Automatic Anti-freezing agent spraying system, automatic spraying control program, automatic spraying control method, and automatic spraying control device

Abstract

To provide an automatic anti-freezing agent spraying system, an automatic spraying control program, an automatic spraying control method, and an automatic spraying control device, capable of automatically spraying an anti-freezing agent on a road surface requiring the anti-freezing agent with high accuracy based on road surface prediction information and maximizing the spraying effect of the anti-freezing agent without waste.SOLUTION: An anti-freezing agent automatic spraying system 1 comprising an automatic spraying control device 10 and an automatic spraying control server 11, wherein the automatic spraying control server 11 comprises a road surface prediction information acquisition part 71 for acquiring road surface prediction information, a basic spray pattern acquisition unit 72 that acquires a basic spray pattern in which a spray section and a non-spray section are set, and a modified spray pattern creation unit 73 that creates a modified spray pattern in which the basic spray pattern is modified based on the road surface prediction information; the automatic spraying control device 10 has an automatic spraying processing part 77 for making the anti-freezing agent spraying device 12 automatically spray the anti-freezing agent based on the basic spray pattern or the modified spray pattern.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic antifreeze agent spraying system, an automatic spraying control program, an automatic spraying control method, and an automatic spraying control device for automatically spraying an antifreeze agent using an antifreeze agent spraying device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technique for automatically spraying an antifreeze. For example, JP 2015-090037 A proposes an automatic antifreeze spray control device having a spray section setting section for setting a spray section, a road surface condition data acquisition section for acquiring road surface condition data, a spray condition data acquisition section for acquiring spray condition data, a spray condition determination section for determining the spray conditions for each unit section, a total spray amount advance calculation section for calculating in advance the total amount of antifreeze to be sprayed in the spray section, a current position data acquisition section for acquiring current position data, a unit section identification section for identifying a unit section corresponding to the current position, and a spray condition output section for outputting the spray conditions for each unit section to an antifreeze spray device (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-090037 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, according to conventional automatic spraying techniques, including the invention described in Patent Document 1, antifreeze is sprayed only at pre-set locations and sections. For this reason, on road surfaces where road conditions change from moment to moment, it may become necessary to spray at locations other than the pre-set spraying locations, or spraying may not be necessary at the pre-set spraying locations, resulting in a problem that the antifreeze spraying effect cannot be maximized without waste.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide an automatic antifreeze spraying system, an automatic spraying control program, an automatic spraying control method, and an automatic spraying control device that can automatically spray antifreeze with high precision to road surfaces that require antifreeze based on road surface prediction information, and maximize the effectiveness of the antifreeze spraying without waste. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The automatic antifreeze spraying system of the present invention is an automatic antifreeze spraying system that solves the problem of automatically spraying antifreeze with high accuracy to road surfaces that require antifreeze based on road surface prediction information, and maximizing the effect of spraying the antifreeze without waste. The automatic antifreeze spraying system comprises an automatic spraying control device that controls automatic spraying by an antifreeze spraying device, and an automatic spraying control server that can be accessed by the automatic spraying control device. The automatic spraying control server acquires road surface prediction information that predicts the condition of the road surface at a specified point or a specified section. The automatic spraying control device has an acquisition unit, a basic spraying pattern acquisition unit that acquires a basic spraying pattern in which spraying sections where antifreeze is sprayed and non-spraying sections where antifreeze is not sprayed are set in advance, and a modified spraying pattern creation unit that creates a modified spraying pattern that modifies the spraying sections and non-spraying sections set in the basic spraying pattern based on the road surface prediction information, and the automatic spraying control device has an automatic spraying processing unit that causes the antifreeze spraying device to automatically spray antifreeze based on the basic spraying pattern or the modified spraying pattern.

