TIRE MANAGEMENT DEVICE, PROGRAM, AND TIRE MANAGEMENT METHOD

Abstract

To provide a tire management device, a program, and a tire management method with which a notification can be issued about internal pressure abnormality of a tire so as to facilitate determination of a continuation propriety of vehicle operation.SOLUTION: A tire management device (10) comprises: an information acquisition section (131) for acquiring mounted tire information that is information regarding a tire state containing mounted position information indicating a mounted position of a tire in a vehicle (20) and internal pressure; a determination section (132) for determining internal pressure abnormality of a tire, on the basis of the mounted tire information; and a notification section (133) for outputting a mounted position of a tire determined to include internal pressure abnormality, and a determination result of the internal pressure abnormality, to a notification destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] There is a known system that is mounted on a vehicle to detect and warn of an undesirable pressure drop in a tire. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a temperature correction method in such a tire pressure monitoring system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2005-519274 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this case, an abnormality in tire pressure may occur, and the driver may receive an alarm from the in-vehicle system. However, the in-vehicle system may issue an alarm preemptively without providing details of the abnormality in tire pressure. This can make it difficult for the driver to determine whether emergency maintenance is required or whether driving can continue. It can also be difficult for the operation manager to determine whether driving can continue when there is an abnormality in tire pressure.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure, made in consideration of the above circumstances, is to provide a tire management device, program, and tire management method that can notify of abnormal tire internal pressure so as to easily determine whether or not a vehicle can continue to operate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A tire management device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an information acquisition unit that acquires mounting position information indicating the mounting position of a tire on a vehicle and mounted tire information, which is information regarding the condition of the tire including internal pressure, a determination unit that determines an internal pressure abnormality in the tire based on the mounted tire information, and a notification unit that outputs to a notification destination the mounting position of the tire determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality. This configuration makes it possible to notify the driver of abnormal tire pressure, making it easier to determine whether or not the vehicle can continue to operate.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the determination unit determines the degree of abnormality in internal pressure of the tire based on the internal pressure value of the tire, or the internal pressure value of the tire and a pressure reduction rate. With this configuration, the notification destination can more easily determine whether or not to continue operating the vehicle.

[0008] As one embodiment of the present disclosure, a tire management device includes a risk assessment unit that assesses the risk of continuing to drive the vehicle based on the mounting position of the tire that has been determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the result of the internal pressure abnormality, and the notification unit outputs the assessment. With this configuration, the notified party can refer to the objective risk assessment and determine whether or not to continue operating the vehicle appropriately.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the notification destination includes the vehicle and an operation management device that manages the operation of the vehicle, and the notification unit stops output to the vehicle when it receives a signal from the operation management device indicating that a response to the abnormal internal pressure of the tire has been decided. This configuration can eliminate the anxiety of the driver caused by the continuation of an alarm based on the notification.

[0010] A program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure causes a tire management device to acquire mounting position information indicating the mounting position of a tire on a vehicle and mounted tire information, which is information regarding the condition of the tire including the internal pressure, determine an internal pressure abnormality in the tire based on the mounted tire information, and output to a notification destination the mounting position of the tire determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality. This configuration makes it possible to notify the driver of abnormal tire pressure, making it easier to determine whether or not the vehicle can continue to operate.

[0011] A tire management method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a tire management method executed by a tire management device, and includes acquiring mounting position information indicating the mounting position of a tire on a vehicle and mounted tire information, which is information regarding the condition of the tire including internal pressure, determining an internal pressure abnormality in the tire based on the mounted tire information, and outputting to a notification destination the mounting position of the tire determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality. This configuration makes it possible to notify the driver of abnormal tire pressure, making it easier to determine whether or not the vehicle can continue to operate. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a tire management device, a program, and a tire management method that can notify of an abnormality in tire internal pressure so as to easily determine whether or not a vehicle can continue to operate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a tire management system including a tire management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is another diagram showing an example of the configuration of the tire management system of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the mounting position of the tire. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle management database stored in the storage unit of the tire management device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a tire management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, a tire management device and a tire management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0015] 1 and 2 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of a tire management system 1 including a tire management device 10 according to this embodiment. Fig. 1 is a block diagram including an example of the internal configuration of the tire management device 10. Fig. 2 shows the overall configuration of the tire management system 1.

