Dashboard degradation notification system

Abstract

The present application relates to a deterioration notification system for an instrument panel. The deterioration notification system has a history record storage unit that stores respective histories of the amount of sunshine to a vehicle and the outside air temperature of the vehicle, a calculation processing unit that makes a deterioration determination of the instrument panel based on the respective histories of the amount of sunshine and the outside air temperature, and a notification unit that notifies a user of replacement of the instrument panel. The calculation processing unit has an estimation unit that estimates a temperature history of the instrument panel based on the respective histories of the amount of sunshine and the outside air temperature, a calculation unit that calculates a total heat load amount to which the instrument panel is subjected based on the temperature history, and a determination unit that determines whether or not the instrument panel is deteriorated based on the total heat load amount.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a dashboard degradation notification system. Background Technology

[0002] An airbag (safety airbag) that deploys into the passenger compartment is located in front of the passenger seat of the vehicle. This airbag is covered by the instrument panel. The instrument panel is designed to ensure efficient breakage and minimal degradation when the airbag deploys, and to maintain predetermined strength when the airbag does not deploy. An example of an instrument panel with such performance is the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-251414.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-251414 discloses an instrument panel formed using a powder slush material for the instrument panel surface, characterized in that the center portion of the powder is surrounded by a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, and the center portion is formed of a material different from the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Over long-term vehicle use, the plasticizer content in the dashboard materials decreases due to environmental factors such as heat or light. As the plasticizer content decreases, the dashboard gradually hardens, becomes brittle, and deteriorates, resulting in a decline in the aforementioned performance characteristics. If this deterioration continues, not only will the tactile feel and design be compromised, but occupant safety may also be compromised.

[0005] If, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-251414, materials that are as resistant to degradation as possible are chosen to form the dashboard, the dashboard may become overweight. Overweight can be avoided by monitoring dashboard degradation and replacing it in a timely manner.

[0006] However, in the long run, the deterioration of the dashboard varies greatly from vehicle to vehicle depending on the usage environment. Furthermore, it is impossible to cut samples from dashboards of vehicles already sold for accelerated deterioration testing. Therefore, timely notification to users regarding the replacement of deteriorated dashboards is not an easy task.

[0007] This invention provides a dashboard degradation notification system that can notify users in a timely manner when a deteriorated dashboard needs to be replaced.

[0008] The dashboard degradation notification system of the present invention is a system for notifying a user of the degradation of a dashboard covering an airbag deployed into the passenger compartment of a vehicle. The system includes: a historical record storage unit for storing historical records of solar radiation and external temperature for the vehicle; a calculation processing unit for determining the degradation of the dashboard based on the historical records of solar radiation and external temperature; and a notification unit for notifying the user of dashboard replacement if the calculation processing unit determines that the dashboard is degraded. The calculation processing unit includes: an estimation unit for estimating the temperature history of the dashboard based on the historical records of solar radiation and external temperature; a calculation unit for calculating the total heat load on the dashboard based on the temperature history; and a determination unit for determining whether the dashboard is degraded based on the total heat load.

[0009] This configuration allows the degradation notification system to easily monitor the degradation status of dashboards on different vehicles. Therefore, the system can notify the user of dashboard replacement based on its degradation condition. Thus, the system can prevent excessive dashboard materialization while promptly notifying the user of deteriorated dashboards for replacement.

[0010] In the dashboard degradation notification system of the present invention, the vehicle includes: a history storage unit, a solar sensor that measures the amount of solar radiation, an external temperature sensor that measures the external temperature, a location information acquisition unit that acquires the vehicle's location information, a meteorological information acquisition unit that acquires meteorological information including the amount of solar radiation and the external temperature based on the location information, and a navigation device having the notification unit. The history storage unit is configured to store historical records for periods when the measured solar radiation and external temperature are used as the vehicle's power source to start and the vehicle is in a drivable state, and to store historical records for periods when the acquired meteorological information contains the measured solar radiation and external temperature, and the vehicle is in a stopped state when the power source is stopped.

