JP2020050025A - Adhered matter removal device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an adhered matter removal device capable of suppressing frequency of occurrence of operation noise.SOLUTION: An adhered matter removal device is configured to remove an adhered matter adhered on a lens of an optical sensor mounted to a vehicle. In the adhered matter removal device, a removal control device 12 controls a removal operation device to cause the removal operation device to remove an adhered matter. In the removal control device 12, a signal acquisition section 121 acquires a drive signal 50 of a wiper mounted to the vehicle. A cycle determination section 122 determines whether a cycle of the drive signal 50 is an intermittent cycle for instructing an intermittent operation of the wiper. A removal control section 123 is synchronized with the drive signal 50 to actuate the removal operation device. When a determination that the cycle of the drive signal 50 is an intermittent cycle is made, a stop control section 124 stops the removal control section 123.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an attached matter removing device for removing attached matter attached to a lens.

  2. Description of the Related Art In-vehicle cameras mounted on vehicles such as automobiles and photographing the periphery of the vehicle are known. An image captured by the on-vehicle camera is displayed on a monitor in the vehicle compartment. In an in-vehicle camera, a deposit such as water droplets, snow, or dirt may adhere to the lens. Patent Literature 1 discloses an adhering matter removing apparatus that injects compressed air to a lens of a vehicle-mounted camera to remove the adhering matter.

  The attached matter removing device according to Patent Literature 1 injects compressed air to a camera lens according to the situation of a vehicle. Specifically, the attached matter removing device according to Patent Literature 1 changes the number of times of injecting compressed air in accordance with the number of times the wiper is operated. The number of times of compressed air injection increases as the number of times of operation of the wiper increases.

JP 2018-47878 A

  When the compressed air is injected each time the wiper is operated, it is not determined whether or not the deposit is attached to the lens. As a result, the injection of the compressed air may be repeated even though the attached matter is not attached to the lens. In the attached matter removing device according to Patent Literature 1, there is a problem that useless operation noise is generated due to generation and injection of compressed air.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an attached matter removing device capable of suppressing the number of times of generation of operation noise.

  A first aspect of the present invention is a deposit removal device, which includes a removal operation device and a removal control device. The removing operation device removes the deposit attached to the lens of the optical sensor mounted on the vehicle. The removal control device controls the removal operation device. The removal control device includes a signal acquisition unit, a cycle determination unit, a removal control unit, and a stop control unit. The signal acquisition unit acquires a drive signal of a wiper mounted on the vehicle. The cycle determining unit determines whether the cycle of the drive signal is an intermittent cycle instructing an intermittent operation of the wiper. The removal control unit operates the removal operation device in synchronization with the drive signal. The correction control unit stops the removal control unit when the cycle determination unit determines that the cycle of the drive signal is an intermittent cycle.

  According to the first aspect, the removing operation device operates according to the drive signal of the wiper. When the cycle of the drive signal is the intermittent cycle instructing the intermittent operation of the wiper, the stop control unit stops the removal control unit. When the wiper operates intermittently, the removal operation device is suppressed from operating in accordance with the operation of the wiper. Therefore, the first aspect of the present invention can reduce the number of times the operation sound of the attached matter removing device is generated.

  In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the cycle determining unit continuously monitors whether or not the cycle of the drive signal has changed after determining that the cycle of the drive signal is an intermittent cycle. The stop control unit releases the stop of the removal control unit when the cycle determination unit determines that the cycle of the drive signal has changed.

  According to the second aspect, the cycle determining unit determines whether the cycle of the drive signal has changed after determining that the cycle of the drive signal is an intermittent cycle. Thus, it is possible to prevent the adhering matter removing device from continuously stopping during a period in which the wiper is intermittently operating. Even when the stop control unit stops the removing device, the driver of the vehicle can operate the attached matter removing device at an arbitrary timing.

  A third invention is the first or second invention, wherein the stop control unit cancels the stop of the removal control unit when a predetermined time has elapsed since the last operation of the removal operation device.

  According to the third aspect, even after the stop control unit stops the removing device, it is possible to periodically remove the attached matter attached to the lens.

  In a fourth aspect based on any one of the first to third aspects, the stop control unit is configured to control the removal operation device based on the drive signal when the cycle determination unit determines that the cycle of the drive signal is not an intermittent cycle. Continue operation.

  According to the fourth aspect, when the cycle of the drive signal is not an intermittent cycle, the removal control unit operates the removal operation device based on the drive signal. For example, when the driver of the vehicle repeatedly operates the wiper in a short period of time to remove the deposit, the drive signal has a cycle different from the intermittent cycle. In this case, the driver can remove the deposit at a desired timing by operating the removing operation device based on the drive signal.

  A fifth invention is a control method of a removing operation device for removing an adhering substance attached to a lens of an optical sensor mounted on a vehicle, the method comprising a) step, b) step, c) step, and d). And steps. Step a) obtains a drive signal of a wiper mounted on a vehicle. Step b) determines whether the cycle of the drive signal is a preset intermittent cycle. c) operating the removing operation device based on the driving signal. and d) stopping the removing operation device when it is determined that the cycle of the drive signal is an intermittent cycle.

