Talking Tires - A Basis for Tire Diagnostics

Today's tire pressure monitoring systems comprise valve stem mounted wheel units for pressure measurement which are battery-powered. In this contribution, a novel intelligent tire system is presented which provides a wealth of functionality including tire pressure system monitoring. The main features are battery-less operation based on a transponder principle and the permanent, transparent incorporation of the electronics in the tire. Hence, there are no life-time or ecology issues as in battery-based systems, the mounting process is simpler than in valve stem systems and tire identification capabilities are provided. The paper describes the basic system functionality and the key technical parameters to start an industry-wide discussion on standardization.