Technology Briefs — March 21 - March 27

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The Latest Headlines:

• Terion Granted Cargo-Sensor Patent
• SmarTire’s 2Q Net Loss Narrows
• Shell Lubricants Sets Digital Inspection Technology

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Terion Granted Cargo-Sensor Patent

Trailer-tracking technology provider Terion Inc. said last week it has received a patent for a cargo-sensor system.

The patent for its FleetView Cargo Sensor can detect cargo as small as a 4x4x4 pallet throughout a trailer, Terion said. Competing alternatives typically measure only the front half of the trailer, the company said.

Terion’s FleetView 3 is a fleet-management system that monitors trailer locations and events whether a trailer is tethered or untethered.

The patent, “Trailer Cargo Detection Using Ultrasonic Transducers,” covers a system and method for determining the presence or absence of cargo, Terion said. Transport Topics

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SmarTire’s 2Q Net Loss Narrows

Wireless sensing and control systems provider SmarTire Systems said March 20 its net loss for the quarter ending Jan. 31 totaled 3.6 million or 1 cent per share, compared with a net loss of $4.1 million or 2 cents a year ago.

Revenue rose 114% to $839,615 from $390,909 in the second quarter of fiscal year 2005, it said.

The Richmond, British Columbia, company reports its earnings in U.S. dollars. It cited gains in sales to original equipment manufacturers and key industry suppliers, including Dana Corp., which recently began selling SmarTire’s tire pressure monitoring system. Transport Topics

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Shell Lubricants Sets Digital Inspection Technology

Shell Lubricants introduced a new digital inspection service called Shell VideoCheck, the company said.

The company is offering the service to small and medium-sized diesel truck fleets as a cost-effective alternative way of inspecting diesel engine components, Shell said.

While the technology was originally used in stationary gas engines and commercial aircraft turbines, Shell has adapted the technology for diesel engines as a high-tech, low-cost means of inspecting combustion chambers, it said.

Rather than dismantling an engine to identify problems related to the combustion chamber or lubrication, the service uses a digital fiber optic method of inspecting the inside of diesel engines. Transport Topics

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