Tire management system, tire management method, program

Abstract

To provide a tire management system, tire management method, and program that reduce the workload on users and allow them to request maintenance work so that maintenance is performed while the vehicle is parked. [Solution] The tire management system 100 includes an information acquisition device 1 that determines whether or not a vehicle 5 is parked in a parking space PS and acquires tire condition information regarding the condition of the tires 51 mounted on the vehicle 5, and a server 2 that, when it is determined that the vehicle 5 is parked and it is determined that maintenance work on the tires 51 is necessary based on the tire condition information, outputs request information including a request for the maintenance work at the parking location of the vehicle 5.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a tire management system, a tire management method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] When maintenance work is required for a tire mounted on a vehicle, a vehicle management server capable of requesting the maintenance work is known as related art so that the maintenance work is performed while the vehicle is parked (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the vehicle management server according to the above-described related art identifies the timing when the user parks the vehicle based on the usage schedule of the vehicle registered in advance by the user. Therefore, for the user, there is a burden of registering the usage schedule.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a tire management system, a tire management method, and a program that can request maintenance work so that the maintenance work is performed while the vehicle is parked, while reducing the burden of work on the user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A tire management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a first acquisition processing unit, a first determination processing unit, a second determination processing unit, and an output processing unit. The first acquisition processing unit acquires tire condition information relating to the condition of tires mounted on a vehicle. The first determination processing unit determines whether maintenance work is required for the tires based on the tire condition information acquired by the first acquisition processing unit. The second determination processing unit determines whether the vehicle is parked or not. The output processing unit outputs request information, including a request for the maintenance work at the vehicle's parking location, when the second determination processing unit determines that the vehicle is parked and the first determination processing unit determines that the maintenance work is required.

[0007] This tire management system outputs request information, including a request for the maintenance work to be performed at the vehicle's parking location, when the vehicle is parked and the maintenance work is required. This makes it possible to request the maintenance work to be performed while the vehicle is parked, without having to refer to the vehicle's usage schedule. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, the burden of work on the user is reduced, and maintenance work can be requested to be performed while the vehicle is parked. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows the configuration of a tire management system according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows the configuration of an information acquisition device for a tire management system according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows the server configuration of the tire management system according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows the configuration of the first mobile terminal of the tire management system according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows the configuration of the second mobile terminal of the tire management system according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of information acquisition processing performed in the tire management system according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of maintenance request processing performed by the tire management system according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of a reception screen displayed on the first mobile terminal of the tire management system according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merely examples of the embodiments of this disclosure and do not limit the technical scope of this disclosure.

[0011] [Configuration of Tire Management System 100] First, with reference to Figure 1, the configuration of the tire management system 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure will be described.

[0012] The tire management system 100 can request maintenance work to be performed on the tires 51 (see Figure 1) mounted on the vehicle 5 (see Figure 1) while the vehicle 5 (see Figure 5) is parked.

[0013] For example, vehicle 5 is a passenger car. Also, tire 51 is a pneumatic tire. Furthermore, the maintenance work includes tire replacement work to replace tire 51 and tire rotation work to change the mounting position of tire 51.

[0014] Note that the vehicle 5 is not limited to a passenger car, and any moving body that travels using the tire 51 may be used. For example, the vehicle 5 may be a bus, a truck, a motorcycle, a three-wheeled passenger vehicle, a motorized bicycle, or a bicycle. Further, the vehicle 5 may be a load-carrying vehicle such as a trailer or a cart. Further, the tire 51 is not limited to a pneumatic tire, and may be a non-pneumatic tire such as a so-called solid tire. Further, the tire 51 may be a resin tire using a thermoplastic elastomer. Further, the maintenance work may include a pneumatic pressure adjustment work for adjusting the pneumatic pressure of the tire 51.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the tire management system 100 includes an information acquisition device 1, a server 2, a first mobile terminal 3, and a second mobile terminal 4. In the tire management system 100, the server 2 is communicably connected to each of the information acquisition device 1, the first mobile terminal 3, and the second mobile terminal 4 via a communication network such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0016] The information acquisition device 1 is a stationary information processing device provided at a parking place PS (see FIG. 1) where the vehicle 5 is parked. For example, the parking place PS is one parking section included in a parking lot of a commercial facility such as a shopping mall. In FIG. 1, the parking place PS is shown by a broken line.

[0017] Note that the parking place PS is not limited to a parking section included in a parking lot of a commercial facility, and may be a parking section included in a parking lot of any facility. Further, the parking place PS may be a parking section included in coin parking. Further, the parking place PS is not limited to a parking section included in a parking lot, and may be any place including a parking space for the vehicle 5 and an installation space for the information acquisition device 1.

[0018] The server 2 is a stationary information processing device provided at a place different from the parking place PS where the information acquisition device 1 is provided. For example, the server 2 is provided at the business office of an operator who operates the tire management system 100.

[0019] The first mobile terminal 3 is a portable information processing device possessed by a user of the tire management system 100. The user of the tire management system 100 is also a user of the vehicle 5. For example, the first mobile terminal 3 is a smartphone in which a first application program 35A (see FIG. 4) is installed.

[0020] The second mobile terminal 4 is a portable information processing device possessed by a worker who performs the maintenance work. For example, the second mobile terminal 4 is a smartphone in which a second application program 45A (see FIG. 5) is installed.

[0021] The tire management system 100 includes at least one information acquisition device 1. The tire management system 100 also includes a plurality of first mobile terminals 3. The tire management system 100 also includes a plurality of second mobile terminals 4.

