SRI SENSING CORE CORE VALUE A new function and a fresh development partnership will help deploy SRI’s Sensing Core tech beyond TPMS applications In Japan, wheel detachments have been causing serious accidents – especially in the winter season S 38 By GRAHAM HEEPS ix years ago, TTI spent an afternoon inside the technical center at Sumitomo Rubber Group (SRI) in Kobe, Japan, for a deep-dive into the company’s new Sensing Core technology. Sensing Core is SRI’s sensor-free warning system for tire monitoring, uneven loads and hazardous road conditions (see Indirectly speaking, October 2018, p26). In 2021, a wear-sensing function was added to the portfolio. Fifteen OEMs now have SRI’s original deflation warning system (DWS – an indirect TPMS) on board. However, despite OEM interest, not one had taken Sensing Core’s other innovative functions into production – until now. Detachment solution The fifth and latest ‘pillar’ of Sensing Core is a wheel detachment function, and it is this new piece of software that is set for production use. At January’s CES, SRI told TTI that the first OEM passenger car application will begin in 2024. “The biggest recent change to Sensing Core has been to add the wheel detachment function,” confirms Keisuke Shuto, a manager from SRI’s automotive system division. “In Japan, wheel detachments have been causing serious accidents – especially in the winter season when people change to winter tires and sometimes forget to tighten the nuts. Then, the wheel detaches and can hit pedestrians. It’s a big topic in Japan, not only for passenger cars but also for large commercial vehicles.” SRI developed the wheel detachment function to prevent these accidents. The software-only concept is the same as for the earlier www.tiretechnologyinternational.com March 2024