Tire case life prediction system

The present invention relates to a tire case life prediction system for predicting the remaining life of a tread rubber and a tire having a case arranged inside the tread rubber in the radial direction of the tire and including at least a carcass ply. ..

Retread tires (rehabilitated tires) manufactured by pasting vulcanized tread rubber or unvulcanized tread material on a tire case that can be used repeatedly for a certain period of time and vulcanizing and adhering it are known. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). By using such a retread tire, the case can be used for a long period of time, and the user's cost can be effectively reduced.

<p><patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-96762</text></patcit></p>

<p> Here, the case life (life) of a retread tire varies greatly depending on the tire usage status (for example, the running status of a vehicle equipped with the tire). In addition, it is difficult to grasp the state of the case by inspection or the like. Therefore, it was difficult to predict the remaining life of the retread tire case. As a result, the user of the retread tire cannot properly select the tread rubber according to the remaining life of the case, and even if the replaced tread rubber is still usable, the life of the case is exhausted first. Sometimes the tread rubber was wasted. An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a system capable of predicting the remaining life of a tire case.</p>

<p> The tire case life prediction system of the present invention is a tire case life prediction system that predicts the remaining life of a tire including a tread rubber and a case arranged inside the tread rubber in the tire radial direction. A tire condition measuring means that measures a characteristic value including at least tire internal pressure information indicating a tire condition or a vehicle running condition, and at least one place in the case based on the characteristic value measured by the tire condition measuring means. At least one case component that can be deteriorated due to the air temperature in the tire based on the temperature history estimating means for estimating the temperature history and at least the temperature history estimated by the temperature history estimating means and the tire internal pressure information. A member physical property estimation means for estimating at least one current physical property value of the tire, and a tire until the current physical property value estimated by the member physical property estimation means reaches a preset limit physical property value. It is characterized by having a means for predicting the remaining mileage, which predicts the mileage. According to this tire case life prediction system, it is possible to predict the remaining life of a tire case such as a retread tire.</p><p> Here, the "remaining life of the tire case" as used in this specification and claims is the period from the time when the prediction is attempted (hereinafter referred to as "the present") to the failure of the tire case. It shall mean the mileage of the tire. The "characteristic value indicating the tire state or the running state of the vehicle" is the temperature inside the tire or the surface of the tire, the internal pressure information of the tire, the speed / mileage / position of the vehicle, the engine speed, the idling time, and the sudden acceleration / sudden. It refers to characteristic values such as deceleration status. Further, the "case component" refers to a component such as a belt, a bead, or a carcass, and the "physical property value of the case component" refers to the physical property value of each component related to the failure of the case. Say. Further, the "temperature history" does not necessarily refer to the history of temperature (continuous temporal change of temperature) in all time zones from the past to the present, for example, at least a plurality of times from the past to the present. It may be the temperature at the time point, which means that it is not the temperature at least one point at the time of measurement. In addition, the "marginal physical characteristic value" refers to the physical characteristic value of the case constituent member when the tire case life prediction system of the present invention determines that the case has reached the end of its life, for example, when the case breaks down. It is the physical property value of the case constituent member and a certain safety factor added to the physical property value.</p><p> Then, another tire case life prediction system of the present invention predicts the remaining life of the case in a tire including the tread rubber and a case arranged inside the tread rubber in the tire radial direction and including at least a carcass ply. A tire condition measuring means, which is a tire case life prediction system and measures at least tire internal pressure information indicating a tire condition or a vehicle running condition and a temperature history of one or more places in the case, and at least the tire condition measurement. Guessing at least one current physical property value of at least one case component that may deteriorate due to the air temperature in the tire based on the temperature history measured by the means and the tire internal pressure information. The means and the remaining mileage predicting means for predicting the mileage of the tire until the current physical property value estimated by the member physical property estimating means reaches a preset limit physical property value. It is characterized by that. According to this tire case life prediction system, it is possible to accurately predict the remaining life of a tire case such as a retread tire.</p><p> Here, in this tire case life prediction system, the tire internal pressure information includes at least the tire internal pressure application time which is the time when the tire internal pressure is applied, and the member physical property estimation means includes the tire internal pressure information and the temperature history. It is preferable to estimate the current physical property values of the case constituent members based on the above. In this case, the remaining life of the tire case can be predicted more accurately by directly measuring the tire internal pressure application time and estimating the deterioration of the case constituent members.</p><p> Further, it is preferable that the tire case life prediction system further includes a mileage correction means for correcting the mileage based on the tire usage condition information. In this case, the remaining life of the tire case can be predicted more accurately by correcting the mileage according to various situations in which the tire is used. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the slope of the curve showing the relationship between the tire mileage and the member deterioration index of the belt coating rubber of the tire when a predetermined heat is continuously applied is changed according to the tire usage condition information. This corrects the mileage predicted by the curve. The "tire usage condition information" as used in this specification and claims refers to information indicating the usage conditions of tires mounted on a vehicle, for example, the type of vehicle and the tire mounting location (front and rear wheels). , Left and right, etc.), the load capacity of the vehicle, the condition of the road surface on which the vehicle travels, and the average traveling speed and traveling time of the vehicle that can be calculated from the tire condition measuring means and the like.</p><p> Here, in this tire case life prediction system, the tire condition measuring means continuously measures at least one of the characteristic values, and the temperature history estimating means continuously measures the temperature history based on the characteristic values. It is preferable to estimate. In this case, the tire member physical property value can be estimated more accurately by continuously estimating the temperature history.</p>