[0022] [Configuration of Information Acquisition Device 1] Next, the configuration of the information acquisition device 1 will be described while referring to FIG. 2.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the information acquisition device 1 includes a control unit 11, a camera 12, a wear amount detection device 13, and a communication unit 14.

[0024] The control unit 11 comprehensively controls the information acquisition device 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 11 includes a CPU 11A, a ROM 11B, and a RAM 11C. The CPU 11A is a processor that executes various arithmetic processes. The ROM 11B is a non-volatile storage device in which information such as a control program for causing the CPU 11A to execute various processes is stored in advance. The RAM 11C is a volatile or non-volatile storage device used as a temporary storage memory (working area) for various processes executed by the CPU 11A. The CPU 11A executes various control programs stored in advance in the ROM 11B. Thereby, the CPU 11A comprehensively controls the information acquisition device 1.

[0025] Camera 12 captures images of the parking space PS (see Figure 1). Specifically, camera 12 captures the license plate of the vehicle 5 parked in the parking space PS. Camera 12 also captures the pair of tires 51 mounted on the right front wheel and left front wheel of the vehicle 5 parked in the parking space PS. Camera 12 outputs image data including the captured images of the license plate of the vehicle 5 and the pair of tires 51. The information acquisition device 1 may also include three cameras 12 corresponding to the license plate of the vehicle 5, the tire 51 mounted on the right front wheel of the vehicle 5, and the tire 51 mounted on the left front wheel of the vehicle 5. Alternatively, camera 12 may capture images of the tire 51 mounted on the right rear wheel or the left rear wheel of the vehicle 5.

[0026] The wear detection device 13 is installed in a parking space PS and detects the amount of wear on the tires 51 of a vehicle 5 parked in the parking space PS. Specifically, the wear detection device 13 includes a pair of detection units embedded in the parking space PS. One of the pair of detection units is installed at a position where the right-side tires 51 of the vehicle 5 (the tire mounted on the right front wheel and the tire mounted on the right rear wheel) pass through the parking space PS. The other of the pair of detection units is installed at a position where the left-side tires 51 of the vehicle 5 (the tire mounted on the left front wheel and the tire mounted on the left rear wheel) pass through the parking space PS. Each of the detection units optically reads the surface shape of the tire 51 as the tire 51 passes above the detection unit. The wear detection device 13 detects the amount of wear on each tire 51 based on the reading of the surface shape of the tire 51 by each of the detection units. Note that the wear detection device 13 may be a device that detects the amount of wear on the tires 51 by a method different from the method described above.

[0027] The communication unit 14 is a communication interface capable of performing data communication with the server 2.

[0028] [Server 2 Configuration] Next, we will explain the configuration of Server 2, referring to Figure 3.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, the server 2 includes a control unit 21, an operation unit 22, a display unit 23, a communication unit 24, and a storage unit 25.

[0030] The control unit 21 provides overall control of the server 2. As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 21 includes a CPU 21A, a ROM 21B, and a RAM 21C. The CPU 21A, ROM 21B, and RAM 21C have the same functions as the CPU 11A, ROM 11B, and RAM 11C of the information acquisition device 1.

[0031] The operation unit 22 and the display unit 23 are the user interface of the server 2. The operation unit 22 inputs various information to the control unit 21 in response to user operations. For example, the operation unit 22 includes a keyboard and a touch panel. The display unit 23 displays various information in response to control instructions from the control unit 21. For example, the display unit 23 is a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display.

[0032] The communication unit 24 is a communication interface capable of performing data communication with the information acquisition device 1, the first mobile terminal 3, and the second mobile terminal 4, respectively.

[0033] The memory unit 25 is a non-volatile storage device. For example, the memory unit 25 is a storage device such as a non-volatile memory like flash memory, an SSD (solid state drive), or an HDD (hard disk drive).

[0034] As shown in Figure 3, the storage unit 25 stores the user database 25A, the worker database 25B, and the schedule database 25C.

[0035] The user database 25A has user data pre-registered for each user of the tire management system 100. For example, the user data consists of a user ID used to identify the user, a password for the user to log in to the tire management system 100, personal information such as the user's name and address, the user's telephone number, the user's email address, identification information of the first application program 35A (see Figure 4) installed on the user's first mobile terminal 3, identification information of the first mobile terminal 3, the vehicle registration number of the vehicle 5 used by the user, and the user's credit card information.

[0036] The worker database 25B has worker data pre-registered for each worker. For example, the worker data consists of a worker ID used to identify the worker, a password for the worker to log in to the tire management system 100, personal information such as the worker's name and address, the worker's telephone number, the worker's email address, identification information of the second application program 45A (see Figure 5) installed on the worker's second mobile terminal 4, and identification information of the second mobile terminal 4.

[0037] The schedule database 25C stores schedule data corresponding to each of the aforementioned workers. This schedule data represents the schedule of the worker.

[0038] In the tire management system 100, each worker can edit their own schedule data as they see fit. Specifically, when the server 2 receives a predetermined operation from the second mobile terminal 4, it displays an editing screen used for editing the schedule data on the display unit 43 (see Figure 5) of the second mobile terminal 4. The server 2 then edits the schedule data corresponding to the worker in response to the worker's operation on the editing screen.

[0039] Furthermore, the memory unit 25 pre-stores location information of the parking space PS where the information acquisition device 1 is installed.

[0040] [Configuration of the first mobile terminal 3] Next, the configuration of the first mobile terminal 3 will be described with reference to Figure 4.

[0041] As shown in Figure 4, the first mobile terminal 3 includes a control unit 31, an operation unit 32, a display unit 33, a communication unit 34, a storage unit 35, and a GPS receiver 36.

