JP2004322833A - Vehicle-mounted receiver and tire-specific information management system including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a practical tire management system capable of centrally managing tire state information and tire specific information.
A tire has a receiving unit attached to a rim and receiving the data from a rim mounting transmitter for transmitting tire specific information together with tire state information, and a tire unique information storage unit for storing tire specific information. Vehicle-mounted receiver 4 and a tire-specific information management system including the same.
[Selection] Fig. 6

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted receiver for managing tire-specific information such as self-identification information of each tire mounted on a plurality of rims and traveling, and a tire-specific information management system including the same. , Which manages tire-specific information transmitted from a rim-mounted transmitter mounted on a rim.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Attempts have been made to increase the safety of vehicle running by managing tire state information such as internal pressure of tires mounted on the vehicle and also managing tire specific information such as manufacturing history and usage history. A transponder including an internal pressure sensor for detecting the internal pressure of the tire and a storage unit for storing tire-specific information is provided inside or on the inner surface of the tire, an interrogation signal is transmitted from the outside to this transponder, and the transponder transmits the tire-specific information. There is known a tire management system that receives information and tire internal pressure information as response signals. (For example, Patent Document 1).
[0003]
However, this transponder has been proposed to be used by sticking it to a tire because of its light weight.However, in the first place, there is no power supply inside, and the transponder reads data stored in the transponder and transmits an answer signal. Energy depends on the energy of the received interrogation signal, so there is a fundamental problem that the reach of the answer signal is limited. To overcome this problem, various attempts have been made to lengthen the antenna. But it has not been put to practical use yet.
[0004]
Further, when the transponder is provided with the above function, the transponder must include not only means for transmitting an answer signal but also an internal pressure sensor, a circuit for processing data from the internal pressure sensor, and the like. A transponder having a function becomes heavy, and when it is attached to a small tire such as a tire for a passenger car, there is a fear that the balance of the tire may be lost and safe driving may be impaired.
[0005]
On the other hand, a rim-attached transmitter that detects data of a running tire such as a tire internal pressure and transmits the detected data to a receiver on the vehicle body side is conventionally known (for example, Patent Document 2). Since the rim-mounted transmitter is configured to detect the condition of the tire, it does not have the function of inputting / outputting and storing the tire-specific information, so the centralized tire management including the tire-specific information is not provided. It was difficult to build a system.
[0006]
Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a conventional rim-mounted transmitter with a function of storing tire-specific information and transmitting this information to the outside.However, a conventional vehicle-mounted receiver is provided with a conventional rim-mounted transmitter or transponder. Since the transmitted data was received, it was not possible to cope with this new transmission method, that is, a method of transmitting tire-specific information from a rim-mounted transmitter.
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
US Patent No. 5,218,861 [Patent Document 2]
WO 02/094588 Pamphlet [0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and is a practical method capable of centrally managing tire state information such as internal pressure and tire-specific information of a tire mounted and running on a vehicle. More specifically, to receive tire specific information transmitted from a rim mounting transmitter capable of reliably transmitting tire state information and tire specific information to the outside. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle-mounted receiver capable of performing the above-mentioned, and a tire-specific information management system including the same.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, the present invention has been made, and its gist configuration and operation will be described below.
[0010]
The vehicle-mounted receiver according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit receives information including tire-specific information from rim-mounted transmitters attached to a plurality of rims of the vehicle, and a rim corresponding to each rim-mounted transmitter. And a tire unique information storage unit that stores unique information including self-identification information of the tire mounted on the rim corresponding to each rim mounted transmitter.
[0011]
According to this vehicle-mounted receiver, the vehicle-mounted receiver includes a tire-specific information storage unit that stores the unique information of the tire mounted on the rim corresponding to each rim-mounted transmitter in association with each rim-mounted transmitter. Therefore, the tire-specific information transmitted from the rim-mounted transmitter can be received and stored, and therefore, a practical tire capable of centrally managing the tire state information and the tire-specific information of the tire. A management system can be provided.
[0012]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle-mounted receiver according to the first aspect, the tire-specific information includes information related to tire manufacturing.
