JP7779822B2 - Rotation support methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rotation assistance method that assists in the rotation of tires mounted on a vehicle.

Tyres generally wear depending on driving conditions and distance traveled, and wear can be uneven depending on the axle position on which the tire is mounted. Tyres are maintained by rotating them, either within a vehicle or between vehicles, to prevent uneven wear and extend their lifespan.

Patent Document 1 describes a conventional tire management system. This tire management system includes a tire information acquisition unit, a sensor information acquisition unit, and a management unit. The tire information acquisition unit acquires identification information of tires mounted on vehicles. The sensor information acquisition unit acquires identification information of sensors mounted on tires. The management unit associates and stores the tire identification information acquired by the tire information acquisition unit with the sensor identification information acquired by the sensor information acquisition unit.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-075243

The tire management system described in Patent Document 1 manages tire identification information in association with sensor identification information. The inventors believed that by easily simulating tire movement between vehicle axle positions, they could improve conventional tire rotation procedures, thereby reducing errors in tire movement during actual tire rotation and increasing work efficiency. Furthermore, the inventors believed that providing tire rotation information as data could reduce the effort required for managing tire axle positions in a tire wear estimation system that takes into account the axle positions of tires on a vehicle.

The present invention was made in light of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a rotation assistance method that can reduce errors in moving tires during tire rotation and improve work efficiency.

A rotation assistance method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a graphic placement processing step of placing, on a display screen, a tire graphic representing a tire at the vehicle axle position and a graphic representing a temporary tire placement location; an operation reception step of receiving a user's operation to move the tire graphic placed by the graphic placement processing step; and a graphic movement processing step of moving the tire graphic at the axle position and the temporary tire placement location based on the operation received by the operation reception step.

This invention reduces errors in moving tires during tire rotation and improves work efficiency.

1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a rotation support device according to an embodiment; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display screen by a graphic placement processing unit. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for tire rotation processing by the rotation assist device. 4(a) and 4(b) are schematic diagrams showing an example of tire rotation on the display screen. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of tire rotation between two vehicles on a display screen. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which information indicating the orientation of a tire wheel is added to a display screen. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which information indicating the remaining tread depth of a tire tread is added to a display screen. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a tire wear amount estimation system including a rotation support device.

The present invention will now be described based on a preferred embodiment with reference to Figures 1 to 8. Identical or equivalent components and parts shown in each drawing will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted where appropriate. The dimensions of the parts in each drawing will be enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Some parts that are not important for explaining the embodiment will also be omitted from the drawings.

(Embodiment)
1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a rotation assistance device 100 according to an embodiment. Rotation assistance device 100 includes an operation unit 10, a display unit 15, a storage unit 20, and a control unit 30, and displays images relating to the placement and movement of tires during tire rotation work, providing an environment for the worker to perform tire movement operations on the display screen.

The various components of the rotation support device 100 can be realized in hardware terms using electronic elements and mechanical parts, including a computer CPU, and in software terms using computer programs, but the functional blocks shown here are those realized by the cooperation of these components. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms using a combination of hardware and software.

The operation unit 10 is an operable input device such as a touch panel, switch, keyboard, or mouse. By operating the operation unit 10, the worker moves a graphic representing a tire (hereinafter referred to as the tire graphic) displayed on the display unit 15, simulating tire rotation.

The display unit 15 is a display device such as an LCD display, and displays on the screen a graphic representing the axle position, a tire graphic, and a graphic representing a temporary placement location where the tire to be moved will be removed from the axle position. The worker moves the tire graphic while looking at the screen display on the display unit 15.

The memory unit 20 is a storage device configured, for example, with an SSD (Solid State Drive), hard disk, CD-ROM, DVD, etc. The memory unit 20 stores computer programs executed by the control unit 30, information regarding the vehicle's axle positions, and tire axle position information 20a that associates the axle positions after rotation with tire identification information. Information regarding the vehicle's axle positions is determined according to, for example, the vehicle name and vehicle model, and may be stored in the memory unit 20, or may be obtained from a server device (not shown) during the rotation process and temporarily stored in the memory unit 20.

The control unit 30 includes a graphic placement processing unit 31, an operation reception unit 32, a graphic movement processing unit 33, and a tire position management unit 34. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display screen by the graphic placement processing unit 31. The graphic placement processing unit 31 places, on the display screen, information about the axle position, a tire graphic representing the tire mounted at the axle position, and a graphic of the temporary placement location.

As shown in FIG. 2, the graphic placement processor 31 represents axle position A1 with a line segment positioned on the front wheel side of the vehicle, and axle positions A2 and A3 with line segments positioned on the rear wheel side of the vehicle. The graphic placement processor 31 places tire figures B11 and B12 on the left and right of axle position A1. The graphic placement processor 31 places tire figures B21, B22, B23, and B24 on the left and right of axle position A2. The graphic placement processor 31 places tire figures B31, B32, B33, and B34 on the left and right of axle position A3. Each tire figure is assigned a symbol, such as B11, and by moving the tire figure while keeping the symbol attached, it is easier for the operator to understand where the tire has been moved. The graphic placement processor 31 also places figures C1 and C2 as temporary tire placement locations.

