Rotation support methods

Abstract

To provide a rotation support method which suppresses tire moving work errors in a tire rotation, and can enhance working efficiency.SOLUTION: A rotation support method includes a figure arrangement processing step, an operation receiving step and a figure moving processing step. The figure arrangement processing step arranges a tire figure indicating a tire at an axle position of a vehicle, and a figure indicating a temporal placing place of the tire, on a display screen. The operation receiving step receives operation of a user of moving the tire figure arranged by the figure arrangement processing step. The figure moving processing step moves the tire figure at the axle position and the temporal placing place, on the basis of the operation received by the operation receiving step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rotation assistance method for assisting the rotation of tires mounted on a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, tires wear according to driving conditions and mileage, and the wear can be uneven depending on the axle position on which the tire is mounted. Tires are maintained by rotating them in different axle positions within a vehicle or between vehicles to prevent uneven wear and enable longer use.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a conventional tire management system. This tire management system includes a tire information acquisition unit, a sensor information acquisition unit, and a management unit. The tire information acquisition unit acquires identification information of tires mounted on a vehicle. The sensor information acquisition unit acquires identification information of sensors disposed on the tires. The management unit stores the tire identification information acquired by the tire information acquisition unit and the sensor identification information acquired by the sensor information acquisition unit in association with each other. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-075243 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The tire management system described in Patent Document 1 manages tire identification information and sensor identification information in association with each other. The inventors believed that conventional tire rotation procedures could be improved by easily simulating tire movement between vehicle axle positions, thereby reducing errors in tire movement during actual tire rotation and increasing work efficiency. The inventors also believed that providing tire rotation information as data could reduce the effort required for managing tire axle positions in a tire wear estimation system that takes into account the axle positions of tires on a vehicle.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a rotation assistance method that can reduce errors in moving tires during tire rotation and improve work efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A rotation assistance method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a graphic placement processing step of placing, on a display screen, a tire graphic representing a tire at an axle position of a vehicle and a graphic representing a temporary tire placement location; an operation reception step of receiving a user's operation to move the tire graphic placed by the graphic placement processing step; and a graphic movement processing step of moving the tire graphic at the axle position and at the temporary tire placement location based on the operation received by the operation reception step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce errors in moving tires during tire rotation and improve work efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a rotation support device according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display screen by a graphic placement processing unit. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for tire rotation processing by the rotation assist device. [Figure 4] 4(a) and 4(b) are schematic diagrams showing an example of tire rotation on the display screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of tire rotation between two vehicles on a display screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which information indicating the orientation of a tire wheel is added to a display screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which information indicating the remaining tread depth of a tire tread is added to a display screen. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a tire wear amount estimation system including a rotation support device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to Figures 1 to 8. The same or equivalent components and members shown in each drawing are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted where appropriate. The dimensions of the members in each drawing are enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments will be omitted from the drawings.

[0011] (Embodiment) 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of rotation support device 100 according to an embodiment. Rotation support device 100 includes an operation unit 10, a display unit 15, a storage unit 20, and a control unit 30, and displays images relating to the placement and movement of tires during tire rotation work, providing an environment for the worker to perform tire movement operations on the display screen.

[0012] Each unit in rotation assistance device 100 can be realized in hardware terms using electronic elements and mechanical parts, such as a computer CPU, and in software terms using computer programs, but the functional blocks shown here are realized by the cooperation of these elements. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms using a combination of hardware and software.

[0013] The operation unit 10 is an operable input device such as a touch panel, a switch, a keyboard, a mouse, etc. By operating the operation unit 10, the worker moves a graphic representing a tire (hereinafter referred to as a tire graphic) displayed on the display unit 15, thereby simulating tire rotation.

[0014] The display unit 15 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays on the screen a graphic representing the axle position, a tire graphic, and a graphic representing a temporary placement location where the tire to be moved will be placed after being removed from the axle position. The worker moves the tire graphic while looking at the screen display on the display unit 15.