[0013]
According to this vehicle-mounted receiver, since the tire-specific information includes information related to the manufacture of the tire, for example, information such as a manufacturing lot number or a serial number, which enables tracing of a manufacturing process history and inspection data, such as a tire, In the event of a failure, if this is due to a problem in the manufacture of the tire, the tires with the same problem as the failed tire can be tracked in lots, which can lead to similar failures. It can be prevented before it happens.
[0014]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle-mounted receiver according to the first or second aspect, the tire-specific information includes information related to tire rehabilitation.
[0015]
According to the on-vehicle receiver, the tire-specific information includes information relating to the rehabilitation of the tire, for example, information such as a rehabilitation cereal number, which enables the process history at the time of the rehabilitation and the trace of the inspection data to be performed. If this is the result of a tire rebuilding problem, the tires with the same problem as the failed tire can be tracked in lots, thereby preventing similar failures. can do.
[0016]
In a vehicle-mounted receiver according to a fourth aspect, in the vehicle-mounted receiver according to any one of the first to third aspects, the tire-specific information includes information related to tire repair.
[0017]
According to this vehicle-mounted receiver, since the tire-specific information includes information related to the repair of the tire, for example, the time of the repair, the content of the repair, or information enabling the tracing of these, based on this information, It is possible to limit the use of the tire such as tire load conditions and expiration date, etc., and to decide what to do if repair is necessary, thereby improving the safety when using the tire. it can.
[0018]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle-mounted receiver according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the tire-specific information includes information on use of a tire.
[0019]
According to the vehicle-mounted receiver, since the tire-specific information includes information on the use of the tire, for example, information such as a mounted vehicle history, a mounted position history, a mileage history, an internal pressure, a load, and a load history such as a temperature. Based on the information, it is possible to impose restrictions on the use of the tire, such as tire load conditions and expiration date, and to determine measures to be taken when repairs are necessary, which allows for Safety can be improved.
[0020]
The vehicle-mounted receiver according to claim 6 is the vehicle-mounted receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the information received by the receiver includes information on a tire state including a tire internal pressure. is there.
[0021]
According to this on-vehicle receiver, it is also possible to receive information on the state of the tires. For example, when an abnormality occurs in the tire internal pressure, the driver can be notified of the abnormality as an alarm, and By treating the information of the tire state to be performed as one of the tire-specific information relating to the usage history of the tire, the tire can be finely managed.
[0022]
A vehicle-mounted receiver according to a seventh aspect is the vehicle-mounted receiver according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further including an output unit that outputs at least tire-specific information to the outside.
[0023]
According to this vehicle-mounted receiver, an output unit that outputs tire-specific information to the outside is provided. For example, a tire mounted on this vehicle is installed in a center that manages a large amount of tires, such as a vehicle management center of a certain company. By uploading the latest unique information, comprehensive tire management such as rotation of tires between vehicles can be performed based on a large amount of data at the center, and efficient use of tires can be achieved. it can.
[0024]
In a vehicle-mounted receiver according to an eighth aspect, in the seventh aspect, the output unit performs an output process by transmitting a wireless signal.
[0025]
According to this vehicle-mounted receiver, since this output unit can wirelessly upload the unique information of the mounted tire, if this is performed using wiring, complicated work such as trouble of wiring connection is required. However, for example, by automatically transmitting data wirelessly by sensing that the vehicle has passed a predetermined gate, the receiver provided at this gate is set to receive the data, so that the driver can Can upload data on tire-specific information without being aware of it.
[0026]
The tire-specific information management system according to claim 9, wherein the rim-mounted transmitter is attached to a plurality of rims of the vehicle and transmits information including tire-specific information, and the vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8. It is equipped with an on-board receiver.
[0027]
According to this tire-specific information management system, the vehicle-mounted receiver comprehensively manages the specific information of each tire mounted on the vehicle, as described above, as described above. be able to.
[0028]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the tire-specific information management system according to the ninth aspect, further comprising a tire-specific information writer for writing the tire-specific information to the rim-mounted transmitter.
[0029]
According to this tire-specific information management system, a tire-specific information writer that writes tire-specific information to each rim-mounted transmitter is provided, so that a history that changes due to tire rehabilitation, repair, or use is added. The tire-specific information can be updated, and the tire-specific information can be managed with the latest information.
