This disclosure is generally related to measuring a depth of a tire tread. Specifically, this disclosure is directed to measuring the depth of a tire tread by comparing an image of the tire tread to previous images of tire treads of known depth.
In the automotive industry, the condition of tire treads on tires on a vehicle is important for safety. A new tire on a vehicle, such as a car, typically has a tread depth of 8 mm. As the tire is used, the tread depth diminishes. As the tread depth diminishes, safety risks of driving using those tires increases. For example, when roads are wet, deeper tread depths help channel water away so that the tire maintains contact with the road. This reduces the chances that the vehicle will hydroplane. The risks of worn out tires is also increased in dry weather driving. Since a worn out tire has a lower tread depth, the tire is thinner. A thinner tire increases the chance that the tire will be punctured and cause a tire failure. Not only do deeper tread depths increase safety, but they may also be legally required. For example, in the United States, the minimum legal tread depth is 1.6 mm. Thus, it is useful for a driver to know to the tread depths for the tires on the driver's car.
Previously, however, determining the tread depth was either inaccurate or cost-prohibitive for a home mechanic. One known method to determine if a tire tread is too shallow is the so-called “penny method”. In the penny method, the home mechanic inserts a penny into the tire tread. If the tire tread reaches a certain level on the penny, then tread depth may be sufficient for safe operation. This method is a very rough approximation for tread depth, however. Another method is to use a tread depth gauge. A tread depth gauge may be positioned on a tread to determine tread depth. However, this requires the home mechanic to buy a potentially expensive piece of equipment. Additionally, the tread depth gauge may not be intuitive to use. Another method is to use a high end laser or optical sensor system. However, these systems are generally used in an automotive dealership environment. They may require a significant amount of space and may be cost-prohibitive. Thus, this method would be impractical for a home mechanic.
Accordingly, there is a need for an inexpensive and easy to use system to determine the condition of tire tread depth.
In one aspect of this disclosure, a method for measuring tire tread depth, the method comprising: receiving an image of a tire tread recorded using an image-recording device; analyzing the image of the tire tread captured to determine a tire tread depth; determining a status of the tire tread based on the tire tread depth; altering the image of the tire tread captured based on the determined status; and transmitting the altered image to a mobile device is disclosed.
In another aspect of this disclosure, a system for measuring tire tread depth, the system comprising: a transceiver configured to receive and transmit an image of a tire tread; a computer-readable storage medium configured to store computer-executable instructions; and a computer processor configured to execute the computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising: receiving an image of a tire tread recorded using an image-recording device; analyzing the image of the tire tread captured to determine a tire tread depth; determining a status of the tire tread based on the tire tread depth; altering the image of the tire tread captured based on the determined status; and transmitting the altered image to a mobile device is disclosed.
In yet another aspect of this disclosure, a method for measuring tire tread depth, the method comprising: recording an image of a tire tread using an image-recording device; analyzing the image of the tire tread captured to determine a tire tread depth; determining a status of the tire tread based on the tire tread depth; altering the image of the tire tread captured based on the determined status; and displaying the altered image of the tire tread on a display is disclosed.
Broadly, this disclosure relates to recording a current image of a tire and tire treads and comparing that image to previous images of tires and tire treads of known depth to determine the tread depth of the tire treads in the current image. Aspects of the present disclosure provide a system and method for analyzing tire tread depths using images of tires. While various aspects of the present disclosure are discussed in the context of a vehicular diagnostic tool, other architectures and applications are clearly contemplated. In this context, vehicles include automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, boats, plans, helicopters, agricultural equipment (e.g., harvesters), construction equipment (e.g., excavators), etc.
This disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.
The system 100 may also include a mobile device 106. The mobile device 106 may be any type of computing device, such as a smartphone, smart glasses, game console or system, a tablet, a personal digital assistant, a smartwatch, a laptop, a digital still camera, and a digital video camera. The mobile device 106 will be further described herein with reference to
The system 100 may also include a remote computer 110. The remote computer 110 may be any computing device, such as a desktop, a laptop, and a server. The remote computer 110 will be further described herein with reference to
The system 100 may also include a communication network 108. The mobile device 106 and the remote computer 110 may transfer data through the communication network 108 to carry out an aspect of this disclosure. For example, the mobile device 106 may transmit to the remote computer 110 an image of a tire 104. The remote computer 110 may transmit to the mobile device 106 an altered image indicating if a tire should be replaced because the tread depth is too shallow. The communication network 108 may include wired or wireless connections and may implement any data transfer protocols known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Examples of wireless connections may include RF (radio frequency), satellites, cellular phones (analog or digital), Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi, Infrared, ZigBee, Local Area Network (LAN), WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), Wide Area Network (WAN), NFC (near field communication), other wireless communication configurations and standards, or a combination thereof.
