Tire monitoring system and tire monitoring method

Abstract

To provide a tire monitoring system and a tire monitoring method that are able to improve maintainability by determining a cause of a high temperature state of a tire.SOLUTION: A tire monitoring system 100 includes an information acquisition unit 32, a temperature determination unit 33, and an air pressure determination unit 34. The information acquisition unit 32 acquires measurement data by an air pressure sensor 11 and a temperature sensor 12 provided in a tire 1 mounted on a vehicle. The temperature determination unit 33 determines whether the measurement data of a temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold value, on the basis of the measurement data acquired by the information acquisition unit 32. When the temperature determination unit 33 determines that the temperature is higher than the predetermined threshold value, the air pressure determination unit 34 determines whether the high temperature state in the tire 1 is caused by a vehicle side or a tire side, on the basis of the measurement data of the air pressure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire monitoring system and a tire monitoring method for managing tires mounted on a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Tires mounted on a vehicle are set to an appropriate air pressure, and if the air pressure drops, the tires are filled with air as part of maintenance so that the appropriate air pressure is restored.

[0003] A conventional tire pressure warning system is described in Patent Document 1. This tire pressure warning system is composed of a TPMS sensor transmitter and a TPMS receiver, which are internal pressure acquisition devices that acquire the internal pressure of each tire of a vehicle, and an information terminal device that determines whether a tire is punctured or has naturally decreased in pressure based on changes in the internal pressure of each tire received from the TPMS receiver, and displays a warning according to the malfunction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-76748 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the tire pressure warning system described in Patent Document 1, the air pressure of each tire is compared with a threshold value to determine whether the tire is punctured. The inventors of the present invention considered that there is room for improving the maintainability of the vehicle and tires to resolve the malfunction by monitoring whether the cause of the malfunction in which the tire becomes overheated is due to the tire or the vehicle.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tire monitoring system and a tire monitoring method that can determine the cause of a tire becoming in a high temperature state and improve maintainability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A tire monitoring system of one embodiment of the present invention includes an information acquisition unit that acquires measurement data from an air pressure sensor and a temperature sensor provided on a tire mounted on a vehicle, a temperature determination unit that determines whether the temperature measurement data is higher than a predetermined threshold based on the measurement data acquired by the information acquisition unit, and an air pressure determination unit that, when the temperature determination unit determines that the temperature is higher than the predetermined threshold, determines whether the high temperature condition in the tire is caused by the vehicle side or the tire side based on the air pressure measurement data.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a tire monitoring method, which includes an information acquiring step of acquiring measurement data from an air pressure sensor and a temperature sensor provided in a tire mounted on a vehicle, a temperature determining step of determining whether the temperature measurement data is higher than a predetermined threshold based on the measurement data acquired by the information acquiring step, and an air pressure determining step of determining whether the cause of the high temperature state in the tire is due to the vehicle side or the tire side based on the air pressure measurement data when it is determined in the temperature determining step that the temperature is higher than the predetermined threshold. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, the cause of a high tire temperature can be determined, and maintainability can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a tire monitoring system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the tire monitoring device; FIG. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a process of determining a cause of a high temperature by the tire monitoring system. [Figure 4] 1 is a graph showing an example of tire temperature when a high tire temperature condition occurs. [Diagram 5] 10 is a graph showing an example of tire pressure at which the cause of a high temperature state is determined to be due to the vehicle side; [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a tire monitoring device according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The same or equivalent components and members shown in each drawing are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted as appropriate. The dimensions of the members in each drawing are enlarged or reduced as appropriate for ease of understanding. Some of the members that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted in each drawing.

[0012] (Embodiment) 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a tire monitoring system 100 according to an embodiment. The tire monitoring system 100 includes a sensor 10, a vehicle measurement device 20, a tire monitoring device 30, and a user terminal device 40. The tire monitoring system 100 acquires and monitors measurement data such as the air pressure and temperature of tires 1 measured by sensors 10 disposed on multiple tires 1 mounted on a vehicle 7. The vehicle 7 is, for example, a transport truck or the like whose operation is managed by a transport company or the like. The vehicle 7 is equipped with multiple tires 1.

