TRW
has developed a next-generation
tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that combines
several sensing technologies to provide automatic
location functionality.
It uses basic, wheel-mounted direct TPMS sensors to
measure the pressure and temperature of the air inside a
tire, and combines this with data from a vehicle’s ABS
or ESC wheel speed sensors to provide an auto-location
function and notify the driver which tire or tires may
have low pressure.
“Our new hybrid system has the advantage of a premium
auto-location system, but eliminates the need for the
additional electronics hardware previously required to
locate the sensor positions,” says Martin Thoone, vice
president of electronics engineering.
“Furthermore, the receiver can be located inside the
vehicle,” he adds, “which enables us to reduce housing
costs – and therefore makes this our most affordable
auto-location system yet.”
As with the company’s current direct TPMS systems,
dubbed “dTPMS,” the new technology includes four basic
wheel-mounted sensors to directly monitor the individual
tire pressure levels, but eliminates the need for the
electronic initiators previously required to locate the
sensor positions. The receiver is typically mounted in
the passenger compartment, and can identify tire
locations by correlating data from the TPMS sensors and
the vehicle’s ABS/ ESC sensors.
“Although we support customers with indirect TPMS
systems, at TRW we believe that direct TPMS is the best
technical solution for both tire safety and to help
reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel consumption,”
Thoone says.
“With this market set to grow over the next five to ten
years due to impending or potential regulations in
Europe and Asia, we will continue to develop our dTPMS
technology portfolio to offer a more affordable solution
for our customers,” he notes. “Our new hybrid TPMS
technology is an important step in this
direction.”
It is expected to be ready for production in
2013.
For more information, visit www.trw.com.
