Royal Philips marketing direct, radio-frequency tire pressure monitor

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Oct. 15)—Royal Philips Electronics N.V., a Netherlands-based company traded on the New York, London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam stock exchanges, is marketing a direct tire pressure monitor based on radio-frequency technology. Philips' signal conditioning chips, mounted directly onto the tire rim, use the company's market leading, passive keyless entry RIFD technology and already are field proven and qualified for automotive use, the company said. Direct tire pressure measurement provides a more accurate indication of tire pressure than is possible using an indirect measurement system, with the advantage that the signal is always available, even when the vehicle is parked, Philips said in a release. The new system also overcomes tire rotation issues by emitting a low-frequency "wake up" call to automatically identify the wheel transmitters and their new locations.