Tire condition determination system, tire condition determination device, tire condition determination method, and program

Abstract

To provide a tire state determination system capable of reducing a conformity inspection load of a base tire; and to provide a tire state determination device, a tire state determination method and a program.SOLUTION: In a tire state determination system 100, state data containing various information which may affect deterioration of a base part of a tire 1 are acquired from a vehicle 50, and an evaluation value S for showing the state of the base part of the tire 1 is calculated based on the acquired state data. Hereby, an inspector for inspecting adaptability as a base tire, can grasp in advance the state of the base part of the tire which is usable as a material for determining whether the tire is usable as the base tire.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire condition determination system capable of determining the condition of a base portion in a tire used for running a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a retread tire is known in which the tread portion of a tire whose primary life has ended is replaced with a new tread rubber to restore the function of the tire (see Patent Document 1). The retread tire is excellent in economy and is also friendly to the environment, and thus its penetration rate has been increasing in recent years. The retread tire is also referred to as a recycled tire or a regenerated tire.

[0003] The retread tire is manufactured by attaching tread rubber to a casing tire whose tread portion has been worn and vulcanizing it.

[0004] By the way, not all tires whose primary life has ended can be applied as casing tires, and only those determined to have sufficient durability through strict inspection are used as casing tires.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, the inspection of whether it is suitable as a retread tire requires passing through a primary inspection process such as a visual inspection or a palpation inspection by an inspector, and a secondary inspection process for detecting the presence or absence of internal delamination, cracks, or damage by a high-voltage inspection, a shearography inspection using ultrasonic waves, etc. The workload required for the inspection is large. Also, if the tire accepted as a retread tire fails the above inspection, the accepted tire must be disposed of, resulting in a workload and cost burden for the disposal.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a tire condition determination system, a tire condition determination device, a tire condition determination method, and a program capable of reducing the inspection burden for retread tire suitability.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] (1) A tire condition determination system according to one aspect of the present invention is configured to determine the condition of a base portion corresponding to a retread tire in a tire used for running a vehicle. The tire condition determination system includes an acquisition unit that acquires tire-related information that can affect the deterioration of the base portion, and a condition determination unit that determines the condition of the base portion based on the tire-related information.

[0009] With this configuration, when an inspector who inspects the suitability as a retread tire for retreading uses the system, before performing a primary inspection such as a visual inspection or a palpation inspection by the inspector, and a secondary inspection such as a high-voltage inspection or a shearography inspection, the inspector can grasp in advance the condition of the base portion of the tire, which serves as a judgment material for whether it can be used as a retread tire. Thereby, the inspector can reduce the inspection burden by excluding tires in poor condition from the inspection targets, and can also suppress unnecessary inspection costs.

[0010] Also, when an owner who owns a vehicle uses the system, the owner can grasp in advance the condition of the base portion of the tire mounted on the vehicle.

[0011] (2) The tire-related information preferably includes at least one or more of tire air pressure, tire temperature, tire rotation speed, acceleration in the tire, frequency of acceleration exceeding a predetermined value in the tire, tire wear amount, vehicle running speed, vehicle acceleration, vehicle steering angle, number of braking operations, braking operation amount, vehicle running route, vehicle running distance, road surface information indicating the state of the running road surface, weather during running, air temperature during running, load applied to the tire during running, and number of retreadings.

[0012] When the tire-related information includes the above-mentioned plurality of information, the determination accuracy of the state by the state determination unit can be improved.

[0013] (3) The acquisition unit acquires the degree of uneven wear in the tire. In this case, the state determination unit determines the state of the base portion based on the degree of uneven wear.

[0014] In this way, since the state of the base portion is determined in consideration of the degree of uneven wear, the determination accuracy of the state by the state determination unit can be further improved.

[0015] (4) The acquisition unit acquires the running distance for each type of the running route. In this case, the state determination unit determines the state of the base portion based on the running distance for each type of the running route.

[0016] In this way, since the state of the base portion is determined in consideration of the running distance for each type of the running route, the determination accuracy of the state by the state determination unit can be further improved.

[0017] (5) The state determination system of the present invention further includes a first determination unit that determines whether the base portion is applicable as the spare tire based on the determination result by the state determination unit.

[0018] Thereby, the user who uses the system does not need to determine the compatibility as the spare tire by himself / herself.

[0019] (6) The state determination unit calculates, as a determination result, an evaluation value indicating the state of the base unit based on the tire-related information. In this case, the first determination unit determines that it is applicable as the retread tire when the evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, and determines that it is not applicable as the retread tire when the evaluation value is less than the threshold value.

[0020] (7) The tire has a storage unit in which identification information of the tire is stored. In this case, the acquisition unit acquires the tire-related information together with the identification information, and the state determination unit calculates the evaluation value of the tire corresponding to the identification information.

[0021] (8) The state determination system of the present invention further includes a recording unit that performs a process of recording the tire-related information in a predetermined storage medium in association with the identification information.

[0022] Thus, for example, even when the tire is removed from the vehicle and used continuously as a used tire after being mounted on another vehicle, the tire-related information when it was mounted on the previous vehicle can be retained. Thereby, even when the tire is used in the next vehicle, the tire-related information at the previous use can be carried over.

[0023] (9) The state determination system of the present invention further includes a second determination unit that determines the value of the tire as the retread tire based on the determination result by the state determination unit when the first determination unit determines that the base unit is applicable as the retread tire.

[0024] The value is, for example, the market value as a retread tire, which is the purchase price, the selling price, or an index corresponding to these price information. Since the value is determined in this way, for example, when value information indicating the value is shown to a person related to handling the tire (for example, the owner of the tire or the sales intermediary of the tire), the person related can easily grasp the objective value of the tire as the retread tire.

[0025] (10) The state determination system of the present invention further includes an output processing unit that performs a process of outputting a determination result by the state determination unit or a calculation result calculated based on the determination result. The output processing unit outputs, for example, the determination result, the determination result by the first determination unit, and the determination result by the second determination unit to a terminal device or a display device within the state determination system, or an external device or an external system connected to the state determination system via a communication network.

[0026] (11) The tire state determination device according to another aspect of the present invention is configured to determine the state of a base portion corresponding to a tread of a tire used for running a vehicle. The tire state determination device includes an acquisition unit that acquires tire-related information that can affect the deterioration of the base portion, and a state determination unit that determines the state of the base portion based on the tire-related information.

[0027] (12) The tire state determination method according to another aspect of the present invention is a method for determining the state of a base portion corresponding to a tread of a tire used for running a vehicle. The tire state determination method includes an acquisition step of acquiring tire-related information that can affect the deterioration of the base portion, and a state determination step of determining the state of the base portion based on the tire-related information.

[0028] (13) The present invention can also be regarded as a program for determining the state of a base portion corresponding to a tread of a tire used for running a vehicle, a program for causing one or more processors to execute each step of the tire state determination method, or a computer-readable recording medium on which such a program is non-temporarily recorded. That is, the program is a program for causing one or more processors to execute an acquisition step of acquiring tire-related information that can affect the deterioration of the base portion, and a state determination step of determining the state of the base portion based on the tire-related information.

