KR20230087641A - Apparatus and method for evaluating a pollution level of vehicle sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are an apparatus for evaluating a pollution level of a vehicle recognition sensor and a method thereof. The apparatus for evaluating a pollution level of a vehicle recognition sensor according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a light source unit outputting an optical pulse; a light penetration member which is installed at the front surface of the light source unit, has a light penetration area on which pollutants are applied, and receives the optical pulse from the light source unit to allow the same to penetrate the light penetration area; a light receiving unit which receives the optical pulse which has penetrated the light penetrating member; and a detection unit which calculates reduction in the penetration ratio caused by the pollutants by measuring the penetrating optical power of the polluted light penetrating member based on the light receiving information of the light receiving unit, and comparing the penetrating optical power of the polluted light penetrating member to the penetrating optical power of the non-polluted light penetrating member. Therefore, changes in the penetration ratio may be measured.

Description

Apparatus and method for evaluating pollution level of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for evaluating the degree of contamination of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for evaluating the degree of contamination of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle capable of measuring a change in transmittance when contamination occurs in the cognitive sensor of a vehicle.

Recently, autonomous vehicle technology has been developed and researched at a very rapid pace. In the autonomous driving technology stage, the level can be divided into 5 levels from manual to fully autonomous driving, and levels 3 to 4 are currently being commercialized.

The vehicle's autonomous driving technology is also called Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) that can adjust speed according to the traffic environment, It includes functions such as Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) that stops and Lane Keep Assist (LKA) that maintains the lane by adjusting the driving direction in case of lane departure. A camera, a radar sensor, and a lidar sensor, etc., are installed in a vehicle to detect the surroundings of the vehicle.

However, there are many cases in which the surface of these various vehicle recognition sensors is contaminated with foreign substances such as mud during vehicle operation. Accordingly, when contamination occurs in the recognition sensor of the vehicle, it is necessary to determine the change in transmittance of the recognition sensor.

In order to measure the change in transmittance of the recognition sensor, a transmittance meter (optical measuring instrument) is used to obtain reflected light by applying incident light to a distance measurement object. This transmittance meter (optical measuring instrument) uses a method of measuring the distance between the optical measuring instrument and the distance measurement object.

However, the conventional transmittance meter is expensive and there is a power failure that takes a lot of time to see a desired wavelength.

The background art of the present invention is disclosed in Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1314017 (2013.10.01. Notice).

The present invention has been made in accordance with the above needs, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for evaluating the degree of contamination of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle that can measure a change in transmittance when contamination occurs in the cognitive sensor of a vehicle.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned problem (s), and another problem (s) not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

An apparatus for evaluating contamination level of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention has a light source unit that outputs light pulses, is installed in front of the light source unit, has a light transmission area coated with contaminants, and receives the light pulses from the light source unit. A light-transmitting member transmitting the light-transmitting area, a light-receiving unit receiving light pulses transmitted through the light-transmitting member, and measuring transmitted light power of the contaminated light-transmitting member based on light-receiving information of the light-receiving unit, and a detection unit that calculates a transmission reduction rate by the contaminant by comparing the transmitted light output of the light transmitting member with the transmitted light output of the uncontaminated light transmitting member.

In the present invention, the light source unit may be a pulsed laser diode that outputs a light pulse having the same wavelength as that of the recognition sensor.

In the present invention, the light transmission member may be composed of a window or a liquid crystal panel.

In the present invention, the light receiving unit may have the same optical axis as the light source unit.

In the present invention, the detection unit may calculate the transmission reduction rate based on a difference between transmitted light output of the contaminated light transmitting member and transmitted light output of the uncontaminated light transmitting member.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a method for evaluating a degree of contamination of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle includes obtaining, by a detection unit, light receiving information of a light pulse transmitted through a light transmitting member coated with a contaminant from a light receiving unit, the detecting unit based on the light receiving information. measuring the transmitted light output of the contaminated light-transmitting member, and by the detecting unit comparing the transmitted light output of the contaminated light-transmitting member with the transmitted light output of the uncontaminated light-transmitting member, Calculating the transmittance reduction rate.

