Continental’s ContiConnect System Checks Tire Inflation From Monitoring Station

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Transport Topics  /  September 26, 2017

ATLANTA — Continental Tire has introduced a system that checks inflation levels in a truck’s tires as it passes an external monitoring station, with data transmitted from sensors integrated into the tires that require no electronics to be installed on the truck, the company said.

The system, called ContiConnect, is designed for “anybody who is coming and going through a terminal on a regular basis,” said Paul Williams, executive vice president for the company’s North American tire operations. This could include, he said, transit or school buses, dump trucks and more.

Sensors installed in the inner lining of the tire measure tire temperature and inflation. Mounting the sensors in the tire rather than on the rim helps prevent false readings due to heat being generated by the truck’s braking system, Williams said. The system does not require a telematics system on the truck, he noted.

As trucks enter a fleet yard, terminal or other location where the company’s “yard reader” data station is installed, the station picks up readings from the sensors and transmits them to the ContiConnect web portal via a cellular network. The data from there can be read by a maintenance manager or other company representative, who can take corrective action that might prevent a tire failure on the road, Williams said.

The system issues low pressure alerts and tracks data over time, and permits users to view reports and analytics for all tires equipped with sensors. The platform also features customizable text and email notifications, so the fleet personnel can receive immediate alerts when low tire pressure or high tire temperature is recorded.

“You have to get the data outside of the truck to someone who cares,” he said.

Select tire models are available direct from the factory with sensors installed. Sensors can also be installed into a fleet’s existing tires, Continental said. The sensors can also be installed in retreads, Williams added.

Continental also offers its ContiPressureCheck system for fleets interested in seeing real-time tire data via a telematics system. This system offers data integration with multiple telematics providers, including Zonar, which is majority owned by Continental, as well as PeopleNet. This integration allows tire data to be seen in both the providers’ in-cab displays and back-end portals, Continental said.

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New Continental tech monitors tires

Today’s Trucking  /  September 27, 2017

ATLANTA, GA – Continental's new ContiConnect digital tire monitoring platform gives fleets a tool to track tire pressure and temperature through a single web portal.

The underlying dta behind low-pressure alerts and high temperature alerts is collected via sensors mounted on the inside of the tire. Those sensors communicate wirelessly with a yard reader. Every time the truck enters or exits the fleet yard, the reader collects the data and transmits it to a web portal via a cellular network.

Continental says the platform will save fleets time and money, as it will streamline tire maintenance programs, improve fuel efficiency, and prevent costly breakdowns.

“Thirty-four per cent of fleets’ tires are still under-inflated,” said Paul Williams, Continental’s executive vice president - commercial vehicle tires for the Americas. “Correctly inflated tires mean 1% more fuel savings, 15% savings on tire wear, and 20% more life in your casing. And if you don’t (properly inflate your tires and monitor them), you’ll end up on the side of the road. Most fleets spend more money having tires repaired at the side of the road, than they do in the terminals.”

Williams explained the tire sensors can detect things like creeping air loss, one of the major causes of tire failure, before it would typically be noticed in a pre- or post-trip inspection.

“Since we introduced our beta system to our 16 test fleets, we’ve had — within the first 100 days — 4,000 alerts that have caused us to have an action to repair those tires before a breakdown,” he said.

Ideally, Williams said, the system should be used by fleets who “are coming and going from their terminals on a regular basis so think dump trucks, waste haulers, school buses…because these trucks will constantly pass by the yard reader, it will communicate and get all the information off the tire, and alert the platform.”

Tire sensors can be retrofitted onto a fleet’s existing tires through a simple installation process, as well, Continental said.

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Continental unveils digital tire monitoring platform

Fleet Owner  /  September 28, 2017

Ability to remotely track tire pressures via the internet viewed as a cost and time saver for fleets

Tires are a major pain point for motor carriers, representing one of their top three operating costs, right after driver wages/benefits and fuel.

They can also represent a major safety issues as well: out of the 40,944 Level I inspections conducted on commercial vehicles during the annual 72-hour Roadcheck International roadside inspection blitz this year, 9,398 of them were placed out of service, with 15.1% of those violations directly related to tire and wheel problems.

Maintaining proper tire pressure is not only critical to avoiding tire-related safety problems but also key to ensuring fleets obtain the maximum mileage and fuel economy benefits from them as well.

To address those issues and more, Continental is introducing a digital tire monitoring platform dubbed “ContiConnect” that will allow fleets to remotely track and manage truck and trailer tire air pressure via sensors installed within the tires themselves.

During a press conference at the recent North American Commercial Vehicle (NACV) show, Continental explained that tire data is collected via a round battery-powered sensor glued on the inner liner of the tire.

As trucks enter a fleet’s yard, a “reader station” then picks up data from the sensors and transmits it to the ContiConnect web portal via a cellular network. Via that portal, fleet managers and other maintenance personnel can track low pressure alerts, high tire temperatures, as well as track data over time, Continental said.

The supplier said those sensors can be factory-installed on new tires or retrofitted to existing ones. They are mounted within the liner to more accurately detect the tire temperature and pressure without being influenced by heat from braking systems, Continental added.

The platform also features customizable text and email notifications so fleet personnel can receive immediate alerts when low tire pressures or high tire temperatures are detected, the supplier added; allowing fleets to act proactively to fix issues rather than spending valuable time performing manual pressure checks.

Continental’s engineers said the battery powering the tire sensor can last up to six years, allowing the sensor to be “re-used” as tires are replaced or transferred within a fleet. It can also help deter theft as tire location can be tracked via the sensors, they noted.

The company added that the “reader station,” which collects and transmits the tire sensor data, needs to be within 65 ft. of a truck or trailer to accurately collect that information. Usually, the best spot is near a refueling island, Continental’s experts said.

The supplier also envisions using the reader/cellular network part of the ContiConnect system as a “base” upon which to expand fleet data collection and analytical services.

The tire pressure monitoring system offers data integration with multiple telematics providers, including Zonar, which is majority-owned by Continental, and independent third party PeopleNet, the company noted.

Such “integration” allows tire data to be seen in both the providers’ in-cab displays and back-end portals, Continental pointed out.

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