Tire maintenance support device and tire maintenance support method

Abstract

To provide a tire maintenance support device and a tire maintenance support method capable of presenting an efficient maintenance plan on the basis of an estimated tire replacement time.SOLUTION: A tire maintenance support device 100 includes a tire information acquisition part 31, a replacement time calculation part 32 and a maintenance plan generation part 33. The tire information acquisition part 31 acquires prediction data of the residual groove amount of each tire attached to one vehicle. The replacement time calculation part 32 calculates a replacement time of each time from the prediction data of the residual groove amount acquired by the tire information acquisition part 31. The maintenance plan generation part 33 generates a tire maintenance plan obtained by changing a replacement time about at least one tire among the tires according to a tire replacement time having the earliest replacement time calculated by the replacement time calculation part 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire maintenance assistance device and a tire maintenance assistance method for assisting in the maintenance of tires mounted on a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, tires wear depending on the driving conditions and distance traveled, and the amount of wear also varies depending on the axle position on which the tire is mounted. When the remaining tread depth, which is the depth of the grooves in the tire, falls below a specified amount, maintenance such as tire replacement is required.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a conventional tire maintenance support device. This tire maintenance support device includes a tire information acquisition unit, a replacement time calculation unit, and a replacement number calculation unit. The tire information acquisition unit acquires predicted data on the remaining tread depth of tires mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles under operational management. The replacement time calculation unit calculates the replacement time for each tire from the predicted data on the remaining tread depth acquired by the tire information acquisition unit. The replacement number calculation unit tallys up the replacement times calculated by the replacement time calculation unit for each period on a time axis and calculates the number of tire replacements for each period. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-40784 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The tire maintenance support device described in Patent Document 1 calculates tire replacement times for multiple vehicles based on the remaining tread depth, and by tallying the number of tires to be replaced for each period, it is possible to improve the efficiency of maintenance planning. However, if maintenance work is performed on each tire at the calculated tire replacement times, there are problems such as a decrease in vehicle operating rate and frequent tire maintenance, which reduces the efficiency of maintenance work.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a tire maintenance support device and a tire maintenance support method that can present an efficient maintenance plan based on an estimated tire replacement time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A tire maintenance support device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a tire information acquisition unit that acquires predicted data on the remaining tread depth of each tire mounted on a vehicle, a replacement timing calculation unit that calculates the replacement timing of each tire from the predicted data on the remaining tread depth acquired by the tire information acquisition unit, and a maintenance plan generation unit that generates a tire maintenance plan in which the replacement timing of at least one of the other tires is changed to match the replacement timing of the tire whose replacement timing is earliest calculated by the replacement timing calculation unit.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a tire maintenance support method, which includes a tire information acquisition step of acquiring predicted data on remaining tread depth for each tire mounted on a vehicle, a replacement timing calculation step of calculating replacement times for each tire from the predicted data on remaining tread depth acquired in the tire information acquisition step, and a maintenance plan generation step of generating a tire maintenance plan in which the replacement timing of at least one tire among the other tires is changed to coincide with the replacement timing of the tire whose replacement timing is earliest calculated in the replacement timing calculation step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, an efficient maintenance plan can be presented based on the estimated tire replacement timing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a tire maintenance support system including a tire maintenance support device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the tire management server device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining wear amount estimation and machine learning of a computation model. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the tire maintenance support device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for displaying a tire maintenance plan by the tire maintenance assistance device. [Figure 6] 10 is a table showing an example of tire replacement timing calculated by a replacement timing calculation unit. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a tire maintenance schedule generated by a maintenance schedule generating unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to Figures 1 to 7. The same or equivalent components and members shown in each drawing are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted where appropriate. The dimensions of the members in each drawing are enlarged or reduced as appropriate for ease of understanding. Some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments will be omitted from the drawings.

[0012] (Embodiment) 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a tire maintenance support system 110 including a tire maintenance support device 100 according to an embodiment. The tire maintenance support system 110 includes a tire wear measurement device 60, an on-board measurement device 70, a tire management server device 80, and the tire maintenance support device 100. The tire maintenance support device 100 acquires remaining tire tread depth data for tires 7 mounted on multiple vehicles under operational management from the tire management server device 80. The tire maintenance support device 100 generates a tire maintenance plan for tire replacement based on the remaining tire tread depth data acquired from the tire management server device 80 and presents the plan to a user.

[0013] The tires 7 are mounted on a plurality of vehicles, such as transport trucks, whose operation is managed by a transport company or the like. The user can obtain the tire maintenance plan presented by the tire maintenance support device 100 for the plurality of tires 7 mounted on each vehicle. The tire maintenance plan is data indicating the replacement timing of the tires 7 from the present time after a predetermined period (for example, six months later). The tire maintenance plan presented by the tire maintenance support device 100 may be for one vehicle, or may be for a plurality of vehicles whose operation is managed.