  The fifth invention is used in the first invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the attachment removal apparatus which can suppress the frequency | count of generation | occurrence | production of an operation sound can be provided.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with an attached matter removing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the camera shown in FIG. 1 and an attached matter removing device. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of an in-vehicle system including the attached matter removing device illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a removal control device illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a time change of the drive signal illustrated in FIG. 3. 2 is a timing chart showing operation timing of the attached matter removing device when the attached matter removing device shown in FIG. 1 stops removing operation. 2 is a timing chart showing operation timing of the attached matter removing device when the attached matter removing device shown in FIG. 1 restarts the removing operation. 4 is a timing chart showing operation timing of the attached matter removing device when the wiper switch shown in FIG. 3 is repeatedly operated. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the removal control device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a CPU bus configuration.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts have the same reference characters allotted, and description thereof will not be repeated.

[1. Arrangement of attached matter removing device 1]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle 6 on which the attached matter removing device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted. The attached matter removing device 1 and the rear camera 2 are installed, for example, on the license plate 5a of the vehicle 6 and at a position substantially at the center of the vehicle 6 in the left-right direction. The vehicle 6 is, for example, an automobile.

  The attached matter removing device 1 removes attached matter attached to the lens of the rear camera 2. The deposits are water droplets, snow, dirt, and the like.

  The rear camera 2 captures an image of the rear of the vehicle 6 to generate an image, and outputs the generated image to a monitor installed in the vehicle interior. The driver of the vehicle 6 can check the rear of the vehicle 6 from the image displayed on the monitor.

  The object from which the attached matter removing device 1 removes the attached matter is not limited to the rear camera 2. The object from which the extraneous matter removing device 1 removes the extraneous matter may be any optical sensor that obtains information on a peripheral target through a lens. For example, the optical sensor is a front camera that photographs the front of the vehicle 6, a side camera that photographs the side of the vehicle 6, a radar device that detects a target around the vehicle 6, and the like.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a positional relationship between the attached matter removing device 1 and the rear camera 2 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 2, rear camera 2 is attached to back panel 5 b, and is arranged such that an optical system including a lens is exposed outside vehicle 6. The attached matter removing device 1 includes a compression device 11, a removal control device 12, a hose 13, and a nozzle 14.

  The compression device 11 is arranged inside the back panel 5b. The compression device 11 functions as a removing operation device that performs a removing operation for removing the deposit attached to the lens of the rear camera 2. The compression device 11 generates compressed air based on the control of the removal control device 12.

  The removal control device 12 is connected to the compression device 11 by wire or wirelessly, and controls the compression device 11. The position where the removal control device 12 is provided may not be inside the back panel 5b, and is not particularly limited. Details of the removal control device 12 will be described later.

  The hose 13 supplies the compressed air generated by the compression device 11 to the nozzle 14. The nozzle 14 injects the compressed air supplied through the hose 13 toward the lens of the rear camera 2. When the compressed air is injected to the lens of the rear camera 2, the attached matter attached to the lens is removed.

[2. Configuration of in-vehicle system 100]
[2.1. overall structure]
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle-mounted system 100 using the attached matter removing device 1 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, in-vehicle system 100 is mounted on vehicle 6. The in-vehicle system 100 drives the rear wiper 4 according to the operation of the driver of the vehicle 6. When driving the rear wiper 4, the in-vehicle system 100 operates the attached matter removing device 1 to remove the attached matter attached to the lens of the rear camera 2.

  The in-vehicle system 100 includes an attached matter removing device 1, a rear camera 2, a wiper switch 3, and a rear wiper 4. Since the outlines of the attached matter removing device 1 and the rear camera 2 have already been described, the description of these outlines will be omitted. Note that, in FIG. 3, the display of the configuration excluding the attached matter removing device 1 such as a front wiper, the rear camera 2, the wiper switch 3, and the rear wiper 4 is omitted.

  The wiper switch 3 is operated by the driver of the vehicle 6. The driver of the vehicle 6 switches the position of the wiper switch 3. The wiper switch 3 outputs an instruction signal S corresponding to the switching position to the rear wiper 4.

  The rear wiper 4 receives the instruction signal S from the wiper switch 3 and operates according to the received instruction signal S. The rear wiper 4 removes attached matter such as water droplets and dirt attached to a rear glass disposed behind the vehicle. The rear wiper 4 can execute an intermittent operation and a continuous operation. Details of the intermittent operation and the continuous operation will be described later.

[2.2. Configuration of Rear Wiper 41]
Referring to FIG. 3, rear wiper 4 includes a wiper control device 41, a driving device 42, a wiper arm 43, and a wiper blade 44.

  When the instruction signal S is received from the wiper switch 3, the wiper control device 41 generates a drive signal 50 based on the received instruction signal S. The wiper control device 41 outputs the generated drive signal 50 to the drive device 42.

