Continental adds function to simplify tyre Pressure Monitoring

Continental has added a new feature to its successful ContiPressureCheck™ tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS). Automatic Trailer Learning (ATL) can now monitor the condition of tyres on trucks and trailers much more easily and practically. Semitrailer tractors with ATL can automatically and wirelessly detect each trailer tyre equipped with ContiPressureCheck sensors.

This means that the tyre pressure monitoring for the trailer matches up with that of the tractor vehicle, even if the semitrailer is frequently changed.

The pressure and temperature data from all twelve tyres on the truck and trailer combination are reliably transferred to the display in the cab. The wiring for the ContiPressureCheck system with ATL is fitted exclusively to the tractor vehicle. Once the ContiPressureCheck sensors are fitted to the tyres, no further installation work is required on the trailer. It only takes the system a few minutes to detect a newly coupled trailer and display the initial data. This happens while the vehicle is in motion and without the driver having to do anything.

When the vehicle has been stationary for more than 15 minutes, ContiPressureCheck™ checks again whether the tractor vehicle is coupled to a trailer and, if so, to which one. If a new trailer is detected it sends the tyre data to the driver. Continental will be presenting the new Automatic Trailer Learning function to the general public for the first time at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Show 2014 in Hanover.

The tyre manufacturer brought ContiPressureCheck™ to market in 2013. This modern tyre pressure monitoring system consists of a battery-operated sensor module fitted to each tyre, a receiver on the vehicle frame, and a display on the dashboard. The sensor module measures about two centimetres across and weighs just 26 grams. It contains sensors for data acquisition, a processor and a transmitter, all housed in a rubber bracket that is fixed to the inside of the tyre tread. When the tyre is changed, it can be removed from the bracket and used on the new tyre. The battery lasts about six years or 600,000 km. ContiPressureCheck™ works with all tyre brands and on all truck-trailer combinations and buses.

Once fitted, the system continually sends up-to-date data on the tyre pressure and temperature of all tyres to the cab. This means information about the state of all the tyres on the vehicle is available to drivers at a glance, allowing them to react quickly if the values are not as they should be. A loss of tyre pressure results in higher fuel consumption, shortens the service life of the tyre, and also jeopardises road safety. Vehicles with ContiPressureCheck™ can not only save fleet operators time and money, they can also ensure the reliable delivery of goods to customers, and help get passengers to their destinations safely and on time.

The new “Automatic Trailer Learning function” detects a newly coupled trailer and transfers the data from all tyres to the ContiPressureCheck™ display.