Tire scanner

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention is a tire scanner comprising: a main body fixed to the ground at a middle point in the width direction of a path through which a vehicle to be inspected enters or exits; at least one camera module disposed in the main body and having an angle of view enabling photographing of a tread portion of a tire on at least one selected from among both front tires and both rear tires of the vehicle to be inspected; and an AI analysis module that measures the tread wear of each tire by analyzing an image captured by the camera module.

Description

tire scanner

[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0194911, filed December 28, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a tire scanner, and more particularly, to a tire scanner that inspects the tread of a tire by photographing the tire through a camera from under a vehicle to be inspected.

[0003] Since most car accidents caused by worn tires lead to major traffic accidents, inspecting tire wear is a very important factor in automobile safety management.

[0004] Traditionally, tire wear inspections have been conducted by inspectors visually inspecting the tire's exterior. However, this method, which relies on visual inspection, suffers from individual differences in the inspector's ability to objectively assess tire wear and makes it difficult to accurately assess the timing of tire replacement. Furthermore, the process of manually measuring tread wear by touching a depth gauge to the surface of the tire tread can lead to errors in measurements due to factors such as the inspector's skill level or hand tremors, resulting in low reliability.

[0005] Alternatively, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0426143 proposes a "portable tire tread shape and depth measuring device." According to Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0426143, the device measures the wear and shape of the tread according to the driving distance by positioning a sensor that can move in the tread width direction on the upper side of the tire tread while rotating the tire at a constant speed, storing the detection data of the sensor in a computer, and comparing it with the data of the tire before driving pre-stored in the computer, thereby preventing measurement deviation, being unaffected by the measurement even when the tread is abnormally worn, and being able to accurately measure the depth of the tread groove in a short time regardless of location.

[0006] However, this technology is cumbersome as the driver must manually operate the device by installing it on the tire from outside the vehicle.

[0007] As another alternative, Korean Patent Publication No. 2008-0077812 proposes a "Tire Tread Measuring Device Using a Line Scanner." Korean Patent Publication No. 2008-0077812 discloses a technique for measuring the shape and depth of a tire tread using information reflected from a tire tread, and for rotating the tire at a constant speed using a rotational motor during tread measurement. However, this technique requires the tire to be rotated during tread measurement, making it ineffective for measuring the tread of a vehicle parked on the road.

[0008] Another tire tread measurement technique involves embedding a scanner in the ground and photographing the tread as the vehicle's tire passes over a viewing window above the scanner. This method allows the camera to get very close to the tire tread and, in good lighting conditions, can measure the remaining tread height in increments of 0.00 mm. However, the camera's field of view can be obscured by dust, water, and other contaminants, and the viewing window is frequently damaged by the vehicle's weight. Furthermore, it can only measure vehicles with a width corresponding to the gap between the two scanners. For example, conventional tire scanners often generate errors when measuring a relatively wide car like a Carnival, as the width of the car slightly exceeds the scanner's position.

[0009] The present invention was created in consideration of the above points, and its purpose is to provide a tire scanner having a structure capable of measuring tread wear by scanning the tire tread regardless of the vehicle width for various vehicle types.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a tire scanner that can accurately inspect the tread condition even in a tread portion where light is weakly applied using a guide laser.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a tire scanner that can prevent equipment damage due to the load of a vehicle by not allowing the tire to come into contact with the main body.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a tire scanner having a camera arrangement structure capable of preventing the camera's viewing window from being contaminated by various foreign substances.

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a tire scanner including: a main body fixed to the ground at a midpoint in the width direction of a path through which an inspection vehicle enters or exits; at least one camera module disposed on the main body and having an angle of view capable of photographing a tread portion of at least one of the front tires and the rear tires of the inspection vehicle; and an AI analysis module for analyzing an image photographed by the camera module to measure the tread wear of each tire.

[0014] The above camera module further includes a guide laser that projects a laser beam onto the tread surface of the tire being photographed, and the AI ​​analysis module can perform image analysis on the area where the laser beam is projected and photographed by the camera module to calculate the tread wear level.