The browser application 218 may be any suitable browser to access the Internet. For example, the browser application 218 may be Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, or Apple Safari and the browser application 218 may be a full or mobile version of these browser applications. The browser application 218 may be launched by, for example, tapping or clicking on a link in the tire tread scan application 220. The tire tread scan application 220 may be launched by a user of the mobile device 106 to determine the condition of the tire treads 402. The tire tread scan application 220 will be further described in reference to
VIN API 226 or vehicle information number application program interface is provided in order to determine the vehicle to which the tires are attached to. The VIN API 226 may include logic to decode and identify the vehicle, stock images of the vehicles, descriptors, installed equipment, optional equipment (known installed and available), technical specifications, factory warranties, original vehicle & option pricing, OEM interior and exterior colors and the like.
A database 228 located in the memory 214 and/or may be located remotely. The database may contain information about tires, and related information such as tire treads dimensions, tire tread depths, and the like. The database may also include vehicle information for use by the VIN API 226.
The VIN API 316 and the tire tread scan API 322 are similar to what is discussed previously described in
However, if the mobile device 106 does not retrieve the other identification aspects of the vehicle 102 upon entering of the VIN number, the user may manually input the make of the vehicle 102 in text field 504. Additionally, the user may manually input the model of the vehicle 102 in text field 506. Alternatively, the mobile device 106 may limit the models available after the user has input the make of the vehicle 102. The mobile device 106 may retrieve this information from memory 214. Alternatively, or additionally, the mobile device may retrieve this information from a cloud service or the remote computer 110. Additionally, in text field 508, the user may input the model year of the vehicle 102. Additionally, the user may input the number of tires 104 the user wishes to scan in text field 510. Additionally, once all of the information has been entered, the user may actuate a button 512 to advance the tire tread depth scanning process.
Once the image 604 has been captured, the mobile device 106 may process the image 604. For example, the mobile device 106 may sharpen the image 604, may increase the contrast of the image 604, may increase or decrease the brightness of the image 604, or any other suitable image processing operations to enhance the image 604. In one embodiment, the higher contrast (darker) between the plurality of grooves 404a . . . e and the plurality of treads 402a . . . f may indicate that the tires has a longer tread depth than if the contrast was less, which may indicate that the tread depth is shallow and the tire may need to be replaced. The interface 600 may further include a progress indicator 606, such as progress bar. The progress indicator 606 may indicate the progress the mobile device 106 is making in, for example, processing the image 604. Once the image 604 has been processed, the image 604 may be analyzed to determine the status of tire tread depths, as described herein.
Additionally, or alternatively, the interface 800 may include a button 810 to retrieve directions to the automotive service center. If a user actuated button 810, the mobile device 106 may use the GPS 206 in the mobile device 106 to retrieve the location of the mobile device 106. After retrieving the location of the mobile device 106, the mobile device 106 may use a mapping application located on the mobile device 106 to receive directions from the location of the mobile device 106 to the automotive service center. Alternatively, the mobile device 106 may receive directions to the automotive service center using an application that is located somewhere other than the mobile device 106. Additionally, the interface 800 may include a button 812 to show a map showing the location of the automotive service center. Similar to receiving directions to the automotive service center, the mobile device 106 may receive a map showing the location of the automotive service center using a mapping application located on the mobile device 106 or an application that is located somewhere other than the mobile device 106.
At block 904, the mobile device 106 may capture at least one image 604 of a tire 104. The mobile device 106 may receive images 604 for as many tires as the user wishes to analyze for a given vehicle. This process was described above in reference to
At block 906, the mobile device 106 may process the image 604. For example, the mobile device 106 may pre-process the image 604 to adjust for contrast. This process was described with reference to
At block 908, the mobile device 106 may transmit the image 604 to the remote computer 110. The remote computer 110 may then process the image 604 to determine the status of the tire treads. Alternatively, the mobile device 106 may determine the status of the tire treads without transmitting the image 604 to the remote computer 110. The process for determining the status of the tire treads using the mobile device 106 is the same as the process for determining the status of the tire treads using the remote computer 110. This process is described below with reference to
At block 910, the mobile device 106 may receive the analyzed images 700, 702 from the remote computer 110. Alternatively, as described above, the mobile device 106 may generate the analyzed images 700, 702 without transmitting the image 406 to the remote computer 110. After the mobile device has received the analyzed images 700, 702, the method 900 may proceed to block 912.
At block 912, the mobile device 106 may display the analyzed images 700, 702 to the user. The mobile device 106 may indicate the status of the treads using, for example, different colors to indicate different statuses. For example, the mobile device 106 may indicate that a tire tread is in good condition by highlighting the tire tread in green. Additionally, the mobile device 106 may indicate that a tire tread may need to be replaced by highlighting the tire tread in yellow. Additionally, the mobile device 106 may indicate that a tire tread needs to be replaced by highlighting the tire tread in red. The mobile device 106 may use any suitable scheme to indicate the different statuses, including using a scheme unrelated to colors. After the mobile device 106 has displayed the analyzed images 700, 702, the method 900 may proceed to block 914.
