SRI intros tire/road-sensing technology

KOBE, Japan — Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI) has developed a tire-sensing technology that it claims is able to detect road conditions, tire load and other information by analyzing wheel-speed signals generated by the rotation of the tires.

Called "Sensing Core," the technology follows another SRI proprietary technology, DWS (deflation warning system), which analyzes wheel-speed signals from the rotation of tires to detect and notify the driver of changes in tire air pressure.

Sensing Core is the next evolution in DWS technology, according to SRI.

The advanced version, SRI said, eliminates the need for additional, dedicated sensors by using "cutting-edge software" to detect tire pressure directly from existing wheel-speed signals.

This will reduce the cost of installation and eliminate the need for maintenance, SRI claims.

The technology uses an algorithm to detect various types of information and shares it with the driver and with the vehicle itself.

Moreover, by analyzing wheel-speed signals, the sensor is able to detect not only decreases in tire air pressure, but it also can estimate road conditions (grip level), the load applied to each tire and other information in real time.

The Japanese tire maker said it is now planning on improving the technology to enable it to estimate tire damage and wear and have the ability to collect and analyze data on the cloud for sharing this information with other vehicles.

SRI did not say how it intends to proceed with commercializing the technology.