JPH11310020A - Tire inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device capable of totally inspecting the condition of the tire. SOLUTION: A pressure measurement part 13 for measuring air pressure in a tire, a remaining groove measurement part 15 for measuring the depth of a tread groove in a tire and a metal detection part 17 for detecting the presence of a metal on the surface of a tire are included and a storage part 11 for storing, for every tire, the measurement results of tires is also included. The location of a tire to be measured on a vehicle can be input and the storage part 11 is formed to store the measurement results in relation to the location of a tire to be measured and provided with an issue part for issuing a recording medium for the measurement results to be stored.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tire inspection device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an apparatus for inspecting a tire, for example, an apparatus for measuring the depth of a tread groove as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-156109,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1280007 discloses an apparatus for measuring the air pressure of a tire.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned conventional apparatus only measures one inspection item, and if all the various inspection items are to be measured, it is necessary to prepare separate devices. However, it was not possible to comprehensively inspect the condition of the tire with one device.

[0004] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of comprehensively checking the condition of a tire.

[0005]

The present invention takes the following technical means in order to solve the above problems. That is, the tire inspection device according to the present invention is a pressure measurement unit that measures the tire air pressure, a remaining groove measurement unit that measures the depth of the tread groove of the tire, and a metal detection unit that detects the presence or absence of metal on the tire surface. It is provided with.

According to this configuration, the tire pressure, the remaining groove of the tire, and the presence / absence of metal on the tire surface can be inspected by one device, so that the tire can be inspected comprehensively. Further, the tire inspection device according to the present invention is a tire inspection device for inspecting the condition of the tire, and is configured to be able to measure a plurality of inspection items for the tire. It has a storage unit that can store for each tire.

According to this configuration, a plurality of inspection items (exemplified by tire pressure, remaining grooves of the tire, presence / absence of metal on the tire surface) can be inspected by one apparatus. When performing inspection on a plurality of tires, the measurement results of the plurality of inspection items for each tire are stored in the storage unit for each tire. The result can be confirmed later. Therefore, the inspection work can be easily performed.

[0008] Further, the position of the tire to be measured in the vehicle can be input, and the storage unit is configured to store the measurement result in association with the position of the tire to be measured. Can be. in this case,
When inspection is performed for each tire mounted on the vehicle while inputting its position, a measurement result for each tire position is obtained. Even when a plurality of tires of the vehicle are inspected, the measurement results are stored in association with the tire positions, so that it is easy to determine the quality of each tire.

In addition, by providing an issuing unit for issuing a recording medium (for example, paper, a magnetic card, an IC card, etc.) on which a measurement result is recorded, the issued recording medium can be referred to at any time. You can know the measurement result. The storage unit further includes a remaining groove measuring unit capable of measuring at least the tread groove depth of the tire, and the storage unit stores the minimum value of the measured value when the measurement by the remaining groove measuring unit for one tire is performed a plurality of times. Is stored as the measurement result.

The remaining groove of the tread groove can be used as a guide for tire replacement if the value of the shallowest part is known. Therefore, even if the measurement is performed a plurality of times, not all the measurement results are stored but a minimum value. Is stored, it is possible to easily determine the tire replacement time. In addition, the tire inspection device of the present invention includes an inspection unit for inspecting the condition of the tire, and includes an input unit that can manually input a determination result of the presence or absence of uneven wear of the tire visually. And an issuing unit that issues a recording medium on which the inspection result by the inspection unit and the input result of the presence or absence of uneven wear are recorded.

[0011] Rather than simply issuing the measurement and inspection results by the inspection unit, those which can be visually inspected as described above are also input to the apparatus, and the inspection results are issued including these, thereby providing a more comprehensive inspection result. This is convenient because a tire diagnosis result can be obtained.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an appearance of a tire inspection device 1. The tire inspection device 1 can inspect the tire air pressure, the depth of a tread groove of the tire, and the presence or absence of metal on the tire surface. gas station,
It is installed in a car or its parts store and used for checking and diagnosing a tire of a customer.

When the tire inspection device 1 visually determines the presence or absence of uneven wear by visually observing the state of wear of the tire, the result can be input, and the overall result including such a visual inspection result can be obtained. It is also a diagnostic device that can finally obtain a basic tire diagnostic result. This tire inspection device 1 is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the inspection unit 3 for inspecting the tire,
Input unit 5 for performing various operations required for inspection and the like
And an output unit 7 for outputting a measurement result measured by the inspection unit 3, and a control unit (CP) for controlling these units.
U) 9 and a storage unit 11 for storing measurement results and the like. Note that a battery (not shown) is built in as an operation power supply.

