In-Highway Sensors Check Tire Pressure on the Fly

Underinflated truck tires pose a safety threat and unnecessary maintenance expense for fleet operators. But a new system of sensors buried in the roadway could instantly spot such tires at any vehicle speed and provide a mountain of additional monitoring data.

Canada's International Road Dynamics Inc. says its VectorSense technology can be coupled with truck weigh-in systems to flag tires that need more (or less) air before they become a problem.

VectorSense consists of three 16-foot sensor channels buried latitudinally across a highway lane about 1.4 inches deep and 10 inches apart. Each track contains sensors that measure distortion of a signal reflected off the tire tread as it rolls over the track. Results are used to create an image of each tire's contact patch.

IRD, which is based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, says VectorSense is 98% accurate in clocking vehicle speed and detecting underinflated tires. It is equally effective measuring two-, three- and four-wheeled vehicles. It also can calculate approximate load on each tire on vehicles moving at expressway speeds.

The technology produces detailed readouts for each tire in a tractor-trailer rig regardless of tire width or axle configuration, including whether a tire is mounted singly or dualed with a second tire. VectorSense works for tires with pressures as high as 200 psi. It also is sensitive enough to identify trucks with cargos that present a vehicle handling hazard because they were improperly loaded or shifted during transit, according to the company.