[0015] The storage unit 20 is a storage device configured, for example, with an SSD (Solid State Drive), a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc. The storage unit 20 stores the computer program executed by the control unit 30, information related to the vehicle axle positions, and tire axle position information 20a that associates the axle positions after rotation with tire identification information. The information related to the vehicle axle positions is determined in accordance with, for example, the vehicle name and vehicle model, and may be stored in the storage unit 20, or may be obtained from a server device (not shown) during the rotation operation and temporarily stored in the storage unit 20.

[0016] The control unit 30 includes a graphic placement processing unit 31, an operation receiving unit 32, a graphic movement processing unit 33, and a tire position management unit 34. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display screen by the graphic placement processing unit 31. The graphic placement processing unit 31 places, on the display screen, information about the axle position, a tire graphic representing the tire mounted at the axle position, and a graphic of the temporary placement location.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the graphic placement processor 31 represents axle position A1 with a line segment positioned on the front wheel side of the vehicle, and axle positions A2 and A3 with line segments positioned on the rear wheel side of the vehicle. The graphic placement processor 31 places tire figures B11 and B12 on the left and right of axle position A1. The graphic placement processor 31 places tire figures B21, B22, B23, and B24 on the left and right of axle position A2. The graphic placement processor 31 places tire figures B31, B32, B33, and B34 on the left and right of axle position A3. Each tire figure is assigned a symbol, such as B11, and the tire figures are moved while retaining their symbols, making it easier for the operator to understand where they have been moved. The graphic placement processor 31 also places figures C1 and C2 as temporary tire placement locations.

[0018] The graphic placement processor 31 may place a tire graphic including information indicating the orientation of the tire wheel and a method for indicating the remaining amount of tire groove. The graphic placement processor 31 may also place at least two or more vehicles on the display screen, and the axle positions and tire graphics of each vehicle are placed on the display screen.

[0019] The operation reception unit 32 receives operation inputs from the operator via the operation unit 10. The operation reception unit 32 receives an operation to move a tire graphic located at an axle position on the display screen to the position of a graphic at a temporary placement location. The operation reception unit 32 receives an operation to move a tire graphic located at an axle position on the display screen to another axle position where no tire graphic is located, and an operation to move a tire graphic located at the temporary placement location to an axle position where no tire graphic is located.

[0020] The operation receiving unit 32 may or may not receive an operation to move a tire graphic located at an axle position on the display screen so that it overlaps with a tire graphic located at another axle position.

[0021] The figure movement processing unit 33 reflects the operator's operations received by the operation receiving unit 32 on the display screen. For example, when the operator performs an operation to move the tire figure B12 on the display screen to the figure of the temporary placement location, the figure movement processing unit 33 moves the tire figure B12 to the temporary placement location. The figure movement processing unit 33 moves the tire figure located at the axle position on the display screen to another axle position where there is no tire figure. The figure movement processing unit 33 moves the tire figure located at the temporary placement location on the display screen to an axle position where there is no tire figure. The figure movement processing unit 33 moves the tire figures at the axle positions of each vehicle and at the temporary placement locations for at least two or more vehicles.

[0022] The graphic movement processing unit 33 may have a function of storing operations during a simulated tire rotation on the display screen in the storage unit 20 and replaying the operations of the operator from the beginning. The tire graphic movement replayed by the graphic movement processing unit 33 can be checked by another operator or the vehicle user, or when actually performing tire rotation on the vehicle, the operator can work while checking the replay.

[0023] The graphic movement processing unit 33 may also store the display screen after tire rotation as image data in the storage unit 20. The image data from the graphic movement processing unit 33 can be stored as a record of multiple tire rotations performed on the vehicle over the years.

[0024] The tire position management unit 34 acquires the tire identification information corresponding to each tire figure, associates the axle position after the tire rotation work (including information on the left and right axles) with the tire identification information, and stores the information as tire axle position information 20a in the memory unit 20. The tire position management unit 34 may read the tire axle position information 20a stored after the previous tire rotation from the memory unit 20 to acquire the tire identification information corresponding to each tire figure.