At block 914, the mobile device 106 may display nearby service centers based on the GPS location of the mobile device. This display is similar to that described above in connection with
At block 1004, the remote computer 110 may analyze the image 604 with previously known images. The previously known images may be stored in the memory 312. For example, based on the vehicle identification using the VIN API 316, the remote computer 110 may analyze the receive image 604 with the particular tire 104 used with the vehicle 102. For example, the image 604 may be analyzed using the Tire Tread Scan API 322. The Tire Tread Scan API may use any suitable algorithm to compare the image 604 with previously known images.
One algorithm the Tire Tread Scan API may use is a supervised machine learning algorithm. When using the supervised machine learning algorithm, a collection of data points, such as images of tires having a variety of tire tread statuses may be provided to the remote computer 110. The remote computer 110 may then use this collection of data points to understand which tire tread depths are in good condition, which may need to be replaced, and which need to be replaced. The remote computer 110 may be constantly trained to reach more accurate determinations of tire tread status by, for example, providing additional tire tread depth images. For example, the Reporting unit 324 may be used to collect tire tread depth reports to increase the number of data points available to train the remote computer 110. After the remote computer 110 has been trained, the remote computer 110 may use a predicate functional algorithm. The predicate functional algorithm may be used at runtime to determine the status of the tire treads shown in the image 604.
Alternatively, the remote computer 110 may use unsupervised machine learning. In this method, the image 604 is compared to standard attributes instead of using previously known images.
Alternatively, the Tire Tread Scan API may use inertial measurement units (IMUs). IMUs may include accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers. If this method is used, the mobile device 106 may capture multiple images of the tire 104 from various angles. The remote computer 110 may use these multiple images to generate a three-dimensional model of the tire 104. Based on the three-dimensional model, the remote computer 110 may generate accurate measurements of the tire tread depths. After the remote computer 110 has analyzed the image 604, the method 1000 may proceed to block 1006.
At block 1006, the remote computer 110 may determine the status of the tire tread depths based on the analysis in block 1004. For example, the remote computer 110 may determine a tire tread depth for each tire tread. Then, the remote computer 110 may compare the determined tire tread depth to values for tire tread depth status. For example, if the determined tire tread depth is 5/32″ or greater, the remote computer 110 may determine that the tire tread depth is in good condition. If the remote computer 110 determines that the tire tread depth is between, for example, 2/32″ and 5/32″, then the remote computer 110 may determine that the tire 104 may need to be replaced. If the remote computer 110 determines that the tire tread depth is less than, for example, 2/32″, then the remote computer 110 may determine that the tire 104 needs to be replaced. The remote computer 110 may alter the image 604 to indicate the status of each individual tire tread, such as by coloring the tire treads based on their status. Alternatively, the remote computer 110 may generate new images indicating the status of each individual tire tread. After the remote computer 110 determines the status of the tire treads, the method 1000 may proceed to block 1008.
At block 1008, the remote computer 110 may transmit the analyzed image to the mobile device 106 for display. After the remote computer 110 transmits the analyzed image, the method 1000 ends.
The device and process may include communication channels that may be any type of wired or wireless electronic communications network, such as, e.g., a wired/wireless local area network (LAN), a wired/wireless personal area network (PAN), a wired/wireless home area network (HAN), a wired/wireless wide area network (WAN), a campus network, a metropolitan network, an enterprise private network, a virtual private network (VPN), an internetwork, a backbone network (BBN), a global area network (GAN), the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, an overlay network, a cellular telephone network, a Personal Communications Service (PCS), using known protocols such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access), W-CDMA (Wideband Code-Division Multiple Access), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, Long Term Evolution (LTE), EVolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) and/or the like, and/or a combination of two or more thereof.
The device and process may be implemented in any type of computing devices, such as, e.g., a desktop computer, personal computer, a laptop/mobile computer, a personal data assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, cloud computing device, and the like, with wired/wireless communications capabilities via the communication channels.
Further in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, the methods described herein are intended for operation with dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to, PCs, PDAs, semiconductors, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmable logic arrays, cloud computing devices, and other hardware devices constructed to implement the methods described herein.
It should also be noted that the software implementations of the disclosure as described herein are optionally stored on a tangible storage medium, such as: a magnetic medium such as a disk or tape; a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk; or a solid state medium such as a memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile) memories. A digital file attachment to email or other self-contained information archive or set of archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the invention is considered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution medium, as listed herein and including art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the software implementations herein are stored.
The many features and advantages of the disclosure are apparent from the detailed specification, and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to that fall within the scope of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application entitled, TIRE TREAD DEPTH MEASUREMENT, filed Dec. 30, 2015, having a Ser. No. 62/273,115, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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9805697 | Dorrance | Oct 2017 | B1 |
20160221404 | Lee | Aug 2016 | A1 |
20160343126 | Miller | Nov 2016 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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2015110841 | Jul 2015 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20170190223 A1 | Jul 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62273115 | Dec 2015 | US |