CN118139767A

CN118139767A - Cleaning system

Info

Publication number: CN118139767A
Application number: CN202280070632.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 井上达也; 米丸翔太; 铃木一弘
Original assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-10-20
Filing date: 2022-10-05
Publication date: 2024-06-04

Abstract

The cleaning system is provided with: a cleaner (103) having a nozzle (123), wherein the nozzle (123) is provided with an injection port (143) for injecting a cleaning medium to a surface (136 f) to be cleaned of a sensor (6 f) mounted on a vehicle; and a control unit that controls the operation of the cleaner (103). The nozzle (123) can rotate or slide in the operating state of the cleaner (103). The control unit is configured to change the movable range of the nozzle (123) according to the running condition of the vehicle.

Description

Cleaning system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to cleaning systems.

Background

Patent document 1 and the like discloses a vehicle headlamp cleaner.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication 2016-187990

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, in recent years, attempts have been made to develop a vehicle capable of autonomous driving. In realizing automatic driving, for example, it is required to maintain the sensitivity of various sensors such as LiDAR. Therefore, a sensor cleaner for cleaning the sensor to remove foreign substances attached to the sensor is required.

In addition, the type of dirt and the degree of dirt attached to the in-vehicle sensor vary depending on weather conditions.

The invention aims to provide a cleaning system with a cleaner capable of effectively cleaning a sensor according to the running condition of a vehicle.

Further, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning system including a cleaner capable of effectively cleaning a sensor according to an ambient environment to maintain detection accuracy of the sensor.

Further, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning system including a cleaner capable of efficiently cleaning a sensor by a movable nozzle according to weather conditions when a vehicle is traveling, thereby maintaining detection accuracy of the sensor.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve at least one of the above objects, a cleaning system according to an aspect of the present invention includes:

A cleaner having a nozzle provided with an injection port that injects a cleaning medium toward a surface to be cleaned of a sensor mounted on a vehicle; and

A control unit that controls an operation of the cleaner,

The nozzle can rotate or slide in the working state of the cleaner,

The control unit is configured to change a movable range of the nozzle according to a running condition of the vehicle.

A cleaner having a nozzle provided with an ejection port that ejects a cleaning medium to a cleaning target surface of a sensor capable of detecting a target; and

A control unit that controls an operation of the cleaner,

The nozzle can be rotated or slidably moved in an operating state of the cleaner,

The control unit controls the operation of the nozzle so that a region of the cleaning target surface corresponding to the target is cleaned in a predetermined mode different from a normal mode.

A control unit that controls an operation of the cleaner,

The nozzle can rotate or slide in the working state of the cleaner,

The control unit is configured to acquire weather information from an external element different from the sensor and the cleaner, and to change an operation mode of the nozzle according to the weather information.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, a cleaning system including a cleaner capable of effectively cleaning a sensor according to a running condition of a vehicle can be provided.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cleaning system provided with a cleaner capable of effectively cleaning a sensor according to the surrounding environment to maintain the detection accuracy of the sensor.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cleaning system including a cleaner capable of effectively cleaning a sensor with a movable nozzle according to weather conditions when a vehicle is traveling to maintain detection accuracy of the sensor.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle mounted with a sensor system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicle system incorporating the sensor system of FIG. 1.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a cleaning system provided in the sensor system of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a movable range of a nozzle when a vehicle runs at a low speed in a cleaner included in the cleaning system of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the movable range of the nozzle when the vehicle is traveling at high speed.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the movable range of the nozzle when the vehicle runs at a medium speed.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a structure of a nozzle of a cleaner according to a first modification.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating operation control of the nozzle of the cleaner according to the second embodiment in a predetermined mode.

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating operation control of the nozzle according to the second modification.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing operation control of the nozzle according to the third modification.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a structure of a nozzle of a cleaner according to a fourth modification.

Fig. 12 is a block diagram of a vehicle system according to a third embodiment in which the sensor system of fig. 1 is incorporated.

Fig. 13 is a view showing a movable range of a nozzle according to a fifth modification.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the components as those already described in the description of the embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted for convenience of description. For convenience of explanation, the dimensions of the components shown in the present drawing may be different from the actual dimensions of the components.

In the description of the embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as the present embodiment), for convenience of description, the terms "left-right direction", "front-rear direction", and "up-down direction" are appropriately referred to. These directions are relative directions set for the vehicle 1 shown in fig. 1. Here, the "up-down direction" is a direction including the "up direction" and the "down direction". The "front-rear direction" is a direction including the "front direction" and the "rear direction". The "left-right direction" is a direction including the "left direction" and the "right direction".

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle 1 equipped with a sensor system 100 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle 1 is an automobile capable of running in an automatic driving mode in which the running of the vehicle is automatically controlled. The vehicle 1 includes a sensor system 100, and the sensor system 100 is used for cleaning an object to be cleaned (for example, an in-vehicle sensor, various lamps, a windshield, and the like) provided outside the vehicle cabin.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the vehicle system 2 assembled with the sensor system 100. First, a vehicle system 2 of the vehicle 1 will be described with reference to fig. 2. As shown in fig. 2, the vehicle system 2 includes: the vehicle control unit 3, the internal sensor 5, the external sensor 6, the lamp 7, the HMI 8 (Human MACHINE INTERFACE: human-machine interface), the GPS 9 (Global Positioning System: global positioning system), the wireless communication unit 10, and the map information storage unit 11. The vehicle system 2 further comprises a steering actuator 12, a steering device 13, a brake actuator 14, a brake device 15, an acceleration actuator 16 and an acceleration device 17. The sensor system 100 having the cleaner control unit 113 and the sensor control unit 114 is communicably connected to the vehicle control unit 3 of the vehicle system 2.

The vehicle control unit 3 is constituted by an Electronic Control Unit (ECU). The vehicle control unit 3 is configured by a processor such as CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory) storing various vehicle control programs, and RAM (Random Access Memory) temporarily storing various vehicle control data. The processor is configured to: a program selected from various vehicle control programs stored in a ROM is caused to run on a RAM, and various processes are executed by cooperation with the RAM. The vehicle control unit 3 is configured to control the running of the vehicle 1.

The internal sensor 5 is a sensor capable of acquiring own vehicle information. The internal sensor 5 is, for example, at least one of an acceleration sensor, a speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, a gyro sensor, and the like. The internal sensor 5 is configured to acquire information of the own vehicle including the running state of the vehicle 1, and output the information to the vehicle control unit 3 and the cleaner control unit 113. The internal sensor 5 may include: a seating sensor that detects whether or not the driver is seated in the driver's seat, a face orientation sensor that detects the direction of the driver's face, a person sensor that detects whether or not a person is in the vehicle, and the like.

The external sensor 6 is a sensor capable of acquiring external information of the host vehicle. The external sensor is, for example, at least one of a video camera, radar, liDAR, etc. The external sensor 6 is configured to acquire information outside the host vehicle including the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 (other vehicles, pedestrians, road shapes, traffic signs, obstacles, etc.), and to output the information to the vehicle control unit 3, the cleaner control unit 113, and the sensor control unit 114. Alternatively, the external sensor 6 may include a weather sensor that detects a weather state, a luminance sensor that detects the luminance of the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, and the like. Alternatively, the external sensor 6 may be a raindrop sensor for detecting the amount of raindrops around the vehicle, a temperature sensor for detecting the outside air temperature, a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity around the vehicle, a dirt sensor capable of detecting the degree of adhesion of dirt on the cleaning target surface, or the like. For example, the video camera includes an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (complementary MOS). The camera is a camera for detecting visible light and an infrared camera for detecting infrared light. The radar is millimeter wave radar, microwave radar or laser radar, etc. Light Detection AND RANGING (Light Detection and distance correction) or LASER IMAGING Detection AND RANGING (laser imaging Detection and range) are abbreviations for Light Detection. A LiDAR is generally a sensor that emits non-visible light to the front of the LiDAR, and acquires information such as a distance to an object, an object direction, an object shape, and an object material based on the emitted light and the returned light.

The lamp 7 is at least one of a headlight provided at the front of the vehicle 1, a position lamp, a rear combination lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle 1, a turn signal lamp provided at the front or side of the vehicle, various lamps for notifying the driver of the pedestrian/other vehicle of the status of the vehicle, and the like.