In the step of calculating the transmittance reduction rate due to the contaminant, the detecting unit may determine the transmittance reduction rate based on a difference between transmitted light output of the contaminated light-transmitting member and transmitted light output of the uncontaminated light-transmitting member. can be calculated.

An apparatus and method for evaluating contamination level of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention may measure a change in transmittance when contamination occurs in a cognitive sensor of a vehicle.

An apparatus and method for evaluating contamination level of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to another aspect of the present invention enable quantitative contamination evaluation according to the type of pollutant as well as the cognitive sensor made by various companies.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus and method for evaluating contamination level of a recognition sensor of a vehicle may express the effect of contaminants on a light transmission member at the same wavelength as the perception sensor in terms of a quantitative transmission reduction rate.

An apparatus and method for evaluating pollution degree of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to another aspect of the present invention have a simple test setup and can quickly and quickly measure only a desired wavelength.

1 and 2 are diagrams for explaining an apparatus for evaluating contamination level of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for evaluating a degree of contamination of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an apparatus and method for evaluating contamination level of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this process, the thickness of lines or the size of components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of description. In addition, terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to the intention or custom of a user or operator. Therefore, definitions of these terms will have to be made based on the content throughout this specification.

1 and 2 are diagrams for explaining an apparatus for evaluating contamination level of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an apparatus 100 for evaluating contamination level of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a light source unit 110, a light transmitting member 120, a light receiving unit 130, and a detection unit 140.

The light source unit 110 may output light pulses.

The light source unit 110 may include, for example, a pulsed laser diode that outputs light pulses of the same wavelength as the recognition sensor. Here, the wavelength of the recognition sensor may be, for example, 900 nm or 1500 nm. A pulse laser diode can output light pulses in a direct excitation method rather than a scanning method.

The recognition sensor is designed so that even if the light pulse from the light source unit 110 is somewhat attenuated by the contaminant 125 in the middle of the optical axis, when a light pulse of a certain size or more is received from the light receiver 130, it is recognized as normal light pulse reception there is. However, if the recognition sensor is severely contaminated, the light pulse reaching the light receiving unit 130 may fall below a certain standard value, and then it is determined that an object exists even though there is no object in the middle of the optical axis, which is the cause of malfunction. becomes Ideally, when there is no object in the middle of the optical axis, the light pulses emitted from the light source unit 110 and the light pulses received from the light receiver 130 should have the same size as the recognition sensor. inevitably be influenced by That is, the recognition sensor is mounted on the outside of the vehicle, and contaminants 125 such as muddy water, bugs, rain, snow, dust, etc. may be applied during vehicle driving. When the contaminant 125 is applied to the recognition sensor, the light transmittance of the recognition sensor may be reduced, thereby deteriorating recognition ability. Thus, the present invention can evaluate the degree of contamination of the recognition sensor by using a pulsed laser diode that outputs a light pulse having the same wavelength as the recognition sensor. The contamination degree evaluation of the recognition sensor refers to an evaluation for measuring a change in light transmittance when contamination that interferes with light transmission and reception occurs in the recognition sensor. The contaminant 125 refers to an obstacle that reduces the light pulse received by the light receiver 130 by reducing the transmitted light power transmitted from the light source unit 110, and may include snow, rain, stains, dust, tar, etc. can

The light transmission member 120 is installed on the front of the light source unit 110, has a light transmission area coated with the contaminant 125, and receives a light pulse from the light source unit 110 to transmit light through the light transmission area.

The light-transmitting member 120 may be installed so that the light pulse output through the light source unit 110 transmits the light-transmitting area where the contaminant 125 is applied. Accordingly, the light pulse output from the light source unit 110 may pass through the light penetrating area where the contaminant 125 is applied.

Such a light transmission member 120 may be composed of, for example, a window or a liquid crystal panel.

The light receiving unit 130 may receive light pulses transmitted through the light transmitting member 120 . The light receiving unit 130 may have the same optical axis as the light source unit 110 .

The light receiving unit 130 receives light pulses transmitted through the light transmitting member 120 to which the contaminant 125 is applied, thereby simulating the decrease in cognitive performance of the cognitive sensor. Accordingly, the degree of contamination of the recognition sensor may be evaluated based on the light receiving information received by the light receiving unit 130 .

