SRI says new technology can detect loose lug nuts

HYOGO, Japan—Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI) has developed a technology that it claims can detect loose wheel nuts by analyzing wheel-speed signals generated by tire rotation.

The technology—described as a function as part of SRI's Sensing Core tire/wheel operating oversight technology—has reached commercial-ready production status and will be employed by one of the company's original-equipment customers as "standard equipment" this year, SRI said.

Sensing Core analyzes wheel-speed signals, generated by tire rotation, to detect information such as road conditions, tire load, pressure and wear.

Discussions are being held with other vehicle manufacturers interesting in adopting the technology, SRI added.

Like other functions of Sensing Core, the wheel detachment system works independently of tire make, model or size, SRI noted.

Using wheel-speed signals and other information from the vehicle's controller area network, the technology can detect whether any wheel nuts are loose "by as little as one millimeter," SRI said.

The function has been developed in view of increased accidents and injuries in Japan caused by detached wheels over the recent years, particularly during winter.

"Whilst many commercial vehicle operators use mechanical clips on the nuts as a visual check, they are not 100% reliable and rely on the diligence of the driver to check each of them before each journey," SRI said.

Sensing Core grew out of SRI's original deflation warning system (DWS), an indirect tire-pressure-monitoring system, now being used by 15 vehicle makers in Europe, Japan, China and India on selected models.

SRI has described Sensing Core as the "centerpiece" of its peripheral services to support future mobility, under its smart tire concept umbrella.

The group, for instance, has conducted fleet trials of cloud-based TPMS with a rental company in Japan to enhance efficiency and safety and reduce costs.

Another target application for Sensing Core is in cloud-based tire-wear monitoring: software in the cloud receiving data from the vehicle to accurately predict the resultant tire wear. When a tire is ready for replacement, an alert can be sent to the driver or fleet manager, according to SRI.