Car wash machine
The car wash machine uses an imaging system and machine learning to accurately detect vehicle positions and issue notifications, preventing collisions and enhancing operational safety and efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- DAIFUKU CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-05-30
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-29
AI Technical Summary
Existing car wash machines lack accurate detection mechanisms to prevent vehicles from contacting the washing equipment during the washing process, leading to potential damage and operational inefficiencies.
The car wash machine employs an imaging system and an information processing unit with a trained model using machine learning to detect the vehicle's position and proximity to prohibited areas, issuing notifications to drivers to adjust their parking or entry direction to avoid contact.
This system significantly reduces the likelihood of vehicles colliding with the car wash machinery by providing real-time guidance to drivers, ensuring safe and efficient washing operations.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0005] ,
[0003]
[0001] The present invention relates to a car washer. [[ID=According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to more accurately detect whether a vehicle is parked in a position where it may come into contact with the car wash machine during washing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0007] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the general side view of the car wash machine body and remote panel, and the general front view of the car wash machine body, as provided in the car wash machine according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the main parts of the car wash machine according to the embodiment, and a vehicle X parked at the parking position, viewed from above. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the main components of a car wash machine. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows an example of contact avoidance processing by the control unit. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example image captured by an imaging device. [Figure 6] This is an example of a table showing the coordinates of four points identified by the administrator. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates the processing in the detection step and the determination step. [Figure 8] This is a diagram illustrating the processes in the detection step and the determination step. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0008] [Embodiment 1] One embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below.
[0009] <Overview of the car wash machine> The following describes in detail a car wash machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. Embodiment 1 describes an exemplary car wash machine 2 that performs a car wash process to wash a vehicle. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a general side view 2S of the car wash machine body 4 and remote panel 6, and a general front view 4F of the car wash machine body 4, which are included in the car wash machine 2 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the main part of the car wash machine 2 and a vehicle X parked at the car wash position, which is the stopping position during car washing, as seen from above. As shown in Figure 1, the car wash machine 2 according to this embodiment includes a car wash machine body 4 that washes the vehicle X, which is the vehicle to be washed. The car wash machine 2 further includes a remote panel 6 that acquires the car wash conditions of the vehicle X by the car wash machine body 4. In the general side view 2S, the outline of the remote panel 6 is shown by a dotted line to indicate that the remote panel 6 is located further back from the vehicle X towards the plane of the paper.
[0010] As shown in the general front view 4F, the car wash machine body 4 comprises, for example, two frames 8 and a ceiling portion 10 connecting the upper ends of the two frames 8. The car wash machine body 4 has a structure that allows a vehicle X to pass through a space 4S enclosed by the frames 8 and the ceiling portion 10 along the vehicle X's entry direction DA, as shown in the general side view 2S. In this specification, the entry direction DA is the direction from the front 4A to the rear 4B of the car wash machine body 4. In this embodiment, the front 4A is, for example, the surface on which the operation panel 42, which will be described later, is provided.
[0011] As shown in Figure 2, an entry guide G is formed within the car wash area where the car wash machine body 4 is installed. The entry guide G is formed on the ground within the car wash area and functions as a reference to indicate where and in what direction a vehicle X to be washed by the car wash machine body 4 should stop. In other words, the entry guide G serves as a guide for at least one of the direction or position of entry of the vehicle X to the car wash machine body 4. The entry guide G includes, for example, a right-side entry guide GR positioned to the right of the ideal stopping position of the vehicle X, and a left-side entry guide GL positioned to the left. Figure 2 also shows the first area RA and the second area RA2, which will be described later.
[0012] Furthermore, the car wash machine 2 may be equipped with a display device 45 that provides various instructions and / or displays to the driver. The display device 45 is an example of a display unit according to the present disclosure. The display device 45 may include, for example, a first display panel 45A installed on the car wash machine body 4 and a second display panel 45B installed behind the car wash machine body 4 and in a position visible to the driver of the vehicle X being washed. Alternatively, the car wash machine 2 may be equipped with either the first display panel 45A or the second display panel 45B.
[0013] <Car wash machine body> The car wash machine body 4 has wheels 12 at the bottom of each of its frames 8, and rotates these wheels 12 by a drive unit (not shown), thereby moving relative to the vehicle X in the longitudinal direction along rails R arranged on the ground G. The rails R are formed, for example, along the entry direction DA. While moving relative to the vehicle X, the car wash machine body 4 performs washing on the vehicle X in the space 4S.