[0013] The tire monitoring device 30 of the tire monitoring system 100 judges whether the tire temperatures of the multiple tires 1 are in a high temperature state. If the tire monitoring device 30 judges that the tire 1 is in a high temperature state, it judges whether the cause of the high temperature state is due to the vehicle side or the tire side, based on the tire pressure measurement data.

[0014] The tire monitoring device 30 generates alert information including the fact that the tire 1 is in a high temperature state and the result of determining whether the high temperature is due to the vehicle side or the tire side, and notifies the outside. The tire monitoring device 30 notifies the outside by displaying the alert information on a display device that the device itself has. The tire monitoring device 30 also notifies the outside by sending an email or the like containing the alert information to the user.

[0015] The user visually recognizes the alert information displayed on the display device and becomes aware of the alert information. The user also becomes aware of the alert information by receiving an e-mail or the like via the user terminal device 40. The user becomes aware of the alert information notified to the outside by the tire monitoring device 30 and can plan maintenance for the vehicle and tires.

[0016] 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the tire monitoring device 30. The sensor 10 includes an air pressure sensor 11 and a temperature sensor 12 disposed in the tire 1. The air pressure sensor 11 measures the tire air pressure. The temperature sensor 12 measures the tire temperature. The air pressure sensor 11 and the temperature sensor 12 are disposed, for example, in an air valve of the tire 1. The temperature sensor 12 may be disposed directly in the tire 1 to accurately measure the temperature of the tire 1.

[0017] The vehicle measurement device 20 accumulates measurement data of tire pressure and tire temperature measured by the sensor 10, and transmits the measurement data to the tire monitoring device 30 via the communication network 8. The vehicle measurement device 20 transmits the stored measurement data to the tire monitoring device 30, for example, every few minutes to every tens of minutes. The time interval at which the vehicle measurement device 20 transmits the measurement data to the tire monitoring device 30 is not limited to every few minutes to every tens of minutes. The measurement data transmitted from the vehicle measurement device 20 to the tire monitoring device 30 also includes information on the mounting position of each measured tire on the axle arrangement.

[0018] The tire monitoring device 30 has a communication unit 31, an information acquisition unit 32, a temperature determination unit 33, an air pressure determination unit 34, a notification unit 35, a display unit 36, and a memory unit 37. Each unit in the tire monitoring device 30 can be realized in terms of hardware by electronic processing circuits consisting of electronic elements such as a computer CPU, or mechanical parts, and in terms of software by a computer program, but here, functional blocks realized by the cooperation of these are depicted. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by combining hardware and software.

[0019] The communication unit 31 is connected to the communication network 8 by wireless or wired communication, and communicates with the vehicle measurement device 20. The information acquisition unit 32 acquires the measurement data of the tire pressure and tire temperature transmitted by the vehicle measurement device 20 via the communication unit 31. The measurement data acquired by the information acquisition unit 32 is assumed to be associated with the identification information of the vehicle 7. The information acquisition unit 32 stores the acquired measurement data of the tire pressure and tire temperature in the memory unit 37. The information acquisition unit 32 also outputs the acquired tire temperature information to the temperature determination unit 33.

[0020] The storage unit 37 is a storage device configured by, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive), a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc. The storage unit 37 stores vehicle management information 37a, sensor measurement data 37b, and determination result information 37c.

[0021] The vehicle management information 37a is information about a plurality of vehicles 7 managed by, for example, a transportation company, and includes the name of the vehicle 7, the identification information of the vehicle 7 given to each vehicle, axle arrangement information, etc. The axle arrangement information includes information on the mounting position of tires on the axle arrangement.

[0022] The sensor measurement data 37b is measurement data of tire pressure and tire temperature acquired by the information acquisition unit 32 for each vehicle 7 included in the vehicle management information 37a. The sensor measurement data 37b includes information on the date and time when the tire pressure and tire temperature were measured. The judgment result information 37c is generated by the pressure judgment unit 34 and stored in the memory unit 37.