The HMI 8 is constituted by an input unit that receives an input operation from the driver and an output unit that outputs travel information and the like to the driver. The input unit includes a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a driving mode changeover switch for changing over the driving mode of the vehicle 1, and the like. The output unit is a display that displays various travel information.

The GPS9 is configured to acquire current position information of the vehicle 1 and output the acquired current position information to the vehicle control unit 3. The wireless communication unit 10 is configured to: the travel information of other vehicles located around the vehicle 1 is received from the other vehicles, and the travel information of the vehicle 1 is transmitted to the other vehicles (inter-vehicle communication). The wireless communication unit 10 is configured to receive infrastructure information from infrastructure equipment such as a traffic signal and an identification lamp, and to transmit traveling information of the vehicle 1 to the infrastructure equipment (road-to-vehicle communication). The map information storage unit 11 is an external storage device such as a hard disk drive that stores map information, and is configured to output the map information to the vehicle control unit 3.

When the vehicle 1 is traveling in the automatic driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 automatically generates at least one of a steering control signal, an acceleration control signal, and a brake control signal based on traveling state information, surrounding environment information, current position information, map information, and the like. The steering actuator 12 is configured to receive a steering control signal from the vehicle control unit 3, and to control the steering device 13 based on the received steering control signal. The brake actuator 14 is configured to receive a brake control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and to control the brake device 15 based on the received brake control signal. The acceleration actuator 16 is configured to receive an acceleration control signal from the vehicle control unit 3, and to control the accelerator 17 based on the received acceleration control signal. Thus, in the automatic driving mode, the running of the vehicle 1 is automatically controlled by the vehicle system 2.

On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 is traveling in the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 generates a steering control signal, an acceleration control signal, and a brake control signal in accordance with manual operations of an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a steering wheel by the driver. In this way, in the manual driving mode, the steering control signal, the acceleration control signal, and the brake control signal are generated by the manual operation of the driver, and thus the running of the vehicle 1 is controlled by the driver.

Returning to FIG. 1, the sensor system 100 of the vehicle 1 has front LiDAR 6f, rear LiDAR 6b, left LiDAR 6l, and right LiDAR 6r as external sensors 6. The front LiDAR 6f is configured to acquire information in front of the vehicle 1. The rear LiDAR 6b is configured to acquire information rearward of the vehicle 1. The left LiDAR 6l is configured to acquire information on the left side of the vehicle 1. The right LiDAR 6r is configured to acquire information on the right of the vehicle 1.

In the example shown in fig. 1, an example is shown in which the front LiDAR 6f is provided in the front of the vehicle 1, the rear LiDAR 6b is provided in the rear of the vehicle 1, the left LiDAR 6l is provided in the left of the vehicle 1, and the right LiDAR 6r is provided in the right of the vehicle 1, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, front LiDAR, rear LiDAR, left LiDAR, and right LiDAR may be arranged in a concentrated manner on the top of the vehicle 1.

In addition, the sensor system 100 has a left headlight 7l provided at the left part of the front of the vehicle 1 and a right headlight 7r provided at the right part of the front as the lamps 7. Further, the sensor system 100 has a front window 1f and a rear window 1b as windshields.

The sensor system 100 includes a cleaning system 110, and the cleaning system 110 removes foreign matters such as water droplets, mud, dust, and the like adhering to the cleaning target or prevents the foreign matters from adhering to the cleaning target (described in detail with reference to fig. 3). For example, in the present embodiment, the cleaning system 110 has: a front window washer (hereinafter referred to as front WW) 101 capable of cleaning the front window 1f and a rear window washer (hereinafter referred to as rear WW) 102 capable of cleaning the rear window 1 b. In addition, the cleaning system 110 has: a front sensor cleaner (hereinafter referred to as front SC) 103 capable of cleaning front LiDAR 6f and a rear sensor cleaner (hereinafter referred to as rear SC) 104 capable of cleaning rear LiDAR 6 b. In addition, the cleaning system 110 has: a right sensor cleaner (hereinafter referred to as right SC) 105 capable of cleaning the right LiDAR 6r and a left sensor cleaner (hereinafter referred to as left SC) 106 capable of cleaning the left LiDAR 6 l. Moreover, the cleaning system 110 has: a right headlamp cleaner (hereinafter referred to as right HC) 107 capable of cleaning the right headlamp 7r and a left headlamp cleaner (hereinafter referred to as left HC) 108 capable of cleaning the left headlamp 7 l. Each of the cleaners 101 to 108 has one or more nozzles, and jets a cleaning medium such as high-pressure air or a cleaning liquid from a jet port provided in the nozzle toward the object.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the cleaning system 110 provided in the sensor system 100. The cleaning system 110 includes a tank 111, a pump 112, a cleaner control unit 113, and air pumps 115 to 118 in addition to the cleaners 101 to 108.

Front WW 101, rear WW 102, right HC 107, left HC 108 are connected to tank 111 via pump 112. The pump 112 sucks in the cleaning liquid (an example of the cleaning medium) stored in the tank 111, and sends the cleaning liquid to the front WW 101, the rear WW 102, the front SC 103, the rear SC 104, the right SC 105, the left SC 106, the right HC 107, and the left HC 108.

Air pumps 115 to 118 are connected to the front SC 103, the rear SC 104, the right SC 105, and the left SC 106, respectively. Each of the air pumps 115 to 118 generates high-pressure air (an example of a cleaning medium), and sends the generated high-pressure air to the front SC 103, the rear SC 104, the right SC 105, and the left SC 106.

An actuator (not shown) may be provided to each of the cleaners 101 to 108, and the actuator may be configured to turn on the nozzles provided to each cleaner to eject the cleaning medium onto the cleaning object. The actuators provided in the respective cleaners 101 to 108 are electrically connected to the cleaner control unit 113. The pump 112 and the air pumps 115 to 118 are also electrically connected to the cleaner control unit 113. The operations of the cleaners 101 to 108, the pump 112, the air pumps 115 to 118, and the like are controlled by the cleaner control unit 113.

The cleaner control unit 113 is electrically connected to the vehicle control unit 3 and the sensor control unit 114 (see fig. 2). The information acquired by the cleaner control unit 113, the information acquired by the sensor control unit 114, and the information acquired by the vehicle control unit 3 are transmitted and received between the respective control units.

(First embodiment)

Next, an operation example of the cleaners 101 to 108 in the cleaning system 110 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to fig. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 and 5 are diagrams for explaining an operation example of the first embodiment of the nozzle of the cleaners 101 to 108. In the example shown in fig. 4 and 5, among the nozzles of the cleaners 101 to 108, the nozzle 123 of the front SC 103 that cleans the front LiDAR 6f provided in the front of the vehicle 1 will be described. Note that, since the same operation is performed for the nozzles other than the front SC 103, the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the nozzle 123 of the front SC 103 is provided at the upper center portion of the front LiDAR 6f. The front LiDAR 6f has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and a front glass portion 136f serving as a cleaning target surface is provided in a central portion thereof. The nozzle 123 has an injection port 143. The ejection port 143 is provided on the lower surface of the nozzle 123 so as to face the front glass portion 136f. The injection port 143 is adjusted so that the high-pressure air injected from the injection port 143 is injected downward from above the front glass portion 136f. The nozzle 123 is provided rotatably about a rotation axis X (axis extending in the front-back direction of the paper surface of fig. 4). The nozzle 123 is configured to: by rotating about the rotation axis X, the head can be moved in the left-right direction, and the high-pressure air ejected from the ejection port 143 can be ejected toward the left end region to the right end region of the front glass portion 136f.

The movable range of the rotating nozzle 123 is configured to vary according to the traveling speed of the vehicle 1. For example, a "first threshold speed" that is a reference for changing the movable range of the nozzle 123 is set for the running speed of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control unit 3 detects the running speed of the vehicle 1 by a speed sensor as the internal sensor 5, and transmits the detected running speed as vehicle speed information to the cleaner control unit 113. The cleaner control unit 113 that receives the vehicle speed information from the speed sensor determines the movable range of the nozzle 123 based on the vehicle speed information. Specifically, when the running speed of the vehicle 1 is equal to or lower than the first threshold speed, the cleaner control unit 113 sets the movable range of the nozzle 123 to be larger than when the running speed is higher than the first threshold speed.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the movable range of the nozzle 123 and the sensing range of the front LiDAR 6f in the case where the travel speed of the vehicle 1 is equal to or lower than the first threshold speed. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the movable range of the nozzle 123 and the sensing range of the front LiDAR 6f in the case where the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is greater than the first threshold speed.