  The driving device 42 receives a driving signal 50 from the wiper control device 41. The drive device 42 rotates the wiper arm 43 about a drive shaft (not shown) based on the drive signal 50.

  One end of the wiper arm 43 is connected to the drive shaft, and the other end is connected to the wiper blade 44. As the wiper arm 43 pivots about the drive shaft, the wiper blade 44 slides on the surface of the rear glass of the vehicle 6. As the wiper blade 44 slides, water droplets, dirt, and the like attached to the surface of the rear glass of the vehicle 6 are removed.

[2.3. Configuration of Removal Control Device 12]
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the removal control device 12 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 4, removal control device 12 acquires drive signal 50 from wiper control device 41 and controls compression device 11 based on acquired drive signal 50.

  The removal control device 12 includes a signal acquisition unit 121, a cycle determination unit 122, a removal control unit 123, and a stop control unit 124.

  The signal acquisition unit 121 acquires the drive signal 50 generated by the wiper control device 41. The signal acquisition unit 121 outputs the acquired drive signal 50 to the cycle determination unit 122 and the removal control unit 123. The drive signal 50 is a pulse signal as described later.

  The cycle determination unit 122 receives the drive signal 50 from the signal acquisition unit 121, and determines whether the cycle of the received drive signal 50 is an intermittent cycle instructing an intermittent operation of the rear wiper 4. The cycle determination unit 122 outputs a determination result R indicating whether the cycle of the drive signal 5 is an intermittent cycle to the stop control unit 124.

  The removal control unit 123 receives the drive signal 50 from the signal acquisition unit 121, and operates the compression device 11 in synchronization with the received drive signal 50. Specifically, when the drive signal 50 changes from off to on, the removal control unit 123 controls the compression device 11 to generate compressed air. Hereinafter, the operation until the compression device 11 generates compressed air and injects the generated compressed air to the lens of the rear camera 2 via the hose 13 and the nozzle 14 may be referred to as “removal operation”. is there.

The stop control unit 124 receives the determination result R from the cycle determination unit 122. When the determination result R indicates that the cycle of the drive signal 50 is an intermittent cycle, the stop control unit 124 stops the removal control unit 123 until a predetermined condition is satisfied. The predetermined condition will be described later.
[3. Operation of in-vehicle system 100]
[3.1. Operation of rear wiper 4]

  The rear wiper 4 performs an intermittent operation or a continuous operation. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a temporal change of the drive signal 50 output from the wiper control device 41 shown in FIG.

(When the rear wiper 4 is stopped)
When the wiper switch 3 is at the stop position for instructing the rear wiper 4 to stop, the wiper control device 41 generates a drive signal 50 that keeps the level off. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 5, when the drive signal 50 is continuously off, the rear wiper 4 stops.

(When the rear wiper 4 performs intermittent operation)
When the wiper switch 3 is at the intermittent operation position instructing the intermittent operation of the rear wiper 4, the wiper control device 41 generates a drive signal 50 that repeats off and on alternately.

  It is assumed that the wiper switch 3 has moved from the stop position to the intermittent operation position at time t1. In this case, the wiper control device 41 changes the drive signal 50 from off to on at time t1, as shown in the middle part of FIG. The wiper control device 41 changes the drive signal 50 from ON to OFF at time t2 when the period Pa has elapsed from time t1. The wiper control device 41 changes the drive signal 50 from off to on at time t3 when the period Pb has elapsed from time t2. Hereinafter, the drive signal 50 repeats the above-described level change.

  The drive device 42 drives the wiper arm 43 based on a drive signal 50 received from the wiper control device 41. Specifically, when the drive signal 50 changes from off to on, the drive device 42 drives the wiper arm 43. The period Pa is shorter than the time during which the driving device 42 drives the wiper arm 42 once. Therefore, when the rear wiper 4 operates intermittently, the wiper arm 43 is driven at times t1, t3, t4, t5, and t6.

  When the rear wiper 4 performs the intermittent operation, the time obtained by adding the period Pa and the period Pb is the intermittent cycle P. The intermittent cycle P is set to a time within the cycle setting range when the vehicle 6 is shipped from the factory. The cycle setting range is a time range that can be set as the intermittent cycle P, and is set in the wiper control device 41 in advance. The cycle setting range is, for example, a range from 5 seconds to 11 seconds. In FIG. 5, the period Pa is exaggerated in comparison with the actual ratio between the period Pa and the period Pb for convenience of explanation.

(When the rear wiper 4 performs continuous operation)
When the wiper switch 3 is in the continuous operation position instructing the continuous operation of the rear wiper 4, the wiper control device 41 generates a drive signal 50 whose level is continuously ON. It is assumed that the wiper switch 3 has changed from the stop position to the continuous operation position at time t1. In this case, the drive signal 50 changes from off to on at time t1, as shown in the lower part of FIG.