Advantages of the Invention

[0029] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden of conformity inspection of the retread tire.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0031] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Note that the embodiments described below are merely examples embodying the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a tire state determination system 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as the determination system 100) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The determination system 100 is an example of the tire state determination system of the present invention and is configured to be able to determine the state of the base portion corresponding to the retread tire in the tire 1 used for the running of the vehicle 50. Here, the tire 1 is a so-called pneumatic tire. Further, the retread tire is obtained by cutting a predetermined amount of tread rubber from the tire 1 in which a slip sign or the like appears on the surface and it is determined that the primary life has ended, and is used as the base tire of the retread tire. The base portion is the portion used as the retread tire in the tire 1, that is, the portion other than the tread rubber to be cut.

[0033] [Configuration of Tire Condition Determination System 100] As shown in FIG. 1, the determination system 100 includes a condition determination device 10 (an example of the tire condition determination device of the present invention), an information terminal 20, a database 30, and a communication device 40, which are communicably connected by a communication network by wire or wirelessly. The communication network is, for example, a wired communication network connected by a LAN or the like, or a wireless communication network such as a dedicated line or a public line.

[0034] The condition determination device 10 is an element constituting the determination system 100. The condition determination device 10 uses the condition data (an example of the tire-related information of the present invention) transmitted from the vehicle 50 described later and a predetermined calculation formula (see Formula (1)) to execute the conformity determination process (see FIG. 5) described later, thereby determining the condition of the base portion in the tire 1. Furthermore, based on the determination result, it is determined whether it can be used as a retread tire, and the determination result and the determination result are output to an external device such as the information terminal 20.

[0035] The condition determination device 10 is an information processing device or a server device capable of executing various arithmetic processes. Specifically, it is a computer such as a server computer, a cloud server, or a personal computer connected to the communication network. Note that the condition determination device 10 is not limited to one computer, and may be a computer system in which a plurality of computers cooperate to operate, or a cloud computing system. In addition, various processes executed by the condition determination device 10 may be distributed and executed by one or a plurality of processors. A program or computer software for operating the determination system 100 is installed in the condition determination device 10.

[0036] The information terminal 20 is an information processing device or a terminal device used by the owner of the tire 1 to be judged or an inspector who inspects the state of the tire 1. The information terminal 20 is a so-called desktop personal computer, a notebook personal computer, or a portable terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal that can be carried around. Further, the information terminal 20 may be an in-vehicle terminal or a display device mounted on the vehicle 50. Further, when the vehicle 50 is a so-called connected car having a function as an ICT terminal, the vehicle 50 itself can be regarded as the information terminal 20.

[0037] The information terminal 20 is provided with a display unit such as a liquid crystal display. When the information terminal 20 receives the determination result output from the state determination device 10, it displays the determination result on the display screen of the display unit. Therefore, a program or computer software for transmitting the various types of information to the state determination device 10 in cooperation with the determination system 100 and displaying the determination result on the display screen is installed in the information terminal 20.

[0038] The database 30 is a storage device such as an HDD or an SSD communicably connected to the communication network. Various types of data handled in the determination system 100 are stored in the database 30. The database 30 is configured as an external device such as another server device or another storage device capable of data communication with the state determination device 10. Note that the database 30 may be a so-called cloud storage connected via the Internet. Further, the database 30 may be a storage device provided in the state determination device 10, or may be an external storage device connected to the state determination device 10 by a local network.

[0039] The communication device 40 communicates with the vehicle 50 and receives the state data output from the vehicle 50, which will be described later. When the communication device 40 receives the state data from the vehicle 50, it transmits the received state data to the state determination device 10. The communication device 40 includes an antenna 41. The antenna 41 is used for wireless communication performed between the communication unit 63 (see FIG. 3) provided in the control unit 60 of the vehicle 50. The communication device 40 can execute wireless communication with the communication unit 63 when the vehicle 50 enters the communication range defined by a predetermined wireless communication standard.

[0040] [Vehicle 50] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the vehicle 50 equipped with the tire 1 will be described. Here, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the vehicle 50. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle 50.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 50 is, for example, a four-wheel passenger car, has a total of four wheels front and rear, and the tire 1 is mounted on each wheel. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 50 is, for example, a front-engine front-wheel drive vehicle (FF vehicle), the tire 1F mounted on the front wheels is a drive tire, and the tire 1R mounted on the rear wheels is a driven tire. Note that the drive method and steering method of the vehicle 50 are not particularly limited, and the vehicle 50 may have a drive method different from that of an FF vehicle or a steering method different from the front-wheel steering method.

[0042] Further, the vehicle 50 is not limited to a four-wheel passenger car, and may be a passenger car other than four wheels, a large vehicle such as a truck or a bus, a motorcycle, a racing vehicle, an industrial vehicle, a special vehicle, a load-carrying vehicle such as a trailer or a cart, etc. Also, the tire 1 is a pneumatic tire used for these various vehicles. In the present embodiment, a pneumatic tire is exemplified as the tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 50. However, for example, the tire 1 may include various types of tires mainly composed of rubber components (rubber materials) such as natural rubber (NR) and SBR (styrene butadiene rubber), including non-pneumatic tires not filled with compressed air inside. Also, the tire 1 may be any tire mainly composed of rubber components used in the tire industry, and the rubber components are not particularly limited.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 3, various sensors such as a wheel speed sensor 51, a lateral acceleration sensor 52, a pressure sensor 53, a temperature sensor 54, a thickness sensor 55, a steering angle sensor 56, a brake sensor 57, and a tread surface sensor 58 are provided on the vehicle 50. The sensors 51 to 55 are fixed to the inner cavity surface of the tire 1 via a mounting member (not shown).

[0044] The wheel speed sensor 51 detects the wheel speed signal (rotation speed information) of the tire 1 during driving. The control unit 61 of the control unit 60 calculates the rotation speed and rotation speed of the tire 1 based on the wheel speed signal. The lateral acceleration sensor 52 detects the lateral acceleration (lateral acceleration) applied to the tire 1 during driving. The pressure sensor 53 detects the air pressure filled in the tire 1. The temperature sensor 54 detects the temperature of the tire 1. The thickness sensor 55 detects the thickness of the tread portion of the tire 1 (the thickness from the band portion to the surface). Two thickness sensors 55 are provided on the inner cavity surface of each tire 1 and are attached at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the tire 1. Each of the sensors 51 to 55 is connected to a transmitter (not shown) provided on the tire 1, and the detected values of each of the sensors 51 to 55 are transmitted to the control unit 60 via the transmitter. Each of the sensors 51 to 55 may have any configuration as long as it can output the detected value of the detection target or a signal indicating the detected value, and the mounting position and detection method thereof are not particularly limited. In addition, when each of the sensors 51 to 55 is communicably connected to the control unit 60 wirelessly or via a wire, the detected values may be transmitted to the control unit 60 individually from each of the sensors 51 to 55.

[0045] The steering angle sensor 56 detects the steering angle, which is the rotation angle of the steering wheel 503. The steering angle sensor 56 is provided, for example, on the steering shaft of the steering wheel 503. The steering angle sensor 56 is communicably connected to the control unit 60 wirelessly or via a wire, and the steering angle (detected value) detected by the steering angle sensor 56 is transmitted to the control unit 60. The steering angle sensor 56 may have any configuration as long as it can detect the steering angle of the steering wheel 503, and the mounting position and detection method thereof are not particularly limited.

