Sumitomo Rubber introducing technology to detect loose wheel nuts

Hyogo, Japan – Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) has developed a new wheel detachment function as part of its Sensing Core technology.

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

The new feature to detect loose wheel nuts has now reached commercial production and will be employed by one OEM as “standard equipment” this year, said SRI.

Discussions, added the Japanese group, are ongoing with other vehicle manufacturers interested in adopting the technology, added the press release supplied 26 March.

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 millimetre”.

The function has been developed in view of increased accidents and injuries 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,” said SRI.

Sensing Core grew out of SRI’s original deflation warning system (DWS), an indirect tire pressure monitoring system.

According to the group, 15 OEMs from Europe, Japan, China and India now fit its DWS to their cars.

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

The group has already 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 tyre wear.

When a tire is ready for replacement, an alert can be sent to the driver or fleet manager, according to the SRI release.