[0042] The control unit 31 provides overall control of the first mobile terminal 3. As shown in Figure 4, the control unit 31 includes a CPU 31A, a ROM 31B, and a RAM 31C. The CPU 31A, ROM 31B, and RAM 31C have the same functions as the CPU 11A, ROM 11B, and RAM 11C of the information acquisition device 1.

[0043] The operation unit 32 and the display unit 33 constitute the user interface of the first mobile terminal 3. The operation unit 32 inputs various information to the control unit 31 in response to user operations. For example, the operation unit 32 includes operation keys and a touch panel. The display unit 33 displays various information in response to control instructions from the control unit 31. For example, the display unit 33 is a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display.

[0044] The communication unit 34 is a communication interface capable of performing data communication with the server 2.

[0045] The memory unit 35 is a non-volatile memory device. For example, the memory unit 35 is a non-volatile memory such as flash memory.

[0046] As shown in Figure 4, the memory unit 35 stores the first application program 35A. The first application program 35A is a program that enables the first mobile terminal 3 to function as part of the tire management system 100. The first application program 35A is provided by the server 2.

[0047] The GPS receiver 36 is capable of receiving radio waves transmitted from GPS satellites. The first mobile terminal 3 can acquire its location information based on the information contained in the radio waves received by the GPS receiver 36.

[0048] [Configuration of the second mobile device 4] Next, the configuration of the second mobile terminal 4 will be described with reference to Figure 5.

[0049] As shown in Figure 5, the second mobile terminal 4 includes a control unit 41, an operation unit 42, a display unit 43, a communication unit 44, a storage unit 45, and a GPS receiver 46.

[0050] The control unit 41 provides overall control of the second mobile terminal 4. As shown in Figure 5, the control unit 41 includes a CPU 41A, a ROM 41B, and a RAM 41C. The CPU 41A, ROM 41B, and RAM 41C have the same functions as the CPU 11A, ROM 11B, and RAM 11C of the information acquisition device 1.

[0051] The operation unit 42 and the display unit 43 are the user interface of the second mobile terminal 4. The operation unit 42 and the display unit 43 have the same functions as the operation unit 32 and the display unit 33 of the first mobile terminal 3.

[0052] The communication unit 44 is a communication interface capable of performing data communication with the server 2.

[0053] The memory unit 45 is a non-volatile memory device. For example, the memory unit 45 is a non-volatile memory such as flash memory.

[0054] As shown in Figure 5, the memory unit 45 stores the second application program 45A. The second application program 45A is a program that enables the second mobile terminal 4 to function as part of the tire management system 100. The second application program 45A is provided by the server 2.

[0055] The GPS receiver 46 is capable of receiving radio waves transmitted from GPS satellites. The second mobile terminal 4 can acquire location information using the GPS receiver 46, similar to the first mobile terminal 3.

[0056] Incidentally, when the aforementioned maintenance work on the tires 51 mounted on vehicle 5 is required, a vehicle management server that can be used to request the maintenance work so that the maintenance work is performed while vehicle 5 is parked is known as related technology.

[0057] However, the vehicle management server related to the aforementioned technologies determines when a user parks vehicle 5 based on the vehicle usage schedule registered in advance by the user. Therefore, users are burdened with the task of registering the usage schedule.

[0058] In contrast, the tire management system 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure reduces the burden of work on the user of the vehicle 5, as described below, and allows the user to request that the maintenance work be performed while the vehicle 5 is parked.

[0059] [Functional configuration of the tire management system 100] Next, the functional configuration included in the tire management system 100 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

[0060] As shown in Figure 2, the control unit 11 of the information acquisition device 1 includes a second determination processing unit 61 and a first acquisition processing unit 62.

[0061] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the control unit 21 of server 2 includes a first determination processing unit 63, a second acquisition processing unit 64, a decision processing unit 65, a reception processing unit 66, and an output processing unit 67.

[0062] Specifically, the ROM 11B of the information acquisition device 1 contains a first operation control program that causes the control unit 11 to function as the respective processing units shown in Figure 2 (the second determination processing unit 61 and the first acquisition processing unit 62). The CPU 11A of the control unit 11 functions as the respective processing units shown in Figure 2 by executing the first operation control program.

[0063] Furthermore, the ROM 21B of the server 2 contains a second operation control program that causes the control unit 21 to function as each of the processing units shown in Figure 3 (first determination processing unit 63, second acquisition processing unit 64, decision processing unit 65, reception processing unit 66, and output processing unit 67). The CPU 21A of the control unit 21 functions as each of the processing units shown in Figure 3 by executing the second operation control program.

[0064] Furthermore, some or all of the second determination processing unit 61, the first acquisition processing unit 62, the first determination processing unit 63, the second acquisition processing unit 64, the decision processing unit 65, the reception processing unit 66, and the output processing unit 67 may be composed of electronic circuits. Also, the first operation control program may be a program that causes multiple processors to function as the processing units shown in Figure 2. Also, the second operation control program may be a program that causes multiple processors to function as the processing units shown in Figure 3.

[0065] The second determination processing unit 61 determines whether or not the vehicle 5 is parked.

[0066] Specifically, the second determination processing unit 61 determines whether or not the vehicle 5 is parked in the parking space PS (see Figure 1).

[0067] For example, the second determination processing unit 61 uses the camera 12 to determine whether or not the vehicle 5 is parked in the parking space PS.

[0068] The first acquisition processing unit 62 acquires tire condition information regarding the condition of the tires 51 mounted on the vehicle 5.