<p> According to the tire case life prediction system of the present invention, the remaining life of the tire case can be predicted.</p>

<figref num="1">It is a figure which shows the tire case life prediction system of one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="2">It is a functional block diagram which shows the control configuration of the system of FIG.</figref><figref num="3">It is a figure which shows the relationship between the tire mileage and the member deterioration index of the belt coating rubber of a tire.</figref><figref num="4">It is a flowchart when a user predicts the remaining life of a tire case.</figref>

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated and described with reference to the drawings. (System configuration) FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a tire case life prediction system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The tire case life prediction system 1 predicts the remaining life of a tire case including a tread rubber such as a retread tire and a case arranged inside the tread rubber in the tire radial direction and containing at least a carcass ply. It is a suitable system. In the description of the tire case life prediction system of this embodiment, the "user" means a person who operates a terminal to check the remaining life of the tire case, for example, a driver, a carrier, a retread trader, and a tire seller. Is. The tire case life prediction system 1 is composed of a plurality of vehicles 2, a server 3, and one or more terminals 4, and the server 3 is communicably connected to each of the vehicles 2 and terminals 4 via a network 5. To. The vehicle 2 transmits the characteristic value described later to the server 3. Examples of networks that connect vehicle 2 and server 3 include wireless lines and satellite lines. The server 3 is a server that predicts the remaining life of the tire case based on the characteristic value received from the vehicle 2 and displays it on the terminal 4. The terminal 4 receives and displays the remaining life of the tire case predicted by the server 3. As an example of the terminal 4, various devices such as a PC, a PDA, and a mobile phone can be used. The server 3 and the terminal 4 can be integrated. The interface between the server 3 and the terminal 4 can be realized by, for example, the server 3 launching the WEB server, the terminal 4 equipped with the WEB browser, and communication by HTTP or HTTPS.

(Vehicle configuration) The vehicle 2 is configured to measure one or more characteristic values including at least tire internal pressure information indicating a tire state or a running state of the vehicle and wirelessly transmit them to the server 3. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle 2 includes a tire condition measuring means including a TPMS21, an operation recording instrument 22, a GPS23, and an information communication means 24. It should be noted that these devices are merely examples, and the vehicle can be equipped with various devices as tire condition measuring means. The TPMS21 is attached to the wheel or the like of the vehicle 2 and measures tire internal pressure information / temperature information, tire internal pressure application time, and the like. The information measured by the TPMS 21 is wirelessly transmitted to the information communication means 24 of the vehicle 2 every minute, for example. The operation recording instrument 22 measures the mileage / speed of the vehicle 2, the engine speed, the idling time, the acceleration of the vehicle, and the like. GPS23 measures the position of vehicle 2. This information is also periodically transmitted to the information communication means 24. In the information communication means 24, the vehicle 2 communicates with the server 3 via the network 5.

