Tire Pressure Monitoring

Systems
What’s next?

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© 2006 Web: http://www.yole.fr
 Content
• 1. Executive Summary (p.8) 7. Forecasted Evolution of the Industry
• 2. Methodology (p. 14) (p.81)
Current Challenges and solutions of the
• 3. TPMS History and motivations (p.19)
Industry
– Historical start of TPMS Battery less TPMS
– Benefits of TPMS Intelligent Tires
• 4. Regulations and Standards (p.26)
– Background on NHTSA regulation 8. Main players profiles (p.110)
– Current NHTSA regulation
– Other Standards and regulations 9. Appendix
9.1 General overview of the MEMS Business
• 5. TPMS modules, sensors and
(p.184)
technologies (p.33)
9.2 MEMS Manufacturing Overview (p.188)
– Direct vs indirect measurement techniques Key Differences between MEMS and IC Lines
– Sensor based TPMS MEMS typical flow chart
– Powering the wheel module Micromachining technologies
– Resonator based TPMS Why integrated MEMS: from MEMS to
Microsystems
– Comparing pressure sensing techniques
MEMS processes challenges
– Data transmission
– Tire localization
• 6. Main players and markets (p.63)
– Market forecasts
– Bill of components for a TPMS module
– Main players pressure for TPMS sensors
– Main players for TPM systems
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 Focus of the report

• Tire Pressure Monitoring System are made of MEMS sensors

or resonators, ASICs, RF communication devices and power Source: Kavlico

devices.

• Given our background, and also because the MEMS parts Source: Infineon

are at the heart of the system, we have focused specifically

on the sensors and power devices of the TPMS industry on

this report. We have also tried to highlight the different non- Source: Schrader Electronics

MEMS challenges that TPMS manufacturers face, but with

less emphasis on RF transmission systems for example.

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 Issues facing the TPMS industry

The report tries to answer numerous questions from the industry.

These questions reflect the challenges the industry is facing.

Among them we could list:

• Direct TPMS dominates the market today and offers the best • Talking about intelligent tires is getting trendy, but the

accuracy. But the market could be completely changed if functions they would enable, mostly in terms of

indirect systems get approved by NHTSA... safety, seem difficult to sell to the end-user.

• The market leaders today are looking at niche markets to sell • Are tire manufacturers serious about integrating TPMS in

by-products with higher margins. What would be their their products? Sensors, wireless and electronics

targets? Trucks or motorcycles? Who would be impacted? manufacturing and assembly are not in the core business

• Many new players are trying to penetrate the market : what nor in the supply chain of the tire manufacturers.

should they focus on in terms of performance? Is it Continental owns Siemens VDO and Michelin made a joint

power, accuracy, size or price? How should they position venture with TRW (EnTire). Is this a trend to be followed by

their sensor? What is the minimum set of electronic the rest of the tire manufacturers?

functions to integrate in the TPMS chip to be competitive?

• High end systems display the pressure on individual tires.

Accelerometers are currently used to determine the

measured tire position. What are going to be the localization

strategies in the future?

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 1. Executive Summary

Market:
• TPMS market is driven by US regulation. End-users are not showing
enough interest to the application. The unique drivers for a
successful product introduction are cost, cost, cost … and
reliability.

• TPMS module manufacturers are historically either valve

manufacturers or RKE ECU manufacturers. Tire manufacturers
made some development efforts, but did not succeed in putting
products on the market, to the exception of Michelin through its
joint venture with TRW: EnTire.

• Indirect TPMS using data from the ABS systems and specific
software have been put aside by NHTSA since 2004 and did not
participate to the growth rally. Indirect TPMS have been mostly
installed on high end cars. Second generation indirect TPMS
manufacturers try to get their product comply with NHTSA
regulation for a market introduction in 2008.

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 wheel module funtions
• Pressure Sensor : absolute or relative
pressure is transformed into current Pressure
battery LF receiver
sensor
(charge) or voltage variation.
• Temperature Sensor: capture the Temperature RF
ADC
temperature for pressure calibration sensor Transmitter

• Motion detector: detects whether the Motion

µcontroller EEPROM
vehicle is moving or not, which changes the detection

data sampling frequency

• ADC : converts the sensors signals into a digital signal for the microcontroller
• Microcontroller: computes the pressure and decides at which frequency it should
send it to the central unit.
• EEPROM: memory for the microcontroller program
• LF receiver: used to determine the tire localization
• RF receiver : used to send the data to the central unit
• Battery : life expectancy is expressed in years or in mileage
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 Capacitive Pressure sensors

• Capacitive pressure sensors involve two

capacitances:
– One for reference
– One for sensing
Capacitive pressure sensors measure absolute
pressure
Capacitance
varies with
pressure

Source : Freescale
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 Communication Protocol with Receiver

• Frequencies used for

pressure transmission are
in the Industrial Scientific
Medical frequency bands:
• In Europe: 434 MHz /
868 MHz
• In the US: 315 MHz /
915 MHz

• Frequencies are generated

by adaptable PLLs to
comply with the local
regulations.

Source: Infineon
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 Bill of Component for a low end TMPS
wheel module

We make the assumption here that the TPMS chip integrates the
sensors and the ASIC for data processing and transmission.

Average selling price in high volume : $9,00 (2006)

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 Company profiles summary

Sensors manufacturers Module manufacturers Tire manufacturers Resonator based TPMS

Infineon SensoNor Schrader Michelin IQMobil

GE Sensing Siemens VDO Pirelli Transense
Freescale EnTire Yokohama
Sensata (TI)-Kyocera BERU
Melexis Pacific
Kavlico (Schneider Delphi
Electric) Chongqing Sanxin
BOSCH SmarTire
VTI LDL Technology
SMI (ELMOS) Hella
Alps Electric Johnson Control A.
Visityre
Actsensor
Continental

© 2007• 10
 Intelligent tires new functions

• RF ID for logistics and data tracking

• Wet/Dry road control for engine control

• Enhanced Vehicle stability control by :

– Foot print detection via static load measurement (vertical)

– Center of mass detection via dynamic load measurement (center-of-

mass)

• Friction detection through tire road interface

– Feedback to power train

– Side slip control

• Car-to-car communication for safety

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© 2007• 12
 More information on:
www.yole.fr
www.i-micronews.com

Feel free to contact me for a specific

market analysis on that topic at
hamza@yole.fr

© 2007• 13