[0069] Specifically, when the vehicle 5 is parked in a parking space PS, the first acquisition processing unit 62 uses the camera 12 to acquire the image data, including an image of the tire 51 mounted on the vehicle 5. The image of the tire 51 is an example of the tire condition information.

[0070] Furthermore, when the vehicle 5 is parked in a parking space PS, the first acquisition processing unit 62 uses the wear amount detection device 13 to acquire the wear amount of each tire 51 mounted on the vehicle 5. The wear amount of the tires 51 is an example of the tire condition information.

[0071] The first acquisition processing unit 62 may read the work history of the tire rotation work previously recorded on the RFID embedded in the tire 51, and acquire the elapsed time from the timing of the last tire rotation work identified based on the work history as the tire status information. In this case, the first acquisition processing unit 62 only needs to be equipped with a reader to read the RFID.

[0072] Furthermore, the first acquisition processing unit 62 may acquire the mileage traveled by the vehicle 5 since the last tire rotation operation as tire status information. For example, the first acquisition processing unit 62 can calculate the mileage traveled by the vehicle 5 since the last tire rotation operation based on the cumulative mileage of the vehicle 5 at the time of the last tire rotation operation, which is recorded in advance on the RFID, and the current cumulative mileage of the vehicle 5 acquired from the vehicle's onboard device. In this case, the first acquisition processing unit 62 only needs to include the reader and a communication device for communicating with the vehicle's onboard device.

[0073] Furthermore, the first acquisition processing unit 62 may acquire air pressure information indicating the air pressure of the tire 51, which is transmitted from an air pressure detection device installed inside the tire 51 to the on-board device of the vehicle 5, as the tire status information. In this case, the first acquisition processing unit 62 only needs to be equipped with the communication device for communicating with the on-board device of the vehicle 5.

[0074] The first determination processing unit 63 determines whether or not the maintenance work on the tire 51 is necessary based on the tire condition information acquired by the first acquisition processing unit 62.

[0075] Specifically, the first determination processing unit 63 determines that the tire replacement work is necessary if any of the wear amounts of the tire 51 acquired by the first acquisition processing unit 62 exceeds a predetermined threshold. Conversely, the first determination processing unit 63 determines that the tire replacement work is unnecessary if any of the wear amounts of the tire 51 acquired by the first acquisition processing unit 62 are below the threshold.

[0076] Furthermore, if the first determination processing unit 63 determines that the tire replacement work is unnecessary, it determines, based on the imaging data acquired by the first acquisition processing unit 62, whether or not uneven wear (one-sided wear) has occurred on any of the front tires 51. If the first determination processing unit 63 determines that uneven wear has occurred on any of the front tires 51, it determines that the tire rotation work is necessary. If the first determination processing unit 63 determines that uneven wear has not occurred on any of the front tires 51, it determines that the tire rotation work is unnecessary. The first determination processing unit 63 can determine whether or not uneven wear (one-sided wear) has occurred on the tires 51 using known methods.

[0077] Furthermore, if the first determination processing unit 63 obtains the elapsed time since the last tire rotation operation by the first acquisition processing unit 62, it may determine whether or not the tire rotation operation is necessary based on the elapsed time.

[0078] Furthermore, the first determination processing unit 63 may determine whether or not the tire rotation work is necessary based on the mileage of the vehicle 5 since the last tire rotation work was performed, when the mileage of the vehicle 5 since the last tire rotation work was performed is obtained by the first acquisition processing unit 62.

[0079] Furthermore, the first determination processing unit 63 may, when the air pressure information is acquired by the first acquisition processing unit 62, determine whether or not the air pressure adjustment work is necessary based on the air pressure information.

[0080] The second acquisition processing unit 64 acquires the schedule of each worker (an example of a user of the second mobile terminal in this disclosure) when the second determination processing unit 61 determines that the vehicle 5 is parked and the first determination processing unit 63 determines that the maintenance work is necessary.

[0081] Specifically, the second acquisition processing unit 64 acquires the schedule data corresponding to each worker from the schedule database 25C (see Figure 3).

[0082] The decision processing unit 65 determines, from among one or more workers, the worker responsible for the maintenance work based on the schedule of each worker acquired by the second acquisition processing unit 64.

[0083] Specifically, the decision processing unit 65 acquires location information of each worker's second mobile terminal 4. The decision processing unit 65 also acquires the distance traveled from each worker's current location to the parking space PS based on the acquired location information of each second mobile terminal 4 and the location information of the parking space PS stored in the storage unit 25 beforehand. The decision processing unit 65 also acquires the time each worker can arrive at the parking space PS based on the travel distance corresponding to each worker and the schedule data corresponding to each worker. The decision processing unit 65 then determines the worker who can arrive at the parking space PS the earliest as the worker to be assigned to the task.

[0084] The decision processing unit 65 may also decide that one of the one or more workers who currently have no scheduled work (and can immediately move toward the parking space PS) will be the person in charge of the work. If there are no workers who currently have no scheduled work, the decision processing unit 65 may decide that the worker whose schedule will be completed the earliest will be the person in charge of the work. The decision processing unit 65 may also decide that multiple workers will be the people in charge of the work.

[0085] When the second determination processing unit 61 determines that vehicle 5 is parked and the first determination processing unit 63 determines that the maintenance work is necessary, the reception processing unit 66 accepts a selection operation to determine whether or not to output request information, including a request for the maintenance work at the parking location of vehicle 5, to the first mobile terminal 3 corresponding to vehicle 5.

[0086] Specifically, after the decision processing unit 65 has determined the person in charge of the work, the reception processing unit 66 displays the reception screen X10 (see Figure 8), which is used to accept the selection operation, on the display unit 33 of the first mobile terminal 3.

