Infrared sensor provides tyre measurements

Digityre IR provides accurate temperature and pressure data unaffected by heat soak from the rim and brakes.

'Tyre temperature sensors are normally fitted to the rim as part of the valve,' said managing director John Bailey.

'Heat soak from the rim and brakes distorts results from a traditional wheel sensor.

'Our system uses IR sensors to measure the inside temperature of the tyre itself, not air temperature.

'Engineers will now be able to correlate accurate tyre carcass temperature to wear, traction and loading.' Information about the tyre carcass temperature could also help to identify tyre deflation issues quicker.

'There is a chain of events when a tyre deflates,' said Bailey.

'If a tyre develops a puncture, tyre and air temperatures rise with a short lag between the two.

'Traditional systems only measure air temperature, while our system will receive data about changes to the carcass temperature, so we could determine a puncture a little earlier.' The system offers a resolution of 0.25C and accuracy of 0.5C across the temperature range -40C to 215C.

The wheel sensor transmits pressure, air and tyre temperature at 1Hz, via antennae to the ECU.

Existing Beru customers can upgrade an existing TPMS with new wheel electronics and software.

The system is also compatible with CAN bus, making its use in OEM applications equally relevant.

The sensor includes a low frequency (LF) receiver, allowing engineers using remote devices to receive data.

This also allows tyre temperature and pressure to be monitored when the wheels are not fitted to a vehicle but on dynos or test beds.

The system is now being tested in F1, where tyre setup and pressure is essential to lap times and race success.

For tyre manufacturers, the IR sensor will provide information on how tyre temperature affects tyre performance and wear.