[0016] The tire management device 10 detects an internal pressure abnormality in a tire 30 mounted on a vehicle 20, determines the degree of the abnormality, and outputs the determination result to a notification destination. The tire management device 10 targets all tires 30 mounted on the vehicle 20 and detects internal pressure abnormality for each of the tires 30. In this embodiment, the notification destination is the vehicle 20 and the operation management device 60 that manages the operation of the vehicle 20, but is not limited to this. The notification destination may include, for example, a computer of a maintenance company that can replace the tire 30 of the vehicle 20. The notification destination may also include, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone owned by the driver of the vehicle 20.

[0017] Here, a tire management system 1 including a tire management device 10 manages tires of a plurality of vehicles (vehicle 20 and other vehicles). Vehicle 20 is one of such a plurality of vehicles.

[0018] The tire management device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The control unit 13 includes an information acquisition unit 131, a determination unit 132, a notification unit 133, and a risk assessment unit 134. The tire management device 10 may be configured as a hardware computer such as a server. The components of the tire management device 10 will be described in detail later.

[0019] The tire management device 10 may configure a tire management system 1 together with a traffic management device 60 connected via a network 40. The network 40 is, for example, the Internet, but may also be a LAN (Local Area Network). The tire management system 1 may further include a computer of a maintenance business connected via the network 40.

[0020] The operation management device 60 is a device that manages the operation status of multiple vehicles including the vehicle 20. The operation management device 60 acquires information such as the speed, driving time, and driving distance of multiple vehicles including the vehicle 20, and manages these vehicles. These vehicles may be trucks, for example, but are not limited to a specific type of vehicle. In this embodiment, the multiple vehicles (including the vehicle 20) managed by the operation management device 60 are trucks used for transportation. The operation management device 60 may also manage the driving routes of the multiple vehicles including the vehicle 20. The manager of the operation management device 60 can notify the driver of the vehicle 20 by voice. For example, the manager can call the driver of the vehicle 20 to stop driving, etc., by using the voice notification or voice call function of the operation recorder 80 described later.

[0021] The vehicle 20 is equipped with an on-board device capable of connecting to the network 40 and transmitting and receiving data. In this embodiment, the vehicle 20 is equipped with a tachograph 80 connectable to the network 40. The vehicle 20 also is equipped with a detection device 70 that detects mounted tire information, which is information relating to the properties and conditions of the tires 30 mounted on the vehicle 20 while it is traveling. The tire management device 10 can acquire the mounted tire information detected by the detection device 70 via the tachograph 80 and the network 40.

[0022] The detection device 70 is a device or system equipped with a sensor and generates mounted tire information. There may be one or more detection devices 70. In this embodiment, the detection device 70 includes a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). The detection device 70 may include a device or system other than a tire pressure monitoring system. Here, the device or system included in the detection device 70 may have a known configuration.

[0023] The tire pressure monitoring system monitors the internal pressure of a tire 30 attached to a vehicle 20. The tire pressure monitoring system may be configured to include, for example, a sensor installed inside the tire 30, a processor that determines a change in air pressure based on a detection value of the sensor, and a memory that stores the detection value of the sensor and the like. The sensor may include a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor. In this embodiment, the tire pressure monitoring system outputs information on the internal pressure and temperature of the tire 30 attached to the vehicle 20 as attached tire information to the tire management device 10 via the tachograph 80. Here, as another example, the attached tire information does not need to include temperature information.

[0024] Here, the tire pressure monitoring system monitors the internal pressure of all the tires 30 attached to the vehicle 20. The tire pressure monitoring system outputs information on the internal pressure and temperature of each of the tires 30 to the tire management device 10 in association with mounting position information. The mounting position information is information indicating the mounting position of each of the tires 30 on the vehicle 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 20, which is a truck, is equipped with, for example, four rear tires 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, and 30-4 and two front tires 30-5 and 30-6. In the example of FIG. 3, the dual rear wheels on the left side are composed of the tires 30-1 and 30-2. Also, the dual rear wheels on the right side are composed of the tires 30-3 and 30-4. For example, the mounting position information of the tire 30-1 may be "outer left rear wheel". For example, the mounting position information of the tire 30-3 may be "inner right rear wheel". For example, the mounting position information of the tire 30-5 may be "left front wheel". In this embodiment, the mounting position information is output to the tire management device 10 together with the mounted tire information. Here, the vehicle 20 is not limited to a two-axle vehicle having two axles as shown in Fig. 3, but may be, for example, a three-axle vehicle, a four-axle vehicle, or a multi-axle vehicle having even more axles.