[0023] The temperature determination unit 33 determines whether the tire temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold value Ts based on the measurement data acquired within a predetermined period by the information acquisition unit 32. Normally, the temperature of the tire 1 is affected by the outside air temperature depending on the season, and rises while the vehicle 7 is running. If the temperature on the high-temperature side of the tire 1 in normal operation is about 70°C, for example, when the tire temperature becomes high, such as 80°C or 90°C, there is a possibility that some kind of malfunction has occurred on the vehicle side or the tire side.

[0024] The temperature determination unit 33 sets the threshold value Ts, for example, in the range from 80° C. to 90° C., and determines whether the tire temperature is higher than the normal range. The threshold value Ts set in the temperature determination unit 33 is not limited to the range from 80° C. to 90° C., and may be variable in accordance with seasonal changes in the outside air temperature.

[0025] When the temperature determination unit 33 determines that the tire temperature is higher than the threshold value Ts, it outputs the determination result to the storage unit 37 and stores it as determination result information 37c. The determination result information 37c includes the tire temperature, identification information of the corresponding vehicle 7, information on the mounting position of the tire 1 on the axle arrangement, date and time information, etc. Furthermore, when the temperature determination unit 33 determines that the tire temperature is higher than the threshold value Ts, it outputs the determination result to the air pressure determination unit 34. Even after determining that the tire temperature is higher than the threshold value Ts, the temperature determination unit 33 continues to compare the tire temperature with the threshold value Ts and outputs the determination result to the air pressure determination unit 34 and the notification unit 35.

[0026] When the air pressure determination unit 34 receives a determination result from the temperature determination unit 33, the air pressure determination unit 34 determines whether the air pressure of the tire 1 is greater than a predetermined threshold value Ps. When the air pressure determination unit 34 determines that the air pressure of the tire 1 is greater than the threshold value Ps, the air pressure determination unit 34 determines that the high temperature state of the tire 1 is caused by a mechanical part or the like on the vehicle side. When the air pressure determination unit 34 determines that the air pressure of the tire 1 is equal to or less than the threshold value Ps, the air pressure determination unit 34 determines that the high temperature state of the tire 1 is caused by a decrease in air pressure on the tire side or the like.

[0027] Generally, when the tire pressure drops significantly, the tire rigidity decreases, mechanical vibrations in the tire increase while the vehicle is traveling, and the tire temperature rises. For this reason, when the tire pressure is equal to or lower than the threshold value Ps, the air pressure determination unit 34 determines that the high temperature state of the tire 1 is caused by a drop in air pressure on the tire side, etc.

[0028] When the tire pressure is greater than the threshold value Ps, the air pressure determination unit 34 determines that the high temperature state of the tire 1 is caused by mechanical parts or the like on the vehicle side, not by the tire side. Mechanical parts on the vehicle side include, for example, bearings and brake parts arranged in the hub portion. The tire 1 may become in a high temperature state when heat generated in mechanical parts or the like on the vehicle side, for example, when friction increases, is conducted to the tire side.

[0029] The air pressure determination unit 34 may also read air pressure data for a predetermined period including the time point when the high temperature state occurred in the tire 1 from the sensor measurement data 37b, and determine whether the tire air pressure is higher than the threshold value Ps. The predetermined period is, for example, one week to one month, but is not limited to this range.

[0030] The air pressure determination unit 34 may also calculate the average tire pressure using a known statistical method. The air pressure determination unit 34 may also find a regression line from the distribution of tire pressures during a predetermined period until the high temperature condition occurs in the tire 1, and calculate the tire pressure at the time the high temperature condition occurs in the tire 1.

[0031] The air pressure determination unit 34 outputs the determination result regarding the cause of the high temperature state in the tire 1 to the storage unit 37, and stores it as determination result information 37c in the storage unit 37. The determination result information 37c corresponds to the determination result by the temperature determination unit 33 described above, and includes information indicating whether the cause of the high temperature state in the tire 1 is due to the vehicle side or the tire side.

[0032] The notification unit 35 reads out the determination result information 37c from the storage unit 37, and generates alert information including the tire temperature, the cause of occurrence, the identification information of the corresponding vehicle 7, the mounting position information of the tire 1 on the axle arrangement, the date and time information, etc. The notification unit 35 notifies the generated alert information to the outside.

