WO2014017404A1 - レンズ洗浄装置 - Google Patents

レンズ洗浄装置 Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2014017404A1
WO2014017404A1 PCT/JP2013/069668 JP2013069668W WO2014017404A1 WO 2014017404 A1 WO2014017404 A1 WO 2014017404A1 JP 2013069668 W JP2013069668 W JP 2013069668W WO 2014017404 A1 WO2014017404 A1 WO 2014017404A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
lens
cleaning
degree
white turbidity
unit
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/JP2013/069668
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English (en)
French (fr)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
耕太 入江
彰二 村松
雅幸 竹村
早川　泰久
修 深田
玲 宇田川
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Faurecia Clarion Electronics Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Clarion Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Clarion Co Ltd filed Critical Clarion Co Ltd
Priority to US14/417,772 priority Critical patent/US9616856B2/en
Priority to EP13822653.5A priority patent/EP2879368B1/en
Publication of WO2014017404A1 publication Critical patent/WO2014017404A1/ja
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60S1/00—Cleaning of vehicles
    • B60S1/02—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices
    • B60S1/56—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices specially adapted for cleaning other parts or devices than front windows or windscreens
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60S1/00—Cleaning of vehicles
    • B60S1/02—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices
    • B60S1/04—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers
    • B60S1/06—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by the drive
    • B60S1/08—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by the drive electrically driven
    • B60S1/0818—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by the drive electrically driven including control systems responsive to external conditions, e.g. by detection of moisture, dirt or the like
    • B60S1/0822—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by the drive electrically driven including control systems responsive to external conditions, e.g. by detection of moisture, dirt or the like characterized by the arrangement or type of detection means
    • B60S1/0833—Optical rain sensor
    • B60S1/0844—Optical rain sensor including a camera
    • B60S1/0848—Cleaning devices for cameras on vehicle
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60S1/00—Cleaning of vehicles
    • B60S1/02—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices
    • B60S1/46—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices using liquid; Windscreen washers
    • B60S1/48—Liquid supply therefor
    • B60S1/481—Liquid supply therefor the operation of at least part of the liquid supply being controlled by electric means
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B27/00—Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00
    • G02B27/0006—Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00 with means to keep optical surfaces clean, e.g. by preventing or removing dirt, stains, contamination, condensation
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
    • G06T7/00—Image analysis
    • G06T7/10—Segmentation; Edge detection
    • G06T7/174—Segmentation; Edge detection involving the use of two or more images
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
    • H04N23/80—Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
    • H04N23/81—Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation
    • H04N23/811—Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation by dust removal, e.g. from surfaces of the image sensor or processing of the image signal output by the electronic image sensor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60S1/00—Cleaning of vehicles
    • B60S1/02—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices
    • B60S1/46—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices using liquid; Windscreen washers
    • B60S1/48—Liquid supply therefor
    • B60S1/52—Arrangement of nozzles; Liquid spreading means
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60S1/00—Cleaning of vehicles
    • B60S1/02—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices
    • B60S1/54—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices using gas, e.g. hot air

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a lens cleaning device for cleaning dirt on a lens surface caused by precipitation of impurities contained in water adhering to a lens surface of a camera by drying of the water.
  • a system for recognizing a surrounding environment of a vehicle has been put into practical use for determining the possibility of contact with another vehicle and the possibility of lane departure based on the position and the position of a lane marker.
  • the water rolled up by the vehicle may adhere to the lens surface of the camera.
  • dust rolled up by the host vehicle may adhere to the lens surface of the camera.
  • the snow melting agent rolled up by the host vehicle may adhere to the lens surface of the camera.
  • the lens has a low turbidity level, i.e., when the dirt is small, it can be cleaned reliably, but when the lens turbidity level is high, i.e., when there is a lot of dirt, the lens cannot be cleaned sufficiently and the cloudiness remains. There was a problem.
  • the cleaning liquid is wasted because it is sprayed more than necessary.
  • the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a lens cleaning device capable of performing appropriate cleaning according to the degree of turbidity of a lens by switching the cleaning method according to the degree of turbidity of the lens. With the goal.