As shown in fig. 4, when the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is equal to or lower than the first threshold speed, the movable range of the nozzle 123, that is, the tilting angle θ1 of the nozzle 123 in the lateral direction is set to a range from the left end region to the right end region of the front glass portion 136f in which the high-pressure air injected from the injection port 143 is injected.

In contrast, as shown in fig. 5, when the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is higher than the first threshold speed, the yaw angle θ2 of the nozzle 123 in the lateral direction is set smaller than the yaw angle θ1. That is, the movable range (an example of the second movable range) of the nozzle 123 when the vehicle speed is higher than the first threshold speed is set narrower than the movable range (an example of the first movable range) of the nozzle 123 when the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the first threshold speed. Specifically, when the vehicle speed is higher than the first threshold speed, the high-pressure air injected from the injection port 143 is injected centering on the central region of the front glass portion 136f, and there are regions where the high-pressure air is not injected at the left and right ends of the front glass portion 136 f. Further, the second movable range (the rocking angle θ2) of the nozzle 123 is set to a range including the center region of the first movable range (the rocking angle θ1).

When the vehicle 1 is traveling at a relatively low speed, for example, when the vehicle 1 is traveling on a normal road, it is possible to detect not only a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle but also a pedestrian located on the front side of the vehicle or the like, and therefore, as shown in fig. 4, a relatively large area in front of the vehicle 1 needs to be set as the first sensing range W1 of the front LiDAR 6 f. Therefore, in the case where the vehicle 1 travels on a normal road, for example, as shown in fig. 4, the movable range of the nozzle 123 becomes the first movable range θ1 in which high-pressure air is injected toward the left end region to the right end region of the front glass portion 136 f. Further, the first threshold speed of the movable range change of the nozzle 123 can be set to, for example, 70km/h.

On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a high speed, for example, when the vehicle 1 is traveling on a highway, it is often necessary to sense a relatively narrow area in front of and far from the vehicle 1, as compared with the case where the entire area in front of the vehicle 1 including a lateral area where a pedestrian or the like is present is sensed on the whole. Therefore, in the case where the vehicle 1 runs at a high speed, as shown in fig. 5, the sensing range of the front LiDAR 6f can be set to a second sensing range W2 that is narrower than the first sensing range W1. Therefore, when the vehicle 1 is traveling on, for example, an expressway, the movable range of the nozzle 123 is changed to a second movable range θ2 in which high-pressure air is injected centering on the central region of the windshield portion 136f, as shown in fig. 5. However, even when the vehicle 1 is traveling on an expressway, the movable range of the nozzle 123 is preferably the first movable range θ1 shown in fig. 4 when traveling at or below the first threshold speed due to the road condition. Further, the cleaner control section 113 can determine whether the vehicle 1 is traveling on a normal road or traveling on an expressway based on the current position information of the vehicle 1 acquired by the GPS 9, ETC (Electronic Toll Collection: electronic toll collection) system information.

As described above, the cleaning system 110 of the present embodiment includes: front SC 103 (an example of a cleaner) having nozzle 123, nozzle 123 having jet port 143, and jet port 143 jetting high-pressure air (an example of a cleaning medium) to front glass portion 136f, which is a cleaning target surface of front LiDAR 6f (an example of a sensor) mounted on vehicle 1; and a cleaner control unit 113 (an example of a control unit) that controls the operation of the front SC 103. The nozzle 123 is configured to be rotatable in the operation state of the front SC 103. The cleaner control unit 113 is configured to change the movable range of the nozzle 123 in accordance with the running condition such as the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1. According to this configuration, the cleaning of the front LiDAR 6f is performed while changing the movable range of the nozzle 123 according to the running condition such as the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1, so that the front LiDAR 6f can be effectively cleaned according to the running condition of the vehicle 1.

In the present embodiment, the traveling condition for changing the movable range of the nozzle 123 includes at least one of the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 and the road condition on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, so that the front LiDAR 6f can be effectively cleaned. The road condition includes, for example, a condition such as whether the vehicle 1 is traveling on a normal road or on an expressway.

In the present embodiment, the cleaner control unit 113 controls the nozzle 123 so that the second movable range θ2 is narrower than the first movable range θ1, the first movable range θ1 being a movable range in a case where the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the first threshold speed or in a case where the vehicle 1 is traveling on a normal road, and the second movable range θ2 being a movable range in a case where the vehicle speed is higher than the first threshold speed or in a case where the vehicle 1 is traveling on an expressway. The second sensing range W2 of the front LiDAR 6f in the case where the vehicle 1 is traveling at a high speed needs to be set to a region narrower than the first sensing range W1 of the front LiDAR 6f in the case where the vehicle 1 is traveling at a low speed in many cases. Therefore, by narrowing the movable range of the nozzle 123 when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a high speed, as compared with the case where the vehicle 1 is traveling at a low speed, efficient cleaning corresponding to the desired sensing range of the front LiDAR 6f that varies according to the vehicle speed can be performed.

In the present embodiment, the second movable range θ2 of the nozzle 123 includes at least the center region of the first movable range θ1 of the nozzle 123. In this way, by including the center area in front of the vehicle 1 corresponding to the second sensing range W2 of the front LiDAR 6f in the second movable range θ2 of the nozzle 123 in the case where the vehicle 1 is traveling at high speed, the front LiDAR 6f can be effectively cleaned according to the sensing range (second sensing range W2) of the front LiDAR 6f at high speed.

In the above-described operation example of the nozzle 123 of the front SC 103, the case where the movable range of the nozzle 123 is set to the first movable range θ1 when the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is equal to or lower than the first threshold speed, and the movable range of the nozzle 123 is set to the second movable range θ2 when the traveling speed is higher than the first threshold speed has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is equal to or lower than the first threshold speed, the movable range of the nozzle 123 may be further changed according to the traveling condition of the vehicle 1.

For example, a "second threshold speed" that is a reference for changing the movable range of the nozzle 123 may be set for the running speed of the vehicle 1. The second threshold speed is set to a travel speed lower than the first threshold speed. The cleaner control unit 113 receives the vehicle speed information of the vehicle 1 detected by the speed sensor, and when the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is equal to or higher than the second threshold speed and equal to or lower than the first threshold speed, sets the movable range of the nozzle 123 (an example of the third movable range) to be larger than the movable range of the nozzle 123 when the traveling speed is higher than the first threshold speed and smaller than the movable range of the nozzle 123 when the traveling speed is lower than the second threshold speed.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the movable range of the nozzle 123 and the sensing range of the front LiDAR 6f in the case where the travel speed of the vehicle 1 is equal to or higher than the second threshold speed and equal to or lower than the first threshold speed. As shown in fig. 6, the third sensing range W3, which is the sensing range of the front LiDAR 6f in the case where the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is equal to or higher than the second threshold speed and equal to or lower than the first threshold speed, can be set to a region wider than the second sensing range W2 and narrower than the first sensing range W1, the second sensing range W2 being the sensing range of the front LiDAR 6f in the case where the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is lower than the second threshold speed, and the first sensing range W1 being the sensing range of the front LiDAR 6f in the case where the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is higher than the first threshold speed. Therefore, when the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is equal to or higher than the second threshold speed and equal to or lower than the first threshold speed, the yaw angle θ3 of the nozzle 123 in the lateral direction is set to be larger than the yaw angle θ2 of the nozzle 123 in the lateral direction when the traveling speed is higher than the first threshold speed, and smaller than the yaw angle θ1 of the nozzle 123 in the lateral direction when the traveling speed is lower than the second threshold speed.

