SRI device generates power for tire monitoring

TOKYO—Sumitomo Rubber Industries has advanced the monitoring of tire wear with the development of a new power-generating device that can use internal energy to power sensors.

Developed in collaboration with professor Hiroshi Tani of Kansai University, the energy harvester harnesses the rotation of a tire to generate electricity, said SRI in a March 24 statement.

The energy then can be used to provide power for peripheral sensors installed in and around tires without relying on batteries.

"We are pleased to announce that we have now succeeded in developing techniques for measuring tire wear status and contact footprint utilizing these energy harvesters," said the SRI statement.

The technique, it said, involved installing multiple miniaturized energy harvesters within each tire in order to obtain data on the contact footprint in the direction of width.

According to SRI, the technology makes it possible to calculate tire footprint length and rotation cycle. In addition, device voltage levels can be measured based on voltage waveform data obtained from each energy harvester as tires rotate while in contact with the road.

"The results of these calculations can then be extrapolated to estimate tire wear levels," the tire maker.

These technologies, SRI added, will provide "a wealth of knowhow" that can then be put to use in future tire development.