Tire management system, tire management method, and program

Abstract

To provide a tire management system, a tire management method and a program that can specify proper restoration material to be replenished with so as to restore performance of a tire.SOLUTION: A tire management system comprises a management device and a database part. The tire management system acquires travel history data related to a history of causes of deterioration in tire performance of tires mounted on a vehicle, and determines a replenisher for restoring tire performance having deteriorated based upon the acquired travel history data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a tire management system, a tire management method, and a program capable of managing information on tires.

Background Art

[0002] In rubber compositions applied to tires for vehicles such as automobiles, in addition to rubber components (rubber materials) such as SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber), reinforcing agents (carbon black, silica, etc.), sulfur, vulcanization accelerators, etc. are blended. Further, additives for enhancing tire performance (hereinafter also referred to as "tire performance") such as grip, braking, steering, and quietness while maintaining the flexibility of the rubber are blended in the tire. Examples of the additives include softeners for softening the rubber component, anti-aging agents (degradation inhibitors), etc.

[0003] Tires deteriorate over time due to external factors such as ozone, ultraviolet rays, and the load during use. Specifically, the tire deteriorates when the additives are gradually lost from the tire due to the influence of the external factors, or when the rubber deteriorates. When additives such as the softener and the anti-aging agent are lost from the tire, the rubber itself hardens. Also, when the tire is irradiated with ozone or ultraviolet rays, the rubber component of the tire deteriorates and hardens. In this case, the blocks and sipes formed in the tread portion become less flexible, or the sidewall of the tire becomes less flexible, and the tire performance such as the grip and the braking performance decreases. Also, in some cases, cracks generated on the surface of the tread portion or the sidewall may progress to the inside of the tire, posing a risk of bursting the tire. In particular, studless tires have a larger blending amount of the softener than normal tires (summer tires) in order to obtain grip on icy and snowy roads. Therefore, studless tires are more likely to lose the softener than normal tires, and the ground contact effect and edge effect on icy and snowy roads are likely to decrease.

[0004] Furthermore, a known method for restoring the performance of a tire whose performance has deteriorated involves removing the old tread and then replacing it with new tread rubber (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-114781 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Incidentally, as a means of restoring the performance of a tire whose performance has deteriorated, it is conceivable to replenish the additive from the outside into the inside of the tire by immersing the tire in a repair solution containing the additive for a certain period of time, or by applying the solution to the surface of the tire, without replacing the tread.

[0007] However, the state of tire deterioration varies depending on the external factors that reduced tire performance, and the appropriate additive for restoring the deteriorated state also varies depending on these external factors. Furthermore, the state of tire deterioration also varies depending on the type of additive lost from the tire. Therefore, even if the additive is replenished from an external source, the tire performance cannot be properly restored unless the appropriate additive to be replenished for the tire being restored can be identified.

[0008] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a tire management system, a tire management method, and a program that can identify appropriate restorative materials to be added to restore the performance of a tire. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A tire management system according to one aspect of this disclosure comprises a first acquisition processing unit that acquires cause history information relating to the history of causes that degrade the performance of tires mounted on a vehicle, and a material determination processing unit that determines a recovery material to restore the degraded performance based on the cause history information acquired by the first acquisition processing unit.

[0010] As the tire management system described herein is configured in this way, the appropriate replenishment agent to be added to restore the tire's performance is determined. Therefore, the tire management system makes it possible to accurately identify the appropriate replenishment agent to be added to restore the tire's performance without relying on the skills or experience of the tire repair worker.

[0011] A tire management system relating to another aspect of this disclosure includes: a first acquisition processing unit that acquires cause history information relating to the history of causes that degrade the performance of a tire mounted on a vehicle; a second acquisition processing unit that acquires material information relating to one or more materials constituting the tire; and a material determination processing unit that determines a recovery material to restore the degraded performance based on the cause history information acquired by the first acquisition processing unit and the material information acquired by the second acquisition processing unit.

[0012] A tire management system relating to other aspects of this disclosure includes a second determination processing unit that determines whether or not it is necessary to restore the performance of a tire mounted on a vehicle based on cause history information relating to the history of causes that degrade the performance of the tire, and a fifth output processing unit that outputs recovery information indicating the need for recovery to a predetermined output destination when the second determination processing unit determines that it is necessary to restore the performance.

[0013] Since the tire management system according to the present disclosure is configured as described above, the recovery information is transmitted to a predetermined output destination. Therefore, the user who receives the recovery information at the output destination can recognize that the repair timing of the tire has arrived. Further, when the output destination is a repair shop, the repair worker who receives the recovery information can recognize that the recovery information has been notified to the user.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to identify an appropriate recovery material to be replenished in order to recover the performance of the tire.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a tire management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a management device included in the tire management system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a repair agent determination unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of formulation data in a database unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a repair agent determination process executed by a control unit of a vehicle in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a repair agent determination process executed by a control unit of a management device in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another example of a repair agent determination process executed by a control unit of a management device in the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is table data showing an example of registered data referred to when the repair agent determination process is executed in the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing another example of the repair agent determination process executed by the control unit of the management device in the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit of a vehicle according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of notification output processing executed by the control unit of the control unit in the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit of a vehicle according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of recovery rate output processing executed by the control unit of the control unit in the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a management device according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a tire information input screen displayed on the display unit of the management device in the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a tire information input screen displayed on the display unit of the management device in the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing another example of the repair agent determination process executed by the control unit of the management device in the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing another example of the repair agent determination process executed by the control unit of the management device in the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0016] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments are examples of the disclosure and do not limit the technical scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, in each embodiment, components common to other embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals used in the other embodiments, and their detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0017] [First Embodiment] The configuration of the tire management system 100 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 1. Here, Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the tire management system 100.

[0018] The tire management system 100 is an example of the tire management system of this disclosure and is configured to determine an appropriate repair agent (an example of a restoration material of this disclosure) to be used in repair work to restore the tire performance that has deteriorated due to the use of tire 1. Here, tire 1 is a so-called pneumatic tire having a tread portion (not shown) and sidewall on its outer circumference, which are made of rubber material (rubber component) such as natural rubber (NR) or SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber).

[0019] In the embodiments described below, a pneumatic tire is used as an example of the tire 1 applied to the tire management system 100, but the tire 1 is not limited to a pneumatic tire. For example, the tire 1 may be a non-pneumatic tire that has a tread ring (a portion corresponding to the tread) made of the rubber material on its outer circumference and does not have compressed air filled inside. Alternatively, the tire 1 may be a rubber tire whose entire body is made of the rubber material.

[0020] The rubber material used in tire 1 may be any material whose main component is rubber material used in the tire industry, and the rubber material is not particularly limited.

[0021] [Configuration of Tire Management System 100] As shown in Figure 1, the tire management system 100 mainly comprises a management device 10 and a database unit 30, which are interconnected via a wired or wireless communication network. The management device 10 is also interconnected with a communication device 40. The communication network is, for example, a wired communication network connected via a LAN, or a wireless communication network such as a dedicated line or public line.

[0022] The management device 10 is an element that constitutes the tire management system 100. The management device 10 is an information processing device or server device that communicates data with one or more vehicles 50, acquires tire information and driving history data of the vehicles 50 (described later) from the vehicles 50, and performs various calculation processes. In this embodiment, the management device 10 is installed, for example, in a central management center that comprehensively manages one or more registered vehicles 50.

[0023] Specifically, the management device 10 is a computer such as a server computer, cloud server, or personal computer connected to the aforementioned communication network. Furthermore, the management device 10 is not limited to a single computer, but may be a computer system in which multiple computers work together, or a cloud computing system. In addition, the various processes performed by the management device 10 may be distributed and executed by one or more processors. The management device 10 has a program or computer software installed for operating the tire management system 100.

[0024] Based on tire information transmitted from the vehicle 50 (described later) and the vehicle 50's driving history data, the management device 10 determines the repair agent to restore the tire performance that has deteriorated due to use, and outputs information indicating the repair agent (repair agent information) to external devices such as the display device 502 mounted on the vehicle 50, the user's information terminal 71, and the information terminal 72 installed at the repair business that performs repairs and maintenance on the vehicle 50 and repair work to restore the performance of the tire 1. Note that the display device 502 and the information terminals 71 and 72 are examples of predetermined output destinations in this disclosure.

[0025] The database unit 30 is a storage device such as an HDD or SSD that is connected to the communication network in a communicative manner. The database unit 30 stores various information and data handled by the tire management system 100. The database unit 30 is configured as a storage device in another server device that can communicate with the management device 10, or as an external device such as a network-attached storage (Network Attached Storage) connected to a network that can independently send and receive data on the communication network. The database unit 30 may also be a so-called cloud storage connected via the internet. Furthermore, the database unit 30 may be a storage device provided in the management device 10, or it may be an external storage device connected to the management device 10 via a local network.

[0026] The communication device 40 connects the management device 10 to external devices such as the vehicle 50 and information terminals 71 and 72 via a wireless communication network using a dedicated line, public line, mobile phone line, etc. The communication device 40 transmits and receives data and signals to and from the external devices. For example, the communication device 40 communicates with the vehicle 50 and receives status data, described below, output from the vehicle 50. When the communication device 40 receives the status data from the vehicle 50, it transmits the received status data to the management device 10.

[0027] Furthermore, the communication device 40 transmits various calculation results and notifications output from the management device 10 to the vehicle 50 or the information terminals 71 and 72. The communication device 40 is equipped with an antenna (not shown), which is used for wireless communication with the communication unit 63 (see Figure 3) of the control unit 60 of the vehicle 50, and the communication units (not shown) of the information terminals 71 and 72.

[0028] Information terminals 71 and 72 are information processing devices such as smartphones, tablet devices, laptop computers, and desktop computers. Information terminal 71 is an information processing device used by a user, for example, the owner or driver of vehicle 50 or tire 1. Information terminal 72 is an information processing device installed in a repair shop that performs repairs and maintenance on vehicle 50, and repair work to restore the performance of tire 1.

[0029] When the information terminals 71 and 72 receive calculation results and notifications from the management device 10, they display the calculation results and notifications on the display screens of the display units provided by the information terminals 71 and 72. Therefore, the information terminals 71 and 72 have programs or computer software installed that transmit the various information to the management device 10 in cooperation with the tire management system 100, and that display the calculation results on the display screens.

[0030] [Vehicle 50] The vehicle 50 fitted with tire 1 will be described below with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Here, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of vehicle 50. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of vehicle 50.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle 50 is, for example, a four-wheeled passenger car, equipped with a total of four wheels, front and rear, with a tire 1 mounted on each wheel. In this embodiment, the vehicle 50 is, for example, a front-engine, front-wheel-drive (FF) vehicle, with the tires 1F mounted on the front wheels being the drive tires and the tires 1R mounted on the rear wheels being the driven tires. The drive system and steering system of the vehicle 50 are not particularly limited, and the vehicle 50 may have a drive system different from an FF vehicle, or a steering system different from a front-wheel steering system.

[0032] Furthermore, vehicle 50 is not limited to four-wheeled passenger cars, but may also include passenger cars other than four-wheeled vehicles, large vehicles such as trucks and buses, motorcycles, racing vehicles, industrial vehicles, special vehicles, load-bearing vehicles such as trailers and trolleys, etc.

[0033] As shown in Figure 3, the vehicle 50 is equipped with various sensors, including 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. Sensors 51 to 55 are fixed to the inner surface of the tire 1 via mounting members (not shown).

[0034] Each of the sensors 51 to 55 is connected to a transmitter (not shown) provided on the tire 1, and the detection values ​​of each of the sensors 51 to 55 are transmitted to the control unit 60 via the transmitter.

[0035] Each of the sensors 51 to 55 can have any configuration as long as it can output a detected value of the object to be detected or a detection signal indicating the detected value, and there are no particular limitations on its mounting position or detection method. If each of the sensors 51 to 55 is connected to the control unit 60 wirelessly or via a wired connection, the detected value may be transmitted individually from each of the sensors 51 to 55 to the control unit 60.

[0036] The wheel speed sensor 51 detects the wheel speed signal (rotational speed information) of the tire 1 while it is in motion. The control unit 61 of the control unit 60 calculates the rotation speed of the tire 1 (tire rotations), the driving speed of the vehicle 50, and the acceleration of the vehicle 50 in the direction of travel based on the wheel speed signal received from the wheel speed sensor 51. The control unit 61 stores the cumulative tire rotations, which shows the cumulative value of the calculated rotations, the driving speed fluctuation history, which shows the time-series fluctuation of the driving speed, and the acceleration fluctuation history, which shows the time-series fluctuation of the acceleration, in the storage unit 62 of the control unit 60 as an example of the driving history data of the vehicle 50 when using the tire 1.

[0037] The lateral acceleration sensor 52 detects the lateral acceleration (lateral acceleration) applied to the tire 1 while it is in motion. The control unit 61 stores the lateral acceleration fluctuation history, which shows the time-series fluctuation of the lateral acceleration, in the storage unit 62 as an example of the driving history data.

[0038] Furthermore, excessive tire rotation speed, driving speed, acceleration, and lateral acceleration may place a load on tire 1 and degrade its performance. Therefore, the aforementioned tire rotation speed, driving speed, acceleration, and lateral acceleration can be causes of a decrease in tire performance.

[0039] The pressure sensor 53 detects the air pressure inside the tire 1 (tire pressure). The control unit 61 stores the air pressure fluctuation history, which shows the time-series fluctuation of the air pressure, in the storage unit 62 as an example of the driving history data.

[0040] Furthermore, if the tire pressure is higher than the specified range (abnormal value) or lower than the specified value (abnormal value), it may put a load on tire 1 and reduce its performance. Therefore, the tire pressure can be a cause of reduced tire performance.

[0041] The temperature sensor 54 detects the temperature of the tire 1 (tire temperature) while the vehicle is in motion or stopped. The control unit 61 stores the tire temperature fluctuation history, which shows the time-series fluctuation of the tire temperature, in the storage unit 62 as the driving history data. The tire temperature fluctuation history may be stored in the storage unit 62 separately as the temperature history acquired while the vehicle 50 is in motion and the temperature history acquired while the vehicle 50 is stopped.

[0042] Furthermore, high temperatures in tire 1 can put a load on tire 1 and reduce its performance. Therefore, the tire temperature can be a cause of reduced tire performance.

