US 12,462,616 B2
Information processing device, vehicle, information processing method, and non-transitory storage medium
Yoshihisa Yamada, Nagoya (JP); Hiroshi Ueno, Toyota (JP); and Takahiro Tsuji, Nisshin (JP)
Assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed by TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed on Jun. 27, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/214,872.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-113194 (JP), filed on Jul. 14, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0021025 A1, Jan. 18, 2024
Int. Cl. G07C 5/00 (2006.01); B62D 15/02 (2006.01); G07C 5/08 (2006.01)
CPC G07C 5/006 (2013.01) [B62D 15/021 (2013.01); G07C 5/0808 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle comprising:
a steering wheel;
a plurality of wheels having tires, at least some of the plurality of wheels being turned by the steering wheel;
a steering sensor configured to detect a rotation angle of a rotation shaft attached to the steering wheel;
an acceleration sensor configured to detect longitudinal and lateral accelerations of the vehicle;
wheel velocity sensors configured to detect a rotational velocity of each of the plurality of wheels; and
an information processing device mounted on the vehicle, the information processing device including a processor configured to calculate a feature quantity on flexibility of the tires when all of at least one condition is satisfied, wherein:
the at least one condition includes at least one of a first condition and a second condition;
the first condition is a condition that an absolute value of an angular velocity of the steering wheel, detected by the steering sensor, is smaller than a first reference value;
the second condition is a condition that an absolute value of a vector sum of accelerations of the vehicle, detected by the acceleration sensor, is smaller than a second reference value,
the plurality of wheels includes a drive wheel and a driven wheel, and
the processor is further configured to:
calculate, as the feature quantity, a ratio of (i) a rotation velocity ratio between the drive wheel and the driven wheel, based on wheel velocities of the drive wheel and the driven wheel detected by the wheel velocity sensors, to (ii) acceleration in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle detected by the acceleration sensor, the ratio decreasing as the tire flexibility decreases;
integrate, at predetermined timings, a difference between an initial value of the ratio initially determined for the tires and a most-recently calculated value of the ratio most-recently determined for the tires; and
output, when an integration result is equal to or less than a first threshold, a signal indicating that a gradual change in the flexibility of the tire has occurred.