JP2018127064A - Wiper drive control device, wiper drive control method and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiper drive control device, a wiper drive control method and a computer program.SOLUTION: A wiper drive control device for driving a vehicular wiper at a predetermined time interval includes: an estimation part for estimating residual time till a vehicle starts travelling; and a control part for driving the wiper at least one time at a time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval when the residual time estimated by the estimation part becomes threshold time or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiper drive control device, a wiper drive control method, and a computer program.

  Conventionally, a vehicle is provided with a wiper for wiping raindrops on a windshield when it rains. In recent years, there is a vehicle provided with a function of automatically operating a wiper during rain using a sensor that detects raindrops, a so-called auto wiper function (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-269440 A

  When the auto wiper function is effective, control is performed to reduce the number of wiper wiping operations when the vehicle is stopped, so that raindrops may accumulate on the front window when starting.

  In order to improve the visibility at the time of start, a technique for driving a wiper in conjunction with a brake and releasing the brake is known. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for driving a wiper at a timing when a preceding vehicle starts traveling in conjunction with a preceding vehicle that stops in front of the host vehicle.

  However, in the method of interlocking with the brake, the wiper is driven at the timing after the start of traveling, so that there is a problem that it is not possible to confirm the surrounding safety before starting. Further, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it does not function unless there is a preceding vehicle.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a wiper drive control device, a wiper drive control method, and a computer program that can drive a wiper at a timing prior to the start of traveling.

  A wiper drive control device according to the present aspect is a wiper drive control device that drives a wiper of a vehicle at a predetermined time interval, the estimation unit estimating a remaining time until the vehicle starts to travel, and the estimation A control unit that drives the wiper at least once at a time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval when the remaining time estimated by the unit becomes equal to or less than a threshold time.

  The wiper drive control method according to this aspect is a wiper drive control method for driving a wiper of a vehicle at a predetermined time interval, and estimates the remaining time until the vehicle starts to travel, and the estimated remaining time When the time is equal to or shorter than the threshold time, the wiper is driven at least once at a time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval.

  When the computer program according to this aspect estimates a remaining time until the vehicle starts to travel, a computer that drives the wiper of the vehicle at a predetermined time interval, and the estimated remaining time is equal to or less than a threshold time A computer program for executing a process of driving the wiper at least once at a time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval.

  Based on the above, it is possible to drive the wiper at a timing prior to the start of traveling.

It is explanatory drawing explaining schematic structure of the wiper drive control apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. 6 is a timing chart for explaining the driving timing of the wiper. It is a block diagram explaining the internal structure of a wiper drive control apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the table which memorize | stores the relationship between a wiping level and a drive space | interval. It is a flowchart explaining the procedure of the process which a wiper drive control apparatus performs.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described. Moreover, you may combine arbitrarily at least one part of embodiment described below.

  A wiper drive control device according to an aspect of the present application is a wiper drive control device that drives a wiper of a vehicle at a predetermined time interval, and an estimation unit that estimates a remaining time until the vehicle starts to travel, And a control unit that drives the wiper at least once at a time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval when the remaining time estimated by the estimation unit is equal to or less than a threshold time.

  In the above aspect, when the remaining time until the vehicle starts to travel is equal to or less than the threshold time, the time interval for driving the wiper is shortened and driven at least once. The possibility of executing the wiping operation at the timing becomes higher, and the field of view can be secured.

  A wiper drive control device according to an aspect of the present application includes an acquisition unit that acquires information related to a light color transition of a traffic light in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the estimation unit travels based on information acquired by the acquisition unit. Estimate the remaining time before starting.

  In the above aspect, the remaining time until the start of traveling can be estimated by specifying the timing at which the traffic light transitions from red to blue based on the information related to the light color transition of the traffic light.

  The wiper drive control device according to an aspect of the present application includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle has stopped when the wiper is driven at the predetermined time interval, and the estimation unit includes the wiper If the determination unit determines that the vehicle has stopped while driving at the predetermined time interval, the remaining time until the vehicle starts to travel is estimated.

  In the above aspect, when the wiper is driven at a predetermined time interval, since the time until the start of traveling is estimated, the wiper is driven when the weather is clear or cloudy without the need to drive the wiper. Can be prohibited.