The graphic placement processing unit 31 may place tire graphics including information indicating the orientation of the tire wheels and a method for indicating the remaining amount of tire tread. The graphic placement processing unit 31 may also place at least two or more vehicles on the display screen, with the axle positions and tire graphics of each vehicle placed on the display screen.

The operation reception unit 32 receives operation input from the operator via the operation unit 10. The operation reception unit 32 receives an operation to move a tire graphic located at an axle position on the display screen to the position of a graphic at a temporary placement location. The operation reception unit 32 also receives an operation to move a tire graphic located at an axle position on the display screen to another axle position where no tire graphic is located, and an operation to move a tire graphic located at a temporary placement location to an axle position where no tire graphic is located.

The operation reception unit 32 may or may not accept an operation to move a tire graphic located at an axle position on the display screen so that it overlaps with a tire graphic located at another axle position.

The figure movement processing unit 33 reflects the operator's operations received by the operation receiving unit 32 on the display screen. For example, when the operator performs an operation to move tire figure B12 on the display screen to a figure at a temporary placement location, the figure movement processing unit 33 moves tire figure B12 to the temporary placement location. The figure movement processing unit 33 moves a tire figure located at an axle position on the display screen to another axle position where no tire figure is located. The figure movement processing unit 33 moves a tire figure located at a temporary placement location on the display screen to an axle position where no tire figure is located. The figure movement processing unit 33 moves the tire figures at the axle positions and temporary placement locations of each vehicle for at least two or more vehicles.

The graphic movement processing unit 33 may have the function of storing operations performed during a simulated tire rotation on the display screen in the memory unit 20 and replaying the operator's operations from the beginning. The tire graphic movement replayed by the graphic movement processing unit 33 can be checked by another operator or vehicle user, or can be replayed and checked when performing actual tire rotation on the vehicle.

The graphic movement processing unit 33 may also store the display screen after tire rotation as image data in the storage unit 20. The image data from the graphic movement processing unit 33 can be stored as a record of multiple tire rotations performed on the vehicle over time.

The tire position management unit 34 acquires the tire identification information corresponding to each tire figure, associates the axle position after the tire rotation (including information about the left and right axles) with the tire identification information, and stores the information in the memory unit 20 as tire axle position information 20a. The tire position management unit 34 may also read the tire axle position information 20a stored after the previous tire rotation from the memory unit 20 to acquire the tire identification information corresponding to each tire figure.

If there is no tire axle position information 20a after the previous tire rotation, the tire position management unit 34 may obtain tire axle position information stored in a server device, or may obtain tire axle position information by having the worker input tire identification information.

Next, the operation of the rotation support device 100 will be described. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure for tire rotation processing by the rotation support device 100. The graphic placement processing unit 31 of the rotation support device 100 places the axle position, tire graphic, and temporary placement location graphic corresponding to the vehicle on the display screen (S1). The graphic placement processing unit 31 displays information indicating the tire wheel orientation and information indicating the remaining tread depth of the tire tread as additional information for the tire graphic (S2).

The operation reception unit 32 determines whether the end button has been pressed (S3), and if it determines that the end button has been pressed (S3: YES), it terminates the processing. If the operation reception unit 32 determines that the end button has not been pressed (S3: NO), it proceeds to the next step S4. The end button is located, for example, on the display screen, and the worker presses the end button on the display screen.

The operation reception unit 32 receives the operator's operation input regarding the movement of the tire graphic (S4). The graphic movement processing unit 33 moves the tire graphic at the axle position and temporary placement location in accordance with the operator's operation received by the operation reception unit 32, reflects the operator's operation on the display screen (S5), and returns to step S3.

The rotation assistance device 100 receives operator input regarding the movement of the tire graphic via the operation reception unit 32, and by moving the tire graphic at the axle position and temporary storage location, it can simulate tire rotation in a visually easy-to-understand manner and assist with tire rotation work. By simulating tire rotation in a way that is easy for operators to understand, the rotation assistance device 100 can reduce operational errors during actual tire rotation work, reduce unnecessary tire removal and installation, and improve work efficiency.

Figures 4(a) and 4(b) are schematic diagrams showing an example of tire rotation on the display screen. In this example, as shown in Figure 4(a), tire figure B12 is moved to temporary placement location figure C1, tire figure B23 at axle position A2 is moved to axle position A1, and tire figure B12 that was at temporary placement location figure C1 is moved to axle position A2. The display screen in Figure 4(b) shows the arrangement of the tire figures after tire rotation.

