Tire maintenance support device and tire maintenance support program

Abstract

To provide a tire maintenance support apparatus and a tire maintenance support program which can enhance a work efficiency in planning a maintenance plan by calculating the number of tires to be exchanged.SOLUTION: A tire maintenance support apparatus 100 according to the present invention has a tire information acquiring unit 31, a replacement timing calculating unit 32, and a replacement tire number calculating unit 33. The tire information acquiring unit 31 acquires prediction data of a residual groove amount of a tire fitted to each of a plurality of vehicles under operation management. The replacement timing calculating unit 32 calculates a replacement timing for each tire based on the prediction data of the residual groove amount acquired by the tire information acquiring unit 31. The replacement tire number calculating unit 33 collects the replacement timing calculated by the replacement timing calculating unit 32 with respect to each period on a time axis and calculates the number of tires requiring replacement in each period.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tire maintenance support device and a tire maintenance support program that support maintenance of tires installed on a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] In general, tires wear in accordance with running conditions, running distance, etc., and the amount of wear varies depending on the axle position on which the tire is mounted. When the remaining tread depth, which is the depth of grooves provided in the tire, falls below a predetermined amount, maintenance such as replacement becomes necessary.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a conventional tire management method. The tire management server used in this tire management method is connected to a vehicle terminal, a vehicle management terminal, and a dealer terminal via a communication network. The tire management server receives data indicating a tire state from the vehicle terminal or the dealer terminal, determines the tire state based on this data, and if it determines that it is necessary to handle the tire urgently, notifies the corresponding vehicle terminal and the dealer terminal of the dealer that can handle the state of the tire. If it determines that some handling of the tire is necessary but not urgent, it performs scheduling processing on the vehicle management terminal of the relevant vehicle and the dealer terminal of a predetermined dealer.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The tire management method described in Patent Document 1 displays the tire status on a vehicle terminal installed in each vehicle. However, for transportation companies that own and manage multiple transport vehicles such as trucks, it is difficult to grasp the timing of maintenance such as tire replacement for the multiple vehicles they manage, making it difficult to adequately plan budgets for maintenance costs. The inventors of the present invention considered that the process of planning maintenance for tires on multiple vehicles under operation could be improved by predicting the maintenance timing from the maintenance information of the tires installed on each vehicle.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a tire maintenance support device and a tire maintenance support program that can calculate the number of tires to be replaced and improve the work efficiency of maintenance planning. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A tire maintenance support device according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a tire information acquisition unit that acquires predicted tread depth data for tires mounted on multiple vehicles whose operation is managed; a replacement timing calculation unit that calculates the replacement timing for each tire from the predicted tread depth data acquired by the tire information acquisition unit; and a replacement quantity calculation unit that calculates the number of tires to be replaced for each period by aggregating the replacement timings calculated by the replacement timing calculation unit for each period on the time axis.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a tire maintenance support program. The tire maintenance support program is characterized by causing a computer to perform the following steps: a tire information acquisition step of acquiring predicted tread depth data for the tires mounted on each of the multiple vehicles whose operation is being managed; a replacement timing calculation step of calculating the replacement timing for each tire from the predicted tread depth data acquired in the tire information acquisition step; and a replacement quantity calculation step of aggregating the replacement timings calculated in the replacement timing calculation step for each period on the time axis and calculating the number of tires to be replaced for each period. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the number of tires to be replaced can be calculated, thereby improving the efficiency of maintenance planning. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a maintenance support system including a tire maintenance support device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the tire management server device. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram illustrating wear estimation and learning in computational models. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a tire maintenance support device. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows the procedure for displaying the number of tires replaced by the tire maintenance support device. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of axle alignment information and tire tread depth data. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of how the display processing unit displays the number of tires that have been replaced. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 7, based on preferred embodiments. The same or equivalent components and members shown in each drawing will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the dimensions of the members in each drawing will be enlarged or reduced as appropriate for ease of understanding. Additionally, some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments will be omitted from the drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a maintenance support system 110 including a tire maintenance support device 100 according to an embodiment. The maintenance support system 110 comprises a tire wear amount measuring device 60, an on-board measuring device 70, a tire management server device 80, and a tire maintenance support device 100. The tire maintenance support device 100 acquires information regarding the maintenance of tires 7 mounted on multiple vehicles under operational management from the tire management server device 80 and provides the operator with information such as when tire replacement is necessary. In the following description, information regarding the maintenance of tires 7 will be referred to as maintenance information.

