Conti Develops Smartphone TPMS Software

Continental’s tyre pressure monitoring system will soon be able to report to smart phones via pressure sensors in intelligent tyres. According to the company, the “filling assistant” system also lets the driver know when they reach the right pressure during inflation. Conti expects users to experience “enhanced driving safety and fuel efficiency” as a result of the system. The first series production of the Filling Assistant in new vehicles is expected from 2013 onwards.

The application, developed by Continental’s Interior Division, communicates wirelessly with the smartphone and specifies the exact inflation pressure of each tyre using a brief honk and blink signal can be given to confirm when the tyre has been inflated to the correct pressure level. Technical requirements for the system are a tyre pressure monitoring system with the corresponding sensors in the tyres and factory-integrated vehicle electronics with a wireless interface.

“This speedy and uncomplicated system not only adds to the user friendliness of the car but also enhances vehicle safety and efficiency,” Dr. Burkhard Wies, head of Continental’s passenger tyre development reported: “The driver is also warned of a gradual loss of inflation pressure resulting from an embedded nail or a damaged valve. At the same time, the environment also benefits, as the proper tire pressure keeps road resistance and thus fuel consumption low.”

“The Filling Assistant is an example of the ever closer networking with the outside world,” adds Andreas Wolf, head of the Body & Security business unit of the Interior division. “And it is precisely this close cooperation between the various domains in vehicle construction, which will provide many more new and above all practical functions in the future.”

From 2013, Continental expects to start mass producing the first tyres that will have sensors collecting tyre data directly in the tyre underneath the tread, instead of sensors that are connected to the valve. And the company believes this will mark the beginning of the intelligent tyre era.

Continental’s AutoLinQ is also mobile-based

Earlier this year (at the CeBit technology trade fair in March) Continental presented another piece of mobile-related technology – its Google Android-based AutoLinQ system. At the time company representatives said that by equipping cars with a permanent mobile radio connection, automakers are, at the same time, giving themselves the option of adding a number of new features to the infotainment system, including an automatically triggered SOS function. The automatic eCall emergency vehicle alert system could thus “quickly find its way into all vehicle classes.”

In this product combination, the multimedia system is upgraded to encompass a manual emergency call function and linked to the in-car safety system to automatically trigger an emergency alert. Upon deployment of a vehicle’s airbags in the event of a serious accident, the closest appropriately equipped public-safety answering point (PSAP) would automatically be alerted and informed of the vehicle’s exact location.
 
Cars would be delivered to customers with factory-installed eCall systems, ensuring that the emergency alert system will actually function as intended in the event of a serious accident. The new technology will be ready for volume production by 2012, provided carmakers are interested.

Related News:

• How do Mobile Apps fit into Tyre Sales and Marketing?

• Researchers Hack a Hole In Tyre Tag Security

• Schrader Rejects Magazine’s TPMS Criticism

• Analysts: Continental’s New In-Vehicle Infotainment System is ‘Revolutionary