[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the direction of movement of the car wash machine body 4 toward the front 4A is defined as the forward direction D1, and the direction toward the rear 4B is defined as the reverse direction D2. Hereafter, when the car wash machine body 4 moves in the forward direction D1, it may simply be referred to as the car wash machine body 4 moving forward, and when the car wash machine body 4 moves in the reverse direction D2, it may simply be referred to as the car wash machine body 4 moving backward.
[0015] The car wash machine body 4 is equipped with multiple brushes that slide and brush over the vehicle X as one of its cleaning sections. For example, the brushes provided by the car wash machine body 4 include a top brush 14, a side brush 16, and a rocker brush 18, each rotated by a rotary motor (not shown). The top brush 14 slides along the top surface of the vehicle X and cleans the top surface of the vehicle X. The side brush 16 and the rocker brush 18 clean both sides of the vehicle X.
[0016] On the side of the car washer main body 4, a tank storage part 20 for storing a plurality of liquid storage tanks (not shown) storing various liquid agents including detergents or waxes is arranged. Above the tank storage part 20, a distribution pipe part 22 for distributing water containing city water or the liquid agent from each liquid storage tank is provided. From the distribution pipe part 22, a plurality of nozzles to be described in detail below are respectively led out via solenoid valves (not shown).
[0017] The plurality of nozzles include a first nozzle for injecting a liquid containing city water or a cleaning liquid to the vehicle X to clean the vehicle X, and a second nozzle for injecting a coating agent containing a water repellent coating agent or wax to the vehicle X to form a coating film on the surface of the vehicle X.
[0018] The first nozzle includes a first clean water nozzle 24, a second clean water nozzle 26, a first detergent nozzle 28, and a second detergent nozzle 30. The first clean water nozzle 24 and the second clean water nozzle 26 are respectively arranged on the front surface 4A side and the rear surface 4B side of each frame 8 of the car washer main body 4, and inject water containing city water to the vehicle X. The first detergent nozzle 28 and the second detergent nozzle 30 are respectively arranged on the front surface 4A side and the rear surface 4B side of each frame 8, and inject a cleaning liquid containing shampoo or the like to the vehicle X.
[0019] The second nozzle includes a water repellent coating nozzle 32 and a wax nozzle 34. The water repellent coating nozzle 32 and the wax nozzle 34 are arranged on the rear surface 4B of the car washer main body 4. The water repellent coating nozzle 32 injects a liquid agent of a water repellent coating agent to the vehicle X. The wax nozzle 34 injects wax to the vehicle X.
[0020] Also, a blower 36 for generating an air flow to dry the vehicle X is provided on the car washer main body 4. A top blowing nozzle 38 and a side blowing nozzle 40 are connected to the blower 36. The top blowing nozzle 38 is provided at the upper center of the car washer main body 4 and blows air toward the ceiling surface of the vehicle X. The side blowing nozzle 40 is provided on both sides of the car washer main body 4 and blows air toward the side surface of the vehicle X. The car washer main body 4 dries the washed vehicle X by the blowing of the top blowing nozzle 38 and the side blowing nozzle 40.
[0021] Furthermore, the car wash machine body 4 may be equipped with an imaging device 9. The imaging device 9 is an example of an imaging unit according to this disclosure. The imaging device 9 includes an imaging device 9R provided on the upper right side of the car wash machine body 4 and an imaging device 9L provided on the upper left side. As shown in Figure 2, the imaging devices 9 image the vehicle X parked at the parking position during car washing from the upper right and upper left sides, respectively. For example, the imaging area of the imaging device 9R includes the right side of the vehicle X parked at the parking position and at least a part of the right-side entry guide GR. The imaging area of the imaging device 9L includes the left side of the vehicle X parked at the parking position and at least a part of the left-side entry guide GL. In addition, the mounting position and mounting angle of both imaging devices 9R and 9L on the car wash machine body 4 can be adjusted so that the part of the vehicle X that is in contact with the ground is visible (see Figure 5).
