The system, developed in association with the CPI’s National Printable Electronics Centre, uses passive RFID sensor technology and can monitor tyres using drive over mats, hand held readers or whilst on the road. The approach is said to allow tyre ID, pressure, temperature and tread depth data to be read in a fraction of a second. In this way, the company notes, tyres can be maintained regularly, bringing improvements in vehicle performance, fuel efficiency and road safety.
Marcus Taylor, CEO of Silent Sensors, noted: “20% of road accidents are caused by tyre failures. Silent Sensors’ technology will change the way transport fleets currently manage their tyres. In addition, when 25% of a haulage company’s costs are fuel, small fuel savings become big. We estimate that Silent Sensors’ system will result in fuel savings of between 2 and 6%.”
Silent Sensors is now working with CPI on a product development programme to improve antenna design and to incorporate printed sensors into the tyre manufacturing process and associated supply chain.
“Our aim is to work with CPI to develop a mass manufactured version of our current system,” Taylor added. “In the short time we have been at CPI, we have already generated a lot of new valuable IP that we will be incorporating into future products and services.”
The system, currently being trialled in the UK and Asia, is said to be easily integrated with third party tyre management systems, fleet management systems and enterprise resource planning systems.