[0087] Figure 8 shows an example of a reception screen X10. The reception screen X10 shown in Figure 8 includes a message X11 asking the user whether or not to request the maintenance work. The reception screen X10 also includes information X12 indicating the type of maintenance work to be performed. The reception screen X10 also includes information X13 indicating the predicted completion time of the maintenance work based on the schedule of the worker determined by the decision processing unit 65. The reception screen X10 also includes information X14 indicating the fee for the maintenance work. The reception screen X10 also includes an operation key X15 that is operated when the user selects to output the request information. The reception screen X10 also includes an operation key X16 that is operated when the user selects not to output the request information.

[0088] The reception screen X10 may also include a tire type specification field used to specify the type of tire 51 to be replaced if the required maintenance work is tire replacement work. In this case, the reception processing unit 66 may adjust the fee for the maintenance work according to the type of tire 51 specified in the tire type specification field.

[0089] The output processing unit 67 outputs the request information, including a request for the maintenance work at the parking location of the vehicle 5, when the second determination processing unit 61 determines that the vehicle 5 is parked and the first determination processing unit 63 determines that the maintenance work is necessary.

[0090] Specifically, the output processing unit 67 outputs the request information when it receives a selection operation indicating that it will output the request information. Furthermore, the output processing unit 67 does not output the request information when it receives a selection operation indicating that it will not output the request information.

[0091] Furthermore, the output processing unit 67 outputs the request information using the second mobile terminal 4 of the person in charge of the work, which has been determined by the decision processing unit 65.

[0092] For example, the output processing unit 67 displays a request screen containing the request information on the display unit 43 of the second mobile terminal 4 of the worker. For example, the request screen includes a message requesting the maintenance work, information indicating the type of maintenance work, location information of the work site (parking position of vehicle 5), and the vehicle registration number of vehicle 5 read from the image data. Furthermore, if the maintenance work to be performed is tire replacement work, the request screen includes information indicating the type and size of the replacement tire 51.

[0093] [Information acquisition process] The following describes a part of the tire management method of this disclosure, along with an example of the procedure for information acquisition processing performed by the control unit 11 of the information acquisition device 1, with reference to Figure 6. Here, steps S11, S12, etc. represent the processing procedure (step) numbers performed by the control unit 11.

[0094] <Step S11> First, in step S11, the control unit 11 determines whether or not it has detected a vehicle 5 entering the parking space PS (see Figure 1). The control unit 11 can detect a vehicle 5 entering the parking space PS using the camera 12.

[0095] If the control unit 11 determines that it has detected vehicle 5 (Yes side of S11), it proceeds to step S12. If it has not detected vehicle 5 (No side of S11), the control unit 11 waits in step S11 for the detection of vehicle 5 entering parking space PS.

[0096] <Step S12> In step S12, the control unit 11 acquires the tire status information. The processing in step S12 is an example of the acquisition step of this disclosure and is performed by the first acquisition processing unit 62 of the control unit 11.

[0097] Specifically, the control unit 11 uses the camera 12 to acquire the image data, including images of the tires 51 mounted on the vehicle 5. The control unit 11 also uses the wear amount detection device 13 to acquire the wear amount of each tire 51 mounted on the vehicle 5.

[0098] <Step S13> In step S13, the control unit 11 obtains the vehicle registration number of vehicle 5.

[0099] Specifically, the control unit 11 reads the vehicle registration number of the vehicle 5 from the imaging data acquired in step S12.

[0100] <Step S14> In step S14, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the vehicle 5 is parked in the parking space PS. The process in step S14 is an example of the second determination step of this disclosure and is performed by the second determination processing unit 61 of the control unit 11.

[0101] Specifically, the control unit 11 determines that the vehicle 5 is parked in the parking space PS when the camera 12 captures an image of the vehicle 5 parked in the parking space PS.

[0102] Here, if the control unit 11 determines that vehicle 5 is parked (Yes side of S14), it proceeds to step S15. If vehicle 5 is not parked (No side of S14), the control unit 11 waits in step S14 for vehicle 5 to park in parking space PS. If vehicle 5 enters parking space PS but moves to another location without parking in parking space PS, the control unit 11 should discard the information obtained in steps S12 and S13 and proceed to step S11.

[0103] <Step S15> In step S15, the control unit 11 transmits the acquired data, including the tire status information obtained in step S12 and the vehicle registration number obtained in step S13, to the server 2.

[0104] [Maintenance Request Processing] Next, with reference to Figure 7, the remainder of the tire management method of this disclosure will be described along with an example of the procedure for the maintenance request processing executed by the control unit 21 of the server 2. Note that the maintenance request processing is executed when the acquired data is transmitted from the information acquisition device 1.

[0105] <Step S21> First, in step S21, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the maintenance work is necessary based on the acquired data transmitted from the information acquisition device 1. The processing in step S21 is an example of the first determination step of this disclosure and is performed by the first determination processing unit 63 of the control unit 21.

[0106] Specifically, the control unit 21 determines that tire replacement is necessary if any of the wear amounts of the tires 51 included in the acquired data exceed the threshold. Conversely, the control unit 21 determines that tire replacement is unnecessary if any of the wear amounts of the tires 51 included in the acquired data are below the threshold.

[0107] Furthermore, if the control unit 21 determines that the tire replacement work is unnecessary, it determines, based on the imaging data included in the acquired data, whether or not uneven wear has occurred on any of the front tires 51. If the control unit 21 determines that uneven wear has occurred on any of the front tires 51, it determines that the tire rotation work is necessary. If the control unit 21 determines that uneven wear has not occurred on any of the front tires 51, it determines that the tire rotation work is unnecessary.