(Server configuration) As shown in FIG. 2, the server 3 includes a database 31, a temperature history estimation means 32, a member physical property estimation means 33, a remaining mileage prediction means 34, a mileage correction means 35, and a weather information acquisition means. It is equipped with 36, a display means 37, and an information communication means 38. The database 31 stores various information necessary for predicting the remaining life of the tire case from the characteristic values measured by the vehicle 2. The information stored in the database 31 will be described later. The temperature history estimation means 32 estimates the temperature history of at least one place in the case based on the characteristic value measured by the vehicle 2 and the information stored in the database 31 as needed. The member physical property estimation means 33 estimates the current physical characteristic value of the case component member that may deteriorate due to the air temperature inside the tire. The remaining mileage predicting means 34 predicts the mileage of the tire until the physical property value of the case component member reaches a preset limit physical characteristic value. The mileage correction means 35 corrects the mileage of the tire based on the tire usage condition information. The meteorological information acquisition means 36 acquires meteorological information such as outside air temperature, humidity, and wind speed. The meteorological information acquisition means 36 can be configured to receive the meteorological information provided by a trader or the like, and the meteorological information acquisition means 36 can also provide a sensor to directly acquire the meteorological information. The display means 37 causes the terminal 4 to display the mileage predicted by the remaining mileage prediction means 34. It is also possible to display the physical characteristic value estimated by the member physical characteristic estimation means 33. In the information communication means 38, the server 3 communicates with the vehicle 2 and the terminal 4 via the Internet.

(Database configuration) The database 31 stores various information necessary for estimating the temperature history of at least one place in the case from the characteristic values measured by the tire condition information measuring means. In addition, the database 31 stores various information necessary for estimating at least one current physical property value of at least one case component that may deteriorate due to the air temperature in the tire. The database 31 preferably stores the above information for various tires. Further, even if the acceleration of the vehicle is constant, the change in the air temperature inside the tire becomes large as the load applied to the tire becomes large. Database 31 can store information indicating changes in tire air temperature with respect to various loads. Here, the temperature of the tire is not uniform and varies depending on the position of the tire. After measuring or estimating the air temperature inside the tire with TPMS etc., estimating the temperature of the failed core part from the relationship with the temperature of the failed core part greatly affects the failure of the case, but it is difficult to measure directly. The temperature of the failed core can be determined. The "failed core portion" is a portion such as a belt end or a ply end that has a lot of distortion and thermal deterioration and can be the first failed core portion of the tire. Then, when the tire is attached to each of the steering wheel, the driving wheel, and the driven wheel of the vehicle 2, for example, the temperature change of the faulty core part of the tire, or when the tire is attached to each of the front wheel and the rear wheel of the vehicle 2. Information indicating changes in the tire air temperature (that is, changes in the tire air temperature depending on where the tires are mounted) can also be stored in the database 31. In addition, it is possible to store in a database information indicating changes in the air temperature inside the tire when the tire size and the outside air temperature are different.

(Various information for estimating the current physical property values of case components) FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the tire mileage and the member deterioration index of the belt coating rubber of the tire. Generally, the case component deteriorates due to oxygen in the tire and the mileage of the tire. Further, the degree of deterioration at a certain point in time can be expressed by a physical property value such as a member deterioration index at that time point. Since the degree of deterioration is greatly affected by heat, a plurality of information indicating changes in each physical property value when different heats are continuously applied to the case constituents (when the case constituents are maintained at various temperatures). Is preferably obtained by conducting a test in advance and stored in the database 31. Information for obtaining the current physical characteristic values of the case constituent members (hereinafter, referred to as physical characteristic value information) is stored in the database 31. The tire case life prediction system according to the present invention can predict the remaining life of the tire case by estimating the current physical property values of the case constituent members based on the physical characteristic value information. The degree of deterioration of the case constituent members is also affected by the magnitude of the internal pressure of the tire and the presence or absence of oxygen in the tire. Therefore, each physical property value information such as each internal pressure of the tire and the presence or absence of oxygen in the tire can be stored in the database 31 and used for predicting the remaining life of the tire case.

(Limited physical property value) Before predicting the remaining life of the tire case, the limit physical property values of the case constituent members are set in the database 31. As described above, this limit physical property value can be a physical characteristic value at the time of failure of the case, and a certain safety factor can be added to the physical characteristic value. The limit physical property value can be obtained, for example, by conducting a test. It is preferable to store the information for correcting the mileage based on the tire usage condition information described later in the database 31 from the viewpoint of more accurately predicting the remaining life of various tire cases.