The detector 140 measures the transmitted light power of the contaminated light-transmitting member 120 based on the light-receiving information of the light-receiving unit 130, and converts the transmitted light power of the contaminated light-transmitting member 120 to the uncontaminated light-transmitting member. By comparing with the transmitted light output of (120), the transmittance reduction rate by the contaminant 125 can be calculated.

The detection unit 140 may be connected to the rear end of the light receiving unit 130 to collect data of light pulses guided through the light receiving unit 130 . Thereafter, the detector 140 may measure transmitted light power of the contaminated light transmission member 120 using the collected light pulse data. Here, the transmitted light output of the contaminated light penetrating member 120 may mean the intensity and amount of light pulses passing through the contaminated light penetrating member 120 .

When the transmitted light output of the contaminated light-transmitting member 120 is measured, the detection unit 140 transmits the light based on the difference between the transmitted light output of the contaminated light-transmitting member 120 and the transmitted light output of the uncontaminated light-transmitting member. reduction rate can be calculated. That is, the detection unit 140 may calculate the transmittance reduction rate due to contamination using Equation 1 below.

[Equation 1]

Here, the transmitted light power of the uncontaminated light transmission member may be a preset value.

Also, the detection unit 140 may calculate a permeation reduction rate according to the type of contaminant 125 . Here, the permeation reduction rate may have the same meaning as the degree of contamination.

For example, each contaminant 125 , such as soil, dust, or insects, may be applied to the light transmitting member 120 , and a transmission reduction rate for each contaminant 125 may be calculated. After soil is applied to the light transmitting member 120 , the detection unit 140 may calculate a transmittance reduction rate due to the soil. In addition, after the insect corpse is applied to the light transmitting member 120, the detection unit 140 may calculate a transmission reduction rate due to the insect corpse. Through this, the detection unit 140 may evaluate the degree of contamination of the recognition sensor according to the contaminant 125 .

In addition, when various contaminants 125 are mixed and applied to the light transmitting member 120, the detection unit 140 may calculate a transmission reduction rate of the recognition sensor based on the ratio of each contaminant 125.

Such a detection unit 140 may use a spectrometer and a photodetector capable of obtaining light data of a wavelength output by the cognitive sensor.

Meanwhile, the apparatus 100 for evaluating contamination level of a recognition sensor according to the present invention may perform a contamination evaluation operation of the recognition sensor by receiving a trigger signal. At this time, a driving signal for causing the light source unit 110 to emit light may be used as the trigger signal. Alternatively, as the trigger signal, a signal obtained by converting light emitted from the light source unit 110 into an electrical signal by a photoelectric converter (not shown) may be used. Thus, the recognition sensor contamination level evaluation apparatus 100 according to the present invention may further include a driving unit (not shown). The driving unit may drive the light source unit 110 and output light pulses from the light source unit 110 .

The perceptual sensor contamination evaluation apparatus 100 configured as described above is installed in a dark room as shown in FIG. 2 and can more accurately measure the transmittance change of the light pulse.

In addition, the recognition sensor contamination level evaluation apparatus 100 enables quantitative contamination evaluation according to the type of contaminant 125 as well as recognition sensors made by various companies.

In addition, the recognition sensor is a scanning operation method, and when contamination occurs, it is difficult to quantitatively express it as a decrease in point cloud and intensity. The effect of the contaminant 125 upon generation of the substance 125 may be expressed as a quantitative permeation reduction rate.

In addition, the perceptual sensor contamination measurement device has a simple test setup and can quickly and quickly measure only a desired wavelength.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for evaluating a degree of contamination of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the detection unit 140 collects light reception information of light pulses transmitted through the light transmitting member 120 coated with the contaminant 125 from the light receiving unit 130 (S310).

When step S310 is performed, the detection unit 140 measures the transmitted light power of the contaminated light transmission member 120 based on the light reception information (S320). At this time, the detector 140 may measure the intensity and amount of light of the light pulse passing through the contaminated light transmission member 120 as transmitted light output.