[0022] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the car wash machine body 4 is equipped with an imaging device 9, but the embodiment is not limited to this example. The imaging device 9 may be installed independently of the car wash machine body 4, as long as it is in a position that can capture a desired imaging area. For example, imaging devices 9R and 9L may be attached to support columns installed on both sides of the car wash machine body 4, respectively.
[0023] In Figures 1 and 2, for the sake of simplicity, the illustrations of the various devices for washing the vehicle X provided by the car wash machine body 4, as described above, may be omitted. Furthermore, the devices provided by the car wash machine body 4 shown in Figure 1 are merely examples, and the car wash machine body 4 may also be equipped with devices for washing the vehicle X, including conventionally known configurations, and devices to assist in said washing, on the frame 8 or ceiling 10, in addition to the devices described above.
[0024] An operation panel 42 is located on the front of one frame 8 of the car wash machine body 4. The operation panel 42 is equipped with operation buttons (not shown) for setting car wash conditions. For example, a driver who has gotten out of vehicle X, or another technician, may operate the operation buttons to set car wash conditions, etc.
[0025] <Control unit and remote panel> Furthermore, the car wash machine 2 includes a control unit 7 that controls the car wash machine body 4 and each part of the car wash machine 2. For example, the control unit 7 controls the washing of the vehicle X by the car wash machine body 4 by controlling the movement of the car wash machine body 4 along the rail R and the operation of each part of the cleaning unit. Furthermore, the control unit 7 according to this embodiment includes an information processing unit 70, as shown in Figure 3. The information processing unit 70 will be described later.
[0026] The control unit 7 may be located on the car wash machine body 4, as shown in Figure 1, or it may be located outside the car wash machine body 4. The control unit 7 may control the car wash machine body 4 by sending and receiving information between it and the car wash machine body 4 or the remote panel 6 (described later) using a communication device (not shown). The control unit 7 is composed of a processor such as a CPU, and each control is realized by executing a control program stored in memory on the processor.
[0027] The remote panel 6 is located, for example, on the front side of the car wash machine body 4 and is positioned roughly in line with the direction of movement of the car wash machine body 4. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the front of the remote panel 6 is positioned to face the side of the vehicle X before it is washed by the car wash machine body 4, in other words, before it enters the interior of the car wash machine body 4.
[0028] As shown in Figure 1, the remote panel 6 comprises a housing 46 and support columns 48 erected on the ground G to support the housing 46. The remote panel 6 may acquire at least a portion of the car wash conditions for the vehicle X by the car wash machine body 4 through operation of a touch panel or buttons (not shown) provided on the housing 46. The control unit 7 may control the car wash machine body 4 and wash the vehicle X based on at least a portion of the car wash conditions acquired by the remote panel 6.
[0029] (Information Processing Department) Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the main components of the car wash machine 2 of this embodiment. The control unit 7 of this embodiment includes an information processing unit 70. The information processing unit 70 is configured to perform acquisition steps, detection steps, determination steps, etc., described later, using a trained model M stored in the storage unit 73. The information processing unit 70 includes an image acquisition unit 71, a vehicle body area detection unit 72, a storage unit 73, a first determination unit 74, and a second determination unit 75. The second determination unit 75 is an arbitrary configuration and can be provided as needed. As the information processing unit 70, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), microprocessor, digital signal processor, microcontroller, TPU (Tensor Processing Unit), or a combination thereof can be used.
[0030] The image acquisition unit 71 acquires an image captured by the imaging device 9, which is an image of a predetermined imaging area and includes the vehicle X to be washed.
[0031] The vehicle body region detection unit 72 uses a trained model M constructed by machine learning to detect the vehicle body region in the image captured by the imaging device 9.
[0032] The memory unit 73 is configured for storing the trained model M. For example, random access memory, flash memory, or a hard disk drive can be used as the memory unit 73.
[0033] The first determination unit 74 determines whether the first region RA in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 71 and the vehicle body region RB detected by the vehicle body region detection unit 72 overlap. The first region RA is a region corresponding to a vehicle entry prohibited area, defined to avoid contact between the vehicle X and the car wash machine 2. As shown in Figure 2, this vehicle entry prohibited area is a region defined based on the guide G. The first region RA in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 71 can be set by identifying the region corresponding to the vehicle entry prohibited area in the image using coordinates in the image.