[0025] If there is no tire axle position information 20a after the previous tire rotation, the tire position management unit 34 may acquire tire axle position information stored in a server device, or may acquire tire axle position information by having the worker input tire identification information.

[0026] Next, the operation of rotation support device 100 will be described. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure for tire rotation processing by rotation support device 100. Graphic placement processing unit 31 of rotation support device 100 places an axle position, a tire graphic, and a graphic of a temporary placement location according to the vehicle on the display screen (S1). Graphic placement processing unit 31 displays information indicating the tire wheel orientation and information indicating the remaining tread depth of the tire tread as additional information to the tire graphic (S2).

[0027] The operation acceptance unit 32 determines whether the end button has been pressed (S3), and if it is determined that the end button has been pressed (S3: YES), the process ends. If the operation acceptance unit 32 determines that the end button has not been pressed (S3: NO), the process proceeds to the next step S4. The end button is, for example, located on the display screen, and the worker presses the end button on the display screen.

[0028] The operation receiving unit 32 receives an operation input from the worker regarding the movement of the tire graphic (S4). The graphic movement processing unit 33 moves the tire graphic at the axle position and the temporary storage location in accordance with the worker's operation received by the operation receiving unit 32, reflects the worker's operation on the display screen (S5), and returns to step S3.

[0029] Rotation support device 100 receives operator operations related to the movement of the tire graphic at operation reception unit 32, and by moving the tire graphic at the axle position and temporary storage location, simulates tire rotation in a visually easy-to-understand manner, thereby supporting tire rotation work. By simulating tire rotation in a way that is easy for operators to understand, rotation support device 100 can reduce operational errors in actual tire rotation work and improve work efficiency by reducing unnecessary tire removal and installation.

[0030] 4(a) and 4(b) are schematic diagrams showing an example of tire rotation on the display screen. In this example, as shown in FIG. 4(a), tire graphic B12 is moved to temporary placement location graphic C1, tire graphic B23 at axle position A2 is moved to axle position A1, and tire graphic B12 that was at temporary placement location graphic C1 is moved to axle position A2. The display screen in FIG. 4(b) shows the arrangement of the tire graphics after tire rotation.

[0031] For example, an operator can affix a sticker bearing the code B11 or the like to a tire mounted on an actual vehicle and then perform tire rotation. By comparing the code affixed to the tire image on the display screen in Figure 4(b), which shows the results of a simulated tire rotation performed by the rotation assistance device 100, with the code on the sticker affixed to the tire after the tire rotation, operational errors can be reduced.

[0032] Furthermore, the rotation support device 100 can reduce errors in tire rotation work by carrying out actual tire rotation work while replaying and checking the movement of the tire graphic by the graphic movement processing unit 33.

[0033] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of tire rotation between two vehicles on the display screen. In the example shown in Fig. 5, tire graphic B12 at axle position A1 is moved to temporary placement location graphic C1, and tire graphic E22 at axle position D2 is moved to axle position A1. Rotation assistance device 100 can simulate tire rotation between two vehicles in a visually easy-to-understand manner and assist in tire rotation work.

[0034] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which information indicating the orientation of a tire wheel is added to a display screen. In Fig. 6, the orientation of the tire wheel is indicated by adding a tire wheel-like graphic H12 to a tire graphic B12, etc. Furthermore, on the display screen, the tire wheel-like graphic H12 moves together with the tire graphic B12.

[0035] By adding information indicating the orientation of the tire wheel to the tire diagram, the rotation assistance device 100 allows the worker to easily understand in what orientation the tire can be attached to the axle position during tire rotation.

[0036] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of adding information indicating the remaining tread depth to a display screen. In Figure 7, the numerical value of the remaining tread depth is added to each tire figure, making it easy for the operator to understand the remaining tread depth. Furthermore, on the display screen, the numerical value of the remaining tread depth moves along with the tire figure.

[0037] 7, tire wear at axle position A1 is small and tire wear at axle position A3 is large, making it easier to create a rotation plan that moves the tire at axle position A1 to axle position A3 and the tire at axle position A3 to axle position A1. By adding information indicating the remaining tread depth to the tire diagram, rotation assistance device 100 can provide the worker with information on the remaining tread depth and assist in creating a tire rotation plan.

