HANNOVER, Germany (Aug. 27, 2010) — The next time your tires call you, don't hang up. It won't be a crank call. It'll actually be your tires calling, warning you one or more of them needs attention.
German tire and vehicle parts maker Continental A.G.'s Interior Division is developing an application for smartphones, called “Filling Assistant,” that specifies the exact inflation pressure of each tire and calls the car owner's phone when the pressure drops below a predetermined level.
Additionally, the app will allow drivers to air up their tires accurately, even if they don't have a tire gauge or if they suspect the filling station's inflation pump is not working right, Conti said. The app even can be programmed to honk the car's horn and activate the blinkers to confirm the tire's been inflated correctly.
Technical requirements for the system are a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) with the corresponding sensors in the tires and factory-integrated vehicle electronics with a wireless interface, Conti said.
The first series production of the Filling Assistant app in new vehicles is expected from 2013 onwards, Conti said.