Radio Frequency Identification technology is quite prevalent in both industrial and personal use. These systems allow users excellent asset/item tracking and management capabilities. Users can further integrate these services with other processes to make them more efficient. One such industry for this technology is the tire industry. From manufacturing to use in vehicles, RFID tags are used on/in tires, throughout the supply chain.
So, let’s discuss more about this important topic.
Applications of RFID in Tires
As discussed above, this technology has vast applications in a variety of environments with tires. With the inclusion of other technologies into RFID, users can enjoy a host of functionality and integrations of their systems.
So, let’s discuss the applications of RFID tire tags separately in both industrial and personal environments.
Industrial Use
For the purpose of industrial operations, these systems can be used for a couple of applications that can optimize their day-to-day operations.
(A). Identification & Tracking
In an industrial environment like manufacturing, transporting, and warehousing; users have to deal with a large volume of items in a short span of time. In addition, the sheer distance between the endpoints of a supply chain can make it next to impossible to manually track such a large volume of products.
With the help of RF systems, users can tag and perform identification & tracking operations of tires throughout the facility. Making it far easier to identify batch numbers of tires and match them with the correct vehicle, automate inventory management, etc.
(B). Authentication
Ensuring quality and authenticity is an integral part of any manufacturing and distribution business. The operators in such facilities need to make sure that no defective or inauthentic item is present in the supply chain. That is why most of these businesses mark their tires with an encrypted RF tag, that allows other users along the supply chain to check the authenticity of each individual item.
(C). Assembly Line Management
The modern assembly line, designed by Henry Ford in the year 1913, is a magnificent piece of operational infrastructure. It transformed the way we conduct manufacturing and assembly operations, even today; cutting down time, costs, and waste materials. By further integrating an assembly line with RF technology, businesses can get clearer monitoring and management capabilities over the assembly line.
This ensures that all the components throughout the line are in the correct position and available. It also significantly reduces the risk of misplacing or damaging items and other materials. Resulting in a severe reduction in the margin of errors and optimizing operations.
Personal Use
In addition to being revolutionary in the industrial sector, RFID tire tags have proved themselves to be quite useful for personal use. Nowadays, many vehicles come with integrated RF readers that can communicate with the tags inside the tires, providing a variety of telemetry readings, making driving safer and more efficient.
(A). Air Pressure Monitoring
Manufacturers can design a special type of tag with an integrated pressure sensor on it, capable of calculating the air pressure around it. Users can embed/mount these tags inside the tire, allowing them to constantly monitor the air pressure inside the tires of a vehicle. The tags then communicate this data to the vehicle’s systems.
(B). Telemetry Sensing
These tags are also capable of tracking and collecting other types of telemetric data like – temperature, moisture, etc. In addition to the pressure, measuring the temperature of a tire can also benefit the user. High temperatures can lead to excessive wear and tear, or even permanent damage to the tire. All of these can make your vehicle less efficient. But, by having real-time monitoring of the condition of your tire, you can easily optimize your drive time to get maximum efficiency.
(C). Vehicle Tracking
Every RFID tag has encoded identification information inside of it that can be used to identify and track the vehicle at checkpoints equipped with the right reader. This allows the users a better chance of tracing their vehicles in the event of theft.
(D). Performance/Use Tracking
To ensure the optimal operation of a vehicle, users have to perform regular maintenance and part replacement to make sure the whole machine works properly. One such thing is rotating the tire set on a vehicle. Due to the uneven and slanted structure of roads, the tires of a vehicle always experience more wear on one side of the tire.
For example, in India we have left-hand side driving; meaning that the roads are slanted at a downward angle towards the left side. This makes the right side of the tires come more in contact with the road surface, making the right side of tire surfaces more worn out with use. By interchanging tires from one side of the vehicle to the other periodically, users can ensure wear on both sides, giving a longer service life to the tires.
With the help of RFID, users can track the performance of tires like distance traveled, time since last rotations, etc. By calculating all this data, users can perform preventative services on time.
Benefits of Using RFID in Tires
Now that you know about the applications of RFID technology in the tire sector, let’s discuss why it is so popular over alternative technologies like BLE, manual, etc.
(A). Automation
The most commonly sought-out advantage of this technology in any industry is its ability to automate operations. Unlike manual tracking and logging, the use of RF systems allows businesses to automatically identify, track and collect data from tires throughout the supply chain; or during use.
(B). Visibility & Accuracy
Managing any operation whether it is manufacturing or storage, requires a clear view of the operation and accuracy. Unlike manual observation, RF systems are extremely accurate and provide greater visibility throughout the supply chain
(C). Data Collection
Collecting data and performing analysis can help businesses improve their efficiency and productivity. Using RFID technology with tires can allow businesses and users to gather data automatically and accurately.
(D). Cost
Lastly, unlike other alternatives of performing asset identification and tracking on tires, like manual or BLE; RFID is considerably cheaper than both in both the short-term (for BLE) & the long-term (for manual operations).
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is an RFID tag for private cars?
These are RFID tags particularly designed to provide additional function and automation in privately owned vehicles. Meaning, unlike standard vehicle or tire tags, these tags are tailored to work for a common person and provide functions that a consumer would require, like – air pressure monitoring, temperature monitoring, etc.
Q2. Are there RFID tags in tires?
Yes, many businesses tag their tires for operations like identification & tracking, SCM, etc.
Q3. How does RFID work in vehicles?
RF tags on cars can store important data like the owner’s information, vehicle identification, product information of a specific part, etc. These tags are primarily used for access control systems like parking, service centers, etc.
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