  • the lens cleaning device relates to a lens cleaning device capable of cleaning white turbidity due to impurities deposited by drying of moisture, dust, snow melting agent and the like attached to the lens surface of the camera.
  • a lens cleaning device is installed in a host vehicle, observes the surroundings of the host vehicle through a lens, and converts the observed optical signals around the host vehicle into image signals.
  • An imaging unit a white turbidity degree calculating unit for calculating a white turbidity degree of the lens based on luminance characteristics, and a lens that cleans the surface of the lens by ejecting a cleaning liquid or compressed air from the image signal A cleaning unit; and a lens cleaning control unit that sets a cleaning liquid or a jetting mode of compressed air in the lens cleaning unit based on the degree of cloudiness of the lens calculated by the cloudiness level calculation unit.
  • the optical signal transmitted through the lens is converted into an image signal in the imaging unit that is installed in the own vehicle and images the surroundings of the own vehicle.
  • the turbidity degree calculation unit calculates the turbidity degree of the lens surface based on the luminance characteristics such as edge intensity distribution and luminance gradient in the image signal, and the lens cleaning control unit calculates the turbidity degree thus calculated.
  • the lens surface Based on the cleaning liquid sprayed from the lens cleaning unit, or set the jet form of compressed air to clean the lens surface, the lens surface can be cleaned by a cleaning method according to the degree of turbidity of the lens, Thereby, the cloudiness of the lens can be reliably washed.
  • the white turbidity of the lens surface can be reliably cleaned by cleaning the lens using a cleaning method corresponding to the degree of turbidity of the lens.
  • FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a lens cleaning unit in the lens cleaning device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
  • (B) is the figure which looked at (a) from the direction of the paper surface right side.
  • 5 is a flowchart of processing performed by a lens cleaning control unit when performing air cleaning in the lens cleaning device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
  • 7 is a flowchart of processing performed by a lens cleaning control unit when dropping a cleaning liquid in the lens cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • 5 is a flowchart of processing performed by a lens cleaning control unit when performing high-pressure cleaning in the lens cleaning device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
  • 5 is a flowchart of a fail process performed by a system fail determination unit in the lens cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the modification of Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart of the main routine performed in the modification of Example 1 of this invention.
  • the gray value stored in the image is referred to as a luminance value.
  • the lens cleaning device of the present invention is implemented by a BSW system that monitors the rear of the traveling vehicle and alerts or warns when there is an approaching vehicle in the adjacent lane behind the traveling vehicle. This is an example applied to a vehicle.
  • the imaging unit 10 that monitors the rear of the host vehicle 5 is attached to the rear part of the host vehicle 5 in a rearward direction, and includes a range ⁇ (lanes L 1 , L 2 , L of the road 2 including the left and right adjacent lanes behind the host vehicle 5. 3 ). Then, the image processing, from among the captured images to detect the approaching vehicle present in the adjacent lane L 1, L 3.
  • the BSW system is activated when the host vehicle 5 is traveling at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher, and the other vehicle 6 is detected in the adjacent lanes L 1 and L 3 of the lane L 2 within the distance d from the imaging unit 10. Then, when it is confirmed that the detected other vehicle 6 is approaching the host vehicle 5, the other vehicle 6 is recognized as an approaching vehicle.
  • the approach of the other vehicle 6 is determined by analyzing the temporal change in the position of the other vehicle 6 and recognizing that it is approaching the host vehicle 5.
  • the presence of the approaching vehicle is transmitted to the driver as visual information, for example, by turning on an indicator provided in the host vehicle 5 (1). Next alarm).
  • FIG. 2 shows a configuration diagram when the lens cleaning device according to the present embodiment is applied to the host vehicle 5 on which the BSW system 9 is mounted.
  • the lens cleaning device 8 As shown in FIG. 2, the lens cleaning device 8 according to the first embodiment is installed near the rear license plate of the host vehicle 5 (see FIG. 1), and the imaging unit 10 that observes the range ⁇ shown in FIG.