[0025] The processor of the tire pressure monitoring system may generate load information of the vehicle 20 based on the information on the internal pressure of the tire 30. The processor may determine that a load is loaded on the vehicle 20, which is a truck, from an increase in the internal pressure of the tire 30, for example, and calculate the weight of the load. In this embodiment, the load information of the vehicle 20 is output to the tire management device 10 together with the installed tire information.

[0026] Furthermore, when the processor of the tire pressure monitoring system determines that an abnormality has occurred in the internal pressure of the tire 30 based on the information on the internal pressure of the tire 30, the processor may generate an internal pressure abnormality determination signal and include it in the mounted tire information. The processor of the tire pressure monitoring system may perform the abnormality determination using a known method, for example, determining that the rate of change of the internal pressure exceeds a threshold value. Here, the accuracy of the abnormality determination by the processor of the tire pressure monitoring system is not high, and the tire management device 10 performs a highly accurate determination of the presence or absence of an internal pressure abnormality. The internal pressure abnormality determination signal may be used, for example, as a trigger for the tire management device 10 to perform an internal pressure abnormality determination. Furthermore, the speed at which the internal pressure of the tire 30 decreases may be determined outside the tire pressure monitoring system.

[0027] The operation recorder 80 is an in-vehicle device that outputs information such as the speed, running time, and running distance of the vehicle 20 to the operation management device 60. In this embodiment, the operation recorder 80 is a digital tachograph, but is not limited to a digital tachograph. The operation recorder 80 outputs mounting position information, mounted tire information, and load information generated by the detection device 70 to the tire management device 10. The operation recorder 80 may acquire information such as the speed, running time, and running distance of the vehicle 20 from, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle 20 via an in-vehicle network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network). The operation recorder 80 may output information on the current position of the vehicle 20 to the tire management device 10 and the operation management device 60. The operation recorder 80 may have a GPS (Global Positioning System) function, or may acquire information on the current position from another in-vehicle device having a GPS function via CAN.

[0028] The operation recorder 80 may be configured to include, for example, an output unit 81 and an interface unit 82. The output unit 81 outputs information such as the speed, driving time, and driving distance of the vehicle 20 to the operation management device 60, and outputs mounting position information, mounted tire information, and load information to the tire management device 10. The interface unit 82 enables voice communication between the driver and the administrator of the operation management device 60, and is configured to include, for example, a microphone and a speaker. The interface unit 82 is also configured to include, for example, a display device such as a display. The administrator of the operation management device 60 can display a warning or the like on the display device to urge the driver to take action.

[0029] In this embodiment, the tachograph 80 inputs data from the tire management device 10 through the interface unit 82. In other words, the tachograph 80 is used as an interface for the notification destination (vehicle 20) to which the tire management device 10 notifies the internal pressure abnormality determination result and the like. In this embodiment, the interface unit 82 of the tachograph 80 receives the internal pressure abnormality determination result and the like from the tire management device 10. The interface unit 82 is also configured to include at least one of an alarm lamp and an alarm speaker that issue an alarm to the driver in response to the notification of the internal pressure abnormality of the tire 30. In this case, the tachograph 80 may be provided with an output stop instruction unit so that the driver can stop the alarm.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the tire management device 10 can transmit information to a maintenance business via the network 40. The tire management device 10 can notify the maintenance business before the arrival of the vehicle 20, for example, so that the tire 30 with abnormal internal pressure can be replaced as soon as possible. The tire management device 10 may select the maintenance business closest to the vehicle 20 based on the information on the current position of the vehicle 20 acquired from the operation recorder 80, and notify the selected maintenance business of the emergency replacement of the tire 30. The tire management device 10 may also acquire road information such as map information via the network 40 in order to select a maintenance business. In addition to the maintenance business, the destination of the information may include businesses such as stores and road services that are preset for each operation manager who owns the operation management device 60.

[0031] The components of the tire management device 10 will be described in detail below. The communication unit 11 includes one or more communication modules connected to the network 40. The communication unit 11 may include a communication module compatible with mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th Generation) and 5G (5th Generation). The communication unit 11 may include a communication module compatible with a wired LAN standard (1000BASE-T as an example). The communication unit 11 may include a communication module compatible with a wireless LAN standard (IEEE802.11 as an example).

