Variable Vehicle Cone Index (VVCI) System

Tactical wheeled vehicles need the ability to adapt to rapidly changing terrain conditions and missions by developing a Variable Vehicle Cone Index (VVCI) system that produces a wider range of tactically appropriate behaviors to improve maneuverability.

TRI Austin’s VVCI technology uses embedded sensors inside the tire to measure the shape of the tire/terrain interaction with pattern-recognition algorithms and varies the VCI through controllability of the contact patch by tire pressure adjustments with the vehicles Central Tire Inflation System (CTIS).

This sensing method is low cost, simple, rugged and environmentally and temperature tolerant to insure long working life without required maintenance. Mature prototypes have been developed and performance validation in demonstrations to the Marine Corp and Army has been performed.