[0015] The above body has a slim housing with a viewing window provided on the side and a relatively low height compared to the width and height, and the camera modules are respectively arranged on both sides inside the body so as to be able to take pictures with an angle of view of less than 90 degrees through the viewing window.

[0016] It may further include a lighting module arranged around the camera module and irradiating lighting light toward the tire.

[0017] The above AI analysis module analyzes whether the air pressure is normal through machine learning based on the degree of compression of the tire captured by the camera module, and when analyzing whether the air pressure is normal, it can calculate the result value by reflecting the front / rear weight distribution value according to the vehicle type information of the vehicle being tested.

[0018] It further includes a vehicle detection sensor spaced apart from the main body in the longitudinal direction of the path, and when a vehicle is detected by the vehicle detection sensor, the camera module and the AI ​​module can operate.

[0019] The above guide laser can be fixed to the ground around the main body.

[0020] The tire scanner according to the present invention has the following effects.

[0021] First, since it scans tire treads using the camera module's field of view regardless of vehicle width, it can perform tread inspections on vehicles of various sizes, from compact cars to large vehicles.

[0022] Second, the tread condition can be accurately inspected even in areas where light is weakly applied through estimation processing using a guide laser and AI analysis module.

[0023] Third, since the tires do not come into contact with the body, damage to the equipment due to the load of the vehicle can be prevented.

[0024] Fourth, the camera module can be positioned so that it does not face the normal surface of the ground, thereby preventing the camera module's viewing window from being contaminated by foreign substances or moisture.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a layout structure between a tire scanner and a tire of an automobile according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the exterior of the tire scanner in Figure 1.

[0027] Figure 3 is a plan view illustrating an example of performing a tread inspection on both tires from the rear when the vehicle to be inspected exits.

[0028] Figure 4 is a plan view illustrating an example of performing a tread inspection on both tires in front when a vehicle to be inspected enters.

[0029] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the tread wear amount estimation process performed by the guide laser and AI analysis module.

[0030] Figure 6 is a plan view for explaining the processing of analyzing whether air pressure is normal based on the degree of tire compression in the AI ​​analysis module.

[0031] Fig. 7 is a front view showing an example of use of a tire scanner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of a tire scanner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0034] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement structure between a tire scanner and a tire of an automobile according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the exterior of the tire scanner in FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a tire scanner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 8, a tire scanner (10) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a main body (11), at least one camera module (12) mounted on the main body (11), and an AI analysis module (20) that analyzes an image captured by the camera module (12) to calculate the wear degree of the tread (102).

[0036] The main body (11) can be fixed to the ground at the midpoint in the width direction of the path through which the vehicle to be inspected enters or exits. The main body (11) can be detachably installed on the ground by a predetermined fastening means. It is preferable that the main body (11) be configured in a slim shape so as to fit the space under the vehicle (100), that is, the space between the ground and the vehicle body. Considering that the tire to be inspected (101) is located within a predetermined angle range on both sides of the main body (11) during measurement, the main body (11) can be provided with a slim housing in the shape of a rectangular tube having a relatively low height compared to the width and height and having viewing windows (11a, 11b) provided on at least both sides. The shape of the main body (11) is not limited to the example shown in the drawing and can be modified in various ways.

[0037] The viewing window (11a, 11b) is intended to transmit light while protecting the camera module (12) and the lighting module (13) from foreign substances, etc., and may be formed of a plate-shaped body made of a transparent material such as acrylic, PC (polycarbonate), or tempered glass.

[0038] The camera module (12) is placed in the main body (11) and is equipped with a lens having an angle of view capable of simultaneously photographing the tread (102) portion of both front tires (101) or both rear tires (101) of the vehicle to be inspected at a midpoint in the width direction of the vehicle's travel path. For example, a wide-angle lens having an angle of view in the range of 16-35 mm or 17-28 mm can be employed as the lens. More specifically, a ready-made product having an angle of view of 22 mm, 24 mm, or 38 mm can be employed.