  • the white turbidity degree calculating unit 40 that calculates the degree of white turbidity of the lens 12 mounted in front of the image pickup unit 10 from the image picked up by the image pickup unit 10 and the lens cleaning control unit 60 that determines the cleaning method of the lens 12 A lens cleaning unit 70 that cleans the lens 12; a white turbidity notification unit that notifies the lens cleaning control unit 60 and the BSW system 9 of the white turbidity calculated by the BSW system 9 and the white turbidity calculation unit 40; 50, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 5, the vehicle information acquisition part 80 which acquires the operation signal of a wiper, and the information output part 85 which displays the information which the lens washing
  • the imaging unit 10 further includes a lens 12, a photoelectric conversion unit 14 configured by, for example, a CMOS element that photoelectrically converts an optical signal into an electrical signal, and a gain adjustment unit 16 that adjusts the gain of the photoelectrically converted electrical signal. It has.
  • the turbidity degree calculation unit 40 further includes a region detection unit 20 that detects an image of a headlamp of a following vehicle, and a luminance gradient that calculates a luminance gradient on a predetermined line in the region detected by the region detection unit 20.
  • the luminance gradient average value calculation unit 42 that calculates the average value of the luminance gradients on a plurality of predetermined lines, and the areas detected by the area detection unit 20 at different times are images from the same light source
  • a similarity calculation unit 44 that determines whether or not, and a certainty factor determination unit 46 that determines the certainty factor of the calculated degree of turbidity.
  • the lens cleaning control unit 60 further includes an automatic cleaning determination unit 62 that determines a cleaning method (hereinafter referred to as a cleaning mode) when the lens 12 is cleaned in the lens cleaning unit 70, and a lens 12 is cleaned.
  • a system failure determination unit 64 that determines that white turbidity cannot be eliminated is provided.
  • the configuration of the lens cleaning unit 70 will be described later.
  • the BSW system 9 includes an approaching vehicle detection unit 100 that detects an approaching vehicle from an image captured by the imaging unit 10, and an indicator or a buzzer when an approaching vehicle is detected by the approaching vehicle detection unit 100.
  • An alarm output unit 90 for alerting is provided.
  • the lens cleaning device 8 the image of the headlamp of the following vehicle traveling in the same lane L 2 (see FIG. 1) as the host vehicle 5 from the images captured by the imaging unit 10.
  • the brightness gradient on the predetermined line in the image of the headlamp is detected, and the degree of white turbidity of the lens is calculated based on the brightness gradient thus calculated.
  • the degree of white turbidity of the lens 12 can be calculated only at night when the image of the headlight is observed.
  • a strong light source such as a headlamp is rarely directly incident on the imaging unit 10 and the observed background luminance is relatively high, so that even if the lens 12 has some cloudiness, observation is possible.
  • the reduction in the contrast of the image to be performed is relatively small, so that no problem occurs in the operation of the BSW system 9.
  • FIG. 3 (a) and 3 (b) show images I (x, x) including headlights of the following vehicle actually observed by the imaging unit 10 of the lens cleaning device 8 and traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle 5. This is an example of y).
  • FIG. 3A shows an image when the surface of the lens 12 is not clouded
  • FIG. 3B shows an image when the surface of the lens 12 is clouded.
  • the graph shown below the image I (x, y) is a search direction (line) extending leftward from the search start point O in the headlight image.
  • the threshold value B (second threshold) smaller than the threshold value A after the luminance distribution Ld on the line OP falls below the threshold value A (first threshold value).
  • the luminance distribution Ld on line OQ is, from below the threshold A, the number of horizontal direction pixels to below a smaller threshold value B than the threshold A and R W.
  • D I the luminance difference
  • the luminance gradient g is expressed as D I / L W (luminance gradient on the line OP) and ⁇ D I / R W (luminance gradient on the line OQ). It is defined as At this time, in the case of FIG. 3A in which the cloudiness is not present, the absolute value of the luminance gradient g is a large value, and the spread of the luminance distribution Ld is narrow and steep.
