Tire wear determination device and tire wear determination method

Abstract

To provide a tire wear determination device for determining the wear of a tire by using a distance sensor.SOLUTION: Provided is a tire wear determination device comprising: a detection part for detecting a distance to a step in a height direction provided on a wall surface by using a distance sensor attached to a vehicle; and a determination part for determining the wear of a tire of the vehicle on the basis of the detected distance. The tire wear determination device detects uneven wear of a tire, by using the distance sensor to periodically detect a step of a wall surface on a lateral surface of the vehicle. Further, the tire wear determination device detects the wear of a tire, by using the distance sensor to continuously detect a step of a wall surface on a lateral surface of a vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire wear determination device and a tire wear determination method.

Background Art

[0002] Devices for detecting tire wear have been developed. Patent Document 1 discloses a tire wear determination device including a reference point detection means for detecting a reference point from position information, and a first position detection means for detecting a reference object at the reference point and detecting a first position of the reference object. The tire wear determination device includes a second position detection means for detecting, as a second position, the position of the reference object after the vehicle body has turned at the reference point. The tire wear determination device calculates, as a wear determination value, the absolute value of the difference between the current first position and the second position and the difference between the first position and the second position when the tire is not worn, and determines that the tire is in a worn state when the wear determination value exceeds a determination threshold value.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the technique of Patent Document 1 could not be used when an imaging device was not mounted. Further, the technique of Patent Document 1 had difficulty detecting circumferential uneven wear of the tire. Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a tire wear determination device that determines tire wear using a distance sensor.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The tire wear determination device of the present disclosure is A detection unit that uses a distance sensor attached to the vehicle to detect the distance to a step in the height direction provided on the wall surface, The tire wear determination device includes a determination unit that determines tire wear of the vehicle based on the detected distance.

[0006] With the above configuration, a tire wear determination device can be provided that determines tire wear using a distance sensor.

[0007] The tire wear determination device of this disclosure is The distance sensor periodically detects the step difference in the wall surface on the side of the vehicle, thereby detecting uneven wear of the tire.

[0008] The above configuration allows for the detection of uneven tire wear.

[0009] The tire wear determination device of this disclosure is The distance sensor is characterized by continuously detecting the step difference in the wall surface on the side of the vehicle to detect tire wear.

[0010] With the above configuration, tire wear can be detected.

[0011] The tire wear determination device of this disclosure is The distance sensor is characterized in that it detects the step difference in the wall surface in front of the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped, and detects the balance of wear between the front and rear tires.

[0012] The above configuration allows for the detection of the balance of wear between the front and rear tires.

[0013] The tire wear determination method disclosed herein is: Using a distance sensor mounted on the vehicle, the distance to a step in the wall in the vertical direction is detected. This is a tire wear determination method that determines the wear of the vehicle's tires based on the detected distance.

[0014] With the above configuration, it is possible to provide a tire wear determination method for determining tire wear using a distance sensor.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a tire wear determination device for determining tire wear using a distance sensor.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of the tire wear determination device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle and a wall surface of a garage according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a plan view and an elevation view showing the relationship between the distance to the wall surface detected by the distance sensor when the tire according to the embodiment is unevenly worn and the distance between the vehicle and the wall surface. [Figure 4] It is a plan view and an elevation view showing the relationship between the distance to the wall surface detected by the distance sensor when the tire according to the embodiment is worn and the distance between the vehicle and the wall surface. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing when the front and rear tires of the vehicle according to the embodiment are normal, when the wear amount of the rear wheels is large, and when the wear amount of the front wheels is large. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart for determining the wear of the tire according to the embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Embodiment Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Also, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are essential as means for solving the problems. For clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings are appropriately omitted and simplified. In each drawing, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

[0018] (Description of Tire Wear Determination Device According to Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a tire wear determination device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a vehicle and a wall surface of a garage according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view and an elevation view showing the relationship between the distance to the wall surface detected by a distance sensor when the tire according to the embodiment is unevenly worn and the distance between the vehicle and the wall surface. FIG. 4 is a plan view and an elevation view showing the relationship between the distance to the wall surface detected by a distance sensor when the tire according to the embodiment is worn and the distance between the vehicle and the wall surface. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the front and rear tires of a vehicle according to an embodiment when they are normal, when the wear amount of the rear wheels is large, and when the wear amount of the front wheels is large. The tire wear determination device according to the embodiment will be described while referring to FIGS. 1 to 5. The tire wear determination device 100 is attached to a vehicle. The tire wear determination device 100 is a device that determines tire wear by measuring the distance to a wall surface when the vehicle is put into a garage. The vehicle may be any vehicle with tires, but particularly vehicles with tire wear problems are transport vehicles for loading and transporting vehicles in a factory.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the tire wear determination device 100 includes a detection unit 101 and a determination unit 102. The detection unit 101 detects the distance to a step in the height direction provided on the wall surface using a distance sensor attached to the vehicle. The determination unit 102 determines the wear of the tire of the vehicle 201 based on the detected distance.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, on the wall surface 203 of the garage 202 that houses the vehicle 201, a convex portion 204 is formed at a predetermined height. Here, although the convex portion 204 is used, it may be a concave portion. Tire wear can be detected by measuring the distances a, b, c, d, e, f from the vehicle 201 to the wall surface 203.

