The modern approach on vehicle simulation is in the need of accurate tire models. In particular, a precise knowledge of the tire contact patch is increasingly important. Systems used for the measurement of the contact patch can be classified into stationary systems, tire rig implemented systems or wheel mounted devices. The latter are mostly limited by the complexity of the assembly. The Institute of Automotive Engineering of the University of Stuttgart developed an easily mountable tire sensor to enable contact patch measurement in real driving conditions. A miniaturized camera and projector are mounted on the rim as an extension of the IR tire pressure temperature monitoring system. This enables measurement of the tire contact area inside the tire using a 3D scan approach based on structured light. In combination with an inertial measurement unit the sensor captures the contact patch at each tire rotation. Data transfer then takes place via Wi-Fi and the final image processing is carried out on the engineer’s end device. Using this new kind of tire sensor enables engineers to collect additional information on tire deformation and contact patch while maintaining the ease of mounting from conventional tire pressure monitoring systems. In addition to other contact patch measurement systems, the choice of testing environment is up to the user’s needs. Contact patch analysis can be done on different kind of tire test rigs and during real driving conditions on or off road. This publication will give insights in the development of the tire sensor as well as first results. In addition, insight is shown into the already started further development.