[0038] In the example shown in Fig. 7, information about uneven tire wear is displayed on the display screen by showing the remaining tread depth of the tire tread. Also, as shown in Fig. 7, the remaining tread depth value is displayed by enclosing it in a rectangular shape for tire figures B11 and B12, which have greater uneven wear than the other tires. By adding a graphic indicating that the uneven wear is greater than the other tires to the tire figures, the rotation assistance device 100 can assist the worker in creating a tire rotation plan.

[0039] 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a tire wear amount estimation system 110 that includes a rotation support device 100. The tire wear amount estimation system 110 includes a tire wear amount estimation device 102, and estimates the amount of tire wear based on vehicle information from the vehicle and tire axis position information 20a from the rotation support device 100.

[0040] The vehicle information includes, for example, information about the vehicle specifications, information about the vehicle's running conditions, etc. The vehicle specifications include, for example, information about the vehicle's weight, axle position, drive wheels, etc. The vehicle's running conditions include information about the vehicle's running distance, speed, acceleration, etc., as well as information about the tire temperature, tire pressure, etc. measured by sensors installed in the tires.

[0041] The tire wear amount estimation device 102 has a learning-type calculation model that inputs vehicle information to estimate tire wear amount, and learns the calculation model based on tire wear amount measurements during actual vehicle driving, and estimates tire wear amount using the learned calculation model. When tires on the vehicle have been rotated, the tire wear amount estimation device 102 obtains tire axle position information 20a from the rotation assistance device 100 and changes the axle position of each tire in the calculation model.

[0042] In the tire wear amount estimation system 110, the tire wear amount estimation device 102 acquires the tire axis position information 20a from the rotation assistance device 100, so that tire rotation can be reliably reflected in the estimation of tire wear amount.

[0043] (Variation) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the worker operated the tire graphic to move it on the display screen, but the rotation support device 100 may also move the tire graphic in accordance with predetermined rotation rules and present the rotation plan to the worker.

[0044] The tire rotation rules include moving a tire with more uneven wear than other tires to the axle position of other tires with less uneven wear, and when changing the axle position, swapping the left and right positions. The rotation assistance device 100 stores such rotation rules in the memory unit 20.

[0045] The graphic movement processing unit 33 calculates the degree of uneven wear for each tire based on information about the remaining tread depth of the tire grooves, and automatically moves the tire graphic on the display screen and presents it to the worker based on the rotation rules read from the storage unit 20. By presenting the movement of the tire graphic based on the rotation rules, the rotation support device 100 can make it easier for the worker to create a rotation plan.

[0046] The rotation assistance device 100 may have a mode used for tire rotation and a mode used for tire replacement. The functions in the mode used for tire rotation are as described above. The mode used for tire replacement has the functions of removing a tire graphic and displaying a tire graphic related to a new tire. In the mode used for tire replacement, for example, when the operation receiving unit 32 receives the selection of a tire graphic placed at an axle position, the graphic movement processing unit 33 removes the tire graphic from the axle position, erases the display of the tire graphic, and places the axle position in a state where no tire is installed (a state where only the frame is displayed). Also, in the mode used for tire replacement, when the operation receiving unit 32 receives the selection of an axle position where no tire is installed, the graphic movement processing unit 33 displays a list of new tires. When the operation receiving unit 32 receives the selection of a new tire from the list of new tires, the graphic movement processing unit 33 places the tire graphic related to the selected new tire at the axle position.

[0047] When a tire graphic corresponding to one tire is moved to an axle position after rotation, rotation assistance device 100 may display the tire life at the axle position after the movement. The tire life may be displayed as the predicted driving distance if tire rotation was not performed, the predicted driving distance after tire rotation, or the rate of increase in the predicted driving distance after tire rotation. For example, the degree of wear progression of the original tire at the axle position after movement (such as the ratio of the driving distance to the amount of wear) may be calculated in advance, and the tire life may be calculated based on the calculated degree of wear progression relative to the current amount of wear of the tire placed at that axle position after rotation.

