Tires capable of monitoring themselves, road conditions and "talking" with a vehicle’s electronic systems are only three years away, declares Schrader Electronics.
The automotive sensor developer has developed a sensor that is mounted on the inside of a tire instead of on the valve or wheel, as is the case with currently available direct TPMS setups. This sensor then transmits information wirelessly to receivers mounted in the vehicle’s wheel housing and via the car’s ECU to the driver.
This enables a raft of previously unobtainable data to be relayed to the vehicle’s ABS, ESP and other electronic systems, says Schrader. Information about the tire’s tread depth, pressure and temperature, along with the shape of its footprint and the amount of load it is under, will be combined with precise readings of road conditions, such as the amount of grip available, to optimize control of the vehicle’s dynamics.
The company has partnered with Pirelli to deliver this technology, the first phase of which, the Cyber Tire Lean, is anticipated to be released in Europe this year. This product measures pressure, temperature, average load and the number of revolutions and feeds the obtained data into the vehicle’s electronic systems. The fully intelligent tire, to be called the Cyber Tire, is expected in the marketplace during 2013. (Tyres & Accessories)
