KOBE, Japan — Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI) has added treadwear detection to the range of tire performance parameters its "Sensing Core" technology can monitor.
SRI disclosed the development of Sensing Core in 2017, claiming it could detect road conditions, tire load and other information by analyzing wheel-speed signals generated by the rotation of the tires.
Sensing Core builds on 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 detects tire wear by calculating tread rigidity based on wheel-speed signals, engine data and other vehicle information, SRI said, meaning it requires no additional sensor installation and thus is considered maintenance-free.
Sensing Core technology is based on SRI's "extensive" know-how related to the dynamic behavior of tires on vehicles and specialized digital filtering technology that can analyze and interpret wheel speed signals that are transmitted as tires rotate.
SRI said Sensing Core technology is part of its overall smart tire concept, the aim of which is to accelerate the development of tires and peripheral services to address the vehicle industry's focus on Connectivity, Autonomous, Sharing/Subscription and Electrification (CASE) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS).
These developments all tie into SRI's work toward crafting safer "Mobility Society" under the umbrella of: "Tires — Connecting with Vehicles, Connecting with People, Connecting with Society."