[0007] In addition, as one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of reducing the amount of antifreeze sprayed and reducing the costs of antifreeze by designating road surfaces where antifreeze is no longer actually required as non-spraying sections, the modified spraying pattern creation unit may, if there is a section within the spraying section in the basic spraying pattern that is predicted to be dry or wet based on the road surface prediction information or a section that is predicted to have a low risk of freezing, change that section to a non-spraying section and create the modified spraying pattern.

[0008] Furthermore, as one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of reducing accidents caused by frozen road surfaces by designating road surfaces that actually require antifreeze as spraying sections, the modified spray pattern creation unit may, if there is a location within the non-spraying section in the basic spraying pattern that is predicted to be frozen or to have a high risk of freezing based on the road surface prediction information, change that location to a spraying section and create it as the modified spraying pattern.

[0009] In addition, as one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of easily inputting selection instructions from either a display / input means or a voice input means, the automatic spray control device may have a selection instruction receiving unit that receives a selection instruction as to which spray pattern to use from the basic spray pattern and the modified spray pattern via the display / input means or the voice input means.

[0010] Furthermore, as one aspect of the present invention, the system may include an antifreeze spraying device that is controlled by the automatic spraying control device to spray antifreeze, and an antifreeze spraying vehicle that is equipped with the automatic spraying control device and the antifreeze spraying device.

[0011] The automatic spraying control program of the present invention is an automatic spraying control program that controls automatic spraying by an antifreeze spraying device in order to solve the problem of automatically spraying antifreeze with high accuracy on road surfaces that require antifreeze based on road surface prediction information, and maximizing the effectiveness of antifreeze spraying without waste, and causes a computer to function as: a road surface prediction information acquisition unit that acquires road surface prediction information that predicts the condition of the road surface at a specified point or section; a basic spraying pattern acquisition unit that acquires a basic spraying pattern in which spraying sections where antifreeze is sprayed and non-spraying sections where antifreeze is not sprayed are set in advance; a modified spraying pattern creation unit that creates a modified spraying pattern that modifies the spraying sections and non-spraying sections set in the basic spraying pattern based on the road surface prediction information; and an automatic spraying processing unit that causes the antifreeze spraying device to automatically spray antifreeze based on the basic spraying pattern or the modified spraying pattern.

[0012] The automatic spraying control method of the present invention is an automatic spraying control method that controls automatic spraying by an antifreeze spraying device in order to solve the problem of automatically spraying antifreeze with high accuracy on road surfaces that require antifreeze based on road surface prediction information, and maximizing the effectiveness of antifreeze spraying without waste, and includes a road surface prediction information acquisition step of acquiring road surface prediction information that predicts the condition of the road surface at a specified point or section, a basic spraying pattern acquisition step of acquiring a basic spraying pattern in which spraying sections where antifreeze is sprayed and non-spraying sections where antifreeze is not sprayed are set in advance, a modified spraying pattern creation step of creating a modified spraying pattern that modifies the spraying sections and non-spraying sections set in the basic spraying pattern based on the road surface prediction information, and an automatic spraying processing step of causing the antifreeze spraying device to automatically spray antifreeze based on the basic spraying pattern or the modified spraying pattern.