[0014] The tire wear measurement device 60 directly measures the depth of the grooves in the tread of the tire 7 multiple times over a predetermined period (several months to several years) to obtain the remaining groove depth of the tire 7. The tire wear measurement device 60 transmits the measured remaining groove depth data of the tire 7 to the tire management server device 80 via the communication network 9. A tire maintenance worker may measure the depth of each groove using a measuring tool, a camera, or visually, and the tire wear measurement device 60 may store the measurement data entered by the worker. Alternatively, the tire wear measurement device 60 may be a dedicated device that measures groove depth using a mechanical or optical method and stores the remaining groove depth.

[0015] Specifically, for example, if a tire has four grooves, the tire wear measurement device 60 measures the depth at four locations in the width direction and then measures the depth at three locations in the circumferential direction of the same groove, for example, at 120° intervals. This allows data on uneven wear in the width direction or circumferential direction of the tire to be stored in the tire wear measurement device 60. Note that, because tire diameter changes with wear, the tire wear measurement device 60 may indirectly measure groove depth by calculation based on information on the mileage and tire rotation speed and velocity. In addition, a device that directly measures groove depth may be used in combination with a device that predicts groove depth by calculation based on the mileage and tire rotation speed and velocity.

[0016] The on-vehicle measuring device 70 is mounted on a vehicle and has a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, etc., attached to the tire 7 to measure the air pressure, temperature, etc. of the tire 7. The temperature sensor and pressure sensor are disposed on the air valve, etc., of the tire 7 attached to the vehicle, or are firmly wrapped around and fixed to the wheel with a belt, etc. The temperature sensor may also be disposed on the inner liner, etc., of the tire 7. The on-vehicle measuring device 70 transmits data such as the air pressure and temperature of the tire 7 to the tire management server device 80 via the communication network 9.

[0017] The on-vehicle measuring device 70 also measures the vehicle speed, the vehicle's current position information (latitude, longitude, and altitude), the vehicle's acceleration in three axial directions, etc., using a speedometer, a GPS receiver, an acceleration sensor, etc. mounted on the vehicle. The on-vehicle measuring device 70 transmits data such as the vehicle speed, the vehicle's position information, and the vehicle's acceleration to the tire management server device 80 via the communication network 9.

[0018] 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the tire management server device 80. The tire management server device 80 has a communication unit 81, a storage unit 82, and a processing unit 83. Each unit in the tire management server device 80 can be realized in terms of hardware using electronic circuits and mechanical parts made up of electronic elements such as a computer CPU, and in terms of software using computer programs, but the functional blocks shown here are realized by the cooperation of these elements. 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 81 is connected to the communication network 9 via wireless or wired communication, and communicates with the tire wear measurement device 60, the on-board measurement device 70, and the tire maintenance support device 100. The memory unit 82 is a storage device configured, for example, by an SSD (Solid State Drive), a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc. The memory unit 82 stores vehicle management information 82a, vehicle measurement information 82b, tire measurement information 82c, etc.

[0020] The vehicle management information 82a is information relating to a plurality of vehicles and tires 7 whose operation is managed by, for example, a plurality of transport companies. The vehicle management information 82a is grouped according to the identification information of each transport company, and includes information such as vehicle specification data for each group, vehicle identification information assigned to each vehicle, axle arrangement information, tire identification information, and tire specification data.

[0021] The vehicle specification data includes information on the vehicle performance such as the manufacturer, vehicle name, vehicle model, vehicle weight, drive train, overall length, vehicle width, vehicle height, maximum load capacity, etc. The axle arrangement information includes information on the mounting position of the tires 7 on the axle arrangement.

[0022] The tire identification information is information such as a serial number assigned to each tire 7, and may be readably stored in, for example, an RFID tag embedded in the tire 7. The tire specification data includes, for example, information such as the manufacturer, product name, tire model number, tire size, tire width, aspect ratio, wear resistance, tire strength, static stiffness, dynamic stiffness, tire outer diameter, load index, and manufacturing date.

[0023] The vehicle measurement information 82b is data such as the speed, acceleration, and position information of the vehicle obtained from the on-vehicle measurement device 70. The tire measurement information 82c is data such as the air pressure and temperature measured in the tire 7 obtained from the on-vehicle measurement device 70.

[0024] The processing unit 83 has a vehicle information acquisition unit 83a, a driving condition calculation unit 83b, and a tire wear calculation unit 83c. The vehicle information acquisition unit 83a acquires vehicle measurement information such as vehicle speed, acceleration, and position information, as well as tire measurement information such as air pressure and temperature measured in the tires 7, from the on-board measurement device 70 via the communication unit 81. The vehicle measurement information and tire measurement information are associated with vehicle identification information and information on the mounting position of the tires 7, and include information on the date and time of measurement. The vehicle information acquisition unit 83a stores the acquired vehicle measurement information and tire measurement information in the memory unit 82 as vehicle measurement information 82b and tire measurement information 82c.