[0011] In this way, while the vehicle is stationary and its power source is off, although it ceases acquiring location and weather information, as well as measuring solar radiation and outside temperature, it can still obtain the amount of solar radiation and outside temperature received during this period. Therefore, the vehicle can store historical data on solar radiation and outside temperature, taking into account the vehicle's usage history, without consuming battery power and without missing any data on solar radiation and outside temperature received during periods of power outage and stationary operation. Thus, even without taking special measures such as increasing the vehicle's battery capacity, the degradation notification system can accurately calculate the total heat load on the dashboard using existing vehicle-mounted devices. The degradation notification system can accurately and easily monitor the degradation status of dashboards, which varies from vehicle to vehicle. Therefore, the degradation notification system avoids excessive dashboard weight and promptly and easily notifies the user of the replacement of deteriorated dashboards.

[0012] In the dashboard degradation notification system of the present invention, the arithmetic processing unit further includes a prediction unit that predicts the remaining lifespan of the dashboard based on the total heat load; the notification unit notifies the user of the predicted remaining lifespan when the arithmetic processing unit determines that the dashboard has not deteriorated.

[0013] In this way, the degradation notification system can not only avoid over-quality dashboards and notify users of the replacement of degraded dashboards in a timely manner, but also notify users of the replacement period for non-degraded dashboards.

[0014] In the dashboard degradation notification system of the present invention, when the total heat load is above a threshold predetermined according to the material of the dashboard, the determination unit determines that the dashboard is degraded; the prediction unit calculates a representative value of the time distribution of the temperature of the dashboard based on the temperature history record, and predicts the remaining life based on the representative value, the total heat load and the threshold.

[0015] In this way, the prediction unit can predict the remaining lifespan of the dashboard based on the total heat load and representative value calculated from the dashboard's temperature history, which takes into account the vehicle's usage history. Therefore, even without complex algorithms, the degradation notification system can accurately and easily grasp the degradation status of dashboards, which varies from vehicle to vehicle. Thus, the degradation notification system can accurately and easily predict the remaining lifespan of the dashboard. Consequently, the degradation notification system can avoid excessive dashboard weight while promptly and easily notifying users of the replacement of degraded dashboards, and can also accurately and easily notify users of the replacement period for non-degraded dashboards.

[0016] According to the present invention, a dashboard degradation notification system is provided that can notify users in a timely manner of the replacement of a deteriorated dashboard. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference numerals denote similar elements, wherein:

[0018] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the configuration of the degradation notification system in this embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the dashboard as viewed from the passenger compartment of a vehicle.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a view of the dashboard from the side.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the installation location of the external temperature sensor.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the information stored in the historical record storage section.

[0023] Figure 6 It is a graph showing the relationship between the instrument panel temperature and the amount of sunshine and the outside temperature.

[0024] Figure 7 It is a diagram illustrating the information stored in the information storage device.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a flowchart that outlines the operation of the degradation notification system. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described using the accompanying drawings. Configurations that are given the same reference numerals in each embodiment have the same function in each embodiment unless specifically mentioned, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the configuration of the degradation notification system 1 in this embodiment. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the dashboard 11 as viewed from the passenger compartment of vehicle 10. Figure 3 This is a view of the dashboard 11 from the side. Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the installation location of the external temperature sensor 152. Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the information stored in the historical record storage unit 172. Figure 6 This is a graph showing the relationship between the temperature of the instrument panel 11 and the amount of sunshine and the outside temperature. Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating the information stored in the information storage device 22.

[0028] The degradation notification system 1 is a system that notifies users such as the driver of degradation of the dashboard 11 located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10. For example... Figure 2 As shown, an instrument panel 11 is arranged extending left and right in front of the driver's and passenger's seats. The instrument panel 11 is a panel surrounding the instruments located near the steering wheel. The instrument panel 11 is also referred to as a dashboard.