[0021] In particular, uneven tire wear or wear can be detected by measuring the distances a, b, c, and d from vehicle 201 to the side wall of vehicle 201. Furthermore, the front-to-rear wear balance of the tires can be detected by measuring the distances e and f from vehicle 201 to the front wall of vehicle 201.

[0022] As shown in the upper part of Figure 3, consider the case where, when the vehicle 201 is stored in the garage 202, the distances a, b, c, and d to the wall surface periodically exceed the threshold D. As shown in the middle part of Figure 3, the distances a, b, c, and d to the wall surface change, with the distance sensor normally corresponding to the protrusion 204, but sometimes corresponding to the wall surface 203. This is because, as shown in the lower part of Figure 3, there is an excessively worn portion of the tire, causing the position of the distance sensor to sometimes correspond to the wall surface 203 below the protrusion 204. In this way, when the vehicle 201 is stored in the garage 202, if the distances a, b, c, and d to the wall surface periodically exceed the threshold D, it is possible to detect that the tire is unevenly worn.

[0023] Since the distance from the sensor mounting position to the floor changes as the tires wear down, uneven tire wear can also be measured by directly measuring the distance between a certain part of the vehicle and the floor surface.

[0024] As shown in the upper part of Figure 4, consider the case where, when the vehicle 201 is stored in the garage 202, the distances a, b, c, and d to the wall always exceed the threshold D. As shown in the middle part of Figure 4, the distances a, b, c, and d to the wall are continuously detected so that the measurement by the distance sensor always corresponds to the wall 203. This is because, as shown in the lower part of Figure 3, the tire is worn evenly, so the position of the distance sensor always corresponds to the position below the protrusion 204. Thus, when the vehicle 201 is stored in the garage 202, if the distances a, b, c, and d to the wall continuously exceed the threshold D, it can be seen that the tire is worn evenly.

[0025] Next, let's consider measuring the distances e and f to the wall in front of vehicle 201. As shown in the upper part of Figure 5, when the front-to-rear balance of the vehicle's tires is good, the distance sensor corresponds to the position of the step in the wall, so the distance sensor detects a short distance. On the other hand, when the rear tires are heavily worn, vehicle 201 tilts backward, and the distance sensor detects a longer distance than normal. Similarly, when the front tires are heavily worn, vehicle 201 tilts forward, and the distance sensor detects a longer distance than normal. In this way, by using the sensor in front of vehicle 201, the balance of front-to-rear tire wear can be detected.

[0026] (Description of the tire wear determination method according to the embodiment) Figure 6 is a flowchart for determining tire wear according to the embodiment. The tire wear determination method according to the embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 6.

[0027] As shown in Figure 6, first it is determined whether or not vehicle 201 has entered garage 202 (step S601). If it has not entered (if NO in step S601), step S601 is repeated. If it has entered (if YES in step S601), it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed is greater than 0 (step S602). If the vehicle speed is greater than 0, i.e., vehicle 201 is not stopped (if YES in step S602), the side distance dn is obtained (step S603). Next, it is determined whether dn exceeds the threshold D (step S604). If dn exceeds the threshold D (if YES in step S604), it is determined whether or not the wear abnormality flag is ON. If the wear abnormality flag is ON (if YES in step S605), the process returns to step 602. If the wear abnormality flag is not ON (if NO in step S605), the wear abnormality flag is turned ON (step S607). The process then increments the counter by 1 and returns to step S602 (step S609).

[0028] If dn does not exceed the threshold D (if NO in step S604), it is determined whether the wear abnormality flag is ON or OFF (step S606). If the wear abnormality flag is NOT ON (if NO in step S606), the process returns to step S602. If the wear abnormality flag is ON (if YES in step S606), the wear abnormality flag is turned OFF (step S608), and the process returns to step S602.

[0029] When the vehicle speed becomes 0, i.e., when the vehicle is stopped (if NO in step S602), the front distance df is obtained (step S610). Next, a position check is performed to determine whether the front distance df exceeds the threshold Df (step S612). If it does not exceed the threshold Df (if NO in step S612), it is determined that the front-to-rear balance is not bad and the process ends. If it does exceed the threshold Df (if YES in step S612), a flag indicating that the front-to-rear tilt is large is turned ON (step S613), and the process ends. In this case, it is determined that the front-to-rear balance of the tires is poor.

[0030] If the vehicle speed becomes 0 (if NO in step S602), it is simultaneously determined whether the counter is 0 or not (step 614). If the counter is 0 (if YES in step S614), it is determined that there is no uneven tire wear or no wear at all (step S615), and the process ends.