That is, when the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is equal to or higher than the second threshold speed and equal to or lower than the first threshold speed, the third movable range θ3, which is the movable range of the nozzle 123, is set to be wider than the second movable range θ2, which is the movable range of the nozzle 123 when the traveling speed is higher than the first threshold speed, and narrower than the first movable range θ1, which is the movable range of the nozzle 123 when the traveling speed is lower than the second threshold speed. Further, the area where high-pressure air is ejected from the ejection port 143 to the front glass portion 136f is set as: including a central region of the front glass portion 136f that sprays high-pressure air when the traveling speed is higher than the first threshold speed, and narrower than a region that sprays high-pressure air when the traveling speed is lower than the second threshold speed, and there are regions that do not spray high-pressure air at the left and right ends of the front glass portion 136 f.

The second threshold speed of the movable range variation of the nozzle 123 is set to, for example, 30km/h. Thus, in the case where the vehicle 1 travels on a normal road, for example, the movable range of the nozzle 123 when traveling at a medium speed of about 40 to 50km/h can be made different from the movable range of the nozzle 123 when traveling at a low speed (slow traveling) of about 10 to 20 km/h. Further, even when the vehicle 1 travels at the first threshold speed or lower due to the road condition during traveling on the expressway, the movable range of the nozzle 123 may be changed at the second threshold speed.

According to the operation example shown in fig. 6, the cleaner control unit 113 sets the second threshold speed lower than the first threshold speed to control the nozzle 123 such that the third movable range θ3 of the nozzle 123 when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the second threshold speed and equal to or lower than the first threshold speed is narrower than the first movable range θ1 of the nozzle 123 when the traveling speed is lower than the second threshold speed and wider than the second movable range θ2 of the nozzle 123 when the traveling speed is higher than the first threshold speed. In this way, the movable range of the nozzle 123 is changed more finely, whereby the cleaning efficiency can be further improved.

(First modification)

In the first embodiment described above, the case where the movable range of the nozzle 123 is changed based on the rotation amount (the magnitude of the rocking angle θ) of the nozzle 123 rotating around the rotation axis X has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a structure of a nozzle 123A according to a first modification. For example, as shown in fig. 7, a nozzle 123A that slides in the left-right direction along the upper edge T of the front LiDAR 6f may be provided, and the movable range of the nozzle 123A may be changed by the sliding amount of the nozzle 123A.

In the first modification of fig. 7, when the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is equal to or lower than the first threshold speed, the sliding amount L1 of the nozzle 123A in the lateral direction, that is, the first movable range of the nozzle 123A is set to a range from the left end region to the right end region of the front glass portion 136f in which the high-pressure air injected from the injection port 143 is injected. In contrast, when the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is higher than the first threshold speed, the sliding amount L2 of the nozzle 123A in the lateral direction is set smaller than the sliding amount L1. That is, when the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is higher than the first threshold speed, the second movable range (slip amount) L2 of the nozzle 123A is set narrower than the first movable range (slip amount) L1. Specifically, in the second movable range L2, the high-pressure air ejected from the ejection port 143 is ejected centering on the central region of the front glass portion 136f, and regions to which the high-pressure air is not ejected are present at the left and right ends of the front glass portion 136 f. By changing the movable range by sliding the nozzle 123A in accordance with the running condition such as the vehicle speed, the same effects as those of the operation example of fig. 4 and the like in which the nozzle 123 is rotated can be obtained.

In the first embodiment, the road condition, which is an example of the driving condition of the vehicle 1 for changing the movable range of the nozzles 123 and 123A, is determined based on whether the vehicle 1 is traveling on a normal road or on an expressway, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the road conditions may include road surface conditions and weather conditions of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling. For example, when the road surface on which the vehicle 1 is traveling is wet (or in the case of rain), the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is often lower than when the road surface is not wet (or in the case of sunny days). In addition, in rainy days, particularly, it is necessary to sense not only a preceding vehicle and a oncoming vehicle in front of the vehicle but also pedestrians and the like on the side of the vehicle. That is, there are many cases where the sensing range of the front LiDAR 6f needs to be enlarged in rainy days as compared with sunny days. Therefore, it is considered that the movable range of the nozzles 123, 123A in the case where the road surface is wet (or in the case of rainy days) is larger than the movable range of the nozzles 123, 123A in the case where the road surface is not wet (or in the case of sunny days). By changing the movable ranges of the nozzles 123 and 123A in accordance with the road surface condition and the weather condition in this way, the predetermined region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the desired sensing range of the front LiDAR 6f can be cleaned with emphasis by the high-pressure air injected from the nozzles 123 and 123A.

(Second embodiment)

(First operation control example)

Next, a first operation control example according to a second embodiment of the cleaners 101 to 108 in the cleaning system 110 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to fig. 4 and 8. In the first operation control example, a normal mode for controlling the nozzles of the cleaners 101 to 108 in a normal movable range and a predetermined mode for controlling the nozzles in a movable range different from the normal movable range are executed.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating operation control of the nozzle when the external sensor 6 is cleaned in the normal mode. Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining operation control of the nozzle when cleaning the external sensor 6 in a predetermined mode different from the normal mode. In the second embodiment, the nozzle 123 of the front SC 103 that cleans the front LiDAR 6f provided in the front of the vehicle 1, out of the nozzles of the cleaners 101 to 108, is described as in the first embodiment. Note that, since the same operation is performed for the nozzles other than the front SC 103, the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 4, in the case of the pre-cleaning LiDAR 6f in the normal mode, the head shaking angle θ1 of the nozzle 123 is controlled to a range in which the high-pressure air ejected from the ejection port 143 is ejected toward the left end region to the right end region of the front glass portion 136 f.

In contrast, as shown in fig. 8, when LiDAR 6f is used before cleaning in the predetermined mode, the oscillation angle θ4 of the nozzle 123 is controlled to be within the following range: the high-pressure air ejected from the ejection port 143 of the nozzle 123 in the entire region of the front glass portion 136f of the front LiDAR 6f is ejected only toward the corresponding specific region corresponding to the position of the object of the vehicle 1.

For example, the description will be given assuming that the vehicle 1 travels on a left lane (travel lane) on a road with two lanes on one side. The cleaner control unit 113 of the vehicle 1 determines that there is a preceding vehicle 200 (object) traveling on a right lane (passing lane) based on image information or the like around the vehicle acquired by the front LiDAR 6f, for example. The image range around the vehicle acquired by the front LiDAR 6f is an acquired image range W1 in front of the vehicle. The acquired image range W1 is substantially the same range as the first sensing range W1 of the front LiDAR 6f shown in fig. 4. In this example, the acquired image range W1 is divided into two ranges of a right acquired image range W4 and a left acquired image range W5 in the left-right direction in front of the vehicle. The cleaner control section 113 determines in which of the acquired image ranges W1 the preceding vehicle 200 existing in front is located. In the example shown in fig. 8, the cleaner control section 113 determines that the preceding vehicle 200 is present in the right captured image range W4.

Next, the cleaner control section 113 determines a corresponding specific region of the front glass section 136f of the front LiDAR 6f corresponding to the right captured image range W4 determined to be present of the preceding vehicle 200. The front glass portion 136f is divided into two regions, i.e., a right corresponding specific region Ma and a left corresponding specific region Mb, in the left-right direction of the front LiDAR 6 f. The cleaner control section 113 determines the right corresponding specific area Ma as the corresponding specific area corresponding to the right acquired image range W4 in which the preceding vehicle 200 exists. Further, the cleaner control unit 113 controls the movable range of the nozzle 123 so as to jet high-pressure air only to the right-hand specific area Ma of the front glass portion 136 f. That is, the cleaner control unit 113 controls the movable range (head angle) θ4 of the nozzle 123 about the rotation axis X in the predetermined mode so as to be narrower than the movable range (head angle) θ1 of the nozzle 123 about the rotation axis X in the normal mode.

In the traveling state shown in fig. 8 in which it is determined that the preceding vehicle 200 is present in the right captured image range W4, for example, when it is determined that a new preceding vehicle is present in the left captured image range W5, which is in front of the traveling lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling together with the presence of the preceding vehicle 200, the cleaner control unit 113 switches the movable range of the nozzle 123 so that high-pressure air is also injected toward the left correspondence determination region Mb of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the left captured image range W5. That is, when it is determined that there are a plurality of preceding vehicles, the cleaner control unit 113 switches the movable range of the nozzle 123 to return to the normal mode shown in fig. 4 to clean the preceding LiDAR 6f.