  A wiper drive control method according to an aspect of the present application is a wiper drive control method for driving a wiper of a vehicle at a predetermined time interval, wherein a remaining time until the vehicle starts to travel is estimated, and the estimated remaining When the time becomes equal to or shorter than the threshold time, the wiper is driven at least once at a time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval.

  In the above aspect, when the remaining time until the vehicle starts to travel is equal to or less than the threshold time, the time interval for driving the wiper is shortened and driven at least once. The possibility of executing the wiping operation at the timing becomes higher, and the field of view can be secured.

  A computer program according to an aspect of the present application estimates a remaining time until the vehicle starts to travel by a computer that drives the wiper of the vehicle at predetermined time intervals, and the estimated remaining time is equal to or less than a threshold time. A computer program for executing a process of driving the wiper at least once at a time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval.

  In the above aspect, when the remaining time until the vehicle starts to travel is equal to or less than the threshold time, the time interval for driving the wiper is shortened and driven at least once. The possibility of executing the wiping operation at the timing becomes higher, and the field of view can be secured.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of a wiper drive control device according to the present embodiment. The wiper drive control device 100 is provided in the vehicle C and performs drive control of the wiper 130 that wipes raindrops attached to the front window. Further, a rain sensor 113 for detecting the amount of raindrops attached to the front window is provided on the front window of the vehicle C, and the detection result by the rain sensor 113 is output to the wiper drive control device 100.

  The wiper drive control device 100 according to the present embodiment acquires information related to the light color transition of the traffic light 201 when the vehicle C is stopped, and the vehicle C is based on the acquired information related to the light color transition. Estimate the remaining time to start running. For this reason, the wiper drive control device 100 includes an out-of-vehicle communication unit 106 (see FIG. 3), and is configured to be able to communicate with the roadside communication device 202 that transmits information related to lamp color transition. When the estimated remaining time is equal to or shorter than the set time (threshold time), the wiper drive control device 100 sets at least one wiper at a drive interval shorter than the drive interval of the wiper 130 set by the auto wiper function or the like. Drive once.

  In the present embodiment, control for wiping raindrops attached to the front window of the vehicle C with the wiper 130 will be described. However, the same control is performed for a wiper (not shown) attached to the rear window of the vehicle C. Of course, it may be.

  FIG. 2 is a timing chart for explaining the driving timing of the wiper 130. During normal travel, the wiper drive control device 100 drives the wiper 130 at a predetermined drive interval T1. At this time, with respect to the driving mode of the wiper 130, the driving interval is set according to the manual mode in which the wiper 130 is continuously driven at a constant time interval (driving interval) or the raindrop amount detected by the rain sensor 113. Any one of the auto modes in which one wiping level is selected from a plurality of different wiping levels (wiping methods) and the wiper 130 is driven at the selected wiping level may be set.

  When the wiper drive control device 100 acquires information related to the light color transition of the traffic light 201, the wiper drive control device 100 estimates the remaining time until the vehicle C starts traveling based on the timing when the light color of the traffic light 201 switches from red to blue. . When the estimated time is equal to or less than the threshold time TH (for example, 1 second to 5 seconds or less), the wiper drive control device 100 drives the drive interval T2 (for example, T2 = T1 /) shorter than the drive interval T1 of the wiper 130 being driven. In 2), the wiper 130 is driven at least once.

  In the example of FIG. 2, the wiper 130 is driven twice at a driving interval T2 that is shorter than the driving interval T1 of the driving wiper 130. However, the wiper 130 is driven only once at the driving interval T2. Alternatively, the wiper 130 may be driven three or more times at the driving interval T2.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the wiper drive control device 100. The wiper drive control device 100 includes, for example, a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, an input unit 103, an output unit 104, an in-vehicle communication unit 105, and an out-of-vehicle communication unit 106.

  The control unit 101 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The CPU provided in the control unit 101 executes the control program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 102 to control the operation of each part of the hardware, and executes the wiper drive control and the like according to the present embodiment.

  The control unit 101 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be one or more processing circuits including a single core CPU, a multicore CPU, a microcomputer, a volatile or nonvolatile memory, and the like. Further, the control unit 101 may include functions such as a clock for outputting date and time information, a timer for measuring an elapsed time from giving a measurement start instruction to giving a measurement end instruction, and a counter for counting the number.

  The storage unit 102 is a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) or a flash memory. The storage unit 102 stores a control program and data necessary for driving and controlling the wiper 130, for example. The data stored in the storage unit 102 includes information such as the sensitivity set for the rain sensor 113 and the driving mode of the wiper 130.