[0032] The storage unit 12 is one or more memories. The memory may be, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or the like, but is not limited to these and may be any memory. The storage unit 12 is, for example, built into the tire management device 10, but may also be configured to be accessed from outside the tire management device 10 via any interface.

[0033] The storage unit 12 stores various data used in various calculations executed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 12 may also store results and intermediate data of various calculations executed by the control unit 13.

[0034] In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 stores a vehicle management database used in the determination of an abnormality in the internal pressure of the tire 30 by the determination unit 132, the evaluation by the risk assessment unit 134, and the like, the map information described above, and the like. The map information may be acquired via the network 40 and stored in the storage unit 12. Details of the vehicle management database will be described later.

[0035] The control unit 13 is one or more processors. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these and may be any processor. The control unit 13 controls the overall operation of the tire management device 10.

[0036] Here, the tire management device 10 may have the following software configuration. One or more programs used to control the operation of the tire management device 10 are stored in the storage unit 12. When the program stored in the storage unit 12 is read by the processor of the control unit 13, it causes the control unit 13 to function as an information acquisition unit 131, a determination unit 132, a notification unit 133, and a risk assessment unit 134.

[0037] The information acquisition unit 131 acquires mounting position information and mounted tire information. The information acquisition unit 131 also acquires load information, map information, and the like. The information acquisition unit 131 stores the acquired map information in the storage unit 12. The information acquisition unit 131 also generates or updates a vehicle management database for managing the acquired information for each vehicle, and stores the information in the storage unit 12.

[0038] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle management database stored in the storage unit 12. The mounting position information, mounted tire information, and load information acquired by the information acquisition unit 131 are associated with each tire of each of the multiple vehicles by the vehicle management database. In the example of FIG. 4, the multiple vehicles are distinguished by identifiers such as A001 and B001. Each of the multiple vehicles is equipped with six tires (see FIG. 3), and is distinguished by identifiers 1 to 6, and the position is specified by the mounting position information. The internal pressure and temperature are values ​​measured for each tire by the tire pressure monitoring system. Although shown together in FIG. 4, the internal pressure and temperature are stored in the storage unit 12 as time-series data in association with the measurement time. Here, the depressurization rate is the rate at which the internal pressure of each tire decreases, and is calculated by the determination unit 132 based on the time-series data of the internal pressure. Among the items of the vehicle management database, the depressurization rate is calculated and managed by the determination unit 132. The load information is the load amount of each vehicle. The load information may be overwritten and updated with the latest value.

[0039] Here, the information acquisition unit 131 may acquire the driving route from the traffic management device 60. The acquired driving route may be associated with map information stored in the storage unit 12 and managed by the vehicle management database.

[0040] The determination unit 132 determines whether the tire 30 has an internal pressure abnormality based on the mounted tire information. The determination unit 132 may start determining whether the tire 30 has an internal pressure abnormality when, for example, the information acquisition unit 131 acquires mounted tire information including an internal pressure abnormality determination signal. In this embodiment, the determination unit 132 first identifies an identifier of a specific tire 30 of the vehicle 20 that is the subject of the determination. The determination unit 132 reads the vehicle management database from the storage unit 12, and extracts mounting position information and mounted tire information of the tire 30 based on the identifier. The determination unit 132 determines whether the tire 30 has an internal pressure abnormality based on the internal pressure and temperature of the mounted tire information. Here, the temperature is used for temperature correction to convert the internal pressure of the tire 30 into a value at a specific temperature. A known method may be used for the temperature correction. The determination unit 132 may determine that the tire 30 has an internal pressure abnormality when, for example, the corrected internal pressure of the tire 30 is lower than a reference value. The reference value may be a constant value, or may be a value that varies depending on the type of tire 30. In addition, the method of determining whether or not there is an internal pressure abnormality is not limited to using the reference value, and other known methods may be used.