[0033] The notification unit 35 may output the alert information to the display unit 36 ​​of the tire monitoring device 30, display it on the display unit 36, and notify the user. The display unit 36 ​​includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays the alert information input from the notification unit 35 on the display device.

[0034] The display unit 36 ​​may read out the measurement data of the tire temperature and tire pressure of the vehicle 7 corresponding to the alert information from the sensor measurement data 37b in the storage unit 37, and display it on the display device. The display unit 36 ​​displays the transition of the tire temperature and tire pressure over a predetermined period (several months), for example, on the display device, thereby making the user aware of the changes in the tire temperature and tire pressure.

[0035] The notification unit 35 may generate an e-mail including the generated alert information and send it to an e-mail address owned by the user. The user can receive the e-mail sent by the notification unit 35 and learn the alert information by using an application for sending and receiving e-mails in the tire monitoring device 30 and the user terminal device 40. The user terminal device 40 is an information processing device such as a smartphone or a personal computer.

[0036] When the air pressure determination unit 34 determines that the cause of the high temperature condition in the tire 1 is due to the vehicle side, the notification unit 35 may generate alert information including an instruction to stop the vehicle 7, and notify the driver of the vehicle 7, a user managing the vehicle operation, etc.

[0037] In addition, if the temperature determination unit 33 inputs a determination result that the temperature of tire 1 is lower than threshold value Ts after notifying alert information including an instruction to stop vehicle 7, the notification unit 35 may generate alert information including information indicating that vehicle 7 can resume traveling, and notify the driver of vehicle 7, a user managing vehicle operation, etc.

[0038] Next, the operation of the tire monitoring system 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the process of determining the cause of high temperature by the tire monitoring system 100. Below, an example of performing the determination process corresponding to a vehicle previously selected by the user will be described, but the same process can be performed sequentially for multiple vehicles under operational management. The information acquisition unit 32 of the tire monitoring device 30 acquires measurement data of tire pressure and tire temperature from the vehicle measurement device 20 (S1). The information acquisition unit 32 outputs the acquired measurement data of tire pressure and tire temperature to the memory unit 37 for storage.

[0039] The temperature determination unit 33 reads out the sensor measurement data 37b corresponding to the selected vehicle from the storage unit 37, and determines whether or not the tire temperature of one tire 1 mounted on the vehicle is higher than the threshold value Ts (S2).

[0040] If the result of the determination in step S2 is NO (S2: NO), the temperature determination unit 33 determines whether or not the process has been completed for all tires of the vehicle (S3). If the result of the determination in step S3 is NO (S3: NO), the temperature determination unit 33 selects the next tire (S4) and returns to step S2 to repeat the process.

[0041] If it is determined in step S2 that the tire temperature is higher than the threshold value Ts (S2: YES), the air pressure determination unit 34 reads and acquires tire pressure data from the sensor measurement data 37b from the storage unit 37 (S5). The air pressure determination unit 34 determines whether the tire pressure is higher than the threshold value Ps (S6). If it is determined in step S6 that the tire pressure is not higher than the threshold value Ps (S6: NO), the air pressure determination unit 34 determines that the high temperature state of the tire 1 is caused by the tire side (S7). After step S7, the process proceeds to step S3 to continue the process.

[0042] In step S6, if it is determined that the tire pressure is greater than the threshold value Ps (S6: YES), the tire pressure determination unit 34 determines that the high temperature state of the tire 1 is caused by the vehicle side (S8). After step S8, the process proceeds to step S3 to continue the process.

[0043] If it is determined in step S3 that the processing has been completed for all tires of the vehicle, the air pressure determination unit 34 outputs the determination results of steps S7 and S8 to the memory unit 37 for storage (S9), and ends the processing.

[0044] Fig. 4 is a graph showing an example of tire temperature when a high tire temperature occurs, and Fig. 5 is a graph showing an example of tire pressure when the cause of the high tire temperature is determined to be due to the vehicle. In Figs. 4 and 5, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents tire temperature and tire pressure. In the example shown in Figs. 4 and 5, for example, ten tires 1 are mounted on one truck vehicle, and the tire temperature of two of the ten tires 1 reaches a high tire temperature.