[0030]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic layout diagram illustrating the configuration of the tire-specific information management system according to the embodiment. The tire-specific information management system 10 includes a rim-mounted transmitter 1 attached to the rim of each wheel W of the vehicle V, a transponder 2 attached to the inner surface of a tire of each wheel W, and a rim-mounted transmitter. 1 includes a vehicle-mounted receiver 4 for receiving information including tire-specific information, and a tire-specific information writer 3 for writing tire-specific information to the rim-mounted transmitter 1.
[0031]
FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view showing a state where the rim-mounted transmitter 1 is mounted on a rim. The rim R on which the tire T is mounted is provided with a rim mounting transmitter 1 for transmitting information about the tire condition such as the tire internal pressure to the outside. Tire-specific information such as the tire ID of the tire is provided on the inner surface of the tire T. Is attached, and this transponder 2 functions as tire identification means for identifying the tire to which it is attached. Further, a tire-specific information writer 3 for writing tire-specific information to the rim-mounting transmitter 1 is movably provided. For example, when a person operates the rim-mounting transmitter while holding it by hand, the tire-specific information is transmitted to the rim. In addition to being able to write to the machine 1, tire specific information can be received and read from the transponder 2, and tire specific information can be received from the rim mounted transmitter 1 and stored and used for tire management. It is configured as follows.
[0032]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the rim-mounted transmitter 1. The rim-mounted transmitter 1 detects an internal pressure of a tire and an air temperature of a tire internal pressure portion as an example of a tire state. 11A and a tire temperature sensor 11B, a tire-specific information storage unit 13 for storing tire-specific information of a tire T mounted on a rim R to which the rim mounting transmitter 1 is mounted, and information relating to a tire state and tire-specific information. , A tire ID input unit 15 for inputting tire-specific information from the tire-specific information writer 3, a transmitter ID storage unit 17 for storing a self-identification code of the rim-mounted transmitter 1, and The control unit 12 controls and processes signals input and output from these units.
[0033]
Here, the tire unique information stored in the tire unique information storage unit 13 includes the following. First, information related to the manufacture of the tire, for example, such as a manufacturing lot number or serial number, is information that allows tracing of process history and inspection data at the time of manufacture, second, information related to the rehabilitation of the tire, for example, Rehabilitation serial number, etc., is information that enables tracing of process history and inspection data at the time of tire rehabilitation. Thirdly, information on tire repair, such as repair time, repair content, or traces of these Fourth, the information is information about the use of the tire, for example, information such as a mounted vehicle history, a mounted position history, a traveling distance history, a load history such as an internal pressure, a load, or a temperature.
[0034]
The tire-specific information storage unit 13 is usually constituted by a ROM capable of saving power consumption. At least the tire ID in the stored tire-specific information is rewritten each time the tire T mounted on the rim R is replaced. This ROM must be rewritable, such as an EEROM. The output unit 14 includes a transmission antenna 14a for transmitting a signal, and the tire-specific information input unit 15 includes a reception antenna 15a for receiving a signal.
[0035]
The operation of the rim-mounted transmitter 1 is as follows. The rim-mounted transmitter 1 has a built-in battery (not shown) and is configured to operate each of the above-described components by the battery. The rim-mounted transmitter 1 spontaneously operates at predetermined intervals by the tire internal pressure sensor 11A and the tire temperature sensor 11B. The detected tire internal pressure and tire temperature data are transmitted to the on-vehicle receiver 4 at predetermined intervals.
[0036]
Apart from this spontaneous operation, the rim mounting transmitter 1 receives the write command signal from the tire-specific information writer 3, In addition to the operation of storing the tire-specific information input from 3 in the tire-specific information storage unit 13, the transmission unit 14 receives the transmission command signal from the on-vehicle receiver 4 via the tire-specific information input unit 15, and , The tire-specific information stored in the tire-specific information storage unit 13 can be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted receiver 4.
[0037]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the transponder 2. The transponder 2 includes a memory 22 for storing rewritable tire-specific information, an antenna 21 for transmitting and receiving to and from the tire-specific information writer 3, and When receiving a signal from the tire-specific information writer 3, a power storage circuit 23 for storing electric energy input via the antenna 21 is provided. According to the write command received as above, the tire-specific information transmitted from the tire-specific information writer 3 is overwritten in the memory 22, and according to the transmission command received from the tire-specific information writer 3 as an inquiry signal, The tire-specific information stored in the memory 22 can be transmitted to the tire-specific information writer 3 as an answer signal.