[0025] The vehicle information acquisition unit 83a also acquires time-series measurement data of the remaining tread depth of the tire 7 measured by the tire wear measurement device 60 via the communication unit 81, and stores the data as part of tire remaining tread depth data 82d in the storage unit 82. The tire remaining tread depth data 82d is associated with vehicle identification information and information on the mounting position of the tire 7, and includes information on the date and time when the remaining tread depth was measured.

[0026] The traveling condition calculation unit 83b can calculate the traveling distance of the vehicle based on the position information of the vehicle measurement information 82b. The traveling distance of the vehicle may also be calculated based on the speed data in the vehicle measurement information 82b and the time data associated with the speed data. That is, the traveling distance of the vehicle can be calculated by multiplying the speed data arranged in chronological order by the time difference until the next time point.

[0027] If information regarding the vehicle's mileage is provided by the vehicle or an external device for vehicle management, the driving situation calculation unit 83b does not need to calculate the mileage itself, and may acquire information regarding the mileage from the vehicle or the external device. Here, the driving situation calculation unit 83b calculates or acquires past mileage including the current time. The driving situation calculation unit 83b stores the calculated or acquired time-series mileage in the storage unit 82 as part of the driving situation data 82e. The mileage data in the driving situation data 82e is associated with the vehicle's identification information, includes the date and time when the mileage was calculated, and is time-series data indicating the change in the vehicle's mileage over time.

[0028] The driving condition calculation unit 83b calculates driving prediction data that predicts the time-series driving distance from the present time until a predetermined time later. The driving condition calculation unit 83b predicts the driving distance from the present time until a predetermined time later by, for example, averaging past driving distances including the present time. For example, the driving condition calculation unit 83b calculates the average value of the driving distance that occurred each month in the past for the driving distance from the present time until a predetermined time later, i.e., six months from the present time, and predicts that the average driving distance will occur each month until six months from now.

[0029] The traveling condition calculation unit 83b sets the predicted traveling distance in time series up to the end of the predetermined period as traveling prediction data related to traveling distance, and stores this as part of the traveling condition data 82e in the storage unit 82. For example, if there is a period between the present time and the end of the predetermined period in which the frequency of transportation is expected to increase or decrease, the traveling condition calculation unit 83b may adjust the traveling prediction data related to traveling distance by calculating a value obtained by multiplying the traveling distance for that period by a coefficient (for example, 2 times or 0.5 times).

[0030] When the air pressure of a tire 7 is lower than a predetermined threshold, or when the temperature of a tire 7 is higher than a predetermined threshold, the driving condition calculation unit 83b calculates the tire load amount for each past period (for example, every month) by multiplying each of the air pressure and temperature by the vehicle's travel distance and integrating the results, and stores the tire load amount as part of the driving condition data 82e in the storage unit 82. Here, the driving condition calculation unit 83b calculates the tire load amount for each past period including the present time in a chronological order. The tire load amount data in the driving condition data 82e is associated with the vehicle identification information, the mounting position of the tire 7, and the tire identification information, includes the date and time when the tire load amount was calculated, and is chronological data that shows the change in tire load amount over time.

[0031] The traveling condition calculation unit 83b may calculate the tire load amount using the traveled distance and at least one of the air pressure and temperature of the tire 7. When the air pressure of the tire 7 is lower than a predetermined threshold, the traveling condition calculation unit 83b calculates the tire load amount by multiplying the air pressure by the traveled distance and integrating the result, and when the temperature of the tire 7 is higher than the predetermined threshold, the traveling condition calculation unit 83b calculates the tire load amount by multiplying the temperature by the traveled distance and integrating the result. Considering that the lower the air pressure of the tire 7, the greater the load on the tire 7, the greater the tire load amount may be calculated by calculating the reciprocal of the air pressure, for example, and multiplying the result by the traveled distance.

[0032] The driving condition calculation unit 83b calculates driving prediction data that predicts tire loads over time from the present time until a predetermined time later. The driving condition calculation unit 83b predicts tire loads for each period from the present time until a predetermined time later, for example, by averaging past tire loads including the present time. For example, the driving condition calculation unit 83b calculates an average tire load that occurred each month in the past for the predetermined period from the present time until six months later, and predicts that the average tire load will occur each month until six months later.

[0033] The driving condition calculation unit 83b sets the predicted time-series tire load amount up to a predetermined time period into the future as driving prediction data related to the tire load amount, and stores this as part of the driving condition data 82e in the storage unit 82. For example, if there is a period between the present time and a predetermined time period in which the frequency of transportation is expected to increase or decrease, the driving condition calculation unit 83b may adjust the driving prediction data related to the tire load amount by calculating a value obtained by multiplying the tire load amount for that period by a coefficient (for example, 2 times or 0.5 times).

