With autonomous and electric vehicles gaining popularity, tire technology continues to advance. The automotive company Continental is continuing to update its smart tire features, presenting two brand new tire concepts at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show.
ContiSense
First up is the ContiSense, which centers around electrically conductive rubber compounds. This allows a tire sensor to send electrical signals to a receiver in the car. The rubber-based sensor technology is tasked with monitoring tread depth and temperature.
Once the sensors read a value that steps beyond healthy parameters, it will immediately notify the driver. The driver will also be promptly warned if the system detects a puncture, which will cause a circuit in the tire to close.
In the near future, ContiSense will use individualized sensors. “Thus information about the road surface, such as its temperature or the presence of snow, can be ‘felt’ by the tire and passed on to the driver. The data can be transmitted to the vehicle electronics or via Bluetooth to a smartphone,” according to Continental.
ContiAdapt
Next up is the ContiAdapt tire design, which uses micro-compressors that are incorporated into the wheel to adjust tire pressure with a variable-width rim. The system can therefore change the contact patch size, which is a vital safety component depending on various roadway conditions.
By utilizing the four different combinations of contact path and tire pressure, cars can adequately adapt to slippery, wet, uneven, and normal driving surfaces.
Continental’s press release lays out two helpful examples. High tire pressure with a smaller contact patch allows for an energy-efficient drive on dry, even roads. On the other hand, low tire pressure with a larger contact patch is preferred to increase grip on slippery highways.
How low can the tire pressure go? ContiAdapt allows for users to set pressure below one bar.
Mobility of the Future
Both of these tire concepts offer promising advantages for automated driving and electric vehicle technology, according to Continental.
“These concepts are the logical next step in the future-oriented development of the REDI sensor, brought to market by Continental in 2014, which was instrumental in establishing smart communication between vehicle and tire,” according to the press release.
In addition to the REDI sensor, the two new tire concepts follow on previous Continental technologies, such as the ContiSeal (automatic sealing of punctures) and ContiSilent (tangible reduction in road/tire noise).
Scroll through the photo gallery below to get a closer look at the concept designs.