[0045] In Fig. 4, the threshold value Ts for tire temperature is set to 90°C, and the temperatures of tires A1 and A2 exceeded the threshold value Ts on July 30th, becoming in a high temperature state. Meanwhile, the air pressure of tires A1 and A2 is higher than the threshold value Ps (e.g., 830 kPa) (see Fig. 5). In this case, it can be seen that the cause of the high temperature state in tires A1 and A2 is due to the vehicle side.

[0046] The air pressure of tires A1 and A2 increased on July 29th and decreased on July 30th. When the predetermined period for determining the air pressure of tires is set to 11 days from July 22nd to August 1st, it can be seen that the air pressure of tires A1 and A2 on July 30th is generally unchanged from the air pressure on days within the predetermined period other than July 29th. Furthermore, air pressure determination unit 34 may determine whether the tire air pressure data and average value, etc. for the predetermined period of 11 days from July 22nd to August 1st are greater than threshold value Ps.

[0047] 4 and 5, the temperature determination unit 33 of the tire monitoring device 30 determines that the tire 1 is in a high temperature state exceeding the threshold value Ts, and the air pressure determination unit 34 determines that there is no problem on the tire side and that the cause of the high temperature state is on the vehicle side. In the example shown in Fig. 4 and 5, it is found that the tire temperature has actually risen due to heat generated in the brake parts near the tires A1 and A2.

[0048] In the tire monitoring system 100, the information acquisition unit 32 acquires measurement data from the air pressure sensor 11 and the temperature sensor 12 provided on the tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 7, and the temperature determination unit 33 determines whether the temperature measurement data is higher than a predetermined threshold value Ts based on the measurement data. When the temperature determination unit 33 determines that the temperature is higher than the predetermined threshold value Ts, the air pressure determination unit 34 of the tire monitoring system 100 determines whether the cause of the high temperature state in the tire 1 is the vehicle side or the tire side based on the air pressure measurement data. In this way, the tire monitoring system 100 can determine the cause of the high temperature state in the tire 1 and improve the maintainability of the vehicle 7 and the tire 1. Equipped with.

[0049] Furthermore, when the air pressure of the tire 1 is greater than a predetermined threshold value Ps, the air pressure determination unit 34 of the tire monitoring system 100 determines that the cause of the high temperature state in the tire 1 is due to the vehicle side. This enables the tire monitoring system 100 to determine that the cause of the high temperature state in the tire 1 is due to the vehicle side.

[0050] Furthermore, the air pressure determination unit 34 of the tire monitoring system 100 makes a determination based on air pressure data for a predetermined period including the time point when the high temperature state occurred in the tire 1. This enables the tire monitoring system 100 to more accurately determine the cause of the high temperature state of the tire 1 by using the tendency of the time transition of the air pressure within the predetermined period.

[0051] In addition, the notification unit 35 of the tire monitoring system 100 notifies the outside of the result determined by the air pressure determination unit 34. In this way, the tire monitoring system 100 can notify the user or the like of the determination result regarding the cause of the high temperature state in the tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 7.

[0052] Furthermore, when it is determined that the cause of the high temperature state in the tire 1 is due to the vehicle side, the notification unit 35 of the tire monitoring system 100 may generate alert information including an instruction to stop the vehicle 7 and notify the driver of the vehicle 7 or a user managing the vehicle operation. In this way, the tire monitoring system 100 can urge the driver or user not to continue driving the vehicle 7 when a malfunction occurs on the vehicle side. Furthermore, when the vehicle 7 is driving by automatic driving, the vehicle 7 can be controlled to automatically stop by being notified of the instruction to stop.

[0053] In addition, when the temperature determination unit 33 inputs a determination result that the temperature of the tire 1 is lower than the threshold value Ts after notifying the alert information including an instruction to stop the vehicle 7, the notification unit 35 of the tire monitoring system 100 may generate alert information including information indicating that the vehicle 7 can resume traveling, and notify the driver of the vehicle 7 or a user who manages the vehicle operation. In this way, the tire monitoring system 100 can confirm that the abnormal temperature state has been alleviated, and inform the driver or user that the vehicle may be moved for repair or inspection. In addition, when the vehicle 7 is traveling by automatic driving, the vehicle 7 can be controlled to automatically resume traveling and move to a service center or the like by notifying the vehicle 7 of an instruction that the vehicle 7 can resume traveling.