[0013] The automatic spraying control device of the present invention is an automatic spraying control device that controls automatic spraying by an antifreeze spraying device in order to solve the problem of automatically spraying antifreeze with high accuracy on road surfaces that require antifreeze based on road surface prediction information, and maximizing the effectiveness of antifreeze spraying without waste, and has a road surface prediction information acquisition unit that acquires road surface prediction information that predicts the condition of the road surface at a specified point or section, a basic spraying pattern acquisition unit that acquires a basic spraying pattern in which spraying sections where antifreeze is sprayed and non-spraying sections where antifreeze is not sprayed are set in advance, a modified spraying pattern creation unit that creates a modified spraying pattern that modifies the spraying sections and non-spraying sections set in the basic spraying pattern based on the road surface prediction information, and an automatic spraying processing unit that causes the antifreeze spraying device to automatically spray antifreeze based on the basic spraying pattern or the modified spraying pattern. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, antifreeze agent can be automatically sprayed with high accuracy on road surfaces that require it based on road surface prediction information, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of the antifreeze agent spraying without waste. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall view showing an automatic antifreeze agent spraying system according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] A block diagram showing an embodiment of the automatic spraying control device and the automatic spraying control server of the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of an operation panel displayed on a display unit of the present embodiment, in which (a) only the basic dispersion pattern is displayed, and (b) the basic dispersion pattern and the modified dispersion pattern are displayed. [Figure 4] An example of road surface prediction information in this embodiment is (a) information predicting the road surface condition at a specified location in time series, and (b) information predicting the road surface condition in a specified section as a risk of freezing. [Diagram 5]2 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the automatic antifreeze agent spraying system, the automatic spraying control program, and the automatic spraying control method of the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the automatic spray control device according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an automatic antifreeze agent spraying system, an automatic spraying control program, and an automatic spraying control method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the automatic antifreeze spraying system 1 of this embodiment is composed of an automatic spraying control device 10 that controls the automatic spraying of antifreeze by an antifreeze spraying device 12, an automatic spraying control server 11 that can be accessed by the automatic spraying control device 10, an antifreeze spraying device 12 that is controlled by the automatic spraying control device 10 and sprays antifreeze, and an antifreeze spraying vehicle 13 that is equipped with the automatic spraying control device 10 and the antifreeze spraying device 12.

[0018] In this embodiment, the automatic spraying control device 10 is configured by a computer such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone, and as shown in Fig. 2, mainly includes a display / input means 2, a voice input means 3, a communication means 4, a position detection means 5, a storage means 6, and a calculation processing means 7. The automatic spraying control server 11 is configured by a computer such as a web server, and as shown in Fig. 2, mainly includes a communication means 4, a storage means 6, and a calculation processing means 7. Each component will be described below.

[0019] The display / input means 2 has both a display function and an input function, and is configured with a touch interface, etc. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3(a) and (b), the display / input means 2 displays an operation panel equipped with a scattering pattern, which will be described later, various operation buttons, etc., allowing the driver or operator to visually confirm and watch various information, and to input various selection instructions.

[0020] The voice input means 3 is composed of a microphone or the like, and inputs selection instructions given by voice from a driver or an operator to the selection instruction receiving unit 75 of the arithmetic processing means 7 .

[0021] The communication means 4 is for implementing a communication function in the automatic spraying control device 10 and the automatic spraying control server 11. In this embodiment, the communication means 4 is configured by a wireless module compatible with a wireless LAN standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or a carrier network standard such as a fifth generation mobile communication network (5G). The communication means 4 accesses a network via an access point (not shown) or the like, enabling transmission and reception of road surface forecast information, selection instructions, corrected spraying patterns, and the like.

[0022] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, automatic spraying control server 11 has communication means 4 in order to download road surface forecast information from a web server of a weather forecast information provider or the like and to transmit a modified spray pattern in response to a selection instruction from automatic spraying control device 10, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, road surface forecast information and modified spray patterns may be exchanged using a recording medium such as an SD card or USB memory, in which case there is no need to have communication means 4.

[0023] The position detection means 5 detects the current position of the antifreeze spraying vehicle 13 equipped with the automatic spraying control device 10. In this embodiment, the position detection means 5 is composed of a GNSS receiver equipped with a function of receiving satellite information from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and detects position information (latitude, longitude, altitude) at a predetermined time interval. In addition, a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, etc. are separately built in, so that the position information can be detected even in GNSS blind areas such as tunnels.

[0024] The storage means 6 stores various data and functions as a working area when the arithmetic processing means 7 performs arithmetic processing. In this embodiment, the storage means 6 is composed of a solid state drive (SSD), a hard disk drive (HDD), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, etc., and has a program storage unit 61, a basic dispersion pattern storage unit 62, and a modified dispersion pattern storage unit 63, as shown in FIG.

