Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems for Commercial Vehicles (TPMS for CV)

摘要

Motivation: Fuel and tires are considered as the major contributors for the operational costs of commercial vehicles. Studies showing the correlation between underinflation of tires and increased fuel consumption identify correct maintenance of tire pressure as one of the main parameters to improve the operational effectiveness of commercial vehicle applications. Additionally, the valuable asset truck tire is utilized with maximum efficiency. Running truck tires at optimum pressure values maximizes their lifetime and reduces direct costs for road side assistance and penalties for late deliveries. In economies of increasing cost pressures, these arguments generate more and more market attention to TPMS for CV applications. Description of state of the art TPMS: State of the art systems measure pressure and temperature directly in the tire. They continuously monitor all tires of the vehicle and immediately report any under-inflation to the driver or the fleet manager. For smooth and fool-proof operation, self-configurable systems minimize maintenance needs and driver inputs. The paper will give detailed information regarding today's TPMS architectures with special focus on CV needs. State of the art TPMS as basis for evolution into intelligent fleet solutions: Looking beyond pure pressure monitoring, we will explore the potential for advanced vehicle and fleet maintenance functions. Linking pressure information into existing telematics solutions enables the fleet managers to actively schedule tire maintenance and avoid breakdowns caused by continued under-inflation. Telematics add value to the TPMS information by linking it off the vehicle and providing it on a higher level to the fleet management. TPMS combined with tire identification enables a complete life cycle management for tires, further improving their efficiency: Automatic identification, centralized tracking and proactive maintenance scheduling increase the value and minimize negative impacts on fleet operations.