Automatic tire location recognition

In a system (10) for remote monitoring of vehicle tire pressure, a system and method for automatically identifying tire (14) location. A tire pressure monitor (16) mounted in each tire (14) includes a sensor (17) for sensing tire pressure, a transmitter (18) for transmitting a signal (20) representative of the sensed tire pressure, and a magnetic switch (26) for actuating the transmitter (18). An electromagnet (32) is mounted on the vehicle (12) in proximity to each tire location and generates a magnetic field causing the magnetic switch (26) to actuate the transmitter (18) of the associated tire pressure monitor (16). A controller (24) mounted on the vehicle (12) is provided in communication with the electromagnets (32), processes the tire pressure signals (20) from the transmitters (18), and conveys tire pressure and location information to a user. The controller (24) energizes the electromagnets (32) so that each received tire pressure signal (20) is automatically associated with a specific tire location, thus identifying the tire.