Goodyear and Siemens VDO Team Up for Tire Pressure Warning Software

Goodyear and Siemens VDO Automotive Corporation have developed a new software program that can interpret tire and vehicle data together to provide driver warnings of low tire inflation.
The system delivers a ‘convenience’ message and a ‘warning’ message. A convenience message could result from detecting more weight than usual in the car and traveling at high speed. At the next stop for fuel, it suggests the driver add air pressure to the tires.
“The ‘warning’ message will be more direct–it will indicate that you have reached a critical limit for air pressure in one or more tires and ‘a calculated’ number of miles to correct the situation,” said Bill Hopkins, Goodyear vice president for global product marketing and technology planning. “The threshold can be a limit established by a law such as the United States’ TREAD Act, or any threshold setting established by the vehicle manufacturer,” Hopkins said.
“We deliver the information to the driver and Goodyear is providing the tire performance information,” said John Sanderson, president and CEO of Siemens VDO Automotive Corporation.
“The system draws on Goodyear’s expertise in tires, tire inflation pressure and temperature monitoring and interpretation. Siemens’ proficiency is in electronics, secured radio frequency transmission and vehicle system integration technologies,” Sanderson said. “The Siemens VDO-Goodyear warning software can interpret a multitude of vehicle parameters and calculate a recommended tire pressure based on data such as ambient temperature and pressure, tire load, speed and driving habits."
The level of message will depend on current tire inflation pressure, assessment of a pressure leak rate and the time and distance traveled since the pressure has been below the recommended level. This can be localized per tire. This software will be the first step toward tire pressure monitoring systems that will be battery-less and embedded in tires as part of the total Siemens VDO/Goodyear Low Pressure Warning System targeted for automakers. The software will also be available for sale to improve existing low pressure warning systems.