JP2020179709A - Car washer, car washing method and car washing program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a car washer, a car washing method and a car washing program, capable of washing a vehicle at a proper timing.SOLUTION: A car washer includes a memory, and a processor having a hardware. The processor calculates a next car washing time of a vehicle 2 based on history data including a car wash history of the vehicle 2, notifies a terminal 3 related to the vehicle 2 of the next car washing time, estimates the degree of dirt of the vehicle 2 based on a vehicle 2 image inputted from a car washing machine 4, determines a car wash menu according to the degree of dirt, controls the car washing machine 4, and washes the vehicle 2 based on the determined car wash menu.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a car wash device, a car wash method and a car wash program.

Patent Document 1 discloses a remote control system for an automatic car wash machine that operates the automatic car wash machine and pays a usage fee through a mobile phone. Specifically, in this system, the car wash machine is operated and the usage fee is paid by sending an instruction to the computer of the service company or the database of the agency service provider through the user's mobile phone.

JP-A-2002-74504

Here, conventionally, there has been a request to wash a vehicle at an appropriate timing. However, it is generally difficult to objectively determine the next car wash time. Even in the system disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, since the timing of car washing is determined by the user, the above request cannot be met.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a car wash device, a car wash method, and a car wash program capable of washing a vehicle at an appropriate timing.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the car wash device according to the present invention includes a memory and a processor having hardware, and the processor is based on historical data including a vehicle wash history of the vehicle. The next vehicle wash time of the vehicle is calculated, the terminal possessed by the occupant of the vehicle is notified of the next vehicle wash time, and the vehicle is dirty based on the image of the vehicle input from the car wash machine. The condition is estimated, a car wash menu according to the degree of dirtiness is determined, the car wash machine is controlled, and the vehicle is washed based on the determined car wash menu.

As a result, the car wash device can determine the next car wash time of the vehicle based on the car wash history of the vehicle to be washed. Further, in the car wash device, by estimating the car wash menu from the degree of dirtiness of the vehicle, the car can be washed by the car wash menu that matches the degree of dirtiness of the vehicle.

Further, in the car washing device according to the present invention, in the above invention, the history data may further include a traveling history of the vehicle and a weather history indicating the traveling period and the weather of the traveling place included in the traveling history. ..

Thereby, the car wash device can determine the next car wash time of the vehicle in consideration of the traveling period of the vehicle and the weather at the traveling place.

Further, in the car wash device according to the present invention, in the above invention, the history data further includes the maintenance history of the vehicle, and the processor calculates the next maintenance time of the vehicle based on the maintenance history. The terminal may be notified of the next maintenance time.

As a result, the car wash device can perform maintenance on the vehicle at an appropriate timing by determining the next maintenance time of the vehicle based on the maintenance history of the vehicle.

Further, in the car wash device according to the present invention, in the above invention, the processor determines that the window of the vehicle is forgotten to be closed based on the image of the vehicle input from the car wash machine, and the window is forgotten to be closed. If it is determined that there is, the vehicle may be controlled to close the window that has been forgotten to be closed.

As a result, the car wash device can prevent forgetting to close the window at the time of car wash.

The car wash method according to the present invention is a car wash method executed by a car wash device, a vehicle, and a terminal possessed by an occupant of the vehicle in order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object. The processor of the device calculates the next car wash time of the vehicle based on the history data including the car wash history of the vehicle, notifies the terminal possessed by the occupant of the vehicle of the next car wash time, and causes the car wash machine. Based on the image of the vehicle input from, the degree of dirtiness of the vehicle is estimated, a car wash menu according to the degree of dirtiness is determined, the car wash machine is controlled, and the vehicle is said based on the determined car wash menu. To wash the car.

Thereby, the car wash method can determine the next car wash time of the vehicle based on the car wash history of the vehicle to be washed. Further, in the car wash method, the vehicle can be washed based on the car wash menu estimated from the degree of dirtiness of the vehicle.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the car wash program according to the present invention is a car wash program executed by a car wash device, and the next car wash of the vehicle is based on historical data including a vehicle wash history. The time is calculated, the terminal possessed by the occupant of the vehicle is notified of the next car wash time, and the degree of dirtiness of the vehicle is estimated based on the image of the vehicle input from the car wash machine. A car wash menu is determined according to the degree of dirt, the car wash machine is controlled, and the vehicle is washed based on the determined car wash menu.

As a result, the car wash program can determine the next car wash time of the vehicle based on the car wash history of the vehicle to be washed. Further, in the car wash program, the vehicle can be washed based on the car wash menu estimated from the degree of dirtiness of the vehicle.