[0043] The thickness sensor 55 detects the thickness of the tread portion of the tire 1 (thickness from the band portion to the surface). The thickness sensor 55 is provided on the inner surface of the tread portion, which is the inner surface of the inner cavity of each tire 1. In this embodiment, two thickness sensors 55 are provided on the inner surface; one is attached to the center in the width direction of the inner surface, and the other is attached to the end in the width direction of the inner surface. The control unit 61 calculates the amount of wear of the tread portion from the thickness of the tread portion. The control unit 61 also stores the tread wear history, which shows the change in the amount of wear over time, in the storage unit 62 as an example of the driving history data.

[0044] Furthermore, when the tread portion of tire 1 wears down, the rubber thickness of the tread portion decreases, which may reduce the tire performance of tire 1. Therefore, the amount of wear can be a cause of reduced tire performance.

[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, for example, mounted on the steering shaft of the steering wheel 503. The steering angle sensor 56 is connected to the control unit 60 wirelessly or via a wired connection, 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 can have any configuration as long as it is capable of detecting the steering angle of the steering wheel 503, and there are no particular limitations on its mounting position or detection method.

[0046] The control unit 61 stores the steering angle history, which shows the time-series variation of the steering angle detected during driving, in the storage unit 62 as an example of the driving history data.

[0047] The brake sensor 57 detects whether or not a brake operation is performed by the driver of the vehicle 50, and the amount of pedal depression (operation amount). The brake sensor 57 is, for example, a rotary encoder or potentiometer provided on the brake pedal. The brake sensor 57 is connected to the control unit 60 wirelessly or via a wired connection, and the presence or absence of an operation (detected value) and the amount of pedal depression (detected value) detected by the brake sensor 57 are transmitted to the control unit 60. The brake sensor 57 can have any configuration as long as it is capable of detecting detection values ​​related to brake operation, and there are no particular limitations on its mounting position or detection method.

[0048] The control unit 61 stores in the storage unit 62, as an example of the driving history data, a cumulative brake count indicating the cumulative number of brake operations detected during driving, and a pedal depression history indicating the history of the pedal depression amount for each brake operation.

[0049] Furthermore, since the steering angle of the steering wheel 503, the number of brake operations, and the amount of pedal depression affect the friction between the tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 50 and the road surface, the steering angle, the number of brake operations, and the amount of pedal depression may cause a decrease in tire performance.

[0050] The tread surface sensor 58 detects information for measuring the presence or absence of grooves on the surface (tread surface) of the tread portion of the tire 1, and for measuring the groove depth. As the tread surface sensor 58, for example, a scanning optical distance sensor installed on the inner surface of the wheel well of the vehicle 50 can be applied. The optical distance sensor emits laser light that scans the tread surface in the tire width direction and measures the distance to the tread surface to be detected by emitting reflected light reflected from the tread surface. In addition, the optical distance sensor generates and outputs trace data that traces the uneven shape of the tread surface in the width direction, so the control unit 61 of the control unit 60 can measure the presence or absence of grooves in the tread portion of the tire 1 and the groove depth based on the trace data. It is also possible to apply a reflective photointerrupter (also called a photoreflector) arranged in multiple locations along the width direction on the inner surface of the wheel well instead of the optical distance sensor. Furthermore, it is also possible to apply a camera that captures an image of the tread surface, or a line sensor capable of detecting the shape in the tire width direction, instead of the optical distance sensor.

[0051] The control unit 61 stores the tread groove history, which shows the change in the groove depth of the tread portion over time, in the storage unit 62 as an example of the driving history data.

[0052] Furthermore, the groove depth of the tread portion of tire 1 affects braking performance and drainage performance, and therefore may cause a decrease in the tire performance of tire 1.

[0053] Furthermore, the tire 1 is provided with a memory 67 (an example of a storage unit in this disclosure), which is an example of a storage device. The memory 67 is a non-volatile storage device. The memory 67 is fixed to the inner surface of the tire 1 via a mounting member (not shown). The memory 67 is communicated to the control unit 60 wirelessly or via a wired connection.

[0054] Memory 67 pre-stores tire information, including identification information for tire 1 (an example of tire identification information as disclosed herein). This tire information includes the model number, product name, manufacturing date, intended use, size, and manufacturer information for tire 1. The identification information (tire identification information) only needs to be information that can distinguish tire 1 from other tires, and the model number and product name mentioned above are examples of this. The identification information may also be an ID number or serial number assigned to each tire.

[0055] After tire 1 is mounted on vehicle 50, when the key switch of vehicle 50 is turned on, the tire information in memory 67 is transmitted to control unit 60 and stored in the storage unit 62 of control unit 60.

[0056] Furthermore, the driving history data, including the cumulative number of tire rotations, the driving speed fluctuation history, the acceleration fluctuation history, the lateral acceleration fluctuation history, the air pressure fluctuation history, the tire temperature fluctuation history, the tread wear history, the steering angle history, the cumulative number of brake applications, the pedal pressure history, and the tread groove history, is stored not only in the storage unit 62 but also in the memory 67.

[0057] Furthermore, if the tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 50 is replaced with another tire 1, the driving history data in the storage unit 62 is updated with the driving history data stored in the memory 67 of the other tire 1. For example, if the tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 50 is replaced with a new, unused tire 1, the driving history data in the storage unit 62 is effectively reset. Also, if the tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 50 is replaced with a used tire 1, the driving history data stored in the memory 67 of the used tire 1 is read, and the driving history data in the storage unit 62 is overwritten with the read driving history data.

[0058] As shown in Figure 3, the vehicle 50 is equipped with a control unit 60 that provides overall control of the vehicle 50. The control unit 60 is an information processing device capable of performing various calculations. The control unit 60 includes a control unit 61, a storage unit 62, a communication unit 63, a GPS receiver 64, an output unit 65, an input unit 66, and the like.

[0059] The communication unit 63 is a communication interface that connects the control unit 60 to a predetermined communication network wirelessly and performs data communication with external devices such as the communication device 40 via the communication network in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0060] The GPS receiver 64 receives GPS signals sent from GPS satellites. The received GPS signals are transmitted to the control unit 61 and used for various calculation processes, such as identifying the location information (vehicle location information) indicating the position of the vehicle 50 on a map, identifying the driving route of the vehicle 50, and calculating the driving distance of the vehicle 50. Here, the vehicle location information includes the stopping position when the vehicle 50 is stationary and the driving position when the vehicle 50 is in motion.

[0061] In this embodiment, the travel route of the vehicle 50 is determined based on the vehicle position information identified while the vehicle 50 is stopped or in motion. The travel distance of the vehicle 50 is also calculated based on the vehicle position information. The control unit 61 stores the vehicle position information in the storage unit 62 as an example of the travel history data. The control unit 61 also stores the travel route information, which indicates the travel route, and the travel distance information, which indicates the travel distance, in the storage unit 62 as an example of the travel history data. The vehicle position information, the travel route information, and the travel distance information are also stored in the memory 67 of the tire 1.

[0062] Furthermore, the surrounding environment of the vehicle 50's parking and driving positions, the condition of the road surface the vehicle 50 traveled on, and the distance the vehicle 50 traveled may put a load on the tire 1 and reduce its performance. For example, if the environment is poor, if the vehicle 50 is traveling on a rough road surface, or if the distance traveled is excessively long, the tire 1 will be subjected to an excessive load. Therefore, the vehicle's position, driving route, and distance traveled can all be causes of reduced tire performance.

[0063] The storage unit 62 is a non-volatile storage medium or storage device such as flash memory that stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 62 stores a control program that causes the control unit 61 to execute various processes. The control program is stored in an external storage device such as a server device or external storage that can communicate with the communication unit 63, and is read from the external storage device and stored (copied) in 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 read by a reader (not shown) electrically connected to the control unit 60 and stored (copied) in the storage unit 62.

[0064] Furthermore, the storage unit 62 stores the detected values ​​and data transmitted from each of the sensors 51 to 58, as well as the vehicle position information detected by the GPS receiver 64. The storage unit 62 also stores the various history information mentioned above (the cumulative number of tire rotations, the driving speed fluctuation history, the acceleration fluctuation history, the lateral acceleration fluctuation history, the air pressure fluctuation history, the tire temperature fluctuation history, the tread thickness history, the steering angle history, the cumulative number of brake applications, the pedal pressure history, and the tread groove history). The storage unit 62 also stores the vehicle position information, the driving route information, and the driving distance information.

[0065] The output unit 65 is an interface that outputs the results of various processes performed 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 speed information to the instrument unit 501, and also outputs various information to the display device 502 in response to display requests from the driver or the like.

[0066] The input unit 66 is an interface that connects wirelessly or via wire to various sensors 51-58 provided on the vehicle 50. Signals output from sensors 51-58 and the like are input to the input unit 66.

[0067] The control unit 61 includes control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that performs various arithmetic operations. The ROM is a non-volatile memory in which control programs such as a BIOS and OS are pre-stored to cause the CPU to perform various operations. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile memory that stores various information and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for the various operations performed by the CPU. The control unit 61 then executes the various operations described later by executing various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or storage unit 62 using the CPU.

[0068] The control unit 61 includes various processing units such as a display processing unit 611, an arithmetic processing unit 612, and a hardness calculation processing unit 613. The control unit 61 functions as these various processing units by executing various processes according to the control program using the CPU. Some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 61 may be composed of electronic circuits. Furthermore, one or more processes performed by the display processing unit 611, the arithmetic processing unit 612, and the hardness calculation processing unit 613 may be executed by separate processing units. The control program may also be a program that causes multiple processors to function as these various processing units.

[0069] The display processing unit 611 performs the process of displaying various information on the display device 502 of the vehicle 50. For example, when the display processing unit 611 receives the result of the repair agent determination process (see Figure 8) described later from the management device 10, or when it obtains the result of the repair agent determination unit 113 described later, it displays these determination results on the display screen of the display device 502.

[0070] The arithmetic processing unit 612 performs a process to calculate state data indicating the state of the vehicle 50 or the tire 1 based on the detected values ​​and data input to the input unit 66 from various sensors 51 to 58 and the GPS receiver 64. Here, the state data includes, for example, the rotation speed of the tire 1 (tire rotation speed), the driving speed of the vehicle 50, the acceleration of the vehicle 50 in the direction of travel, 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 amount of wear on the tread of the tire 1, the steering angle of the vehicle 50, the number of brake operations, the amount the brake is pressed, the groove depth of the tread of the tire 1, and so on.

[0071] The tire rotation speed, the driving speed, and the acceleration can be calculated based on the detected value (wheel speed signal) from the wheel speed sensor 51. The lateral acceleration can be calculated based on the detected value from the lateral acceleration sensor 52. The tire pressure can be calculated based on the detected value from the pressure sensor 53. The tire temperature can be calculated based on the detected value from the temperature sensor 54.

[0072] The amount of wear can be calculated based on the detection value of the thickness sensor 55. The amount of wear is the difference between the average thickness calculated based on the detection values ​​of two thickness sensors 55, which are installed on the inner surface of the tire 1 separated in the width direction, and the initial thickness of the tread portion of the tire 1 when unused. The amount of wear can be calculated with high accuracy by increasing the number of thickness sensors 55 or by appropriately adjusting their placement.

[0073] The steering angle can be calculated based on the value detected by the steering angle sensor 56. The number of brake operations and the amount of brake depression can be calculated based on the value detected by the brake sensor 57.

[0074] The groove depth of the tread portion of tire 1 can be calculated based on the data output from the tread surface sensor 58.

[0075] Furthermore, the arithmetic processing unit 612 performs processes to identify the travel route of the vehicle 50 and calculate the travel distance of the vehicle 50 based on the vehicle position information.

[0076] Examples of the types of travel routes that can be specified include flat roads, mountain roads (so-called mountain paths), city streets, and expressways. Furthermore, the travel distance may include not only the total distance traveled by the vehicle 50, but also the travel distance for each of the aforementioned travel routes (e.g., distance traveled on flat roads, distance traveled on mountain roads, distance traveled in cities, distance traveled on expressways, etc.).

[0077] The various history information obtained from the state data obtained by the calculation processing unit 612, as well as the vehicle position information, driving route information, and driving distance information related to the vehicle 50, are stored in the storage unit 62 as driving history data together with the identification information of the tire 1. Such driving history data is history information of causes that degrade the performance of the tire 1, and is an example of cause history information in this disclosure. The driving history data is used in a determination process to determine the amount of decrease in additives in the tire 1 that decreases due to the load applied to the tire 1 (hereinafter referred to as "additive change amount"). The additive change amount indicates the amount of change due to a decrease in the blending ratio of the additives.

[0078] The amount of change in the additive and the information indicating the decreased amount of the additive (additive information) indicate the nature of the deterioration of tire 1. In other words, the amount of change in the additive and the additive information are examples of the deterioration described in this disclosure. For example, if the additive is lost and decreases from tire 1 due to use, tire 1 deteriorates and its performance decreases. If the additive is a softening agent such as oil, its decrease increases the hardness of tire 1, reducing the grip and braking force of the tread of tire 1. Also, if the additive is an anti-aging agent, its decrease makes tire 1 more prone to cracking.

[0079] Furthermore, the driving history data stored in the memory unit 62 is transferred to the memory 67 of each tire 1 and stored in the memory 67, for example, when the vehicle 50 stops and the key is turned off. Therefore, even if a tire 1 is removed from the vehicle 50 and mounted on another vehicle 50 as a used tire, the driving history data of the tire 1 can be inherited by the other vehicle 50.

[0080] The hardness calculation processing unit 613 performs a process to calculate the hardness of the tread portion of the tire 1 (hereinafter referred to as "tire hardness"). The hardness calculation processing unit 613 calculates the current tire hardness of the tread portion of the tire 1 based, for example, on the amount of wear of the tread portion calculated by the calculation processing unit 612 (an example of cause history information in this disclosure). The tire hardness is an index that indicates how difficult it is for the tire 1 to deform when force is applied. Generally, the tire hardness is expressed as a numerical value measured using a hardness tester (Type D durometer) conforming to JIS K6253. In this embodiment, the tire hardness is calculated based on the well-known relationship that the thickness of the cap tread in the tread portion of the tire 1 is proportional to the tire hardness. The cap tread is the portion of the tread portion of the tire 1 in which the tread pattern is engraved. Specifically, the hardness calculation processing unit 613 calculates the current cap thickness by subtracting the amount of wear on the tire 1 in use from the thickness of the cap tread of the unused tire 1, and calculates the tire hardness by multiplying this cap thickness by a predetermined coefficient.

[0081] The hardness calculation processing unit 613 is not limited to the calculation examples described above. For example, the front-to-rear stiffness G obtained by a known calculation method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-76702 can be used as an approximate value of the tire hardness.

[0082] In this embodiment, the control unit 61 stores the tire hardness calculated by the hardness calculation processing unit 613 in the storage unit 62 as one of the driving history data. The tire hardness is also stored in the memory 67 of the tire 1.

