January 2003

- by Brian Byrne

Michelin develops tyre/vehicle info transponder

22 January 2003: Michelin engineers have developed a radio frequency identification (RFID) transponder that is manufactured into the tire and stores vital tire identification information.

With this technology, the tire identification number can now be associated with the vehicle identification number (VIN) making the tires uniquely identifiable with an individual vehicle, telling when and where the tire was made, maximum inflation pressure, tire size, and any other relevant information.

The transponder consists of an antenna and an integrated circuit that has a higher data capacity than a bar code, yet the integrated circuit is only about the size of a match head. It can be encoded and decoded with a simple hand-held device and unlike a bar code, remains unaffected by soil or deterioration over time.

The information on the circuit can also be modified to reflect new data, such as the VIN number of the vehicle on which it is mounted. The integrated circuits are manufactured by Fairchild Semiconductor and Philips.

Operating at ultra high frequency (UHF), the Michelin RFID tag can be interrogated by a reader, hand-held or mounted, some 24 inches or more away from the transponder. Once collected, the information can be stored in a database for accurate and easy retrieval.

Michelin says the RFID technology will most likely be introduced through the original equipment market, but could soon be feasible for replacement tires as well.

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