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Conti is developing
a solid-state LiDAR
system that provides
3D information.
that is based on electrically conductive rubber compounds.
Sensors in the tire monitor conditions, both intrinsic to the
tire (i.e., tread depth) and extrinsic (road temperature). It
can detect whether there is a puncture. All of this informa-
tion can be provided to the driver or to the controller of an
automated vehicle. There is also "ContiAdapt," which has a
series of micro-compressors integrated into the wheel and
a variable-width rim. The objective of this tire is to provide
the precise contact patch necessary for the existing condi-
tions: should there be slippery roads, then the tire is actually
widened (by reducing air pressure) in order to provide a
large tire patch; should the goal be low rolling resistance for
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optimal fuel efficiency, then there
is an increase in tire pressure and a
narrowing of the patch.
The point is: even when it
comes to tires there is intelligence
embedded in what Conti is doing to
advance the capabilities of automated driving.
One of the interesting things that the company is doing
in its developments is putting several of them—sensors,
actuators, control units and communication and networking
technology—together in a vehicle that it is running on
company property in Frankfurt.
AD&P; ∕ NOVEMBER 2017
CONTINENTAL