[0013] The tire 7 is mounted on multiple vehicles, such as transport trucks, which are operated and managed by a transportation company, for example. The transportation company can obtain maintenance information for the multiple tires 7 mounted on each vehicle, provided by the tire maintenance support device 100. The maintenance information for the tire 7 includes, for example, predicted data on the remaining tread depth of the tire 7, the time-dependent changes in the tire pressure data of the tire 7, and tire load data based on at least one of the tire pressure and temperature of the tire 7.

[0014] The tire wear measurement device 60 directly measures the depth of the grooves in the tread of the tire 7 multiple times over a predetermined period (several months to several years) to obtain the amount of wear on the tire 7. The tire wear measurement device 60 transmits the measured tire wear data to the tire management server device 80 via the communication network 9. Alternatively, the tire worker may measure the depth of each groove using measuring instruments, cameras, or visual inspection, and the tire wear measurement device 60 may store the measurement data entered by the worker. Furthermore, the tire wear measurement device 60 may be a dedicated device that measures the groove depth and stores the amount of wear using mechanical or optical methods.

[0015] Specifically, the tire wear measurement device 60 measures at four points in the width direction if the tire has four grooves, and also measures at three points in the circumferential direction of the same groove, for example, at 120° intervals. This allows the tire wear measurement device 60 to store uneven wear data in the width direction or circumferential direction of the tire. In addition, since the diameter changes as the tire wears down, the tire wear measurement device 60 may indirectly measure the groove depth by calculation from the mileage and tire rotation speed information. Furthermore, a method that directly measures the groove depth may be used in combination with a method that predicts the groove depth by calculation from the mileage and tire rotation speed.

[0016] The on-board measuring device 70 is mounted on the vehicle and has pressure sensors and temperature sensors installed on the tire 7 to measure the air pressure and temperature of the tire 7. The temperature sensor and pressure sensor are located on the air valve of the tire 7 mounted on the vehicle, or are firmly wrapped around and fixed to the wheel with a belt or the like. The temperature sensor may also be located on the inner liner of the tire 7. The on-board measuring device 70 transmits data such as the air pressure and temperature of the tire 7 to the tire management server device 80 via the communication network 9.

[0017] Further, the in-vehicle measurement device 70 measures the vehicle speed, current position information (latitude, longitude and altitude) of the vehicle, acceleration in three axial directions of the vehicle, and the like by means of a speedometer, a GPS receiver, an acceleration sensor and the like mounted on the vehicle. The in-vehicle measurement device 70 transmits data such as the vehicle speed, vehicle position information, and vehicle acceleration to the tire management server device 80 via the communication network 9.

[0018] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the tire management server device 80. The tire management server device 80 includes a communication unit 81, a vehicle information acquisition unit 82, a tire wear amount calculation unit 83, a tire load calculation unit 84, and a storage unit 85. In terms of hardware, each unit in the tire management server device 80 can be implemented by electronic elements such as a computer CPU, mechanical parts, and the like, and in terms of software, it is implemented by a computer program and the like. Here, functional blocks implemented through cooperation of these components are illustrated. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be implemented in various forms by combinations of hardware and software.

[0019] The communication unit 81 communicatively connects to the communication network 9 via wireless or wired communication, and performs communication with the tire wear amount measurement device 60, the in-vehicle measurement device 70, and the tire maintenance support device 100.

[0020] The vehicle information acquisition unit 82 acquires vehicle measurement information such as vehicle speed and position information from the in-vehicle measurement device 70, and tire measurement information such as air pressure and temperature measured for the tire 7 via the communication unit 81. Further, the vehicle information acquisition unit 82 acquires measurement data of the wear amount of the tire 7 measured by the tire wear amount measurement device 60 via the communication unit 81.