(Second operation control example)

Next, a second operation control example of cleaning the external sensor 6 using the cleaners 101 to 108 will be described. In the second operation control example, a normal mode in which the nozzles of the cleaners 101 to 108 are moved at a normal operation speed and a predetermined mode in which the nozzles are moved at an operation speed different from the normal operation speed are executed. In the present operation control example, the nozzle 123 for cleaning the front SC 103 of the front LiDAR 6f provided in the front of the vehicle 1 will be described.

As for the movable range of the nozzle 123 in the predetermined mode of the second operation control example, the movable range is controlled to be a range in which high-pressure air ejected from the ejection port 143 is ejected toward the left end region to the right end region of the front glass portion 136f by rotating about the rotation axis X, as in the nozzle 123 shown in fig. 4. In the predetermined mode, the rotational speed of the nozzle 123 in the corresponding determination region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the acquired image range W4 of the preceding vehicle 200 determined to be present as the object in the acquired image range W1 (see fig. 8) in front of the vehicle acquired by the front LiDAR 6f is controlled to be faster or slower than the rotational speed of the nozzle 123 in the corresponding determination region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the acquired image range W5 determined to be absent as the object.

For example, by controlling the rotation speed of the nozzle 123 in the corresponding specific region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the acquired image range W4 determined to be present in the preceding vehicle 200 so as to be faster, the number of injections of high-pressure air into the corresponding specific region can be made greater than the number of injections into the corresponding specific region where no object is present.

Alternatively, for example, by controlling the rotation speed of the nozzle 123 in the corresponding specific region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the acquired image range W4 in which the preceding vehicle 200 is determined to be present so as to be slow, the injection time of the high-pressure air to the corresponding specific region can be made longer than the injection time to the corresponding specific region corresponding to the acquired image range W5 in which the object is determined to be absent.

In the predetermined mode, the rotational speed of the nozzle 123 can be changed appropriately according to the traveling condition of the vehicle 1 and the type of foreign matter adhering to the front glass portion 136f, so that the rotational speed of the nozzle 123 can be increased or decreased only in a specific region of the front glass portion 136 f.

As described above, the cleaner control unit 113 may control the rotation speed of the nozzle 123 with respect to the corresponding specific region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the position of the object, or may change the injection speed of the high-pressure air injected from the injection port 143 of the nozzle 123 instead of changing the rotation speed of the nozzle 123 with respect to the corresponding specific region. For example, the cleaner control unit 113 controls the jetting speed of the high-pressure air to the corresponding specific region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the acquired image range W4 determined that the preceding vehicle 200 is present to be faster than the jetting speed of the high-pressure air to the corresponding specific region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the acquired image range W5 determined that the preceding vehicle 200 is not present.

As described above, the cleaner control unit 113 may control the rotation speed of the nozzle 123 with respect to the corresponding specific region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the position of the object, and may change the injection amount of the high-pressure air injected from the injection port 143 of the nozzle 123 instead of changing the rotation speed of the nozzle 123 with respect to the corresponding specific region. For example, the cleaner control unit 113 controls the injection amount of the high-pressure air to the corresponding specific region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the acquired image range W4 in which the preceding vehicle 200 is determined to exist to be larger than the injection amount of the high-pressure air to the corresponding specific region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the acquired image range W5 in which the preceding vehicle 200 is determined to not exist.

Further, the cleaning may be performed by combining two or more elements of the movable range of the nozzle 123, the operation speed of the nozzle 123, the injection speed of the high-pressure air, and the injection amount of the high-pressure air described in the first operation control example and the second operation control example.

As described above, the cleaning system 110 of the present embodiment includes: front SC 103 (an example of a cleaner) having nozzle 123, nozzle 123 having jet port 143, and jet port 143 jetting high-pressure air (an example of a cleaning medium) to front glass portion 136f, which is a cleaning target surface capable of detecting front LiDAR 6f (an example of a sensor) of a target around the vehicle; and a cleaner control unit 113 (an example of a control unit) that controls the operation of the front SC 103. The nozzle 123 is configured to be rotatable in the operation state of the front SC 103. The cleaner control unit 113 controls the operation of the nozzle 123 so as to clean a region (corresponding to a specific region) corresponding to the object in the front glass unit 136f in a predetermined mode different from the normal mode. According to this configuration, by controlling the operation of the nozzle 123 in accordance with the position of the object around the vehicle, the sensors such as the front LiDAR 6f can be effectively cleaned in accordance with the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, and the detection accuracy of these sensors can be maintained.

In the present embodiment, the front glass portion 136f as the cleaning target surface includes a plurality of corresponding specific regions, for example, a right corresponding specific region Ma and a left corresponding specific region Mb. The cleaner control unit 113 changes the movable range of the nozzle 123 so as to eject high-pressure air only to a specific region corresponding to the position of the object among the plurality of specific regions. According to this configuration, by injecting high-pressure air only in the specific region corresponding to the position of the object in the front glass portion 136f (the region in which the object is located within the sensing range of the front LiDAR 6 f), the region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the position of the object can be carefully cleaned, and useless cleaning can be omitted, thereby maintaining the detection accuracy of the front LiDAR 6 f.

In the present embodiment, after the cleaning in the predetermined mode is started, the cleaner control unit 113 may switch from the predetermined mode to the cleaning in the normal mode when it is determined that an object different from the specified object is present together with the specified object. When there are a plurality of objects, the front glass portion 136f has a high possibility that the entire object becomes a sensing range. Therefore, in this case, the normal mode is returned, whereby the cleanliness of the entire front glass portion 136f can be maintained.

In the present embodiment, the cleaner control unit 113 executes the predetermined mode so that at least one of the movable range of the nozzle 123, the operation speed of the nozzle 123, the injection speed of the high-pressure air, and the injection amount of the high-pressure air is different from the normal mode. According to this structure, the high-pressure air is mainly injected into the region corresponding to the position of the object (the region where the object is located within the sensing range) in the front glass portion 136f, so that the corresponding specific region of the front glass portion 136f can be carefully cleaned.

(Second modification)

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of operation control of the nozzle 123 according to the second modification. As shown in fig. 9, the acquired image range W1 in front of the vehicle acquired by the front LiDAR 6f and the corresponding specific region of the front glass portion 136f that is the cleaning target surface of the front LiDAR 6f may be divided into three regions, for example. Specifically, the acquired image range W1 in front of the vehicle acquired by the front LiDAR 6f may be divided into three ranges of a right acquired image range W6, a middle acquired image range W7, and a left acquired image range W8, and the corresponding specific region of the front glass portion 136f may be divided into three regions of a right corresponding specific region Mc, a middle corresponding specific region Md, and a left corresponding specific region Me.

For example, it is assumed that, in the case where the vehicle 1 is traveling in a lane (center traveling lane) in the middle of a road of one-sided three lanes, the preceding vehicle 300 exists in front of the center traveling lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling. The cleaner control section 113 determines that there is a preceding vehicle 300 in the middle captured image range W7 among the right captured image range W6, the middle captured image range W7, and the left captured image range W8 that are divided into three areas in front of the vehicle captured by the front LiDAR 6 f.

The cleaner control section 113 determines a corresponding specific region of the front glass portion 136f of the front LiDAR 6f corresponding to the mid-acquired image range W7 determined to be present of the preceding vehicle 300. As described above, the front glass portion 136f is divided into three regions, that is, the right corresponding specific region Mc, the middle corresponding specific region Md, and the left corresponding specific region Me, in the left-right direction of the front LiDAR 6 f. Accordingly, the cleaner control section 113 determines the corresponding specific area Md in the middle as the corresponding specific area corresponding to the middle acquired image range W7. As shown in fig. 9, the cleaner control unit 113 controls the movable range of the nozzle 123 so as to jet high-pressure air only toward the corresponding specific region Md in the front glass portion 136 f. In this way, the movable range of the nozzle 123 is changed more finely, thereby enabling further improvement in cleaning efficiency.