[0034] The second determination unit 75 determines whether the second region RA2 in the image IA acquired by the image acquisition unit 71 overlaps with the vehicle body region RB detected by the vehicle body region detection unit 72. The second region RA2 is located on the vehicle X side of the vehicle entry prohibited region and is a proximity avoidance region for avoiding proximity between the vehicle X and the car wash machine 2. The second region RA2 can be set by identifying the region corresponding to the proximity avoidance region in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 71 using the coordinates in the image.
[0035] In this disclosure, machine learning refers to the general process of automatically constructing detection algorithms based on data. Deep learning is a typical example of machine learning, but machine learning in this disclosure is not limited to deep learning. For example, machine learning in this disclosure may be supervised learning other than deep learning, unsupervised learning, or reinforcement learning.
[0036] Furthermore, in this disclosure, "trained model" refers to any detection algorithm constructed using machine learning. A typical example of a trained model is a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), but the trained models in this disclosure are not limited to those constructed using CNNs.
[0037] For example, the trained model M relating to this disclosure can be generated by supervised learning using training data that includes image data representing an image including a vehicle, captured by the imaging device 9, a label indicating that what was captured is a "car", and information representing the region of the vehicle in the image.
[0038] The trained model M is a model that takes an image of the vehicle X to be washed, captured by the imaging device 9, as input, and outputs information indicating the vehicle body region RB in the image.
[0039] (Flow of contact avoidance process) The following describes the process by which the control unit 7 of the car wash machine 2 avoids contact between the car wash machine body 4 and the vehicle X, using Figures 4 to 8. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the contact avoidance process by the control unit 7. The flow shown in Figure 4 is illustrative and not limited to it. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an exemplary image IA captured by the imaging device 9L.
[0040] First, before the series of processes begin, the administrator of the car wash machine 2 sets the coordinates of the first area RA. Specifically, the administrator of the car wash machine 2 identifies the no-entry area in the image captured by the imaging device 9 using the coordinates on the image, and defines the area enclosed by the identified coordinates as the first area RA. In other words, the first area RA can be identified by the administrator of the car wash machine 2 specifying the coordinates in the image. For example, the administrator identifies the no-entry area as an area enclosed by four coordinate points based on image IA as shown in Figure 5. Figure 6 is an example of a table showing the coordinates of the four points identified by the administrator. In the table, A and B may be the x and y coordinates in the image, respectively. The area enclosed by the four coordinate points may be shown as the first area RA, indicated by the diagonal lines in image IA. Such setting of the coordinates of the first area RA may be performed when the car wash machine 2 is installed, or it may be performed or updated during periodic inspections of the car wash machine 2.
[0041] Furthermore, the coordinates of the second region RA2 may be set as needed. The coordinates of the second region RA2 may be set using the same procedure as the coordinates of the first region RA, or they may be set automatically based on the information of the first region RA.
[0042] When vehicle X stops at the car wash location, the collision avoidance process may be initiated. When the collision avoidance process is initiated, in step S11, the image acquisition unit 71 acquires the captured image including vehicle X, captured by the imaging device 9, as image data (acquisition step). For simplicity, the image is not shown, but the image captured by the imaging device 9R is referred to as image IB. The image acquisition unit 71 acquires image IA and image IB as image data.
[0043] In the subsequent step S12, the vehicle body region detection unit 72 uses the learning model M to detect the vehicle body region RB from the images IA and IB acquired by the image acquisition unit 71 in step S11 (detection step). Figures 7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating the processing in the detection step of step S12 and the determination step described later. Although the diagrams only show the processing of images captured by the imaging device 9L, the same processing is performed on images captured by the imaging device 9R.
[0044] For example, when an image captured by the imaging device 9 is input to the learning model M, the vehicle body region RB representing the area of vehicle X is detected, as shown by reference numeral 701 in Figure 7 and reference numeral 801 in Figure 8, and the results shown by reference numeral 702 in Figure 7 and reference numeral 802 in Figure 8 are output.
[0045] At this time, the result output from the learning model M as the vehicle body region RB may contain noise N, as shown by the reference numeral 702 in Figure 7 and the reference numeral 802 in Figure 8. Therefore, the vehicle body region detection unit 72 may also include a noise reduction unit 76. In the subsequent step S13, the noise reduction unit 76 removes the noise region included in the output result from the learning model M (noise reduction step). For example, the noise reduction unit 76 may identify the region with the largest area among the regions output from the learning model M as the vehicle body region RB and remove the other regions as noise. Reference numeral 703 in Figure 7 and the reference numeral 803 in Figure 8 show images from which noise has been removed by the noise reduction unit 76. By including the noise reduction unit 76 in the vehicle body region detection unit 72, the first and second determination steps described later can be performed with greater accuracy.