  The input unit 103 includes an input interface for connecting various switches, sensors, devices, and the like, and acquires various information from the connected switches, sensors, devices, and the like. For example, a wiper switch 111, a sensitivity setting switch 112, a rain sensor 113, a vehicle speed sensor 114, a navigation device 115, an outside camera 116, and the like are connected to the input unit 103.

  The wiper switch 111 is a switch for switching between driving and stopping of the wiper 130 and switching a driving mode when the wiper 130 is driven. When the driving mode of the wiper 130 is switched by the operation of the wiper switch 111 or when the driving of the wiper 130 is stopped, the operation information of the wiper switch 111 is input to the input unit 103.

  In the present embodiment, regarding the drive mode of the wiper 130, a manual mode and an auto mode are provided. When the manual mode is selected, the wiper drive control device 100 continuously drives the wiper 130 at a constant time interval (drive interval). On the other hand, when the auto mode is selected, the wiper drive control device 100 selects one of a plurality of wiping levels (wiping methods) having different driving intervals according to the amount of raindrops detected by the rain sensor 113. A wiping level is selected, and the wiper 130 is driven at the selected wiping level.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a table that stores the relationship between the wiping level and the driving interval. In the table of FIG. 4, the relationship between the wiping level and the driving interval is defined so that the driving interval is the longest at the wiping level 1 and the driving interval is the shortest at the wiping level 5. Such a table is stored in the storage unit 102, for example. When the auto mode is selected, the control unit 101 refers to the table stored in the storage unit 102, determines the driving interval according to the wiping level, and drives the wiper 130 at the determined driving interval. For example, the control unit 101 selects a wiping level (for example, the wiping level 4 or the wiping level 5) having a short driving interval so that the wiping frequency increases as the amount of raindrops detected by the rain sensor 113 increases. It is possible to drive. In addition, the control unit 101 may select a wiping level according to the vehicle speed measured by the vehicle speed sensor 114 and drive the wiper 130 at the selected wiping level. For example, when the vehicle C is stopped, it is not necessary to secure a field of view as compared to when the vehicle C is running. Therefore, a wiping level (for example, wiping level 1) having a long driving interval is selected so that the wiping frequency is low. It is possible to drive.

  The sensitivity setting switch 112 is a switch for changing the sensitivity of the rain sensor 113. When the sensitivity of the rain sensor 113 is changed by the operation of the sensitivity setting switch 112, operation information of the sensitivity setting switch 112 is input to the input unit 103. When the sensitivity of the rain sensor 113 is set high by the sensitivity setting switch 112, raindrops are more easily detected by the rain sensor 113 than when the sensitivity is set low, and even if the rain amount is the same, the rain sensor The amount of raindrop detected at 113 increases. As described above, in the auto mode, as the amount of raindrops detected by the rain sensor 113 increases, a wiping level with higher wiping frequency is selected. Therefore, when the sensitivity of the rain sensor 113 is increased, the drive start timing of the wiper 130 is In addition, the wiping frequency of the wiper 130 is increased.

The rain sensor 113 is provided, for example, in the upper part of the front window of the vehicle C, detects the amount of raindrops attached to the front window, and outputs the detection result to the wiper drive control device 100. The rain sensor 113 is, for example, an optical sensor and includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The rain sensor 113 emits reference light from the light emitting element to the front window, and receives light reflected by the front window by the light receiving element. If no raindrops are attached to the front window, the reference light from the light emitting element is totally reflected by the front window. On the other hand, if raindrops are attached to the front window, the reference light from the light emitting element is transmitted through the front window. The rain sensor 113 can detect the amount of raindrops based on the sensitivity set by the sensitivity setting switch 112 and the degree of attenuation of reflected light with respect to the reference light.
The rain sensor 113 is not limited to an optical sensor, and may be a capacitive rain sensor, a rain sensor using an image processing technique, or the like.

  The vehicle speed sensor 114 is a sensor that measures the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle C. The vehicle speed sensor 114 outputs the measured vehicle speed to the wiper drive control device 100.

