
Ensuring Proper Functioning of Wheel Speed Sensors
To maintain optimal performance and reliability of wheel speed sensors, consider the following practices:
Regular Maintenance: Having wheel speed sensors as part of your regular vehicle service. Try checking that they are all working as intended every now and again.
Sensors and Tone Rings
Keep Clean: Sensors and Tone Rings should be dust- and debris-free. Clean your devices to prevent interruptions.
Check Wiring: Check the wiring that is attached to the sensors. Check for damage and/or signs of wear. Repair the problems as soon as possible before the sensor breaks.
Inspect Wheel Speed Sensors: See if any of the wheels are stuck, by monitoring the speedometer and brake discs.If the ABS, TCS or ESC warning light comes on, have any fault in the wheel speed sensors or the system itself diagnosed and repaired by a professional.
Conclusion
This wheel speed sensor is just one of many components of a car’s advanced systems that can achieve optimal passenger safety and vehicle performance by providing vital information to the car’s electronic control unit. The voltage signals generated by the sensor enable the ECU to work out the rotational speed of each wheel, which is a fundamental fundamental component of modern advanced safety and performance systems such as anti-lock braking, traction control, and electronic stability. Wheel speed sensors are now ubiquitous in many modern cars, and knowing more about its function and usefulness is important for drivers. This is because the wheel speed sensor is our best friend in the car.