[0021] The vehicle information acquisition unit 82 can calculate and acquire the mileage based on the location information of the vehicle measurement information. Alternatively, the mileage of the vehicle may be calculated based on the speed data in the vehicle measurement information and the time data associated with that data. That is, the mileage of the vehicle can be calculated by multiplying the chronologically arranged speed data by the time difference until the next point in time. If information regarding the mileage of the vehicle is provided by the vehicle or an external device for vehicle management, the vehicle information acquisition unit 82 does not need to calculate the mileage itself and may acquire the information regarding the mileage from the vehicle or an external device.

[0022] The vehicle information acquisition unit 82 outputs the acquired vehicle mileage and tire measurement information (tire temperature and air pressure, etc.) to the tire wear amount calculation unit 83. When the tire wear amount calculation unit 83 performs tire wear estimation based on a calculation model that uses the vehicle's acceleration as an input element, the vehicle information acquisition unit 82 outputs the acceleration data from the vehicle measurement information to the tire wear amount calculation unit 83.

[0023] The storage unit 85 is a storage device composed of, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive), a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc. The storage unit 85 stores operation management information 85a, axle arrangement information 85b, tire identification information 85c, tire tread depth data 85d, tire air pressure data 85e, tire load data 85f, and data provided in advance regarding the specifications of various vehicles and tires 7.

[0024] Operation management information 85a is information about multiple vehicles whose operation is managed by a transportation company, and includes the names of the vehicles and vehicle identification information assigned to each vehicle. The storage unit 85 stores the operation management information 85a, grouped by the number of transportation companies. Axle arrangement information 85b is information indicating the position of the axles and the tires 7 to be mounted on each vehicle.

[0025] The tire identification information 85c is information such as a serial number assigned to each tire 7, and for example, the tire identification information is stored in a readable format in an RFID embedded in the tire 7. The tire identification information may also be stored in the storage unit 85 in association with the vehicle on which the tire 7 is mounted and the axle position on which it is mounted on that vehicle.

[0026] The tire tread depth data 85d is data on the remaining tire tread depth after subtracting the tire wear amount estimated by the tire wear amount calculation unit 83, and the remaining tire tread depth after subtracting the tire wear amount measured periodically by the tire wear amount measuring device 60. The tire tread depth data 85d includes data calculated in the past by the tire wear amount calculation unit 83 and data calculated as a predicted value for the future using average values ​​of mileage, tire pressure and temperature of tire 7.

[0027] The tire pressure data 85e includes the time evolution of past tire pressure data 7 measured by the on-board measuring device 70. The tire load data 85f is calculated by the tire load calculation unit 84 based on at least one of the tire pressure and temperature of the tire 7, as described later, and stored in the storage unit 85.

[0028] The tire wear calculation unit 83 reads and acquires data from the storage unit 85 that is appropriately used to estimate the amount of tire wear 7, such as vehicle and tire specification data. The tire wear calculation unit 83 also acquires information such as axle arrangement information 85b and tire identification information 85c stored in the storage unit 85.

[0029] The tire wear calculation unit 83 has a calculation model 83a and estimates the wear amount of the tire 7. The calculation model 83a is a learning model that calculates the wear amount of the tire 7 based on the input information. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the wear amount estimation and learning of the calculation model 83a. The input data to the calculation model 83a is generally classified into vehicle measurement information, tire measurement information, and other information systems.

[0030] The input data related to vehicle measurement information includes the vehicle's acceleration and mileage. The mileage is acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 82 as described above. The input data related to tire measurement information includes the tire pressure and temperature of the tire 7. The vehicle's acceleration will be used as input data to the calculation model 83a as appropriate.

[0031] Other input data includes road surface conditions estimated based on weather information, the maximum load capacity of the vehicle included in the vehicle specification data, and the wear resistance performance of tire 7 included in the tire specification data. For the wear resistance performance of tire 7, for example, a tire wear index value is used, which is an index of the wear resistance performance of various tread compounds, with the standard compound set to 100 based on the Lambourn wear test.

