Tire

Abstract

To provide a tire which prevents electromagnetic waves used in communication of an RFID tag from being attenuated.SOLUTION: A tire includes: a tire skeleton member which is obtained by joining a pair of tire skeleton half bodies which are composed of a resin material, and have bead parts, side parts and crown half parts having half widths at tips of the crown half parts in a face-to-face manner; a cord reinforcement layer which is arranged outside in a radial direction of the tire skeleton member; and an RFID tag which is joined to the inner peripheral surface of a joint part where the tips are joined.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire provided with an RFID tag.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, due to weight reduction and ease of recycling, it has been required to use thermoplastic resins, thermoplastic elastomers, etc. as tire materials, and tires using resin materials for tire skeleton members have been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In addition, an RFID tag storing tire information or the like may be attached to a tire. However, when a metal cord such as steel is embedded in a reinforcing layer provided in the crown portion, if the RFID tag is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the tire, the electromagnetic wave used for transmitting and receiving information between the RFID tag and an RFID reader arranged outside the tire may be attenuated by the metal cord.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a tire in which the electromagnetic wave used for communication of the RFID tag is hardly attenuated.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to the first aspectThe tire includes a tire skeleton member having a bead portion, a side portion, and a crown portion, a cord reinforcing layer having a resin-coated cord and disposed radially outside the tire skeleton member, a tread portion disposed outside the cord reinforcing layer, and an RFID tag disposed radially outside the cord reinforcing layer between the cord reinforcing layer and the tread portion.

[0007] This In the tire, since the RFID tag is disposed radially outside the cord reinforcing layer, the cord reinforcing layer does not intervene between the tire and an RFID reader disposed outside the tire. Therefore, compared with the case where the RFID tag is disposed radially inside the cord reinforcing layer, the electromagnetic wave used for transmitting and receiving information between the tire and the RFID reader disposed outside the tire is less likely to attenuate.

[0008] The second aspect is related to the first aspect In the tire, the RFID tag is joined to the cord reinforcing layer.

[0009] This In the tire, since the RFID tag is joined to the cord reinforcing layer which is more rigid than the elastomer of the tread portion, the RFID tag is less likely to deform compared with the case where it is not joined to the cord reinforcing layer, and the mechanical durability of the RFID tag can be improved.

[0010] The third aspect is related to the first aspect or the second aspect In the tire, an RFID chip and an antenna are embedded in the RFID tag in the same resin material as the cord reinforcing layer.

[0011] This In the tire, since the resin material in which the RFID chip and the antenna of the RFID tag are embedded is embedded in the same resin material as the resin material of the cord reinforcing layer, the RFID tag and the cord reinforcing layer are likely to adhere to each other.

[0012] The fourth aspect is related to any one of the first to third aspects In the tire, the tire skeleton member is formed of a resin material.

[0013] By forming the tire skeleton member from a resin material, recyclability can be improved.

[0014] The fifth aspect is related to any one of the first to fourth aspects In the tire, the tire skeleton member, the cord reinforcing layer, and the RFID tag are covered with a coating layer.

[0015] This In the tire, since the RFID tag is covered with the coating layer, the external force from the tread portion can be buffered by the coating layer, and the mechanical durability of the RFID tag can be improved as compared with the case where the RFID tag is not covered with the coating layer.

Effect of the Invention

[0016] As described above, according to the tire of the present invention, the electromagnetic wave used in the communication of the RFID tag is less likely to be attenuated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] According to FIGS. 1 to 3, a tire 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention and its manufacturing apparatus will be described.

[0019] (Tire Configuration) The tire 10 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a pneumatic tire that is used after being filled with air inside. The tire 10 includes a tire skeleton member 17. The tire skeleton member 17 includes a pair of bead portions 12, side portions 14 extending radially outward in the tire diameter direction from the bead portions 12, and a crown portion 16 connecting the radially outer ends of the respective side portions 14 in the tire diameter direction.

[0020] The tire skeleton member 17 is composed of a pair of annular tire skeleton halves 17A having the same shape in which one bead portion 12, one side portion 14, and a half-width crown half portion 16A are integrally formed. The tip 16B of the crown half portion 16A has a tapered shape on the tire equatorial plane CL side.

[0021] The pair of tire skeleton halves 17A are abutted against each other at the tip 16B of the crown half portion 16A and joined at the tire equatorial plane CL portion to form the tire skeleton member 17. A thermoplastic material 19 for welding is used for the joining at the tire equatorial plane CL portion.

[0022] On the radially outer side of the crown portion 16 in the tire diameter direction, a tread portion 30 that constitutes a tire tread, which is the ground contact portion of the tire, is disposed.

[0023] The tire skeleton member 17 is formed of a resin material. The resin material here does not include vulcanized rubber. Examples of the resin material include thermoplastic resins (including thermoplastic elastomers), thermosetting resins, and other general-purpose resins, as well as engineering plastics (including super engineering plastics).