[0054] (Modification) When the temperature determination unit 33 inputs a determination result that the tire 1 is in a high temperature state, the air pressure determination unit 34 may determine whether or not the amount of decrease in air pressure is smaller than a predetermined threshold value Pt. In this case, when the air pressure determination unit 34 determines that the amount of decrease in air pressure is smaller than the threshold value Pt, it determines that the high temperature state of the tire 1 is caused by a mechanical part on the vehicle side or the like. When the air pressure determination unit 34 determines that the amount of decrease in air pressure is equal to or greater than the threshold value Pt, it determines that the high temperature state of the tire 1 is caused by a decrease in air pressure on the tire side or the like. Note that the air pressure determination unit 34 uses an absolute value as the amount of decrease in air pressure.

[0055] The air pressure determination unit 34 reads air pressure data for a predetermined period including the time when the high temperature state occurred in the tire 1 from the sensor measurement data 37b, and determines whether the amount of decrease in the tire air pressure is smaller than the threshold value Pt. The predetermined period is, for example, one week to one month, but is not limited to this range. The air pressure determination unit 34 calculates the average tire air pressure for the period before the high temperature state occurred in the tire 1, and calculates the amount of decrease in the tire air pressure at the time when the high temperature state occurred in the tire 1.

[0056] The air pressure determination unit 34 may also calculate the amount of decrease in tire pressure using a known statistical method. For example, the air pressure determination unit 34 may obtain a regression line from the distribution of tire pressure in a period before the high temperature state occurs in the tire 1, and calculate the amount of decrease in tire pressure at the time when the high temperature state occurs in the tire 1.

[0057] 5, the amount of decrease in air pressure of tires A1 and A2 is smaller than a threshold value Pt (e.g., 100 kPa), and it can be seen that the cause of the high temperature state in tires A1 and A2 is due to a vehicle-side cause. The tire monitoring system 100 can determine whether the cause of the high temperature state in tire 1 is due to a vehicle-side cause or a tire-side cause by determining whether the amount of decrease in air pressure is smaller than a predetermined threshold value Pt.

[0058] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a tire monitoring device according to a modified example. The tire monitoring device 30 according to the modified example shown in FIG. 6 has a temperature tendency comparison unit 38, and when only one tire 1 among a plurality of tires 1 mounted on a vehicle 7 is in a high temperature state, it determines whether the cause of the high temperature state is due to the vehicle side or the tire side. The tire monitoring device 30 according to the modified example regards one tire among a plurality of tires 1 mounted on a vehicle 7 as a "first tire 1" and the other tires as a "second tire 1", and treats the first tire 1 as having a first air pressure sensor 11 and a first temperature sensor 12 attached thereto, and the second tire 1 as having a second air pressure sensor 11 and a second temperature sensor 12 attached thereto. Here, there are a plurality of second tires 1, and the second air pressure sensor 11 and the second temperature sensor 12 are provided for each second tire 1, and each second tire 1 is composed of a plurality of air pressure sensors 11 and temperature sensors 12.

[0059] The information acquisition unit 32 acquires measurement data from the first air pressure sensor 11, the second air pressure sensor 11, the first temperature sensor 12, and the second temperature sensor 12. The temperature determination unit 33 determines whether the temperature measurement data measured by the first temperature sensor 12 and the second temperature sensor 12 is higher than a predetermined threshold value Ts. The temperature trend comparison unit 38 compares the trends of the tire temperatures (or the trends of changes in the tire temperatures) measured by the first temperature sensor 12 and the second temperature sensor 12 when the temperature determination unit 33 determines that the temperature of the first temperature sensor 12 is higher than the predetermined threshold value Ts.