[0032] The computational model 83a uses a learning model such as a neural network. The computational model 83a is constructed using methods such as a Deep Neural Network (DNN) or a decision tree. Alternatively, the computational model 83a may be a multilinear regression model on input information, and the model may be generated through learning.

[0033] The tire wear data measured by the tire wear measurement device 60 is used as training data for training the computational model 83a. During the training process of the computational model 83a, the computational model 83a estimates the tire wear amount as output data based on the input information and compares it with the training data. The computational model 83a compares the estimated tire wear amount with the training data, sets various coefficients in the computation process such as weighting, and performs training by repeatedly updating the model.

[0034] The tire wear calculation unit 83 uses a trained calculation model 83a to estimate the wear amount of the tire 7, and stores the remaining tire groove depth after subtracting the wear amount of the tire 7 as tire groove depth data 85d in the storage unit 85.

[0035] The tire load calculation unit 84 calculates the tire load by multiplying the tire pressure and temperature by the vehicle's mileage and accumulating them when the tire pressure is lower than a predetermined threshold and the temperature of the tire is higher than a predetermined threshold, and stores this as tire load data 85f in the storage unit 85. The tire load calculation unit 84 may also calculate the tire load using at least one of the tire pressure and temperature of the tire 7.

[0036] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the tire maintenance support device 100. The tire maintenance support device 100 comprises a communication unit 10, an operation unit 12, a display unit 14, a storage unit 20, and a control unit 30, and predicts and provides to the worker the number of tires 7 that will need to be replaced in the future.

[0037] Each component of the tire maintenance support device 100 can be implemented in hardware terms using electronic elements and mechanical parts, including a computer CPU, and in software terms using computer programs. However, this diagram depicts the functional blocks that are realized through the coordination of these components. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be implemented in various forms through combinations of hardware and software.

[0038] The communication unit 10 connects to the communication network 9 via wireless or wired communication and communicates with the tire management server device 80. The operation unit 12 is an operable input device such as a touch panel, switch, keyboard, and mouse. The display unit 14 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display.

[0039] The operator can operate the control unit 12 to obtain maintenance information for the tires 7 from the tire management server device 80, estimate the number of tires 7 to be replaced and the cost within a predetermined period, such as a year or six months, or within a specified period, and display this information on the display unit 14. The tire maintenance support device 100 may also display on the display unit 14 the number of tires that need to be replaced in order to minimize the number of tires needed by rotating the tires in each vehicle. Tire rotation is not limited to rotation within a single vehicle; it may also involve rotation between multiple vehicles, such as rotating tires between a vehicle that travels on highways and a vehicle that travels only on ordinary roads. The number of tires 7 to be replaced and the cost may be displayed in parallel with the number and cost of tires of a different specification, in addition to the tires currently installed on the vehicle. For example, the number and cost of replacing with tire B, which is cheaper and has lower rolling resistance than the currently installed tire A, can be displayed alongside the number and cost of replacing tire A. In this case, the amount of fuel saved, the amount of fuel cost saved, and the amount of carbon dioxide emission reduced when tires are replaced may also be displayed.

[0040] The storage unit 20 is a storage device composed of, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive), a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc. The storage unit 20 stores computer programs executed by the control unit 30, vehicle axle arrangement information and tire maintenance information obtained from the tire management server device 80, etc. The vehicle axle arrangement information is determined according to, for example, the vehicle name and vehicle model, and may be stored in the storage unit 20.

[0041] The control unit 30 includes a tire information acquisition unit 31, a replacement timing calculation unit 32, a replacement number calculation unit 33, and a display processing unit 34. The tire information acquisition unit 31 acquires maintenance information for tires 7 mounted on multiple vehicles operated by a single transportation company selected from among multiple transportation companies, for example, by operation by an operator using the operator's control unit 12, from the tire management server device 80. The tire information acquisition unit 31 acquires tire tread depth data 85d for each tire 7 mounted on the vehicle as maintenance information for the tires 7.

[0042] The replacement timing calculation unit 32 estimates and calculates the replacement timing of the tire 7 based on the maintenance information of the tire 7 acquired by the tire information acquisition unit 31. The replacement timing calculation unit 32 calculates the time when the remaining tread depth falls below a threshold that necessitates tire replacement, based on the predicted tread depth data in the tire tread depth data 85d.