[0029] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the dashboard 11 covers the airbag 12 located in front of the front passenger seat. The airbag 12 deploys into the passenger compartment during a collision with the vehicle 10 to protect the passenger in the front passenger seat. The dashboard 11 has a fracture portion 11a that breaks off when the airbag 12 deploys. The fracture portion 11a is, for example, formed by a seam that breaks off under the inflation pressure of the airbag 12 during deployment.

[0030] The instrument panel 11 is primarily made of thermoplastic resin, including plasticizers. Examples of materials used for the instrument panel 11 include thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyamide nylon 66 (PA66), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The instrument panel 11 can also be made of resin based on the Arrhenius law's 10°C doubling rule (when the temperature increases (decreases) by 10°C, the lifespan will be halved (doubled)).

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the degradation notification system 1 includes a vehicle 10 equipped with an instrument panel 11 and a server device 20 that can wirelessly connect to the vehicle 10.

[0032] The vehicle 10 is equipped with a sensor 15 that measures the operating environment of the vehicle 10, a navigation device 16 that obtains the location information of the vehicle 10, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 17 that stores historical records of information sent from the sensor 15 and the navigation device 16.

[0033] Sensor 15 includes a sunlight sensor 151 for measuring the amount of sunlight hitting the vehicle 10, and an outside temperature sensor 152 for measuring the outside temperature of the vehicle 10. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the sunlight sensor 151 is installed near the boundary between the dashboard 11 and the windshield in the passenger compartment. Figure 4 As shown, the external temperature sensor 152 is mounted at the front of the vehicle 10, for example, near the front bumper. The sunlight sensor 151 and the external temperature sensor 152 measure the amount of sunlight and the external temperature, respectively, and send them to the ECU 17.

[0034] The navigation device 16 includes a location information acquisition unit 161 for acquiring the location information of the vehicle 10, a weather information acquisition unit 162 for acquiring weather information, and a notification unit 163 for notifying the user of various information. The location information acquisition unit 161 is composed of a GNSS receiver, etc. The weather information acquisition unit 162 acquires weather information from an external distribution server of the vehicle 10 based on the location information of the vehicle 10. The external distribution server distributes weather information including sunshine duration and outside temperature. The location information acquisition unit 161 and the weather information acquisition unit 162 acquire the location information of the vehicle 10 and the corresponding weather information, respectively. The location information acquisition unit 161 and the weather information acquisition unit 162 send the acquired location information of the vehicle 10 and the corresponding weather information to the ECU 17. The notification unit 163 is composed of a display and a speaker, etc. The notification unit 163 notifies the user of information sent from the server device 20. In particular, if the server device 20 determines that the instrument panel 11 is deteriorated, the notification unit 163 notifies the user of the replacement of the instrument panel 11.

[0035] The ECU 17 includes a control unit 171, a history storage unit 172, and a communication unit 173 that communicates with the server device 20. The control unit 171 controls the actions of the sensors 15 and the navigation device 16. The history storage unit 172 stores information sent from the sensors 15 and the navigation device 16.

[0036] The control unit 171 controls the various operations of the sensor 15 and the navigation device 16. The control unit 171 causes the historical data storage unit 172 to store information sent from the sensor 15 and the navigation device 16 to the ECU 17. The control unit 171 causes the notification unit 163 of the navigation device 16 to notify the system of information sent from the server device 20. The control unit 171 is composed of a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The control unit 171 implements its functions by executing a program stored in the ROM through the CPU.

[0037] The historical record storage unit 172 is composed of a storage device that stores historical records of the amount of sunlight received by the vehicle 10 and the external temperature of the vehicle 10. The historical record of the amount of sunlight refers to log data obtained by periodically recording the amount of sunlight received by the vehicle 10 during the period from a predetermined time in retrospect to the present (hereinafter also referred to as the "predetermined recording period"). The historical record of the external temperature refers to log data obtained by periodically recording the external temperature of the vehicle 10 during the predetermined recording period.

