Q&A with B.stone on TPMS
2010-5-26 车辆技术 Tags:
just-auto: What is the future for TPMS technology? Do you think that indirect TPMS will become a standard feature of on future electronic stability control systems?
Franco Annunziato: We fully support accurate TPMS, firstly as an important safety factor, reducing the numbers of failures due to running at low pressure, and secondly, because it can maintain the tyres’ optimum rolling resistance when the pressure is correctly adjusted.
The indirect TPMS system relies on the ABS sensors which are fitted to almost 100% of all cars today. The electronics evaluate any difference in the speed of rotation of one tyre versus the others so detecting a deflation.
A direct TPMS measures the internal pressure of the tyre with a sensor and transmits this to a receiver in the vehicle. The electronics can then display and follow the real internal pressure of the tyre.
The EU regulation will be a major driver to bring TPMS to all users; however it is not yet certain which TPMS type will become mandatory.
j-a: As I understand it, TPMS technology is evolving to the point where one scenario could be this: As soon as the TPMS tells you that your tyre needs servicing, the nearest licensed service station will be automatically alerted through your car’s GPS, giving you directions to a site where qualified personnel will be awaiting your arrival. How far away are we from achieving this?
FA: Most high-end vehicles have now a GPS system as standard equipment; its navigation software often contains the locations of approved service centres. Linking vehicle faults, such as low tyre pressure, and service centres is the next logical step in such a system. Adding in the communication from car to service centre is also becoming possible as manufacturers add internet connectivity.
Such systems could therefore be implemented relatively soon if the car manufacturer sees a requirement.
j-a: Run-flat tyres have also done a lot to improve vehicle safety yet come with a high price tag. Do you see technological evolution bringing run-flat and self-inflating tyres into the cheaper mainstream?
FA: SSR features a side-supported rubber aiming to support the load of the vehicle when the tyre deflates.
Therefore, in principle the cost of a RFT will be higher than a regular tyre, because of the side-supported rubber.
However SSR system means ‘spareless’ which could result in eliminating a full spare tyre or temporary spare tyre or sealing kit. So we believe it could be possible to equal or even improve the cost of a regular tyre when we consider it as a complete system.
j-a: In addition to driver safety, the current focus is to find ways in which to reduce CO2 emissions. As 25% of all CO2 emissions are generated by road traffic and about 20-3% of a vehicle’s energy consumption can be attributed to tyres alone, measures to improve rolling resistance remain a top priority. Could you draw on an example of a recent tyre innovation which demonstrates how your company has reduced rolling resistance?
FA: First, I would like to emphasise that although the figures you quote are correct, the energy consumption attributed to tyres cannot be eliminated, and will always be significant. Nevertheless, tyre companies continue to make inroads to reducing the rolling resistance of tyres to contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.
All tyre companies are faced with the same challenge whereby tyre performances are linked to each other. For example, it is possible to make a tyre with far superior low rolling resistance than current tyres, but the penalty would be that the wet braking performance of the same tyre would be unacceptable, and even dangerous. That is why the European labelling regulation includes both energy efficiency and wet braking performance on the same label.
Our company has introduced nanoprotech technology in the tread rubber compounds, which lowers the rolling resistance coefficient by reducing energy loss in the top compound during rotation.
j-a: As we see it, most tyre manufacturers offer a low rolling resistance tyre in their range yet few currently advertise the use of the silica-silane technology in their commercial vehicle ranges. Why is that?
FA: The use of silica silane is a feature. Communication tends to focus on the benefits rather than the features that actually bring those benefits.
j-a: In addition to low rolling resistance, low tyre/road noise are requirements imposed on modern tyres for environmental and economic considerations. Could you draw on an example of a recent tyre innovation which demonstrates how your company has reduced rolling tyre noise, perhaps highlighting certain new processes or developments?
FA: Reducing tyre road noise is a challenge for all tyre manufacturers. It has been proven that road surfaces and the materials used to make them can contribute more to the reduction of tyre road noise than the tyre itself. Also, the quietest tyre possible to make is a slick, that is, a tyre with no tread pattern at all. Slicks are not an option for normal cars as the lack of wet grip would be unacceptable. It is the grooves of a tyre’s tread pattern that contribute to creating external noise, but it is the same grooves that allow for water evacuation and directional stability, and grip on wet surfaces. By optimising tread design, it is possible to achieve the regulated noise limits, and this is where most of the advances have been made with regards to tyre noise.
j-a: In what ways will information on the new EU tyre regulatory standards provide a better service for the end-consumer?
FA: The end-consumer will be able to recognise the performances of each tyre before they purchase it, thanks to a performance label that must be displayed with the tyre, and on point-of-sale material. The label, inspired by the energy efficiency label which is currently displayed on refrigerators and other white goods, will show the wet grip grading of the tyre and the measured external noise in dbA as well as the energy efficiency rating on a seven-grade scale. Thanks to the label information, consumers can make their choice depending on their own preference; maximum safety or maximum fuel economy.