[0060] The temperature trend comparison unit 38 determines, for example, whether the tire temperature of each tire 1 is tending to rise or fall, and judges whether the trend of the tire temperature measured by the first temperature sensor 12 matches or differs from the trend of the tire temperature measured by the second temperature sensor 12. The temperature trend comparison unit 38 may use multiple thresholds to determine the rising or falling trend of the tire temperature in multiple stages according to the amount of change in temperature.

[0061] When the temperature trend comparison unit 38 determines that the temperature trends of the first temperature sensor 12 and the second temperature sensor 12 are different, the air pressure determination unit 34 determines whether the cause of the high temperature state in the first tire 1 is due to the vehicle side or the tire side, based on the tire pressure measurement data. The air pressure determination unit 34 may make the determination using a method similar to that of the above-mentioned embodiment and modified example. When only one tire 1 is in a high temperature state, the tire monitoring system 100 can determine the cause of the high temperature state of the tire 1 while identifying that the high temperature state is locally occurring on the axle of the vehicle 7 by determining whether the cause of the high temperature state is due to the vehicle side or the tire side.

[0062] The first tire 1 is one of the multiple tires 1 mounted on the vehicle 7 that is selected in sequence, and the sensors attached to the selected first tire are treated as the first air pressure sensor 11 and the first temperature sensor 12. The second tire 1 is multiple tires 1 other than the selected first tire 1, and the sensors attached to these tires 1 are treated as the second air pressure sensor 11 and the second temperature sensor 12. The temperature determination unit 33, the temperature trend comparison unit 38, and the air pressure determination unit 34 may perform calculations and determinations based on the tire air pressures and tire temperatures of the first tire 1 and the multiple second tires 1 that are selected in sequence.

[0063] The temperature determination unit 33 may read out the sensor measurement data 37b acquired for the plurality of tires 1 mounted on the vehicle 7 from the storage unit 37, and when it is determined that the temperature of one of the tires 1 exceeds the threshold value Ts and is in a high temperature state, may specify the tire 1 as the first tire 1. The temperature trend comparison unit 38 may obtain and compare the tire temperature trend of the first tire 1 specified by the temperature determination unit 33 with the tire temperature trend of a second tire 1 other than the first tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 7. When the temperature trend comparison unit 38 determines that the temperature trends of the first temperature sensor 12 and the second temperature sensor 12 are different, the air pressure determination unit 34 may determine whether the cause of the high temperature state in the first tire 1 is the vehicle side or the tire side based on the tire air pressure measurement data.

[0064] In the above-described embodiment and variant examples, the threshold value Ts, threshold value Ps, threshold value Pt, and the specified period are exemplified, but the threshold values ​​and the specified period are not limited to these, and the numerical values ​​may be set based on past cases in which tire 1 was in a high temperature state or a detailed design analysis of tire 1.

[0065] The transportation business operator is not limited to a business that operates and manages trucks for transportation, but also includes, for example, a taxi business operator, etc. Furthermore, the vehicle 7 is not limited to a truck vehicle or a taxi vehicle, but also includes a rental vehicle provided by a rental business operator, a shared vehicle provided by a vehicle sharing business operator, a private car purchased by an ordinary household, etc.

[0066] The above description is based on the embodiments of the present invention. These embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims of the present invention, and that such modifications and changes 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.

[0067] When the technical ideas embodied in the above-described embodiments and modified examples are generalized, it can be said that the technical ideas described in the following items are included.

[0068] The first item is a tire monitoring system that includes an information acquisition unit that acquires measurement data from an air pressure sensor and a temperature sensor provided in a tire mounted on a vehicle, a temperature determination unit that determines whether the temperature measurement data is higher than a predetermined threshold based on the measurement data acquired by the information acquisition unit, and an air pressure determination unit that, when the temperature determination unit determines that the temperature is higher than the predetermined threshold, determines whether the cause of the high temperature condition in the tire is due to the vehicle side or the tire side based on the air pressure measurement data.

[0069] A second item is a tire monitoring system according to the first item, wherein the air pressure determination unit determines that the cause of the high temperature condition in the tire is due to the vehicle side when the air pressure is higher than a predetermined threshold value.

