Car washing device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle washer which can suppress entry of a stand-by vehicle to a vehicle washing machine at inappropriate timing.SOLUTION: A vehicle washer 10 causes a washing vehicle detection unit 60 to detect a washing target vehicle stopped at a prescribed vehicle washing position and causes a vehicle washing execution unit 62 to wash the washing target vehicle with a vehicle washing machine body. Here, a stand-by vehicle detection unit 64 detects a stand-by vehicle stopped at a prescribed stand-by position apart from the vehicle washing machine body. A vehicle control unit 66 inhibits the progress operation of the stand-by vehicle while the washing target vehicle is washed by the vehicle washing execution unit 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a car wash apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a car wash facility for preventing contact between a vehicle and the main body of the car wash. Specifically, the car wash facility of Patent Document 1 is provided with an ETC communication device that detects that the engine of a vehicle parked at the start position for the car wash is in an operating state, and is configured not to start the car wash operation by the main body of the car wash while the ETC communication device is outputting a communication enable signal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-202746 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the body structure described in Patent Document 1 above does not take into consideration waiting vehicles waiting at the waiting position to be washed, and there is a risk that the waiting vehicle may unintentionally move forward and come into contact with the car wash machine body or the vehicle being washed.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a car wash apparatus that can prevent waiting vehicles from entering the car wash at an inappropriate time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The car wash device according to claim 1 includes a car wash vehicle detection unit that detects a vehicle to be washed that is parked at a predetermined car wash position, a car wash execution unit that performs car wash on the vehicle to be washed using a car wash machine main body, a waiting vehicle detection unit that detects a waiting vehicle that is parked at a predetermined waiting position away from the car wash machine main body, and a vehicle control unit that prohibits the waiting vehicle from proceeding while the car wash execution unit is performing car wash. The vehicle control unit applies a brake when it detects an accelerator operation, or disables the accelerator operation, thereby prohibiting the waiting vehicle from proceeding. .

[0007] In the car wash device according to claim 1, the car wash vehicle detection unit detects a vehicle to be washed that is parked at the car wash position. Also, the car wash execution unit washes the vehicle to be washed using the car wash machine main body. Meanwhile, a waiting position is set at a predetermined position away from the car wash machine main body, and the waiting vehicle detection unit detects waiting vehicles parked at the waiting position. In this way, by detecting waiting vehicles using the waiting vehicle detection unit, it is possible to know whether or not there are vehicles waiting to be washed.

[0008] In addition, while the car wash execution unit is washing the car, the vehicle control unit prohibits the waiting vehicle from moving forward. This makes it possible to prevent the waiting vehicle from moving toward the car wash machine body even if the driver of the waiting vehicle accidentally operates the accelerator pedal while the car wash is in progress.

[0009] The vehicle control unit may be configured to apply the brakes when detecting an accelerator operation of the waiting vehicle. In this case, applying the brakes of the waiting vehicle can reliably prevent the waiting vehicle from proceeding.

[0010] The vehicle control unit may be configured to disable the accelerator operation of the waiting vehicle to prohibit the waiting vehicle from moving forward. In this case, even if the driver of the waiting vehicle accidentally depresses the accelerator pedal, the vehicle can be prevented from moving forward.

[0011] Furthermore, the vehicle control unit may be configured to allow the waiting vehicle to proceed after a predetermined time has elapsed after the completion of the car wash of the target vehicle. In this case, the waiting vehicle can be prevented from proceeding until the vehicle that has finished washing has been evacuated. Effect of the Invention

[0012] As described above, the car wash apparatus according to the present invention can prevent waiting vehicles from entering the car wash at an inappropriate time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a car wash system including a car wash apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the car wash apparatus; FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a vehicle ECU. [Figure 4] 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the car wash apparatus; FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a waiting vehicle control process performed by a car wash apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, a car wash apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, a car wash system S equipped with the car wash apparatus 10 of this embodiment is configured to include the car wash apparatus 10, a car wash machine main body 12, and a waiting vehicle V. The car wash apparatus 10, the car wash machine main body 12, and the waiting vehicle V are connected by a network N. Specifically, the waiting vehicle V includes a vehicle ECU 11 which is a control unit, and the waiting vehicle V is connected to the network N via the vehicle ECU 11.