[0043] The tire replacement count calculation unit 33 calculates the number of tires to be replaced in each period by aggregating the replacement timings calculated by the replacement timing calculation unit 32 for predetermined periods on the time axis. The predetermined period for calculating the number of tires to be replaced is, for example, one month, three months, etc. The tire replacement count calculation unit 33 may also calculate the maintenance costs (replacement costs) incurred in each period based on the calculated number of tires to be replaced. The replacement costs incurred when replacing tires are calculated by adding, for example, the cost of purchasing new tires, the cost of disposing of old tires, and the labor costs for tire replacement work. For example, if replacement work is performed at a time other than the period when there is a concentration of replacements from summer tires to winter tires, the tire replacement count calculation unit 33 may calculate the cost of purchasing new tires, the cost of disposing of old tires, and the labor costs for tire replacement work at a discounted rate.

[0044] The display processing unit 34 displays the number of tires to be replaced, calculated by the tire replacement calculation unit 33, on the display unit 14, separated by period. The display processing unit 34 may also display the replacement costs for each period, calculated by the tire replacement calculation unit 33, on the display unit 14. The display processing unit 34 may also display the identification information of the vehicle equipped with the tire 7 whose replacement time has been calculated by the replacement time calculation unit, and its position in the axle arrangement, on the display unit 14.

[0045] Next, the operation of the tire maintenance support device 100 will be described. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure for displaying the number of tires to be replaced by the tire maintenance support device 100. The tire information acquisition unit 31 of the tire maintenance support device 100 selects one transport company from multiple transport companies based on the operator's operation on the operation unit 12 (S1). The tire information acquisition unit 31 notifies the tire management server device 80 of the identification information of the selected transport company via the communication unit 10.

[0046] The tire management server device 80 transmits tire tread depth data 85d for all vehicles fitted to the tires 7 operated by the transportation company, based on the notified identification information of the transportation company, via the communication network 9. The tire information acquisition unit 31 receives and acquires the tire tread depth data 85d transmitted by the tire management server device 80 (S2).

[0047] The replacement timing calculation unit 32 estimates and calculates the replacement timing of the tire 7 based on the tire tread depth data 85d of the tire 7 acquired in step S2 (S3). The number of replacements calculation unit 33 aggregates the replacement timings calculated in step S3 for each period on the time axis and calculates the number of tires to be replaced for each period (S4). The display processing unit 34 displays the number of tires to be replaced calculated in step S4 for each period on the display unit 14 (S5), and then terminates the process.

[0048] In step S4, the tire replacement calculation unit 33 calculates the replacement cost corresponding to the number of tires to be replaced for each period, and in step S5, the display processing unit 34 may display the replacement costs on the display unit 14, divided by period. In step S5, the display processing unit 34 may also display the identification information of the vehicle on which the tire 7 is mounted and its position in the axle arrangement on the display unit 14.

[0049] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of axle alignment information and tire tread depth data 85d. In the example shown in Figure 6, the axle alignment information 85b indicates the three axles A1, A2, and A3 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, as well as the tire positions B11, B12, etc., mounted on each axle. The axle alignment information 85b shown in Figure 6 numerically indicates the minimum value of the remaining tread depth in multiple grooves of each tire. For example, the tire at tire position B11 currently has a minimum remaining tread depth of 12.7 mm.

[0050] Figure 6 shows tire tread depth data 85d for tires at positions B11, B32, and B33, comparing past data with future predicted data, separated by the current point in time. The threshold for tire tread depth requiring replacement is indicated by a dashed line.

[0051] In the example shown in Figure 6, it can be seen that the tire at position B11 is still far from needing replacement, the tire at position B33 will need replacement in one month, and the tire at position B32 should be replaced immediately. The replacement timing calculation unit 32 calculates that the tire at position B33 will need replacement in one month, and the tire at position B32 will need replacement in zero months. The replacement timing calculation unit 32 calculates the replacement timing for all tires 7 installed on all vehicles operated and managed by the transportation company.