  At time t1 when the drive signal 50 changes to ON, the drive device 42 drives the wiper arm 43. Thereafter, the drive signal 50 remains on until the position of the wiper switch 3 changes.

When the wiper arm 43 is driven once and returns to the initial position, the drive signal 50 remains on. The drive device 42 continues to drive the wiper arm 43 when the drive signal 50 is on. That is, when the wiper arm 43 is driven once and returns to the initial position, the drive device 42 drives the wiper arm 42 again.
[3.2. Operation of the attached matter removing device 1]

(Basic operation of the attached matter removing device 1)
FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing the operation timing of the attached matter removing device 1 when the rear wiper 4 performs the intermittent operation. Referring to FIG. 6, it is assumed that the driver of vehicle 6 changes wiper switch 3 from the stop position to the intermittent operation position at time t11.

  The wiper control device 41 starts generating the drive signal 50 whose on and off alternately change from time t11. The wiper control device 41 outputs the generated and changed drive signal 50 to the removal control device 12 and the drive device 42.

  The removal control device 12 continuously monitors the drive signal 50. The removal control device 12 causes the compression device 11 to perform a removal operation in synchronization with the drive signal 50. Specifically, the removal control device 12 causes the compression device 11 to perform a removal operation, triggered by the change of the drive signal 50 from off to on. Therefore, the timing at which the compression device 11 performs the removal operation does not always coincide with the timing at which the drive signal 50 changes from off to on.

(When the rear wiper 4 operates intermittently)
When the drive signal 50 changes from off to on, the removal controller 12 determines whether the drive signal 50 changes at the intermittent period P. When the drive signal 50 changes at the intermittent period P, the removal control device 12 stops the removal operation even when the drive signal 50 changes from off to on.

  Referring to FIG. 6, rear wiper 4 starts an intermittent operation at time t11. The drive signal 5 changes from off to on at time t1. The cycle determining unit 122 starts determining whether or not the drive signal 50 is changing at the intermittent cycle P from time t11.

  Specifically, the cycle determination unit 122 measures the elapsed time from time t11. At time t12 after time t11, the drive signal 50 changes from off to on again. The cycle determination unit 122 acquires the length of time from time t11 to time t12 as the cycle P1 of the drive signal 50. That is, the cycle determination unit 122 acquires a time interval at which the drive signal 50 changes from off to on as the cycle of the drive signal 50.

  The cycle determining unit 122 determines whether the obtained cycle P1 corresponds to the intermittent cycle P. Since the rear wiper 4 has started the intermittent operation from time t11, the cycle P1 is within the cycle setting range. In this case, the cycle determining unit 122 determines that the cycle P1 corresponds to the intermittent cycle P. When the driver of the vehicle 6 repeats the operation of the wiper switch 3, the cycle P1 may coincide with the intermittent cycle P by chance. Therefore, when the cycle P1 corresponds to the intermittent cycle P, the cycle determining unit 122 does not immediately determine that the rear wiper 4 is performing the intermittent operation. The cycle determining unit 122 determines whether the rear wiper 4 is performing an intermittent operation based on the number of times that the cycle of the drive signal corresponds to the intermittent cycle.

  When the cycle P1 corresponds to the intermittent cycle P, the cycle determining unit 122 initializes the number of matching cycles to zero. The number of cycle matches is the number of times that the cycle of the drive signal 50 corresponds to the intermittent cycle P.

  When the number of period coincidences is initialized, the number of period coincidences is smaller than a judgment threshold value preset in the period judgment unit 122. The determination threshold is used to determine whether or not the rear wiper 4 is performing the intermittent operation, and is 3 in the present embodiment. Since the initialized number of matching cycles is smaller than the determination threshold, the cycle determining unit 122 does not determine that the rear wiper 4 is performing the intermittent operation at the time t12. At time t12, the removal control unit 123 causes the compression device 11 to perform a removal operation.

  At time t13, the drive signal 50 changes from off to on. The cycle determining unit 122 acquires the time from time t12 to time t13 as the cycle P2 of the drive signal 50.

  When the rear wiper 4 performs an intermittent operation, the drive signal 50 changes at an intermittent cycle P. Since the rear wiper 4 starts the intermittent operation from the time t11, the cycle P2 substantially coincides with the cycle P1. The difference between the periods P1 and P2 is smaller than the error range M shown in FIG. Therefore, the cycle determining unit 122 determines that the cycle of the drive signal 50 has not changed. The error range M is, for example, one second. Since the cycle of the drive signal 50 has not changed, the cycle determination unit 122 increments the number of matching cycles. The number of period matches increases from 0 to 1.

  Since the number of matching cycles is smaller than the determination threshold, the cycle determining unit 122 does not determine that the rear wiper 4 is performing the intermittent operation at the time t13. At time t13, the removal control unit 123 causes the compression device 11 to perform a removal operation.

  The case where the difference between the periods P1 and P2 is larger than the error range M will be described later.