[0039] The camera modules (12) can be arranged on each side of the body (11) considering the arrangement relationship between the body (11) and the tires (101). As illustrated in FIG. 3, the camera modules (12) can photograph the tread (102) portion at the rear of the tires (101) of the vehicle to be inspected. That is, as the vehicle to be inspected moves from the measurement location (the location where the tire scanner (10) is located) along a predetermined path, the camera modules (12) can photograph both tires (101) at the front of the vehicle to be inspected at the same time, and then photograph both tires (101) at the rear of the vehicle to be inspected at the same time.

[0040] Alternatively, the camera module (12) can photograph the tread (102) portion in front of the tire (101) of the vehicle to be inspected, as illustrated in FIG. 4. That is, as the vehicle to be inspected enters the measurement location along a predetermined path, the camera module (12) can photograph both tires (101) at the front of the vehicle to be inspected at the same time, and then photograph both tires (101) at the rear of the vehicle to be inspected at the same time.

[0041] The lighting module (13) is composed of, for example, a plurality of power LED elements and provides lighting during shooting. Since the lighting module (13) corresponds to the camera module (12), one can be placed on each side of the main body (11).

[0042] The guide laser (14) is mounted at the end of the fixing member (15) and projects a laser light toward the tire (101). More preferably, the guide laser (14) projects a laser beam onto the surface portion of the tread (102) of the tire (101) that is photographed by the camera module (12). As illustrated in FIG. 5, the laser beam projected from the guide laser (14) is reflected from the bottom surface (B) of the groove (103) of the tire (101), and the resulting reflected light is photographed by the camera module (12) to provide a reference line (R) for more accurately analyzing the degree of wear of the tread (102). That is, since the illumination light irradiated onto the tire (101) from the illumination module (13) is obliquely incident on the tread (102) surface at an acute angle of less than 90 degrees, a shadow area (S) where the illumination light does not reach the groove (103) of the tire (101) may be generated. In this case, since it is difficult to identify the bottom surface (B) of the groove (103) in the image captured by the camera module (12), there is a problem that the height (d) from the bottom surface (B) of the groove (103) to the worn portion of the tread (102) cannot be calculated or an error occurs. However, this problem can be solved by reflecting the laser reflection light projected from the guide laser (14) and reflected from the bottom surface of the groove (103) of the tire (101) in the wear measurement of the tread (102).

[0043] The fixing member (15) may be fixed to the ground around the main body (11) to support the guide laser (14). Alternatively, the fixing member (15) may be buried in the ground. Alternatively, the fixing member (15) may be installed on both sides of the main body (11) so that the length thereof can be selectively extended or spread out from the main body (11).

[0044] The vehicle detection sensor (16) may be positioned at a predetermined distance from the main body (11) in the longitudinal direction of the path. More preferably, the vehicle detection sensor (16) may be configured by a pressure sensor or a light sensor in the form of a detection line positioned in a direction crossing the path.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 8, the tire scanner (10) includes a communication interface (17) that is connected to a computer or communication device outside the device to transmit and receive data, and a control unit (18) that is in charge of overall control and analyzes an image captured by a camera module (12) to measure the wear of the tread (102) of each tire (101).

[0046] The communication interface (17) is a communication unit installed in the main body (11) and performs wired or wireless communication with the outside.

[0047] The control unit (18) includes an inspection unit controller (19) and an AI analysis module (20). The inspection unit controller (19) controls the operation of the camera module (12), lighting module (13), and AI analysis module (20) when a vehicle is detected by the vehicle detection sensor (16).