According to the present invention, the vehicle can be washed at an appropriate timing by determining the next vehicle wash time of the vehicle based on the vehicle wash history of the vehicle to be washed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a car wash system to which the car wash device according to the embodiment of the present invention can be applied. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the car wash method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The car wash device, the car wash method, and the car wash program according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The components in the following embodiments include those that can be easily replaced by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

(Car wash system)
The overall configuration of the car wash system to which the car wash device according to the embodiment can be applied will be described with reference to FIG. The car wash system includes a car wash server 1, a vehicle 2, a terminal 3, a car wash machine 4, and a weather server 5. The car wash device according to the present embodiment is realized by at least a car wash server 1 and a car wash machine 4, preferably by a car wash server 1, a car wash machine 4, and a weather server 5.

The car wash server 1, the vehicle 2, the terminal 3, the car wash machine 4, and the weather server 5 can communicate with each other through the network NW. This network NW is composed of, for example, an Internet line network, a mobile phone line network, and the like.

(Car wash server)
The car wash server 1 notifies the terminal 3 associated with the vehicle 2 of the "next car wash time" indicating the time when the vehicle 2 should wash the next car. Further, the car wash server 1 instructs the car wash machine 4 on a car wash menu according to the degree of dirtiness of the vehicle 2, and the car wash machine 4 is used to wash the vehicle 2. The above-mentioned "car wash time" may be a specific date or a specific period. The car wash server 1 includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, and a storage unit 13.

Specifically, the control unit 11 includes a processor including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). ) Etc. (main storage unit) and (all not shown).

The control unit 11 loads the program stored in the storage unit 13 into the work area of the main storage unit and executes it, and controls each component or the like through the execution of the program to realize a function that meets a predetermined purpose. To do. The control unit 11 functions as a car wash management unit 111 through the execution of the program. The details of the car wash management unit 111 will be described later.

The communication unit 12 is composed of, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board, a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication, and the like. The communication unit 12 is connected to a network NW such as the Internet, which is a public communication network. Then, the communication unit 12 communicates with the vehicle 2, the terminal 3, the car wash machine 4, and the weather server 5 by connecting to the network NW.

The storage unit 13 is composed of a recording medium such as an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), and a removable medium. Examples of removable media include disc recording media such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), and BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc). Further, the storage unit 13 can store an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, various databases, and the like.

Here, the car wash history and travel history history data of the vehicle 2 are input from the vehicle 2 and the weather history history data is input from the weather server 5 to the car wash server 1 through the network NW. In the present embodiment, at least the car wash history of the history data is input to the car wash server 1, so that the next car wash time of the vehicle 2 can be determined based on the car wash history.

The car wash history is information including, for example, the day when the vehicle 2 was last washed and the car wash menu when the vehicle was washed last time. Further, the traveling history is information including, for example, a traveling period of the vehicle 2 and a traveling place (traveling route) in the traveling period. The weather history is, for example, information indicating the weather of the traveling period and the traveling place included in the traveling history. Specifically, the weather history includes the amount of rainfall, the amount of snowfall, the amount of pollen, the concentration of particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), the amount of volcanic ash fall, etc. in the running period and the running place of the vehicle 2. Includes various events related to dirt adhering to.

The vehicle 2 may periodically transmit the car wash history and the running history to the car wash server 1, or, in response to a request from the car wash server 1, the car wash history and the running history are transmitted to the car wash server 1. You may send it each time. Further, the car wash server 1 acquires the weather history by, for example, after inputting the travel history from the vehicle 2, requesting the weather server 5 for the weather history corresponding to the travel history.

(vehicle)
The vehicle 2 is a mobile body capable of communicating with the outside, and includes a control unit 21, a communication unit 22, a storage unit 23, a positioning unit 24, and an input / output unit 25. The control unit 21 and the storage unit 23 are physically the same as the control unit 11 and the storage unit 13 described above.

The control unit 21 comprehensively controls the operation of various components mounted on the vehicle 2. The communication unit 22 is composed of, for example, a DCM (Data Communication Module) or the like, and communicates with the car wash server 1 by wireless communication through the network NW.

The positioning unit 24 receives radio waves from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite (not shown) and detects vehicle position information. Then, the positioning unit 24 outputs the detected vehicle position information to the control unit 21. In response to this, the control unit 21 outputs the vehicle position information to the car wash server 1 through the network NW. The vehicle position information detection method is not limited to the method using the above GPS satellites, and for example, a method combining LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) and a three-dimensional digital map is used. You may.

The input / output unit 25 is composed of, for example, a touch panel display, a speaker microphone, or the like. The input / output unit 25 as an output means notifies the outside of predetermined information by displaying characters, figures, etc. on the screen of the touch panel display or outputting voice from the speaker microphone according to the control by the control unit 21. To do. On the other hand, the input / output unit 25 as an input means inputs predetermined information to the control unit 21 by the occupant such as the driver of the vehicle 2 operating the touch panel display or emitting a sound toward the speaker microphone. To do.