[0025] An automatic spraying control program 1a of this embodiment is installed in the program storage unit 61. Then, the calculation processing means 7 executes the automatic spraying control program 1a, thereby causing a computer serving as the automatic spraying control device 10 and the automatic spraying control server 11 to function as each of the components described below.

[0026] The use of the automatic spray control program 1a is not limited to the above configuration. For example, the automatic spray control program 1a may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, such as an SD card, a CF card, a USB memory, an external HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an external SSD (Solid State Drive), a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, etc., and may be read and executed directly from the recording medium. The automatic spray control program 1a may also be used from an external server or the like using a cloud computing method or an ASP (Application Service Provider) method.

[0027] The basic spray pattern memory unit 62 stores basic spray patterns in which spray conditions are set when the antifreeze spraying device 12 automatically sprays. In this embodiment, as shown on the operation panel in Fig. 3(a), four basic spray patterns are provided: "A: Wet" suitable for wet road conditions, "B: Ice" suitable for icy road conditions, "C: Packed snow" suitable for packed snow conditions, and "D: Anti-slip" which uses anti-slip material (crushed stone or sand) instead of antifreeze.

[0028] Each basic spraying pattern is set in advance as a spraying section where antifreeze is sprayed and a non-spraying section where antifreeze is not sprayed. In addition, each basic spraying pattern is set with the amount of antifreeze sprayed, wet ratio, spray width, spray direction, etc. Even if only one of the spraying section or the non-spraying section is set, the section other than the one section is the other section, so it can be said that both sections are set.

[0029] The modified dispersion pattern storage unit 63 stores the modified dispersion pattern modified based on the road surface prediction information. In this embodiment, the modified dispersion pattern is a dispersion section and a non-dispersion section that are set in advance in a predetermined basic dispersion pattern and modified based on the road surface prediction information, and is created by the modified dispersion pattern creation unit 73 described later.

[0030] In addition, in this embodiment, modified spray patterns are prepared for each of the four basic spray patterns described above, and when the "Update spray pattern" button in Figure 3(a) is selected, the modified spray patterns are displayed as selectable patterns as shown in Figure 3(b) as "E: Wet (frozen forecast)", "F: Ice-covered road (frozen forecast)", "G: Packed snow (frozen forecast)" and "H: Anti-slip material (frozen forecast)".

[0031] The calculation processing means 7 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and by executing the automatic spraying control program 1a installed in the program storage unit 61, as shown in Fig. 2, in the automatic spraying control server 11, it functions as a road surface prediction information acquisition unit 71, a basic spraying pattern acquisition unit 72, a modified spraying pattern creation unit 73, and a modified spraying pattern transmission unit 74. In addition, in the automatic spraying control device 10, it functions as a selection instruction acceptance unit 75, a modified spraying pattern acquisition unit 76, and an automatic spraying processing unit 77. Each component will be described in more detail below.

[0032] The road surface prediction information acquisition unit 71 acquires road surface prediction information that predicts the road surface condition at a specified point or a specified section. In this embodiment, the road surface prediction information acquisition unit 71 accesses a web server of a weather forecast information provider or the like that provides road surface prediction information via the communication means 4 at specified time intervals, and acquires the latest road surface prediction information from the web server.

[0033] The road surface forecast information includes information predicting the road surface condition at a specified point in time series, as shown in Fig. 4(a). The road surface conditions are classified into five types: frozen (ice-covered), packed snow, slush, wet, and dry. The road surface forecast information also includes information predicting the risk of freezing for the road surface condition in a specified section at intervals of 100 m to 1 km, with three levels (high (dangerous), medium (caution), and low) as shown in Fig. 4(b).