In the traveling state shown in fig. 9 in which it is determined that the preceding vehicle 300 exists in the middle captured image range W7, it is assumed that the cleaning control unit 113 determines that a new stop vehicle exists in front of the left traveling lane, that is, in the left captured image range W8, while the preceding vehicle 300 exists, for example. In this case, the cleaner control unit 113 may control the movable range of the nozzle 123 so that the high-pressure air is injected to the left corresponding specific area Me corresponding to the left captured image range W8 in addition to the high-pressure air injected to the middle corresponding specific area Md of the front glass portion 136 f.

The cleaner control unit 113 determines that, for example, a stop vehicle is present in the preceding vehicle 300 in which the image range W7 is acquired, the left acquired image range W8, and a new preceding vehicle is present in front of the right travel lane, that is, in the right acquired image range W6. In this case, the cleaner control unit 113 may switch the movable range of the nozzle 123 so that the high-pressure air is also injected toward the right corresponding specific region Mc of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the right captured image range W6.

Further, for example, if the vehicle 1 is traveling on a road on one lane on one side, a pedestrian (object) is present in the left region of the road. The cleaner control section 113 determines the presence of a pedestrian in the right acquired image range W6, the middle acquired image range W7, and the left acquired image range W8 of the left acquired image range W8 acquired by the front LiDAR 6f, and determines the left correspondence specific area Me of the front glass section 136f as the correspondence determination area corresponding to the left acquired image range W8 determined as the presence of a pedestrian. The cleaner control unit 113 may control the movable range of the nozzle 123 so as to jet the high-pressure air only toward the left corresponding specific area Me of the front glass portion 136 f.

For example, when the object exists across two areas, that is, the right captured image area W6 and the middle captured image area W7, of the captured image areas W6 to W8, the cleaner control unit 113 may control the movable range of the nozzle 123 so as to jet the high-pressure air toward the right corresponding specific area Mc and the corresponding specific area Md of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the right captured image area W6 and the middle captured image area W7.

(Third modification)

In the second embodiment described above, the object around the vehicle 1 is detected, and the operation of the nozzle 123 is controlled so that the specific region of the front glass portion 136f corresponding to the object is cleaned in a predetermined mode different from the normal mode, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, it is also possible to detect the attachment of rain or dirt to the front glass portion 136f of the front LiDAR 6f and clean the front glass portion 136f in a predetermined pattern different from the normal pattern according to the degree of attachment of dirt.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the movable range of the nozzle 123 according to the third modification. In the present second embodiment, the sensor control section 114 that controls the front LiDAR 6f detects rain or dirt attached to the front glass section 136f from information obtained from the emitted light and the return light of the front LiDAR 6f, and outputs a dirt detection signal. The dirt detection signal includes information about the degree of dirt adhesion showing which region of the front glass portion 136f has rain or dirt largely adhered thereto. The degree of soil adhesion in the region where a large amount of rain or soil is adhered is detected as high, and the degree of soil adhesion in the region where a small amount of rain or soil is adhered is detected as low.

In the example shown in fig. 10, the dirt 151 adheres more to the right side region than to the left side region in the front glass portion 136 f. Accordingly, the sensor control unit 114 outputs a dirt detection signal including information that the degree of adhesion of dirt in the right region of the front glass unit 136f is high, and transmits the signal to the cleaner control unit 113. The cleaner control unit 113 controls the movable range of the nozzle 123 of the front SC 103 based on the dirt detection signal received from the sensor control unit 114. Specifically, based on the information that the degree of adhesion of dirt in the right region included in the dirt detection signal is high, the cleaner control unit 113 controls the movable range of the nozzle 123 so that high-pressure air is ejected from the ejection port 143 toward the right region of the front glass portion 136f, as shown in fig. 8.

In this way, in the third modification, the cleaner control unit 113 is configured to: the movable range of the nozzle 123 is switched to the normal mode and the predetermined mode according to the degree of adhesion of rain or dirt attached to the front glass portion 136f of the front LiDAR 6 f. In addition, as in the second embodiment, the mode may be switched by combining two or more of the requirements of the movable range of the nozzle 123, the operation speed of the nozzle 123, the injection speed of the high-pressure air, and the injection amount of the high-pressure air.

In the third modification described above, the sensor control unit 114 is configured to detect rain and dirt adhering to the front glass unit 136f based on information obtained from the emitted light and the returned light of the front LiDAR 6f, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, rain and dirt adhering to the front glass portion 136f may be detected by a dirt sensor different from the front LiDAR 6f mounted on the vehicle 1.

(Fourth modification)

In the second embodiment, the second modification example, and the third modification example, the description has been made of the case where the movable range of the nozzle 123 is changed according to the rotation amount (the magnitude of the panning angle) of the nozzle 123 rotating about the rotation axis X, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a structure of a nozzle 123A according to a fourth modification. In the fourth modification, for example, as shown in fig. 11, the movable range of the nozzle 123A may be changed by the sliding amount of the nozzle 123A that slides in the left-right direction along the upper edge T of the front LiDAR 6 f.

In the case of the pre-cleaning LiDAR 6f in the normal mode, the movable range L1 realized based on the sliding movement of the nozzle 123A is controlled to a range in which the high-pressure air ejected from the ejection port 143 is ejected toward the left end region to the right end region of the front glass portion 136 f. In contrast, in the case of cleaning the front LiDAR 6f in the predetermined mode, the movable range realized based on the sliding movement of the nozzle 123A is controlled to a range in which the high-pressure air ejected from the ejection port 143 is ejected only toward the corresponding specific region of the front LiDAR 6f corresponding to the position of the object of the vehicle 1 (for example, the movable range L3 shown in fig. 11). In this way, even when the movable range of the nozzle 123A is changed by sliding the nozzle 123A in accordance with the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, the desired sensing range of the front LiDAR 6f can be cleaned with emphasis, and unnecessary cleaning can be omitted, thereby maintaining the detection accuracy of the front LiDAR 6 f.

In the second embodiment, the description has been given of the cleaner for cleaning the in-vehicle sensor mounted on the vehicle 1, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The cleaner of the present invention can be used as a cleaner for cleaning a monitoring camera, liDAR, or the like provided in an infrastructure such as a road or a railway, for example. In the case of the sensor system for the base equipment, the operation of the nozzle is controlled according to the position of the surrounding object, so that the sensor can be cleaned effectively according to the surrounding environment, and the detection accuracy of the sensor can be maintained.

(Third embodiment)

Fig. 12 is a block diagram of a vehicle system 2A according to a third embodiment in which a sensor system 100 is assembled. As shown in fig. 12, the vehicle system 2A includes a vehicle control unit 3, an internal sensor 5, an external sensor 6, a lamp 7, an HMI 8, a GPS 9, a wireless communication unit 10, and a map information storage unit 11, and also includes a wiper 18. The vehicle system 2A further includes a steering actuator 12, a steering device 13, a brake actuator 14, a brake device 15, an acceleration actuator 16, and an acceleration device 17. The sensor system 100 having the cleaner control unit 113 and the sensor control unit 114 is communicably connected to the vehicle control unit 3 of the vehicle system 2A.

The wiper blade 18 is a device for wiping raindrops on a front window or the like, for example, and starts an operation by inputting an operation start signal from the outside. The wiper blade 18 can change the operation speed to a plurality of gear positions. The wiper 18 is configured to output a wiper operation signal to the vehicle control unit 3 and the cleaner control unit 113 in response to the operation.

(Third operation control example)

Next, a third operation control example of the cleaners 101 to 108 in the cleaning system 110 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a third operation control example of the nozzles of the cleaners 101 to 108 for cleaning the external sensor 6. In the third embodiment, the nozzle 123 of the front SC 103 that cleans the front LiDAR 6f provided in the front portion of the vehicle 1, out of the nozzles of the cleaners 101 to 108, is described as in the first and second embodiments. Note that, since the same operation is performed for the nozzles other than the front SC 103, the description thereof is omitted. In addition, in fig. 4, a range W1 shown in front of the vehicle 1 represents a sensing range that can be detected by the front lidar 6 f.

