In recent years, the European Union, the United States, Japan, South Korea and other countries and regions have successively introduced tire labeling laws, requiring tires to be labeled with grades for fuel efficiency, rolling resistance, rolling noise, and wet grip. China's tire labeling system is also being vigorously promoted.
Currently, tire traceability identifiers on the market commonly use the form of "barcode + sidewall information" to store various tire data. However, both barcodes and sidewall information are located on the tire surface and wear off quickly after use. Once this information becomes unreadable, tire data is lost, making it impossible to identify tire model, tread pattern, diameter, etc. Improper or unsafe tire use (such as non-compliant tires, overload, expired use) can directly cause difficulties for users in maintenance, claims, etc., leading to disputes and even frequent safety incidents, energy and resource waste, and environmental damage.
The application of RFID technology can regulate orderly production and sales in the tire industry (preventing counterfeiting, rebranding, and cross-region sales), achieve full lifecycle management of tires; regulate the transportation industry to ensure personal and property safety; and promote and regulate the tire retreading industry for a circular economy.
Demonstration of RFID application in tires: During tire molding, the electronic tag is embedded inside the tire, able to withstand deformation, high temperature, and high pressure during molding and vulcanization. Finished tires pass X-ray inspection, bubble inspection, dynamic balance and uniformity testing, and endurance testing, demonstrating reliable performance.
Embedding RFID electronic tags inside tires involves, from a safety perspective, the integration of the tag with tire rubber. The tag must become one with the tire without creating bubbles or delamination that could affect tire quality; the weight of the tag must not affect tire dynamic balance, meaning the volume and weight of the encapsulated tag should meet dynamic balance and uniformity requirements. For tag reliability, the embedded tag must withstand stretching, high temperature, high pressure, and flexural deformation during tire production and use, functioning throughout the tire's lifecycle. For read range, the reading distance of the embedded tag must meet the management needs of tire use.
Thus, the combination of RFID technology and tire manufacturing can not only solve current problems in tire identification and traceability but also, by embedding RFID electronic tags inside tires, allow writing of production, sales, usage, and retreading data. This data can be collected and read via terminals at any time, and combined with corresponding management software, enables recording and tracing of the entire tire lifecycle data.