[0034] The basic dispersion pattern acquisition unit 72 acquires a basic dispersion pattern. In this embodiment, the basic dispersion pattern acquisition unit 72 acquires all basic dispersion patterns stored in the basic dispersion pattern storage unit 62 every time the road surface prediction information acquisition unit 71 acquires the latest road surface prediction information and the road surface prediction information is updated. The acquired basic dispersion pattern is passed to the modified dispersion pattern creation unit 73 and used as a modification source when creating a modified dispersion pattern. In this embodiment, the basic dispersion pattern acquisition unit 72 acquires all basic dispersion patterns, but is not limited to this configuration, and may acquire a basic dispersion pattern previously selected in the initial setting.

[0035] The modified dispersion pattern creation unit 73 creates a modified dispersion pattern by modifying the dispersion section and non-dispersion section set in the basic dispersion pattern based on the road surface prediction information. In this embodiment, if there is a section within the dispersion section in the basic dispersion pattern that is predicted to be dry or wet or has a low risk of freezing based on the road surface prediction information, the modified dispersion pattern creation unit 73 changes the section to a non-dispersion section and creates it as a modified dispersion pattern.

[0036] In this embodiment, if there is a location in the non-scattering section of the basic scatter pattern that is predicted to be frozen or has a high risk of freezing according to the road surface prediction information, the modified scatter pattern creation unit 73 changes the location to a scatter section and creates it as a modified scatter pattern. However, since the non-scattering section in the basic scatter pattern is often set to a straight section or the like where there are few accidents, it may remain a non-scattering section regardless of the road surface prediction information. Then, the modified scatter pattern creation unit 73 stores the created modified scatter pattern in the modified scatter pattern storage unit 63.

[0037] According to the revised spray pattern as described above, the latest road surface prediction information is reflected, so that the amount of antifreeze sprayed is reduced without wasteful spraying of antifreeze on road surfaces that do not actually require it, thereby reducing the cost of antifreeze. On the other hand, on road surfaces that actually require antifreeze, antifreeze is sprayed without omission, thereby reducing accidents caused by frozen road surfaces.

[0038] The modified spray pattern transmission unit 74 transmits the modified spray pattern to the automatic spray control device 10. In this embodiment, when a modified spray pattern is requested by the automatic spray control device 10, the modified spray pattern transmission unit 74 reads out all modified spray patterns stored in the modified spray pattern storage unit 63 and transmits them to the automatic spray control device 10 via the communication means 4.

[0039] The selection instruction receiving unit 75 receives a selection instruction from a driver or an operator. In this embodiment, when the selection instruction receiving unit 75 receives a selection instruction of the "spray pattern update" button on the operation panel shown in Fig. 3(a) via the display / input means 2 or the voice input means 3, the selection instruction receiving unit 75 passes the selection instruction to the corrected spray pattern acquisition unit 76.

[0040] Furthermore, the selection instruction receiving unit 75 receives a selection instruction for selecting which of the four basic scatter patterns and the four modified scatter patterns to use on the operation panel shown in Fig. 3(b) via the display / input means 2 or the voice input means 3. The selection instruction is then passed to the automatic scatter processing unit 77. The selection instruction from the voice input means 3 is identified by voice recognition processing.

[0041] The modified dispersion pattern acquisition unit 76 acquires a modified dispersion pattern from the automatic dispersion control server 11. In this embodiment, when the selection instruction acceptance unit 75 accepts an instruction to select the "update dispersion pattern" button, the modified dispersion pattern acquisition unit 76 requests the latest modified dispersion pattern from the automatic dispersion control server 11 via the communication means 4, and stores the acquired modified dispersion pattern in the modified dispersion pattern storage unit 63. Furthermore, if a modified dispersion pattern has already been stored in the modified dispersion pattern storage unit 63, it overwrites and saves it.

