US Patent 11421982 System and method for estimating tire tread depth

A system is provided for estimating a tread depth of a tire supporting a vehicle. The tire includes a pair of sidewalls that extend to a circumferential tread. The system includes a drive over reader, which includes a housing. At least one sensor is mounted in the housing to generate an image of the tire, which may be an image of the tire footprint or an image of the tread along a lateral line or section, and the tread depth is determined from the image. At least one piezoelectric actuator is mounted on the housing and is electrically connected to the at least one sensor to actuate the at least one sensor. A method for estimating a tread depth of a tire supporting a vehicle is also provided.