Tyrata introduces IntelliTread TM real-time tread wear sensor

     Tire sensor and data management company Tyrata has achieved a milestone in the development of its IntelliTread TM real-time tread wear sensor. After testing on a variety of OEM passenger car tires, the sensor's design and operation were improved. The IntelliTread sensor uses a wireless signal to track changes in tread depth in millimeters and signals when used commercially and tires need to be replaced, or to report information about uneven tread and dangerous tire wear conditions.

     Every year, hundreds of people are killed and thousands injured in tire related accidents in the United States alone, many of which are caused by worn tires. However, the only common way to determine tread depth is to measure the tire manually, such as holding a coin in the tire groove to determine the depth. While integrated tire pressure sensors improve safety, the industry still needs a way to monitor tire tread thickness in real time. Tyrata's new technology monitors, tracks and predicts tread wear over the life of a tire.

     The IntelliTread sensor determines tread depth using proprietary sensors and electronic technology mounted inside the tire. When a voltage is applied to the sensor, an electrical signal passes through the tire. When the tire rubber wears out, the signal changes. Sensor electronics use such signal changes to determine tire tread depth, which can then be wirelessly transmitted for further analysis and display to the consumer.

     Tires are complex, heterogeneous structures composed of a variety of raw materials with very different properties, so measuring tread wear is very challenging. The electrical signal must penetrate all layers of the tire, such as the core steel band of most tires, and is very sensitive to changes in depth of a few millimeters in the tread. With advances in the design and operation of sensors as well as electronics and packaging, the Tyrata team has now proven its technology on OEM passenger car tires such as Hankook and Firestone steel belt radial tires. Sensors installed at various parts of each tire repeatedly produce a predictable response each time the tread is removed by 1 mm. As Tyrata commercializes its IntelliTread technology, this technological breakthrough advances the sensor toward product-level packaging and on-board integration testing.