[0015] The car wash machine body 12 is equipped with a mechanism for washing a vehicle (not shown) and is a device that washes the vehicle while moving relative to the vehicle. For example, the car wash machine body 12 is equipped with a plurality of nozzles for spraying water and cleaning liquid, a plurality of brushes for removing dirt from the vehicle body, a blower for blowing air onto the vehicle body, and the like.

[0016] Here, a predetermined waiting position is set at a position away from the car wash machine main body 12, and a waiting vehicle V is parked at the waiting position. The waiting position is indicated, for example, by the road surface and a signboard, and while another vehicle is being washed, a sign is displayed to the effect that proceeding from the waiting position to the car wash position is prohibited.

[0017] The car wash device 10 of this embodiment is configured to transmit and receive data with the vehicle ECU 11 of the waiting vehicle V via the network N, and to prohibit the waiting vehicle V from proceeding to the car wash position at an inappropriate time.

[0018] (Hardware configuration of car wash device 10) Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the car wash apparatus 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the car wash apparatus 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor) 20, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 24, a storage 26, a communication I / F (communication interface) 28, and an input / output I / F (input / output interface) 30. Each component is connected to each other via an internal bus 32 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0019] The CPU 20 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 20 reads a program from the ROM 22 or the storage 26, and executes the program using the RAM 24 as a working area. The CPU 20 controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic processing according to the program recorded in the ROM 22 or the storage 26.

[0020] The ROM 22 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 24 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 26 is configured with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs including an operating system and various data. In this embodiment, the ROM 22 or the storage 26 stores programs and various data for performing standby vehicle control processing.

[0021] The communication I / F 28 is an interface for the car wash device 10 to communicate with the car wash machine main body 12 and other devices, and uses standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network), Ethernet (registered trademark), LTE (Long Term Evolution), FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0022] The input / output I / F 30 is electrically connected to a car wash vehicle sensor 34 and a waiting vehicle sensor 36 .

[0023] The car wash vehicle sensor 34 is a sensor for detecting a vehicle (a vehicle to be washed) parked at a predetermined car wash position. The car wash vehicle sensor 34 is configured with, for example, an infrared sensor. The car wash vehicle sensor 34 may also be configured with a camera that captures an image of the car wash position. When the car wash vehicle sensor 34 detects a vehicle to be washed, a signal indicating that the vehicle to be washed is parked is transmitted to the car wash device 10.

[0024] The waiting vehicle sensor 36 is a sensor for detecting a waiting vehicle V parked at a predetermined waiting position. The waiting vehicle sensor 36 is configured to include an infrared sensor, a camera, and the like, similar to the car wash vehicle sensor 34. When the waiting vehicle sensor 36 detects a waiting vehicle V, a signal indicating that the waiting vehicle V is parked is transmitted to the car wash apparatus 10.

[0025] (Hardware configuration of vehicle ECU 11) Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the vehicle ECU 11. As shown in Fig. 3, the vehicle ECU 11 includes a CPU 40, a ROM 42, a RAM 44, a storage 46, a communication I / F (communication interface) 48, and an input / output I / F (input / output interface) 50. Each component is connected to each other via an internal bus 52 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0026] The CPU 40 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 40 reads a program from the ROM 42 or the storage 46, and executes the program using the RAM 44 as a working area. The CPU 40 controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic processing according to the program recorded in the ROM 42 or the storage 46.

[0027] The ROM 42 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 44 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 46 is configured with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs including an operating system and various data.