[0083] Incidentally, the tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 50 is subjected to various loads while the vehicle 50 is parked in a parking lot or while the vehicle 50 is in motion. Examples of such loads include, for example, the load in the direction of gravity due to the tire 1 supporting the vehicle 50, the load received when the vehicle 50 is accelerating, decelerating or braking, the load received due to the increase or decrease in the air pressure of the tire 1, and the load in the direction of lateral movement when the vehicle 50 is turning. Another example is the thermal load due to the temperature transmitted from the ambient temperature of the vehicle 50 or the road surface temperature, the load due to heat generated by irradiation with sunlight, and the load due to frictional heat generated between the tire and the road surface during driving. Yet another example is the chemical load due to the deterioration of the rubber of the tire 1 due to irradiation with ozone or ultraviolet rays contained in sunlight.

[0084] As each of the above-mentioned loads is applied to tire 1, the rubber components of tire 1 deteriorate over time. Specifically, the rubber components of tire 1 harden. When the rubber components harden, the blocks and sipes formed on the tread become less flexible, and the sidewalls of tire 1 become less flexible, resulting in a decrease in tire performance such as grip and braking performance. In other words, each of the above-mentioned loads is a cause of the decrease in tire performance of tire 1 (a cause of performance degradation). Tire performance mainly includes grip on the road surface, braking performance when braking is performed, as well as straight-line stability, handling stability, rolling resistance, ride comfort, quietness, drainage performance, dry performance, and fuel efficiency.

[0085] One possible means of restoring the performance of the tire 1, which has deteriorated, is to replenish the tire 1 with a repair agent such as a softening agent from the outside. For example, the repair agent can be replenished to the rubber component inside the tire 1 from the outside by immersing the tire 1 in a repair solution containing the repair agent for a certain period of time, or by applying the repair solution to the surface of the tire 1. However, in order to restore the deteriorated tire performance, it is considered preferable to identify the repair agent corresponding to the load that caused the deterioration in performance and repair the tire 1 with that repair agent.

[0086] In this embodiment, the repair agent determination process (see Figure 8), which will be described later, is performed by the control unit 11 of the management device 10. This makes it possible to identify the appropriate repair agent to be replenished in order to restore the performance of the tire 1.

[0087] Here, as the repair agent, a softening agent that softens the rubber component can be used. Specifically, examples include aromatic resins, oils such as process oils and vegetable oils, liquid diene polymers, and polyterpene resins.

[0088] More specifically, the aromatic resin is a polymer containing an aromatic compound as a constituent component. The aromatic compound is not particularly limited as long as it has an aromatic ring, and examples of applicable compounds include phenol compounds such as phenol, alkylphenol, alkoxyphenol, and phenol containing an unsaturated hydrocarbon group; naphthol compounds such as naphthol, alkylnaphthol, alkoxynaphthol, and naphthol containing an unsaturated hydrocarbon group; styrene derivatives such as styrene, alkylstyrene, alkoxystyrene, and styrene containing an unsaturated hydrocarbon group; coumarone; indene; and others.

[0089] Furthermore, as the aromatic resin, for example, α-methylstyrene resin, coumarone indene resin, aromatically modified terpene resin, terpene aromatic resin, etc. can be used.

[0090] Examples of α-methylstyrene resins include α-methylstyrene homopolymers and copolymers of α-methylstyrene and styrene. Coumarone indene resins are resins that contain coumarone and indene as monomer components constituting the resin skeleton (main chain). Other monomer components included in the skeleton besides coumarone and indene include styrene, methylindene, and vinyltoluene. Examples of aromatically modified terpene resins include resins obtained by modifying a terpene resin with an aromatic compound (preferably a styrene derivative, more preferably styrene), and resins obtained by hydrogenating the said resin. Examples of terpene aromatic resins include resins obtained by copolymerizing a terpene compound with an aromatic compound (preferably a styrene derivative, a phenol compound, more preferably styrene), and resins obtained by hydrogenating the said resin.

[0091] Examples of α-methylstyrene resins include SYLVARES SA85 (SYLVATRAX 4401), SA100, SA120, SA140 (manufactured by Kraton Corporation, USA), FTR0100, 2120, 2140, and 7100 (manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.). Examples of coumarone indene resins include G-90 and V-120 (manufactured by Nippon Paint Co., Ltd.), and NOVARES C10, C30, C70, C80, C90, C100, C120, C140, and C160 (manufactured by Rutgers Chemicals, Germany). Examples of aromatically modified terpene resins include YS Resin TO85, TO105, TO115, TO125, Clearon M125, M115, M105, K100, and K4100 (manufactured by Yasuhara Chemical Co., Ltd.). Examples of terpene aromatic resins include YS Polystar U130, U115, T160, T145, T130, T115, T100, T80, T30, S145, G150, G125, N125, K125, TH130, UH115 (manufactured by Yasuhara Chemical Co., Ltd.), Tamanol 803L, 901 (manufactured by Arakawa Chemical Industries, Ltd.), and SYLVARES TP95, TP96, TP300, TP2040, TP2019, TP2040HM, TP2040LO, TP7042, TP105, TP115 (manufactured by Kraton Corporation, USA).

[0092] Examples of the oils include process oils, vegetable oils, or mixtures thereof. Examples of process oils include paraffinic process oils (paraffinic oils), aromatic process oils (aromatic oils), and naphthenic process oils (naphthenic oils) used as plasticizers. Examples of vegetable oils include castor oil, cottonseed oil, linseed oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, palm oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, rosin, pine oil, pine tar, tall oil, corn oil, rice oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, palm kernel oil, camellia oil, jojoba oil, macadamia nut oil, and tung oil. These may be used individually or in combination of two or more.

[0093] The liquid diene polymer is not particularly limited as long as it is a diene polymer with a weight-average molecular weight of 50,000 or less. Examples include styrene-butadiene copolymer (rubber), butadiene polymer (rubber), isoprene polymer (rubber), and acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer (rubber).

[0094] Examples of the polyterpene resin include terpene resins such as α-pinene resin, β-pinene resin, limonene resin, dipentene resin, and β-pinene / limonene resin, as well as hydrogenated terpene resins obtained by hydrogenating the terpene resin.

[0095] The database unit 30 stores various data handled by the tire management system 100 in a storage medium so that it can be managed based on a predetermined data management method. The database unit 30 can be implemented in various forms, such as a storage device connected to the communication network, an information processing device, a cloud server, or a data server. The database unit 30 includes the training data 30A described later, and compound data 30B (see Figure 6) which includes compound information for various tires 1. Compound data 30B is an example of tire material data in this disclosure. The database unit 30 is also an example of a material information storage unit in this disclosure.

[0096] The training data 30A is a dataset for training the learning model 211 (see Figure 5) in the judgment processing unit 210 of the repair agent determination unit 113 of the management device 10. The training data 30A is used to train the prediction function included in the learning model 211. Note that the learning model 211 is an example of a learning model in this disclosure.

[0097] Specifically, the training data 30A is a dataset that includes a large number of combined data sets, which include the driving history data corresponding to the sample tire (used tire) used on the vehicle 50 and the compositional analysis results of the sample tire.

[0098] The compositional analysis results are obtained, for example, from the analysis of numerous sample tire samples using a predetermined compositional analyzer. Specifically, the compositional analyzer determines the blending ratio of each material in the sample tire and outputs the change in the blending ratio of each material as an analysis result, referencing the initial blending ratio of each material in a new, unused sample tire. Here, the blending ratio is the blending ratio of each material in the tire's rubber composition, as will be described later. Examples of the change in blending ratio include the change in the blending ratio of additives such as oil added to the tire (change in additives). The change in blending ratio may also include the change in the blending ratio of the rubber components that make up the tire (change in rubber components).

[0099] Furthermore, the composition analyzer determines the hardness (tire hardness) of the sample tire and outputs the change (increase) in the tire hardness as an analysis result, referencing the initial hardness (reference hardness) of the tread portion of an unused tire.

[0100] The aforementioned change in additives is degradation information indicating the nature of tire deterioration, and corresponds to the "answer" in the training data 30A. As the compositional analyzer, for example, a well-known analyzer such as an NMR spectrometer (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometer) can be applied.

[0101] In the training data 30A, the aforementioned combination data is managed by dividing it into the same attributes, and information regarding the attributes (attribute information) is also included in the training data 30A. The attribute information may include, for example, tire information such as the model number of tire 1, its intended use, product name, manufacturing date, size, and manufacturer information.

[0102] Furthermore, if the learning model 211 has been trained using the training data 30A, the training data 30A does not need to be stored in the database unit 30.

[0103] The compounding data 30B is a collection of data (database) in which compounding information (an example of material information in this disclosure) is managed for each tire information, including the types of materials that make up the tire 1 and the mixing ratio of each material. Examples of materials for the rubber composition, which is the rubber part of the tire 1, include rubber components (rubber materials), as well as additives such as reinforcing agents (carbon black, silica, etc.), antioxidants, stearic acid, softeners such as oil, sulfur, vulcanization accelerators, zinc oxide, and coupling agents. Examples of the rubber components include SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber), BR (butadiene rubber), and NR (natural rubber).

[0104] Figure 6 shows an example of compounding data 30B. In the compounding data 30B shown in Figure 6, the blending ratio of each material in the rubber composition of tire 1 is expressed in parts by mass. Specifically, the compounding data 30B shows the ratio of the blending amount (parts by mass) of each material (rubber components, additives) when the total parts by mass of each rubber component contained in the rubber composition is set to 100. The blending ratio is expressed in units of phr (per hundred rubber). In Figure 6, the tire information is exemplified by the model number, tire application, and tire size, but other tire information such as the tire product name, tire manufacturing date, and manufacturer information may also be included.

[0105] [Management device 10] The configuration of the control device 10 will be described below with reference to Figure 4. Here, Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 10.

[0106] The management device 10 is for realizing the tire management system 100 of this embodiment, and determines a suitable repair agent for restoring the tire performance of the tire 1 currently in use and mounted on the vehicle 50.

[0107] As shown in Figure 4, the management device 10 comprises a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, a display unit 14, and an operation unit 15.

[0108] The communication unit 13 is a communication interface for connecting the management device 10 to a predetermined network (communication network) by wire or wireless connection and for performing data communication with each device connected to the network according to a predetermined communication protocol. Specifically, the communication unit 13 performs data communication with the communication device 40 and the database unit 30 through the network.

[0109] The storage unit 12 is a non-volatile storage device such as a semiconductor memory, HDD, or SSD that stores various information and data. In this embodiment, a configuration in which the storage unit 12 is provided on the management device 10 is illustrated, but for example, some or all of the various information and data in the storage unit 12 may be stored on an external device such as another server device or storage device that can communicate with the management device 10 via the network or the internet. In this case, the management device 10 reads the necessary information from the external device or stores the information on the external device as needed.

[0110] The memory unit 12 stores control programs that cause the control unit 11 to execute various control processes, including the repair agent determination process shown in Figure 8 and described later. These control programs are stored in an external storage device such as a server device or external storage that can communicate with the communication unit 13, and are read from the external storage device and stored (copied) in the memory unit 12. Alternatively, the control programs may be non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, read by a reader (not shown) electrically connected to the management device 10, and stored (copied) in the memory unit 12.

[0111] The display unit 14 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or organic EL display that displays various types of information, or a touch panel that allows direct touch input to the screen. The operation unit 15 is an input device such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that accepts input from the operator.

[0112] The control unit 11 controls the operation of each part of the management device 10. The control unit 11 includes control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that performs various arithmetic operations. The ROM is a non-volatile storage medium in which control programs such as a BIOS and OS are pre-stored to cause the CPU to perform various arithmetic operations. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage medium that stores various information and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for the various arithmetic operations performed by the CPU. The control unit 11 controls the management device 10 by having the CPU execute various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or storage unit 12.

[0113] As shown in Figure 4, the control unit 11 includes various processing units such as a data acquisition unit 111 (an example of the first data acquisition processing unit of this disclosure), a formulation information acquisition unit 112 (an example of the second data acquisition processing unit of this disclosure), a repair agent determination unit 113 (an example of the material determination processing unit of this disclosure), and an output processing unit 115 (an example of the first output processing unit of this disclosure).

[0114] The control unit 11 functions as one of the various processing units by having the CPU execute various arithmetic processes according to the control program. The control unit 11 or the CPU is an example of a computer that executes the control program. Some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 11 may be composed of electronic circuits. The control program may also be a program that causes multiple processors to function as the various processing units.

[0115] The data acquisition unit 111 performs the process of acquiring the driving history data stored in the storage unit 62 from the control unit 60 of the vehicle 50. The data acquisition unit 111 also acquires the tire information stored in the storage unit 62 from the control unit 60 of the vehicle 50. In this embodiment, when the driving history data and the tire information are transmitted from the control unit 60 to the management device 10, the control unit 11 receives the driving history data and the tire information. As described above, the driving history data is used in the process of determining the amount of additive change that decreases due to the load applied to the tire 1.

[0116] The compounding information acquisition unit 112 performs a process to acquire compounding information, including the types of materials that make up the tire 1 and the mixing ratio of each material, from the compounding data 30B (see Figure 6). In this embodiment, when the tire information is transmitted from the control unit 60 to the management device 10, the compounding information acquisition unit 112 compares the model number included in the tire information with the compounding data 30B and extracts the compounding information corresponding to the model number from the compounding data 30B. In other words, the compounding information acquisition unit 112 extracts the compounding information from the compounding data 30B that matches the model number included in the tire information input to the management device 10.

[0117] Furthermore, if the compound information acquisition unit 112 does not have compound information in the compound data 30B that corresponds to the model number in the received tire information, or if the model number is not included in the tire information, it determines whether the intended use and size in the received tire information are equivalent to the intended use information and size information in the compound data 30B. If these are equivalent, the compound information acquisition unit 112 recognizes the compound information corresponding to the intended use information and size information that has been determined to be equivalent as the compound information for tire 1, and extracts this compound information from the compound data 30B.

[0118] Specifically, the compound information acquisition unit 112 refers to the compound data 30B and compares the intended use and size included in the tire information with the intended use and size information in the compound data 30B. The compound information acquisition unit 112 then determines whether there is any intended use and size information in the compound data 30B that matches the intended use and size included in the tire information. If there is matching intended use and size information, the compound information corresponding to the intended use and size information is extracted from the compound data 30B as the compound information for tire 1. The intended use and size used in this matching process are examples of tire types in this disclosure. Furthermore, the information indicating the content of the intended use and the information indicating the content of the size correspond to the type information in this disclosure.