[0052] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how the display processing unit 34 displays the number of tires replaced. Figure 7 shows the number of tires replaced from July to December 2022, aggregated for each month, in the bottom row. The example shown in Figure 7 includes information such as the vehicle identification number, tire size, and tire position in the axle arrangement.

[0053] In the table in Figure 7, the symbols B11, B22, etc., represent the tire positions in the axle arrangement, similar to the axle arrangement information 85b shown in Figure 6. While Figure 7 shows the number of tire changes over a six-month period, the display may be switched to show the number of tire changes over a one-year, two-year, or other period by operating the operator's control panel 12.

[0054] The tire maintenance support device 100 can improve the efficiency of maintenance planning by calculating the number of tires to be replaced for each period by aggregating the replacement timings calculated by the replacement number calculation unit 33 for each period on the time axis. In addition, the tire maintenance support device 100 can facilitate the planning of budgets and other related matters by calculating the replacement costs corresponding to the number of tires to be replaced for each period using the replacement number calculation unit 33.

[0055] The tire maintenance support device 100 displays the number of tires that need replacing for each period on the display unit 14, making it easy for workers and transportation company dispatch managers to know when and how many tires will need to be replaced in the future.

[0056] The display processing unit 34 displays the identification information of the vehicle equipped with the tire 7 for which replacement time has been calculated, as well as its position in the axle arrangement, thereby making it easy for workers to understand which tires need to be replaced.

[0057] (modified version) In the embodiment described above, the tire maintenance support device 100 calculated the number of tires to be replaced using tire tread depth data 85d. The tire maintenance support device 100 may also acquire tire pressure data 85e and tire load data 85f from the tire management server device 80 using the tire information acquisition unit 31, and calculate the number of tires to be replaced using the replacement timing calculation unit 32 with predicted data of future tire pressure and load. For example, future tire pressure and tire load can be calculated and predicted based on the current rate of increase or decrease in tire pressure, the trend of changes in tire temperature (including seasonal factors), and the average value of the vehicle's mileage per period. The future tire pressure and tire load may be calculated by the tire load calculation unit 84 of the tire management server device 80, or by the replacement timing calculation unit 32 of the tire maintenance support device 100.

[0058] In this case, the tire maintenance support device 100 may display on the display unit 14 the number of tire replacements and costs based on the load on the tires of the selected vehicle (tire load data 85f), and the number of tire replacements and costs based on the average load on the tires of the vehicles of the transport operator. By providing such information through the tire maintenance support device 100, it is possible to understand the differences in the number of tire replacements for different vehicles, and to provide driving guidance to drivers operating vehicles with a high number of tire replacements and high costs, thereby reducing the number of tire replacements and costs.

[0059] Furthermore, although the display processing unit 34 of the tire maintenance support device 100 is configured to display the number of tires to be replaced as shown in Figure 7, it may also be configured to display axle arrangement information 85b, tire tread depth data 85d, tire air pressure data 85e, and tire load data 85f.

[0060] Next, the features of the tire maintenance support device 100 and the tire maintenance support program according to the embodiment will be described. The tire maintenance support device 100 includes a tire information acquisition unit 31, a replacement timing calculation unit 32, and a replacement quantity calculation unit 33. The tire information acquisition unit 31 acquires predicted tread depth data for the tires 7 mounted on each vehicle for multiple vehicles under operational management. The replacement timing calculation unit 32 calculates the replacement timing for each tire 7 from the predicted tread depth data acquired by the tire information acquisition unit 31. The replacement quantity calculation unit 33 aggregates the replacement timings calculated by the replacement timing calculation unit 32 for each period on the time axis and calculates the number of tires to be replaced for each period. As a result, the tire maintenance support device 100 can calculate the number of tires to be replaced for each period and improve the efficiency of maintenance planning.

[0061] The tire replacement count calculation unit 33 also calculates the replacement cost corresponding to the total number of tires replaced for each period. This makes it easier for the tire maintenance support device 100 to plan budgets and other related expenses.

[0062] The tire maintenance support device 100 also includes a display processing unit 34 that displays the number of tires to be replaced calculated by the replacement number calculation unit 33, divided by period, on the display unit 14. This allows the operator to easily know how many tires will need to be replaced and when in the future.

