TRW Rolls Out Low-Cost Zero Initiator Tire Pressure Monitoring System

TRW Automotive is catering to the growing demand of the safety system market by mass producing its low-cost location technology, the zero initiator tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).

TRW’s product portfolio director for Radio Frequency Electronics, Laurent Crosnier stated that the zero initiator system offers the effectiveness of a tire pressure monitoring system and provides safety by automatically recognizing which tires are not properly inflated.

Four wheel-mounted sensors monitor tire pressure levels individually thereby eliminating the requirement of electronic initiators otherwise needed to spot the sensor positions. The receiver is positioned in the rear bumper area or beneath the vehicle’s rear to determine the front and back sensor positions by examining the strength of the received signals. The sensor locations on either side are ascertained by perceiving and processing the planet’s magnetic and gravitational fields. The tire pressure monitoring system determines the underinflated tire by combining the left/right and front/rear information.

TRW began mass production of the zero initiator TPMS technology in late 2010 and is under evaluation by manufacturers worldwide.