(Terminal)
The terminal 3 is, for example, a smartphone owned by an occupant of the vehicle 2, a tablet PC with a communication function, or the like. The terminal 3 displays the information input from the car wash server 1 to the occupants of the vehicle 2 through a display unit (not shown).

(Car wash machine)
The car wash machine 4 is, for example, a gate-type car wash machine installed in a car wash place such as a gas station. The car wash machine 4 cleans the vehicle body surface of the vehicle 2 by, for example, moving relative to the vehicle 2. The car wash machine 4 is configured to be able to communicate with the outside, and includes a control unit 41, a communication unit 42, and an image pickup unit 43. The control unit 41 and the communication unit 42 are physically the same as the control unit 11 and the communication unit 12 described above.

The imaging unit 43 is, for example, an imaging camera or the like attached to the car wash machine 4, and images the entire vehicle including the license plate of the vehicle 2. The image pickup unit 43 may be composed of one image pickup camera or the like, or may be composed of two or more image pickup cameras or the like.

(Weather server)
The weather server 5 is a server provided in, for example, an organization that collects weather information such as the Japan Meteorological Agency, and distributes the weather information. In response to the request of the car wash server 1, the weather server 5 transmits the weather history indicating the traveling period and the weather of the traveling place included in the traveling history to the car washing server 1.

(Car wash method)
The car washing method according to the embodiment executed by the car washing device will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the car wash method according to the embodiment is roughly classified into a notification stage (steps S1 to S5) and a car wash stage (steps S6 to S14). The car wash stage is carried out, for example, at a car wash place where the car wash machine 4 is installed. On the other hand, the notification stage may be carried out at the car wash place, or may be carried out at a place other than the car wash place.

First, the vehicle 2 transmits the car wash history and the traveling history to the car wash server 1 (step S1). Subsequently, the weather server 5 transmits the weather history corresponding to the traveling history to the car wash server 1 in response to the request of the car wash server 1 (step S2).

Subsequently, the car wash management unit 111 of the car wash server 1 calculates the next car wash time of the vehicle 2 from the history data including the car wash history, the traveling history, and the weather history (step S3). The car wash management unit 111 is, for example, the number of days elapsed from the day when the vehicle was washed last time to the present, the traveling place (traveling route) in which the vehicle 2 traveled during the traveling period, and the rainfall in the traveling period and the traveling place. Based on the amount, amount of snowfall, amount of pollen, concentration of particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), amount of volcanic ash fall, etc., the next car wash time of vehicle 2 is determined using a well-known method (for example, regression analysis). calculate.

In the present embodiment, it is not essential to input historical data other than the car wash history, that is, the running history and the weather history to the car wash server 1, but by inputting these historical data into the car wash server 1, as described above. In addition, the next vehicle wash time of the vehicle 2 can be determined in consideration of the traveling period of the vehicle 2 and the weather at the traveling location.

Subsequently, the car wash management unit 111 transmits the calculated car wash time to the terminal 3 to notify the terminal 3 (step S4). Subsequently, the terminal 3 displays the car wash time of the vehicle 2 to the occupants of the vehicle 2 through a display unit (not shown) (step S5). Subsequently, the image pickup unit 43 of the car wash machine 4 takes an image of the vehicle 2 arriving at the car wash site (step S6), and transmits the captured image (hereinafter, referred to as “captured image”) to the car wash server 1 (step). S7).

Subsequently, the car wash management unit 111 recognizes the vehicle 2 to be washed by performing image recognition processing of the captured image (step S8). In this step, the vehicle 2 is recognized based on the license plate of the vehicle 2 specified by, for example, the image recognition process.

Subsequently, the car wash management unit 111 determines whether or not the window of the vehicle 2 has been forgotten to be closed based on the image recognition processing result of the captured image (step S9). When the car wash management unit 111 determines that the window has been forgotten to be closed, the car wash management unit 111 transmits a window closing instruction to the vehicle 2 and controls the window of the vehicle 2 to close the forgotten window (step S10). .. By performing the processes of steps S9 and S10, it is possible to prevent forgetting to close the window when washing the car. The processes of steps S9 and S10 are not essential, and are carried out as necessary.

Subsequently, the car wash management unit 111 estimates the degree of dirtiness of the vehicle 2, for example, which part of the vehicle 2 is dirty and how much, based on the image recognition processing result of the captured image (step S11). Subsequently, the car wash management unit 111 determines a car wash menu according to the degree of dirt estimated in step S11 from a plurality of car wash menus (car wash courses) prepared in advance (step S12). The above-mentioned "car wash menu" includes, for example, a car wash using water (water car wash), a car wash using shampoo (shampoo car wash), a car wash using wax (wax car wash), and the like.

