'Intelligent' Tyres Are Just Around The Corner
New tech allows dynamic control systems to factor-in 'live' tyre data
Tyres capable of monitoring themselves, road conditions and 'talking' with a vehicle's electronic systems will be available within three years, heralding 'a revolution in traction technology'.
Pirelli - the thinking car's tyres?
Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) introduced the concept of combining electronic sensors within a vehicle's tyre and have proven to make a significant contribution to safety and fuel efficiency, says Schrader, and all cars will be fitted with this technology by law from 2012.
But describing the arrival of the new technology as a 'quantum leap', the firm says the advances will change the scope of what can be offered by the only direct interface between car and the road surface.
The new development apparently centres on a sensor mounted within the inside of the tyre rather than on the valve or wheel rim as with current direct TPMS. It then transmits information wirelessly to receivers mounted in the vehicle's wheel housing and via the car's ECU to the driver.
This enables a raft of previously unobtainable data to be relayed to the vehicle's ABS, ESP and other electronic systems. Information about the tyre's tread depth, pressure and temperature, along with the shape of its footprint and the amount of load it is under, will be combined with precise readings of road conditions, such as the amount of grip available, to optimise control of the vehicle's dynamics.
A partnership with Pirelli will see the first phase of these tyres arriving in the European market during 2010, they say. Called the 'Cyber Tyre Lean', pressure, temperature, average load and the number of revolutions are measured and fed to the vehicle's electronic systems. The fully intelligent tyre, to be called the 'Cyber Tyre' is expected to arrive in 2013.
"Whatever next?" we're forced to ask. Here at PH we're just looking forward to the day when our cars won't need drivers at all. Hang on, that's not right...
(PS. Googling for 'Pirelli pictures' just made our morning!)
And then HM Govt will have more available to them to bring in a law that says "When the tyre ECU tells you you're exceeding the tyres grip/speed limit/tyre wear etc etc it will cut out the engine"
Sounds completely superfluous for road use to me ?
(except for Grannies/lazy housewives/chavs etc of course
: )Resulting in the tyre merchants sucking there teeth and saying "Coz its inside mate, you'll need a new'un. That"ll be 200 quid mate"
Perhaps you could do it with a hub that can fold inwards at the edges. Only real downsides I can see would be price and weight. Still, guess that would be a few years down the line.
It has great potential if applied correctly.
Perhaps you could do it with a hub that can fold inwards at the edges. Only real downsides I can see would be price and weight. Still, guess that would be a few years down the line.
Is this a p*ss take? yes?
What so all cars will have a system simillar to that used by Renualt on the Clio, where it just beeps for the hell of it? you can stop it - by blowing the tyres up like balloons......
However, not if it interferes with your ECU to the point where it cuts engine power or worse still stops the car altogether. Imagine that kicking in as you're overtaking someone or joining a junction or motorway.
Worse still your tyres are getting low on tread although not illegal and the tyre broadcasts such info to the cops. Shortly afterwards you're being stopped for having low tread or you're getting an automatic NIP in the post for having dodgy tyres.
This is all getting a bit silly. George Orwell would be having kittens right now if he new just how tame his writings were compared to what it's really like today. As has already been said, perhaps cars will just drive themselves one day in which case we may as well all be driving the same car.
Ever looked up what quantum leap actually means? It's the smallest possible advance. Like a step if you're walking, doesn't matter if you inch one foot in front of the other ot take a stride - you can't move without making a step, it's therefore the smallest move forward you can make.
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