[0042] The automatic spraying processing unit 77 causes the antifreeze spraying device 12 to automatically spray antifreeze based on the basic spraying pattern or the modified spraying pattern. In this embodiment, if the selection instruction received by the selection instruction receiving unit 75 is one of the basic spraying patterns, the automatic spraying processing unit 77 acquires the basic spraying pattern from the basic spraying pattern storage unit 62. On the other hand, if the selection instruction received by the selection instruction receiving unit 75 is a modified spraying pattern, the automatic spraying processing unit 77 acquires the modified spraying pattern from the modified spraying pattern storage unit 63.

[0043] The automatic spraying processing unit 77 also identifies the current position of the antifreeze agent spraying vehicle 13 based on the position information detected by the position detection means 5. Then, it reads out the spraying conditions set for the current position from the acquired basic spraying pattern or modified spraying pattern, and outputs an execution command for spraying processing to the antifreeze agent spraying device 12 in accordance with the spraying conditions, thereby executing automatic spraying of the antifreeze agent.

[0044] Next, the actions of the antifreeze agent automatic spraying system 1, the automatic spraying control program 1a, and the automatic spraying control method of this embodiment will be described.

[0045] When an antifreeze agent is sprayed on a road using the antifreeze agent automatic spraying system 1, the automatic spraying control program 1a, and the automatic spraying control method of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, on the automatic spraying control server 11 side, the road surface prediction information acquisition unit 71 acquires road surface prediction information at a predetermined time interval (step S1: road surface prediction information acquisition step), and each time the road surface prediction information is updated to the latest (step S2: YES), the basic spraying pattern acquisition unit 72 acquires the basic spraying pattern that is the basis for modifying the modified spraying pattern (step S3: basic spraying pattern acquisition step). This provides the information necessary to execute the modified spraying pattern creation step (steps S4 to S7).

[0046] Next, the modified spray pattern creation unit 73 determines whether or not there is a location within the spray section in the basic spray pattern acquired in step S3 that is predicted to be dry or wet or has a low risk of freezing based on the road surface prediction information acquired in step S1 (step S4). If the result of the determination indicates that there is such a location (step S4: YES), the location is changed to a non-spray section (step S5).

[0047] As a result, the amount of antifreeze sprayed on road surfaces that do not actually require it is reduced and antifreeze costs are reduced. On the other hand, if there are no more such areas (step S4: NO), the process proceeds to step S6.

[0048] In step S6, the modified dispersion pattern creation unit 73 determines whether or not there is a location within the non-dispersion section of the basic dispersion pattern obtained in step S3 that is predicted to be frozen or has a high risk of freezing according to the road surface prediction information obtained in step S1 (step S6). If the result of the determination indicates that there is such a location (step S6: YES), the location is changed to a dispersion section (step S7).

[0049] As a result, antifreeze is sprayed on road surfaces that actually require it, reducing accidents caused by frozen road surfaces. On the other hand, if there are no more such areas (step S6: NO), the modified spray pattern created by the modified spray pattern creation step (steps S4 to S7) described above is stored in the modified spray pattern storage unit 63 (step S8). As described above, if the non-spray section is to remain as it is, regardless of the road surface prediction information, the processes of steps S6 to S7 are not executed.

[0050] On the other hand, on the automatic spray control device 10 side, when the selection instruction receiving unit 75 receives a selection instruction from the driver or operator of the "spray pattern update" button on the operation panel shown in Figure 3(a) (step S11: selection instruction receiving step), the modified spray pattern acquisition unit 76 requests the latest modified spray pattern from the spray control server 11 (step S12: modified spray pattern request step).

[0051] In response to this, the modified spray pattern transmission unit 74 on the automatic spray control server 11 side transmits the modified spray pattern (step S9: modified spray pattern transmission step), and the latest modified spray pattern is acquired (step S13: modified spray pattern acquisition step). As a result, the modified spray pattern is displayed selectably on the operation panel of the automatic spray control device 10, as shown in FIG. 3(b).