[0119] The repair agent determination unit 113 performs a process to determine a repair agent (an example of a restoration material) to restore the tire performance of tire 1 that has deteriorated due to use, based on the driving history data and the like acquired by the data acquisition unit 111.

[0120] The repair agent determination unit 113 will now be described with reference to Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, the repair agent determination unit 113 includes a determination processing unit 210 (an example of a determination unit in this disclosure) and a repair agent selection unit 220 (an example of a selection unit in this disclosure).

[0121] The determination processing unit 210 performs a process to determine the amount of additive change (an example of deterioration content in this disclosure) based on the driving history data. The determination processing unit 210 is a learning device having a learning model 211 that determines the amount of additive change of tire 1 based on the driving history data and the tire information. The learning model 211 is a pre-trained model, for example, that has been trained in advance by machine learning. The driving history data and the tire information are input to the determination processing unit 210.

[0122] Generally, machine learning algorithms include supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning. Furthermore, a technique called "deep learning," which learns the extraction of features themselves, is used to implement these methods. In this embodiment, a trained model 211 trained by supervised learning is used as an example for explanation.

[0123] The learning model 211 in the judgment processing unit 210 is a pre-trained model generated in advance based on training data 30A stored in the database unit 30 and a predetermined algorithm. The algorithm is an algorithm that learns the relationship between input and output from the training data 30A that has been input in advance. The training data 30A includes input values ​​such as the driving history data and attribute information (tire information) of the sample tire, and the additive change amount (output value) as an answer to this data and information. The training data 30A includes a large number of combination data consisting of the input values ​​and the output values. By providing such training data 30A to the judgment processing unit 210, the learning model 211 of the judgment processing unit 210 analyzes the features, useful rules, knowledge representations, and judgment criteria in the training data 30A and learns a prediction function that shows the relationship between input values ​​and output values. Once such a relationship is learned, it becomes possible to predict the additive change amount (output value) of tire 1 by applying the driving history data (input value) of tire 1, whose output value is unknown, to the prediction function.

[0124] In this embodiment, the determination processing unit 210 inputs the driving history data to the learning model 211, and the learning model 211 outputs the additive change amount corresponding to the input driving history data.

[0125] The amount of additive change output from the determination processing unit 210 is input to the repair agent selection unit 220 and used for selection processing by the repair agent selection unit 220.

[0126] The repair agent selection unit 220 performs a process to select a repair agent corresponding to the amount of change in the additive output from the determination processing unit 210. In this embodiment, the repair agent selection unit 220 performs a process to select a repair agent corresponding to the additive with the largest change (maximum additive). The maximum additive is an example of the deterioration content described herein.

[0127] For example, the repair agent selection unit 220 performs a process to select the repair agent corresponding to the maximum additive from predetermined repair agent registration data. The repair agent registration data is a table data (lookup table) in which information on multiple optimal repair agents corresponding to each additive is registered, and is pre-stored in the storage unit 62 or database unit 30 of the management device 10. The repair agent selection unit 220 performs a process to compare the repair agent registration data with the maximum additive and extracts the repair agent corresponding to the maximum additive from among the multiple repair agents included in the repair agent registration data.

[0128] The repair agent registered in the repair agent registration data is a repair agent capable of restoring the performance of tire 1 that has deteriorated due to a decrease in the corresponding additive. Therefore, the repair agent may be the same additive as the maximum additive, or it may be an additive equivalent to the maximum additive (an additive having the same function as the maximum additive). In this case, the additive is preferably a softening agent that softens the rubber component of tire 1.

[0129] Furthermore, the repair agent selection unit 220 may perform a process to select multiple repair agents corresponding to each of the top three additives, for example, the additives with the highest additive change amounts.

[0130] The output processing unit 115 performs processing to output the results of various processes performed in the tire management system 100. In this embodiment, the output processing unit 115 performs processing to output repair agent information (an example of material information in this disclosure) which includes the determination result determined by the repair agent determination unit 113, that is, information on one or more repair agents selected by the repair agent selection unit 220. As will be described later, the repair agent information may include information such as the repair time when repairing with the selected repair agent, the price information of the repair agent, and the repair effect of the repair agent.

[0131] The output processing unit 115 outputs the repair agent information to the vehicle 50 and processes the display of the information contained in the repair agent information on the display screen of the display device 502 of the vehicle 50. In addition, the output processing unit 115 may output the repair agent information to the vehicle 50 in response to a transfer request from the vehicle 50. The output processing unit 115 may also output the repair agent information to the vehicle 50 regardless of whether or not a transfer request has been made. Furthermore, the output processing unit 115 may output the repair agent information to the information terminals 71 and 72 as needed, or in response to a transfer request from the information terminals 71 and 72.

[0132] The output processing unit 115 may also output, along with the repair agent information, location information and contact information of repair shops capable of providing repair services using the selected repair agent to the vehicle 50 or the information terminal 71. In this case, the location information and contact information of the repair shops will be displayed on the display device 502 of the vehicle 50 or on the display screen of the information terminal 71.

[0133] [Repair agent evaluation process] Hereinafter, with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 7 and 8, an example of the procedure for determining the repair agent performed in the tire management system 100, along with a repair agent determination method for determining the repair agent (an example of the tire management method of this disclosure), will be described. In this embodiment, the repair agent determination process is performed on the tire 1 while it is mounted on the vehicle 50.

[0134] Each process in the flowchart shown in Figure 7 is executed by the control unit 61 of the control unit 60 of the vehicle 50. Similarly, each process in the flowchart shown in Figure 8 is executed by the control unit 11 of the management device 10. Furthermore, one or more steps included in the flowcharts of Figures 7 and 8 may be omitted as appropriate, and the execution order of each step may differ to the extent that similar effects are produced.

[0135] As shown in Figure 7, first, the vehicle 50 starts processing from step S101 onwards. Specifically, in step S101, the control unit 61 of the control unit 60 calculates the hardness of the tire 1 (tire hardness). The processing in step S101 is performed by the hardness calculation processing unit 613 of the control unit 61.

[0136] Here, the process in step S101 is started when it is determined that a predetermined determination timing has arrived. The determination timing is the timing at which the repair agent should be determined, and is the timing at which one or both of the following conditions are met: for example, a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the previous determination, or the vehicle 50 has traveled a predetermined distance since the previous determination. Alternatively, the determination timing may be the timing at which one or both of the following conditions are met: the cumulative travel time of the tire 1 has reached a predetermined threshold, or the cumulative travel distance of the tire 1 has reached a predetermined threshold. Each of these conditions is stored, for example, in the storage unit 62 of the vehicle 50. Alternatively, the determination timing may be the timing at which a determination instruction is input from the driver of the vehicle 50, such as when an operation switch provided on the vehicle 50 is operated.

[0137] In step S101, once the tire hardness is calculated, the control unit 61 then determines in step S102 whether the change in tire hardness (hereinafter referred to as "hardness change") is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold. This determination process is performed to determine whether the tread portion of tire 1 has deteriorated to the extent that repair of tire 1 is necessary as a result of tire 1 being used. In addition, the control unit 61 may also determine in step S102 whether the tire hardness is greater than or equal to the upper limit of the allowable range defined for each tire 1.

[0138] If the amount of hardness change is greater than or equal to the threshold, it means that the tread portion of tire 1 has become harder as a result of use compared to when it was unused, and that tire 1 needs to be repaired. On the other hand, if the amount of hardness change is less than the threshold, it means that tire 1 does not yet need to be repaired.

[0139] The hardness change is the difference between the tire hardness calculated in step S101 and a predetermined reference hardness. The hardness of tire 1 changes over time, and as time passes, the tread portion of tire 1 hardens, and the numerical value of the tire hardness increases. Therefore, the hardness change is obtained by subtracting the calculated value of the tire hardness calculated in step S101 from the reference hardness. The reference hardness is the hardness of the tread portion of tire 1 in an unused state, and is measured in advance using a hardness tester compliant with JIS K6253, and is stored as tire information in the memory 67 of tire 1, for example. Note that the reference hardness is an example of the initial performance value in this disclosure.

[0140] If it is determined in step S102 that the amount of hardness change is equal to or greater than the threshold, the control unit 61 performs a process of sending a repair agent determination request to the management device 10 (S103).

[0141] Subsequently, upon receiving a response signal from the management device 10 for the determination request, the control unit 61 performs the process of acquiring the tire information and the driving history data (S104). Specifically, the control unit 61 reads the tire information relating to the mounted tire 1 and the driving history data relating to that tire 1 from the storage unit 62 or memory 67. Subsequently, the control unit 61 performs the process of transmitting the tire information and the driving history data to the management device 10 (S105). The response signal is also a transmission request for the management device 10 to transmit the tire information and the driving history data.

[0142] As shown in Figure 8, in the management device 10, when the control unit 11 receives the determination request from the vehicle 50 (S201), it transmits a response signal to the determination request to the vehicle 50. Subsequently, the control unit 11 receives the tire information and driving history data transmitted from the vehicle 50 (S202). The processing in step S202 is performed by the data acquisition unit 111 of the control unit 11. Note that step S202 is an example of the first acquisition step of this disclosure.

[0143] When the control unit 11 receives the tire information and the driving history data, in step S203 it performs a matching process based on the model number included in the tire information. Specifically, the control unit 11 refers to the compound data 30B (see Figure 6) in the database unit 30, compares the model number information in the compound data 30B with the model number included in the tire information, and determines whether or not a matching model number exists in the compound data 30B.

[0144] In the next step S204, if it is determined that a matching part number exists in the formulation data 30B (Yes in S204), the control unit 11 performs a process to obtain the formulation information corresponding to that part number from the formulation data 30B (S205). Note that the process of obtaining the formulation information in step S205 is performed by the formulation information acquisition unit 112.

[0145] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S204 that there is no matching model number in the compounding data 30B (No. in S204), the control unit 11 performs matching processing based on the application and size included in the tire information (S206).

[0146] Specifically, the control unit 11 refers to the compound data 30B in the database unit 30, compares the application information and size information in the compound data 30B with the application and size included in the tire information, and determines whether a matching application and size exist in the compound data 30B. In step S206, the control unit 11 may perform the comparison process based on only one of the application or size included in the tire information.

[0147] Here, the application and size used in the matching process of step S206 are examples of tire types in this disclosure. Furthermore, the content of the application and size in the tire information including the model number corresponds to the first type of information in this disclosure, and the content of the application and size in the tire information not including the model number corresponds to the second type of information in this disclosure.

[0148] Furthermore, if the tire information received in step S202 does not include information indicating the model number, but does include the application and size, the matching process in step S206 may be executed. In this case, the processes in steps S203 and S204 can be omitted.

[0149] In the next step S207, if it is determined that a matching application and size exists within the formulation data 30B (Yes in S207), the control unit 11 performs the process of obtaining the formulation information corresponding to that application and size from the formulation data 30B in the next step S205.

[0150] A tire 1 whose usage information and size information match can be presumed to be a roughly equivalent tire 1. Therefore, even if the model number is not present in the compounding data 30B, it is considered possible to obtain compounding information equivalent to that of the target tire 1 from the usage information and size information.

[0151] In step S207, if it is determined that there is no matching application and size in the formulation data 30B (No. in S207), the system sends information indicating that the repair agent cannot be determined to the vehicle 50 (S208).

[0152] When the compounding information is acquired in step S205, the control unit 11 performs a repair agent determination process (S209, S210) to determine a repair agent for restoring the tire performance of tire 1. This process is performed by the repair agent determination unit 113. Steps S209 and S210 are examples of material determination steps in this disclosure.

[0153] Specifically, in step S209, the control unit 11 inputs the driving history data and the tire information to the learning model 211 of the determination processing unit 210. Based on the driving history data, the learning model 211 outputs the amount of additive change in tire 1. The processing in step S209 is performed by the determination processing unit 210.

[0154] Next, in step S210, the control unit 11 performs a process to select a repair agent corresponding to the amount of additive change, which is a repair agent for restoring the performance of the tire 1. The process in step S210 is performed by the repair agent selection unit 220.

[0155] Once a repair agent to be used to repair tire 1 is selected, the control unit 11 calculates the repair time required for the repair work using that repair agent (S211). The control unit 11 determines the volume of the cap tread from the thickness of the cap tread in the tread portion of tire 1 and the tire size, and then determines the repair time corresponding to that volume. For example, the control unit 11 can determine the repair time from a lookup table that includes the correspondence between the volume and the repair time. Alternatively, the control unit 11 can determine the repair time based on a relational expression that shows the relationship between the volume and the repair time.

[0156] Once the repair time is calculated, the control unit 11 performs the following step S212: transmits the repair agent information, including the repair agent and the repair time, to the vehicle 50. The processing in step S212 is performed by the output processing unit 115.

[0157] The control unit 11 may also transmit to the vehicle 50 information such as the price of the repair agent and the repair effect when the repair is performed, in addition to the repair agent and the repair time. In this case, registration data including price information for multiple repair agents and information such as the repair effect of each repair agent is stored in the storage unit 12 of the management device 10, and the control unit 11 reads the price information and repair effect corresponding to the selected repair agent from the registration data and transmits it to the vehicle 50. The registration data may be stored in so-called cloud storage connected via the Internet.

[0158] As shown in Figure 7, in the vehicle 50, when the control unit 61 receives the repair agent information from the management device 10 (S106), it performs a process to output the repair agent, repair time, etc., included in the repair agent information to the display device 502 (S107). Specifically, the control unit 61 performs a process to display the repair agent and repair time on the display device 502 of the vehicle 50. In addition, if the repair agent information includes price information and repair effect, this information is also displayed on the display device 502. After that, the series of processes is completed.

[0159] The control unit 61 may output information such as the repair agent and repair time to the information terminal 71 or 72, and display the repair agent and repair time on the display screens of each information terminal 71 and 72. Alternatively, the repair agent information, including the repair agent and repair time, may be output from the management device 10 to each information terminal 71 and 72 by the control unit 11 of the management device 10.

[0160] On the other hand, when the control unit 61 receives the "cannot be determined" information from the management device 10 (S108), it outputs a "cannot be determined" message indicating that the repair agent cannot be determined, and also outputs a predetermined guidance message. The guidance message is a message that encourages the vehicle 50 to take to a repair shop that can provide a repair service to restore the performance of the tire 1 (tire performance) using a repair agent and receive the repair service. Along with this message, the location information and contact information of the repair shop may also be displayed.

[0161] Specifically, the control unit 61 processes each of the messages to display them on the display device 502 of the vehicle 50. The control unit 61 also outputs each of the messages to the information terminal 71 and displays them on the display screen of the information terminal 71. After that, the series of processes is completed.

