04.03.17
The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) is collaborating with Bath University and Silent Sensors to develop a key component for the future of intelligent tires, using piezoelectric energy harvesting, which converts mechanical motion into electrical energy.
This component will be part of the innovative Silent Sensors Tyre Management System (TMS) for vehicles. The technology, which is being funded by Innovate UK, will enable the production of TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems) sensors that can extract energy from the tyre. These new TPMS sensors represent a vital step towards the development of tires with fully integrated traceability and sensing features. Such intelligent tires will enhance vehicle safety, as well as reducing carbon emissions and fuel costs.
Suboptimal tire inflation negatively affects road vehicle safety, fuel consumption and carbon emissions, but regular manual tire checks are time consuming and expensive. Operators are increasingly looking for advanced tires with TMS technology that provides accurate, real-time data on tire condition. The global market for tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) hit $7.59 billion in 2016, according to a report by Persistence Market Research (PMR) and will continue to grow at 6.7% CAGR until 2024.
Silent Sensors – which specialises in tracking and sensor technology for the ‘Internet of Tyres’ – will develop energy harvesting and sensing technology to optimise tire performance via the new TMS. Data from the tire sensors will be used at the edge of the Internet of Things network to give vehicles the reflexes needed to stay safe and efficient; the data will also be fed into the cloud for analytics and transactional requirements such as carbon trading or paying by the kilometer.
“The Intelligent Tyre is our goal in the next two years and the piezoelectric materials that Bath University has developed show great promise,” said Marcus Taylor, CEO and co-founder of Silent Sensors. “Within our TMS tyre sensors we have energy harvesting and storage, micro-controllers, short range radio and sensor arrays that will enable future autonomous vehicles to use their tyres to detect information about the environment.”
This component will be part of the innovative Silent Sensors Tyre Management System (TMS) for vehicles. The technology, which is being funded by Innovate UK, will enable the production of TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems) sensors that can extract energy from the tyre. These new TPMS sensors represent a vital step towards the development of tires with fully integrated traceability and sensing features. Such intelligent tires will enhance vehicle safety, as well as reducing carbon emissions and fuel costs.
Suboptimal tire inflation negatively affects road vehicle safety, fuel consumption and carbon emissions, but regular manual tire checks are time consuming and expensive. Operators are increasingly looking for advanced tires with TMS technology that provides accurate, real-time data on tire condition. The global market for tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) hit $7.59 billion in 2016, according to a report by Persistence Market Research (PMR) and will continue to grow at 6.7% CAGR until 2024.
Silent Sensors – which specialises in tracking and sensor technology for the ‘Internet of Tyres’ – will develop energy harvesting and sensing technology to optimise tire performance via the new TMS. Data from the tire sensors will be used at the edge of the Internet of Things network to give vehicles the reflexes needed to stay safe and efficient; the data will also be fed into the cloud for analytics and transactional requirements such as carbon trading or paying by the kilometer.
“The Intelligent Tyre is our goal in the next two years and the piezoelectric materials that Bath University has developed show great promise,” said Marcus Taylor, CEO and co-founder of Silent Sensors. “Within our TMS tyre sensors we have energy harvesting and storage, micro-controllers, short range radio and sensor arrays that will enable future autonomous vehicles to use their tyres to detect information about the environment.”