[0041] The determination unit 132 determines the degree of the internal pressure abnormality when there is an internal pressure abnormality in the tire 30. The degree of the internal pressure abnormality is divided into three categories in this embodiment, although the number of categories is not limited. The first category is a state in which emergency maintenance is required to replace the tire 30, such as a puncture. Hereinafter, the first category is referred to as a "puncture". When the internal pressure abnormality is a puncture, there is a high risk that the vehicle 20 will continue to operate, and it is preferable to stop the vehicle and call road service. The second category is a state in which the air in the tire 30 is deflated at a speed that exceeds the natural pressure reduction, but not as fast as a puncture, such as when a sharp object such as a nail has pierced the tire and has not come out, or when a valve has failed. Hereinafter, the second category is referred to as a "slow leak". When the internal pressure abnormality is a slow leak, there is a medium risk that the vehicle 20 will continue to operate, and the vehicle may be able to drive to a maintenance company under its own power. The third category is a state in which the air in the tire 30 is deflated at approximately the same speed as the natural pressure reduction. Hereinafter, the third category is referred to as “natural pressure reduction.” When the internal pressure abnormality is a natural pressure reduction, the risk of the vehicle 20 continuing to operate is small, and the vehicle 20 can basically continue to operate.

[0042] When the tire 30 has an internal pressure abnormality, the determination unit 132 determines the degree of the internal pressure abnormality based on the value of the internal pressure of the tire 30. For example, when the internal pressure of the tire 30 is extremely low, the determination unit 132 can determine that the internal pressure abnormality is a puncture. However, it may be difficult to determine the classification based on only the value of the internal pressure of the tire 30. The determination unit 132 may determine the degree of the internal pressure abnormality of the tire 30 based on the value of the internal pressure of the tire 30 and the decompression rate. The determination unit 132 may calculate the decompression rate based on the time-series data of the internal pressure, and determine whether the internal pressure abnormality is a puncture, a slow leak, or a natural decompression based on the decompression rate. In addition, the determination unit 132 may determine the decompression rate by, for example, comparing the internal pressure transition with other tires on the same axle. The determined degree of the internal pressure abnormality is notified to the vehicle 20 and the operation management device 60 as the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality, together with information on the mounting position of the tire 30 determined to have an internal pressure abnormality. The driver of the vehicle 20 and the manager of the operation management device 60 are not simply notified that there is an internal pressure abnormality as in the conventional technology, but rather receive information on the degree of the internal pressure abnormality and the mounting position, making it easier for them to determine whether or not to continue operating the vehicle. For example, in the conventional technology, when the driver or manager was only notified that there is an internal pressure abnormality, they had no choice but to stop the vehicle immediately to prevent an accident. According to this embodiment, the driver or manager can determine that there is a possibility of continuing operation to a nearby maintenance business based on information that, for example, the degree of the internal pressure abnormality in the tire 30 is a slow leak and the mounting position is on the inside of the double wheel.

[0043] Here, the risk of continuing to drive the vehicle 20 may vary depending on the condition of the vehicle 20 and the tire 30 in which the internal pressure abnormality has occurred. The risk assessment unit 134 assesses the risk of continuing to drive the vehicle 20 based on the mounting position of the tire 30 in which it has been determined that there is an internal pressure abnormality and the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality. Here, the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality is the degree of the internal pressure abnormality determined by the determination unit 132.

[0044] The risk assessment unit 134 first assesses the magnitude of risk according to the degree of the internal pressure abnormality. That is, when the degree of the internal pressure abnormality is a puncture, a slow leak, or natural decompression, the risk assessment unit 134 assesses the risk as high, medium, or low, respectively. An assessment based only on the degree of the internal pressure abnormality may be referred to as an "initial assessment" below. The risk assessment unit 134 fluctuates the assessment of risk by taking into account other factors. For example, if the mounting position of the tire 30 in which the internal pressure abnormality has occurred is not on the inside of a pair of wheels (the inner left rear wheel or the inner right rear wheel), the risk assessment unit 134 assesses the risk as high. In other words, if the mounting position of the tire 30 in which the internal pressure abnormality has occurred is on the inside of a pair of wheels, the risk assessment unit 134 maintains the "initial assessment," and otherwise changes the assessment to "high risk."

