Apr 8 2005
Cars are now able to speak by means of sensors attached to wheel rims and seats. With the new technology a car tells you if the tyre pressures are too low or the driver is falling asleep. Intelligent tyres and seats increase driving comfort.
The Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), Nokian Tyres and Emfit Oy are merging information technology solutions, some of which are already known while others are still being developed, and turning them into something that is an everyday feature of traffic safety.
轮胎压力对轮胎的驱动方式和安全性具有重大影响。诺基人轮胎的Roadsnoop压力监视是新一代智能轮胎发展的结果之一。
"Sensors attached to wheel rims measure the pressure and temperature and send radio messages as the wheels revolve to a receiver that the driver has. A mobile phone is not necessary, because RoadScoop includes its own receiver. The equipment, which is easily installed on the car, gives a warning by means of an indicator light and sound if the tyres are leaking," says Jukka Hakanen, the head of development.
Hakanen says that in the United States it has been calculated that monitoring tyre pressure would prevent some 80 traffic deaths and 10,000 injuries a year, if all cars had a pressure watch. The system will become compulsory in the USA in the next few years. According to consumer research, tyre pressure monitoring has for many years been among the three most sought-after properties in a new car.
The idea for a "tyre that phones a mobile phone" originated in Nokian Tyres' product development at the end of the 1990s. "Now we're focusing on developing the next generation of RoadSnoop products that are designed for factory installation in a car," Hakanen says.
Nokian Tyres is doing research work on intelligent tyres with VTT in the EU's Apollo project, in which several other co-partners are participating.
A sensor located in the car's seat measures the driver's posture, pulse and breathing. The aim is to follow the driver's fatigue and stress state and so reduce dangerous situations in traffic.
VTT和传感器制造商Emfit OYJ开发的压力传感器是一种薄而坚固的塑料膜，已存储永久性电荷。该膜测量压缩力，以相反表面的电荷形式看到。
座椅传感器的第一个原型已经安装在测试车中。下一个版本将在今年的第一部分前往欧盟合作伙伴的测试。传感器的测试将在2006年和2007年进行，然后可以开始生产。
http://www.tekes.fi/