Sumitomo Rubber progresses ‘sensing core’ production capability

Kobe, Japan – Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) has advanced its ‘sensing core’ tire sensor technology: achieving ‘level 3’ process capability within an international standard for in-vehicle software development.

Established by the German automotive industry association VDA, the 'automotive spice' standard evaluates the capabilities of automotive software development processes, SRI explained 16 Oct.

Level 3 confirms that “a standardised software development process is defined, documented, and properly managed within an organisation, enabling it to be applied reproducibly throughout the company.”

According to the Japanese tire & rubber group, the attained level is positioned as the standard in the global market, and many automakers expect their suppliers to achieve it.

SRI linked the achievement to its development of proprietary ‘sensing core’ tire sensing technology, which uses the tire itself as a sensor.

The technology analyses wheel speed signals generated by tire rotation to detect air pressure, wear, load, road surface conditions, and signs of wheel detachment.

Going forward, SRI will leverage its latest achievement to accelerate the development of ‘sensing core’ technology which it see as a strategic growth business. (ERJ report)

“While pursuing the fundamental performance of tires, we are also conducting R&D to translate the various pieces of information obtained from tires into new value,” stated SRI.