[0046] The brake sensor 57 detects the presence or absence of a braking operation and the depression amount (operation amount) when the driver performs a braking operation. The brake sensor 57 is, for example, a rotary encoder or a potentiometer provided on the brake pedal. The brake sensor 57 is communicably connected to the control unit 60 wirelessly or via a wire, and the presence or absence (detection value) of the operation and the depression amount (detection value) detected by the brake sensor 57 are transmitted to the control unit 60. The brake sensor 57 may have any configuration as long as it can detect a detection value related to the braking operation, and its mounting position and detection method are not particularly limited.

[0047] The tread surface sensor 58 detects information for measuring the presence or absence of grooves and the groove depth on the surface (tread surface) of the tread portion of the tire 1. As the tread surface sensor 58, for example, a scanning type optical distance sensor provided on the inner surface of the tire house of the vehicle 50 can be applied. The optical distance sensor emits laser light that scans in the tire width direction with respect to the tread surface, and measures the distance to the tread surface of the detection target by emitting the reflected light reflected by the tread surface. Further, since the optical distance sensor generates and outputs trace data tracing the uneven shape in the width direction of the tread surface, the control unit 61 of the control unit 60 can measure the presence or absence of grooves and the groove depth of the tread portion based on the trace data. Instead of the optical distance sensor, it is also possible to apply a plurality of reflection type photointerrupters (also referred to as photoreflectors) arranged along the width direction on the inner surface of the tire house. Instead of the optical distance sensor, it is also possible to apply a camera that images the tread surface, a line sensor that can detect the shape in the tire width direction, and the like.

[0048] In addition, the vehicle 50 is provided with an operation switch 59. The operation switch 59 is a switch member operated by the driver or the like, and when the operation switch 59 is operated, its operation signal is transmitted to the control unit 60.

[0049] In addition, the tire 1 is provided with a memory 67 (an example of the storage unit of the present invention) in which the identification information of the tire 1 is stored. The memory 67 is a non-volatile storage device. The identification information may be any information that can distinguish the tire 1 from other tires, and is an ID number assigned to each tire. Further, the identification information may include the size, manufacturer, model number, product name, date of manufacture of the tire 1, and the like. When the tire 1 is mounted on the vehicle 50, the identification information is transmitted to the control unit 60 and stored in the storage unit 62.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 50 includes a control unit 60 that centrally controls the vehicle 50. The control unit 60 is an information processing device capable of executing various arithmetic processes. The control unit 60 includes a control unit 61, a storage unit 62, a communication unit 63, a GPS reception unit 64, an output unit 65, an input unit 66, and the like.

[0051] The communication unit 63 is a communication interface for wirelessly connecting the control unit 60 to a predetermined communication network and performing data communication according to a predetermined communication protocol with external devices such as the communication device 40 via the communication network.

[0052] The GPS reception unit 64 acquires the position information of the traveling position of the vehicle 50. The GPS reception unit 64 receives signals from GPS satellites and further performs predetermined arithmetic processes to detect the position of the vehicle 50 on the earth. The detected position information is transmitted to the control unit 61 and used for arithmetic processes such as specifying the traveling position of the vehicle 50 and specifying the traveling route of the vehicle 50.

[0053] The storage unit 62 is a non-volatile storage medium or storage device such as a flash memory that stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 62 stores a control program for causing the control unit 61 to execute various processes. The control program is stored in an external storage device such as a server device or an external storage that can be communicatively connected to the communication unit 63, and is read from the external storage device and copied to the storage unit 62. Alternatively, the control program may be non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and may be read by a reading device (not shown) electrically connected to the control unit 60 and copied to the storage unit 62.

[0054] In addition, the storage unit 62 stores detection values and data transmitted from the respective sensors 51 to 58, various types of information (such as tire rotation speed and traveling speed) converted or generated based on the detection values and the data, traveling position information of the vehicle 50 detected by the GPS reception unit 64, and various types of information (such as a travel route) converted or generated based on the traveling position information.

[0055] The output unit 65 is an interface that outputs the results of various processes executed by the control unit 61. For example, the instrument unit 501 and the display device 502 mounted on the vehicle 50 are connected to the output unit 65. The control unit 61 outputs, for example, speed information to the instrument unit 501, and outputs various types of information in response to a display request from the driver or the like to the display device 502.

[0056] The input unit 66 is an interface that is wirelessly or wiredly connected to various sensors 51 to 58 provided in the vehicle 50 and the operation switch 59. Signals output from the sensors 51 to 58, the operation switch 59, and the like are input to the input unit 66.

[0057] The control unit 61 includes control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic processes. The ROM is a non-volatile memory in which control programs such as BIOS and OS for causing the CPU to execute various processes are pre-stored. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile memory that stores various information and is used as a temporary storage memory (working area) for various processes executed by the CPU. Then, the control unit 61 executes the conformity determination process described later by causing the CPU to execute various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or the storage unit 42.

[0058] The control unit 61 includes various processing units such as a conversion processing unit 611 and a display processing unit 612. The control unit 61 functions as the various processing units by causing the CPU to execute various processes according to the control program. Note that some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 61 may be configured by electronic circuits. Also, each of the processes described later performed by the conversion processing unit 611 may be executed by separate processing units. Further, the control program may be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the various processing units.

[0059] The conversion processing unit 611 performs a process of converting the detection values and data input to the input unit 66 from the various sensors 51 to 58 into state data related to the detection values and the data. The conversion processing unit 611 also performs a process of generating state data related to the detection values and the data based on the detection values and the data. Here, the state data is an example of the tire-related information of the present invention, and includes, for example, the rotation speed of the tire 1 (tire rotation speed), the traveling speed of the vehicle 50, the acceleration of the vehicle 50, the lateral acceleration applied to the tire 1, the air pressure of the tire 1 (tire air pressure), the temperature of the tire 1 (tire temperature), the groove depth of the tread portion of the tire 1, the wear amount of the tread portion of the tire 1, the uneven wear amount in the tread portion, the steering angle of the vehicle 50, the number of braking operations, the depression amount of the brake, and the like. These state data are information that may directly or indirectly affect the deterioration of the base portion of the tire 1 during the traveling of the vehicle 50.

[0060] The tire rotation speed, the traveling speed, and the acceleration can be converted or generated based on the detected value (wheel speed signal) of the wheel speed sensor 51. The lateral acceleration can be converted or generated based on the detected value of the lateral acceleration sensor 52. The tire air pressure can be converted or generated based on the detected value of the pressure sensor 53. The tire temperature can be converted or generated based on the detected value of the temperature sensor 54.

[0061] The groove depth of the tread portion can be converted or generated based on the data output from the tread surface sensor 58.

[0062] The wear amount can be converted or generated based on the detected value of the thickness sensor 55. The uneven wear amount indicates the degree of uneven wear in the tread portion of the tire 1. One specific example of the uneven wear amount is, for example, the difference in thickness at both ends in the width direction of the tread portion, and it can be converted or generated based on the difference in the detected values of a pair of thickness sensors 55 provided at intervals in the width direction on the inner cavity surface of the tire 1.