For example, when the wiper switch is turned on by the driver of the vehicle 1, the wiper 18 (an example of an external element) starts to operate, and a wiper operation signal is output from the wiper 18 or the vehicle control unit 3. The wiper operation signal outputted from the wiper 18 or the vehicle control unit 3 is inputted to the cleaner control unit 113. The cleaner control unit 113 acquires weather information from the inputted wiper operation signal. The weather information includes, for example, information related to the operation speed of the wiper blade 18. The wiper blade 18 is generally operated in severe weather such as rain, snow, and the like. Therefore, the cleaner control unit 113 receives the wiper operation signal from the wiper 18, and determines that there is a possibility that the detection capability of the front LiDAR 6f may be reduced due to foreign matter adhering to the front glass portion 136f of the front LiDAR 6f in bad weather. The cleaner control unit 113 determines heavy rain, heavy snow, and heavy snow when the operation speed of the wiper blade 18 is a high speed equal to or higher than a threshold value, and determines light rain and light snow when the operation speed is lower than the threshold value. Therefore, when the operation speed of the wiper blade 18 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the cleaner control unit 113 controls the operation speed of the nozzle 123 of the front SC 103 to be higher than that of the case where the operation speed is smaller than the threshold value, that is, the head-turning speed of the nozzle 123 rotating around the rotation axis X to be higher.

(Fourth operation control example)

In the fourth operation control example, a configuration in which the operation of the nozzle 123 is controlled based on the detection of raindrops by the raindrop sensor will be described.

For example, when a raindrop is detected by a raindrop sensor (an example of an external element) mounted on the vehicle 1, a raindrop detection signal is output from the raindrop sensor. The raindrop detection signal output from the raindrop sensor is input to the cleaner control section 113. The cleaner controller 113 acquires weather information from the inputted raindrop detection signal. The weather information includes information related to the amount of raindrops detected by the raindrop sensor. When the amount of raindrops detected by the raindrop sensor is equal to or greater than the threshold value, that is, when the amount of raindrops is large, the cleaner control unit 113 determines that the raindrop is heavy, and when the amount of raindrops is equal to or less than the threshold value, the cleaner control unit 113 determines that the raindrop is light. When the amount of raindrops detected by the raindrop sensor is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the cleaner control unit 113 controls the operation speed of the nozzle 123 of the front SC 103 to be higher, that is, the head-shaking speed of the nozzle 123 rotating around the rotation axis X to be higher, than when the amount of raindrops is smaller than the threshold value.

(Fifth operation control example)

In the fifth operation control example, a configuration in which the operation of the nozzle 123 is controlled based on weather information will be described.

For example, when the current weather around the vehicle 1 is detected by a weather sensor (an example of an external component) mounted on the vehicle 1 or by road-to-vehicle communication with infrastructure equipment (an example of an external component) of the wireless communication unit 10, a weather detection signal is output from the weather sensor and the wireless communication unit 10. The weather detection signal output from the weather sensor and the wireless communication unit 10 is input to the cleaner control unit 113. The cleaner control section 113 acquires weather information from the weather detection signal that has been input. The weather information contains information related to the current weather around the vehicle 1, such as information of sunny days, cloudy days, rain, snow, and the like. When the current weather around the vehicle 1 detected by the weather sensor and the wireless communication unit 10 is rain or snow, the cleaner control unit 113 controls the operation speed of the nozzle 123 of the front SC 103 to be higher than that in the case of a sunny day or a cloudy day, that is, the head-shaking speed of the nozzle 123 rotating around the rotation axis X is higher.

(Sixth action control example)

In the sixth operation control example, a configuration in which the operation of the nozzle 123 is controlled based on the outside air temperature will be described.

For example, when the outside air temperature around the vehicle 1 is detected by a temperature sensor (an example of an external element) mounted on the vehicle 1, an outside air temperature detection signal is output from the temperature sensor. The outside air temperature detection signal output from the temperature sensor is input to the cleaner control part 113. The cleaner control section 113 acquires weather information from the inputted outside air temperature detection signal. The weather information includes information related to the current air temperature around the vehicle 1. When the outside air temperature around the vehicle 1 detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or lower than the threshold value, the cleaner control unit 113 determines that snow or rain is trapped and dirt is likely to adhere to the front glass portion 136f of the front LiDAR 6f, and when the outside air temperature around the vehicle 1 detected by the temperature sensor is higher than the threshold value, the cleaner control unit 113 determines that rain is present and dirt is relatively less likely to adhere to snow or rain. When the outside air temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or lower than the threshold value, the cleaner control unit 113 controls the operation speed of the nozzle 123 of the front SC 103 to be higher than when the outside air temperature is higher than the threshold value, that is, the head-shaking speed of the nozzle 123 rotating around the rotation axis X is higher.

(Seventh action control example)

In the seventh operation control example, a configuration for controlling the operation of the nozzle 123 based on humidity will be described.

For example, when humidity around the vehicle 1 is detected by a humidity sensor (an example of an external element) mounted on the vehicle 1, a humidity detection signal is output from the humidity sensor. The humidity detection signal output from the humidity sensor is input to the cleaner control part 113. The cleaner control section 113 acquires weather information from the inputted humidity detection signal. The weather information includes information related to the current humidity around the vehicle 1. When the humidity around the vehicle 1 detected by the humidity sensor is a high humidity equal to or higher than the threshold value, the cleaner control unit 113 determines that dirt is likely to adhere to the front glass portion 136f of the front LiDAR 6f, and when the humidity around the vehicle 1 detected by the humidity sensor is a low humidity lower than the threshold value, the cleaner control unit 113 determines that dirt is relatively less likely to adhere than when the humidity is a high humidity. When the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the cleaner control unit 113 controls the operation speed of the nozzle 123 of the front SC 103 to be higher than that of the nozzle 123 rotating around the rotation axis X.

As described above, the cleaning system 110 of the third embodiment includes: front SC 103 (an example of a cleaner) having nozzle 123, nozzle 123 having jet port 143, and jet port 143 jetting high-pressure air to front glass portion 136f as a cleaning target surface of front LiDAR 6f (an example of a sensor) mounted on vehicle 1; and a cleaner control unit 113 (an example of a control unit) that controls the operation of the front SC 103. The nozzle 123 is configured to be rotatable about the rotation axis X in the operating state of the front SC 103. The cleaner control unit 113 is configured to: weather information is acquired from an external element different from the front LiDAR 6f and the front SC 103, and the operation mode (e.g., operation speed) of the nozzle 123 is changed according to the weather information. According to this configuration, by controlling the operation mode of the nozzle 123 in accordance with the weather condition when the vehicle is traveling, the front LiDAR 6f can be efficiently cleaned, and the detection accuracy of the front LiDAR 6f can be maintained.

In the present embodiment, the external element may be the wiper blade 18 mounted on the vehicle 1, and the cleaner control unit 113 may be configured to: when the operation speed of the wiper blade 18 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the operation speed of the nozzle 123 is increased as compared with the case where the operation speed is smaller than the threshold value. In a rainy day, since the front LiDAR 6f is likely to adhere to rain or dirt, the detection accuracy of the front LiDAR 6f may be degraded. Therefore, by determining whether or not the wiper blade 18 is in a rainy day based on the operation speed, the nozzle 123 is moved at a high speed in the rainy day, and thereby the front LiDAR 6f can be efficiently cleaned in a state where rainwater or dirt is likely to adhere to the front LiDAR 6f.

In the present embodiment, the external element may be a raindrop sensor mounted on the vehicle 1, and the cleaner control unit 113 may be configured to: when the amount of raindrops detected by the raindrop sensor is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the operation speed of the nozzle 123 is increased as compared with the case where the amount of raindrops is smaller than the threshold value. By determining whether or not it is rainy days based on the raindrop amount of the raindrop sensor, the nozzle 123 is moved at a high speed in the case of rainy days, whereby the front LiDAR 6f can be efficiently cleaned in a state where rain or dirt is likely to adhere to the front LiDAR 6f.

In the present embodiment, the weather information is information provided from outside the vehicle 1, and may include, for example, any one of weather, outside air temperature, and humidity. By changing the operation speed of the nozzle 123 based on weather information acquired from the outside, the front LiDAR 6f can be cleaned efficiently even in a situation where rain or dirt is likely to adhere to the front LiDAR 6f.

