LEAN SYSTEM FOR DETECTION OF AIR PRESSURE/PUNCTURE IN AUTOMOBILE TYRES

摘要

Lean manufacturing is a modern manufacturing paradigm which is derived from Toyota production system to enable the achievement of world class status. Lean manufacturing is a methodology which integrates tools like Kanban, Kaizen, Poka-Yoke, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Visual control etc. Visual control is a technique employed in many places where information is communicated using visual signals instead of texts or other written instructions. The air pressure drop in automobiles leads to reduction in fuel efficiency, increased wear in tyres and poor handling which leads to accidents. So there exists a need for developing a device which signals the drop in pressure. In this work, we developed a mechanism for detecting air pressure drop or rise from the nominal pressure in the tyre using visual control technique of lean manufacturing. The benefit of detecting pressure drop in tyres leads to increased tyre life. The pressure drop will be detected using a transducer, which converts pressure into an electrical voltage. A green colour indicates normal air pressure in tyres; yellow colour signal indicates low air pressure in tyres; whereas a red colour signal indicates puncture. The. pressure rise above the nominal value will be denoted by white colour signal, the display is provided with four quadrants indicating the pressure level in four tyres. This indication mechanism in particular enables the driver to make appropriate decisions for subsequent actions.