[0038] Furthermore, the historical record storage unit 172 stores the usage history of the vehicle 10. The usage history of the vehicle 10 includes historical records of the vehicle 10's location information. Furthermore, the usage history of the vehicle 10 includes historical records of periods when the vehicle 10's power source (engine and / or motor, etc.) is started and the vehicle 10 is in a drivable state (hereinafter also referred to as "ignition ON period"), and periods when the vehicle 10's power source (engine and / or motor, etc.) is stopped and the vehicle 10 is in a stopped state (hereinafter also referred to as "ignition OFF period") (hereinafter also referred to as "ignition ON / OFF history"). The historical record of the vehicle 10's location information refers to log data obtained by periodically recording the vehicle 10's location information within a predetermined recording period. The historical record of ignition ON / OFF refers to log data obtained by recording the start and end times of each of the ignition ON and ignition OFF periods within a predetermined recording period. Moreover, the historical record storage unit 172 stores historical records of solar radiation and external temperature in association with the vehicle 10's usage history.

[0039] The start time of the ignition off period can be the same as the end time of the ignition on period immediately preceding it. The end time of the ignition off period can be the same as the start time of the ignition on period immediately following it. Furthermore, the position information of the vehicle 10 during the ignition off period can be the same as the position information at the time closest to the end time of the ignition on period immediately preceding it. In other words, during the ignition off period, the position information acquisition unit 161 can stop acquiring the position information of the vehicle 10.

[0040] Furthermore, as historical records of solar radiation and external temperature during ignition-on periods, the historical record storage unit 172 stores the solar radiation and external temperature measured by the solar radiation sensor 151 and the external temperature sensor 152 respectively, in association with their respective measurement times. As historical records of solar radiation and external temperature during ignition-off periods, the historical record storage unit 172 stores the solar radiation and external temperature contained in the meteorological information acquired by the meteorological information acquisition unit 162, in association with the time the meteorological information was acquired.

[0041] The meteorological information acquisition unit 162 can acquire meteorological information during the ignition shutdown period as follows: That is, when the ignition on period begins, the meteorological information acquisition unit 162 determines the ignition shutdown period preceding that period and determines the location information corresponding to the determined ignition shutdown period. Furthermore, the meteorological information acquisition unit 162 only needs to obtain the meteorological information corresponding to the determined period and location information from an external distribution server. In other words, the meteorological information acquisition unit 162 can stop acquiring meteorological information during the ignition shutdown period. In addition, during the ignition shutdown period, the solar radiation sensor 151 and the external temperature sensor 152 can stop measuring solar radiation and external temperature, respectively.

[0042] Thus, even though the acquisition of vehicle 10's location and weather information, as well as the measurement of solar radiation and outside temperature, ceases during ignition-off periods, vehicle 10 can still obtain the solar radiation and outside temperature received during this period. Therefore, vehicle 10 can store historical records of solar radiation and outside temperature, taking into account the vehicle 10's usage history, without consuming battery power. In other words, vehicle 10 can store all solar radiation and outside temperature received during ignition-off periods without omission. Therefore, even without taking special measures such as increasing the battery capacity of vehicle 10, the degradation notification system 1 can accurately calculate the total heat load received by the instrument panel 11 using the existing device installed in vehicle 10. The degradation notification system 1 can accurately and easily grasp the degradation status of the instrument panel 11, which varies from vehicle 10 to vehicle 11. Thus, the degradation notification system 1 notifies the user of the replacement of the degraded instrument panel 11 in a timely and easy manner, while avoiding excessive weight of the instrument panel 11.

[0043] In addition, the historical record storage unit 172 can also store the amount of sunshine and the outside temperature measured by the sunshine sensor 151 and the outside temperature sensor 152 respectively in association with their respective measurement times, so as to serve as historical records of sunshine and outside temperature during the ignition off period.

[0044] The Ministry of Communications 173 will, as Figure 5 The historical records of sunshine duration and external temperature stored in the historical record storage unit 172 (including the measurement time or acquisition time) are associated with the vehicle ID, which serves as the identification information of the vehicle 10, and sent to the server device 20. The communication unit 173 receives the information sent from the server device 20 and sends it to the notification unit 163 of the navigation device 16.