[0028] The communication I / F 48 is an interface for the vehicle ECU 11 to communicate with devices and external devices, and uses standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network), Ethernet (registered trademark), LTE (Long Term Evolution), FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0029] The input / output I / F 50 is electrically connected to an accelerator sensor 54 and a brake sensor 56 .

[0030] The accelerator sensor 54 includes an accelerator position sensor that electrically detects the position of the accelerator pedal of the waiting vehicle V. The brake sensor 56 includes a brake position sensor that electrically detects the position of the brake pedal of the waiting vehicle V.

[0031] (Functional configuration of the car wash device 10) The car wash apparatus 10 uses the above hardware resources to realize various functions. The functional configuration realized by the car wash apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0032] 4, the car wash apparatus 10 is configured to include, as functional components, a car wash vehicle detection unit 60, a car wash execution unit 62, a waiting vehicle detection unit 64, and a vehicle control unit 66. Each functional component is realized by the CPU 20 reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 22 or the storage 26.

[0033] The car wash vehicle detection unit 60 detects a vehicle to be washed that is parked at a predetermined car wash position. Specifically, the car wash vehicle detection unit 60 detects that a vehicle to be washed is parked at the car wash position based on a signal from the car wash vehicle sensor 34.

[0034] The car wash execution unit 62 operates the car wash machine main body 12 to wash the vehicle to be washed. The driver operates the operation screen of the car wash machine main body 12 while the vehicle is parked at the waiting position to select a car wash course, etc. The car wash execution unit 62 executes the car wash program of the car wash machine main body 12 based on the car wash course selected by the driver.

[0035] The waiting vehicle detection unit 64 detects a waiting vehicle V parked at a predetermined waiting position away from the car wash machine main body 12. Specifically, the waiting vehicle detection unit 64 detects that the waiting vehicle V is parked at the waiting position based on a signal from the waiting vehicle sensor 36.

[0036] The vehicle control unit 66 prohibits the driver of the waiting vehicle from proceeding while the car wash execution unit is washing the vehicle. Specifically, the vehicle control unit 66 applies the brakes when it detects an accelerator operation of the waiting vehicle V. That is, the vehicle control unit 66 obtains a signal from the accelerator sensor 54 from the vehicle ECU 11, and when it detects that the accelerator pedal has been operated, it forcibly applies the brakes of the waiting vehicle V. Here, since the waiting vehicle V has a higher priority for brake operation than accelerator operation, when the vehicle control unit 66 applies the brakes, the waiting vehicle V is prevented from proceeding regardless of whether the accelerator pedal is operated or not.

[0037] The vehicle control unit 66 may also be configured to prohibit the waiting vehicle V from moving forward by disabling the accelerator operation of the waiting vehicle V. In this case, the vehicle control unit 66 sends a signal to the vehicle ECU 11 to disable the detection of the accelerator pedal position by the accelerator sensor 54 while the waiting vehicle V is waiting.

[0038] Furthermore, the vehicle control unit 66 allows the waiting vehicle V to proceed after a predetermined time has elapsed after the completion of washing the vehicle to be washed. Specifically, in this embodiment, when it is detected that the washed vehicle has moved a predetermined distance or more away from the car wash machine main body 12, a display is displayed to encourage the waiting vehicle V to proceed to the car wash position. Then, the vehicle control unit 66 prohibits the waiting vehicle V from proceeding until this display is displayed.

[0039] (action) Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0040] (An example of waiting vehicle control processing) An example of the waiting vehicle control process by the car wash apparatus 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 5. This waiting vehicle control process is executed by the CPU 20 reading a program from the ROM 22 or the storage 26 and expanding the program in the RAM 24. In addition, the waiting vehicle control process is executed after the start of washing the vehicle to be washed.

[0041] 5, the CPU 20 determines in step S102 whether or not a waiting vehicle V is present. Specifically, when the CPU 20 detects that a waiting vehicle V is present at the waiting position from the signal of the waiting vehicle sensor 36 acquired by the function of the waiting vehicle detection unit 64, an affirmative determination is made in step S102 and the process proceeds to step S104.