[0108] If the control unit 21 determines that the maintenance work is necessary (Yes side of S21), it proceeds to step S22. If the maintenance work is not necessary (No side of S21), the control unit 21 terminates the maintenance request process.

[0109] Furthermore, if the control unit 21 determines that the maintenance work is unnecessary, it may display the amount of wear on each of the tires 51 and the result of determining whether or not uneven wear has occurred on any of the front tires 51 on the display unit 33 of the first mobile terminal 3 corresponding to the vehicle 5 from which the acquired data was obtained. In addition, if the amount of wear on any of the tires 51 included in the acquired data exceeds a predetermined value lower than the threshold, the control unit 21 may display a message on the display unit 33 of the first mobile terminal 3 corresponding to the vehicle 5 from which the acquired data was obtained indicating that the timing for replacing the tires 51 is approaching.

[0110] <Step S22> In step S22, the control unit 21 acquires the schedule for each of the workers. The processing in step S22 is performed by the second acquisition processing unit 64 of the control unit 21.

[0111] Specifically, the control unit 21 obtains the schedule data corresponding to each worker from the schedule database 25C (see Figure 3).

[0112] <Step S23> In step S23, the control unit 21 determines the person responsible for the work from one or more workers based on the schedule of each worker obtained by the processing in step S22. The processing in step S23 is performed by the determination processing unit 65 of the control unit 21.

[0113] Specifically, the control unit 21 acquires location information of the second mobile terminal 4 from each of the workers. The control unit 21 also acquires the distance traveled from each worker's current location to the parking area PS based on the acquired location information of each second mobile terminal 4 and the location information of the parking area PS. The control unit 21 also acquires the time each worker can arrive at the parking area PS based on the travel distance and the schedule data corresponding to each worker. The control unit 21 then determines the worker who can arrive at the parking area PS the earliest as the person in charge of the work.

[0114] <Step S24> In step S24, the control unit 21 displays the reception screen X10 (see Figure 8) on the display unit 33 of the first mobile terminal 3 corresponding to the vehicle 5 from which the acquired data was obtained. The processing in step S24 is performed by the reception processing unit 66 of the control unit 21.

[0115] Furthermore, the control unit 21 can identify the first mobile terminal 3 corresponding to the vehicle 5 from which the acquired data was obtained, based on the vehicle registration number of the vehicle 5 included in the acquired data.

[0116] Here, the reception screen X10 includes information X13 indicating the predicted completion time of the maintenance work based on the schedule of the worker determined by the processing in step S23. This allows the user to determine whether the maintenance work will be completed during the free time before the vehicle 5 is parked, and to choose whether or not to request the maintenance work based on the determination result.

[0117] <Step S25> In step S25, the control unit 21 determines whether the selection operation to output the request information has been received on the reception screen X10 (see Figure 8).

[0118] Specifically, when the control unit 21 receives a user operation on the operation key X15 (see Figure 8) included in the reception screen X10, it determines that the selection operation to output the request information has been received.

[0119] Here, if the control unit 21 determines that the selection operation to output the request information has been received (Yes side of S25), it moves the process to step S26. In this case, the control unit 21 executes a settlement process to settle the maintenance work fee using the user's credit card information that has been previously registered in the user database 25A. If the selection operation to output the request information has not been received (No side of S25), the control unit 21 waits in step S25 for the acceptance of the selection operation to output the request information.

[0120] Furthermore, when the control unit 21 receives a user operation on the operation key X16 (see Figure 8) included in the reception screen X10, it may terminate the maintenance request process. Also, when the control unit 21 terminates the maintenance request process, it may display the amount of wear on each of the tires 51 and the result of determining whether or not uneven wear has occurred on any of the front tires 51 on the display unit 33 of the first mobile terminal 3 corresponding to the vehicle 5 from which the acquired data was obtained. In addition, when the control unit 21 receives the selection operation to output the request information, it may also receive a payment method selection operation to select a payment method for the maintenance work fee. The payment methods that can be selected by the payment method selection operation may include credit card payment, cash payment, and QR code (registered trademark) payment.

[0121] <Step S26> In step S26, the control unit 21 outputs the request information using the second mobile terminal 4 of the worker determined by the processing in step S23. The processing in step S26 is an example of an output step in this disclosure and is performed by the output processing unit 67 of the control unit 21.

[0122] Specifically, the control unit 21 displays the request screen, including the request information, on the display unit 43 of the worker's second mobile terminal 4. This allows the worker to recognize the work site, the vehicle to be worked on, and the details of the work.

[0123] <Step S27> In step S27, the control unit 21 edits the schedule data corresponding to the worker determined by the processing in step S23.

[0124] Specifically, the control unit 21 writes the schedule for the maintenance work requested by the worker in step S26 into the schedule data corresponding to the worker.

[0125] <Step S28> In step S28, the control unit 21 determines whether the maintenance work requested by the worker in step S26 has been completed.

[0126] Specifically, the control unit 21 determines that the maintenance work has been completed when it receives an operation from the second mobile terminal 4 of the person in charge of the work to notify the server 2 that the maintenance work has been completed.

[0127] If the control unit 21 determines that the maintenance work has been completed (Yes in S28), it proceeds to step S29. If the maintenance work has not been completed (No in S28), the control unit 21 waits in step S28 for the maintenance work to be completed.

[0128] <Step S29> In step S29, the control unit 21 notifies the user corresponding to the vehicle 5 from which the acquired data was obtained that the maintenance work has been completed.