[0045] The server device 20 includes an information processing device 21 for processing information sent from the vehicle 10 and an information storage device 22 for storing the information involved in the processing of the information processing device 21.

[0046] The information processing device 21 includes a communication unit 211 that communicates with the vehicle 10 and a calculation processing unit 212 that determines the deterioration of the instrument panel 11 based on historical data of solar radiation and external temperature sent from the vehicle 10. The calculation processing unit 212 includes an estimation unit 213, a calculation unit 214, a determination unit 215, and a prediction unit 216.

[0047] The communication unit 211 receives historical data on solar radiation and external temperature from the vehicle 10 and sends them to the processing unit 212. The communication unit 211 also sends the results of the instrument panel 11 degradation assessment to the vehicle 10.

[0048] The estimation unit 213 estimates the temperature history of the instrument panel 11 based on the historical records of sunlight and outside temperature transmitted from the vehicle 10. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the temperature of the instrument panel 11 (hereinafter also referred to as "instrument panel temperature") increases with increasing solar radiation or rising outside temperature. The estimation unit 213 applies the solar radiation and outside temperature data sent from the vehicle 10 to a formula describing the relationship between the temperature of the instrument panel 11 and the solar radiation and outside temperature. Thus, the estimation unit 213 can estimate the temperature of the instrument panel 11 corresponding to the solar radiation and outside temperature data sent from the vehicle 10. This formula is derived in advance through experiments or simulations and preset in the estimation unit 213.

[0049] Furthermore, the estimation unit 213 can estimate the temperature history of the instrument panel 11 using the measurement time or acquisition time that is correlated with solar radiation and external temperature sent from the vehicle 10. The temperature history of the instrument panel 11 can be a graph showing the time distribution of the temperature of the instrument panel 11, or it can be... Figure 7 The table shown represents the time distribution of the temperature on instrument panel 11. Figure 7 The table shown is created by summing the time when the temperature of the instrument panel 11 occurs (hereinafter also referred to as "occurrence time") according to predetermined temperature levels.

[0050] The calculation unit 214 calculates the total heat load on the instrument panel 11 based on the temperature history record of the instrument panel 11 estimated by the estimation unit 213. The total heat load is obtained by quantifying the degree of heat load acting on the instrument panel 11 from the time the instrument panel 11 was installed in the vehicle 10 until the present. The total heat load may be, for example, the cumulative value of the heat received by the instrument panel 11 over time, or the value converted from the cumulative value to time, and the indicator is not particularly limited.

[0051] Specifically, firstly, calculate part 214. Figure 7 The time of occurrence for each temperature level shown is converted to a temperature based on the temperature of instrument panel 11 (in...). Figure 7The calculation unit 214 calculates the time as the heat load for each temperature level (assuming a temperature of 110°C). Alternatively, the calculation unit 214 can use the 10°C doubling rule to convert the occurrence time for each temperature level into the time at the upper limit of the temperature range of each level as the reference temperature. Figure 7 In the example, the occurrence time for the temperature range of 20℃-30℃ is 2000 hours. The upper limit of the 20℃-30℃ temperature range is 30℃. The difference between this upper limit of 30℃ and the reference temperature of 110℃ is 80℃. Therefore, if the 10℃ doubling rule is used, the occurrence time of 2000 hours is converted to 2000 / (2 8 )≈8 hours. That is to say, in Figure 7 In the example, the heat load for a temperature class of 20℃-30℃ is calculated to be 8 hours. The heat load for other temperature classes is calculated in the same way.

[0052] Furthermore, the calculation unit 214 calculates the sum of all heat loads for each temperature level as the total heat load received by the instrument panel 11. Figure 7 In the example, the total heat load is calculated to be 196 + 8 + 7 + 3 + 1 = 215 hours. Furthermore, based on the highest possible temperature that the instrument panel 11 may reach under the operating environment of the vehicle 10 and the heat resistance temperature of the material of the instrument panel 11, a reference temperature is predetermined, taking into account a safety margin.