[0063] Incidentally, the uneven wear that occurs in the tire 1 includes so-called shoulder wear (outer wear, inner wear), both-shoulder wear, center wear, toe-in wear, toe-out wear, local wear, wavy wear, pit-like wear, saw-tooth wear (heel & toe wear), etc. Regarding the presence or absence of these uneven wears and the degree (uneven wear amount) of the uneven wear, it can be determined and measured by appropriately adjusting the number and arrangement positions of the thickness sensors 55 attached to the tire 1.

[0064] The steering angle can be converted or generated based on the detected value of the steering angle sensor 56. The number of braking operations and the amount of brake pedal depression can be converted or generated based on the detected value of the brake sensor 57.

[0065] The state data including the various types of information obtained by the conversion processing unit 611 is stored in the storage unit 62 for each piece of identification information of the tire 1. Further, the state data stored in the storage unit 62 is transferred to the memory 67 of each tire 1, for example, at the timing when the vehicle 50 stops and the key is turned off, and is also stored in the memory 67. Therefore, even when the tire 1 is removed from the vehicle 50 and the tire 1 is mounted on another vehicle 50 as a used tire, the state data of the tire 1 can be inherited in the other vehicle 50.

[0066] Among the state data, the tire rotation speed is stored in the storage unit 62 as the cumulative rotation speed of the tire 1 during the running of the vehicle 50. Further, the running speed is stored in the storage unit 62 as the average value (average speed) of the running speed detected during running. The acceleration is stored in the storage unit 62 as the number of occurrences of over-acceleration exceeding a predetermined reference value. The lateral acceleration is stored in the storage unit 62 as the number of occurrences (occurrence frequency) of excessive lateral acceleration exceeding a predetermined reference value (predetermined value). The tire temperature is stored in the storage unit 62 as the average value (average temperature) of the temperature detected during running. The wear amount and the uneven wear amount are stored in the storage unit 62 as their original numerical values. The steering angle is stored in the storage unit 62 as the number of occurrences of over-steering angle exceeding a predetermined reference value (reference angle). The number of braking operations is stored in the storage unit 62 as the cumulative number. The depression amount is stored in the storage unit 62 as the number of occurrences of excessive depression amount (over-depression amount) exceeding a predetermined reference value.

[0067] These pieces of information (state data) stored in the storage unit 62 are information that may affect the deterioration of the base portion of the tire 1. That is, the larger the numerical values of the above-mentioned pieces of information (such as the tire rotation speed and the average speed), the greater the load on the tire 1, and it is considered that the deterioration or wear of the base portion is promoted. Conversely, the smaller the numerical values of the above-mentioned pieces of information, the smaller the load on the tire 1, and it is considered that the base portion is less likely to deteriorate and less likely to wear. These pieces of information are used in the conformity determination process (see FIG. 5) described later.

[0068] Also, among the state data, the tire air pressure has the average value (average air pressure) of the pressure values detected during running stored in the storage unit 62. The average air pressure is information that may affect the deterioration of the base portion of tire 1. The smaller the value, the greater the load on tire 1, and it is considered that the deterioration or wear of the base portion is promoted. Conversely, the larger the value of the average air pressure, it can be said that normal air pressure is filled, the load on tire 1 is small, and it is considered that the base portion is less likely to deteriorate and wear. The average air pressure is used in the conformity determination process (see FIG. 5) described later.

[0069] Also, among the state data, the groove depth has its original value stored in the storage unit 62. The groove depth is information that may affect the deterioration of the base portion of tire 1. The smaller the value, the lower the grip performance of tire 1, the greater the load on tire 1, and it is considered that the deterioration or wear of the base portion is promoted. Conversely, the larger the value of the groove depth, the higher the grip performance of tire 1, the smaller the load on tire 1, and it is considered that the base portion is less likely to deteriorate and wear. The groove depth is used in the conformity determination process (see FIG. 5) described later.

[0070] Note that the tire temperature tends to rise when the running load is high, such as when vehicle 50 runs on a road with many curves during high-speed running. Also, when there is a tear in the interior of tire 1 (for example, the carcass or belt) that cannot be seen from the outside, the tire temperature tends to be higher than when there is no tear. This is considered because when the tread portion of tire 1 contacts the ground with an internal tear, tire 1 is excessively deformed, and the repetition of this deformation and restoration when not in contact with the ground causes the temperature to rise more than normal.

[0071] In addition, the conversion processing unit 611 performs processing to generate the driving route of the vehicle 50 from the position information and calculate the driving distance for each driving route based on the position information of the vehicle 50 input from the GPS receiving unit 64 to the input unit 66. The driving route is included in the state data. For example, as information on the driving route, the driving distance for each type of the driving route can be considered. Specifically, as information on the driving route, the distance traveled on flat roads (flat road driving distance), the distance traveled on mountain roads (mountain road driving distance), the distance traveled on roads in urban areas (urban driving distance), the distance traveled on highways (highway driving distance), etc. are cumulatively stored in the storage unit 62. These pieces of information are also information that may affect the deterioration of the base portion of the tire 1. That is, the higher the ratio of the mountain road driving distance or the highway driving distance to the total driving distance traveled by the tire 1, the greater the load on the tire 1, and it is considered that the deterioration or wear of the base portion is promoted. Conversely, the higher the ratio of the flat road driving distance or the urban driving distance, the smaller the load on the tire 1, and it becomes difficult for the base portion to deteriorate and wear. The information on these driving distances is used in the conformity determination process (see FIG. 5) described later.

[0072] The display processing unit 612 performs processing to display various pieces of information on the display device 502. For example, when the result of the conformity determination process described later transmitted from the state determination device 10 is received, the display processing unit 612 can display the determination result on the display screen of the display device 502.

[0073] [Database 30] In the database 30, a state data storage unit 31 is allocated as a storage area. In the state data storage unit 31, the state data acquired by the state determination device 10 from the vehicle 50 is stored separately for each identification information of the tire 1. The identification information is assigned to the tire 1, and since the state data is stored in the state data storage unit 31 for each identification information, even when the tire 1 is removed from the vehicle 50 and the used tire 1 is mounted on another vehicle 50 as a used tire, the previous state data can be inherited and the state data can be updated with new state data.

[0074] [State determination device 10] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, the specific configuration of the state determination device 10 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the state determination device 10.

[0075] The state determination device 10 is for realizing the determination system 100 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, it includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, a display unit 14, and an operation unit 15.

[0076] The communication unit 13 is a communication interface for connecting the state determination device 10 to the communication network and performing data communication with the information terminal 20 and the database 30 connected to the communication network according to a predetermined communication protocol.

[0077] The storage unit 12 is a non-volatile storage medium such as an HDD or an SSD that stores various types of information. In the storage unit 12, a control program for executing various processes by the control unit 11, data, threshold values, reference values used in various processes, and a calculation formula described later for calculating an evaluation value used in the conformity determination process described later are stored.