  At time t14, the drive signal 50 changes from off to on. The cycle determining unit 122 acquires the time from time t13 to time t14 as the cycle P3 of the drive signal 50.

  Since the rear wiper 4 performs the intermittent operation, the difference between the cycle P1 and the cycle P3 is smaller than the error range M. Therefore, the number of period matches increases from one to two. Since the number of matching cycles is smaller than the determination threshold, the cycle determining unit 122 does not determine that the rear wiper 4 is performing the intermittent operation at the time t14. At time t14, the removal control unit 123 causes the compression device 11 to perform a removal operation.

  At time t15, the drive signal 50 changes from off to on. The cycle determining unit 122 acquires the time from time t14 to time t15 as the cycle P4 of the drive signal 50. Since the rear wiper 4 is performing the intermittent operation, the difference between the period P1 and the period P4 is smaller than the error range M. The number of period matches increases from two to three.

  Since the number of matching cycles reaches the determination threshold, the cycle determining unit 122 determines that the rear wiper 4 is performing the intermittent operation. The stop control unit 124 instructs the removal control unit 123 to stop the removal operation according to the determination result of the cycle determination unit 122. The removal control unit 123 does not execute the removal operation at time t15 in accordance with the stop instruction from the cycle determination unit 122.

  In each of the times t16 to t19, the cycle determination unit 122 determines that the cycle of the drive signal 50 has not changed. When the number of cycle matches reaches the determination threshold at time t15, the number of cycle matches does not increase in a period after time t15, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the number of cycle matches continues to match the determination threshold from time t16 to time t19. Therefore, the stop control unit 124 instructs to stop the removing operation at each of the times t16 to t19. As described above, when the cycle determination unit 122 determines that the rear wiper 4 is performing the intermittent operation, the removal control unit 123 stops the removal operation synchronized with the drive signal 50.

  As described above, when the cycle of the drive signal 50 repeatedly matches the intermittent cycle P, the cycle determination unit 122 instructs the removal control unit 123 to stop the removal operation. Since the compression device 11 can be prevented from repeatedly operating in synchronization with the drive signal 50, the number of operation sounds of the compression device 11 can be reduced.

  Note that the removal control unit 123 periodically performs the removal operation even when the stop control unit 124 instructs to stop the injection of the compressed air. Thereby, the rear camera 2 can take a good image which is not affected by the attached matter. Hereinafter, a specific description will be given.

  The removal control unit 123 measures the time elapsed since the last operation of the compression device 11 as the standby time. For example, the standby time from time t11 to time t12 is the cycle P1. The removal control unit 123 executes the removal operation when the standby time exceeds the preset upper limit time Tα.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the removal control unit 123 stops the injection of the compressed air after injecting the compressed air at the time t15. At time ta, the standby time (elapsed time from time t15) reaches upper limit time Tα. The removal control unit 123 causes the compression device 11 to execute the removal operation regardless of the stop instruction of the stop control unit 124 and the level of the drive signal 50. When the compressed air is injected at the time ta, the cycle determination unit 122 does not initialize the cycle match number. This is because the cycle of the drive signal 20 does not change even if the removing operation is performed at the time ta.

  Here, the reason why the cycle determination unit 122 determines whether or not the difference between the previously specified cycle and the currently specified cycle is within an error range will be described.

  When the driver of the vehicle 6 repeatedly operates the wiper switch 3, a case may occur in which the time interval at which the drive signal 50 changes to ON coincides with the cycle of the intermittent operation. When the operation is caused by the driver of the vehicle 6, it is unlikely that the time interval at which the drive signal 50 changes to ON has a constant cycle. On the other hand, when the intermittent operation of the rear wiper 4 is performed, the variation of the time interval at which the drive signal 50 changes to ON is considered to be extremely small. Based on this idea, the cycle determination unit 122 increments the number of cycle matches when the difference between the two cycles is within the error range. Then, the cycle determination unit 122 determines that the rear wiper 4 is performing the intermittent operation when the increment reaches the determination threshold. Thus, the cycle determination unit 122 can prevent erroneous determination that the rear wiper 4 is performing the intermittent operation even though the rear wiper 4 is not performing the intermittent operation.

(2) When Wiper Switch 3 is Operated During Intermittent Operation FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing the operation timing of the extraneous matter removing device 1 when the extraneous material removing device 1 restarts the removing operation. Referring to FIG. 7, rear wiper 4 performs an intermittent operation in a period before time t24. In the period from time t21 to time t23, the cycle of the drive signal 50 is the cycle P21. The cycle P21 corresponds to the intermittent cycle P. For this reason, the attached matter removing apparatus 1 has stopped the removing operation until the time t24.

It is assumed that the wiper switch 3 has moved from the intermittent operation position to the stop position at time t24, and has moved from the stop position to the intermittent operation position at time t25. Under this assumption,
The drive signal 50 is off from time t23 to time t25, and turns on at time t5. The cycle determining unit 122 acquires the time from time t23 to time t25 as the cycle P23.