[0070] A third item is a tire monitoring system described in any one of items 1 to 2, wherein the air pressure determination unit makes a determination based on air pressure data for a predetermined period including the time when a high temperature condition occurs in the tire.

[0071] A fourth item is the tire monitoring system according to any one of the first to third items, further comprising a notification unit that notifies an outside of a result determined by the air pressure determination unit.

[0072] Item 5 is a tire monitoring system as described in item 4, in which the notification unit issues an instruction to stop the vehicle when the air pressure determination unit determines that the cause of the high temperature condition in the tire is due to the vehicle side.

[0073] Item 6 is a tire monitoring system described in item 5, in which the notification unit notifies that the vehicle can resume traveling if the temperature determination unit determines that the tire temperature is lower than the threshold value after notifying the vehicle of the stopping instruction.

[0074] The seventh item is a tire monitoring method including an information acquisition step of acquiring measurement data by an air pressure sensor and a temperature sensor provided in a tire mounted on a vehicle, a temperature determination step of determining whether the temperature measurement data is higher than a predetermined threshold based on the measurement data acquired by the information acquisition step, and an air pressure determination step of determining whether the cause of the high temperature condition in the tire is due to the vehicle side or the tire side based on the air pressure measurement data if the temperature determination step determines that the temperature is higher than the predetermined threshold.

[0075] The eighth item is a tire pressure monitoring system including a first air pressure sensor and a first temperature sensor provided on a first tire of a plurality of tires mounted on a vehicle, and a second air pressure sensor and a second temperature sensor provided on a second tire other than the first tire, an information acquisition unit that acquires measurement data from the first air pressure sensor, the second temperature sensor, the second air pressure sensor, and the second temperature sensor, a temperature determination unit that determines whether the temperature measurement data is higher than a predetermined threshold based on the measurement data acquired by the information acquisition unit, a temperature trend comparison unit that compares the temperature trends of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor when the temperature determination unit determines that the temperature trends of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor are different, and an air pressure determination unit that determines whether the cause of a high temperature condition in the tire is due to the vehicle side or the tire side based on the air pressure measurement data when the temperature trend comparison unit determines that the temperature trends of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor are different. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1 tire, 7 vehicle, 11 air pressure sensor, 12 temperature sensor, 32 information acquisition unit, 33 temperature determination unit, 34 air pressure determination unit, 35 notification unit, 100 Tire Monitoring System.

Claims

1. an information acquisition unit that acquires measurement data from an air pressure sensor and a temperature sensor provided in a tire mounted on a vehicle; a temperature determination unit that determines whether or not the temperature measurement data is higher than a predetermined threshold based on the measurement data acquired by the information acquisition unit; an air pressure determination unit that, when the temperature determination unit determines that the temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold value, determines whether the cause of the high temperature state in the tire is a vehicle side or a tire side based on air pressure measurement data; A tire monitoring system comprising:

2. 2. The tire monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the air pressure determining unit determines that the cause of the high temperature state in the tire is due to a vehicle side when the air pressure is higher than a predetermined threshold value.

3. 2. The tire monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the air pressure determining unit makes the determination based on air pressure data for a predetermined period including a time point when a high temperature condition occurs in the tire.

4. The tire monitoring system according to claim 1 , further comprising a notification unit that notifies an external device of the result determined by the air pressure determination unit.

5. 5. The tire monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein the notification unit issues an instruction to stop the vehicle when the air pressure determination unit determines that the high temperature state in the tire is caused by a vehicle-related factor.

6. The tire monitoring system according to claim 5 , wherein the notification unit notifies the driver that the vehicle can resume traveling if the temperature determination unit determines that the tire temperature is lower than the threshold value after the notification of the stop instruction.

7. an information acquisition step of acquiring measurement data from an air pressure sensor and a temperature sensor provided in a tire mounted on a vehicle; a temperature determination step of determining whether or not the temperature measurement data is higher than a predetermined threshold value based on the measurement data acquired by the information acquisition step; an air pressure determination step of determining whether the cause of the high temperature state in the tire is the vehicle side or the tire side based on the air pressure measurement data when the temperature determination step determines that the temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold value; A tire monitoring method comprising:

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