GB2342448A

GB2342448A - Tyre wear measurement, recording and printing unit

Info

Publication number: GB2342448A
Application number: GB9821652A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Howarth Kay
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-10-06
Filing date: 1998-10-06
Publication date: 2000-04-12
Also published as: GB9821652D0

Abstract

The disclosed unit first measures tyre wear by the depth of tread and is activated by any of four keys 7 - 10 defining the tyre being measured. The measurement is taken by pressing the read key 3 which activates a scanner plate 2 connected to a microprocessor which relays readings to either a Green key 4 which shows the tyre is legal, an Amber key 5 which shows it is legal but marginal or a Red key 6 which shows it is illegal. If any tyre shows Amber or Red, the actual measurement, time and date is stored in the microprocessor's memory which can be viewed on a screen 12 and printed on to a standard form by pressing either the warn note key 13 or the offence note key 14 and then the print key 16. The notice may be given to, or left for, the vehicle driver.

Description

TYRE WEAR MEASUREMENT, RECORDING AND PRINTING UNIT This invention relates to a unit which measures tyre wear by the legal defi- nition of depth of tread, records the results of the measurement and, if these are marginal or illegal, prints the results on to a notice to warn the car owner of an upcoming problem for safety purposes or to inform the driver of an offence.

There are tyre wear measurement devices from simple gauges measuring depth to sophisticated, garage installed units. However, there is no portable unit that can reliably measure wear and, having found a problem with the depth of tread, store the information then produce actual measurements which can be printed on to a standard Warning or Offence notice given to the driver or left on the vehicle when the owner of the vehicle is not present (like parking tickets). Further, as the scanning technology utilised in the unit can be subject to periodic calibration, this could ensure the kind of incontrovertible evidence which would stand up in a court of law, thus avoiding the disputes that may arise if a warden or police officer had simply measured the tread with some sort of mechanical device in which there was no retained memory of the measurement or time validation or owner presence to agree, or disagree, with their results. There is a need for a unit which can provably measure excessive tyre wear (research shows this is as high as 34% of all vehicles) to reduce the significant number driving on worn tyres and the accidents to which they contribute.

According to the present invention there is provided a tyre wear measurement, recording and printing unit comprising three functions. A scanner utilising a microprocessor which, when laid over a vehicle tyre, measures the depth of tread. If a tyre is marginal or illegal, the microprocessor will record and store the actual measurement along with the time and date. The actual measurement, time and date can then be printed on to a notice, produced via the unit's micro-printer.

A speafic embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in :- FIG 1 shows the layout and function keys of the unit.

FIG 2 shows the arrangements of components in the unit.

Reading the following notes in regard to FIGS 1 & 2 will lead to an understanding of the technical principles and practical operation of the tyre wear measurement, recording and printing unit. The unit is designed so that a user can quickly and accurately measure tyre wear, record the results and, if required, produce a notice for the vehicle owner.

Referring to the drawing FIG 1, the user switches on 1 then selects which tyre they want to check, corresponding this to either key 7 for the front near side tyre, key 8 for the rear near side tyre, key 9 for the front off side tyre or key 10 for the rear off side tyre. The unit is then held over the selected tyre's surface so that the scanner plate 2 faces the tyre. The user then selects the read key 3 which activates the scanner plate to read the depth of tread and relays this information to the microprocessor which, depending on the condition of the selected tyre, will illuminate either the Green key 4, the Amber key 5 or the Red key 6. If the Green key 4 illuminates to show the tyre is legal, then the microprocessor will not store the reading to memory. If either the Amber key 5 or the Red key 6 is illuminated, the microprocessor will commit the actual measurement and the time and date it was taken to memory. The user will know the condition from which colour shows. To confirm the results, the user can press the display key 15 to show the actual measurement on the screen 12 over all the tyres tested as either Amber or Red.

If all the results are in the Amber, the user may choose to provide a warning notice by pressing the warn note key 13 and then the print key 16. If all the results are in the Red, the user may choose to provide an offence notice by pressing the offence note key 14 and then the print key 16. If the results are a mixture of Amber and Red, the user may choose to provide an offence notice by pressing the offence note key 14 and then the print key 16 which will print information on both the illegal tyre/s, to establish the offence, and the marginal tyres as a warning. When the user presses the print key 16 for either a warn note or an offence note, the microprocessor commands the micro-printer to gather a standard form from the paper tray (behind the cover for access 23) and the results are printed on to the form which exits through the print slot 17. The user then adds the details as to location etc, hands over or affixes the notice to the vehicle.

Referring to FIG 2 this illustrates the battery compartment 11, the function key relays 18, the screen electronics 19, the microprocessor 20, the microprinter 21, the standard forms in the paper tray 22 and, again, the scanner plate 2 and the print slot 17.

Claims

CLAIMS 1 A tyre wear measurement, recording and printing unit comprising three functions. A scanner which, when laid over a vehicle tyre, measures the depth of tread utilising a microprocessor. If a tyre is marginal or illegal, the microprocessor will record and store the actual measurement along with the time and date. The actual measurement, time and date can then be printed on to a notice, produced via the unit's micro-printer.
2 A tyre wear measurement, recording and printing unit as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the specific tyre being measured can be selected before measurement.
3 A tyre wear measurement, recording and printing unit as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 where an initial assessment of wear is signalled by the display of different coloured lights.
4 A tyre wear measurement, recording and printing unit as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 or 3 where the actual measurement, time and date can be displayed on a screen.
5 A tyre wear measurement, recording and printing unit as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 where the forms upon which notice is given are stored in the body of the unit.
6 A tyre wear measurement, recording and printing unit substantially as described herein with reference to FIGS 1-2 of the accompanying drawings.