[0048] Next, features of the rotation support method according to the embodiment and the modified example will be described. The rotation support method includes a graphic placement processing step, an operation reception step, and a graphic movement processing step. The graphic placement processing step places, on the display screen, a tire graphic representing a tire at the vehicle axle position and a graphic representing a temporary tire placement location. The operation reception step receives a user operation to move the tire graphic placed in the graphic placement processing step. The graphic movement processing step moves the tire graphic at the axle position and the temporary placement location based on the operation received in the operation reception step. This rotation support method can reduce errors in moving tires during tire rotation and improve work efficiency.

[0049] The graphic layout processing step also displays information indicating the orientation of the tire wheel. This rotation support method allows the worker to easily understand in what orientation the tire can be attached to the axle position during tire rotation.

[0050] The graphic layout processing step also displays information indicating the remaining tread depth of the tire. This rotation support method provides the worker with information on the remaining tread depth, thereby supporting the creation of a tire rotation plan.

[0051] The graphic placement processing step displays tire graphics for at least two or more vehicles on the display screen, and the operation receiving step receives a user operation to move the tire graphics between the at least two or more vehicles placed by the graphic placement processing step. This rotation support method makes it possible to simulate tire rotation between at least two or more vehicles in a visually easy-to-understand manner and to support tire rotation work.

[0052] The rotation support method also stores the tire identification information corresponding to the tire graphic moved by the graphic movement processing step in association with the axle position after the movement. This rotation support method makes it possible to provide the tire identification information and information on the axle position after the movement to the tire wear amount estimation system 110, etc.

[0053] Furthermore, when the graphic movement processing step receives a selection of a tire graphic placed at an axle position, the tire graphic is removed from the axle position, resulting in a tire-unmounted state. The graphic movement processing step displays a list of new tires based on the selection of an axle position where a tire is unmounted, and when the selection of a new tire is received, the tire graphic for the selected new tire is placed at the axle position. This rotation support method can simulate not only tire rotation but also tire replacement.

[0054] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. These embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims of the present invention, and that such modifications and changes also fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention. Therefore, the descriptions and drawings in this specification should be treated as illustrative rather than restrictive. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 31 figure placement processing unit, 32 operation reception unit, 33 figure movement processing unit, 34 Tire position management unit, 100 Rotation support device.

Claims

1. a graphic layout processing step of arranging, on the display screen, a tire graphic representing the tire at the axle position of the vehicle and a graphic representing a temporary tire placement location; an operation receiving step of receiving a user's operation to move the tire graphic placed in the graphic placement processing step; a graphic movement processing step of moving the tire graphic at the axle position and the temporary placement location based on the operation received in the operation receiving step; A rotation support method comprising:

2. 2. The rotation support method according to claim 1, wherein the graphic layout processing step displays information indicating the orientation of the tire wheel.

3. 3. The rotation support method according to claim 1, wherein the graphic layout processing step displays information indicating the remaining tread depth of the tire tread.

4. The rotation support method described in Claim 3, characterized in that the graphic placement processing step displays a graphic indicating that one tire has greater uneven wear than the other tires.

5. the graphic layout processing step displays the tire graphics of at least two or more vehicles on a display screen; 3. The rotation support method according to claim 1, wherein the operation receiving step receives a user operation to move the tire graphic between at least two or more vehicles arranged by the graphic arrangement processing step.

6. 3. The rotation support method according to claim 1, wherein identification information of the tire corresponding to the tire graphic moved by the graphic movement processing step is stored in association with the axle position after the movement.

7. A rotation support method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the figure movement processing step reproduces the operation accepted by the operation acceptance step.

8. 3. The rotation support method according to claim 1, wherein the graphic movement processing step, when accepting selection of the tire graphic placed at an axle position, removes the tire graphic from the axle position to set the tire unmounted, displays a list of new tires based on the selection of the axle position at which a tire is unmounted, and when accepting selection of a new tire, places the tire graphic for the selected new tire at the axle position.

Images