Hendrickson has introduced Watchman advanced wheel-end sensor technology for trailers that operates on the vehicle area network developed by Sensata Technologies. The initial product offering will include trailer tire pressure monitoring, wheel-end temperature and wheel-end vibration data that will be communicated to the fleet through the tractor telematics system pulling the trailer.
Hendrickson is working with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) to develop standards for the industry in the communication of data and fault codes for trailer wheel-end information.
“This common platform will allow the new Hendrickson Watchman wheel-end sensor to be used by OEM manufacturers to provide crucial data from the trailers to their customers,” says Omar Fernandez, director of marketing at Hendrickson Trailer Commercial Vehicle System.
Tire pressure monitoring, coupled with the inflating, relieving and equalizing capabilities of Hendrickson’s Tiremaax Pro tire pressure management product will allow fleets to minimize tire wear and maximize fuel economy by managing the tire pressure on their trailers, according to the company.
Hendrickson notes that early warnings of vibration or heat in the wheel-ends will minimize the cost of repairs and maintenance of these crucial components. The Watchman wheel-end sensor kit will include four battery powered wheel-end sensors that transmit wireless RF signals to the Sensata gateway module, which collects data from the sensors and will be used as the communication hub for the trailer. The information will be transmitted from the Sensata gateway module to the tractor electronic control unit (ECU), either via a wireless link or hard wired, and will utilize the SAE J1939 communication protocol. Additionally, the wheel-end data output from the Sensata gateway module will be made available to on-board trailer telematics devices for transmission to the fleet’s back office.
Future enhancements planned for Hendrickson Watchman technology series include adding advanced wheel-end algorithms into the Sensata gateway module as well as offering new sensors on brake pads to communicate brake pad wear and suspension sensors to provide load sensing for each axle on the trailer.
Initially, this wheel-end sensor technology will be offered with Hendrickson HXL Extended Life wheel-ends and will launch in early 2020 with a limited quantity release and full production later in the year.