  • the lens cleaning device 8 calculates the degree of white turbidity of the lens 12 by using the magnitude of the luminance gradient g. That is, the smaller the absolute value of the luminance gradient g, the higher the degree of white turbidity. As will be described in detail later, in order to increase the certainty of the calculation of the degree of white turbidity, it is determined that white turbidity has occurred when a state where the luminance gradient g is small continues for a certain period.
  • FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a main routine for performing lens cleaning in the lens cleaning device 8 according to the first embodiment.
  • step S5 the vehicle information acquisition unit 80 acquires the vehicle speed signal of the host vehicle 5 and the operation signal of the wiper.
  • step S10 the value of the vehicle speed signal acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 80 is analyzed by the approaching vehicle detection unit 100.
  • the process proceeds to step S11 and the BSW system 9 is activated.
  • the process returns to step S5.
  • step S12 the imaging unit 10 captures an image behind the host vehicle 5. Then, the optical signal transmitted through the lens 12 is converted into an electric signal by the photoelectric conversion unit 14 and further amplified by the gain adjustment unit 16 to generate an image signal I (x, y).
  • the image signal I (x, y) is simply referred to as an image I (x, y).
  • the gain adjusting unit 16 gives an appropriate gain so that the level of the electrical signal converted by the photoelectric conversion unit 14 becomes a predetermined level, and amplifies the signal to obtain an image I (x, y). Thereby, even in a dark environment, an image I (x, y) having a high S / N ratio can be obtained by giving an appropriate gain.
  • the gain adjustment is executed as needed together with imaging, and the gain adjustment unit 16 is configured to monitor the latest gain value.
  • step S14 only when the gain value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that is, when it is determined that the environment in which the image I (x, y) is captured is nighttime, the area detection unit 20 captured image I (x, y) from the, detects an area of the image of the headlight (light source) of the following vehicle traveling in the same lane L 2 between the vehicle 5. Details of this processing will be described later.
  • step S14 when the gain value is smaller than the predetermined value, it is determined that the environment in which the image I (x, y) is imaged is daytime, and the lens turbidity is calculated and the lens is washed. First, the BSW system 9 is operated.
  • step S15 the luminance gradient calculation unit 30 calculates the luminance gradient g in the headlamp image area detected in step S14. Details of this processing will be described later.
  • step S16 the white turbidity degree calculation unit 40 calculates the white turbidity degree of the lens 12 based on the luminance gradient g calculated in step S15. Details of this processing will be described later.
  • step S17 the degree of cloudiness of the lens 12 calculated in step S16 is notified to the automatic washing determination unit 62 and the approaching vehicle detection unit 100 through the cloudiness degree notification unit 50.
  • step S ⁇ b> 18 the lens cleaning unit 70 cleans the lens 12 based on an instruction from the lens cleaning control unit 60. Details of this processing will be described later.
  • step S19 the approaching vehicle detection unit 100 appropriately switches the behavior of the BSW system 9 according to the degree of white turbidity of the lens 12 notified from the white turbidity degree notification unit 50 after the lens cleaning is completed. That is, when the white turbidity of the lens 12 is eliminated, the BSW system 9 is operated as usual. On the other hand, when the cloudiness of the lens 12 is not eliminated, the operation of the BSW system 9 is stopped (system failure), and the information output unit 85 displays on the display installed in the host vehicle 5 that the system failure has occurred. Thus, the passenger of the host vehicle 5 is notified.
  • step S14 of FIG. 4 will be described in detail using the flowchart of FIG. 5 and the image of FIG.
  • step S20 of FIG. 5 the image I (x, y) imaged by the imaging unit 10 is reduced, for example, is changed to a size of 1/2 in the vertical direction and 1/2 in the horizontal direction, and the reduced image I ′ (X, y) is generated.
  • the reason for reducing the image in this way is to reduce the amount of memory required for image processing by reducing the size of the image and to improve the processing speed.
  • the specific reduction ratio is determined in consideration of the computer environment to be used, the resolution of the image, and the like, and is not limited to the above values.
  • the above-described image reduction is performed by thinning out pixels, this may be performed by averaging the luminance values of neighboring pixels.