[0078] The evaluation value is an index for determining the state of the base portion of the tire 1, and is an index for determining whether the base portion of the tire 1 can be used as a spare tire. Let the evaluation value be S, the tire rotation speed be x1, the average speed be x2, the number of occurrences of excessive acceleration be x3, the number of occurrences of excessive lateral acceleration be x4, the reciprocal of the average air pressure be x5, the average temperature be x6, the wear amount be x7, the uneven wear amount be x8, the number of occurrences of excessive steering angle be x9, the number of braking times be x 10 , the number of occurrences of excessive depression amount be x 11 ., the reciprocal of the groove depth of the tire 1 be x 12 And when the evaluation value of the new tire 1 (hereinafter referred to as the reference evaluation value) is S0, the evaluation value S can be calculated by the following calculation formula of formula (1) using each numerical value of the above state data.

[0079] [Number]

[0080] Here, the coefficient t in formula (1) k (t1, t2, t3, ···, t 12 ) is the weight coefficient assigned to each numerical value x k (x1, x2, x3, ···, x 12 ) of the state data, and is a coefficient determined by which of the respective numerical values x k is emphasized. Also, the coefficient h is a weight coefficient applied according to the driving route traveled on tire 1. For example, when the ratio of the mountain road driving distance or the highway driving distance to the total driving distance is higher than the reference distance, the coefficient h is set to a value greater than 1 determined according to the difference (excess amount) from the reference distance. When the coefficient h is applied, the evaluation value S becomes larger than when the coefficient h is not applied. Also, when the ratio of the flat road driving distance or the in-town driving distance to the total driving distance is higher than the reference value, the coefficient h is set to a value smaller than 1 determined according to the difference (excess amount) from the reference distance. In this case, the evaluation value S becomes smaller than when the coefficient h is not applied. Note that when the ratio of the mountain road driving distance or the highway driving distance is less than the reference distance and the ratio of the flat road driving distance or the in-town driving distance is less than the reference distance, the coefficient h is set to "1".

[0081] As can be understood from the above calculation formula, the evaluation value S is the numerical value t from the reference evaluation value S0 k x kIt is obtained by subtracting the sum thereof. Therefore, the smaller the evaluation value S is, the greater the load applied to the tire 1 during running, and it is considered that there is a high possibility that peeling, cracking, or damage has occurred in the base portion of the tire 1. Also, the larger the evaluation value S is, the smaller the load applied to the tire 1 during running, and it is considered that there is a low possibility that peeling, cracking, or damage has occurred in the base portion of the tire 1. That is, the evaluation value S is an index indicating the degree of the state of the base portion of the tire 1. The larger the numerical value is, the less the deterioration has progressed and it indicates a good state, and the smaller the numerical value is, the more the deterioration has progressed and it indicates a bad state.

[0082] The display unit 14 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display that displays various types of information. The operation unit 15 is an input device such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that receives an operator's operation.

[0083] The control unit 11 controls the state determination device 10. The control unit 11 includes control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic processes. The ROM is a non-volatile storage medium in which control programs such as BIOS and OS for causing the CPU to execute various arithmetic processes are stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage medium that stores various types of information and is used as a temporary storage memory (working area) for various arithmetic processes executed by the CPU. Then, the control unit 11 controls the state determination device 10 by causing the CPU to execute various control programs stored in advance in the ROM or the storage unit 12.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 11 includes various processing units such as a state data acquisition unit 111 (an example of the acquisition unit of the present invention), a recording processing unit 112 (an example of the recording unit of the present invention), a state determination processing unit 113 (an example of the state determination unit of the present invention), a conformity determination unit 114 (an example of the first determination unit of the present invention), a value determination unit 116 (an example of the second determination unit of the present invention), and an output processing unit 115. The control unit 11 functions as the various processing units by the CPU executing various arithmetic processes according to the control program. The control unit 11 or the CPU is an example of a computer or a processor that executes the control program. Note that some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 11 may be configured by electronic circuits. Also, the control program may be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the various processing units.

[0085] The state data acquisition unit 111 performs a process of acquiring the state data that can affect the deterioration of the base portion of the tire 1. Specifically, when communication between the communication device 40 and the vehicle 50 is established, the state data acquisition unit 111 performs a process of acquiring the state data from the vehicle 50. Also, the state data acquisition unit 111 performs a process of acquiring the identification information of the tire 1 from the vehicle 50. In the present embodiment, the state data acquisition unit 111 transmits a data acquisition request to the vehicle 50. When the control unit 61 of the vehicle 50 receives the data acquisition request, in response to the data acquisition request, the control unit 61 reads out the identification information in the storage unit 62 and the state data corresponding to the identification information, and transmits them to the state determination device 10.

[0086] The recording processing unit 112 performs a process of recording the state data acquired by the state data acquisition unit 111 in the state data storage unit 31 (storage medium) of the database 30. Specifically, when there is no state data corresponding to the identification information in the state data storage unit 31, the recording processing unit 112 stores the state data in the state data storage unit 31 in a state linked to the identification information together with the identification information. Also, when there is state data corresponding to the identification information in the state data storage unit 31, the recording processing unit 112 updates the state data corresponding to the identification information with the state data acquired by the state data acquisition unit 111.

[0087] The state determination processing unit 113 performs a process of determining the state of the base portion of the tire 1 based on the state data acquired by the state data acquisition unit 111. In the present embodiment, the state determination processing unit 113 calculates, as a determination result, the evaluation value S indicating the degree of the state of the base portion of the tire 1 corresponding to the identification information based on the state data. Specifically, the state determination processing unit 113 applies each numerical value included in the state data and the predetermined coefficients h, t k to the calculation formula represented by Formula (1) to calculate the evaluation value S.

[0088] As described above, the smaller the evaluation value S, the higher the possibility that peeling, cracking, or damage has occurred in the base portion of the tire 1, and the larger the evaluation value S, the lower the possibility that peeling, cracking, or damage has occurred in the base portion of the tire 1. From this, the evaluation value S indicates the degree of the state of the base portion of the tire 1, and in other words, it is an index indicating the quality of the state of the base portion.

[0089] The conformity determination unit 114 performs a process of determining whether or not the base portion of the tire 1 is applicable as a retread base tire based on the determination result by the state determination processing unit 113. In the present embodiment, the conformity determination unit 114 determines that it is applicable as the base tire when the evaluation value S is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. Also, the conformity determination unit 114 determines that it is not applicable as the base tire when the evaluation value S is less than the threshold value.

[0090] For a large number of tires 1 that have completed their primary lifespan, the threshold value can be set to the largest value of the evaluation value S among the tires 1 that have been inspected in the conventional manner and for which the inspection results have been determined to be good, that is, the tires 1 that have been determined to be suitable as retread tires.

[0091] Based on the determination result by the state determination processing unit 113, the value determination unit 116 performs a process of determining the value of the tire 1 as a retread tire. This determination process is executed for the tire 1 when the conformity determination unit 114 determines that the base portion of the tire 1 is applicable as a retread tire. In the present embodiment, the value determination unit 116 determines the value based on the evaluation value S calculated by the state determination processing unit 113.

[0092] Examples of the value determined by the value determination unit 116 include the market value as a retread tire, such as the purchase price or the selling price. Alternatively, the value may be an index corresponding to price information such as the purchase price or the selling price.

[0093] When the value is the market price, the value determination unit 116 can calculate it by multiplying the new price of the tire 1 by a ratio corresponding to the evaluation value S. The new prices of various tires 1 can be those stored in advance in the storage unit 12 or the database 30, or can be obtained from an online sales site operated by a tire sales company.