For example, a worker can affix a sticker bearing the code B11 or similar to a tire mounted on an actual vehicle and then perform tire rotation. By comparing the code affixed to the tire image on the display screen in Figure 4(b), which shows the results of a simulated tire rotation performed by the rotation assistance device 100, with the code on the sticker affixed to the tire after the tire rotation, work errors can be reduced.

In addition, the rotation assistance device 100 can reduce errors in tire rotation by performing actual tire rotation work while replaying and checking the movement of the tire figure using the figure movement processing unit 33.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of tire rotation between two vehicles on the display screen. In the example shown in Figure 5, tire figure B12 at axle position A1 is moved to temporary placement location figure C1, and tire figure E22 at axle position D2 is moved to axle position A1. The rotation assistance device 100 can simulate tire rotation between two vehicles in a visually easy-to-understand manner and assist with tire rotation work.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which information indicating the orientation of a tire wheel is added to the display screen. In Figure 6, the orientation of the tire wheel is indicated by adding a tire wheel-like graphic H12 to a tire graphic B12, etc. Furthermore, on the display screen, the tire wheel-like graphic H12 moves together with the tire graphic B12.

By adding information indicating the orientation of the tire wheel to the tire diagram, the rotation assistance device 100 allows the worker to easily understand in which direction the tire should be attached to the axle position during tire rotation.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of adding information indicating the remaining tread depth to a display screen. In Figure 7, the numerical value of the remaining tread depth is added to each tire figure, allowing the operator to easily understand the remaining tread depth. Furthermore, on the display screen, the numerical value of the remaining tread depth moves along with the tire figure.

In the example shown in Figure 7, tire wear at axle position A1 is light and tire wear at axle position A3 is heavy, making it easier to create a rotation plan that moves the tire at axle position A1 to axle position A3 and the tire at axle position A3 to axle position A1. By adding information indicating the remaining tread depth to the tire diagram, the rotation assistance device 100 can provide the worker with information on the remaining tread depth and assist in creating a tire rotation plan.

In the example shown in Figure 7, information about uneven tire wear is displayed on the display screen by showing the remaining tread depth of the tire tread. Also, as shown in Figure 7, the remaining tread depth value is displayed by enclosing it in a rectangular shape for tire figures B11 and B12, which have greater uneven wear than the other tires. By adding a shape to the tire figure indicating that the uneven wear is greater than the other tires, the rotation assistance device 100 can assist the worker in creating a tire rotation plan.

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a tire wear estimation system 110 that includes a rotation support device 100. The tire wear estimation system 110 includes a tire wear estimation device 102, and estimates tire wear based on vehicle information from the vehicle and tire axis position information 20a from the rotation support device 100.

Vehicle information includes, for example, information about the vehicle's specifications and information about the vehicle's driving conditions. Vehicle specifications include information such as the vehicle's weight, axle position, and drive wheels. Vehicle driving conditions information includes information about the vehicle's mileage, speed, and acceleration, as well as tire temperature and tire pressure measured by sensors installed in the tires.

The tire wear estimation device 102 has a learning-type calculation model that inputs vehicle information to estimate tire wear. The calculation model is trained based on tire wear measurements during actual vehicle driving, and tire wear is estimated using the trained calculation model. When tires on the vehicle are rotated, the tire wear estimation device 102 obtains tire axle position information 20a from the rotation assistance device 100 and changes the axle position of each tire in the calculation model.

The tire wear estimation system 110 can reliably reflect tire rotation in tire wear estimation by having the tire wear estimation device 102 acquire tire axis position information 20a from the rotation assistance device 100.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the worker operates the tire figure on the display screen to move it, but the rotation assistance device 100 may also move the tire figure in accordance with predetermined rotation rules and present the rotation plan to the worker.

Tire rotation rules include moving tires with greater uneven wear to the axle position of other tires with less uneven wear, and switching the left and right positions when changing the axle position. The rotation assistance device 100 stores these rotation rules in the memory unit 20.

The graphic movement processing unit 33 calculates the degree of uneven wear for each tire based on information about the remaining tread depth of the tire grooves, and automatically moves the tire graphic on the display screen based on the rotation rules read from the memory unit 20, presenting this to the worker. By presenting the movement of the tire graphic based on the rotation rules, the rotation support device 100 can make it easier for the worker to create a rotation plan.

The rotation assistance device 100 may have a mode for use in tire rotation and a mode for use in tire replacement. The functions in the mode for use in tire rotation are as described above. The mode for use in tire replacement is provided with the functions of removing tire figures and displaying tire figures for new tires. In the mode for use in tire replacement, for example, when the operation reception unit 32 receives the selection of a tire figure placed at an axle position, the figure movement processing unit 33 removes the tire figure from the axle position, erases the display of the tire figure, and places the axle position in a state where no tire is installed (with only the frame displayed). Also, in the mode for use in tire replacement, when the operation reception unit 32 receives the selection of an axle position where no tire is installed, the figure movement processing unit 33 displays a list of new tires. When the operation reception unit 32 receives the selection of a new tire from the list of new tires, the figure movement processing unit 33 places the tire figure for the selected new tire at the axle position.