The inspection unit 3 includes a pressure measurement unit 13 for measuring the tire air pressure, a remaining groove measurement unit 15 for measuring the depth of the tread groove of the tire, and a metal detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of metal on the tire surface. 17. The pressure measuring unit 13 can measure the air pressure in a range of 0 to 10 kg / cm ² , and includes a pressure sensor 19 and an air chuck 23 connected to the pressure sensor 19 via an air hose 21. When the air chuck 23 is bitten by the valve of the tire, the pressure sensor 19 measures the air pressure of the tire. The measurement value of the pressure sensor 19 is converted into a digital signal by the AD converter 25 and is provided to the control unit 9.

The remaining groove measuring unit 15 can measure the tread groove of the tire in a range of 0 to 5 mm, and can enter the tread groove of the tire as shown in FIG.
It comprises a tracing stylus 31 protruding from the case body 29 so as to be able to move back and forth, and a linear potentiometer 27 for detecting the amount of movement. When the tracing stylus 31 enters the tread groove of the tire, it enters until the tip of the tracing stylus 31 abuts the bottom of the tread groove. If the tread groove is shallow, the amount of protrusion of the tracing stylus 31 with respect to the case body 29 decreases. . As described above, the depth of the tread groove can be measured based on the amount of movement of the tracing stylus 31.

The measured value of the potentiometer 27 is converted into a digital signal by the AD converter 33 and is supplied to the control unit 9. Metal detector 1
7 is constituted by a high frequency oscillation type proximity sensor 35,
In order to detect the entire tire width direction, a plurality of proximity sensors 35 are arranged in parallel with the sensor main body 36 in accordance with the width of the tire.

The output of each proximity sensor 35 is supplied to an OR circuit 37.
When the presence of metal is detected by any one of the proximity sensors 35, a signal indicating "metal present" is provided to the control unit 9 via the interface unit IF. The input unit 5 includes a measurement tire selection key 39 for selecting a tire to be measured among tires included in the vehicle, and a tire pressure, a tread groove depth, a metal,
A measurement item selection key 41 for selecting which measurement item is to be measured, whether or not there is uneven wear, and a printout key 43 for instructing a printout of the measurement result, are provided with numerical data and the like as shown in FIG. Is provided with a numeric keypad 45, a power switch 47, and the like, which can input a password.

There are four measurement tire selection keys 39: a front wheel left key FL, a front wheel right key FR, a rear wheel left key RL, and a rear wheel right key RR. When these keys are pressed, the front wheel left and the front wheel right are respectively pressed. , The left rear tire and the right rear tire are selected.
The output unit 5 includes a metal detection unit 17 as shown in FIG.
Buzzer 49 used for notifying by sound when the presence of metal is detected by the
Display unit 51 for displaying the measurement results by the gauge and the remaining groove measuring unit 15 by numbers, a printer (issuing unit) 53 for printing and issuing each measurement result and other information on paper (recording medium), The measurement tire display 57 displays the position of the tire selected by the measurement tire selection key 39 on the plan view 55 of the vehicle, and the measurement item display 59 displays the measurement item selected by the measurement item selection key 41. It is configured.

Each element of the output unit is connected to the control unit 9 via an interface IF. The storage unit 11 is constituted by a RAM 61, and is capable of storing measurement results by a storage structure as shown in FIG. That is, the storage unit 11 has areas M1, M2, M3, and M4 in which measurement results can be stored for each tire (front wheel left, front wheel right, rear wheel left, and rear wheel right). The measured tire pressure, remaining groove, metal, and presence or absence of uneven wear can be stored in each area. Each measurement result by the inspection unit 3 is written in an area corresponding to the tire selected by the measurement item selection key 41.

Hereinafter, a procedure of tire inspection by the tire inspection apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. First, the date of the first inspection and the number of the car to be inspected are entered in the numeric keypad 45.
To enter. The entered number is displayed on the numeric display 5
When the input is completed, the "SET" switch is pressed.

Next, one of front tire left, front wheel right, rear wheel left, and rear wheel right is selected with the measurement tire selection key 39. Here, it is assumed that the left front wheel is selected. When selected, the position of the selected tire is displayed on the measured tire display 57. Further, a measurement item selection key 41 is used to select which item of tire pressure, remaining groove, metal, and wear is to be measured. When selected, the selected item is displayed on the measurement item display 59.

When "Tire pressure" is selected, the tire pressure measurement item display 59 is turned on. Then, the air chuck 23 is pressed against the tire valve and attached. Then, the measurement result of the pressure sensor 19 is displayed on the numeric display unit 51, and the measurement result of the pressure sensor 19 is stored in the tire pressure area of the front left storage area M1 of the storage unit 11.

When "remaining groove" is selected, the measurement item display 59 for the remaining groove is turned on. Then, the tracing stylus 31 of the remaining groove measuring unit 15 is applied to the tread groove of the tire. Then, the value of the remaining groove is displayed on the number display section 51, and the value is stored in the remaining groove area of the front wheel left storage area M1. Further, when the tracing stylus 31 is applied to the groove at another position, the value of the remaining groove is displayed on the numerical display section 51. This value is compared with the previously measured value (the value stored in the remaining groove area of the storage area M1). If this value is smaller than the previously measured value, this value is stored. The remaining groove area in the area M1 is overwritten.