[0053] The determination unit 215 determines whether the instrument panel 11 has deteriorated based on the total heat load calculated by the calculation unit 214. Specifically, if the total heat load calculated by the calculation unit 214 is above a threshold predetermined according to the material of the instrument panel 11, the determination unit 215 determines that the instrument panel 11 has deteriorated. If the total heat load is less than the threshold, the determination unit 215 determines that the instrument panel 11 has not deteriorated.

[0054] The threshold for determining deterioration is predetermined based on the degree of reduction in the plasticizer content of the instrument panel 11 material. For example, if the plasticizer content of the instrument panel 11 is reduced by 50% from that of a new product, fragments of the fractured part 11a will fly towards the user when the airbag 12 deploys. In this case, the instrument panel 11, with a plasticizer content reduced by 50% from that of a new product, is considered deteriorated. Moreover, considering a safety margin, the total heat load on the instrument panel 11 required to reduce the plasticizer content from that of a new product by, for example, 40% can be determined as the aforementioned threshold for determining deterioration.

[0055] exist Figure 7 In the example, dashboard 11 is made of TPU, and the threshold is predetermined to be 1400 hours. Figure 7In the example, the total heat load of 215 hours is less than the threshold of 1400 hours, so the determination unit 215 determines that the instrument panel 11 has not deteriorated. The remaining 1185 hours obtained by subtracting the total heat load of 215 hours from the threshold of 1400 hours is the margin until the instrument panel 11 deteriorates.

[0056] If the determination unit 215 determines that the instrument panel 11 is deteriorated, the determination unit 215 sends a replacement notification instruction to the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 211, instructing the user to replace the instrument panel 11. Based on this replacement notification instruction, the notification unit 163 of the navigation device 16 of the vehicle 10 notifies the user of the replacement of the instrument panel 11. On the other hand, if the determination unit 215 determines that the instrument panel 11 is not deteriorated, the determination unit 215 sends the determination result to the prediction unit 216.

[0057] The prediction unit 216 predicts the remaining lifespan of the instrument panel 11 based on the total heat load calculated by the calculation unit 214. Specifically, the prediction unit 216 predicts the remaining lifespan based on the total heat load calculated by the calculation unit 214, the degradation determination threshold of the determination unit 215, and a representative value of the time distribution of the temperature of the instrument panel 11. The representative value of the time distribution of the temperature of the instrument panel 11 can be the average value, the median value, or the most frequent value of the time distribution. The prediction unit 216 calculates this representative value based on the temperature history estimated by the estimation unit 213. Figure 7 In this example, the representative value is calculated to be 30°C. Furthermore, for the remaining 1185 hours obtained by subtracting the total heat load of 215 hours from the threshold of 1400 hours, the instrument panel 11 is used at this representative value of 30°C. In this case, the prediction unit 216 uses the 10°C doubling rule to predict the remaining lifespan of the instrument panel 11 as 1185 × (2... 7 ) / 24 / 365≈17 years.

[0058] The prediction unit 216 sends the predicted remaining lifespan of the instrument panel 11 to the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 211. The notification unit 163 of the navigation device 16 of the vehicle 10 notifies the user of the remaining lifespan. Thus, the degradation notification system 1 can not only notify the user in a timely manner of replacing the degraded instrument panel 11, but also notify the user of the replacement period for the non-degraded instrument panel 11.

[0059] Thus, the prediction unit 216 can predict the remaining lifespan of the instrument panel 11 based on the total heat load calculated by the calculation unit 214, the degradation determination threshold of the determination unit 215, and the representative value of the time distribution of the instrument panel 11's temperature. In other words, the prediction unit 216 can predict the remaining lifespan of the instrument panel 11 based on the total heat load calculated from the temperature history of the instrument panel 11, taking into account the usage history of the vehicle 10, and the representative value. Therefore, even without employing complex algorithms, the degradation notification system 1 can accurately and easily grasp the degradation status of the instrument panel 11, which varies from vehicle 10 to vehicle 10. Therefore, the degradation notification system 1 can accurately and easily predict the remaining lifespan of the instrument panel 11. Thus, the degradation notification system 1 can, while avoiding excessive weight of the instrument panel 11, promptly and easily notify the user of the replacement of the degraded instrument panel 11, and accurately and easily notify the user of the replacement period for the non-degraded instrument panel 11.