When the tire graphic corresponding to a tire is moved to the post-rotation axle position, the rotation assistance device 100 may display the tire life at the post-rotation axle position. The tire life may be displayed as the predicted drivable distance if tire rotation was not performed, the predicted drivable distance after tire rotation, or the rate of increase in predicted drivable distance after tire rotation. For example, the degree of wear progression of the original tire at the post-rotation axle position (such as the ratio of mileage to wear amount) may be calculated in advance, and the tire life may be calculated based on the calculated degree of wear progression relative to the current amount of wear of the tire placed at that axle position after rotation.

Next, features of the rotation support method according to the embodiment and the modified example will be described.
The rotation support method includes a graphic placement processing step, an operation reception step, and a graphic movement processing step. The graphic placement processing step places, on the display screen, a tire graphic representing a tire at the vehicle axle position and a graphic representing a temporary tire placement location. The operation reception step receives a user operation to move the tire graphic placed in the graphic placement processing step. The graphic movement processing step moves the tire graphic at the axle position and the temporary placement location based on the operation received in the operation reception step. This rotation support method can reduce errors in moving tires during tire rotation and improve work efficiency.

The graphic placement processing step also displays information indicating the orientation of the tire wheel. This rotation assistance method allows the worker to easily understand in what orientation the tire can be attached to the axle position when rotating the tire.

The graphic placement processing step also displays information indicating the remaining tread depth of the tire tread. This rotation support method provides the worker with information on the remaining tread depth, thereby assisting in the development of a tire rotation plan.

The graphic placement processing step displays tire graphics for at least two or more vehicles on the display screen, and the operation reception step receives user operations to move the tire graphics between at least two or more vehicles placed by the graphic placement processing step. This rotation support method makes it possible to simulate tire rotation between at least two or more vehicles in a visually easy-to-understand manner, thereby supporting tire rotation operations.

The rotation support method also stores the tire identification information corresponding to the tire figure moved in the figure movement processing step, in association with the axle position after the movement. This rotation support method makes it possible to provide the tire identification information and information on the axle position after the movement to the tire wear estimation system 110, etc.

Furthermore, when the graphic movement processing step receives the selection of a tire graphic placed at an axle position, the tire graphic is removed from the axle position, resulting in an unmounted tire. The graphic movement processing step displays a list of new tires based on the selection of an axle position where a tire is not mounted, and when the selection of a new tire is received, the tire graphic for the selected new tire is placed at the axle position. This rotation support method can simulate not only tire rotation but also tire replacement.

The above describes the present invention based on embodiments. These embodiments are illustrative, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the claims of the present invention, and that such modifications and variations are also within the scope of the claims of the present invention. Therefore, the descriptions and drawings in this specification should be treated as illustrative rather than restrictive.

31 graphic placement processing unit, 32 operation reception unit, 33 graphic movement processing unit,
34 Tire position management unit, 100 Rotation support device.

Claims (8)

a graphic layout processing step of arranging, on the display screen, a tire graphic representing the tire at the axle position of the vehicle and a graphic representing a temporary tire placement location;
an operation receiving step of receiving a user's operation to move the tire graphic placed in the graphic placement processing step;
a graphic movement processing step of moving the tire graphic at the axle position and the temporary placement location based on the operation received in the operation receiving step;
A rotation support method comprising: The rotation support method described in claim 1, characterized in that the graphic placement processing step displays information indicating the orientation of the tire wheel. The rotation support method described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the graphic placement processing step displays information indicating the remaining tread depth of the tire tread. 4. The rotation support method according to claim 3, wherein the graphic layout processing step displays a graphic indicating that one tire has greater uneven wear than the other tires. the graphic layout processing step displays the tire graphics of at least two or more vehicles on a display screen;
3. The rotation support method according to claim 1, wherein the operation accepting step accepts a user operation to move the tire graphic between at least two or more vehicles arranged by the graphic arrangement processing step. The rotation support method described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the tire identification information corresponding to the tire figure moved by the figure movement processing step is stored in association with the axle position after the movement. 3. The rotation support method according to claim 1, wherein the figure movement processing step reproduces the operation accepted by the operation acceptance step. The rotation support method described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the graphic movement processing step, when accepting selection of the tire graphic placed at an axle position, removes the tire graphic from the axle position, setting the axle to a tire-free state; displays a list of new tires based on the selection of an axle position with no tire; and, when accepting selection of a new tire, places the tire graphic for the selected new tire at the axle position.