By repeating this operation, the smallest value (the value of the shallowest groove) is stored in the remaining groove area of the storage area M1. When “Metal” is selected, the metal measurement item display 59 is turned on. Then, the metal detector 17
Close to the tire and slowly rotate the tire. If the tire contains metal such as nails, buzzer 49
Sounds, and the number display section 51 composed of 7-segment LEDs is fully lit to notify the presence of metal. If there is metal, the fact that there is metal in the metal area of M1 in the storage area is stored. If there is metal, marking the position with chalk or the like facilitates subsequent processing.

When "wear" is selected, the wear setting item display 59 is turned on. Then, the state of tread wear is visually observed. If the wear is normal, the user presses “○” on the numeric keypad 45 to input that the wear is normal. If uneven wear has occurred, the user presses "x" on the numeric keypad 45 to input that the wear is uneven. The input result is stored in the wear area of the storage area M1.

By performing such a series of operations for the right front wheel, the left rear wheel, and the right rear wheel, all tires of one vehicle are inspected, and the state of all tires is stored in the storage unit 11. The stored state is obtained. When the inspection of each tire is completed, by pressing the printout key 43,
The inspection result based on the contents of the storage unit 11 is
Printed on paper and output.

As the inspection results, the contents of the storage unit 11, that is, the measurement results of each inspection item for each tire as shown in FIG. 6 are output. In this way, a single device can perform a comprehensive inspection for a plurality of inspection items. Inspection results include
In addition to the measurement results stored in the storage unit 11, the determination of tire quality based on the measurement results is also included.

That is, the control unit 9 judges the quality of the tire based on the measurement result of the storage unit 11, and outputs the result of the tire by “○”, “△”, “X” for each measurement item as an output. It shows pass / fail. Thereby, the condition of the tire can be easily determined. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the inspection does not need to be performed for all tires and items, but can be performed only for the tires and items that require inspection and printed out.

As described above, according to the embodiment, a comprehensive inspection of the tire can be performed. And the output unit 5
Since the inspection results are output collectively by the printer 53, it is easy to determine the state of the tire. Furthermore, if the paper on which the inspection result is recorded is given to the customer, the customer can check the condition of the tires of his or her vehicle later, and it becomes easy to determine when to replace the tires. Therefore, the service in the store is improved. In addition, since the date of measurement is printed on the paper, it is convenient to know the date of measurement.
In particular, when the diagnosis result of “remaining groove” or “wear” is “Δ”, it is possible to know an appropriate tire replacement time based on the date.

In addition to the printer 53, a display unit 51
As a result, the result of each check item is output every time a check is performed, so that the measurement result can be known even during the check operation. Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In particular, the configuration of the inspection unit is illustrative and not limited, and may be provided with other inspection means. In addition, the items for which the results of the visual judgment can be input are not limited to “wear”, and there may be a plurality of items. Further, the printer 53 (when it is not necessary to issue paper) and the display unit 51 can be replaced with another output unit such as a display.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, comprehensive inspection of tires can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a tire inspection device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a tire inspection device.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a remaining groove measuring unit.

FIG. 4A is a side view of a metal detection unit, and FIG.
FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a storage unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing output contents of an inspection result.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tire inspection device 3 Inspection part 5 Input part 7 Output part 9 Control part 11 Storage part 13 Pressure measurement part 15 Remaining groove measurement part 17 Metal detection part

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A pressure measuring unit (13) for measuring a tire air pressure, a remaining groove measuring unit (15) for measuring a depth of a tread groove of a tire, and a metal detecting unit for detecting the presence or absence of metal on the tire surface. (17) A tire inspection device comprising: 2. A tire inspection device for inspecting a condition of a tire, wherein a plurality of inspection items can be measured for the tire, and measurement results of the plurality of tires can be stored for each tire. A tire inspection device including a storage unit (11). 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a position of the tire to be measured in the vehicle can be input, and the storage unit is configured to store the measurement result in association with the position of the tire to be measured. Item 2. The tire inspection device according to Item 2. 4. The tire inspection device according to claim 2, further comprising an issuing unit for issuing a recording medium on which the measurement result is recorded. 5. A residual groove measuring unit (15) capable of measuring at least a tread groove depth of a tire, wherein the storage unit (11) performs a plurality of measurements by the residual groove measuring unit (15) for one tire. The tire inspection device according to claim 2, wherein, when the measurement is performed, a minimum value of the measured value is stored as the measurement result. 6. A tire inspection device provided with an inspection unit (3) for inspecting a condition of a tire, wherein an input unit (5) capable of manually inputting a result of visually determining whether there is uneven wear of the tire. A tire inspection device comprising: an issuing unit (53) for issuing a recording medium in which an inspection result by an inspection unit (3) and an input result of the presence or absence of uneven wear are recorded.