[0129] Specifically, the control unit 21 causes the display unit 33 of the first mobile terminal 3, which corresponds to the vehicle 5 from which the acquired data was obtained, to display a message indicating that the maintenance work has been completed.

[0130] Thus, when the vehicle 5 is parked and the maintenance work is required, the tire management system 100 outputs request information including a request for the maintenance work at the parking location of the vehicle 5. This makes it possible to request the maintenance work to be carried out while the vehicle 5 is parked, without having to refer to the vehicle 5's usage schedule.

[0131] [Other embodiments] The tire management system 100 does not necessarily have to include the information acquisition device 1. In this case, the control unit 21 of the server 2 only needs to include the second determination processing unit 61 and the first acquisition processing unit 62. The second determination processing unit 61 should determine whether the vehicle 5 is parked in a place where it can be parked, based on the location information of the vehicle 5 acquired from the vehicle's onboard device, or the location information of the first mobile terminal 3 acquired from the first mobile terminal 3 corresponding to the vehicle 5. Places where the vehicle 5 can be parked may include parking spaces on the road. The first acquisition processing unit 62 should acquire, at any time via the vehicle's onboard device, the elapsed time since the last tire rotation operation, the distance traveled by the vehicle 5 since the last tire rotation operation, or the tire pressure information. The first determination processing unit 63 should determine whether the maintenance work is necessary each time the tire condition information is acquired by the first acquisition processing unit 62.

[0132] Furthermore, the tire management system 100 may include a single terminal device installed at the business premises of the contractor undertaking the maintenance work, instead of the second mobile terminal 4. In this case, the tire management system 100 does not need to include the second acquisition processing unit 64, the decision processing unit 65, the worker database 25B, and the schedule database 25C. Also, the reception screen X10 may include information indicating the estimated completion time of the maintenance work based on the work details of the maintenance work requested from the contractor and the distance from the contractor's business premises to the work site, instead of the information X13. Furthermore, the output processing unit 67 may output the request information using the terminal device. In addition, the process of determining the person in charge of the work may be performed by the manager in charge of managing the workers at the contractor. In other words, the processing by the second acquisition processing unit 64 and the processing by the decision processing unit 65 may be performed by a person.

[0133] The embodiments of this disclosure described above include the following disclosures (1) to (8).

[0134] Disclosure item (1) is a tire management system comprising: a first acquisition processing unit that acquires tire condition information relating to the condition of tires mounted on a vehicle; a first determination processing unit that determines whether maintenance work on the tires is necessary based on the tire condition information acquired by the first acquisition processing unit; a second determination processing unit that determines whether the vehicle is parked or not; and an output processing unit that outputs request information including a request for the maintenance work at the vehicle's parking location when the second determination processing unit determines that the vehicle is parked and the first determination processing unit determines that the maintenance work is necessary.

[0135] According to this system, when the vehicle is parked and maintenance work is required, the system outputs request information including a request for the maintenance work to be performed at the vehicle's parking location. This makes it possible to request the maintenance work to be performed while the vehicle is parked, without having to refer to the vehicle's usage schedule.

[0136] Disclosure item (2) is a tire management system as described in disclosure item (1), which includes a reception processing unit that receives a selection operation to select whether or not to output the request information on a first mobile terminal corresponding to the vehicle when the second determination processing unit determines that the vehicle is parked and the first determination processing unit determines that the maintenance work is necessary, and the output processing unit does not output the request information when it receives a selection operation to not output the request information.

[0137] This system makes it possible to avoid the output of the aforementioned request information against the user's will.

[0138] Disclosure item (3) is the tire management system described in disclosure item (2), which includes a second acquisition processing unit that acquires the schedules of each user of a second mobile terminal different from the first mobile terminal when the second determination processing unit determines that the vehicle is parked and the first determination processing unit determines that the maintenance work is necessary, and a determination processing unit that determines a worker to be in charge of the maintenance work from one or more of the users based on the schedules of each user acquired by the second acquisition processing unit, and the output processing unit outputs the request information using the second mobile terminal of the worker determined by the determination processing unit.

[0139] This system reduces the workload on humans and shortens the time it takes to determine who is responsible for each task, compared to a configuration where a human performs the processing by the second acquisition processing unit 64 and the processing by the decision processing unit 65.

[0140] Disclosure item (4) is the tire management system described in disclosure item (3), wherein the reception processing unit displays a reception screen used for receiving the selection operation on the display unit of the first mobile terminal after the decision processing unit has determined the worker, and the reception screen includes information indicating the predicted completion time of the maintenance work based on the schedule of the worker determined by the decision processing unit.

[0141] According to this system, the user of the system can determine whether the maintenance work will be completed during the time available before the vehicle is parked, and based on the determination result, can choose whether or not to request the maintenance work.

[0142] Disclosure item (5) is a tire management system described in any of disclosure items (1) to (4), comprising a camera that captures images of predetermined parking spaces, a second determination processing unit that determines whether or not the vehicle is parked in the parking space, and a first acquisition processing unit that, when the vehicle is parked in the parking space, uses the camera to acquire images of the tires mounted on the vehicle.

[0143] According to this system, it is possible to determine whether or not maintenance work is necessary based on the image of the tire mounted on the vehicle, which is acquired using the camera.

[0144] Disclosure item (6) is a tire management system according to any of disclosure items (1) to (5), comprising a wear amount detection device installed in a predetermined parking location for detecting the wear amount of the tires of the vehicle parked in the parking location, the second determination processing unit determines whether or not the vehicle is parked in the parking location, and the first acquisition processing unit acquires the wear amount of the tires mounted on the vehicle using the wear amount detection device when the vehicle is parked in the parking location.