[0046] In the following step S14, the first determination unit 74 determines whether the vehicle body region RB detected by the vehicle body region detection unit 72 overlaps with the first region RA identified as described above (first determination step). As shown by reference numeral 704 in Figure 7, if the first region RA and the vehicle body region RB do not overlap, the first determination unit 74 determines in step S14 that they do not overlap (S14: NO) and proceeds to step S16.
[0047] As shown by reference numeral 804 in Figure 8, if the first region RA and the vehicle body region RB overlap, the first determination unit 74 determines in step S14 that they overlap (S14: YES) and proceeds to step S15.
[0048] The control unit 7 includes a notification unit 77. The notification unit 77 performs notification processing in step S15. The notification processing in step S15 is directed to the driver of vehicle X. The notification processing directed to the driver of vehicle X in step S15 may include, for example, at least one of the following: a stop instruction for vehicle X, an instruction to correct the direction of entry, and an instruction to restart stopping vehicle X. The notification processing in step S15 may also include notification of the risk of contact between vehicle X and the car wash machine body 4. The notification processing in step S15 may be performed, for example, using a first display panel 45A installed on the upper front of the car wash machine body 4, or a second display panel 45B installed at a location separate from the car wash machine body 4, or it may be a notification by voice or the like. The notifications from the first display panel 45A and the second display panel 45B may be displays that include at least one of text and illustrations. In Figure 1, the first display panel 45A is installed on the upper front of the car wash machine body 4, but the installation location of the first display panel 45A is not limited to this position. For example, the first display panel 45A may be installed on a movable part of the car wash machine body 4, such as the front of the top air blower nozzle 38.
[0049] The notification process performed in step S15 is not limited to the manner in which information is displayed on each display panel as described above, but may also be provided by a light-emitting device. This light-emitting device is an example of a display unit according to the present disclosure. The light-emitting device may be, for example, an LED light, and a red LED light may be provided in a position visible to the driver, and the driver may be notified of the risk of contact between the vehicle X and the car wash machine body 4 by emitting the red LED light. In this case, if the first area RA and the vehicle body area RB do not overlap, a separately provided blue LED light may be emitted.
[0050] Alternatively, the car wash machine 2 may further include a communication unit 60 capable of communicating with an external terminal connected via a network, and the notification process may be notification to the external terminal via the communication unit 60. The external terminal may be, for example, a terminal installed by a management company that remotely monitors the car wash machine 2, a portable terminal held by a staff member of a gas station that manages the car wash machine 2, or a portable terminal held by the driver of vehicle X.
[0051] For example, if the notification unit 77 determines that the first region RA and the vehicle body region RB overlap in the image captured by the imaging device 9L, it may issue a notification requesting the driver to move vehicle X to the right. On the other hand, if the notification unit 77 determines that the first region RA and the vehicle body region RB overlap in the image captured by the imaging device 9R, it may issue a notification requesting the driver to move vehicle X to the left.
[0052] Furthermore, the notification process in step S15 may include notification to the driver of the vehicle following vehicle X. Notification to the driver of vehicle X by the notification unit 77 may cause vehicle X to reverse and correct its position and orientation. Therefore, the notification unit 77 may notify the driver of the following vehicle that vehicle X may attempt to stop again, for example, by displaying it on the remote panel 6 or by providing an audio notification from the remote panel 6. In addition, the notification unit 77 may notify the driver of the following vehicle that staff are being called, or that vehicle X is attempting to return to its original position while communicating with the management company. This allows the driver of the following vehicle to understand the possibility and reason why vehicle X may reverse or perform other actions after stopping, or the current situation.
[0053] In step S15, notification processing is performed based on the determination of the first determination unit 74, which encourages the vehicle X to move to a position suitable for stopping, and significantly reduces the possibility of the vehicle X coming into contact with the car wash machine body 4.