[0094] Also, when the value is the index, the value determination unit 116 may calculate a relative score corresponding to the evaluation value S by setting the reference score of a new tire 1 to 100 points and multiplying this reference score by a ratio corresponding to the evaluation value.

[0095] The output processing unit 115 performs a process of outputting the results of various processes executed in the determination system 100. In the present embodiment, the output processing unit 115 performs a process of outputting the evaluation value S calculated by the state determination processing unit 113, the determination result (conformity or non-conformity) determined by the conformity determination unit 114, or the determination result (evaluation as a replacement tire) determined by the value determination unit 116. In the present embodiment, the output processing unit 115 performs a process of displaying the evaluation value S and the determination result on the display unit 14. Further, when there is a transfer request from the vehicle 50 or the information terminal 20, the output processing unit 115 may output the evaluation value S and the determination result to the vehicle 50 or the information terminal 20 in response to the transfer request. Further, when there is a transfer request from a sales site on the Internet or the like, the output processing unit 115 may output to the sales site of the transfer source in response to the transfer request.

[0096] [Conformity determination process] Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5, an example of the procedure of the conformity determination process executed in the determination system 100 will be described together with the tire state determination method of the present invention. Hereinafter, the conformity determination process executed by the control unit 11 of the state determination device 10 will be described. Here, the conformity determination process includes a process of calculating the determination result of the state of the base portion of the tire 1 to be inspected as the evaluation value S, and a process of determining whether or not the base portion can be used as a replacement tire based on the evaluation value S.

[0097] As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 11 of the state determination device 10 determines in step S101 whether or not a determination request has been input. Here, the determination request is a command signal input via the operation unit 15 by a user who operates the state determination device 10. Note that the determination request may be input to the state determination device 10 from the information terminal 20 operated by the user, for example. Further, it may be input to the state determination device 10 from the vehicle 50 when a user riding in the vehicle 50 operates an in-vehicle terminal.

[0098] Upon receiving the determination request, the control unit 11 determines whether communication is established between the communication device 40 and the vehicle 50 (S102). When the vehicle 50 is in a communicable state, the control unit 11 transmits the data transfer request to the vehicle 50 (S103). The data transfer request is a command signal for requesting the transmission of the state data. When the control unit 61 of the vehicle 50 receives the data transfer request, it reads out the identification information and the state data in the storage unit 62 and transmits them to the state determination device 10. Note that steps S102 and S103 are examples of the acquisition steps of the present invention.

[0099] In step S104, when the control unit 11 acquires the identification information and the state data transmitted from the vehicle 50, it performs a process of calculating the evaluation value S using the calculation formula shown in formula (1) and the state data (S105). Note that step S105 is an example of the state determination step of the present invention.

[0100] In the next step S106, the control unit 11 determines whether the base portion of the tire 1 can be used as a retread tire based on the evaluation value S calculated in step S105. Specifically, it determines whether the evaluation value S is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. When the evaluation value S is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control unit 11 determines that the base portion of the tire 1 is suitable as a retread tire (Yes in S106). In this case, in the next step S107, the control unit 11 determines the value of the tire 1 as a retread tire. The value determined here is, for example, the purchase price of the tire 1 as a retread tire, a score or rank indicating the degree of superiority or inferiority, etc. Thereafter, the control unit 11 outputs the value information, the conformity information indicating conformity, and the evaluation value S to the display unit 14 and causes the display unit 14 to display them (S108). On the other hand, when the evaluation value S is less than the threshold value, the control unit 11 determines that the base portion of the tire 1 is not suitable as a retread tire (No in S106). In this case, the non-conformity information indicating non-conformity and the evaluation value S are output to the display unit 14 and caused to be displayed on the display unit 14 (S109).

[0101] In addition, when the requester of the determination request is the vehicle 50, the control unit 11 may transmit information such as value information, determination results, and the evaluation value S to the vehicle 50. Also, when the requester of the determination request is the information terminal 20, the control unit 11 may transmit information such as value information, determination results, and the evaluation value S to the information terminal 20. Further, when the destination of the determination request is an online sales site or the like, the control unit 11 may transmit information such as value information, determination results, and the evaluation value S to the sales site that is the transfer source.

[0102] Also, when a transfer request for transferring the determination result and the evaluation value S is received (S110), the control unit 11 transmits information such as the value information, determination result, and evaluation value S to the requester of the transfer request (S111), and a series of processes ends. Also, when the transfer request has not been received, a series of processes ends after the output process of step S108 or step 109.

[0103] As another example of the conformity determination process executed in the determination system 100, each process may be executed according to the procedure shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. For example, as described above, when the processes of steps S101 to S103 are performed and the identification information and the state data are acquired in subsequent step S104, the control unit 11 determines in step S121 whether there is a groove in the tread portion of the tire 1. The determination process in step S121 is performed based on the groove depth information included in the state data. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines that there is no groove in the tread portion of the tire 1 when the groove depth is zero or a value that can be evaluated as zero.

[0104] When the vehicle 50 travels with no grooves in the tread portion of the tire 1, an excessive load is applied to the tire 1, so there is a high possibility that the base portion of the tire 1 is damaged. Therefore, when it is determined that there are no grooves in the tread portion of the tire 1, the control unit 11 determines that the base portion of the tire 1 is unsuitable as a spare tire without performing the processes below step S105, and shifts the process to step S109 (see FIG. 5). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S121 that there are grooves, the control unit 11 shifts the process to step S105 and performs the processes after step S105.

[0105] In addition, when a camera for imaging the image of the tread surface of the tire 1 is provided on the inner surface of the tire house of the vehicle 50, for example, the control unit 11 acquires the image data imaged by the camera together with the state data, and based on the image data, determines whether or not foreign objects such as nails and metal pieces are stuck in the tread portion of the tire 1. Even when such a foreign object is stuck, the damage to the base portion of the tire 1 is significant, and the base portion of the tire 1 is unsuitable as a spare tire. Therefore, when it is determined that the foreign object is stuck in the tread portion of the tire 1, the control unit 11 may shift the process to step S109 without performing the processes below step S105.

[0106] As described above, in the determination system 100 of the present embodiment, the evaluation value S indicating the state of the base portion is calculated based on the state data including various information that can affect the deterioration of the base portion of the tire 1. Therefore, when an inspector who inspects the suitability as a retread spare tire uses the determination system 100, before performing a primary inspection such as a visual inspection or a palpation inspection by the inspector, or a secondary inspection such as a high-voltage inspection or a shearography inspection, the state (evaluation value S) of the base portion of the tire 1, which serves as a basis for determining whether it can be used as a spare tire, can be grasped in advance. As a result, the inspector can reduce the inspection burden by excluding the tire 1 in a bad state from the inspection targets, and can also suppress unnecessary inspection costs.

[0107] In addition, when the owner who owns the vehicle 50 uses the determination system 100, the owner can grasp in advance the state of the base portion of the tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 50.

[0108] In the determination system 100, the conformity determination unit 114 determines whether the base portion of the tire 1 is applicable as a spare tire based on the evaluation value S which is the determination result. As a result, the user who uses this system does not need to determine the applicability as a spare tire by himself / herself.