[0042] Moreover, when it is determined in step S102 that the waiting vehicle V is not present at the waiting position, the CPU 20 ends the waiting vehicle control process. Then, the waiting vehicle control process is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle.

[0043] In step S104, the CPU 20 acquires signals from the waiting vehicle V. Specifically, the CPU 20 acquires signals related to the accelerator operation and the brake operation from the vehicle ECU 11.

[0044] Next, the CPU 20 determines whether or not an accelerator pedal operation has been performed in step S106. Specifically, when the signal from the accelerator sensor 54 indicates that the accelerator pedal has been operated, the CPU 20 makes an affirmative decision in step S106, and the process proceeds to step S108.

[0045] The CPU 20 applies the brakes in step S108. Specifically, the CPU 20 transmits a signal to the vehicle ECU 11 of the waiting vehicle V by using the function of the vehicle control unit 66 to apply the brakes of the waiting vehicle V.

[0046] If no accelerator operation is detected in step S106, or if the brakes are applied in step S108, the CPU 20 proceeds to step S110 to determine whether the car wash has ended. Specifically, if the vehicle to be washed has left the car wash position based on the signal from the car wash vehicle sensor 34 after the car wash program by the car wash machine main body 12 has ended, the CPU 20 makes a positive determination in step S110 and proceeds to step S112.

[0047] On the other hand, if the vehicle to be washed is in the car wash position in step S110, a negative decision is made in step S110 and the CPU 20 returns to the process of step S104.

[0048] In step S112, the CPU 20 permits the waiting vehicle V to proceed. Specifically, the CPU 20 ends the monitoring and braking of the waiting vehicle V by the functions of the vehicle control unit 66. As a result, when the driver of the waiting vehicle V operates the accelerator pedal, the waiting vehicle V moves forward toward the car wash position.

[0049] As described above, in the car wash apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, the waiting vehicle detection unit 64 detects the waiting vehicle V, thereby making it possible to know whether or not there is a vehicle waiting to be washed. In addition, while the car wash execution unit 62 is washing the vehicle, the vehicle control unit 66 prohibits the driver of the waiting vehicle V from moving forward. This makes it possible to prevent the waiting vehicle V from moving toward the car wash machine main body 12, even if the driver of the waiting vehicle V mistakenly operates the accelerator pedal while the car is being washed.

[0050] In addition, in this embodiment, the vehicle control unit 66 activates the brakes of the waiting vehicle V, so that the progress of the waiting vehicle V can be reliably suppressed.

[0051] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the washing of the vehicle to be washed is completed, the vehicle control unit 66 is prohibited from operating the waiting vehicle V to move forward until the vehicle retreats from the car wash machine main body 12, thereby reliably preventing contact between the vehicle that has been washed and the waiting vehicle V.

[0052] Although the car wash apparatus 10 according to the embodiment has been described above, it is needless to say that the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, when the vehicle control unit 66 prohibits the waiting vehicle V from proceeding, the driver may be notified that the proceeding operation is prohibited by displaying, for example, on a display in the cabin of the waiting vehicle V, that the accelerator operation is in an invalid state. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10 Car wash equipment 60 Car wash vehicle detection unit 62 Car Wash Department 64 Waiting vehicle detection unit 66 Vehicle control unit

Claims

[Claim 1] a car wash vehicle detection unit that detects a vehicle to be washed that is parked at a predetermined car wash position; a car wash execution unit that washes the vehicle to be washed using a car wash machine body; a waiting vehicle detection unit that detects a waiting vehicle parked at a predetermined waiting position away from the car wash machine body; a vehicle control unit that prohibits the waiting vehicle from proceeding while the car wash execution unit is washing the car; having The vehicle control unit activates the brakes when an accelerator operation is detected, or disables the accelerator operation, thereby prohibiting the waiting vehicle from moving forward.

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