[0054] In the subsequent step S16, the second determination unit 75 determines whether the second region RA2 identified as described above overlaps with the vehicle region RB detected by the vehicle region detection unit 72 (second determination step). The determination of whether the second region RA2 and the vehicle region RB overlap can be performed in the same way as the determination of whether the first region RA and the vehicle region RB overlap as described in step S14. If the second region RA2 and the vehicle region RB do not overlap, the second determination unit 75 determines in step S16 that they do not overlap (S16: NO) and terminates the series of processes.
[0055] If the second region RA2 and the vehicle body region RB overlap, the second determination unit 75 determines in step S16 that they overlap (S16: YES) and proceeds to step S17.
[0056] The notification unit 77 performs notification processing in step S17. The notification processing performed on the driver of vehicle X in step S17 may include, for example, at least one of the following: a stop instruction for vehicle X, an instruction to correct the direction of entry, and an instruction to request that the vehicle be stopped again. The notification processing in step S17 may also include notification of the risk of contact between vehicle X and the car wash machine body 4. The notification processing in step S17 may be performed, for example, using a first display panel 45A installed on the upper front of the car wash machine body 4, or a second display panel 45B installed at a location separate from the car wash machine body 4, or it may be a notification by voice or the like. The notification in step S17 may also be performed using the same means as the notification in step S15.
[0057] In step S17, notification processing is performed based on the determination of the second determination unit 75, which prompts the vehicle X to move to a position suitable for stopping, and significantly reduces the possibility of the vehicle X and the car wash machine body 4 coming into close proximity during car washing.
[0058] Note that steps S16 and S17 are performed only when the second area RA2 is set, and may be omitted.
[0059] As described above, the car wash machine according to this disclosure comprises an imaging device 9 that images a predetermined imaging area and an information processing unit 70. The information processing unit 70 includes an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the vehicle X to be washed, which has been captured by the imaging device 9, a vehicle body area detection unit 72 that detects a vehicle body area RB in the image using a trained model constructed by machine learning, and a first determination unit 74 that determines whether a first area RA in the image, which corresponds to a vehicle entry prohibited area defined to avoid contact between the vehicle X and the car wash machine body 4, overlaps with the vehicle body area RB detected by the vehicle body area detection unit 72.
[0060] With this configuration, the car wash machine 2 can more accurately detect whether the vehicle X is parked in a position where it may come into contact with the car wash machine body 4 during washing.
[0061] (Other aspects) In the embodiment described above, an example was explained in which the collision avoidance process is initiated when vehicle X stops at the car wash position. However, the collision avoidance process may also be performed while vehicle X is entering the car wash. For example, the collision avoidance process may be initiated when vehicle X starts moving forward from the waiting position in front of the remote panel 6 to the car wash position. In the case of collision avoidance processing after stopping at the car wash position, it is necessary to reverse in order to change the position or direction of vehicle X based on the notification from the notification unit. By performing the collision avoidance process while entering the car wash, the driver can receive notifications such as instructions to correct the direction of entry while entering, making it easier to correct the direction of entry.
[0062] 〔summary〕 (1) A car wash machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure comprises an imaging unit for imaging a predetermined imaging area and an information processing unit, wherein the information processing unit includes an image acquisition unit for acquiring an image of a vehicle to be washed, which has been captured by the imaging unit; a vehicle body area detection unit for detecting a vehicle body area in the image using a trained model constructed by machine learning; and a first determination unit for determining whether a first area in the image, which corresponds to a vehicle entry prohibited area defined to avoid contact between the vehicle and the car wash machine, overlaps with a vehicle body area detected by the vehicle body area detection unit.
[0063] (2) In the car wash machine according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure, in Embodiment 1, the input to the trained model is an image taken by the imaging unit, which includes the vehicle to be washed, and the output from the trained model is information indicating the vehicle body region in the image.
[0064] (3) In the car wash machine according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure, in embodiment 1 or 2 above, the vehicle body area detection unit has a noise reduction unit that removes from the detected area all other than the area having the largest area, with respect to the information indicating the vehicle body area output from the trained model.
[0065] (4) In any of the embodiments 1 to 3 described above, the car wash machine according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure further includes a second determination unit that determines whether a second region in the image, which is located on the vehicle side of the vehicle entry prohibited region, overlaps with the vehicle region detected by the vehicle region detection unit.
