TPMS - Tire Pressure Monitoring System

One of the most rapidly growing pressure sensor applications is tire pressure monitoring. The basic systems simply indicate to the driver the need to check tire pressure. Tire pressure measurement has several links to the car safety systems and could be used to detect more than a flat tire, for example

• Low front tire pressure results in under steering and low rear tire pressure in over steering

• Over- or under-inflation will significantly decrease tire life,

• A 0.4 bar deviation from optimum corresponds to 30% in life, - Under-inflation increases fuel consumption by about 4% per 0.6 bar

• Hydroplaning is a real risk as there is no road contact in the centre of the tire beyond speeds of 100km/h,

• 50% under-inflated tires (2.4bar => 1.2bar) increase stopping distance from 100km/h with ABS up to 10m under wet conditions,

• A pressure drop over a certain limit activates an alarm,

• Incorrect tire pressure disturbs suspension control.