Conti debuts mobility-enhancing tire technologies

FRANKFURT, Germany — The use of electrically conductive rubber and on-the-fly tire contact patch variations are among technologies Continental A.G. is showcasing at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, running through Sept. 24.

Continental said it considers both technology concepts — dubbed ContiSense and ContiAdapt — "promising solutions" for the mobility of the future as tires are adapted to meet the needs of automated driving and electrification.

Conti is showcasing the technologies at the Frankfurt gathering in a single concept tire that enables the benefits of both systems to be fully leveraged.

ContiSense uses electrically conductive rubber compounds that enable electric signals to be sent from a sensor in the tire to a receiver in the vehicle, Conti said, providing continuous tread-depth and temperature monitoring.

If the measured values are above or below predefined limits or if anything penetrates the tread, Conti said the system alerts the driver immediately.

In the future, Conti said it could add sensors that could provide information about the road surface, such as its temperature or the presence of snow. These data can be transmitted to the vehicle electronics or via bluetooth to a smartphone.

The ContiAdapt technology combines micro-compressors integrated into the wheel to adjust the tire pressure with a variable-width rim, Conti said, thus allowing for the size of the contact patch to be altered to fit road conditions, such as wet, uneven or slippery surfaces.

For example, a smaller contact patch combined with high tire pressure yield low rolling resistance and energy-efficient driving on smooth, dry roads. By contrast, slippery roads would trigger a larger contact patch and lower tire pressures for enhanced grip.

The system also would permit pressures of below 15 psi be set, to help a driver ease his or her vehicle out of a parking space in deep snow or traverse a dangerous stretch of black ice.

Conti did not say when it expects such technologies to be developed to the point of being commercially viable.