[0060] The information storage device 22 is composed of storage devices such as a database. The information storage device 22 stores the aforementioned degradation determination thresholds according to each material of the instrument panel 11. Furthermore, such as... Figure 7 As shown, the information storage device 22 can store the vehicle ID, the material of the instrument panel 11, temperature history records, heat load for temperature level, total heat load, and remaining lifespan in an interconnected manner. Whenever historical records of sunlight and outside temperature are sent from the vehicle 10, the temperature history records, heat load for temperature level, total heat load, and remaining lifespan are updated.

[0061] In addition, the information storage device 22 can store information in multiple vehicles 10. Figure 7 The information processing device 21 can predict the remaining lifespan of the instrument panel 11 of the vehicle 10 by considering not only the information of the vehicle 10, but also the information of other vehicles 10 that have instrument panels 11 made of the same material as the vehicle 10 and are subjected to a total heat load similar to that of the vehicle 10.

[0062] Figure 8 This is a flowchart outlining the operation of the degradation notification system 1.

[0063] In step S1, the degradation notification system 1 stores historical records of the amount of sunlight and the external temperature of the vehicle 10 in the ECU 17.

[0064] In step S2, the degradation notification system 1 sends historical data on sunlight and outside temperature stored in the ECU 17 to the server device 20 when the vehicle 10 is ignited. Furthermore, the degradation notification system 1 may not send these historical data stored in the ECU 17 every time the vehicle 10 is ignited, but rather at a frequency of, for example, once every few months. Additionally, when the remaining lifespan of the instrument panel 11 reaches a predetermined value (e.g., one year remaining), the degradation notification system 1 may change the frequency of sending these historical data stored in the ECU 17 to a higher level than usual.

[0065] In step S3, the degradation notification system 1 estimates the temperature of the instrument panel 11 corresponding to each amount of sunlight and each external temperature sent from the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the degradation notification system 1 estimates the historical temperature record of the instrument panel 11.

[0066] In step S4, the degradation notification system 1 calculates the total heat load on the instrument panel 11.

[0067] In step S5, the degradation notification system 1 determines whether the calculated total heat load is above a threshold. If the calculated total heat load is above the threshold, the degradation notification system 1 proceeds to step S6. If the calculated total heat load is below the threshold, the degradation notification system 1 proceeds to step S7.

[0068] In step S6, the degradation notification system 1 sends a replacement notification instruction to the vehicle 10, instructing the user to replace the instrument panel 11. Afterwards, the degradation notification system 1 proceeds to step S9.

[0069] In step S7, the degradation notification system 1 predicts the remaining lifespan of the dashboard 11.

[0070] In step S8, the degradation notification system 1 sends the predicted remaining lifespan of the dashboard 11 to the vehicle 10.

[0071] In step S9, the degradation notification system 1 notifies the user of a replacement notification or the remaining lifespan of the instrument panel 11 via the navigation device 16. Afterwards, the degradation notification system 1 terminates. Figure 8 The work shown.

[0072] As described above, the degradation notification system 1 of this embodiment is a system that notifies the user of degradation of the dashboard 11 covering the airbag 12 deployed into the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10. The degradation notification system 1 includes a history storage unit 172 that stores historical records of the amount of sunlight and the outside temperature of the vehicle 10, an arithmetic processing unit 212 that determines the degradation of the dashboard 11 based on the historical records of the amount of sunlight and the outside temperature, and a notification unit 163 that notifies the user of the replacement of the dashboard 11 when it is determined that the dashboard 11 has deteriorated. The arithmetic processing unit 212 includes an estimation unit 213 that estimates the temperature history of the dashboard 11 based on the historical records of the amount of sunlight and the outside temperature, a calculation unit 214 that calculates the total heat load applied to the dashboard 11 based on the temperature history, and a determination unit 215 that determines whether the dashboard 11 has deteriorated based on the total heat load.