  The navigation device 115 is a device that provides navigation information to an occupant of the vehicle C. The navigation device 115 receives a GPS signal (GPS: Global Positioning System), a display unit that displays information, an audio output unit that outputs audio, and an occupant And an operation unit (not shown) for receiving the operation. The navigation device 115 provides navigation information to the occupant by displaying various types of information on the display unit based on information such as GPS signals received by the receiving unit, and outputting audio from the audio output unit. Further, the navigation device 115 outputs the current position information of the vehicle C obtained from the GPS signal, the route information of the vehicle C, and the like to the wiper drive control device 100 as necessary.

  The vehicle exterior camera 116 is an imaging device that captures the periphery of the vehicle C. The in-vehicle camera 116 is installed at an appropriate position of the vehicle C so that the front, side, rear, etc. of the vehicle C can be imaged, and outputs video data obtained by imaging to the wiper drive control device 100.

  The output unit 104 includes an output interface for connecting various devices, and outputs a control signal from the control unit 101 to the connected various devices. For example, a wiper driving device 131, a display device 132, an audio output device 133, and the like are connected to the output unit 104.

  The wiper drive device 131 includes a motor or actuator that reciprocates the wiper 130, a drive circuit that outputs a drive voltage for operating the motor or actuator, and the like. The wiper drive device 131 drives the wiper 130 by outputting a drive voltage from the drive circuit based on a control signal from the control unit 101 output through the output unit 104 and operating a motor or an actuator.

  The display device 132 is a device such as a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display, or an MID (Multi Information Display) that displays information to be notified to the passenger of the vehicle C. The display device 132 displays information from the control unit 101 that is output through the output unit 104.

  The voice output device 133 is a device such as a speaker that outputs information to be notified to the passenger of the passenger C by voice. The audio output device 133 outputs audio based on the audio from the control unit 101 output through the output unit 104.

  The in-vehicle communication unit 105 includes, for example, a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication interface. The in-vehicle communication unit 105 is communicably connected to various ECUs (Electronic Control Units) provided in the vehicle C via an in-vehicle communication line such as CAN, and transmits / receives information to / from various ECUs according to a protocol such as the CAN protocol. I do.

  The communication unit 106 outside the vehicle is a communication device for communicating with a roadside communication device 202 such as a beacon or a roadside device installed around the road. For example, information on the light color transition of the traffic light 201, traffic flow on the travel route Acquire information related to. In addition, the vehicle exterior communication part 106 may communicate with an external communication apparatus via portable communication terminals, such as a smart phone which the passenger | crew of the vehicle C has.

  In the configuration example illustrated in FIG. 3, various switches, sensors, devices, and the like are connected to the input unit 103, and information output from the various switches, sensors, devices, and the like connected to the input unit 103 is input to the input unit 103. However, some switches, sensors, and devices are connected to the ECU, and communication between the in-vehicle communication unit 105 and the ECU is performed to acquire information output from the switches, sensors, and devices. It is good also as composition to do.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure of processing executed by the wiper drive control apparatus 100. When an ignition switch (not shown) is on, the wiper drive control device 100 executes the following processing at regular timing, for example. Based on the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed sensor 114 input through the input unit 103, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the vehicle C has transitioned from the traveling state to the stopped state (step S101).

  When it is determined that the state has not been changed to the stop state (S101: NO), the control unit 101 ends the process according to this flowchart without executing the following process.

  When it is determined that the vehicle C has transitioned from the running state to the stopped state (S101: YES), the control unit 101 determines whether or not the wiper is operating in the manual mode or the auto mode (step S102).

  When it is determined that the wiper is not operating (S102: NO), the control unit 101 ends the process according to this flowchart without executing the following process.

  If it is determined that the wiper is operating (S102: YES), the control unit 101 has acquired information related to the light color transition of the traffic light 201 transmitted from the roadside communication device 202 through the vehicle-side communication unit 106. Is determined (step S103).

  When it is determined that the information related to the light color transition has not been acquired (S103: NO), the control unit 101 ends the process according to this flowchart without executing the following process.

  When it is determined that the information related to the light color transition has been acquired (S103: YES), the control unit 101 estimates the time until the vehicle C starts to travel (step S104). For example, when the information of the time when the lamp color of the traffic light 201 transitions from red to blue is acquired as the lamp color transition information, the control unit 101 determines the time between the transition time of the lamp color of the traffic light 201 from red to blue and the current time. The difference can be estimated as the time until the vehicle C starts to travel.