[0038]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the tire-specific information writer 3. The tire-specific information writer 3 includes a tire-specific information storage unit 32 that stores tire-specific information, and a tire typified by the transponder 2. A tire-specific information reading unit 34 for reading tire-specific information including a tire ID from the identification means, an operation unit 35 for manually inputting a part of the tire-specific information, and a display unit for controlling an interface with an operator in a manual input operation 36, an output unit 33 for transmitting information from the tire-specific information storage unit 32 to the rim-mounted transmitter 1 or the transponder 2, and a control unit 37 for inputting and outputting signals between these components.
[0039]
The tire-specific information writer 3 has a function of bringing the tire-specific information closer to the tire T, reading the tire-specific information from the transponder 2, and writing the tire-specific information including the read information to the rim mounting transmitter 1. The operation of the tire-specific information writer 3 when performing the above will be described below.
[0040]
When writing the tire-specific information into the rim-mounted transmitter 1, a query signal is transmitted to the transponder 2 serving as tire identification means via an output unit 33 and an output antenna 33a provided therein, and the transponder 2 is used as an answer signal. Is received via the tire-specific information reading unit 34 and the receiving antenna 34a. The received data is temporarily stored in the tire-specific information storage unit 32. Further, tire-specific information regarding the use of the tire, such as the name of the vehicle on which the tire is mounted and the mounting position of the tire, is manually input from the operation unit, and is also temporarily stored in the tire-specific information storage unit 32. .
[0041]
Next, by operating the operation unit 35 and manually instructing the writing of the tire-specific information to the rim mounting transmitter 1, the writing command signal from the output unit 33 and the information to be written to the rim mounting transmitter 1 are output. From the output unit 33 to the rim-mounted transmitter 1 via the antenna 33a.
[0042]
In the above description, the transponder 2 that stores the tire-specific information including the tire ID in the memory 22 is used as the identification means provided on the tire for identifying the tire. A code engraved on the tire surface, such as a code, can be used as tire identification means. In this case, in order to read the information of the tire identification means with the tire-specific information writer 3, a reading means such as a bar code reader is used. By providing such a device, the reading operation can be performed efficiently.
[0043]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the vehicle-mounted receiver 4. The vehicle-mounted receiver 4 receives the tire state information such as the tire internal pressure transmitted from the rim-mounted transmitter 1 and the tire-specific information via the antenna 5a, and updates the received tire state information with the latest value. The latest tire state information storage unit 6 to be stored, the tire specific information storage unit 7 to store received tire specific information, and the stored information are transmitted to the outside, for example, a vehicle management center that manages a plurality of vehicles via the antenna 8a. And a control unit 9 for controlling signal processing and input / output between these welfare parts.
[0044]
The functions of the vehicle-mounted receiver 4 configured as described above and operations for performing the respective functions will be described below. The first function of the on-vehicle receiver 4 is to receive tire state information which is spontaneously transmitted from the rim-mounted transmitter 1 at a predetermined cycle, and if the received tire state data falls within a predetermined limit value range. If this is the case, it is a function of performing a control to issue a warning to the driver that the tire condition is abnormal. When performing this function, the receiving unit 5 transmits the tire condition transmitted from the rim-mounted transmitter 1. The information is received, decoded, and output to the control unit 9. The control unit 9 determines whether the data is an abnormal value based on the data and the limit value stored in advance, and outputs an instruction signal to display an alarm on an alarm device (not shown) if the data is abnormal. I do. At the same time, the control unit sends the received tire state information to the latest tire state information storage unit 6, and the latest tire state information storage unit 6 updates the tire state information to the latest one.
[0045]
The second function of the on-vehicle receiver 4 is to store tire-specific information received from the rim-mounted transmitter 1 and output it to an external vehicle management center or the like as necessary to provide a comprehensive tire management application. To perform this function, first, the output unit 8 transmits a transmission command of the tire-specific information to the rim-mounted transmitters 1 mounted on the rims of the vehicle. Each rim-mounted transmitter 1 transmits the tire-specific information of the tire mounted on each rim based on this command, and the vehicle-mounted receiver 4 receives the tire-specific information from each rim-mounted transmitter 1. Is received and stored in the tire-specific information storage unit 7.