[0024] A thermoplastic resin (including a thermoplastic elastomer) refers to a polymer compound that softens and flows as the temperature rises and becomes relatively hard and strong when cooled. In this specification, among these, a polymer compound that softens and flows as the temperature rises and becomes relatively hard and strong when cooled and has rubber-like elasticity is defined as a thermoplastic elastomer, and a polymer compound that softens and flows as the temperature rises and becomes relatively hard and strong when cooled but does not have rubber-like elasticity is distinguished as a non-elastomeric thermoplastic resin.

[0025] Examples of thermoplastic resins (including thermoplastic elastomers) include polyolefin-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPO), polystyrene-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPS), polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPA), polyurethane-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPU), polyester-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPC), and dynamically crosslinked thermoplastic elastomers (TPV), as well as polyolefin-based thermoplastic resins, polystyrene-based thermoplastic resins, polyamide-based thermoplastic resins, and polyester-based thermoplastic resins, etc.

[0026] In addition, as the above thermoplastic materials, for example, those with a heat distortion temperature (at a load of 0.45 MPa) specified in ISO 75-2 or ASTM D648 of 78 °C or higher, a tensile yield strength specified in JIS K7113 of 10 MPa or higher, and a tensile fracture elongation (JIS K7113) specified in the same JIS K7113 of 50% or higher, and a Vicat softening temperature (Method A) specified in JIS K7206 of 130 °C can be used.

[0027] A thermosetting resin refers to a polymer compound that forms a three-dimensional network structure and cures as the temperature rises. Examples of thermosetting resins include phenol resins, epoxy resins, melamine resins, urea resins, etc.

[0028] In addition to the above-mentioned thermoplastic resins (including thermoplastic elastomers) and thermosetting resins, general-purpose resins such as (meth)acrylic resins, EVA resins, vinyl chloride resins, fluorine-based resins, and silicone-based resins may also be used for the resin material.

[0029] In this embodiment, the case where the tire skeleton member 17 is formed of a thermoplastic resin will be described.

[0030] The tire skeleton semi-body 17A formed using a thermoplastic material can be formed by, for example, vacuum forming, pressure air forming, injection molding, melt casting, etc. Compared with the case of forming (vulcanizing) with rubber, the manufacturing process can be greatly simplified, and the molding time can also be shortened.

[0031] Note that the tire skeleton member 17 may be composed of a single thermoplastic material, or, similar to a conventional general rubber pneumatic tire, thermoplastic materials having different characteristics may be used for each part of the tire skeleton member 17 (such as the side part 14, the crown part 16, the bead part 12, etc.).

[0032] An annular bead core 15 is embedded in the bead part 12 of the tire skeleton member 17. The bead core 15 is made of a steel cord, similar to a conventional general pneumatic tire. Note that if the rigidity of the bead part 12 is ensured and there is no problem in fitting with a rim (not shown), the bead core 15 may be omitted. Further, the bead core 15 may be formed of a cord other than steel, such as an organic fiber cord or a cord in which an organic fiber is resin-coated, and furthermore, the bead core 15 may be formed of a hard resin by injection molding or the like instead of a cord.

[0033] A cord reinforcing layer 28 including a steel cord 26S wound in a spiral shape is provided in the crown part 16 of the tire skeleton member 17. The cord reinforcing layer 28 corresponds to a belt disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the carcass of a conventional rubber pneumatic tire.

[0034] A covering layer 24 is formed on the tire skeletal member 17 from the bead portion 12 to the outside in the tire axial direction W of the crown portion 16. The end portion of the covering layer 24 on the bead portion 12 side is disposed inside the tire relative to the contact portion with the rim (not shown) of the bead portion 12. The covering layer 24 of the present embodiment includes a first covering layer 24A extending from one bead portion 12 to a position slightly beyond the tire equatorial plane CL, and a second covering layer 24B extending from the other bead portion 12 to a position slightly beyond the tire equatorial plane CL and overlapping the first covering layer 24 on the tire equatorial plane CL.

[0035] In the first covering layer 24 and the second covering layer 24B, the reinforcing material is covered with a resin material. As the resin material, for example, the same material as the resin material constituting the tire skeletal member 17 is used. The covering with the resin material may be on one side or both sides of the reinforcing material. When covering both sides of the reinforcing material with the resin material, the reinforcing material can be disposed at the center in the thickness direction of the first covering layer 24 and the second covering layer 24B. In the case of double-sided covering, different resin materials may be used for one side and the other side.

[0036] The reinforcing material is, for example, a twisted cord or an aggregate of a plurality of filaments. The material of the reinforcing material is, for example, a metal such as aliphatic polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, glass, aramid, steel, etc. In the first covering layer 24 and the second covering layer 24B, the reinforcing material extends at least along the tire radial direction. A reinforcing material extending in the tire circumferential direction may be combined with this reinforcing material so that the reinforcing materials overlap each other and intersect. In this case, the reinforcing material may be woven or knitted into a cloth shape. Note that the reinforcing material may be inclined with respect to the tire radial direction or the tire circumferential direction.

