LIVONIA, Mich. -- TRW Automotive is now in mass production with its zero initiator tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) – its lowest-cost auto location system ever, according to the company.

Laurent Crosnier, product portfolio director for TRW Radio Frequency Electronics, said, "TRW seeks to bring cost-competitive systems to market in our effort to deliver the safety that everyone deserves, and affirms its TPMS technological leadership with this innovative new product launch.

“The zero initiator system is an example of smart thinking that reduces part count and complexity, and still delivers the performance of a direct tire pressure monitoring system with the capability to automatically identify which tire, or tires, are under-inflated and pose a potential safety risk," Crosnier added.

Like TRW's current direct TPMS systems, the technology includes four wheel-mounted sensors to directly monitor the individual tire pressure levels, but eliminates the need for the electronic initiators previously required to locate the sensor positions. The receiver is typically mounted under the rear of the vehicle or in the rear bumper area, and can determine front and rear sensor locations by comparing the received signal strengths. Left and right side sensor locations are determined by sensing and processing Earth's gravitational and magnetic fields. Thus, by combining the front/rear and left/right information, the system can determine which tire is under-inflated without the need for any initiators, TRW said.

TRW's zero initiator TPMS system started mass production in late 2010 and is being evaluated by a number of global manufacturers. Additional vehicles will launch in 2011 equipped with this state-of-the-art technology, the company said.