[0109] In the above-described embodiment, the state determination processing unit 113 calculates the evaluation value S using the tire rotation speed x1, the average speed x2, the number of occurrences x3 of excessive acceleration, the number of occurrences x4 of excessive lateral acceleration, the reciprocal x5 of the average air pressure, the average temperature x6, the wear amount x7, the uneven wear amount x8, the number of occurrences x9 of excessive steering angle, the number of braking times x 10 , the number of occurrences x of the excessive depression amount 11 , the reciprocal x of the groove depth 12 , coefficient t k , coefficient h, the reference evaluation value S0, and the calculation formula of Equation (1) have been described as an example for calculating the evaluation value S. However, the present invention is not limited to such a calculation example. For example, the evaluation value S may be calculated using any one or more of the reference evaluation value S0 and the numerical values x k of the above-described respective items. Also, without using the coefficient t k and the coefficient h, the value obtained by subtracting the sum of the numerical values x k from the reference evaluation value S0 may be used as the evaluation value S. Further, without using the reference evaluation value S0, the reciprocal of the sum of the numerical values x k may be used as the evaluation value S.

[0110] Further, when the number of retreads performed in the past is stored in the memory 67 of the tire 1, the number of retreads may be included in the state data. In this case, the state determination processing unit 113 calculates the evaluation value S in consideration of the number of retreads. For example, when the tire 1 is a retread tire and the number of past retreads is stored in the memory 67, a weight coefficient corresponding to the number of retreads is set, and the weight coefficient is multiplied by the sum of each numerical value x k in the right side of the formula (1) to calculate the evaluation value S. It is considered that the greater the number of retreads, the greater the burden on the tire 1 and the more likely the base portion is to deteriorate. Therefore, the weight coefficient in this case is set to a value greater than 1 determined according to the number of retreads.

[0111] Further, as the state data, in addition to the information of each numerical value x k described above, for example, road surface information indicating the state of the road surface (road surface state) on which the vehicle 50 travels, the weather during driving, the temperature during driving, the load applied to the tire 1 during driving, etc. may be applied.

[0112] The road surface information is an index indicating, for example, the degree of unevenness of the road surface that can affect the wear of the tread portion of the tire 1. The state of the road surface on which the vehicle 50 travels varies and differs depending on the paving construction method. For example, as paving materials applied to the surface of a road, there are asphalt, concrete, concrete blocks, tiles, natural stones, crushed stones, wood chips, wooden blocks, soil, etc., and the degree of influence that each of these materials has on the wear of the tread portion is different. Also, even for paving materials of the same type, the particle sizes differ according to various purposes and uses, and the added mixtures also differ, and the influence on the wear of the tread portion also differs. For example, it is considered that the higher the degree of unevenness of the road surface state, the easier it is for the tread portion to wear and the easier it is for the base portion to deteriorate. On the other hand, the lower the degree of unevenness of the road surface state, the more difficult it is for the tread portion to wear and the more difficult it is for the base portion to deteriorate. The road surface information can be obtained by the control unit 11 based on a road surface image captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle 50. For example, the control unit 11 determines the state of the road surface being traveled by image-processing the road surface image, and selects the index corresponding to the determined road surface state from table data including the index predetermined for each of various road surface states, thereby obtaining the road surface information.

[0113] Regarding the weather and temperature during travel, weather information and temperature information of the travel location can be obtained from a predetermined website through the Internet. For example, the better the weather, the more ultraviolet rays reach the ground surface, so it is considered that the base portion is more likely to deteriorate due to the irradiation of ultraviolet rays, and the worse the weather, the less the amount of ultraviolet rays, so the deterioration of the base portion by ultraviolet rays is suppressed. Also, the higher the temperature, the easier it is for the temperature of the tire 1 to rise, and since wear is promoted, the base portion is more likely to deteriorate. The lower the temperature, the more difficult it is for the temperature of the tire 1 to become high, and since wear is less likely to be promoted, the base portion is less likely to deteriorate.

[0114] Regarding the load applied to the tire 1, for example, a strain sensor is provided on the inner cavity surface of the tire 1, and based on the output signal of the strain sensor, the contact area is measured from the time (contact time) from when the strain sensor contacts the ground until it separates from the ground, and based on the contact area, air pressure, and the weight of the vehicle 50, the load can be estimated. For example, it is considered that the greater the load, the easier it is for the base portion to deteriorate, and the smaller the load, the more difficult it is for the base portion to deteriorate.

[0115] Also, when the manufacturing date of the tire 1 is stored in the memory 67, the number of years elapsed from the manufacture of the tire 1 to the present may be included in the state data, and the evaluation value S may be calculated using the calculation formula of Equation (1). That is, a weight coefficient corresponding to the number of years elapsed may be set, and the weight coefficient may be used in Equation (1) to calculate the evaluation value S. Further, when there is an error between the moving distance calculated from the position information of the GPS receiver 64 and the moving distance calculated from the rotational speed of the tire 1, it is considered that the larger the error, the smaller the outer diameter size of the tire 1 during running is smaller than the specified size, and the tire 1 may be damaged. Therefore, the error may be included in the state data, and the evaluation value S may be calculated using the calculation formula of Equation (1). That is, a weight coefficient corresponding to the error may be set, and the weight coefficient may be used in Equation (1) to calculate the evaluation value S.

[0116] Also, in the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which the state data including various information that can affect the deterioration of the base portion of the tire 1 is acquired, and based on the state data, the evaluation value S indicating the state of the base portion is calculated. However, for example, the evaluation value S may be calculated in consideration of each element such as the profile of the tire 1 to be determined (information indicating the contour of the tire 1), the tire structure, the tread pattern, the material of the tire 1, and the compounding information of each material. Further, the evaluation value S may be calculated in consideration of the drive system (FF, FR, 4WD, etc.) of the vehicle 50. Further, the evaluation value S may be calculated in consideration of the adjustment value of the wheel alignment. Specifically, a weight coefficient corresponding to each of the above-described elements is determined, and the evaluation value S may be calculated using the weight coefficient in Expression (1). Note that the information, numerical values, weight coefficients, etc. indicating the above elements are stored in advance in the memory 67 provided in the tire 1, the storage unit 12 of the state determination device 10, or the like.

[0117] In the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which the state data acquisition unit 111, the recording processing unit 112, the state determination processing unit 113, the conformity determination unit 114, the value determination unit 116, and the output processing unit 115 are realized by the control unit 11 of the state determination device 10 was illustrated. However, all or part of these processing units may be realized by the control unit 61 of the control unit 60 of the vehicle 50, the processor in the in-vehicle terminal provided in the vehicle 50, or the control unit of the information terminal 20. That is, the processing of each step of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 may be executed by any of the state determination device 10, the vehicle 50, and the information terminal 20. Further, the conversion processing unit 611 realized by the control unit 61 of the control unit 60 may be realized by the control unit 11 of the state determination device 10 or the control unit of the information terminal 20.