  The cycle P23 is longer than the cycle P21. The difference between the periods P21 and P23 is larger than the error range M shown in FIG. The cycle determining unit 122 determines that the cycle of the drive signal 50 has changed. The stop control unit 124 cancels the stop of the removing operation based on the determination result of the cycle determination unit 122. As a result, the removal control unit 123 causes the compression device 11 to perform the removal operation at time t25.

  At time t26, the drive signal 50 changes from off to on. The cycle determination unit 122 determines that the cycle P24 from time t25 to time t26 corresponds to the intermittent cycle P, and initializes the number of cycle matches. Since the number of matching cycles is smaller than the determination threshold, the removal control unit 123 causes the compression device 11 to perform the removal operation at time t26.

  It is assumed that the wiper switch 3 has moved from the intermittent operation position to the stop position at time t27, and has moved from the stop position to the intermittent operation position at time t28. The period P25 from time t26 to time t28 does not correspond to the intermittent period P and does not match the period P24. Therefore, the removal control unit 123 causes the compression device 11 to perform the removal operation at time t28.

  As described above, when the cycle of the drive signal 50 changes while the removing operation is stopped, the attached matter removing device 1 restarts the removing operation. While the removing operation is stopped, the deposit may adhere to the lens of the rear camera 2. In this case, the driver of the vehicle 6 can inject compressed air to the lens of the rear camera 2 at a desired timing by operating the wiper switch 3.

(3) Case Where Wiper 4 Operates Continuously Referring to FIG. 5, it is assumed that the driver of vehicle 6 switches the position of wiper switch 3 to the continuous operation position at time t1. When the rear wiper 4 operates continuously, the level of the drive signal 50 changes from off to on at time t1. The drive signal 50 remains on from time t1.

  The removal control unit 123 causes the compression device 11 to perform a removal operation at time t1. Thereafter, since the drive signal 50 remains on and does not change, the removal operation is not performed. Although not shown in FIG. 5, when the standby time from the time t1 exceeds the upper limit time Tα (see FIG. 6), the removal control unit 123 regardless of whether the drive signal 50 has changed from off to on. , And causes the compression device 11 to execute the removal operation. Thus, the attached matter removing device 1 can periodically remove the attached matter attached to the lens of the rear camera 2 even when the rear wiper 4 operates continuously.

(4) When Wiper Switch 3 is Repeatedly Switched FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing the operation timing of the attached matter removing device 1 when the wiper switch 3 shown in FIG. 3 is repeatedly operated.

  Referring to FIG. 8, it is assumed that the driver of vehicle 6 alternately switches the position of wiper switch 3 between the stop position and the continuous operation position during the period from time t31 to time t35. Under this assumption, the drive signal 50 changes periodically with a period Pk. The cycle Pk is smaller than the minimum value of the cycle setting range of the rear wiper 4. That is, the cycle Pk does not correspond to the intermittent cycle P.

  In this case, the stop control unit 124 determines that the driver of the vehicle 6 is operating the wiper switch 3 in order to remove the deposit attached to the lens of the rear camera 2. Since the stop control unit 124 does not stop the removal operation, the removal control unit 123 causes the compression device 11 to execute the removal operation at each of the times t31, t32, t33, t34, and t35.

  It is assumed that during the period from time t36 to time t38, the driver of the vehicle 6 switches the position of the wiper switch 3 alternately between the stop position and the intermittent operation position. Under this assumption, the drive signal 50 changes periodically with a period Pm. The cycle Pm is larger than the maximum value of the cycle setting range of the rear wiper 4. That is, the cycle Pm does not correspond to the intermittent cycle P.

  In this case, the stop control unit 124 determines that the driver of the vehicle 6 is operating the wiper switch 3 in order to remove the attached matter attached to the lens of the rear camera 2. Since the stop control unit 124 does not stop the removal operation, the removal control unit 123 causes the compression device 11 to execute the removal operation at each of the times t36, t37, and t38. When the drive signal 50 changes at the cycle Pm during the period after the time t38, the removal control unit 123 causes the compression device 11 to perform the removal operation at the timing when the drive signal 50 changes to ON.

(Operation of the removal control device 12)
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the removal control device 12. Referring to FIG. 9, removal control device 12 starts the processing shown in FIG. 9 when an ignition switch (not shown) changes from off to on.

  The cycle determination unit 122 monitors the drive signal 50. When the drive signal 50 has changed from off to on (Yes in step S101), the cycle determination unit 122 specifies the cycle of the drive signal 50 (step S102). The cycle determination unit 122 calculates the absolute value of the difference between the time when the drive signal 50 was turned on this time and the time when the drive signal 50 was turned on last time. The calculated absolute value of the difference is the cycle of the drive signal 50 specified in step S102.

  The cycle determining unit 122 determines whether the cycle of the drive signal 50 specified in step S102 is within the cycle setting range (step S103).