[0034] The tire wear calculation unit 83c reads and acquires data used as appropriate for estimating the amount of wear of the tires 7, such as specification data of the vehicle and the tires 7, from the storage unit 82. The tire wear calculation unit 83c also acquires information such as axle arrangement information and tire identification information stored in the storage unit 82.

[0035] The tire wear calculation unit 83c has a calculation model 84 and estimates the amount of wear of the tire 7. The calculation model 84 is a machine learning model that calculates the amount of wear of the tire 7 based on input information. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the wear amount estimation and machine learning of the calculation model 84. The input data to the calculation model 84 is roughly classified into vehicle measurement information, tire measurement information, and other information.

[0036] The input data related to the vehicle measurement information includes the acceleration and travel distance of the vehicle. The travel distance is calculated by the travel situation calculation unit 83b as described above, and is read from the travel situation data 82e in the storage unit 82. The acceleration is read from the vehicle measurement information 82b in the storage unit 82. The input data related to the tire measurement information includes the air pressure and temperature of the tire 7, and is read from the tire measurement information 82c in the storage unit 82.

[0037] The input data based on other information includes road surface conditions estimated based on weather information, the maximum vehicle load included in the vehicle specification data, and the wear resistance performance of the tire 7 included in the tire specification data. The wear resistance performance of the tire 7 is measured using, for example, a tire wear index value obtained by indexing the wear resistance performance of various tread compounds based on a Lambourn abrasion test, with a standard compound being set at 100.

[0038] The computational model 84 uses a machine learning model such as a neural network. The computational model 84 is constructed using a method such as a deep neural network (DNN) or a decision tree. The computational model 84 may also be a multiple linear regression model for input information, which is generated by learning.

[0039] The data on the remaining tread depth of the tire 7 measured by the tire wear measuring device 60 is used as training data for the calculation model 84. The amount of tire wear is obtained by subtracting the remaining tread depth from the tread depth of the tire 7 in a new state. In the learning process of the calculation model 84, the amount of wear of the tire 7 is estimated by the calculation model 84 based on the input information and is compared with the training data. The calculation model 84 compares the estimated amount of wear of the tire 7 with the training data, and newly sets various coefficients in the calculation process, such as weighting, in the calculation model 84, and learning is performed by repeatedly updating the model.

[0040] The tire wear calculation unit 83c can estimate the amount of wear of the tire 7 using the trained calculation model 84, and calculate the remaining tread depth of the tire 7 by subtracting the amount of wear of the tire 7. The tire wear calculation unit 83c estimates the remaining tread depth of the tire 7 from the present time until a predetermined period of time has elapsed. For example, the predetermined period is set to six months, and the tire wear calculation unit 83c estimates the remaining tread depth of the tire 7 every week. The tire wear calculation unit 83c sets the predicted remaining tread depth of the tire 7 until the predetermined period of time has elapsed as remaining tread depth prediction data, and stores this data in the memory unit 82 as part of the tire remaining tread depth data 82d.

[0041] In order to estimate the remaining tread depth of the tire 7 from the present time until a predetermined time later, the tire wear calculation unit 83c needs to set estimated values ​​for each piece of input data to the calculation model 84 from the present time until a predetermined time later. As described above, the input data is categorized into vehicle measurement information related, tire measurement information related, and other information, and the estimated values ​​of acceleration and mileage related to the vehicle measurement information may use average values ​​from the past. For the estimated value of mileage, the driving prediction data predicted by the driving situation calculation unit 83b may be used as described above.

[0042] Furthermore, the tire wear calculation unit 83c sets estimated values ​​for the air pressure and temperature of the tire 7 related to the tire measurement information, taking into account natural loss of air pressure and fluctuations in outside air temperature that will occur over a predetermined period from the present time. Furthermore, with regard to weather information among other information used as input data to the calculation model 84, the tire wear calculation unit 83c may estimate temperature fluctuations, precipitation, and the like that will occur over a predetermined period from the present time from past weather information, and estimate road surface conditions from the estimated precipitation.

[0043] 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the tire maintenance support device 100. The tire maintenance support device 100 includes a communication unit 10, an operation unit 12, a display unit 14, a storage unit 20, and a control unit 30, and presents a tire maintenance plan to a user. The tire maintenance support device 100 is an information processing device such as a smartphone or a personal computer.

[0044] Each unit in the tire maintenance assist device 100 can be realized in hardware terms by electronic processing circuits and mechanical parts made up of electronic elements such as a computer CPU, and in software terms by computer programs, etc. However, the functional blocks realized by the cooperation of these are depicted here. 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.

[0045] The communication unit 10 is connected to the communication network 9 via wireless or wired communication and communicates with the tire management server device 80. The operation unit 12 is an operable input device such as a touch panel, a switch, a keyboard, or a mouse. The display unit 14 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display.

[0046] By operating the operation unit 12, the user selects one vehicle or multiple vehicles operated by a transport company, and acquires tire maintenance information including tire remaining tread depth data from the tire management server device 80. The control unit 30 of the tire maintenance assistance device 100 generates a tire maintenance plan for tire replacement based on the tire remaining tread depth data acquired from the tire management server device 80.