[0052] Next, the selection instruction receiving unit 75 receives a selection instruction for a spray pattern from the driver or operator (step S14: selection instruction receiving step). At this time, the selection instruction can be easily input from either the display / input means 2 or the voice input means 3, which is user-friendly.

[0053] Then, when a selection instruction is received as to which of the basic and modified spray patterns to use (step S14: YES), the automatic spray processing unit 77 acquires a spray pattern corresponding to the selection instruction, and causes the antifreeze spraying device 12 to automatically spray antifreeze based on the acquired basic or modified spray pattern (step S15: automatic spray processing step). As a result, when automatic spraying is performed based on the modified spray pattern, antifreeze is automatically sprayed with high accuracy on road surfaces that require antifreeze based on the latest road surface prediction information updated at predetermined intervals in the automatic spray control server 11.

[0054] Thereafter, as long as the automatic spraying operation continues (step S16: NO), the automatic spraying process step of step S15 is repeated. Then, when the automatic spraying operation ends (step S16: YES), this process ends.

[0055] According to the present embodiment described above, the following effects are obtained. 1. Based on road surface prediction information, anti-freezing agent can be automatically sprayed with a high degree of precision on road surfaces that require it, maximizing the effectiveness of the anti-freezing agent sprayed without waste. 2. By spraying antifreeze on road surfaces that actually require it, accidents caused by frozen roads can be reduced. 3. In reality, by designating road surfaces that no longer require antifreeze as non-spraying sections, the amount of antifreeze sprayed can be reduced, thereby cutting costs. 4. Selection instructions can be easily input from either the display / input means 2 or the voice input means 3.

[0056] The automatic spraying control device 10 of the present invention, the antifreeze automatic spraying system 1 equipped with the same, the automatic spraying control program 1a and the automatic spraying control method are not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate.

[0057] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the automatic spraying control server 11 acquires road surface prediction information and creates a modified spray pattern, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and these processes may also be executed in the automatic spraying control device 10. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, the arithmetic processing means 7 on the automatic spraying control device 10 side may function as a road surface prediction information acquisition unit 71, a basic spraying pattern acquisition unit 72, a modified spraying pattern creation unit 73, a selection instruction acceptance unit 75, and an automatic spraying processing unit 77. Note that, among these configurations, configurations that are the same as or equivalent to those in the above-described embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted.

[0058] According to this configuration, the automatic spraying control device 10 obtains the latest road surface forecast information directly from a web server of a weather forecast information provider, etc., without going through the automatic spraying control server 11, and creates a modified spraying pattern based on the road surface forecast information. Then, the antifreeze spraying device 12 automatically sprays antifreeze using a basic spraying pattern prepared in advance or a modified spraying pattern based on the latest road surface forecast information. This provides the same operational effects as the present embodiment described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1. Automatic antifreeze spraying system 1a Automatic spray control program 2 Display and input means 3. Voice input method 4. Means of communication 5. Position detection means 6 Memory means 7 Processing means 10 Automatic spray control device 11 Automatic spray control server 12 Antifreeze spraying device 13 Antifreeze spraying vehicle 61 Program memory section 62 Basic scattering pattern memory section 63 Modified scattering pattern memory section 71 Road surface prediction information acquisition unit 72 Basic dispersion pattern acquisition unit 73 Modified Scattering Pattern Creation Unit 74 Modified dispersion pattern transmitter 75 Selection instruction reception section 76 Corrected dispersion pattern acquisition unit 77 Automatic Spray Processing Unit

Claims

1. An automatic antifreeze spraying system comprising an automatic spraying control device that controls automatic spraying by an antifreeze spraying device, and an automatic spraying control server that can be accessed by the automatic spraying control device, The automatic spraying control server includes: a road surface prediction information acquisition unit that acquires road surface prediction information that predicts a road surface condition at a predetermined point or a predetermined section; A basic spraying pattern acquisition unit that acquires a basic spraying pattern in which a spraying section where an antifreeze agent is sprayed and a non-spraying section where an antifreeze agent is not sprayed are set in advance; a modified dispersion pattern creation unit that creates a modified dispersion pattern by modifying the dispersion section and the non-dispersion section set in the basic dispersion pattern based on the road surface prediction information; having The automatic spray control device includes: An automatic antifreeze spraying system having an automatic spraying processing unit that causes the antifreeze spraying device to automatically spray antifreeze based on the basic spraying pattern or the modified spraying pattern.

