TRW Automotive Holdings has launched a tyre pressure monitoring system. This system uses sensors that are fixed on the tyres for measuring the temperature and pressure inside the tyre.
TPMS TRW's next generation tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is a hybrid system which uses a combination of sensing technologies to provide automatic location of an under-inflated tire. Credit: TRW Automotive Holdings Corp.
This data is then combined with the data from the vehicle’s ABS wheel speed sensors and the driver is notified about the location and about the tyres that may have low pressure.
The system has four TPMS sensors that are fixed on each tyre, but unlike previous systems, this does not require electronic initiators to locate the position of the sensors. The receiver for the system can be fixed in the passenger compartment and can integrate the data from the TPMS sensors and the ABS sensors to provide the location of the tyres. According to Martin Thoone, VP of TRW’s electronic engineering department, the fact that the receiver can be placed within the car, reduces the total installation costs and thus makes the TPMS an affordable sensing system. He also added that the system will not just help in identifying the location and pressure of the tyres but will also help in reducing carbon emissions and thus enable efficient fuel consumption. The TPMS from TRW is scheduled for production by 2013.
Source: http://www.trw.com