[0047] The storage unit 20 is a storage device configured, for example, with an SSD (Solid State Drive), a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc. The storage unit 20 stores computer programs executed by the control unit 30, vehicle axle arrangement information acquired from the tire management server device 80, tire specification data, tire maintenance information, etc. The vehicle axle arrangement information is determined corresponding to, for example, the vehicle name and vehicle model, and may be stored in the storage unit 20.

[0048] The control unit 30 includes a tire information acquisition unit 31, a replacement timing calculation unit 32, a maintenance plan generation unit 33, and a display processing unit 34. The tire information acquisition unit 31 acquires, from the tire management server device 80, tire remaining tread depth data 82d of tires 7 mounted on multiple vehicles operated and managed by a transportation company, for example, by a user operating the operation unit 12.

[0049] The replacement time calculation unit 32 calculates and estimates the replacement time for each tire 7 based on the tire remaining tread depth data 82d acquired by the tire information acquisition unit 31. The replacement time calculation unit 32 calculates the time when the remaining tread depth will be less than the specified value R, at which point tire replacement is necessary, based on the predicted data of the remaining tread depth in the tire remaining tread depth data 82d.

[0050] The maintenance plan generation unit 33 generates a tire maintenance plan in which the replacement time of at least one tire 7 among the other tires in a vehicle is changed to match the replacement time Tf of one tire 7 that has the earliest replacement time in the same vehicle.

[0051] The maintenance plan generating unit 33 may change the replacement dates of tires 7 whose replacement dates are within a predetermined period Tp from the replacement date Tf so that they coincide with the replacement date Tf of one tire 7 whose replacement date is the earliest. For example, if the earliest replacement date Tf of a tire 7 on a vehicle is June and the predetermined period Tp is set to one month, the maintenance plan generating unit 33 generates a tire maintenance plan in which the replacement dates of all or some of the tires 7 on the vehicle whose replacement date is in July are changed to June. Note that the predetermined period Tp is not limited to one month as exemplified.

[0052] The maintenance plan generating unit 33 generates a tire maintenance plan in which the replacement dates of all or some of the tires 7 of a vehicle whose predicted tread depth is smaller than a predetermined threshold Ra at the replacement date Tf of the tire 7 with the earliest replacement date are changed to the earliest replacement date Tf of the tire 7. The predetermined threshold Ra is set to a value greater than the specified value R of the tire remaining tread depth at which tire replacement is required. For example, the maintenance plan generating unit 33 sets the specified value R of the remaining tread depth to 3 mm and the specified threshold Ra to 4 mm. For example, if the earliest replacement date of the tire 7 of a vehicle is June, the maintenance plan generating unit 33 generates a tire maintenance plan in which the replacement dates of all or some of the tires 7 of the vehicle whose remaining tread depth is equal to or less than the specified threshold Ra (= 4 mm) as of June are changed to June. The specified threshold Ra is not limited to the example of 4 mm. The road vehicle safety standards stipulate that tire usage limits (prescribed value R) must be 1.6 mm or more for regular roads, and 3.2 mm or more for large trucks on expressways. For example, if the predetermined threshold Ra is set to 4 mm, in line with the example above, for a vehicle with a tire tread depth of about 4 mm in June, there will be a margin of just under 1 mm of remaining tread depth, and tire replacement can be brought forward or delayed depending on the vehicle's mileage.

[0053] The maintenance plan generation unit 33 generates a tire maintenance plan for each of a plurality of vehicles operated and managed by the transport company, in which the replacement timing of the tires 7 is changed as described above. The maintenance plan generation unit 33 can consolidate the timing of maintenance work for tire replacement by generating a tire maintenance plan in which the number of tire replacements at the replacement timing Tf is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0054] The maintenance plan generation unit 33 generates a tire maintenance plan in which the number of replacement tires in a specific period when the frequency of maintenance work on tires 7 is high is equal to or less than a predetermined value. The specific period when the frequency of maintenance work on tires 7 is high is, for example, a period when tires are replaced with summer tires. The maintenance plan generation unit 33 changes the replacement timing of tires 7 for each of a plurality of vehicles as described above, but when the number of replacement tires in a specific period reaches a predetermined value, the maintenance plan generation unit 33 stops changing the replacement timing and generates a tire maintenance plan.

[0055] The maintenance plan generation unit 33 generates a tire maintenance plan in which the number of tires to be replaced during a specific period when the vehicle is frequently operated is equal to or less than a predetermined value. The specific period when the vehicle is frequently operated is, for example, a period when the volume of cargo such as merchandise handled by a transportation company increases. The maintenance plan generation unit 33 changes the replacement timing of the tires 7 for each of the multiple vehicles as described above, but when the number of tires to be replaced during the specific period reaches a predetermined value, the maintenance plan generation unit 33 stops changing the replacement timing and generates a tire maintenance plan.