2. The modified distribution pattern creation unit is An automatic antifreeze spraying system as described in claim 1, wherein if there is a location within the spraying section in the basic spraying pattern that is predicted to be dry or wet or has a low risk of freezing based on the road surface prediction information, the location is changed to a non-spraying section and created as the modified spraying pattern.

3. The modified distribution pattern creation unit is An automatic antifreeze spraying system as described in claim 1, wherein if there is a location within the non-spraying section of the basic spraying pattern that is predicted to be frozen or has a high risk of freezing based on the road surface prediction information, the location is changed to a spraying section and created as the modified spraying pattern.

4. The automatic spray control device includes: The automatic antifreeze spraying system of claim 1, further comprising a selection instruction receiving unit that receives a selection instruction for selecting which spray pattern to use between the basic spray pattern and the modified spray pattern via a display / input means or a voice input means.

5. An automatic antifreeze spraying system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising an antifreeze spraying device that is controlled by the automatic spraying control device to spray antifreeze, and an antifreeze spraying vehicle that is equipped with the automatic spraying control device and the antifreeze spraying device.

6. An automatic spraying control program for controlling automatic spraying by an antifreeze spraying device, a road surface prediction information acquisition unit that acquires road surface prediction information that predicts a road surface condition at a predetermined point or a predetermined section; A basic spraying pattern acquisition unit that acquires a basic spraying pattern in which a spraying section where an antifreeze agent is sprayed and a non-spraying section where an antifreeze agent is not sprayed are set in advance; a modified dispersion pattern creation unit that creates a modified dispersion pattern by modifying the dispersion section and the non-dispersion section set in the basic dispersion pattern based on the road surface prediction information; an automatic spraying processing unit that causes the antifreeze agent spraying device to automatically spray the antifreeze agent based on the basic spraying pattern or the modified spraying pattern; This is an automatic spray control program that enables the computer to function.

7. An automatic spraying control method for controlling automatic spraying by an antifreeze spraying device, comprising: a road surface prediction information acquisition step of acquiring road surface prediction information that predicts a road surface condition at a predetermined point or a predetermined section; A basic spraying pattern acquisition step for acquiring a basic spraying pattern in which a spraying section where an antifreeze agent is sprayed and a non-spraying section where an antifreeze agent is not sprayed are set in advance; a modified dispersion pattern creating step of creating a modified dispersion pattern by modifying the dispersion section and the non-dispersion section set in the basic dispersion pattern based on the road surface prediction information; An automatic spraying process step of causing the antifreeze spraying device to automatically spray the antifreeze based on the basic spraying pattern or the modified spraying pattern; The automatic spray control method includes the steps of:

8. An automatic spraying control device that controls automatic spraying by an antifreeze spraying device, a road surface prediction information acquisition unit that acquires road surface prediction information that predicts a road surface condition at a predetermined point or a predetermined section; A basic spraying pattern acquisition unit that acquires a basic spraying pattern in which a spraying section where an antifreeze agent is sprayed and a non-spraying section where an antifreeze agent is not sprayed are set in advance; a modified dispersion pattern creation unit that creates a modified dispersion pattern by modifying the dispersion section and the non-dispersion section set in the basic dispersion pattern based on the road surface prediction information; An automatic spraying processing unit that causes the antifreeze spraying device to automatically spray an antifreeze based on the basic spraying pattern or the modified spraying pattern; An automatic spray control device having the above configuration.

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