Sumitomo Rubber, Murata develop 3D tire wear monitoring system

Tokyo - Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) and electronic components producer Murata Manufacturing are developing a new 3D tire-wear detection system.

Set for demonstration next year, the system detects wear by capturing the tire shape in three dimensions and feeding the data back to the user, SRI said 10 April.

The system is scheduled to begin testing at Tireland Dunlop 'directly managed stores' in 2025, the Japanese tire & rubber group added.

According to SRI, when checking tire-wear, most people generally measure the depth of the main groove using a specially designed tool.

This means that errors could occur depending on the measurement conditions, the group explained.

In addition, uneven tire wear is mainly determined by visual inspection, in which the accuracy is determined by skill-level of the operator.

In development since 2021, the new technology combines SRI’s knowledge of tire maintenance and tire development with Murata's 3D measurement expertise.

The resulting system uses a smartphone application to scan tires with a wear-detection device and analyses tire surface data via an algorithm.

The process makes it possible to “accurately understand” tire wear in three dimensions, continued the SRI release.

Wear status of each main groove of a tire is displayed in three stages, and if there is uneven wear, the position is provided as feedback, it noted.

According to SRI, truck & bus operators reported cost-reduction and environmental-management among their key problems in 2024.

Through the new system, the partners aim to better predict when to replace or rotate tires based on trends in wear, including uneven wear.

This will result in improved vehicle operating rates through planned maintenance, SRI concluded.