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Franco Annunziato: We fully support accurate TPMS, firstly as an important safety factor, reducing the numbers of failures due to running at low pressure, and secondly, because it can maintain the tyres’ optimum rolling resistance when the pressure is correctly adjusted.
The indirect TPMS system relies on the ABS sensors which are fitted to almost 100% of all cars today. The electronics evaluate any difference in the speed of rotation of one tyre versus the others so detecting a deflation.
A direct TPMS measures the internal pressure of the tyre with a sensor and transmits this to a receiver in the vehicle. The electronics can then display and follow the real internal pressure of the tyre.
The EU regulation will be a major driver to bring TPMS to all users; however it is not yet certain which TPMS type will become mandatory.
j-a: As I understand it, TPMS technology is evolving to the point where one scenario could be this: As soon as the TPMS tells you that your tyre needs servicing, the nearest licensed service station will be automatically alerted through your car’s GPS, giving you directions to a site where qualified personnel will be awaiting your arrival. How far away are we from achieving this?
FA: Most high-end vehicles have now a GPS system as standard equipment; its navigation software often contains the locations of approved service centres. Linking vehicle faults, such as low tyre pressure, and service centres is the next logical step in such a system. Adding in the communication from car to service centre is also becoming possible as manufacturers add internet connectivity.
Such systems could therefore be implemented relatively soon if the car manufacturer sees a requirement.
j-a: Run-flat tyres have also done a lot to improve vehicle safety yet come with a high price tag. Do you see technological evolution bringing run-flat and self-inflating tyres into the cheaper mainstream?
FA: SSR features a side-supported rubber aiming to support the load of the vehicle when the tyre deflates.
Therefore, in principle the cost of a RFT will be higher than a regular tyre, because of the side-supported rubber.
However SSR system means ‘spareless’ which could result in eliminating a full spare tyre or temporary spare tyre or sealing kit. So we believe it could be possible to equal or even improve the cost of a regular tyre when we consider it as a complete system.
j-a: In addition to driver safety, the current focus is to find ways in which to reduce CO2 emissions. As 25% of all CO2 emissions are generated by road traffic and about 20-3% of a vehicle’s energy consumption can be attributed to tyres alone, measures to improve rolling resistance remain a top priority. Could you draw on an example of a recent tyre innovation which demonstrates how your company has reduced rolling resistance?
FA: First, I would like to emphasise that although the figures you quote are correct, the energy consumption attributed to tyres cannot be eliminated, and will always be significant. Nevertheless, tyre companies continue to make inroads to reducing the rolling resistance of tyres to contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.
All tyre companies are faced with the same challenge whereby tyre performances are linked to each other. For example, it is possible to make a tyre with far superior low rolling resistance than current tyres, but the penalty would be that the wet braking performance of the same tyre would be unacceptable, and even dangerous. That is why the European labelling regulation includes both energy efficiency and wet braking performance on the same label.
Our company has introduced nanoprotech technology in the tread rubber compounds, which lowers the rolling resistance coefficient by reducing energy loss in the top compound during rotation.
j-a: As we see it, most tyre manufacturers offer a low rolling resistance tyre in their range yet few currently advertise the use of the silica-silane technology in their commercial vehicle ranges. Why is that?
FA: The use of silica silane is a feature. Communication tends to focus on the benefits rather than the features that actually bring those benefits.
j-a: In addition to low rolling resistance, low tyre/road noise are requirements imposed on modern tyres for environmental and economic considerations. Could you draw on an example of a recent tyre innovation which demonstrates how your company has reduced rolling tyre noise, perhaps highlighting certain new processes or developments?
FA: Reducing tyre road noise is a challenge for all tyre manufacturers. It has been proven that road surfaces and the materials used to make them can contribute more to the reduction of tyre road noise than the tyre itself. Also, the quietest tyre possible to make is a slick, that is, a tyre with no tread pattern at all. Slicks are not an option for normal cars as the lack of wet grip would be unacceptable. It is the grooves of a tyre’s tread pattern that contribute to creating external noise, but it is the same grooves that allow for water evacuation and directional stability, and grip on wet surfaces. By optimising tread design, it is possible to achieve the regulated noise limits, and this is where most of the advances have been made with regards to tyre noise.
j-a: In what ways will information on the new EU tyre regulatory standards provide a better service for the end-consumer?
FA: The end-consumer will be able to recognise the performances of each tyre before they purchase it, thanks to a performance label that must be displayed with the tyre, and on point-of-sale material. The label, inspired by the energy efficiency label which is currently displayed on refrigerators and other white goods, will show the wet grip grading of the tyre and the measured external noise in dbA as well as the energy efficiency rating on a seven-grade scale. Thanks to the label information, consumers can make their choice depending on their own preference; maximum safety or maximum fuel economy.
本页文章发表于:科技爱好与博览 http://www.naf.com.cn,更多同类文章请查看首页.
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