  Next, the control unit 101 refers to the output of the built-in timer, and determines whether or not the remaining time until the vehicle C starts traveling is equal to or less than the threshold time TH (step S105). The threshold time TH may be set in advance to an appropriate value (for example, 1 to 5 seconds) and stored in the storage unit 102. The threshold time TH may be arbitrarily set by the occupant, and the set threshold time TH may be stored in the storage unit 102. The wiper drive control device 100 may accept the setting of the threshold time TH through the wiper switch 111, or may accept the setting of the threshold time TH through the user interface provided in the navigation device 115. Based on the output of the built-in timer and the threshold time TH stored in the storage unit 102, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the remaining time until the vehicle C starts to travel is equal to or less than the threshold time TH. be able to.

  When it is determined that the remaining time until the vehicle C starts to travel is longer than the threshold time TH (S105: NO), the control unit 101 waits until the remaining time becomes equal to or less than the threshold time TH.

  When it is determined that the remaining time until the vehicle C starts to travel is equal to or less than the threshold time TH (S105: YES), the control unit 101 determines a driving interval T2 (which is shorter than the currently set wiper driving interval T1). For example, T2 = T1 / 2) is set, and it is determined whether the set time (drive interval T2) has elapsed since the previous wiping operation (step S106). When the set time has not elapsed (S106: NO), the control unit 101 stands by until the set time (drive interval T2) elapses.

  When it is determined that the set time has elapsed (S106: YES), the control unit 101 outputs a control signal to the wiper driving device 131 through the output unit 104, thereby driving the wiper 130 and executing a wiping operation (step). S107). Note that the wiping operation may be repeated a predetermined number of times at the same drive interval T2. Further, after performing the wiping operation in step S107, the drive interval T2 is returned to the original drive interval T1, and the drive control of the wiper 130 in the manual mode or the auto mode is continued.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the remaining time until the vehicle C starts running from the stopped state is estimated, and when the remaining time is equal to or less than the threshold time TH, the drive interval T1 of the wiper 130 is shorter. The wiping operation is performed by changing to the driving interval T2. Therefore, in the present embodiment, there is a high possibility that the wiping operation by the wiper 130 will be performed at a timing before the vehicle C starts to travel, so that raindrops are accumulating as the vehicle C stops. Even if it exists, they can be wiped off and a visual field can be secured.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration for estimating the remaining time at which the vehicle C starts to travel based on the information related to the light color transition of the traffic light 201 has been described. It is not limited. For example, information related to the opening / closing timing of the circuit breaker at the crossing may be acquired, and the time for the vehicle C to start traveling may be estimated based on the timing at which the circuit breaker transitions from the closed state to the open state.

  The embodiment disclosed this time is to be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the meanings described above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Wiper drive control apparatus 101 Control part (estimation part, judgment part)
102 storage unit 103 input unit 104 output unit 105 in-vehicle communication unit 106 external communication unit (acquisition unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 111 Wiper switch 112 Sensitivity setting switch 113 Rain sensor 114 Vehicle speed sensor 115 Navigation apparatus 116 Outside camera 130 Wiper 131 Wiper drive apparatus 132 Display apparatus 133 Audio | voice output apparatus 201 Traffic light 202 Roadside communication apparatus C Vehicle

Claims (5)

A wiper drive control device for driving a wiper of a vehicle at a predetermined time interval,
An estimation unit for estimating a remaining time until the vehicle starts running;
A wiper drive control device comprising: a control unit that drives the wiper at least once at a time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval when the remaining time estimated by the estimation unit is equal to or less than a threshold time. An acquisition unit for acquiring information relating to the light color transition of the traffic light in the traveling direction of the vehicle,
The wiper drive control device according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates a remaining time until the start of traveling based on information acquired by the acquisition unit. A determination unit for determining whether or not the vehicle has stopped when the wiper is driven at the predetermined time interval;
The estimation unit estimates a remaining time until the vehicle starts running when the determination unit determines that the vehicle has stopped when the wiper is driven at the predetermined time interval. The wiper drive control device according to claim 1 or 2. A wiper drive control method for driving a wiper of a vehicle at a predetermined time interval,
Estimating the remaining time until the vehicle starts running,
A wiper drive control method for driving the wiper at least once at a time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval when the estimated remaining time is equal to or less than a threshold time. A computer that drives the wiper of the vehicle at predetermined time intervals,
Estimating the remaining time until the vehicle starts running,
A computer program for executing a process of driving the wiper at least once at a time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval when the estimated remaining time is equal to or less than a threshold time.

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