Is the Pressure Okay in Your Car Tire?
A new offer uses basic, wheel-mounted direct TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) sensors to measure the pressure and temperature of the air inside a tire.
And it 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.
TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. says it has developed its next generation TPMS – a hybrid system, which uses a combination of sensing technologies to provide automatic location functionality.
Martin Thoone, vice president, electronics engineering at TRW said: “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. Furthermore, the receiver can be located inside the vehicle which enables us to reduce housing costs – and therefore makes this our most affordable auto-location system yet.”
[ Also Read: Can there be a No-Accident Car? ]Like TRW’s current direct TPMS (dTPMS) systems, the 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.
TRW anticipates that its hybrid TPMS will be ready for production in 2013. It was announced today, Oct. 11.
TRW Automotive products include integrated vehicle control and driver assist systems, braking systems, steering systems, suspension systems, occupant safety systems (seat belts and airbags), electronics, engine components, fastening systems and aftermarket replacement parts and services.
Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, USA, the company, through its subsidiaries, operates in 26 countries and employs over 60,000 people worldwide.