[0162] The repair work performed at the aforementioned repair facility could include, for example, immersing the entire tire 1 with reduced performance in a repair solution containing the repair agent for the specified repair time, or applying the repair solution to the part of the tire 1 to be repaired (e.g., the tread) for the specified repair time. By performing such repairs, it is possible to replenish the repair agent inside the tire 1 from the outside.

[0163] As described above, the tire management system 100 according to the first embodiment is configured such that an appropriate replenishment agent to be added to restore the tire performance of tire 1 is selected from among the multiple repair agents included in the repair agent registration data. Thus, the tire management system 100 makes it possible to identify an appropriate replenishment agent to be added to restore the tire performance of tire 1.

[0164] Furthermore, the repair agent information is output to the display device 502 and information terminals 71 and 72. As a result, users who receive the repair information from the display device 502 and information terminal 71 can understand the repair agent and repair time before the tire 1 is repaired. Also, if the repair agent information is output to information terminal 72, repair workers at the repair shop can know the repair agent and repair time required to repair tire 1. As a result, the repair workers can prepare the repair agent in advance or adjust the repair schedule.

[0165] In the above-described embodiment, an example of processing in which the driving history data, including multiple historical information, vehicle location information, driving route information, driving distance information, etc., is input to the learning model 211 and the amount of additive change is output from the learning model 211 has been described. However, this disclosure is not limited to such an example. For example, this disclosure also includes an example of processing in which at least one or more of the driving history data are input to the learning model 211 and the amount of additive change is output from the learning model 211.

[0166] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment described an example of a process in which the amount of additive change is output from the learning model 211, the output value is not limited to the amount of additive change. For example, the learning model 211 may take the driving history data as input and output the cause of deterioration that reduced the tire performance of the tire 1. In this case, the learning model 211 needs to be learned by training data 30A which includes input values ​​such as the driving history data and attribute information (tire information) of the sample tire, and one or more of the causes of deterioration (output values) as answers to this data and information. Here, the causes of deterioration include, for example, the load, the thermal load, and the chemical load. Furthermore, the load may be subdivided into loads in the direction of gravity, loads received when the vehicle 50 is accelerating or decelerating or braking, loads received due to increases or decreases in the air pressure of the tire 1, and lateral loads received when the vehicle 50 is turning. Furthermore, the thermal load may be further subdivided into loads due to temperature transmitted from the ambient temperature of the vehicle 50 and the road surface temperature, loads due to heat generated by sunlight irradiation, and loads due to frictional heat generated between the vehicle and the road surface during driving.

[0167] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the hardness calculation processing unit 613 is implemented by the control unit 61 of the control unit 60, and the data acquisition unit 111, compounding information acquisition unit 112, repair agent determination unit 113, and output processing unit 115 are implemented by the control unit 11 of the management device 10. However, all or part of these processing units may be implemented by one or more of the control unit 61 of the control unit 60, the control unit (processor) in the on-board device of the vehicle 50, or the control unit 11 of the management device 10. Of course, the tire management system 100 of this disclosure may be implemented by the management device 10, the on-board device, or the control unit 60 alone.

[0168] [Second Embodiment] A second embodiment of this disclosure will be described below with reference to Figure 9. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in a part of the repair agent determination process performed in the management device 10. The differences from the first embodiment will be described below, and the description of common components will be omitted.

[0169] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing another example of the repair agent determination process performed by the control unit 11 of the management device 10 in this embodiment. In the repair agent determination process of this embodiment, the content of the process for determining the repair agent to restore the tire performance of tire 1 differs from that of the first embodiment described above, but the other processes are the same.

[0170] As shown in Figure 9, when the control device 10 acquires the compound information corresponding to the tire 1 from the compound data 30B (see Figure 6) (S205), the control unit 11 then performs a repair agent determination process (S209, S210, S2101, S2102, S2103) to determine a repair agent to restore the tire performance of the tire 1, based on the driving history data received in step S202 and the compound information acquired in step S205. The process in step S205 is performed by the compound information acquisition unit 112. Step S205 is an example of the second acquisition step in this disclosure. The processes in steps S209, S210, S2101, S2102, and S2103 are performed by the repair agent determination unit 113. Steps S209, S210, S2101, S2102, and S2103 are an example of the repair agent determination steps in this disclosure.

[0171] Specifically, in step S209, the control unit 11 inputs the driving history data and the tire information to the learning model 211 of the judgment processing unit 210, causing the learning model 211 to output the amount of additive change in tire 1. The processing in step S209 is performed by the judgment processing unit 210.

[0172] Next, in step S210, the control unit 11 performs a process to select a repair agent that corresponds to the amount of change in the additive and restores the performance of the tire 1. In this embodiment, in step S210, the control unit 11 selects a plurality of repair agents that correspond to each of a plurality of additives with a higher amount of change in the additive.

[0173] Once the repair agent is selected, in the next step S2101, the control unit 11 performs a process to identify the rubber components of the tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 50 by extracting the rubber components contained in the acquired compounding information.

[0174] For example, if the model number of tire 1 mounted on vehicle 50 is "A1002", then compound information corresponding to the model number "A1002" in compound data 30B is extracted from compound data 30B, and the rubber components included in that compound information are 80 phr of SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber) and 20 phr of BR (butadiene rubber).

[0175] In step S2101, once the rubber components of tire 1 are identified, in the next step S2102, the control unit 11 performs a process to determine whether any of the selected repair agents are suitable for the rubber components of tire 1. Here, a suitable repair agent for the rubber components could be, for example, a repair agent whose SP value (dissolution parameter) is similar to that of the rubber components and which has relatively high compatibility.

[0176] For example, if registration data containing multiple rubber components and repair agents suitable for each of the multiple rubber components is pre-stored in the storage unit 12 or database unit 30 of the management device 10, the control unit 11 refers to the registration data and performs the determination process in step S2102. Specifically, the control unit 11 performs a process to compare the registration data with the rubber components and extracts the repair agent corresponding to the rubber component from the multiple repair agents included in the registration data. Then, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the extracted repair agent is included in the multiple repair agents selected in step S210.

[0177] In step S2102, if it is determined that a repair agent suitable for the rubber component is included among the plurality of repair agents, in the next step S2103, the control unit 11 performs a process to narrow down the repair agents. Specifically, only the repair agent determined in step S2102 is selected as the optimal repair agent for restoring the tire performance of tire 1.

[0178] Figure 10 shows table data 121, which is a specific example of the registered data referenced during the determination process in step S2102. As shown in Figure 10, in table data 121, if 80 phr or more of the tire components contained in tire 1 is NR (natural rubber), a process oil with a relatively low SP value, specifically paraffinic oil, is specified as the repair agent corresponding to that rubber component. Also, if the tire components contained in tire 1 are a mixture of NR and BR, or a mixture of NR and SBR, or a mixture of NR, BR, and SBR (in all cases, the blending ratio is less than 80 phr), a process oil with a moderate SP value compared to others, specifically naphthenic oil, is specified as the repair agent corresponding to that rubber component. Also, if 80 phr or more of the tire components contained in tire 1 is BR or SBR, a process oil with a relatively high SP value (solubility parameter), specifically aromatic oil, is specified as the repair agent corresponding to that rubber component.

[0179] If this table data 121 is referenced, in step S2101, the control unit 11 identifies a rubber component containing NR with 80 phr, and in the narrowing process in step S2103, selects a paraffin-based oil with a low SP value as the repair agent. Also, in step S2101, the control unit 11 identifies a mixed rubber that does not contain any single rubber component with 80 phr or more, and in the narrowing process in step S2103, selects a naphthenic oil with a medium SP value as the repair agent. Also, in step S2101, the control unit 11 identifies a rubber component containing BR or SBR with 80 phr, and in the narrowing process in step S2103, selects an aromatic oil with a high SP value as the repair agent.

[0180] If the tire 1 has multiple types of rubber components, the control unit 11 may, in step S2102, select multiple repair agents suitable for each type as the optimal repair agent for restoring the tire's performance.

[0181] If the selection of repair agents is completed in step S2103, or if it is determined in step S2102 that there is no repair agent corresponding to the rubber component, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step S211, calculates the repair time required for the repair work using the repair agent selected in step S2103 or the repair agent selected in step S210, and then transmits the repair agent information, including the repair agent and the repair time, to the vehicle 50 (S212).

[0182] As described above, in the tire management system 100 according to the second embodiment, the repair agent determination process described above is performed, so a suitable repair agent is selected as the appropriate repair agent to be added to restore the tire performance of the tire 1, which is suitable for the rubber components of the tire 1.

[0183] In this embodiment, an example of a process in which multiple repair agents are selected in step S210 has been described, but this disclosure is not limited to this example. For example, similar to the first embodiment described above, the repair agent selection unit 220 may select the repair agent corresponding to the largest additive from the repair agent registration data. In this case, if it is determined that the repair agent selected in step S210 is not suitable for the rubber components of the tire 1, the repair agent selection unit 220 may perform the selection process again and select the repair agent corresponding to the next largest additive change, and repeat the narrowing process in steps S210, S2101, S2102, and S2103 until it is determined that the selected repair agent is suitable for the rubber components.

[0184] [Third Embodiment] A third embodiment of this disclosure will be described below with reference to Figure 11. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in a part of the repair agent determination process performed in the management device 10. The differences from the first embodiment will be described below, and the description of common components will be omitted.

[0185] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing another example of the repair agent determination process performed by the control unit 11 of the management device 10 in this embodiment. In the repair agent determination process of this embodiment, the content of the process for determining the repair agent to restore the tire performance of tire 1 differs from that of the first embodiment described above, but the other processes are the same.

[0186] In the first embodiment described above, an example of a process in which the determination processing unit 210 of the repair agent determination unit 113 determines the amount of change in the additive was described, but this disclosure is not limited to this example. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 11, when the control device 10 obtains the compound information corresponding to the tire 1 from the compound data 30B (see Figure 6) (S205), the control unit 11 determines the main cause of the deterioration in the tire performance of the tire 1 based on the driving history data (S209A), and then performs a process to select a repair agent corresponding to the determined main cause (S210A).

[0187] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the determination processing unit 210 of the repair agent determination unit 113 determines the main cause of the deterioration in tire performance of tire 1 based on the driving history data. As a determination method, for example, similar to the first embodiment described above, the driving history data may be input to the learning model 211, and the learning model 211 may output the main cause. In this case, the learning model 211 needs to be trained by training data 30A which includes input values ​​such as the driving history data and attribute information (tire information) of the sample tire, and one or more main causes (output values) as answers to this data and information.

[0188] Furthermore, the repair agent selection unit 220 performs a process to select the repair agent corresponding to the main cause from predetermined repair agent registration data. The repair agent registration data is a table data (lookup table) in which information on multiple repair agents corresponding to each of the multiple causes is registered, and is pre-stored in the storage unit 62 or database unit 30 of the management device 10. The repair agent selection unit 220 performs a process to compare the repair agent registration data with the main cause and extracts the repair agent corresponding to the main cause from the multiple repair agents included in the repair agent registration data.

[0189] The determination process performed by the determination processing unit 210 is not limited to a method of determining the main cause using the learning model 211. For example, the determination processing unit 210 may calculate an evaluation value corresponding to each of several causes that degrade the tire performance of tire 1, compare each of the calculated evaluation values, and determine the cause with the largest evaluation value to be the main cause.

[0190] As described above, possible causes of deterioration in the tire performance of tire 1 include the tire rotation speed, the average speed of travel, the acceleration, the lateral acceleration, the tire pressure, the tire temperature, the amount of wear, the steering angle, the number of brake operations, the amount of pedal depression, the groove depth, the vehicle position, the travel path, and the travel distance. For example, the values ​​of the tire rotation speed, the average value of travel speed, the number of times excessive acceleration exceeding a predetermined threshold (predetermined value) occurs, the number of times excessive lateral acceleration exceeding a predetermined threshold (predetermined value) occurs, the duration of the abnormal tire pressure, the time the tire temperature exceeds a specified temperature, the amount of wear, the number of times a steering angle exceeding a predetermined threshold (predetermined angle) is detected, the number of brake operations, the number of times excessive pedal depression (over-depression) exceeding a predetermined threshold (predetermined amount) occurs, the groove depth, the number of times the vehicle 50 was placed in a poor environment, the time the vehicle 50 traveled on a rough road, and the travel distance are set to x k Let each numerical value x k The weight coefficients assigned to t k In this case, the evaluation value Sk corresponding to each cause can be expressed by the following calculation formula (1).

[0191] Sk=t k ·x k ...(1)

[0192] The control unit 11 determines that the cause corresponding to the highest numerical evaluation value among the multiple evaluation values ​​Sk corresponding to each cause is the primary cause.

[0193] The formula for calculating the evaluation value Sk and the coefficient t k This is stored in the storage unit 12 of the management device 10. The determination processing unit 210 uses the calculation formula and each numerical value x obtained from the driving history data. k And the coefficient t k By using and to calculate the evaluation value Sk, and comparing each evaluation value Sk, the cause with the highest evaluation value Sk can be determined to be the main cause.

[0194] The control unit 11 may perform a process to select two or more evaluation values ​​Sk from a plurality of evaluation values ​​Sk based on a predetermined selection rule, calculate the arithmetic mean or geometric mean of the two or more selected evaluation values ​​Sk (selected evaluation values ​​Sk), and use that value to perform the main cause determination process. Possible selection rules include, for example, a method of selecting two or more selected evaluation values ​​Sk corresponding to highly related causes among the causes. For example, causes related to the driving of the vehicle 50 (tire rotation speed, average speed of driving, acceleration, lateral acceleration, etc.) are considered to be highly related to each other, causes related to the operation of the vehicle 50 (operation angle, number of brake operations, brake depression amount, etc.) are considered to be highly related to each other, causes related to the wear of the tire 1 (amount of wear, groove depth, etc.) are considered to be highly related to each other, and causes related to driving performance (vehicle position, driving route, driving distance, etc.) are considered to be highly related to each other.

[0195] As explained above, in the tire management system 100 according to the third embodiment, the repair agent determination process described above is performed, so that an appropriate replenishment agent to be added to restore the tire performance of tire 1 is selected, which is a replenishment agent that corresponds to the main cause of the deterioration of the rubber performance of tire 1 and is suitable for restoring the deteriorated rubber performance.

[0196] [Fourth Embodiment] A fourth embodiment of this disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 12 and 13. Herein, Figure 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 60 according to the fourth embodiment, and Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for notification output processing performed by the control unit 61 of the control unit 60. In the following, the differences from the embodiments described above will be explained, and the description of common configurations will be omitted.

