At the Mid-America show Continental Tire showed off its first tire-pressure monitoring system or commercial vehicles, ContiPressureCheck.
 
The system constantly monitors each tire on the vehicle in order to provide real-time, on-demand tire-status information and to warn the driver of problems before they become critical.
 
It integrates its sensors, communication system, and data processor into a single module housed inside a rubber container and glued to the inner surface of the tire. The sensors continuously monitor both air pressure and the tire’s temperature, and send data wirelessly to the truck’s electronic control unit (ECU). This processes the data, saves warnings, and sends them directly to a display in the driver’s cab. The driver can immediately take corrective action and avoid a breakdown before it happens.
 
Continental says it’s the only system on the market to account for the tire’s temperature at its most optimal point inside the tire, which eliminates interference from other outside elements. The system then compensates for the temperature in the inflation data.
 
Since a tire’s contained air pressure naturally increases as a vehicle moves, it can be difficult to tell if a hot tire is underinflated, the company says. Without some form of temperature compensation, a hot tire that’s underinflated might appear to be fine, because the contained air pressure is at or above its cold inflation pressure, according to Continental.
 
By measuring both pressure and compensated temperature, even slow leaks can be detected, the company claims.
 
The system is robust and reliable, according to Continental, because the system sensors are placed inside the tire where they’re less prone to breakage or accidental damage. This is also said to avoid measurement errors due to brake heating. The system can be easily installed when tires are replaced or even before the new vehicle is delivered from the manufacturer.
 
Continental notes that the U.S. Department of Transportation recently reported that in a two-year test, use of a tire-pressure monitoring system decreased fuel consumption by 1.4%.
 
ContiPressureCheck will be available in fall of this year.