[0045] Furthermore, the risk assessment unit 134 may evaluate the vehicle 20 as "high risk" when it is determined from the load information of the vehicle 20 that the vehicle 20 is heavier than a predetermined weight. Furthermore, the risk assessment unit 134 may evaluate the vehicle 20 as "high risk" when the planned driving distance to the destination is longer than a predetermined distance based on the driving route of the vehicle 20, or when the planned driving time to the destination is longer than a predetermined time. Furthermore, the risk assessment unit 134 may evaluate the vehicle 20 as "high risk" when the vehicle 20 plans to use an expressway based on the driving route of the vehicle 20. The assessment by the risk assessment unit 134 is notified to the vehicle 20 and the operation management device 60. The driver of the vehicle 20 and the manager of the operation management device 60 can refer to the objective risk assessment to determine whether or not to continue appropriate vehicle operation.

[0046] In the same example as above, suppose that the driver and manager receive information that the degree of the internal pressure abnormality in the tire 30 is a slow leak and that the tire is mounted on the inside of the pair of wheels, and the risk assessment unit 134 assesses the vehicle 20 as "high risk" because the vehicle 20 is heavier than a predetermined weight. In this case, the driver and manager are notified of the assessment of "high risk," so they can reconsider whether to continue driving.

[0047] The notification unit 133 outputs the mounting position of the tire 30 determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality to the notification destinations, that is, the vehicle 20 and the traffic management device 60. In addition, the notification unit 133 outputs the evaluation by the risk assessment unit 134 to the notification destinations, that is, the vehicle 20 and the traffic management device 60.

[0048] Here, the manager of the traffic management device 60 may make a final decision to continue or stop the operation of the vehicle 20. If notification is continued to the vehicle 20 after the final decision is made, the driver may become anxious due to an alarm such as a warning lamp. When the notification unit 133 acquires a signal from the traffic management device 60 indicating that a response to the abnormal internal pressure of the tire 30 has been decided, the notification unit 133 stops outputting to the vehicle 20. This stopping process can eliminate the driver's anxiety caused by the continuation of the alarm based on the notification.

[0049] The notification unit 133 may further change at least one of the notification method and the notification interval based on the evaluation by the risk evaluation unit 134. For example, when the evaluation is "high risk", the notification unit 133 may shorten the notification interval and repeatedly notify until a stop command is received from the notification destination. Also, when the evaluation is "high risk", the notification unit 133 may execute an alarm using both an alarm lamp and an alarm speaker. When the evaluation is "medium risk", the notification unit 133 may lengthen the notification interval, for example, to about once every 30 minutes. Also, when the evaluation is "medium risk", the notification unit 133 may execute an alarm using only an alarm lamp. Also, the notification unit 133 may change the content of the alarm issued from the alarm speaker according to the evaluation.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a tire management method executed by the tire management device 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0051] The information acquisition unit 131 acquires mounting position information and mounted tire information (step S1). Then, the determination unit 132 determines whether the internal pressure of the tire 30 is abnormal based on the mounted tire information.

[0052] The determination unit 132 calculates the rate of decrease in the internal pressure of the tire 30 (step S2). The calculation of the rate of decrease in the internal pressure by the determination unit 132 may be performed not only when it is determined that there is an internal pressure abnormality. For example, it becomes possible to detect a state in which the rate of decrease in the internal pressure of the tire 30 is high even before the internal pressure of the tire 30 falls below a predetermined threshold value.

[0053] When the determination unit 132 determines that the classification of the degree of the internal pressure abnormality based on the decompression rate is a puncture (Yes in step S3), the notification unit 133 outputs the mounting position of the tire 30 determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality to the notification destination (step S4). Here, the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality is classified as a "puncture." At this time, there is a high risk that the vehicle 20 will continue to operate, so it is preferable to stop the vehicle and call for road service.

[0054] The notification unit 133 continues to output the notification until the manager of the traffic management device 60 makes a final decision as to whether to continue or stop the traffic of the vehicle 20 (No in step S5).

[0055] When the administrator of the traffic management device 60 makes a decision (Yes in step S5), the notification unit 133 stops output to the vehicle 20 (step S6). When the interface unit 82 of the traffic recorder 80 issues an alarm to the driver, the traffic recorder 80 may include an output stop instruction unit so that the driver can stop the alarm.

[0056] When the determination unit 132 determines that the classification of the degree of the internal pressure abnormality based on the decompression speed is not a puncture (No in step S3), the process proceeds to step S7.

[0057] If the determination unit 132 determines that the classification of the degree of internal pressure abnormality based on the decompression rate is a slow leak (Yes in step S7), the risk assessment unit 134 performs risk assessment based on whether the abnormal tire is one of the multiple tires (step S8).

