SmarTire Systems Inc.(Richmond, BC Canada) has been granted a U.S. patent protecting its multimount technology for the installation of sensors in tire pressure monitoring systems. The multimount system addresses automakers’ needs for both new vehicle installation and after-sales servicing requirements.
"The multimount technology enables a common sensor to satisfy a variety of vehicle platforms using different mounting methods such as strap, valve or bonded," says Kian Sheikh-Bahaie, senior mechanical designer. "(The technology) offers a single solution regardless of wheel design, and the ability to use aftermarket wheels without disabling the original TPMS. Smaller automakers can take advantage of the economies of scale and speed to market by enabling them to use a common sensor."
Adds SmarTire President and CEO Robert Rudman, "This patent expands SmarTire's intellectual property portfolio at a critical time in the development of the TPMS industry. Now that the Tread Act has been finalized in the United States. and the automakers are now required to install tire monitoring in their vehicles, one crucial issue that has not been adequately addressed by the industry is the installation and servicing of TPMS. SmarTire has developed and now patented a unique sensor-mounting technology that satisfies the diverse implications that arise during installation and servicing of the system over the life of the vehicle."