[0063] Furthermore, the display processing unit 34 displays the identification information of the vehicle equipped with the tire 7 whose replacement time has been calculated by the replacement time calculation unit 32, as well as its position in the axle arrangement. This allows the tire maintenance support device 100 to easily provide operators with information on tires 7 that need to be replaced.

[0064] The tire information acquisition unit 31 also acquires information regarding the load on the tires 7. The replacement timing calculation unit 32 calculates the replacement timing for each tire 7 from the predicted load data acquired by the tire information acquisition unit 31. As a result, the tire maintenance support device 100 can calculate the number of tires to be replaced based on the information regarding the load on the tires 7, thereby improving the efficiency of maintenance planning.

[0065] The tire maintenance support program has a computer perform the following steps: acquiring tire information, calculating replacement timing, and calculating the number of tires to be replaced. The tire information acquisition step acquires predicted tread depth data for the tires 7 installed on multiple vehicles under operational management. The replacement timing calculation step calculates the replacement timing for each tire 7 from the predicted tread depth data acquired in the tire information acquisition step. The number of tires to be replaced calculation step aggregates the replacement timings calculated in the replacement timing calculation step for each period on the time axis to calculate the number of tires to be replaced for each period. This tire maintenance support program can improve the efficiency of maintenance planning by calculating the number of tires to be replaced for each period.

[0066] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. These embodiments are illustrative, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims of the present invention, and that such modifications and changes are also within the scope of the claims of the present invention. Accordingly, the descriptions and drawings herein should be treated as illustrative rather than limiting. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0067] 31 Tire information acquisition unit, 32 Replacement timing calculation unit, 33 Number of tires to be replaced calculation unit, 34 Display processing unit, 100 Tire maintenance support device.

Claims

1. A tire information acquisition unit receives and acquires tire tread depth data, including predicted tread depth data for the tires mounted on each vehicle, from an external tire management server device via a communication network for multiple vehicles under operational management. A replacement timing calculation unit calculates the timing at which the predicted data included in the tire tread depth data acquired by the tire information acquisition unit falls below a threshold for the amount of tread depth at which tire replacement is required, as the replacement timing for each tire. A tire replacement count calculation unit calculates the number of tires to be replaced for each period on the time axis by totaling all tires to which the replacement timing calculated by the replacement timing calculation unit corresponds, A display processing unit generates a chart showing the number of tires to be replaced for each period calculated by the tire replacement calculation unit, and for each period, the position information of the tire corresponding to the replacement time in the axle arrangement, and the identification information of the vehicle on which the tire is mounted, and displays it on the screen of the display unit. A tire maintenance support device characterized by being equipped with the following features.

2. The tire maintenance support device according to claim 1, further characterized in that the display processing unit generates the chart including information on the tire model number and tire size of the tire mounted on the vehicle.

3. The tire maintenance support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tire replacement number calculation unit calculates, for each period, the replacement cost for all tires to which the replacement time calculated by the replacement time calculation unit corresponds, by adding the cost of purchasing new tires, the cost of disposing of old tires, and the labor cost for tire replacement work.

4. A tire information acquisition step involves receiving tire tread depth data, including predicted tread depth data for the tires mounted on each vehicle, from an external tire management server device via a communication network for multiple vehicles under operational management. A replacement timing calculation step calculates the time at which the predicted data included in the tire tread depth data obtained in the tire information acquisition step falls below a threshold for the amount of tread depth at which tire replacement is required, and determines this as the replacement timing for each tire. A tire replacement count calculation step calculates the number of tires to be replaced for each period on the time axis by totaling all tires to which the replacement timing calculated in the replacement timing calculation step applies, A display processing step that generates a chart showing the number of tires to be replaced for each period calculated by the above-mentioned tire replacement calculation step, and for each period, information on the position of the tire in the axle arrangement corresponding to the replacement time, and identification information of the vehicle on which the tire is mounted, and displays it on the screen of the display unit. A tire maintenance support program characterized by having a computer execute the following.

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