(Tire usage condition information) Tire usage condition information can be stored in the database 31. As described above, the tire usage condition information refers to information indicating the usage conditions of the tires mounted on the vehicle, for example, the type of the vehicle, the tire mounting locations (front and rear wheels, left and right, etc.), and the load capacity of the vehicle. In addition to the condition of the road surface on which the vehicle travels, the average traveling speed and traveling time of the vehicle that can be calculated from the tire condition measuring means and the like are included. This tire usage condition information is input by the driver of the vehicle 2, the maintenance person, and the like.

(Terminal configuration) As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 4 includes an information communication means 41, a display screen 42, and a printing means 43. The information communication means 41 has a function of transmitting and receiving information to and from the server 3 via the network 5. As the information communication means, for example, a WEB browser capable of connecting to an Internet line can be used. The display screen 42 displays the remaining mileage predicted by the server 3. The printing means 43 can print the contents displayed on the display screen 42.

(Explanation of system functions) The system function for predicting the remaining life of the tire case will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Before performing the following functions, it is assumed that the vehicle 2 is equipped with the tire condition measuring means, and the database 31 of the server 3 stores the above-mentioned various information and the like.

(Measurement of characteristic value) (1) The tire condition measuring means measures a characteristic value indicating a tire condition or a vehicle running condition. For example, TPMS21 measures the internal pressure of the tire and the air temperature inside the tire, the operation recording instrument 22 measures the mileage / speed, engine speed, idling time, and vehicle acceleration of vehicle 2, and GPS23 measures the position of vehicle 2. To measure. (2) The information and communication means 24 of the vehicle 2 transmits the characteristic values measured by the tire condition measuring means such as the TPMS21, the operation recording instrument 22, and the GPS23 to the server 3. In addition to the characteristic value, the information communication means 24 can transmit the time when the characteristic value is measured, the information for identifying the vehicle 2, the information for identifying the tire measured by the tire condition measuring means, and the like.

(Estimation of temperature history in the case) The information communication means 38 of the server 3 receives the characteristic value, and the temperature history estimation means 32 shows the relationship between the received characteristic value, the speed and acceleration of the vehicle stored in the database 31, for example, and the air temperature in the tire. Based on the information, the air temperature inside the tire is obtained and the temperature history inside the case is estimated. An example of the detailed procedure is shown below. (1) First, the acceleration of the vehicle 2 is obtained from the speed of the vehicle 2 measured by the operation recording instrument 22. If necessary, the vehicle position information measured by GPS23 is used. The air temperature inside the tire is estimated from the obtained speed / acceleration of the vehicle 2 and the information stored in the database 31. Only when TPMS21 cannot be used, the speed history of the vehicle can be estimated by using the operation recording instrument 22, and the air temperature inside the tire can be estimated. (2) Then, estimate the temperature history of each position of the case based on the information indicating the relationship between the temperature inside the tire measured by TPMS21 and the temperature of each position of the tire stored in the database 31. Can be done. For example, the TPMS21 can measure the air temperature in the tire, and the temperature history of the failed core portion can be estimated by using the relationship between the air temperature in the tire and the temperature of the failed core portion. Here, the meteorological information acquisition means 36 can acquire meteorological information such as outside air temperature and humidity, and can estimate the temperature history based on the meteorological information. Further, when the tire usage condition information is stored in the database 31, the tire usage condition information can be used for estimating the temperature history. For example, the load applied to the tire is obtained from the load of the vehicle, the air temperature in the tire is estimated from the relationship between the speed and acceleration of the vehicle and the air temperature in the tire with respect to the load, and the temperature history is estimated. Can be done. (3) If the TPMS21 is attached to only some of the tires of vehicle 2, use the information stored in the database 31 that indicates the change in the air temperature inside the tire depending on the location where the tire is attached. It is possible to estimate the air surface temperature inside the tire without the TPMS attached. (4) If necessary, the information and communication means 38 of the server 3 continuously receives the characteristic values measured by the tire condition measuring means of the vehicle and estimates the temperature at each time to estimate one or more cases. It is possible to create a continuous temperature history (temperature profile) of the components (here, the faulty core part) of.