  When the cycle of the specified drive signal 50 is not within the cycle setting range (No in Step S103), the stop control unit 124 does not stop the removal operation. The removal control unit 123 performs a removal operation (Step S112). For example, the cycle Pk and the cycle Pm shown in FIG. 8 correspond to the case where the cycle of the drive signal 50 is not within the cycle setting range.

  If the cycle of the specified drive signal 50 is within the cycle setting range (Yes in step S103), the cycle determination unit 122 determines whether the cycle of the drive signal 50 has changed (step S104). That is, the cycle determination unit 122 determines whether or not the difference between the cycle of the drive signal 50 specified this time and the cycle of the drive signal 50 specified last time is within the error range M shown in FIG.

  When the cycle of the drive signal 50 has changed (Yes in Step S104), the cycle determination unit 122 estimates that the driver of the vehicle 6 has operated the wiper switch 3 to operate the attached matter removing device 1. The cycle determining unit 122 initializes the number of matched cycles to zero (Step S111). In this case, since the stop control unit 124 does not stop the removal operation, the removal control unit 123 performs the removal operation (Step S112). For example, the stop control unit 124 determines that the cycle of the drive signal 50 has changed at time t23.

  When the cycle of the drive signal 50 has not changed (No in Step S104), the cycle determination unit 122 increments the number of matching cycles (Step S105). Thereafter, the cycle determining unit 122 determines whether the number of matching cycles has reached the determination threshold (Step S106).

  If the number of matching cycles has not reached the determination threshold value (No in step S106), the stop control unit 124 does not determine that the rear wiper 4 is performing the intermittent operation. Since the stop control unit 124 does not stop the removal operation, the removal control unit 123 performs the removal operation (Step S112). The processing executed by the removal control device 12 from time t12 to time t14 shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to the case where the number of cycle matches has not reached the determination threshold.

  When the number of matching cycles has reached the determination threshold (Yes in step S106), the stop control unit 124 determines that the rear wiper 4 is performing an intermittent operation. The stop control unit 124 determines to stop the removal operation (Step S107). The removal control unit 123 does not perform the removal operation even when the drive signal 50 changes from off to on. The processing executed by the removal control device 12 from time t15 to time t17 shown in FIG.

  The stop control unit 124 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the last execution of the removing operation (step S108). If the standby time has not passed the predetermined time (No in step S108), the removal control device 12 proceeds to step S110. If the standby time has passed the predetermined time (Yes in step S108), the removal control unit 123 performs the removal operation regardless of whether the drive signal 50 has changed from off to on (step S109). The processing executed by the removal control device 12 at the time ta shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to the case where the standby time has passed a predetermined time.

  The cycle determining unit 122 determines whether to end monitoring of the cycle of the drive signal 50 (Step S110). When the ignition switch is on, the cycle determination unit 122 determines to continue monitoring the cycle of the drive signal 50 (No in step S110), and returns to step S101.

  When the ignition switch is off, the cycle determination unit 122 determines that the monitoring of the cycle of the drive signal 50 is to be completed (No in step S110). In this case, the removal control device 12 ends the processing illustrated in FIG.

  As described above, the removal control device 12 stops the removal operation based on the drive signal 50 when the drive signal 50 repeatedly changes at the intermittent operation cycle of the rear wiper 4. Since the number of times of operation of the compression device 11 can be reduced, the number of times of operation sound of the compression device 11 can be suppressed, and the use period of the compression device 11 can be extended.

  After stopping the removal operation based on the drive signal 50, the removal control device 12 determines whether the cycle of the drive signal 50 has changed. When the cycle of the drive signal 50 changes, the removal control device 12 causes the compression device 11 to inject compressed air. Even during the period when the rear wiper 4 is operating intermittently, the removal control device 12 can remove the deposits in accordance with the operation of the wiper switch 3 by the driver of the vehicle 6. Thereby, the driver of the vehicle 6 can remove the deposit attached to the lens of the rear camera 2 at a desired timing.

  When a predetermined time has elapsed since the last removal operation, the removal control device 12 causes the compression device 11 to execute the removal operation. Accordingly, even if the injection of the compressed air is stopped due to the intermittent operation of the rear wiper 4, the attached matter attached to the lens of the rear camera 2 can be periodically removed.

  When the drive signal 50 repeats the level change at a cycle different from the cycle of the intermittent operation of the rear wiper 4, the removal control device 12 continues the injection of the compressed air based on the drive signal 50. In this case, it is considered that the driver of the vehicle 6 has repeatedly operated the wiper switch 3 to remove the deposit. The driver of the vehicle 6 can operate the attached matter removing device 1 at a desired timing.