[0031] If the counter is not 0 (if NO in step S614), a uniform check is performed to determine whether the counter is 1 or not (step S616). If the counter is 1 (if YES in step S616), the uniform wear determination flag is turned ON (step S617), and the process ends. In this case, it is determined that the tire has worn uniformly.

[0032] If the counter is not 1 (the case is NO in step S616), a periodic check is performed to determine whether the counter is greater than a predetermined number N (step S618). If the counter is less than N (the case is NO in step S618), the uniform wear determination flag is turned ON (step S617), and the process is terminated. In this case, it is determined that the tire has worn uniformly.

[0033] If the counter is greater than N (if the answer to step S618 is YES), the uneven wear detection flag is turned ON (step S619), and the process is terminated. In this case, it is determined that there was uneven tire wear.

[0034] Specifically, the step enclosed by 61 counts the number of times the step distance of the side wall exceeds a threshold. The step enclosed by 62 determines abnormalities in the vehicle's front-to-rear tilt based on the distance to the front of the vehicle when stopped, and detects the front-to-rear wear balance of the tires. The step enclosed by 63 determines whether the tires have worn evenly or unevenly based on the number of times counted in 61.

[0035] In this way, a tire wear determination method is provided that uses a distance sensor to determine tire wear.

[0036] The above determination method can be processed by an information processing device. The information processing device includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program to perform the processing, and memory to store the program. The information processing device may consist of one device or multiple devices. The information processing device may consist of a cloud server that distributes some or all of its functions. A tire wear determination program is provided that causes the information processing device to perform the above processing.

[0037] Furthermore, some or all of the processing in the information processing device described above can be implemented as a computer program. Such programs can be stored using various types of non-temporary computer-readable media and supplied to a computer. Non-temporary computer-readable media include various types of tangible recording media. Examples of non-temporary computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (Random Access Memory)). Programs may also be supplied to a computer by various types of temporary computer-readable media. Examples of temporary computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Temporary computer-readable media can be supplied to a computer via wired communication channels such as electric wires and optical fibers, or via wireless communication channels.

[0038] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0039] 100 Tire wear detection device, 101 Detection unit, 102 Determination unit, 201 Vehicle, 202 Garage, 203 Wall surface, 204 Protrusion

Claims

1. A wall surface of a garage for storing vehicles, wherein the wall surface has a step formed at a predetermined height, A detection unit that is attached to the vehicle and, if the degree of wear of the vehicle's tires is normal, detects the distance from the vehicle to the wall surface using a distance sensor directed toward the wall surface at a predetermined height, The system includes a determination unit that determines tire wear of the vehicle based on the detected distance, The aforementioned step extends continuously to a certain extent in the depth direction on the wall surface of the side of the vehicle. As the vehicle is moving in order to be stored in the garage, the distance sensor detects the distance from the vehicle to the wall on the side of the vehicle. A tire wear determination device in which the determination unit detects uneven wear of the tire when the detected distance periodically exceeds a threshold.

2. A wall surface of a garage for storing vehicles, wherein the wall surface has a step formed at a predetermined height, A detection unit that is attached to the vehicle and, if the degree of wear of the vehicle's tires is normal, detects the distance from the vehicle to the wall surface using a distance sensor directed toward the wall surface at a predetermined height, The system includes a determination unit that determines tire wear of the vehicle based on the detected distance, The aforementioned step extends continuously to a certain extent in the depth direction on the wall surface of the side of the vehicle. As the vehicle is moving to be stored in the garage, the distance sensor continuously detects a first distance from the vehicle to the wall on one side of the vehicle and a second distance from the vehicle to the wall on the other side of the vehicle. A tire wear determination device in which the determination unit detects tire wear when the first and second distances continuously exceed a threshold.

3. A wall surface of a garage for storing vehicles, wherein the wall surface has a step formed at a predetermined height, A detection unit that is attached to the vehicle and, if the degree of wear of the vehicle's tires is normal, detects the distance from the vehicle to the wall surface using a distance sensor directed toward the wall surface at a predetermined height, The system includes a determination unit that determines tire wear of the vehicle based on the detected distance, A tire wear determination device that detects the distance from the vehicle to the wall surface in front of the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped, and detects the balance of wear between the front and rear tires.

4. Using a distance sensor attached to the vehicle, the distance from the vehicle to the wall of the garage where the vehicle is housed and where a step of a predetermined height is formed is detected. Based on the detected distance, the wear of the vehicle's tires is determined. The distance sensor, if the degree of wear of the vehicle's tires is normal, will face the wall surface at the predetermined height. The aforementioned step extends continuously to a certain extent in the depth direction on the wall surface of the side of the vehicle. As the vehicle is moving in order to be stored in the garage, the distance sensor detects the distance from the vehicle to the wall on the side of the vehicle. If the detected distance periodically exceeds a threshold, uneven wear of the tire is detected. Method for determining tire wear.

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