[0145] According to this system, it is possible to determine whether or not maintenance work is necessary based on the amount of wear of the tires mounted on the vehicle, which is obtained using the wear amount detection device.

[0146] Disclosure item (7) is a tire management method in which one or more processors perform the following steps: an acquisition step of acquiring tire condition information relating to the condition of tires mounted on a vehicle; a first determination step of determining whether maintenance work on the tires is necessary based on the tire condition information acquired in the acquisition step; a second determination step of determining whether the vehicle is parked or not; and an output step of outputting request information including a request for the maintenance work at the vehicle's parking location, if the second determination step determines that the vehicle is parked and the first determination step determines that the maintenance work is necessary.

[0147] This method allows, similar to the system described in disclosure (1), to request that the maintenance work be performed while the vehicle is parked, without referring to the vehicle's usage schedule.

[0148] Disclosure item (8) is a program for causing one or more processors to execute: an acquisition step of acquiring tire condition information relating to the condition of tires mounted on a vehicle; a first determination step of determining whether maintenance work on the tires is necessary based on the tire condition information acquired by the acquisition step; a second determination step of determining whether the vehicle is parked or not; and an output step of outputting request information including a request for the maintenance work at the vehicle's parking location, if the second determination step determines that the vehicle is parked and the first determination step determines that the maintenance work is necessary.

[0149] According to this program, similar to the system described in disclosure (1), it is possible to request that the maintenance work be performed while the vehicle is parked, without referring to the vehicle's usage schedule.

[0150] Furthermore, this disclosure may also be a computer-readable recording medium on which the program described in disclosure item (8) is recorded non-temporarily. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0151] 1 Information acquisition device 2 servers 3. First mobile terminal 4. Second mobile device 5 vehicles 11 Control Unit 12 cameras 13 Wear amount detection device 14 Communications Department 21 Control Unit 22 Control section 23 Display section 24 Communications Department 25 Memory section 25A User Database 25B Worker Database 25C Schedule Database 31 Control Unit 32 Operation section 33 Display section 34 Communications Department 35 Storage section 35A First Application Program 36 GPS receivers 41 Control Unit 42 Operation section 43 Display section 44 Communications Department 45 Storage section 45A Second Application Program 46 GPS receivers 51 Tires 61 Second Determination Processing Unit 62 First Acquisition Processing Unit 63 First Determination Processing Unit 64 Second Acquisition Processing Unit 65 Decision Processing Unit 66 Reception Processing Section 67 Output Processing Unit 100 Tire Management System

Claims

1. A first acquisition processing unit that acquires tire condition information regarding the condition of the tires mounted on the vehicle, A first determination processing unit determines whether maintenance work on the tire is necessary based on the tire condition information acquired by the first acquisition processing unit, A second determination processing unit for determining whether the vehicle is parked, When the second determination processing unit determines that the vehicle is parked and the first determination processing unit determines that the maintenance work is necessary, an output processing unit outputs request information including a request for the maintenance work at the vehicle's parking location. A tire management system equipped with the following features.

2. When the second determination processing unit determines that the vehicle is parked and the first determination processing unit determines that the maintenance work is necessary, the system includes a reception processing unit that receives a selection operation to determine whether or not to output the request information on the first mobile terminal corresponding to the vehicle. When the output processing unit receives the selection operation to not output the request information, it will not output the request information. The tire management system according to claim 1.

3. When the second determination processing unit determines that the vehicle is parked and the first determination processing unit determines that the maintenance work is necessary, the second acquisition processing unit acquires the schedules of each user of a second mobile terminal different from the first mobile terminal. A decision processing unit that determines, based on the schedule of each user acquired by the second acquisition processing unit, the person responsible for performing the maintenance work from one or more of the users, Equipped with, The output processing unit outputs the request information using the second mobile terminal of the worker determined by the decision processing unit. The tire management system according to claim 2.

4. The reception processing unit, after the decision processing unit has determined the person in charge of the work, displays the reception screen used for accepting the selection operation on the display unit of the first mobile terminal. The reception screen includes information indicating the predicted completion time of the maintenance work based on the schedule of the worker determined by the decision processing unit. The tire management system according to claim 3.

5. Equipped with cameras that capture images of predetermined parking spaces, The second determination processing unit determines whether the vehicle is parked in the parking space, The first acquisition processing unit acquires an image of the tire mounted on the vehicle using the camera when the vehicle is parked in the parking space. A tire management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A wear amount detection device is provided in a predetermined parking location and detects the amount of wear on the tires of the vehicle parked in the parking location. The second determination processing unit determines whether the vehicle is parked in the parking space, The first acquisition processing unit acquires the wear amount of the tires mounted on the vehicle using the wear amount detection device when the vehicle is parked in the parking space. A tire management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. An acquisition step to obtain tire condition information regarding the condition of the tires mounted on the vehicle, A first determination step, which determines whether maintenance work on the tire is necessary based on the tire condition information obtained in the acquisition step, A second determination step to determine whether the vehicle is parked or not, If the second determination step determines that the vehicle is parked and the first determination step determines that the maintenance work is necessary, an output step outputs request information including a request for the maintenance work at the vehicle's parking location. A tire management method performed by one or more processors.

8. An acquisition step to obtain tire condition information regarding the condition of the tires mounted on the vehicle, A first determination step, which determines whether maintenance work on the tire is necessary based on the tire condition information obtained in the acquisition step, A second determination step to determine whether the vehicle is parked or not, If the second determination step determines that the vehicle is parked and the first determination step determines that the maintenance work is necessary, an output step outputs request information including a request for the maintenance work at the vehicle's parking location. A program designed to run on one or more processors.

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