[0037] A tread portion 30 is disposed outside the covering layer 24 on the outer side in the tire diameter direction of the tire skeletal member 17, and a side Part member 31 is disposed outside the covering layer 24 on the outer side in the tire width direction of the tire skeletal member 17. The tread portion 30 constitutes a tire tread which is a grounding portion of the tire 10.

[0038] The tread portion 30 is formed of rubber that is more wear-resistant than the thermoplastic resin of the tire skeletal member 17. As the rubber used for the tread portion 30, the same type of rubber as that used for conventional rubber pneumatic tires can be used. Note that, as the tread portion 30, a member composed of another type of thermoplastic resin that is more wear-resistant than the thermoplastic resin forming the side portion 14 may be used. For the side portion member 31, the same type of rubber as that used for conventional rubber pneumatic tires can be used.

[0039] (RFID tag) An RFID tag 60 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the cord reinforcing layer 28. As shown in FIG. 3, the RFID tag 60 has an RFID chip 62 and an antenna 64 connected to the RFID chip 62 embedded in a thin resin sheet 66, and is deformable in accordance with the deformation of the tire 10 (see FIG. 3(B)). In the present embodiment, the RFID chip 62 is disposed on the tire equatorial plane CL with its longitudinal direction facing the tire circumferential direction, and is covered with the first covering layer 24 and the second covering layer 24B.

[0040] As the resin material of the resin sheet 66, it is preferable to use the same type of resin material as the thermoplastic resin of the cord reinforcing layer 28. The resin sheet 66 of the present embodiment is adhered to the cord reinforcing layer 28 using an adhesive.

[0041] (Function, effect) In the tire 10 of the present embodiment, since the RFID tag 60 is provided on the outer surface of the cord reinforcing layer 28, the electromagnetic wave for communication between the RFID tag 60 and an external RFID reader / writer (not shown) is less likely to be attenuated compared to the case where the RFID tag 60 is provided on the inner surface side of the cord reinforcing layer 28.

[0042] Since the RFID tag 60 is joined to the cord reinforcing layer 28, which is more rigid than the elastomer of the tread portion 30, the RFID tag 60 is less likely to deform compared to the case where it is not joined to the cord reinforcing layer 28, and the mechanical durability of the RFID tag 60 can be improved. Further, the RFID tag 60 is preferably disposed directly below the land portion (thick portion of the elastomer) of the tread portion 30, avoiding the area directly below the groove portion.

[0043] In the tire 10 of the present embodiment, since the resin material of the RFID tag 60 and the resin material of the cord reinforcing layer 28 are of the same type of resin material, the RFID tag 60 and the cord reinforcing layer 28 can be easily adhered with an adhesive.

[0044] In the tire 10 of the present embodiment, since the RFID tag 60 is covered with the first covering layer 24 and the second covering layer 24B, the first covering layer 24 and the second covering layer 24B can buffer the external force from the tread portion 30, and the mechanical durability of the RFID tag 60 can be improved compared to the case where it is not covered with the first covering layer 24 and the second covering layer 24B.

[0045] [Other Embodiments] As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the RFID tag 60 is disposed with its longitudinal direction facing the tire circumferential direction. However, it may be disposed with its longitudinal direction facing a direction inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction, or with its longitudinal direction facing the tire width direction.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the RFID chip 62 and the antenna 64 of the RFID tag 60 are embedded in the resin material. However, the RFID tag 60 may be configured such that the RFID chip 62 and the antenna 64 are embedded in rubber and adhered to the tire skeleton member 17 with an adhesive.

[0048] In the above-described embodiment, the tire skeletal member 17 was formed of a resin material. However, the tire skeletal member 17 may be a tire skeleton (tire case) of a conventional pneumatic tire including a carcass obtained by rubber-coating cords, a rubber inner liner, a rubber bead filler, and the like.

Explanation of Signs

[0049] 10…Tire, 16A…Crown half, 17…Tire skeletal member, 17A…Tire skeletal half, 24…Coating layer, 28…Cord reinforcing layer, 30…Tread portion, 60…RFID tag, 62…RFID chip, 64…Antenna

Claims

1. A tire skeletal member having a bead portion, a side portion, and a crown portion, A cord reinforcing layer having a resin-coated cord and disposed radially outside the tire skeletal member, A tread portion disposed outside the cord reinforcing layer, An RFID tag disposed radially outside the cord reinforcing layer between the cord reinforcing layer and the tread portion, and having an RFID chip and an antenna embedded in a resin material of the same type as the cord reinforcing layer, A tire provided with.

2. The RFID tag is joined to the cord reinforcing layer, The tire according to claim 1.

3. The tire skeletal member is formed of a resin material, The tire according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. A tire skeletal member having a bead portion, a side portion, and a crown portion, A cord reinforcing layer having a resin-coated cord and disposed radially outside the tire skeletal member, A tread portion disposed outside the cord reinforcing layer, An RFID tag disposed radially outside the cord reinforcing layer between the cord reinforcing layer and the tread portion, Comprising, The tire skeletal member, the cord reinforcing layer, and the RFID tag are covered with a coating layer.

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