[0197] As shown in Figure 12, the control unit 61 of the control unit 60 includes, in addition to the display processing unit 611, calculation processing unit 612, and hardness calculation processing unit 613 described above, various other processing units such as a repair judgment processing unit 614 (an example of the second judgment processing unit in this disclosure), a timing calculation processing unit 615 (an example of the timing calculation processing unit in this disclosure), and a notification output processing unit 616. The notification output processing unit 616 is an example of the second output processing unit, third output processing unit, and fifth output processing unit in this disclosure.

[0198] As described above, the hardness calculation processing unit 613 performs a process to calculate the hardness (tire hardness) of the tread portion of the tire 1. For example, the hardness calculation processing unit 613 calculates the current tire hardness of the tread portion of the tire 1 based on the amount of wear of the tread portion calculated by the calculation processing unit 612 (an example of cause history information in this disclosure).

[0199] The tire hardness is an indicator of how difficult it is for the tire 1 to deform when force is applied, and the greater the tire hardness, the less the tire 1 will flex. The braking performance and grip performance of the tire 1 are related to the hardness of the tire 1, and the greater the tire hardness, the lower the braking performance and grip performance of the tire 1. From this, the tire hardness of the tire 1 currently in use can be considered as a performance value (current performance value) that indicates the degree of performance of the tire 1.

[0200] The repair determination processing unit 614 performs a process to calculate the timing at which the tire performance of tire 1 exceeds a predetermined performance tolerance range. Based on the tire hardness calculated by the hardness calculation processing unit 613, the repair determination processing unit 614 determines whether or not tire 1 needs to be repaired. Specifically, the repair determination processing unit 614 determines whether or not tire 1 needs to be repaired based on the difference (hardness difference) between the tire hardness and a predetermined reference hardness. The reference hardness is the hardness of the tread portion of tire 1 in an unused state or after repair, and is measured in advance using a hardness tester compliant with JIS K6253 and stored in the memory 67 of tire 1 as part of the tire information.

[0201] If the hardness difference exceeds a predetermined tolerance range, the repair determination processing unit 614 determines that the tire 1 needs to be repaired. If the hardness difference is within the tolerance range, the repair determination processing unit 614 determines that the tire 1 does not need to be repaired.

[0202] The repair determination processing unit 614 may determine that tire 1 needs to be repaired if the tire hardness is greater than or equal to the upper limit of the allowable range specified for each tire 1, and may determine that tire 1 does not need to be repaired if the tire hardness is within the allowable range.

[0203] The timing calculation processing unit 615 calculates the timing at which the tire performance exceeds a predetermined tolerance range, based on the current tire hardness calculated by the hardness calculation processing unit 613. Specifically, the timing calculation processing unit 615 calculates the timing when the repair determination processing unit 614 determines that there is no need to repair tire 1.

[0204] In this embodiment, the timing calculation processing unit 615 calculates the required driving distance required for the tire hardness to exceed a predetermined tolerance range, as an example of the timing. Specifically, it determines the hardness change rate of the tire hardness (hardness change per unit distance) from the driving distance up to the present time included in the driving history data and the hardness difference of the tire hardness, and calculates the required driving distance required for the tire hardness to exceed the upper limit by dividing the difference between the upper limit of the tolerance range and the tire hardness by the hardness change rate.

[0205] The timing calculation processing unit 615 may also calculate the time required for the tire hardness to exceed a predetermined tolerance range, or the predicted date and time when the tolerance range will be exceeded.

[0206] The notification output processing unit 616 performs processing to output the results and notifications of various processes performed by the control unit 61. Specifically, when the repair determination processing unit 614 determines that the tire 1 needs to be repaired, it outputs a repair recommendation message (an example of recovery information in this disclosure) prompting the user to repair the tire 1 to a predetermined output destination. The output destination is, for example, a display device 502 mounted on the vehicle 50, an information terminal 71 owned by the user, or an information terminal 72 installed at a repair shop that performs repair work to restore the performance of the tire 1.

[0207] Furthermore, the notification output processing unit 616 outputs the required mileage calculated by the timing calculation processing unit 615 to a predetermined output destination (display device 502, information terminal 71, information terminal 72).

[0208] Furthermore, the notification output processing unit 616 outputs repair reservation information corresponding to the required mileage calculated by the timing calculation processing unit 615 to the information terminal 72 installed at the repair shop. Here, the repair reservation information is reservation information including the repair reservation date and time calculated by the control unit 61 based on the required mileage, and is the information necessary for the tire 1 repair reservation. The repair reservation information also includes user information such as the name and contact information of the user who owns the vehicle 50, tire information including the model number of the tire 1, and information indicating the repair shop to which the reservation is made.

[0209] The output destination for the repair reservation information is an information terminal 72 corresponding to the repair business that is pre-registered in the storage unit 62 of the control unit 60, and the destination information (e.g., an email address) is stored in the storage unit 62. The output destination for the repair reservation information may also be, for example, the information terminal 72 of the repair business that is closest to the location of the vehicle 50. In this case, a list of repair businesses, in which the names and addresses of multiple repair businesses and the destination information are registered, is stored in the storage unit 62, and the control unit 61 refers to the location information obtained by the GPS receiver 64 and the addresses in the repair business list to extract the repair business closest to the location of the vehicle 50, and sends the repair reservation information to the destination information of that repair business.

[0210] The control unit 61 calculates the predicted date and time when the tire hardness exceeds a predetermined allowable range based on the required mileage, and determines the repair reservation date and time by multiplying the predicted date and time by a predetermined correction coefficient.

[0211] The repair reservation information may also be output to the display device 502 or the information terminal 71. In this case, the repair reservation information is displayed on the display screen of the display device 502 or the information terminal 71, and when the user operates the display device 502 or the information terminal 71 and inputs an acceptance signal to the repair reservation date and time and the repair business office to which the reservation is made, the notification output processing unit 616 preferably transmits the repair reservation information to the information terminal 72.

[0212] [Notification output processing] The following describes, with reference to the flowchart in Figure 13, an example of the procedure for notification output processing performed in the vehicle 50, along with a method for outputting the repair recommendation message, the required mileage, etc., to a predetermined output destination (an example of the tire management method of this disclosure).

[0213] Note that one or more steps included in the flowchart shown in Figure 13 may be omitted as appropriate, and the execution order of each step may differ as long as similar effects are produced.

[0214] First, in step S301, the control unit 61 calculates the hardness (tire hardness) of tire 1. The process in step S301 is the same as the process in step S101 described above, and is executed by the hardness calculation processing unit 613 of the control unit 61.

[0215] In step S301, once the tire hardness is calculated, the control unit 61 then performs a process in step S302 to determine whether or not the tire 1 needs repair. The process in step S302 is performed by the repair determination processing unit 614 of the control unit 61. Step S302 is an example of the second determination step of this disclosure.

[0216] If it is determined in step S302 that tire 1 needs repair (Yes in S302), the control unit 61 sends the repair recommendation message to the predetermined output destinations (display device 502, information terminal 71, information terminal 72) (S303). The processing in step S303 is performed by the notification output processing unit 616 of the control unit 61. Step S303 is an example of the fifth output step of this disclosure.

[0217] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S302 that tire 1 does not require repair (No. in S302), the control unit 61 calculates the hardness change rate (S304), and then calculates the required mileage (S305). The processes in steps S304 and S305 are performed by the timing calculation processing unit 615 of the control unit 61.

[0218] In the next step S306, the control unit 61 calculates the repair reservation date and time based on the required mileage. Then, the control unit 61 transmits the repair reservation information, including the required mileage and the repair reservation date and time, to the predetermined output destination (S307). The process in step S307 is performed by the notification output processing unit 616 of the control unit 61. In step S307, the control unit 61 transmits the repair reservation information to the display device 502 of the vehicle 50 or the user's information terminal 71.

[0219] In the next step S308, the control unit 61 determines whether or not the acceptance signal has been input. For example, if the user confirms the repair reservation information on the display screen of the display device 502 or the information terminal 71 and accepts its contents, they perform an operation to send the acceptance signal to the control unit 60 via the display device 502 or the information terminal 71. If the acceptance signal is input to the control unit 60 as a result of this operation, the control unit 61 performs the process of sending the repair reservation information to the information terminal 72 installed at the repair business in the next step S309. On the other hand, if the acceptance signal is not input and a cancellation signal is input, the series of processes ends without the repair reservation information being sent to the information terminal 72. Note that the process in step S309 is performed by the notification output processing unit 616 of the control unit 61.

[0220] As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the repair recommendation message is sent to a predetermined output destination, so that a user who receives this message from the display device 502 or information terminal 71 can recognize that it is time to repair the tire 1. In addition, a repair worker at a repair shop who receives the repair recommendation message from the information terminal 72 can recognize that the repair recommendation message has been notified to the user.

[0221] Furthermore, the required mileage until the tire performance of tire 1 exceeds the acceptable range is transmitted to a predetermined output destination, allowing the user who receives this information to understand when it is time to repair tire 1. Also, the repair worker who receives the required mileage information from the information terminal 72 can understand when it is time to bring vehicle 50 to the repair shop for tire 1 repair.

[0222] Furthermore, by transmitting the repair reservation information to the information terminal 72, the repair workers involved with the repair business can determine the exact time when the vehicle 50 will be brought to the repair business for tire 1 repair.

[0223] [Fifth Embodiment] A fifth embodiment of this disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 14 and 15. Here, Figure 14 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 60 according to the fifth embodiment, and Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for recovery ratio output processing performed by the control unit 61 of the control unit 60. In the following, the differences from the embodiments described above will be explained, and the description of common configurations will be omitted.

[0224] As shown in Figure 14, the control unit 61 of the control unit 60 includes, in addition to the processing units described in the fourth embodiment above, a repair completion determination processing unit 617 (an example of the first determination processing unit in this disclosure) and a recovery ratio calculation processing unit 618. In the fifth embodiment, the recovery ratio calculation processing unit 618 and the notification output processing unit 616 are examples of the fourth output processing unit in this disclosure.

[0225] The repair completion determination processing unit 617 determines whether or not repairs have been made to restore the tire performance of tire 1. When repair work is performed at a repair shop, repair history information, including information such as that a repair was made, the date and time of the repair, the number of repairs, and the repair agent used, is written to the memory 67 of tire 1 by the repair worker. When the repaired tire 1 is mounted on the vehicle 50 and the key switch of the vehicle 50 is turned on, the control unit 61 determines whether or not the repair history information is in the memory 67. If the repair history information is stored in the memory 67, the control unit 61 reads the repair history information from the memory 67 along with other information such as the tire information and stores it in the storage unit 62 of the control unit 60. By referring to the repair history information, the repair completion determination processing unit 617 can determine whether or not tire 1 has been repaired.

[0226] The determination process performed by the repair completion determination processing unit 617 is executed only once immediately after the repair is completed. For example, after the execution of the determination process, identification information indicating that the determination process has been executed is added to the repair history information, so that subsequent determination processes are executed only if the repair history information does not contain the identification information. Therefore, the repair completion determination processing unit 617 performs the determination process each time that the repair history information without the identification information is stored in the memory 67.

[0227] If the recovery ratio calculation processing unit 618 determines that the tire 1 has been repaired, it instructs the hardness calculation processing unit 613 to calculate the tire hardness of the tread portion of the tire 1 whose tire performance has been restored after repair (hereinafter referred to as "post-repair hardness"). The post-repair hardness is an index indicating the degree of tire performance of the repaired tire 1, and is an example of the post-recovery performance value in this disclosure. The recovery ratio calculation processing unit 618 also uses the calculated post-repair hardness and the reference hardness (an example of the initial performance value) to calculate the ratio of the post-repair hardness to the reference hardness (hereinafter referred to as "recovery ratio").

[0228] The notification output processing unit 616 outputs the post-repair hardness of the tire 1 to a predetermined output destination when the post-repair hardness of the tire 1 is calculated immediately after repair. The notification output processing unit 616 also outputs the recovery ratio to a predetermined output destination when the recovery ratio calculation processing unit 618 calculates the recovery ratio. The predetermined output destination is the display device 502 mounted on the vehicle 50, the user's information terminal 71, or the information terminal 72 installed at the repair shop where repair work to restore the performance of the tire 1 is performed.

[0229] [Recovery percentage output processing] The following describes an example of the procedure for outputting the recovery ratio in the vehicle 50, along with a method for outputting the recovery ratio and other information to a predetermined output destination (an example of the tire management method of this disclosure), with reference to the flowchart in Figure 15.

[0230] Note that one or more steps included in the flowchart shown in Figure 15 may be omitted as appropriate, and the execution order of each step may differ as long as similar effects are produced.

[0231] First, in step S401, the control unit 61 determines whether or not repairs have been made to restore the tire performance of tire 1. This determination process is performed by the repair completion determination processing unit 617. If it is determined in step S401 that the repairs have been made, the control unit 61 calculates the hardness (tire hardness) of tire 1 after the repair in the next step S402. The process in step S402 is the same as the process in step S101 or step S301 described above, and is performed by the hardness calculation processing unit 613 of the control unit 61.

[0232] Once the post-repair hardness of the repaired tire 1 is calculated, the control unit 61 then calculates the recovery ratio, which is the ratio of the post-repair hardness to the reference hardness, in step S403. This process is performed by the recovery ratio calculation processing unit 618.

[0233] Subsequently, the control unit 61 performs the process of transmitting the recovery ratio to the display device 502, or to the information terminal 71, or to the information terminal 72. At this time, the control unit 61 transmits the tire hardness of the repaired tire 1 along with the recovery ratio. This process is performed by the notification output processing unit 616.

[0234] As described above, in the fifth embodiment, the recovery ratio and the hardness after repair are transmitted to a predetermined output destination. Therefore, a user who receives this information from the display device 502 or information terminal 71 can understand the tire hardness of the tire 1 after repair and how much the tire 1 has recovered as a result of the repair. In addition, a repair worker at a repair shop who receives the recovery ratio and the hardness after repair from the information terminal 72 can confirm the recovery effect of the repair agent used for the repair.

[0235] In this embodiment, an example of a process in which the recovery ratio is calculated and transmitted to a predetermined destination has been described. However, for example, this disclosure may also involve transmitting only the hardness after repair to the predetermined destination without calculating the recovery ratio.