[0066] (5) In any of the embodiments 1 to 4 above, the car wash machine according to embodiment 5 of the present disclosure is identified by specifying coordinates in the image.
[0067] (6) A car wash machine according to embodiment 6 of the present disclosure, in any of embodiments 1 to 5, includes a notification unit that performs notification processing when the first determination unit determines that the first area and the vehicle body area overlap, the notification processing being a notification to the driver of the vehicle, which includes at least one of the following: an instruction to stop the vehicle, an instruction to correct the direction of entry, and an instruction to restart the stopping.
[0068] (7) The car wash machine according to Embodiment 7 of the present disclosure, in Embodiment 4, comprises a notification unit that performs notification processing when the second determination unit determines that the second area and the vehicle area overlap, the notification processing being a notification to the driver of the vehicle, which includes at least one of the following: an instruction to stop the vehicle, an instruction to correct the direction of entry, and an instruction to restart the stopping.
[0069] (8) The car wash machine according to embodiment 8 of the present disclosure further comprises a display unit that provides various instructions and / or displays to the driver of the vehicle, and the notification process includes displaying on the display unit.
[0070] (9) The car wash machine according to aspect 9 of the present disclosure further comprises a communication unit capable of communicating with an external terminal connected via a network, in any of aspects 6 to 8 above, wherein the notification process includes notification to the external terminal via the communication unit.
[0071] (10) In any of embodiments 6 to 9 of the above, the car wash machine according to embodiment 10 of the present disclosure, wherein the notification process is a notification made to the driver of a vehicle following the vehicle, and includes a notification made to the driver of the vehicle that the vehicle may have to stop again.
[0072] [Additional Notes] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0073] 2...Car wash machine 4...Car wash machine body 6. Remote Panel 7. Control Unit 70. Information Processing Section 71...Image acquisition unit 72. Vehicle body area detection unit 73...Storage section 74...1st judgment section 75...Second judgment section 76. Noise Reduction Section 77... News Department 9 (9R / 9L) - Imaging device 60... Communications Department
Claims
1. A car wash machine comprising an imaging unit that images a predetermined imaging area and an information processing unit, The aforementioned information processing unit, An image acquisition unit acquires an image including the vehicle to be washed, which has been captured by the aforementioned imaging unit. A vehicle body region detection unit that detects the vehicle body region in the image using a trained model constructed by machine learning, A car wash machine having a first region in the aforementioned image that corresponds to a vehicle entry prohibited region defined to avoid contact between the vehicle and the car wash machine, and a first determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle region detected by the vehicle region detection unit overlaps with the vehicle region.
2. The car wash machine according to claim 1, wherein the input to the trained model is an image taken by the imaging unit, including the vehicle to be washed, and the output from the trained model is information indicating the vehicle body region in the image.
3. The car wash machine according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle body region detection unit has a noise reduction unit that removes regions other than the region having the largest area from the detected region with respect to the information indicating the vehicle body region output from the trained model.
4. The car wash machine according to claim 1, further comprising a second determination unit that determines whether a second region in the image, which is located closer to the vehicle than the vehicle entry prohibited region, overlaps with the vehicle region detected by the vehicle region detection unit.
5. The car wash machine according to claim 1, wherein the first region is identified by specifying coordinates in the image.
6. The system includes a notification unit that, when the first determination unit determines that the first region and the vehicle body region overlap, executes a notification process. The car wash machine according to claim 1, wherein the notification process is a notification given to the driver of the vehicle, and includes at least one of the following: an instruction to stop the vehicle, an instruction to correct the direction of entry, and an instruction to restart the vehicle.
7. The system includes a notification unit that, when the second determination unit determines that the second region and the vehicle body region overlap, executes a notification process. The car wash machine according to claim 4, wherein the notification process is a notification given to the driver of the vehicle, and includes at least one of the following: an instruction to stop the vehicle, an instruction to correct the direction of entry, and an instruction to restart the vehicle from a stop.
8. The vehicle further includes a display unit that provides various instructions and / or displays to the driver of the vehicle. The car wash machine according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the notification process includes display on the display unit.
9. It further includes a communication unit capable of communicating with external terminals connected via a network, The car wash machine according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the notification process includes notification to the external terminal via the communication unit.
10. The car wash machine according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the notification process includes a notification made to the driver of a vehicle following the vehicle, informing the driver that the vehicle may have to stop again.