[0056] The display processing unit 34 divides the tire maintenance plan generated by the maintenance plan generation unit 33 into periods and displays them on the display unit 14. The display processing unit 34 displays, for example, a list indicating the identification information of each vehicle operated and managed by the transport company, the tire model number and tire size of each tire mounted on the vehicle, the position of each tire in the axle arrangement, and the replacement time on the display unit 14. Furthermore, in addition to displaying the tire maintenance plan generated by the maintenance plan generation unit 33, the display processing unit 34 may also display the replacement time before the change for tires 7 whose replacement time has been changed.

[0057] Next, the operation of the tire maintenance support device 100 will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the tire maintenance plan display process by the tire maintenance support device 100. The tire information acquisition unit 31 of the tire maintenance support device 100 selects one transport company from multiple transport companies based on a user's operation on the operation unit 12 (S1). The tire information acquisition unit 31 notifies the tire management server device 80 of the identification information of the selected transport company via the communication unit 10.

[0058] Based on the notified identification information of the transport company, the tire management server device 80 transmits remaining tire tread depth data 82d of the tires 7 mounted on all vehicles operated and managed by the transport company via the communication network 9. The tire information acquisition unit 31 receives and acquires the remaining tire tread depth data 82d transmitted by the tire management server device 80 (S2).

[0059] The replacement time calculation unit 32 estimates and calculates the replacement time of the tire 7 based on the remaining tire tread depth data 82d of the tire 7 acquired in step S2 (S3). In step S3, the replacement time of each tire mounted on all vehicles operated and managed by the selected transport company is calculated.

[0060] The maintenance plan generation unit 33 arbitrarily selects the first vehicle for which a maintenance plan is to be generated and sets the count value k to 1 (S4). The total number of vehicles operated and managed by the selected transportation company is assumed to be N. The maintenance plan generation unit 33 extracts the replacement time Tf of the tire 7 for the selected vehicle that has the earliest replacement time (S5). The maintenance plan generation unit 33 extracts tires 7 whose replacement time falls within a predetermined period Tp from the replacement time Tf (S6). The maintenance plan generation unit 33 changes the tire replacement time extracted in step S6 to the replacement time Tf (S7). For example, if the predetermined period Tp is one month and a certain vehicle travels 10,000 km over one month and tire wear tends to be approximately 2 mm (wear amount approximately 2 mm / month), if there is a variation of approximately 2 mm in wear amount within the vehicle, the tire with remaining tread depth approximately 2 mm until replacement time will be replaced. Taking such cases into consideration, when changing the replacement time Tf, the maintenance plan generating unit 33 may calculate a wear trend from the tire remaining tread depth data of the selected vehicle and determine whether to change the replacement time. For example, the maintenance plan generating unit 33 may determine whether the amount of wear of the selected vehicle in a predetermined period Tp is greater than a predetermined threshold, and if determined to be greater, may decide not to change the replacement time.

[0061] The maintenance plan generation unit 33 determines whether the count value k has reached N (S8), and if the determination result is no (S8: NO), it arbitrarily selects the next vehicle excluding the already selected vehicle, adds 1 to the count value k (S9), and returns to step S5 to repeat the process. The maintenance plan generation unit 33 performs the tire replacement timing change process from step S5 to step S7 for all vehicles. If it is determined in step S8 that the count value has reached N (S8: YES), the display processing unit 34 displays the tire maintenance plan generated by the maintenance plan generation unit 33 on the display unit 14 (S10), and ends the process.

[0062] Fig. 6 is a chart showing an example of tire replacement times calculated by the replacement time calculation unit 32. Fig. 6 shows the tire 7 replacement times from the third week of August to the fourth week of September 2022 for four vehicles operated and managed by a transportation company, and the total number of tire replacements for each month is shown at the bottom.

[0063] In the table of Figure 6, symbols B11, B22, etc. represent tire positions on the vehicle's axle arrangement. Tire positions B11 and B12 represent tire positions on the first axle from the front of the vehicle. Tire positions B21, B22, B23, and B24 represent tire positions on the second axle from the front of the vehicle. Tire positions B31, B32, B33, and B34 represent tire positions on the third axle from the front of the vehicle.

[0064] For example, for a vehicle with vehicle identification information 1035, tires other than those at tire positions B21, B22, B23, and B24 are not shown in the table because they are not due for replacement between the third week of August and the fourth week of September. In Figure 6, it is currently the third week of August, and it is predicted that two weeks from now, in the first week of September, two vehicles with vehicle identification information 1021 and 1032 will need to have their tires replaced.

[0065] Fig. 7 is a chart showing an example of a tire maintenance plan generated by the maintenance plan generating unit 33. As described above, the maintenance plan generating unit 33 changes the replacement dates of the tires 7 whose replacement dates fall within a predetermined period Tp from the replacement date Tf so that they coincide with the replacement date Tf of the tire 7 whose replacement date is the earliest. In the example shown in Fig. 7, the maintenance plan generating unit 33 changes the tire replacement dates, setting the predetermined period Tp to two weeks.