[0236] [Sixth Embodiment] Hereinafter, a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 16 to 19. Here, Figure 16 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management device 10 according to the sixth embodiment. Figures 17 and 18 are diagrams showing the tire information input screen 141 displayed on the display screen of the display unit 14 of the management device 10. Figures 19 and 20 are flowcharts showing other examples of the repair agent determination process performed by the control unit 11 of the management device 10. In the following, the differences from the embodiments described above will be explained, and the description of common configurations will be omitted.

[0237] Unlike the embodiments described above, the management device 10 is installed in a repair shop where tire repair work is performed using a repair agent. The management device 10 is an information processing device or server device that performs various calculation processes.

[0238] In this embodiment, the management device 10 communicates data with the vehicle 50 brought to the repair shop, acquires tire information and driving history data of the vehicle 50 from the vehicle 50, and performs a process to determine an appropriate repair agent for the tire 1 based on this information. Furthermore, when the tire 1 removed from the vehicle 50 is brought to the repair shop by the owner, the management device 10 performs a process to determine an appropriate repair agent for the tire 1 based on information such as the model number of the tire 1 and the driving history data acquired from the tire 1.

[0239] [Management device 10] The configuration of the control device 10 will be described below with reference to Figure 16.

[0240] The management device 10 is for realizing the tire management system 100 described above, and is configured to determine a suitable repair agent for restoring the tire performance of a tire 1 currently in use mounted on a vehicle 50 or a tire 1 that has been removed from a vehicle 50.

[0241] The display unit 14 of the management device 10 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various types of information, or a touch panel that allows direct touch input to the screen. In this embodiment, the tire information input screen 141 (see Figures 17 and 18), which will be described later, is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 14.

[0242] As shown in Figure 16, the control unit 11 of the management device 10 includes an input receiving unit 114 in addition to various processing units such as a data acquisition unit 111 (an example of the first acquisition processing unit in this disclosure), a formulation information acquisition unit 112 (an example of the second acquisition processing unit in this disclosure), a repair agent determination unit 113 (an example of the material determination processing unit in this disclosure), and an output processing unit 115 (an example of the first output processing unit in this disclosure). Note that the processing units other than the input receiving unit 114 are the same as those in the first embodiment and other embodiments described above, so their explanation is omitted here.

[0243] The input receiving unit 114 processes input of some or all of the tire information relating to tire 1. Specifically, the input receiving unit 114 displays the tire information input screen 141 (see Figure 17) on the display unit 14 at a predetermined timing. Subsequently, when the tire information is entered into the tire information input screen 141 by the operation unit 15, and the input key 92 (see Figure 17) is selected, the input receiving unit 114 acquires the information entered in each input frame 171 to 176 of the tire information input screen 141.

[0244] Furthermore, when the input key 92 is selected, the input receiving unit 114 receives the input signal received by that operation as a trigger signal to start the compound information acquisition process performed by the compound information acquisition unit 112. Therefore, when the input signal is received, the compound information acquisition unit 112 performs a process to acquire compound information, including the types of materials constituting the tire 1 and the mixing ratio of each material, from the compound data 30B (see Figure 6). Some or all of the compound information acquired by the compound information acquisition unit 112 is displayed in the display frame 81 on the tire information input screen 141.

[0245] In this embodiment, when tire information is input via the tire information input screen 141, the compound information acquisition unit 112 compares the model number included in the tire information with the compound data 30B and extracts the compound information corresponding to the model number from the compound data 30B. In other words, the compound information acquisition unit 112 extracts the compound information from the compound data 30B that matches the model number included in the tire information input to the management device 10.

[0246] Furthermore, if the compound information acquisition unit 112 does not find compound information in the compound data 30B that corresponds to the model number entered in the input field 171, it determines whether the intended use and size entered in input fields 172 and 173 are equivalent to the intended use information and size information in the compound data 30B. If these are equivalent, the compound information acquisition unit 112 recognizes the compound information corresponding to the deemed equivalent intended use information and size information as the compound information for tire 1, and extracts this compound information from the compound data 30B.

[0247] Furthermore, when the execution key 93 is selected, the input reception unit 114 receives the execution signal input by that operation as a trigger signal to start the repair agent determination process performed by the repair agent determination unit 113. Therefore, when the execution signal is input, the repair agent determination unit 113 performs a process to determine a repair agent (an example of a restoration material) to restore the tire performance of tire 1 that has deteriorated due to use, based on the driving history data acquired by the data acquisition unit 111. When an appropriate repair agent is determined for tire 1 by the repair agent determination process, information about that repair agent and the repair time (required time) for repairs using that repair agent are displayed in the display frame 82 on the tire information input screen 141.

[0248] Figures 17 and 18 show an example of the tire information input screen 141 (an input screen) displayed on the display unit 14. Figure 17 shows the tire information displayed in each input frame 171 to 176, with display frames 81 and 82 blank. Figure 18 shows the information displayed in each input frame 171 to 176, display frame 81, and display frame 82.

[0249] As shown in Figure 17, the tire information input screen 141 has a plurality of input frames 171 to 176 for inputting and displaying the tire information, a display frame 81 for displaying the compound information of tire 1, and a display frame 82 for displaying a repair agent appropriate for tire 1. The tire information input screen 141 is also provided with a back key 91 for returning the display content to the previous state, an input key 92 for executing a process to acquire the compound information of tire 1, and an execution key 93 for executing a repair agent determination process.

[0250] In this embodiment, the display frame 81 displays some of the compounding information, and more specifically, information regarding the softener, which is an additive in tire 1 (softener compounding information). The softener compounding information includes the name of the softener and the proportion of the softener used. Of course, all of the compounding information for tire 1 may also be displayed in the display frame 81.

[0251] By operating the control unit 15, the tire information of tire 1 is entered into input frames 171 to 176, respectively. In this embodiment, as one example, the model number of tire 1 is entered into input frame 171, the intended use of tire 1 is entered into input frame 172, the size of tire 1 is entered into input frame 173, the manufacturing date of tire 1 is entered into input frame 174, the mileage of tire 1 is entered into input frame 175, and the hardness of tire 1 is entered into input frame 176.

[0252] Furthermore, when the user operates the control unit 15 and selects the input key 92, the input signal is output to the control unit 11. The compounding information acquisition unit 112 of the control unit 11 receives this input signal and performs a process to acquire the compounding information, including the types of materials that make up the tire 1 and the mixing ratio of each material, from the compounding data 30B (see Figure 6). Then, from the compounding information acquired through this process, the name of the softener mixed in the tire 1 and its mixing ratio (softener mixing ratio) are displayed in the display frame 81 as the softener compounding information.

[0253] Furthermore, when the user operates the control unit 15 and selects the execution key 93, the execution signal is output to the control unit 11. The repair agent determination unit 113 of the control unit 11 receives this execution signal and performs a process to determine the appropriate repair agent for the tire 1.

[0254] [Repair agent evaluation process] Hereinafter, with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 19 and 20, an example of the procedure for determining the repair agent performed in the tire management system 100, along with a repair agent determination method (an example of the tire management method of this disclosure), will be described. In this embodiment, the repair agent determination process is performed on the tire 1 of a vehicle 50 driven into the repair shop by a driver, or on a tire 1 removed from a vehicle 50 and brought to the repair shop by its owner.

[0255] Note that each process in the flowcharts shown in Figures 19 and 20 is executed by the control unit 11 of the management device 10. Furthermore, one or more steps included in the flowcharts of Figures 19 and 20 may be omitted as appropriate, and the execution order of each step may differ to the extent that similar effects are produced.

[0256] As shown in Figure 19, in step S501, the control unit 11 determines whether or not a decision request has been input to the management device 10. The decision request is input to the management device 10, for example, when a repair worker belonging to the repair business operates the management device 10 and inputs an execution key (not shown).

[0257] If vehicle 50 is parked at the repair facility, in step S501, the control unit 11 may perform the same determination process as in step S201 described above, that is, a process to determine whether or not it has received a determination request transmitted from the control unit 60 of vehicle 50.

[0258] If it is determined in step S501 that the determination request has been received, in the next step S502, the control unit 11 performs the process of displaying the tire information input screen 141 (see Figure 17) on the display screen of the display unit 14.

[0259] Next, the control unit 11 performs a process to determine whether or not the tire information has been entered into the tire information input screen 141 (S503). For example, the repair worker visually checks the various information written on the sidewall of the tire 1 mounted on the vehicle 50 and inputs the model number, application, size, and manufacturing date information obtained from that information into the corresponding input frames 171 to 174. The repair worker also visually checks the mileage from the instrument unit 501 or on-board equipment of the vehicle 50 and inputs that mileage into the corresponding input frame 175. The repair worker also measures the hardness of the tread portion of the tire 1 using a well-known tire hardness tester and inputs the measured value into the corresponding input frame 176.

[0260] Once information has been entered into all of the input frames 171 to 176, and the repair worker has subsequently selected the input key 92, the control unit 11 receives the input signal transmitted by the selection operation and stores the tire information entered into each of the input frames 171 to 176 in the storage unit 62.

[0261] If the vehicle 50 is brought into the repair shop, in step S503, the control unit 11 may receive the tire information, mileage, and tire hardness transmitted from the control unit 60 of the vehicle 50 and display this information in the corresponding input frames 171 to 176.

[0262] Furthermore, when the tire information is input, the control unit 11 performs a matching process based on the model number included in the tire information in step S504. Then, in the next step S505, if it is determined that a matching model number exists in the compound data 30B (Yes in S505), the control unit 11 performs a process to obtain the compound information corresponding to that model number from the compound data 30B (S506). The process of obtaining the compound information in step S506 is performed by the compound information acquisition unit 112. Note that the processes in steps S504, S505, and S506 are the same as the processes in steps S203, S204, and S205 (see Figure 8) described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0263] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S505 that there is no matching model number in the compound data 30B (No. in S505), the control unit 11 performs matching processing based on the application and size included in the tire information (S507). If model number information is not entered in the input field 171, the processing in steps S504 and S505 can be omitted. Note that the processing in step S507 is the same as the processing in step S206 (see Figure 8) described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0264] In the next step S508, if it is determined that a matching application and size exists within the formulation data 30B (Yes in S508), the control unit 11 performs the process of obtaining the formulation information corresponding to that application and size from the formulation data 30B in the next step S506. Note that the process in step S508 is the same as the process in step S207 (see Figure 8) described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0265] In step S508, if it is determined that there is no matching application and size in the compounding data 30B (No. in S508), the system performs a process to display "cannot be determined" information on the display unit 14, indicating that the repair agent cannot be determined (S509). Specifically, an error message containing the "cannot be determined" information is displayed overlaid on the tire information input screen 141, or an error display screen containing the "cannot be determined" information is displayed on the display unit 14. After that, the series of processes ends.

[0266] When the formulation information is acquired in step S506, the control unit 11 performs the process of displaying the softener formulation information, including the name and proportion of the softener included in the formulation information, in the display frame 81 (S510).

[0267] Subsequently, if the execution instruction is input (Yes in S511), the control unit 11 performs the process of acquiring the vehicle 50's driving history data in step S512. For example, the control unit 11 outputs a request signal for the driving history data to the vehicle 50's control unit 60. In response to this request signal, the control unit 61 of the control unit 60 reads the driving history data from the storage unit 62 and transmits the driving history data to the management device 10. The control unit 11 then receives the driving history data transmitted from the vehicle 50.

[0268] Furthermore, if the tire 1 removed from the vehicle 50 is brought to the repair shop, the control unit 11 may obtain the driving history data stored in the memory 67 of the tire 1 by wireless communication.

[0269] When the travel history data is acquired, as shown in FIG. 20, the control unit 11 performs a repair agent determination process (S513, S514) for determining a repair agent for restoring the tire performance of the tire 1. This process is performed by the repair agent determination unit 113. Since the processes of steps S513 and S514 are the same as the processes of steps S209 and S210 (see FIG. 8) described above, detailed description thereof is omitted. Steps S513 and S514 are an example of the repair agent determination step of the present disclosure.

[0270] When the repair agent used for repairing the tire 1 is determined, the control unit 11 calculates the repair time required for the repair work using the repair agent (S515).

[0271] When the repair time is calculated, in the next step S516, the control unit 11 performs a process of displaying repair agent information including the repair agent and the repair time on the display unit 14. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18, the repair agent information is displayed in the display frame 82. A process of transmitting to the vehicle 50 is performed. The process of step S516 is performed by the output processing unit 115. When the price information and the repair effect are included in the repair agent information, these information may also be displayed on the display unit 14. Then, a series of processes ends.

[0272] As described above, since the tire management system 100 according to the sixth embodiment is configured, even when the vehicle 50 enters the repair shop, or when only the tire 1 is brought in, the management device 10 selects an appropriate replenishing agent to be replenished to restore the tire performance of the tire 1. Thereby, the repair worker who performs the repair work at the repair shop can surely and easily identify the optimal repair agent to be applied to the tire 1.

[0273] In the above-described embodiments, a configuration in which the data acquisition unit 111, the input reception unit 114, the compounding information acquisition unit 112, the repair agent determination unit 113, and the output processing unit 115 are realized by the control unit 11 of the management device 10 is exemplified. However, all or part of each of these processing units may be realized by any one or more of the control unit 61 of the control unit 60, the control unit (processor) in the in-vehicle device provided in the vehicle 50, or the control unit 11 of the management device 10. Of course, the tire management system 100 of the present disclosure may be realized only by the management device 10, the in-vehicle device, or the control unit 60.

[0274] The embodiments of the present disclosure described above include the following disclosed matters (1) to (25).

[0275] A tire management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure (1) includes a first acquisition processing unit that acquires cause history information regarding a history of causes that degrade the performance of a tire mounted on a vehicle, and a material determination processing unit that determines a recovery material for recovering the degraded performance based on the cause history information acquired by the first acquisition processing unit.

[0276] Since the tire management system according to the present disclosure is configured in this way, an appropriate replenisher to be replenished to recover the performance (tire performance) of the tire is determined. Thereby, according to the tire management system, it is possible to accurately identify an appropriate replenisher to be replenished to recover the performance of the tire without relying on the ability and experience value of a repair worker who performs tire repair.

[0277] In the tire management system of the present disclosure (2), the material determination processing unit includes a determination unit that performs a process of determining the deterioration content of the tire based on the cause history information, and a selection unit that performs a process of selecting the recovery material corresponding to the deterioration content obtained by the determination process by the determination unit from a predetermined storage unit that stores the correspondence between the deterioration content and the recovery material.

[0278] Disclosure (3) relates to the tire management system of Disclosure (2), wherein the determination unit has a learning model that takes the cause history information as input and outputs the deterioration details.

