The Tyreless Project

The purpose of the project was to develop an autonomous & integrated sensor system for Tyre Pressure and Management System (TPMS). Development included:

• printed kinetic harvesting element (based on piezoelectric materials)
• power management and sensing devices that enable real-time monitoring of individual tyre performance within a truck to reduce fuel costs and enhance truck safety

The novel active energy harvesting elements was co-developed by Bath University and CPI (the HVM Manufacturing Catapult).

This early stage prototype consisted of an EH/S element alongside a pressure sensing MCU and RfID circuit capable of relaying data remotely without connection to the tyre.

The practical work included fabrication and testing to understand the power that can be harvested, the operating temperature window and the lifetime of the EH/S transducer.