Cyber Tyre: The Intelligent Tyre Revolutionizing Vehicle Safety

Introduction to Cyber Tyre

The latest innovation to emerge from Milan is the Cyber Tyre: an intelligent tyre that provides vital information about vehicle performance and road conditions, as well as the tyre’s status, thanks to a sophisticated sensor embedded in the structure. This data is conveyed to the driver as well as to the car’s electronics, helping improve safety and efficiency.

How Cyber Tyre Works

At the heart of Cyber Tyre is an autonomous electronic sensor that measures around a centimetre squared. This sensor reads the road and its interaction with the tyre, ‘talking’ in real time via a wireless connection to the car’s onboard computer and other electronic systems. These systems then display information to the driver via a graphic interface.

Key Functions of the Sensor

• Interprets grip available
• Analyzes road conditions ranging from dry to wet to icy
• Assesses the condition of the road surface

Performance Metrics

The Cyber Tyre additionally senses various performance metrics, including:

• Vertical load on the tyre
• Lateral and longitudinal forces at work
• Speed limits before aquaplaning
• Grip levels before skidding

Other data fields include:

• Type of asphalt on the road
• Tyre footprint and angle
• Tyre temperature
• Tyre pressure
• Tyre wear
• Number of revolutions

The sensor also acts as each tyre’s ‘passport’, carrying unique information about its identity.

Commercial Applications of Cyber Tyre

Cyber Tyre, which is currently being studied for inclusion as original equipment by the world’s major car manufacturers, is already a reality thanks to the CyberFleet system for commercial vehicles. This system is already in use by some of the leading fleets in Europe and South America.

Benefits of CyberFleet

CyberFleet automatically monitors tyre pressures and temperatures, helping to:

• Optimize fleet costs by reducing fuel spend
• Make tyre maintenance and pressure checks more efficient

Operational Modes

CyberFleet is available in both static and dynamic modes:

1. Static Mode: A portable data reader captures the data from each sensor when the vehicle is at rest. This information can be subsequently transferred to a computer for further analysis and archiving.
2. Dynamic Mode: Full integration with a telematics system allows real-time data capture from the sensors, transmitting information to a centralised database. Any anomalies in tyre temperature or pressure are signalled immediately to both the driver and the fleet manager.

Track & Trace Functionality

Track & Trace functionality is also available, which tracks all information on each individual vehicle’s tyres – including vital parameters such as distance travelled and speed.