[0073] Therefore, the degradation notification system 1 can easily grasp the degradation status of the instrument panel 11, which varies from vehicle 10 to vehicle 10. Thus, the degradation notification system 1 can notify the user of the replacement of the instrument panel 11 based on its degradation status. Therefore, the degradation notification system 1 can both prevent the instrument panel 11 from becoming excessively heavy and promptly notify the user of the replacement of a degraded instrument panel 11.

[0074] As a result, the degradation notification system 1 helps ensure the tactile feel and design of the dashboard 11, as well as occupant safety, without wasting any material on the dashboard 11. The degradation notification system 1 can enhance the competitiveness of the vehicle 10 in the used car market, thus expanding the used car market and contributing to the development of a sustainable society.

[0075] Furthermore, the hardware configuration of degradation notification system 1 is not limited to... Figure 1 The configuration is shown. For example, the historical record storage unit 172 may also be provided in the server device 20. The processing unit 212 may also be provided in the vehicle 10. The notification unit 163 may also be provided in a device other than the navigation device 16, such as a user's portable terminal or a terminal device of a management company that manages the vehicle 10.

[0076] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the claims. The present invention can add the configuration of one embodiment to the configuration of other embodiments, replace the configuration of one embodiment with that of other embodiments, or delete a portion of the configuration of one embodiment.

Claims

1. A deterioration notification system of an instrument panel that notifies a user of deterioration of an instrument panel that covers an airbag deployed into a passenger compartment of a vehicle, the system including a vehicle provided with the instrument panel and a server device wirelessly communicable with the vehicle, the vehicle including: a sunshine sensor that measures an amount of sunshine on the vehicle; an outside air temperature sensor that measures an outside air temperature of the vehicle; a history record storage section that stores respective history records of the amount of sunshine on the vehicle and the outside air temperature of the vehicle; a navigation device having a position information acquisition section that acquires position information of the vehicle, a weather information acquisition section that acquires weather information including the amount of sunshine and the outside air temperature from outside based on the position information, and a notification section that notifies a user of replacement of the instrument panel in a case where it is determined that the instrument panel is deteriorated; and a communication section that transmits the respective history records of the amount of sunshine and the outside air temperature stored in the history record storage section to the server device, and receives information transmitted from the server device and transmits to the notification section of the navigation device, the server device including an arithmetic processing section that performs deterioration determination of the instrument panel based on the respective history records of the amount of sunshine and the outside air temperature transmitted from the vehicle, the history record storage section configured to store the respective history records of the amount of sunshine and the outside air temperature measured by the sunshine sensor and the outside air temperature sensor as the respective history records during a period in which the vehicle is in a drivable state with a power source of the vehicle started, and store the respective history records of the amount of sunshine and the outside air temperature included in the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition section as the respective history records during a period in which the vehicle is in a stop state with the power source stopped, the arithmetic processing section having: an estimation section that estimates a temperature history record of the instrument panel based on the respective history records of the amount of sunshine and the outside air temperature; a calculation section that calculates a total heat load amount to which the instrument panel is subjected based on the temperature history record; and a determination section that determines whether the instrument panel is deteriorated based on the total heat load amount.

2. The deterioration notification system of an instrument panel according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic processing section further has a prediction section that predicts a remaining life of the instrument panel based on the total heat load amount; the notification section notifies a user of the predicted remaining life in a case where the arithmetic processing section determines that the instrument panel is not deteriorated.

3. The deterioration notification system of an instrument panel according to claim 2, wherein the determination section determines that the instrument panel is deteriorated in a case where the total heat load amount is equal to or greater than a threshold value predetermined according to a material of the instrument panel; the prediction section configured to calculate a representative value of a time distribution of a temperature of the instrument panel from the temperature history record, and predict the remaining life based on the representative value, the total heat load amount, and the threshold value. ​

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