[0066] For example, for a vehicle with vehicle identification information 1021, the replacement time Tf of the tire 7 with the earliest replacement time is the first week of September, and accordingly a tire maintenance plan is generated in which the replacement times of all tires in the predetermined period Tp (two weeks) are changed to the first week of September. Note that the hatched areas indicate the tire replacement times before the change calculated by the replacement time calculation unit 32.

[0067] For vehicles with vehicle identification information 1021, tire replacement times can be consolidated into the first week of September, improving the efficiency of tire maintenance work and enabling efficient vehicle operation. Tires whose tire replacement times have been changed to the first week of September have the disadvantage that the remaining tread depth will not be below the specified value R as of the first week of September, resulting in early replacement. However, when used as base tires for retreading, the longer remaining tread depth will have the advantage of increased durability.

[0068] Similarly, tire maintenance plans with changed tire replacement times are generated for vehicles with other vehicle identification information in Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 6, it is predicted that the tire replacement times will arrive at different times between the first week of September and the fourth week of September, and the maintenance plan generation unit 33 generates a maintenance plan so that tire replacement will be performed collectively in the first and second weeks of September.

[0069] The display processing unit 34 presents the tire maintenance plan to the user by generating a table as shown in Fig. 7 and displaying it on the display unit 14. The display processing unit 34 also indicates the tire replacement dates before the change as hatched areas in the table, thereby enabling the user to recognize the changes made by the maintenance plan generation unit 33. The display of the tire replacement dates before the change can be distinguished from the display of the tire replacement dates after the change by using various display formats such as the way of filling in, changing the color, font size, or adding shading, in addition to showing them with hatched areas as shown in Fig. 7.

[0070] The tire maintenance support device 100 calculates the replacement timing for each tire 7 from the predicted data on the remaining tread depth of the tires using the replacement timing calculation unit 32, and generates a tire maintenance plan using the maintenance plan generation unit 33 in which the replacement timing of at least one of the other tires 7 is changed to match the replacement timing Tf of the tire 7 that needs replacement the earliest. This allows the tire maintenance support device 100 to present an efficient maintenance plan based on the estimated tire replacement timings.

[0071] The maintenance schedule generating unit 33 changes the replacement dates of the tires 7 whose replacement dates fall within the predetermined period Tp from the replacement date Tf of the tire 7 whose replacement date is earliest. This allows the tire maintenance support device 100 to match the replacement date Tf of the tire 7 whose replacement date is closest in time to the replacement date Tf.

[0072] The maintenance schedule generating unit 33 may change the replacement time of a tire 7 whose predicted value of the remaining tread depth is smaller than the predetermined threshold Ra at the replacement time Tf of the tire 7 whose replacement time is earliest. This allows the tire maintenance support device 100 to extract other tires 7 whose replacement time Tf should be matched based on the remaining tread depth.

[0073] Furthermore, the tire information acquisition unit 31 of the tire maintenance support device 100 acquires remaining tread depth prediction data for tires 7 mounted on multiple vehicles. The maintenance plan generation unit 33 changes the replacement timing of at least one tire 7 among the other tires 7 for each vehicle to match the replacement timing Tf of the tire 7 whose replacement timing is earliest calculated by the replacement timing calculation unit 32, and generates a tire maintenance plan in which the number of tire replacements is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. This allows the tire maintenance support device 100 to consolidate the replacement timings of tires 7 mounted on multiple vehicles to match the replacement timings Tf.

[0074] The maintenance plan generation unit 33 may generate a tire maintenance plan in which the number of tires to be replaced during a specific period when the frequency of maintenance work on the tires 7 is high is equal to or less than a predetermined value. This allows the tire maintenance support device 100 to generate a tire maintenance plan that limits the number of tire replacements during a specific period when the frequency of maintenance work on the tires 7 is high. The specific period is, for example, a period when tires are replaced with studless tires and summer tires, and a tire maintenance plan can be generated that limits the number of tire replacements during this period.

[0075] The maintenance plan generation unit may also generate a tire maintenance plan that keeps the number of tires to be replaced at or below a predetermined value during a specific period when the vehicle is frequently operated. This allows the tire maintenance support device 100 to generate a tire maintenance plan that limits the number of tires to be replaced during a specific period when the vehicle is frequently operated, thereby improving vehicle operation efficiency.

[0076] (Variation) In the above-described embodiment, the transportation business is not limited to a business that operates and manages transportation trucks, but also includes, for example, a taxi business, etc. Furthermore, the vehicle is not limited to a truck vehicle or a taxi vehicle, but also includes a rental vehicle from a rental business, a shared vehicle provided by a vehicle sharing business, a private car purchased by an ordinary household, etc.

