Reading: Intelligent tyres only three years away

By Oliver Hall

‘Cyber’ tyres capable of monitoring themselves, road conditions and ‘talking’ with a vehicle’s electronic systems could be hitting the roads within three years.

Schrader Electronics, the automotive sensor developer, is working in conjunction with Pirelli tyres to create a sensor that is mounted on the inside of a tyre instead of on the valve or wheel rim, as is the case with currently available direct TPMS set ups.

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 tyre’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 optimise control of the vehicle’s dynamics.

The company has partnered with Pirelli to deliver this technology, the first phase of which, the Cyber Tyre 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 tyre, to be called the ‘Cyber Tyre’, is expected in the marketplace during 2013.

Alfonso Di Pasquale, vice president of business development at Schrader Electronics, said: “Schrader is the market leader in tyre sensors and this new development continues our commitment to pushing back the boundaries of technology which can enhance a vehicle’s safety and the driving experience.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 at 3:40 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.