[0279] This disclosure (4) relates to the tire management system of this disclosure (1), wherein the cause history information includes a history of multiple causes, and the material determination processing unit identifies the main cause that degraded the performance based on the cause history information, and selects the recovery material corresponding to the main cause from a predetermined storage unit that stores the main cause and the recovery material in association.

[0280] A tire management system relating to another aspect of the present disclosure (5) includes: a first acquisition processing unit that acquires cause history information relating to the history of causes that degrade the performance of a tire mounted on a vehicle; a second acquisition processing unit that acquires material information relating to one or more materials constituting the tire; and a material determination processing unit that determines a recovery material to restore the degraded performance based on the cause history information acquired by the first acquisition processing unit and the material information acquired by the second acquisition processing unit.

[0281] The present disclosure (6) relates to the tire management system of the present disclosure (5), wherein the material determination processing unit includes a determination unit that performs a process of determining the deterioration of the tire based on the cause history information, and a selection unit that performs a process of selecting the recovery material from a predetermined storage unit that stores the deterioration details and the recovery materials in association with each other, the recovery material that corresponds to the material included in the material information and corresponds to the deterioration details obtained by the determination processing by the determination unit.

[0282] Disclosure (7) relates to the tire management system of Disclosure (6), wherein the determination unit has a learning model that takes the cause history information as input and outputs the deterioration details.

[0283] The present disclosure (8) relates to the tire management system of the present disclosure (5), wherein the cause history information includes a history of multiple causes, and the material determination processing unit identifies the main cause that degraded the performance based on the cause history information, and selects the recovery material from a predetermined storage unit that stores the main cause and the recovery material in association with each other, the recovery material that corresponds to the material included in the material information and corresponds to the main cause.

[0284] This disclosure (9) relates to a tire management system in any one of the disclosures (6) to (8), wherein the material information includes rubber components that constitute the tire, and the material determination processing unit determines the recovery material corresponding to the rubber components included in the material information.

[0285] Disclosure (10) relates to a tire management system in any one of Disclosures (6) to (8), wherein the material information includes a softening agent for softening the tire, and the material determination processing unit determines a recovery material equivalent to the softening agent included in the material information.

[0286] The present disclosure (11) further comprises a material information storage unit in any one of the tire management systems of the present disclosure (5) to (10) in which tire identification information indicating the tire and tire material data including material information corresponding to the tire identification information are stored, and the second acquisition processing unit extracts the material information corresponding to the tire identification information from the tire material data when the tire identification information is input.

[0287] The present disclosure (12) describes a tire management system in the present disclosure (11) in which the tire material data includes, in addition to the tire identification information and the material information, a first type information indicating the type of tire, and when a second type information indicating the type of another tire of a different type from the tire is input, the second acquisition processing unit determines whether the second type information and the first type information are equivalent, and if they are determined to be equivalent, extracts the material information corresponding to the first type information from the tire material data as the material information of the other tire.

[0288] The present disclosure (13) further comprises a tire management system of any one of the present disclosures (1) to (12) that outputs material information indicating the recovery material determined by the material determination processing unit to a predetermined output destination.

[0289] This disclosure (14) describes the tire management system of this disclosure (13), wherein the first output processing unit outputs the price of the recovery material and / or the repair effect of the recovery material, along with the material information, to a predetermined output destination.

[0290] The present disclosure (15) states that in the tire management system of the present disclosure (13) or (14), the first output processing unit outputs, along with the material information, the location information of business establishments capable of providing repair services using the recovery material to an output destination corresponding to the vehicle.

[0291] The present disclosure (16) further comprises a tire management system according to the present disclosure (1) to (15), which includes a timing calculation processing unit that calculates a current performance value indicating the current performance level of the tire based on the cause history information, and calculates the timing at which the performance exceeds a predetermined performance tolerance range based on the current performance value, and a second output processing unit that outputs the timing calculated by the timing calculation processing unit to a predetermined output destination.

[0292] The present disclosure (17) further comprises a third output processing unit that outputs repair reservation information, including the repair reservation date and time determined according to the timing, to an output destination corresponding to a business establishment capable of providing repair services using the restoration material, in the tire management system of the present disclosure (16).

[0293] In the tire management system according to any one of the present disclosures (1) to (17), the present disclosure (18) further includes a first determination processing unit that determines whether or not the tire has been repaired with the repair material, and a fourth output processing unit that calculates a post-repair performance value indicating the degree of the performance of the repaired tire and outputs the post-repair performance value to a predetermined output destination when it is determined by the first determination processing unit that the repair has been performed.

[0294] In the tire management system of the present disclosure (19), according to the present disclosure (18), the fourth output processing unit outputs, to a predetermined output destination, the ratio of the post-repair performance value to the initial performance value indicating the degree of the initial performance of the tire before the performance degradation due to the cause.

[0295] A tire management system according to another aspect of the present disclosure (20) includes a second determination processing unit that determines whether or not it is necessary to recover the performance based on cause history information regarding a history of causes that degrade the performance of a tire mounted on a vehicle, and a fifth output processing unit that outputs, to a predetermined output destination, recovery information indicating that recovery is necessary when it is determined by the second determination processing unit that recovery is necessary.

[0296] Since the tire management system according to the present disclosure is configured in this way, the recovery information is transmitted to a predetermined output destination. Therefore, the user who receives the recovery information at the output destination can recognize that the repair timing of the tire has arrived. Further, when the output destination is a repair shop, the repair worker who receives the recovery information can recognize that the recovery information has been notified to the user.

[0297] In the tire management system of the present disclosure (21), according to the present disclosure (20), based on the cause history information, a current performance value indicating the degree of the current performance of the tire is calculated, and based on the current performance value, a timing calculation processing unit that calculates a timing when the performance exceeds a predetermined performance allowable range, and a second output processing unit that outputs the timing calculated by the timing calculation processing unit to a predetermined output destination are further provided.

[0298] A tire management method relating to other aspects of the present disclosure (22) includes a first acquisition step of acquiring cause history information relating to the history of causes that degrade the performance of tires mounted on a vehicle, and a material determination step of determining a recovery material for restoring the degraded performance based on the cause history information acquired in the first acquisition step.

[0299] A tire management method relating to other aspects of the present disclosure (23) includes: a first acquisition step of acquiring cause history information relating to the history of causes that degrade the performance of a tire mounted on a vehicle; a second acquisition step of acquiring material information relating to one or more materials constituting the tire; and a material determination step of determining a recovery material for restoring the degraded performance based on the cause history information acquired in the first acquisition step and the material information acquired in the second acquisition step.

[0300] A tire management method relating to other aspects of the present disclosure (24) includes a second determination step of determining whether or not it is necessary to restore the performance of a tire mounted on a vehicle based on cause history information relating to the history of causes that degrade the performance of the tire, and a fifth output step of outputting recovery information indicating that it is necessary to restore the performance to a predetermined output destination if it is determined in the second determination step that it is necessary to restore the performance.

[0301] A program relating to other aspects of the Disclosure (25) is a program that causes one or more processors to perform each step of any one of the tire management methods of the Disclosure (22) to (24). The Disclosure may also be a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded non-temporarily. The program is a program that causes one or more processors or computers to perform each step of any one of the tire management methods of the Disclosure (22) to (24). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0302] 1: Tires 10: Management device 11: Control Unit 12: Storage section 13: Communications Department 14: Display section 15:Operation unit 30: Database Department 40: Communication equipment 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 58: Tread surface sensor 60: Control Unit 61: Control Unit 62: Storage section 63: Communications Department 64: GPS receiver 67: Memory 71,72: Information terminals 81,82: Display frame 92: Input key 93: Execution Key 100: Tire Management System 111: Data acquisition unit 112:Composition information acquisition department 113: Repair material selection section 114: Input Reception Section 115: Output Processing Unit 121: Table data 141: Tire Information Input Screen 171-176: Input fields 210: Determination Processing Unit 211: Learning Model 220: Repair Material Selection Department 611: Display Processing Unit 612: Arithmetic Processing Unit 613: Hardness calculation processing unit 614: Repair Judgment Processing Unit 615: Timing calculation processing unit 616: Notification Output Processing Unit 617: Repair Completion Determination Processing Unit 618: Recovery rate calculation processing unit

Claims

1. A first acquisition processing unit that acquires cause history information regarding the history of causes that degrade the performance of tires mounted on a vehicle, A tire management system comprising: a material determination processing unit that determines a repair agent that can be added to the inside of the tire to restore the reduced performance based on the cause history information acquired by the first acquisition processing unit.

2. The material determination processing unit is A determination unit performs a process to determine the degree of tire deterioration based on the cause history information, The tire management system according to claim 1, comprising: a predetermined storage unit that stores the deterioration details and the repair agent in association with each other, and a selection unit that performs a process of selecting the repair agent corresponding to the deterioration details obtained by the determination process by the determination unit.

3. The tire management system according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit has a learning model that takes the cause history information as input and outputs the deterioration details.

4. The aforementioned cause history information includes a history of multiple causes, The tire management system according to claim 1, wherein the material determination processing unit identifies the main cause that reduced the performance based on the cause history information, and selects the repair agent corresponding to the main cause from a predetermined storage unit that stores the main cause and the repair agent in association.

5. A first acquisition processing unit that acquires cause history information regarding the history of causes that degrade the performance of tires mounted on a vehicle, A second acquisition processing unit that acquires material information relating to one or more materials constituting the tire, A tire management system comprising: a material determination processing unit that determines a repair agent to restore the reduced performance based on the cause history information acquired by the first acquisition processing unit and the material information acquired by the second acquisition processing unit.

6. The material determination processing unit is A determination unit performs a process to determine the degree of tire deterioration based on the cause history information, The tire management system according to claim 5, comprising: a predetermined storage unit that stores the deterioration details and the repair agent in association with each other, and a selection unit that performs a process of selecting the repair agent that corresponds to the material included in the material information and corresponds to the deterioration details obtained by the determination process by the determination unit.

7. The tire management system according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit has a learning model that inputs the cause history information and outputs the deterioration details.

8. The aforementioned cause history information includes a history of multiple causes, The tire management system according to claim 5, wherein the material determination processing unit identifies the main cause that reduced the performance based on the cause history information, and selects a repair agent from a predetermined storage unit that stores the main cause and the repair agent in association with each other, the repair agent corresponding to the material included in the material information and corresponding to the main cause.

9. The material information includes the rubber components that make up the tire. The tire management system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the material determination processing unit determines the repair agent corresponding to the rubber component included in the material information.

10. The material information includes a softening agent that softens the tire, The tire management system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the material determination processing unit determines the repair agent equivalent to the softening agent included in the material information.

11. The system further includes a material information storage unit which stores tire material data including tire identification information indicating the tire and material information corresponding to the tire identification information, The tire management system according to any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the second acquisition processing unit extracts the material information corresponding to the tire identification information from the tire material data when the tire identification information is input.

12. The tire material data includes, in addition to the tire identification information and the material information, a first type information indicating the type of tire. The tire management system according to claim 11, wherein the second acquisition processing unit, when inputting second type information indicating a different type of tire from the tire, determines whether the second type information and the first type information are equivalent, and if it determines that they are equivalent, extracts the material information corresponding to the first type information from the tire material data as the material information of the other tire.

13. The tire management system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising a first output processing unit that outputs material information indicating the repair agent determined by the material determination processing unit to a predetermined output destination.

14. The tire management system according to claim 13, wherein the first output processing unit outputs the price of the repair agent and / or the repair effect of the repair agent, along with the material information, to a predetermined output destination.

15. The tire management system according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the first output processing unit outputs, along with the material information, location information of businesses capable of providing repair services using the repair agent to an output destination corresponding to the vehicle.

16. A timing calculation processing unit calculates a current performance value indicating the current performance level of the tire based on the cause history information, and calculates the timing at which the performance exceeds a predetermined performance tolerance range based on the current performance value. A tire management system according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising: a second output processing unit that outputs the timing calculated by the timing calculation processing unit to a predetermined output destination.

17. The tire management system according to claim 16, further comprising a third output processing unit that outputs repair reservation information, including a repair reservation date and time determined according to the aforementioned timing, to an output destination corresponding to a business that can provide repair services using the repair agent.

18. A first determination processing unit that determines whether or not the tire has been repaired with the repair agent, A tire management system according to any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising: a fourth output processing unit that, when the first determination processing unit determines that repairs have been performed, calculates a post-recovery performance value indicating the degree of performance of the repaired tire, and outputs the post-recovery performance value to a predetermined output destination.

19. The tire management system according to claim 18, wherein the fourth output processing unit outputs to a predetermined output destination the ratio of the recovered performance value to an initial performance value indicating the degree of initial performance of the tire before the performance degradation due to the cause.

20. A tire management system used in a method for acquiring cause history information relating to the history of causes that degrade the performance of a tire mounted on a vehicle, determining a repair agent that can be added inside the tire to restore the degraded tire performance based on the acquired cause history information, and restoring the degraded tire performance with the repair agent, A second determination processing unit that determines whether or not it is necessary to restore the performance based on the cause history information, A tire management system comprising: a fifth output processing unit that outputs recovery information indicating the need for recovery to a predetermined output destination when the second determination processing unit determines that recovery is necessary.

21. A timing calculation processing unit calculates a current performance value indicating the current performance level of the tire based on the cause history information, and calculates the timing at which the performance exceeds a predetermined performance tolerance range based on the current performance value. The tire management system according to claim 20, further comprising a second output processing unit that outputs the timing calculated by the timing calculation processing unit to a predetermined output destination.

22. The first acquisition step involves obtaining cause history information regarding the history of causes that degrade the performance of tires mounted on a vehicle, A tire management method comprising: a material determination step of determining a repair agent that can be added to the inside of the tire to restore the reduced performance, based on the cause history information obtained by the first acquisition step.

23. The first acquisition step involves obtaining cause history information regarding the history of causes that degrade the performance of tires mounted on a vehicle, A second acquisition step involves acquiring material information relating to one or more materials that constitute the tire, A tire management method comprising: a material determination step of determining a repair agent to restore the reduced performance based on the cause history information obtained in the first acquisition step and the material information obtained in the second acquisition step.

24. A tire management method used in a method for acquiring cause history information relating to the history of causes that degrade the performance of a tire mounted on a vehicle, determining a repair agent that can be added inside the tire to restore the degraded tire performance based on the acquired cause history information, and restoring the degraded tire performance with the repair agent, A second determination step is to determine whether or not it is necessary to restore the performance based on the cause history information, A tire management method comprising: a fifth output step of outputting recovery information indicating the need for recovery to a predetermined output destination when it is determined in the second determination step that recovery is necessary.

25. A program for causing one or more processors to perform each step of the tire management method according to any one of claims 22 to 24.

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