When step S320 is performed, the detection unit 140 compares the transmitted light power of the contaminated light penetrating member 120 with the transmitted light output of the uncontaminated light penetrating member (S330), and uses the comparison result to determine the contaminant ( 125) calculates the transmittance reduction rate (S340). At this time, the detector 140 may calculate the transmission reduction rate based on a difference between the transmitted light output of the contaminated light penetrating member 120 and the transmitted light output of the uncontaminated light penetrating member.

When various contaminants 125 are mixed and applied to the light transmission member 120 , the detection unit 140 may calculate a transmittance reduction rate of the recognition sensor based on the ratio of each contaminant 125 . Also, the detection unit 140 may calculate a permeation reduction rate according to the type of contaminant 125 .

As described above, the apparatus and method for evaluating contamination level of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention may measure a change in transmittance when contamination occurs in a cognitive sensor of a vehicle.

An apparatus and method for evaluating contamination level of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to another aspect of the present invention enable quantitative contamination evaluation according to the type of pollutant as well as the cognitive sensor made by various companies.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus and method for evaluating contamination level of a recognition sensor of a vehicle may express the effect of contaminants on a light transmission member at the same wavelength as the perception sensor in terms of a quantitative transmission reduction rate.

An apparatus and method for evaluating pollution degree of a cognitive sensor of a vehicle according to another aspect of the present invention have a simple test setup and can quickly and quickly measure only a desired wavelength.

Implementations described herein may be embodied in, for example, a method or process, an apparatus, a software program, a data stream, or a signal. Even if discussed only in the context of a single form of implementation (eg, discussed only as a method), the implementation of features discussed may also be implemented in other forms (eg, an apparatus or program). The device may be implemented in suitable hardware, software and firmware. The method may be implemented in an apparatus such as a processor, which is generally referred to as a processing device including, for example, a computer, microprocessor, integrated circuit, programmable logic device, or the like. Processors also include communication devices such as computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants ("PDAs") and other devices that facilitate communication of information between end-users.

The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but this is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications and equivalent other embodiments. will understand

Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the claims below.

100: recognition sensor pollution degree evaluation device
110: light source
120: light transmission member
125: contaminants
130: light receiving unit
140: detection unit

Claims (7)

a light source unit that outputs light pulses;
a light-transmitting member installed on the front surface of the light source unit, having a light-transmitting area coated with contaminants, and receiving the light pulse from the light source unit and transmitting the light-transmitting area;
a light receiving unit configured to receive light pulses transmitted through the light transmitting member; and
The transmitted light power of the contaminated light-transmitting member is measured based on the light-receiving information of the light-receiving unit, and the transmitted light power of the contaminated light-transmitting member is compared with the transmitted light power of the uncontaminated light-transmitting member. Detecting unit that calculates the permeation reduction rate by
Recognition sensor contamination evaluation device of a vehicle comprising a.
According to claim 1,
The light source unit is a vehicle perception sensor contamination evaluation device, characterized in that the pulsed laser diode outputs a light pulse of the same wavelength as the recognition sensor.
According to claim 1,
The light-transmitting member is a vehicle cognitive sensor contamination evaluation device, characterized in that composed of a window or a liquid crystal panel.
According to claim 1,
The light receiving unit and the optical axis of the vehicle recognition sensor contamination evaluation device, characterized in that the same arrangement.
According to claim 1,
The detecting unit,
The perceptual sensor contamination evaluation device of a vehicle, characterized in that the transmittance reduction rate is calculated based on the difference between the transmitted light output of the contaminated light transmitting member and the transmitted light output of the uncontaminated light transmitting member.
obtaining, by a detection unit, light receiving information of light pulses transmitted through the light transmitting member coated with the contaminant from the light receiving unit;
measuring, by the detection unit, transmitted light power of the contaminated light-transmitting member based on the light-receiving information; and
Calculating, by the detection unit, a transmittance reduction rate due to the pollutant by comparing the transmitted light output of the contaminated light-transmitting member with the transmitted light output of the uncontaminated light-transmitting member.
Cognitive sensor contamination evaluation method of a vehicle comprising a.
According to claim 6,
In the step of calculating the permeation reduction rate by the contaminant,
The detection unit calculates the transmission reduction rate based on a difference between the transmitted light output of the contaminated light transmitting member and the transmitted light output of the non-contaminated light transmitting member.

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