(Estimation of current physical property values for case components) (1) From the temperature history (including the temperature profile) of one or more components of the case estimated by the temperature history estimation means 32 of the server 3 to one or more components (failed core part, etc.) of the case. Obtain the applied heat (temperature of the constituent members). (2) With reference to the physical property value information as shown in FIG. 3 stored in the database 31, it is measured or estimated based on the heat applied to the case components, the tire internal pressure information received from the vehicle 2, and other characteristic values. Based on the tire mileage, it is possible to estimate the current physical property values of the case constituent members after the predetermined tire mileage has elapsed. Preferably, the tire internal pressure information includes the tire internal pressure application time, that is, by directly measuring the tire internal pressure application time, the current physical property values of the case constituent members can be estimated more accurately. On the other hand, for example, the tire internal pressure application time can be estimated by continuously acquiring the tire internal pressure information. It is preferable to correct the current physical property values of the case constituent members according to the magnitude of the internal pressure of the tire and the presence or absence of oxygen in the tire.

(Prediction of mileage) (1) The database 31 stores the limit physical property values of the case constituent members. (2) Based on the physical characteristic values of the case constituent members estimated by the member physical property estimation means 33, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the tire mileage up to now and the physical property values such as the member deterioration index are set in advance. The difference from the tire mileage when the limit physical property value is reached (that is, the mileage) is obtained. If necessary, the mileage correction means 35 can correct the mileage based on the tire usage condition information. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, by changing the slope of the curve showing the relationship between the tire mileage and the member deterioration index of the belt coating rubber of the tire according to the tire usage condition information, the running predicted by the curve. Correct the possible distance.

(Flow when predicting the remaining life of the tire case) Hereinafter, the flow when the user predicts the remaining life of the tire case will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S101, weighting, statistical processing, etc. are performed on the results of the tire developer and the like performing the drum test and the vehicle running test on the circuit, and / or the data actually measured by the user by attaching the TPMS or the like to the vehicle. For example, changes in tire air temperature when the vehicle is accelerated or decelerated, the relationship between tire air temperature and the temperature of the faulty core, tire mileage and tire belt coating as shown in Fig. 3. Various information necessary to estimate the temperature history of at least one place in the case, such as the relationship with the rubber member deterioration index, and at least one case component that can deteriorate due to the tire air temperature. The database 31 is created by acquiring various information necessary for estimating at least one current physical property value. In step S201, tire condition measuring means such as TPMS21, operation recording instrument 22, and GPS23 are attached to one or more vehicles 2 to measure characteristic values including tire internal pressure information. The measured characteristic value is transmitted to the server 3 by the information communication means 24. Instead of transmitting the characteristic value, the characteristic value measured by the tire condition measuring means can be stored in the storage medium, and the server 3 can read the storage medium. In step S301, the server 3 estimates the temperature history of one or more components of each tire case based on the characteristic values received from one or more vehicles, and the temperature history and the tire acquired from the vehicle 2. Based on the internal pressure information, the current physical property value of the case component that may deteriorate due to the air temperature inside the tire is estimated, and the remaining mileage until the physical property value reaches the limit physical property value is predicted. When the temperature history of one or more places in the case is directly measured in step S201, the deterioration is caused by the air temperature inside the tire based on the measured temperature history and the tire internal pressure information acquired from the vehicle 2. It is possible to infer the current physical property values of the possible case components. In step S401, the user operates terminal 4 to sir. The mileage predicted by B3 is displayed on the display screen of the terminal 4. After the user confirms the mileage (that is, the remaining life of the tire case), for example, the predicted remaining life of the tire case and the pre-calculated life of the tread rubber attached to the case are approximately equal to each other. The tread rubber can be selected to match and the tread rubber can be prevented from being rectified if the predicted tire case has a short remaining life. In this way, the user can realize cost reduction and environmental load reduction by using the remaining life of the case predicted by the tire case life prediction system, and can predict the failure of the case in advance. Can be done.

Although the flow for predicting the case life of a retread tire has been described so far, the tire case life prediction system of the present invention can also be used for a tire other than the retread tire. For example, it is possible to predict the remaining life of a passenger car tire and notify the driver. It can also be used during tire research and development.

1 Tire case life prediction system 2 vehicle 3 server 4 terminals 5 network 21 TPMS (tire condition measuring means) 22 Operation record instrument (tire condition measuring means) 23 GPS (tire condition measuring means) 24 Information and communication means 31 database 32 Temperature history estimation method 33 Means for estimating physical characteristics of members 34 Remaining mileage prediction means 35 Mileage correction means 36 Meteorological information acquisition means 37 Display means 38 Information and communication means 41 Information and communication means 42 Display screen 43 Printing means