[0118] In the above-described embodiment, an example of a process for determining the state of the base portion of the tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 50 and determining the suitability of the tire 1 as a retread tire has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, even when the tire 1 removed from the vehicle 50 is brought into an inspection site, it is possible to calculate the evaluation value S as the state of the tire 1, and it is also possible to determine the suitability and value as a retread tire. In this case, the memory 67 provided in the tire 1 is preferably a storage device that can be read and written in a non-contact manner corresponding to RFID or the like, and the communication device 40 is preferably a reader / writer that can communicate with this storage device. Thereby, the communication device 40 reads the identification information and the state data in the memory 67, and the state determination device 10 introduced into the inspection site can execute each of the above-described processes.

[0119] Note that the calculation example for calculating the evaluation value S using the calculation formula of the formula (1) is merely an example. Hereinafter, other processing examples of the state determination processing by the state determination processing unit 113 will be described. The state determination processing unit 113 may obtain an evaluation value of the tire 1 using a determination model constructed based on teacher data prepared in advance. Here, the teacher data is information used for generating the determination model and is stored in a storage area assigned to the database 30. The determination model is stored in the storage unit 12 of the state determination device 10.

[0120] The teacher data is a data set including numerical values of the state data that are causally related to cracks and damage of the tire 1 for a number of used tires 1 (used tires), and evaluation points evaluated by an inspector for the results of inspections performed by conventional inspectors.

[0121] The determination model is a learned model used for the state determination process by the state determination processing unit 113, and calculates an evaluation value indicating the state of the base portion of the tire 1 that is the determination target. When the state data of the tire 1 is input to the input unit, the determination model determines the evaluation value indicating the state of the base portion and outputs the evaluation value from the output unit. Note that the determination model is generated by machine learning by the control unit 11 based on the teacher data stored in the database 30 and a predetermined algorithm.

[0122] When calculating the evaluation value using the determination model, as the state data, for example, history information of detection values detected by each sensor 51 to 58 during the running of the vehicle 50, that is, history data of the rotational speed of the tire 1, history data of the lateral acceleration, history data of the air pressure of the tire 1, history data of the temperature of the tire 1, history data of the wear amount of the tread portion, history data of the steering angle, history data of the brake depression amount, etc. may be used. Also, various history data such as history data of the running position measured by the GPS receiver 64, history data of the running speed and acceleration of the vehicle 50, etc., retread history, the number of years elapsed since the manufacture of the tire 1, information on the manufacturer, etc. may be applied.

[0123] By calculating the evaluation value using such a determination model, the accuracy of the evaluation value is further improved, and as a result, the accuracy of the determination process by the conformity determination unit 114 is further improved.

Explanation of Signs

[0124] 1: Tire, 10: State determination device, 11: Control unit, 12: Storage unit, 13: Communication unit, 14: Display unit, 15: Operation unit, 20: Information terminal, 30: Database, 31: State data storage unit, 40: Communication device, 41: Antenna, 42: Storage unit, 50: Vehicle, 51: Wheel speed sensor, 52: Lateral acceleration sensor, 53: Pressure sensor, 54: Temperature sensor, 55: Thickness sensor, 56: Steering angle sensor, 57: Brake sensor, 59: Operation switch, 60: Control unit, 61: Control section, 67: Memory, 100: Tire condition determination system, 111: State data acquisition section, 112: Recording processing section, 113: State determination processing section, 114: Conformance determination section, 115: Output processing section, 116: Value determination section, 611: Conversion processing section, 612: Display processing section

Claims

1. A tire condition determination system for determining the condition of a base portion corresponding to a casing tire in a tire used for running a vehicle, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires tire-related information that can affect the deterioration of the base portion; a condition determination unit that determines the condition of the base portion based on the tire-related information; a first determination unit that determines whether the base portion is applicable as the casing tire based on the determination result by the condition determination unit; a second determination unit that determines the value of the tire as the casing tire based on the determination result by the condition determination unit when the first determination unit determines that the base portion is applicable as the casing tire, wherein the tire-related information includes a retread history including the number of past retreads, the tire condition determination system.

2. The tire condition determination system according to claim 1, wherein the tire-related information further includes at least one or a plurality of the air pressure of the tire, the temperature of the tire, the rotation speed of the tire, the acceleration in the tire, the frequency of occurrence of acceleration exceeding a predetermined value in the tire, the wear amount of the tire, the running speed of the vehicle, the acceleration of the vehicle, the steering angle of the vehicle, the number of braking operations, the braking operation amount, the running route of the vehicle, the running distance of the vehicle, road surface information indicating the condition of the running road surface, the weather during running, the temperature during running, and the load applied to the tire during running.

3. The acquisition unit acquires the degree of uneven wear in the tire, and the condition determination unit determines the condition of the base portion based on the degree of uneven wear, the tire condition determination system according to claim 2.

4. The acquisition unit acquires the running distance for each type of the running route, and the condition determination unit determines the condition of the base portion based on the running distance for each type of the running route, the tire condition determination system according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The condition determination unit calculates, as a determination result, an evaluation value indicating the condition of the base portion based on the tire-related information, and the first determination unit determines that it is applicable as the casing tire when the evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, and determines that it is not applicable as the casing tire when the evaluation value is less than the threshold value, the tire condition determination system according to claim 1.

6. The tire has a storage unit in which identification information of the tire is stored, and the acquisition unit acquires the tire-related information together with the identification information. The tire state determination system according to claim 5, wherein the state determination unit calculates the evaluation value of the tire corresponding to the identification information.

7. The tire state determination system according to claim 6, further comprising a recording unit that performs a process of recording the tire-related information in a predetermined storage medium in association with the identification information.

8. The tire state determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising an output processing unit that performs a process of outputting a determination result by the state determination unit or a calculation result calculated based on the determination result.

9. A tire state determination device that determines the state of a base portion corresponding to a tread tire in a tire used for running of a vehicle, an acquisition unit that acquires tire-related information that can affect the deterioration of the base portion; a state determination unit that determines the state of the base portion based on the tire-related information; a first determination unit that determines whether or not the base portion is applicable as the tread tire based on a determination result by the state determination unit; a second determination unit that determines the value of the tire as the tread tire based on a determination result by the state determination unit when the first determination unit determines that the base portion is applicable as the tread tire, wherein the tire-related information includes a retread history including the number of past retreads, a tire state determination device.

10. A tire state determination method for determining the state of a base portion corresponding to a tread tire in a tire used for running of a vehicle, an acquisition step of acquiring tire-related information that can affect the deterioration of the base portion; a state determination step of determining the state of the base portion based on the tire-related information; a first determination step of determining whether or not the base portion is applicable as the tread tire based on a determination result by the state determination step; a second determination step of determining the value of the tire as the tread tire based on a determination result by the state determination step when the first determination step determines that the base portion is applicable as the tread tire, wherein the tire-related information includes a retread history including the number of past retreads, a tire state determination method.

11. A program for determining the state of a base portion corresponding to a tread tire in a tire used for running of a vehicle, an acquisition step of acquiring tire-related information that can affect the deterioration of the base portion; A state determination step of determining the state of the base part based on the tire-related information; A first determination step of determining whether the base part is applicable as the retread tire based on the determination result of the state determination step; A second determination step of determining the value of the tire as the retread tire based on the determination result of the state determination step when it is determined in the first determination step that the base part is applicable as the retread tire, and the tire-related information includes a retread history including the number of past retreads, A program for causing one or more processors to execute each of the steps.

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