[Modification]
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the attached matter removing device 1 operates based on the drive signal 50 of the rear wiper 4 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The attached matter removing device 1 may remove attached matter from lenses of cameras other than the rear camera. Further, the attached matter removing device 1 may operate based on a drive signal of a wiper other than the rear wiper 4. For example, the attached matter removing device 1 may operate based on a drive signal of the front wiper.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the removal control unit 123 causes the compression device 11 to execute the removal operation when the standby time from the last removal operation has passed the predetermined time, but the present invention is not limited to this. The removal control unit 123 does not have to execute the removal operation when the standby time has passed the predetermined time.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the stop control unit 124 releases the stop of the removal operation when the cycle of the drive signal 50 changes during the stop of the removal operation, but is not limited thereto. The stop control unit 124 does not need to release the stop of the removal operation when the cycle of the drive signal 50 changes during the stop of the removal operation.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the removing operation device is the compression device 11 that generates compressed air. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The removing operation device may be any device that removes the deposit attached to the lens of the rear camera 2. For example, the removal operation device may be any device that injects a gas other than air or a liquid such as water or a cleaning liquid. Alternatively, the removing operation device may be a wiper that wipes off the deposits attached to the lens of the rear camera 2.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the driver operates the wiper operation unit 3 to operate the attached matter removing device 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The deposit removing device 1 may include an operation unit operated by a driver. When the driver operates the operation unit, the operation unit outputs a drive signal 50 and another control signal to the removal control device 12. Accordingly, the driver can remove the deposit at a desired timing when the rear wiper 4 is performing a continuous operation or when the compression device 11 stops operating during the intermittent operation of the rear wiper 4. Can be.

  In the above embodiment, each functional block of the removal control device 12 may be individually formed into one chip by a semiconductor device such as an LSI, or may be formed into one chip so as to include a part or all of the function blocks. Although an LSI is used here, it may be called an IC, a system LSI, a super LSI, or an ultra LSI depending on the degree of integration.

  Further, the method of circuit integration is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. After the LSI is manufactured, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connection and setting of circuit cells inside the LSI may be used.

  A part or all of the processing executed by each functional block of the removal control device 12 may be realized by a program. Part or all of the processing of each functional block in each of the above embodiments is performed by a central processing unit (CPU) in a computer. A program for performing each process is stored in a storage device such as a hard disk and a ROM, and is executed by being read from the ROM or from the RAM.

  Further, each process of the above embodiment may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software (including a case where it is realized together with an OS (Operating System), middleware, or a predetermined library). . Further, it may be realized by mixed processing of software and hardware.

  For example, when each functional block of the above-described embodiment (including the modification) is realized by software, the hardware configuration (for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an input unit, an output unit, etc. Each of the functional units may be realized by software processing using a hardware configuration connected by the software.

  The execution order of the processing method in the above embodiment is not necessarily limited to the description of the above embodiment, and the execution order may be changed without departing from the gist of the invention.

  A computer program that causes a computer to execute the above-described method and a computer-readable recording medium that records the program are included in the scope of the present invention. Here, examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a flexible disk, hard disk, CD-ROM, MO, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, large-capacity DVD, next-generation DVD, and semiconductor memory. .

  The computer program is not limited to one recorded on the recording medium, and may be transmitted via a telecommunication line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network represented by the Internet, or the like.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the above-described embodiment is merely an example for implementing the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented by appropriately modifying the above-described embodiment without departing from the spirit thereof.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 attached matter removal device 2 rear camera 3 wiper switch 4 rear wiper 11 compression device (removal operation device)
12 Removal control device 50 Drive signal 121 Signal acquisition unit 122 Period determination unit 123 Removal control unit 124 Stop control unit

Claims (5)

A removing operation device that removes a deposit attached to a lens of an optical sensor mounted on a vehicle;
A removal control device that controls the removal operation device,
The removal control device,
A signal acquisition unit that acquires a drive signal of a wiper mounted on the vehicle,
A cycle determination unit that determines whether the cycle of the drive signal is an intermittent cycle instructing an intermittent operation of the wiper,
A removal control unit that operates the removal operation device in synchronization with the drive signal,
An adhering substance removing device including: a stop control unit that stops the removal control unit when the cycle determination unit determines that the cycle of the drive signal is the intermittent cycle. The deposit removing device according to claim 1,
The cycle determining unit, after determining that the cycle of the drive signal is the intermittent cycle, continuously monitors whether the cycle of the drive signal has changed,
The adhesion removing device, wherein the stop control unit releases the stop of the removal control unit when the cycle determination unit determines that the cycle of the drive signal has changed. The deposit removing device according to claim 1 or 2,
The attached matter removing device, wherein the stop control unit releases the stop of the removal control unit when a predetermined time has elapsed since the last operation of the removing operation device. It is a deposit removal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The adhering matter removing device, wherein the stop control unit continues the operation of the removing operation device based on the driving signal when the period determining unit determines that the period of the driving signal is not the intermittent period. A control method of a removing operation device that removes a deposit attached to a lens of an optical sensor mounted on a vehicle,
Obtaining a drive signal of a wiper mounted on the vehicle;
Determining whether the cycle of the drive signal is a preset intermittent cycle,
Operating the removal operation device based on the drive signal;
Stopping the removal operation device when it is determined that the cycle of the drive signal is the intermittent period.

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