[0077] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. 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 also fall 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.

[0078] 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.

[0079] The first item is a tire maintenance support device that includes a tire information acquisition unit that acquires predicted data on the remaining tread depth of each tire mounted on a vehicle, a replacement timing calculation unit that calculates the replacement time for each tire from the predicted data on the remaining tread depth acquired by the tire information acquisition unit, and a maintenance plan generation unit that generates a tire maintenance plan in which the replacement time for at least one of the other tires is changed to match the replacement time for the tire whose replacement time is earliest calculated by the replacement time calculation unit.

[0080] The second item is the tire maintenance support device described in the first item, wherein the maintenance plan generation unit changes the replacement time of tires that are due for replacement within a predetermined period from the replacement time of the one tire.

[0081] A third item is the tire maintenance support device described in the first item, wherein the maintenance plan generation unit changes the replacement time of a tire whose predicted value of remaining tread depth is smaller than a predetermined threshold value at the time of replacement of the one tire.

[0082] A fourth item is a tire maintenance support device described in any one of the first to third items, wherein the tire information acquisition unit acquires remaining tread depth prediction data for each tire mounted on a plurality of vehicles, and the maintenance plan generation unit generates, for each vehicle, a tire maintenance plan that changes the replacement timing of at least one of the other tires to match the replacement timing of one tire whose replacement timing is earliest calculated by the replacement timing calculation unit, so that the number of tire replacements is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0083] Item 5 is a tire maintenance support device described in any one of items 1 to 4, in which the maintenance plan generation unit generates a tire maintenance plan in which the number of tires to be replaced during specific periods when tire maintenance work is frequent is less than a predetermined value.

[0084] A sixth item is the tire maintenance assistance device according to the fifth item, wherein the specific time is a time when studless tires are replaced with summer tires.

[0085] Item 7 is a tire maintenance support device described in any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the maintenance plan generation unit generates a tire maintenance plan in which the number of tires to be replaced during a specific period when the vehicle is operated frequently is less than a predetermined value.

[0086] The eighth item is a tire maintenance support method including a tire information acquisition step of acquiring predicted data on the remaining tread depth of each tire mounted on a vehicle, a replacement timing calculation step of calculating the replacement timing of each tire from the predicted data on the remaining tread depth acquired by the tire information acquisition step, and a maintenance plan generation step of generating a tire maintenance plan in which the replacement timing of at least one of the other tires is changed to match the replacement timing of the one tire whose replacement timing is earliest calculated by the replacement timing calculation step. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 7 Tire, 31 Tire information acquisition unit, 32 Replacement time calculation unit, 33 Maintenance plan generation unit, 100 Tire maintenance support device.

Claims

1. a tire information acquisition unit that acquires predicted data on the remaining tread depth of each tire mounted on one vehicle; a replacement timing calculation unit that calculates a replacement timing for each tire from the remaining groove depth prediction data acquired by the tire information acquisition unit; a maintenance schedule generating unit that generates a tire maintenance schedule in which the replacement timing of at least one tire among the other tires is changed to match the replacement timing of the one tire whose replacement timing is earliest calculated by the replacement timing calculating unit; and A tire maintenance assistance device comprising:

2. The tire maintenance support device according to claim 1 , wherein the maintenance schedule generating unit changes the replacement dates of tires that are due for replacement within a predetermined period from the replacement date of the one tire.

3. 2. The tire maintenance support device according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance plan generation unit changes the replacement time of a tire whose predicted value of remaining tread depth is smaller than a predetermined threshold value at the time of replacement of the one tire.

4. the tire information acquisition unit acquires remaining tread depth prediction data for each tire mounted on a plurality of vehicles, 2. The tire maintenance support device according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance plan generation unit generates, for each vehicle, a tire maintenance plan in which the replacement timing of at least one of the other tires is changed to match the replacement timing of the tire whose replacement timing is earliest calculated by the replacement timing calculation unit, so that the number of tire replacements is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

5. The tire maintenance support device according to claim 1 , wherein the maintenance plan generation unit generates a tire maintenance plan in which the number of tires to be replaced during a specific period in which tire maintenance work is frequently performed is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

6. The tire maintenance support device according to claim 5, wherein the specific time is a time when studless tires are replaced with summer tires.

7. The tire maintenance support device according to claim 1 , wherein the maintenance plan generation unit generates a tire maintenance plan in which the number of tires to be replaced during a specific period when the vehicle is frequently operated is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

8. a tire information acquisition step of acquiring predicted data of remaining tread depth of each tire mounted on one vehicle; a replacement timing calculation step of calculating a replacement timing for each tire from the remaining tread depth prediction data acquired in the tire information acquisition step; a maintenance plan generation step of generating a tire maintenance plan in which the replacement timing of at least one of the other tires is changed to match the replacement timing of the one tire whose replacement timing is earliest calculated in the replacement timing calculation step; A tire maintenance support method comprising:

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