Falken Develops Software Capable Of Detecting Loose Wheel, And More

Falken Tyre has developed a software capable of detecting loose wheels. Said tech is based off the DWS tech first developed by parent company SRI.

Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), the parent firm of Falken Tyres, recently revealed it developed a new software called ‘Sensing Core’. This intelligent tyre technology boasts the ability to detect loose wheels, amongst many other core functions.

Parent firm SRI initially grew Sensing Core out of its original deflation warning system (DWS), which serves as an indirect tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS). It is now the centerpiece of the peripheral services SRI is developing to meet the future challenges of CASE vehicles and mobility as a service under the Smart Tyre Concept umbrella. 

This software is set to reach production vehicles - both passenger cars and commercial trucks - for the first time this year. Sensing Core is a flexible, sensorless analysis and monitoring system with various applications, including tyre pressure and wear, uneven loads, and hazardous road conditions.

In the case of loose wheel detection, the software measures both the tyre's vibration and eccentric rotation rates. Through which, the system can use both data and determine when a wheel begins to rotate itself loose, thus prompting a warning to drivers.

Specifically for loose wheel detection, Sensing Core measures both the tyre's vibration and eccentric rotation rates. From which, it detect when a tyre is about to rotate itself loose and promptly issues a warning to drivers.

In recent years, accidents and injuries caused by detached wheels have become headline news in markets like Japan, especially during the winter season when car and truck drivers switch over to winter tyres and may not tighten the wheel nuts sufficiently. 

The Government of Japan has expressed its desire to end loose wheel accidents, and SRI believes that Sensing Core's wheel detachment function is one step toward this goal. This year, said software will be fitted to a car as standard equipment for the first time by an OEM customer. 

Though Falken hasn’t outright named which automaker it is just yet, the firm did note that discussions are ongoing with other vehicle manufacturers to adopt this software. 

Dr. Bernd Löwenhaupt, Managing Director of Sumitomo Rubber Europe GmbH, believes that Sensing Core will make a significant contribution to the evolution and further development of mobility in the coming autonomous driving society. KR