[0048] The AI ​​analysis module (20) analyzes the image captured by the camera module (12) to practically measure the wear of the tread (102) of each tire (101). The AI ​​analysis module (20) can calculate the wear of the tread (102) by analyzing the image on the area where the laser beam captured by the camera module (12) is projected. Referring again to FIG. 5, the AI ​​analysis module (20) analyzes the laser reflection light reflected from the bottom surface of the groove (103) of the tire (101) to generate a reference line (R), that is, a virtual line extending in a straight line in the width direction of the tire (101) from the bottom surface of the groove (103), and performs an estimation process to calculate the height (d) of each worn portion of the tread (102) based on this, thereby enabling precise measurement of the worn portion adjacent to the shaded area (S).

[0049] The AI ​​analysis module (20) can determine whether the air pressure of the tire (101) is normal through image analysis of the tread (102) portion in close contact with the ground. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the AI ​​analysis module (20) can analyze whether the air pressure is normal through machine learning based on the degree of compression of the tires (101) located on the front left (1) / front right (2) / rear left (3) / rear right (4) respectively, which are captured by the camera module (12). When analyzing whether the air pressure is normal, the AI ​​analysis module (20) can calculate the result value by reflecting the front / rear weight distribution numerical data according to the vehicle type information (diesel / gasoline, front-wheel drive / rear-wheel drive, etc.) of the tested vehicle that is stored in advance. For example, in the case of a front-wheel drive diesel vehicle, the weight distribution numerical data may be set at a ratio of 'front wheel:rear wheel = 60~55:40~45', and in the case of a front-wheel drive gasoline vehicle, the weight distribution numerical data may be set at a ratio of 'front wheel:rear wheel = 55~50:45~50'.

[0050] When the present invention is applied, the tire scanner (10) is fixed to the ground at the midpoint in the width direction of the path through which the vehicle to be inspected enters or exits (see FIG. 7), and since it scans the tire (101) tread (102) using the angle of view of the camera module (12) regardless of the vehicle width, it can perform tread (102) inspection on automobiles (100) of various sizes from compact cars to large cars.

[0051] In addition, the condition of the tread (102) can be accurately inspected even in the shaded area inside the groove (103) where the light is weak or not at all through the baseline estimation process using the guide laser (14) and the AI ​​analysis module (20).

[0052] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is obvious that various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention and the equivalent scope of the patent claims to be described below by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains.

[0053] When the present invention is applied, it is possible to perform tread inspection on automobiles of various sizes, from compact cars to large cars, by scanning the tire tread using the angle of view of the camera module.

Claims

1. A body fixed to the ground at the midpoint of the width of the path through which the vehicle to be inspected enters or exits; At least one camera module disposed on the main body and having an angle of view capable of photographing a tread portion of at least one of the front and rear tires of the vehicle to be inspected; and A tire scanner including an AI analysis module that analyzes images captured by the camera module to measure the tread wear of each tire.

2. In paragraph 1, Further comprising a guide laser for projecting a laser beam onto the tread surface of the tire being photographed by the camera module; A tire scanner characterized in that the above AI analysis module calculates tread wear by performing image analysis on the area projected with the laser beam captured by the above camera module.

3. In paragraph 2, The above body has a slim housing with a viewing window on the side and a relatively low height compared to the width and height. A tire scanner characterized in that the camera modules are respectively positioned on both sides inside the main body and perform shooting with an angle of view of less than 90 degrees through the viewing window.

4. In paragraph 3, A tire scanner further comprising a lighting module arranged around the camera module and irradiating light for illumination toward the tire.

5. In the third paragraph, the AI ​​analysis module, Machine learning is used to analyze whether the air pressure is normal based on the degree of tire compression captured by the above camera module. A tire scanner characterized in that it calculates the result value by reflecting the front / rear weight distribution value according to the vehicle type information of the vehicle being inspected when analyzing whether the above air pressure is normal.

6. In paragraph 5, Further comprising a vehicle detection sensor spaced apart from the main body in the longitudinal direction of the path; A tire scanner characterized in that the camera module and the AI ​​module operate when a vehicle is detected by the vehicle detection sensor.

7. In paragraph 2, A tire scanner, characterized in that the guide laser is fixed to the ground around the main body.

Images