In the present embodiment, the cleaner control unit 113 may be configured to: in the case where the weather is rainy or snowy, the operation speed of the nozzle 123 is increased as compared with the case where the weather is sunny or cloudy. In the rainy day, the nozzle 123 is moved at a higher speed than in the sunny and cloudy days, and thus, rain and dirt adhering to the front LiDAR 6f can be efficiently cleaned.

In the present embodiment, when the outside air temperature is equal to or lower than the threshold value, the cleaner control unit 113 may increase the operation speed of the nozzle 123 as compared with when the outside air temperature is higher than the threshold value. In addition, when the humidity is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the cleaner control unit 113 may increase the operation speed of the nozzle 123 as compared with the case where the humidity is lower than the threshold value. When the outside air temperature is low or when the humidity is high, rain or dirt tends to adhere to the front LiDAR 6f, and therefore the detection accuracy of the front LiDAR 6f may be degraded. Therefore, in these cases, by moving the nozzle 123 at a high speed, it is possible to efficiently clean rain and dirt adhering to the front LiDAR 6 f.

In the present embodiment, the external element is a dirt sensor (an example of a dirt detection unit) capable of detecting the degree of adhesion of rain or dirt adhering to the front glass portion 136f as the cleaning target surface, and the cleaner control unit 113 may be configured to: the movable range of the nozzle 123 is changed according to the degree of adhesion of dirt detected by the dirt sensor. For example, by changing the movable range of the nozzle 123 so as to focus on cleaning the area where the degree of adhesion of dirt or rain is high in the front glass portion 136f, wasteful cleaning can be saved and the detection accuracy of the front LiDAR 6f can be maintained satisfactorily.

(Fifth modification)

In the above embodiment, the case where the nozzle 123 rotates (swings in the left-right direction) about the rotation axis X has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a structure of a nozzle 123A according to a fifth modification. For example, as shown in fig. 13, the nozzle 123A may slide in the left-right direction along the upper edge T of the front LiDAR 6 f. The cleaner control unit 113 may control the speed of the sliding movement of the nozzle 123A or the movable range of the sliding movement so as to be changed according to weather information acquired from an external element. In this way, even when the sliding speed and the movable range of the nozzle 123A are changed by sliding the nozzle 123A according to the weather conditions during the running of the vehicle, the front LiDAR 6f can be efficiently cleaned and the detection accuracy of the front LiDAR 6f can be maintained.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is needless to say that the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted in a limiting manner by the description of the present embodiment. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present embodiment is merely an example, and that various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the front WW 101, the rear WW 102, the right HC 107, and the left HC 108 jet the cleaning liquid, and the front SC 103, the rear SC 104, the right SC 105, and the left SC 106 jet the high-pressure air was described, but the present invention is not limited to this example. In each cleaner, whether the cleaning liquid or the high-pressure air is used as the cleaning medium can be appropriately changed according to the type of the cleaning object and the desired degree of cleaning.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the sensor system 100 is mounted on the vehicle that can be automatically driven has been described, but the sensor system 100 may be mounted on the vehicle that cannot be automatically driven.

In the above embodiment, the vehicle control unit 3, the cleaner control unit 113, and the sensor control unit 114 are provided as separate structures, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the vehicle control unit 3 and the sensor control unit 114 may be integrally formed, the vehicle control unit 3 and the cleaner control unit 113 may be integrally formed, or the vehicle control unit 3, the cleaner control unit 113, and the sensor control unit 114 may be integrally formed.

The present application is based on Japanese patent application No. 2021-171529 filed on 10 months and 20 years of 2021, japanese patent application No. 2021-171530 filed on 10 months and 20 days of 2021, and Japanese patent application No. 2021-171532 filed on 10 months and 20 days of 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A cleaning system, comprising:

A control unit that controls an operation of the cleaner,

The nozzle can rotate or slide in the working state of the cleaner,

2. The cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning device,

The driving condition includes at least one of a vehicle speed of the vehicle, a road condition in which the vehicle is driving.

3. The cleaning system of claim 2, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning device,

The control unit controls the nozzle so that a second movable range is narrower than a first movable range, the first movable range being the movable range when the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a first threshold speed or when the vehicle is traveling on a normal road, and the second movable range being the movable range when the vehicle speed is higher than the first threshold speed or when the vehicle is traveling on an expressway.

4. The cleaning system of claim 3, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning device,

The second movable range includes at least a center region of the first movable range.

5. The cleaning system of claim 3 or 4, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning device,

The control unit sets a second threshold speed lower than the first threshold speed and controls the nozzle so that a third movable range, which is the movable range when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the second threshold speed and equal to or lower than the first threshold speed, is narrower than the first movable range and wider than the second movable range.

6. A cleaning system, comprising:

A control unit that controls an operation of the cleaner,

The control unit controls the operation of the nozzle to clean a region of the cleaning target surface corresponding to the target in a predetermined mode different from a normal mode.

7. The cleaning system of claim 6, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning device,

The predetermined mode includes a mode in which at least one of a movable range of the nozzle, an operation speed of the nozzle, a jetting speed of the cleaning medium, and a jetting amount of the cleaning medium is different from the normal mode.

8. The cleaning system of claim 7, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning device,

The cleaning target surface includes a plurality of regions,

The control unit changes the movable range so that the cleaning medium is ejected only to a region corresponding to a position of the object from among the plurality of regions.

9. The cleaning system of claim 7, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning device,

The cleaning target surface includes a plurality of regions,

The control unit is configured to: the operation speed or the ejection speed for a region corresponding to a position of the object among the plurality of regions is made larger or smaller than the operation speed or the ejection speed for a region not corresponding to a position of the object.

10. The cleaning system of claim 7, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning device,

The cleaning target surface includes a plurality of regions,

The control unit is configured to: the ejection amount for a region corresponding to a position of the object among the plurality of regions is made larger than the ejection amount for a region not corresponding to a position of the object.

11. The cleaning system of any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein,

The plurality of regions are constituted by two or three regions divided in the left-right direction of the cleaning target surface.

12. The cleaning system of any one of claims 6 to 11,

The control unit switches from the predetermined mode to the normal mode when it is determined that the specified object and an object different from the specified object are present at the same time after the start of the cleaning in the predetermined mode.

13. The cleaning system of any one of claims 6 to 11,

The object includes rain or dirt adhering to the cleaning object surface,

The control unit switches between the normal mode and the predetermined mode according to the degree of adhesion of the rain or the dirt.

14. The cleaning system of any one of claims 6 to 13,

The sensor is an in-vehicle sensor mounted on a vehicle.

15. A cleaning system, comprising:

A control unit that controls an operation of the cleaner,

The nozzle can rotate or slide in the working state of the cleaner,

16. The cleaning system of claim 15, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning system,

Changing the operation mode includes at least one of changing an operation speed of the nozzle and changing a movable range of the nozzle.

17. The cleaning system of claim 16, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning system,

The external element is a wiper blade mounted on the vehicle,

The control unit is configured to: when the operation speed of the wiper blade is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the operation speed of the nozzle is increased as compared with a case where the operation speed is smaller than the threshold value.

18. The cleaning system of claim 16, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning system,

The external element is a raindrop sensor mounted on the vehicle,

The control unit is configured to: when the amount of raindrops detected by the raindrop sensor is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the operation speed of the nozzle is increased as compared with a case where the amount of raindrops is smaller than the threshold value.

19. The cleaning system of claim 16, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning system,

The weather information is information provided from the outside of the vehicle,

The weather information includes any one of weather, outside air temperature, humidity.

20. The cleaning system of claim 19, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning system,

The control unit is configured to: in the case where the weather is rainy or snowy, the operation speed of the nozzle is increased as compared with the case where the weather is sunny or cloudy.

21. The cleaning system of claim 19, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning system,

The control unit is configured to:

when the outside air temperature is equal to or less than a threshold value, the operation speed of the nozzle is increased, or

When the humidity is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the operation speed of the nozzle is increased as compared with a case where the humidity is lower than a threshold value.

22. The cleaning system of claim 16, wherein the cleaning system comprises a cleaning system,

The external element is a dirt detecting part capable of detecting the attachment degree of rain or dirt attached to the cleaning object surface,

The control unit is configured to change the movable range of the nozzle according to the degree of adhesion detected by the dirt detection unit.