Tire Additive Replenishment Using Travel History Degradation Data

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing tire management systems fail to identify the appropriate restoration material needed to restore degraded tire performance due to varying external factors and additive loss, leading to inadequate restoration of tire performance.

Innovation Solution

A tire management system that includes a first acquisition processing portion to gather cause history information and a second acquisition processing portion to gather material information, with a material decision processing portion deciding the appropriate restoration material based on this data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If additive replenishment is performed without identifying the specific additive lost, then restoration treatment can be applied, but the tire performance cannot be appropriately restored due to mismatch between replenished additive and actual degradation cause

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetire performance restoration effectivenessVSAvoidinformation on specific additive loss
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses sensors to detect tire degradation state and feeds this information back to the control unit, which then determines the appropriate additive to replenish. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures that the replenished additive matches the actual degradation cause, resolving the contradiction between performing restoration treatment and having accurate information on additive loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The tire management system automatically monitors its own degradation state and autonomously determines which additive needs replenishment without external intervention. This self-service capability enables the system to maintain accurate information about additive loss and perform targeted restoration, improving restoration effectiveness while eliminating information gaps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Ease of operation

If generic restoration treatment is applied to all degraded tires, then restoration process can be simplified, but the diverse degradation causes from different external factors cannot be addressed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverestoration process simplicityVSAvoidadaptability to different degradation causes
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the restoration treatment based on real-time detection of degradation causes. Rather than using a fixed generic treatment, the control unit modifies the additive selection and replenishment strategy according to the specific degradation pattern detected, enabling both operational simplicity through automation and adaptability to diverse degradation causes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameters of restoration treatment (specifically the type and amount of additive replenished) based on the detected degradation state. This parameter adjustment allows the system to maintain simple automated operation while adapting to different degradation causes caused by various external factors such as ozone, ultraviolet, and mechanical loads.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If detailed monitoring of tire degradation is implemented to identify specific additive loss, then appropriate restoration material can be identified, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedegradation state detection accuracyVSAvoidmonitoring system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit serves multiple functions: it monitors tire degradation, identifies specific additive loss, determines appropriate restoration materials, and controls additive replenishment. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate complex systems into a single integrated unit, achieving high measurement precision while limiting overall system complexity through functional integration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the tire's own operational data and degradation patterns to self-diagnose which additive has been lost, eliminating the need for external complex diagnostic equipment. This self-service approach enables precise degradation monitoring and additive identification while keeping the monitoring system relatively simple by leveraging the tire's inherent information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP4316874B1Tire management system, tire management method, and program
Publication Date: 2026.01.28 SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES LTD
  • EP4316874B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4316874B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4316874B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A tire management system (100) includes a management apparatus (10) and a database portion (30). The tire management system (100) acquires travel history data concerning a history of causes of degradation of tire performance of a tire (1) mounted on a vehicle (50) (S202), and decides a replenishing agent for restoring the tire performance that has been degraded, based on the acquired travel history data (S209, S210).