Subsequently, the car wash management unit 111 transmits a car wash instruction and a car wash menu to the car wash machine 4 to instruct the car wash of the vehicle 2 (step S13). Subsequently, the car wash machine 4 wash the vehicle 2 based on the car wash menu determined in step S13 under the control of the car wash management unit 111 (step S14).

According to the car wash method according to the embodiment described above, the vehicle 2 is washed at an appropriate timing by determining the next car wash time of the vehicle 2 based on the car wash history of the vehicle 2 to be washed. can do. Further, according to the car wash method according to the embodiment, by estimating the car wash menu from the dirtiness of the vehicle 2, the car can be washed by the car wash menu that matches the dirtiness of the vehicle 2.

Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Thus, broader aspects of the invention are not limited to the particular details and representative embodiments expressed and described above. Thus, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general concept of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalents.

For example, in step S2 of the car wash method according to the above-described embodiment, the weather server 5 uses the weather history corresponding to the travel history, that is, the amount of rainfall, the amount of snowfall, the amount of pollen, and the particulate matter in the travel period and travel location of the vehicle 2. Information such as the concentration of (PM10, PM2.5) and the amount of volcanic ash fall was transmitted to the car wash server 1, but in addition to this information, information on the future weather in the area where the vehicle 2 is used was washed. It may be sent to the server 1. In this case, the car wash management unit 111 calculates the next car wash time of the vehicle 2 after excluding the days when rainfall or snowfall is expected from now on. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the vehicle 2 becomes dirty due to rain or snow immediately after the vehicle is washed.

Further, in steps S3 and S4 of the car wash method according to the above-described embodiment, the car wash server 1 calculates the next car wash time of the vehicle 2 and notifies the terminal 3, but at the next car wash time of the vehicle 2. In addition, the terminal 3 may be notified of the next maintenance time.

In this case, in step S1, the vehicle 2 transmits the maintenance history of the vehicle 2 to the car wash server 1 in addition to the car wash history and the traveling history. In response to this, the car wash server 1 calculates the next maintenance time of the vehicle 2 based on the maintenance history of the vehicle 2. Then, the car wash server 1 transmits the calculated maintenance time to the terminal 3 to notify the terminal 3. In this way, by determining the next maintenance time of the vehicle 2 based on the maintenance history of the vehicle 2, the maintenance of the vehicle 2 can be performed at an appropriate timing. The above-mentioned "maintenance history" includes, for example, an engine oil replacement history, a tire pressure inspection history, a battery inspection history, and the like.

1 Car wash server 11 Control unit 111 Car wash management unit 12 Communication unit 13 Storage unit 2 Vehicle 21 Control unit 22 Communication unit 23 Storage unit 24 Positioning unit 25 Input / output unit 3 Terminal 4 Car wash machine 41 Control unit 42 Communication unit 43 Imaging unit 5 Weather Server NW network

Claims (6)

With memory
With a processor with hardware
With
The processor
The next car wash time of the vehicle is calculated based on the history data including the car wash history of the vehicle.
Notify the terminal possessed by the occupant of the vehicle of the next car wash time,
Based on the image of the vehicle input from the car wash machine, the degree of dirtiness of the vehicle is estimated.
Determine the car wash menu according to the degree of dirt,
Control the car wash machine and wash the vehicle based on the determined car wash menu.
Car wash device. The car washing device according to claim 1, wherein the history data further includes a traveling history of the vehicle and a weather history indicating the traveling period and the weather of the traveling place included in the traveling history. The history data further includes a maintenance history of the vehicle.
The processor
The next maintenance time of the vehicle is calculated based on the maintenance history.
Notify the terminal of the next maintenance time.
The car wash device according to claim 1 or 2. The processor
Based on the image of the vehicle input from the car wash machine, it is determined that the window of the vehicle is forgotten to be closed.
If it is determined that the window has been forgotten to be closed, the vehicle is controlled to close the window that has been forgotten to be closed.
The car wash device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. It is a car wash method executed by a car wash device, a vehicle, and a terminal possessed by an occupant of the vehicle.
The processor of the car wash device
The next car wash time of the vehicle is calculated based on the history data including the car wash history of the vehicle.
Notify the terminal possessed by the occupant of the vehicle of the next car wash time,
Based on the image of the vehicle input from the car wash machine, the degree of dirtiness of the vehicle is estimated.
Determine the car wash menu according to the degree of dirt,
Control the car wash machine and wash the vehicle based on the determined car wash menu.
Car wash method. A car wash program that is run by a car wash device
The next car wash time of the vehicle is calculated based on the history data including the car wash history of the vehicle.
Notify the terminal possessed by the occupant of the vehicle of the next car wash time,
Based on the image of the vehicle input from the car wash machine, the degree of dirtiness of the vehicle is estimated.
Determine the car wash menu according to the degree of dirt,
Control the car wash machine and wash the vehicle based on the determined car wash menu.
Car wash program.

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