[0058] If the abnormal tire is one of the dual wheels (Yes in step S8), the risk assessment unit 134 assesses the risk as medium. Since there is a possibility that the vehicle 20 will continue to operate, the notification unit 133 notifies the maintenance company of necessary information before the arrival of the vehicle 20 so that the tire 30 with abnormal internal pressure can be immediately replaced (step S9). Here, the necessary information may include at least one of mounting position information of the abnormal tire, mounted tire information, an identifier of the vehicle 20, position information of the vehicle 20 such as GPS, vehicle manager information, load information, and estimated arrival time. The mounted tire information may include the tire size, tire type, etc. of the tire 30.

[0059] After step S9, or if the abnormal tire is not one of the multiple tires (No in step S8), the notification unit 133 outputs the mounting position of the tire 30 determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the internal pressure abnormality determination result to the notification destination (step S4). Here, the internal pressure abnormality determination result is classified as "slow leak". Then, as described above, the processes of steps S5 and S6 are executed.

[0060] Furthermore, if the determination unit 132 determines that the classification of the degree of the internal pressure abnormality based on the decompression rate is not a slow leak (No in step S7), that is, if the classification of the degree of the internal pressure abnormality is a natural decompression, the series of processes ends without notification or the like. As another example, even if the classification of the degree of the internal pressure abnormality is a natural decompression, the processes from step S4 to step S6 may be executed. Information sharing with the administrator of the traffic management device 60 may be performed by the tire management device 10 designating a specific website as the notification destination and the administrator accessing the website. In this case, the administrator of the traffic management device 60 can obtain information even if no abnormality has occurred and can check the status of each vehicle (including the absence of abnormalities).

[0061] As described above, the tire management device 10 and the tire management method according to the present embodiment can notify the driver of an abnormality in tire internal pressure so that the driver can easily determine whether or not the vehicle can continue to operate.

[0062] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications or corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications or corrections are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or each step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined into one or divided. The embodiments of the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executed by a processor included in the device or a storage medium on which a program is recorded. It should be understood that these are also included in the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1. Tire management system 10 Tire management device 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control section 20 Vehicles 30 Tires 40 Network 60 Operation control device 70 Detection Device 80 Driving recorder 81 Output section 82 Interface section 131 Information Acquisition Department 132 Judgment section 133 Notification Department 134 Risk Assessment Division

Claims

1. an information acquisition unit that acquires mounted tire information, which is information regarding a state of the tire including mounting position information indicating a mounting position of the tire on the vehicle and an internal pressure of the tire; a determination unit for determining whether the tire has an internal pressure abnormality based on the mounted tire information; a notification unit that outputs the mounting position of the tire determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality to a notification destination; a risk assessment unit that assesses a risk of continuing to drive the vehicle based on the mounting position of the tire determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality, The notification unit outputs the evaluation.

2. The tire management device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines a degree of the internal pressure abnormality of the tire based on a value of the internal pressure of the tire, or based on a value of the internal pressure of the tire and a rate of pressure reduction of the tire.

3. The notification destination includes a vehicle and a traffic management device that manages the operation of the vehicle, 3 . The tire management device according to claim 1 , wherein the notification unit stops output to the vehicle when the notification unit receives a signal from the traffic management device indicating that a response to the abnormal internal pressure of the tire has been decided.

4. For tire management devices, Acquiring mounted tire information, which is information regarding a state of the tire including mounting position information indicating a mounting position of the tire on the vehicle and an internal pressure of the tire; determining an internal pressure abnormality of the tire based on the mounted tire information; outputting the mounting position of the tire determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality to a notification destination; and evaluating a risk of continuing to drive the vehicle based on the mounting position of the tire determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality. The outputting includes outputting the evaluation.

5. A tire management method executed by a tire management device, comprising: Acquiring mounted tire information, which is information regarding a state of the tire including mounting position information indicating a mounting position of the tire on the vehicle and an internal pressure of the tire; determining an internal pressure abnormality of the tire based on the mounted tire information; outputting the mounting position of the tire determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality to a notification destination; and evaluating a risk of continuing to drive the vehicle based on the mounting position of the tire determined to have an internal pressure abnormality and the determination result of the internal pressure abnormality, The tire management method, wherein the outputting includes outputting the evaluation.

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