A new sensor to measure tyre wear has been developed by Falken’s parent company Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd (SRI). The data will help engineers to create longer lasting tyres.
SRI has been working together with Professor Hiroshi Tani of Kansai University on the joint development of an innovative energy harvesting* device that harnesses the rotation of a tyre to generate electricity, which can then be used to provide power for peripheral sensors installed in and around tyres without relying on batteries. Now, it has succeeded in developing “techniques for measuring tyre wear status and contact footprint” utilising these energy harvesters
This latest advancement makes it possible to calculate the tyre footprint and rotation cycle in addition to device voltage levels based on voltage waveform data obtained from each energy harvester as tyres rotate while in contact with the road. The results of these calculations can then be extrapolated to estimate tyre wear levels. At the same time, Sumitomo has also developed a technique for measuring a tyre’s contact footprint, which involves installing multiple miniaturised energy harvesters within each tyre to obtain data on the contact footprint across the width of the tyre.
Toward the accomplishment of “Driving Our Future Challenge 2050,” the Long-Term Sustainability Policy that Sumitomo outlined in August 2021, the Sumitomo Rubber Group is actively engaged in various efforts to solve pressing issues related to the earth’s environment. As part of the Sumitomo Rubber Group, Falken Tyre Europe will respond to what is being called a “once-in-a-century” transformation of our motorised society and continue working to contribute to the realisation of a brighter and more prosperous future for all by providing new solutions for greater overall safety with less environmental impact.
*Energy harvesting refers to technologies that capture, collect and harness ambient energy, which is a catchall term for light, vibration, heat and other forms of energy that are present in minute quantities all around us. This ambient energy usually goes to waste if not harvested.