[0046]
When storing the tire specific information, it is important to store at least the ID information of each rim mounting machine, the ID information of the tire, and the mounting position of the right front wheel and the like in association with each other. Further, the timing of transmitting the tire-specific information transmission command to the rim-mounted transmitter 1 can be automated, for example, when the engine of the vehicle is started. In addition, when the tire is replaced or repaired, it is usually performed. Since the operation is performed with the engine turned off, the latest data after tire replacement or repair can be acquired by adjusting the acquisition timing to the start of the engine.
[0047]
The data stored in the tire-specific information storage unit 7 is transmitted from the output unit 8 to the outside of a vehicle management center or the like based on a data output command signal from the control unit, and this data is stored there. The data output command at that time is output, for example, based on a signal that detects that this vehicle has passed through a gate provided on the way back to the garage, so that the upload operation can be performed periodically and automatically. Things.
[0048]
Further, the data stored in the latest tire state information storage unit 6 can also be transmitted from the output unit 8 to the outside of the vehicle management center or the like based on the data output command signal from the control unit 9, whereby the tire An abnormal decrease in internal pressure and the condition of other tires requiring repair can also be managed at the vehicle management center, etc., and the driver is not provided with an alarm device, or even if the driver is Even if the driver does not notice, the state of the tires can be automatically managed, thereby contributing to safe running of the vehicle.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the on-vehicle receiver 4 of the present invention, the reception for receiving these data from the rim-mounted transmitter 1 attached to the rim and transmitting the tire-specific information together with the tire state information. Since it includes the unit 5 and the tire-specific information storage unit 7 that stores tire-specific information, the tire-specific information management system 10 including the on-vehicle receiver 4 manages the tire state information and the tire-specific information together. Thus, it is possible to provide a practical tire management system capable of centrally managing these.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic layout diagram showing a configuration of a tire-specific information management system.
FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state where the rim-mounted transmitter according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a rim.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a rim-mounted transmitter.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a transponder.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a tire-specific information writer.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle-mounted receiver.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 rim-mounted transmitter 2 transponder 3 tire-specific information writer 4 vehicle-mounted receiver 5 receiving unit 5 a receiving antenna 6 latest tire state information storage unit 7 tire-specific information storage unit 8 output unit 8 a transmission antenna 9 control unit 10 tire-specific Information management system 11A Tire pressure sensor 11B Tire temperature sensor 12 Control unit 13 Tire-specific information storage unit 14 Transmission unit 14a Transmission antenna 15 Tire-specific information input unit 15a Receiving antenna 17 Transmitter ID storage unit 21 Antenna 22 Memory 23 Power storage unit 32 Tire Specific information storage unit 33 Output unit 33a Transmission antenna 34 Tire unique information reading unit 34a Receiving antenna 35 Operation unit 36 Display unit 37 Control unit R Rim T Tire

Claims (10)

A receiver that receives information including tire-specific information from rim-mounted transmitters attached to a plurality of rims of the vehicle, and self-identifying information of tires mounted on rims corresponding to the respective rim-mounted transmitters. A vehicle-mounted receiver comprising: a tire-specific information storage unit that stores unique information including the information corresponding to each rim-mounted transmitter. The vehicle-mounted receiver according to claim 1, wherein the tire-specific information includes information on tire manufacturing. The vehicle-mounted receiver according to claim 1, wherein the tire-specific information includes information on a tire rehabilitation. The vehicle-mounted receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tire-specific information includes information on tire repair. The vehicle-mounted receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tire-specific information includes information on use of a tire. The vehicle-mounted receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the information received by the receiver includes information on a tire state including a tire internal pressure. The vehicle-mounted receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an output unit that outputs at least tire-specific information to the outside. The vehicle-mounted receiver according to claim 7, wherein the output unit performs an output process by transmitting a wireless signal. A tire-specific information management system comprising a rim-mounted transmitter attached to a plurality of rims of a vehicle and transmitting information including tire-specific information, and a vehicle-mounted receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 8. . The tire-specific information management system according to claim 9, further comprising a tire-specific information writer for writing the tire-specific information to the rim-mounted transmitter.

Images