  • this process for example, the image shown in FIG. 7A is reduced to the image shown in FIG.
  • step S21 the reduced image I '(x, y) obtained by reducing in step S20 in, the following vehicle traveling on the same lane L 2 between the vehicle 5, an area where the headlight image objects appear To do. This is because the position where the headlight of the following vehicle is reflected can be predicted in advance, so that the processing range is limited and the subsequent processing is performed efficiently.
  • FIG. 6 An example of the processing area set in this way is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, a processing area E having (x1, y1) as the upper left and (x2, y2) as the lower right is set for an image having a horizontal pixel number n and a vertical pixel number m. .
  • the vertical position of the processing area E is determined by the mounting position of the imaging unit 10 in the height direction and the mounting angle in the vertical direction with respect to the host vehicle 5, and the vertical coordinate V Y of the vanishing point corresponding to the infinity point (see FIG. 6)).
  • the horizontal position of the processing area E is set according to the mounting position of the imaging unit 10 in the horizontal direction with respect to the host vehicle 5. That is, if the imaging unit 10 is installed in the center of the host vehicle 5, the processing area E is set symmetrically in the reduced image I ′ (x, y).
  • FIG. 6 is an example when the mounting position of the imaging unit 10 on the host vehicle 5 is offset to the left and right, and the processing area E is set at a left-right asymmetric position.
  • step S22 of FIG. 5 the reduced image I ′ (x, y) is binarized with a predetermined threshold for the inside of the processing area E set in step S21.
  • This predetermined threshold value image can be detected in the headlights of a following vehicle traveling on the same lane L 2 between the vehicle 5 is used.
  • This threshold value is obtained in advance by experiments or the like and stored in the region detection unit 20.
  • a binary image shown in FIG. 7C is obtained.
  • a labeling process is performed on the binary image generated in step S22.
  • the labeling process is a process performed on the binary image, and is a process of assigning a number to each area forming the binary image.
  • step S24 of FIG. 5 it is determined whether or not there is a headlight image in the image labeled in step S23.
  • the process performed here is demonstrated using FIG. 8 (a), (b).
  • the imaging unit 10 By the imaging unit 10, the image of the headlight of the following vehicle traveling the same lane L 2 between the vehicle 5 will substantially circular shape as in the region R 0 shown in FIG. 8 (a). Then, for each area subjected to the labeling process, the area of the area occupies a predetermined ratio or more with respect to the area HW of the rectangular area (vertical pixel number H, horizontal pixel number W) circumscribing the area. And that the width and height of the rectangle circumscribing the region do not differ by more than a predetermined ratio.
  • the criterion for determining the area is expressed by (Equation 1)
  • the criterion for determining the width and height of the circumscribed rectangle is expressed by (Equation 2).
  • S is the area of the region
  • Th S is a threshold value of area occupancy with respect to the rectangular region (Th S ⁇ 1)
  • Th W is a threshold value for limiting the horizontal length of the rectangular region.
  • Th W > 1) and Th H is a threshold value (Th H > 1) that limits the length of the rectangular region in the vertical direction.
  • regions having shapes such as regions R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 shown in FIG. 8B are determined not to be images of headlamps and are rejected.
  • one region that satisfies the condition is selected.
  • one region having the largest area is selected.
  • fills conditions is not found (when step S24 is NO), it returns to a main routine (FIG. 4).
  • step S25 the gravity center position G of the area selected in step S24 is calculated. If the coordinates of the centroid position G of the region are G (Gx, Gy), the horizontal position Gx of the centroid position G is calculated by dividing the sum of the horizontal coordinates of all the pixels constituting the region by the area of the region. The Further, the vertical position Gy of the gravity center position G is calculated by dividing the sum of the vertical coordinates of all the pixels constituting the region by the area of the region. Then, the process of FIG. 5 is terminated and the process returns to the main routine (FIG. 4).
  • FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of luminance gradient calculation processing performed by the luminance gradient calculation unit 30.
  • FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of a predetermined line for calculating the luminance gradient and an example of the luminance gradient calculated in the predetermined line.
  • a search start point O for calculating the luminance gradient g is set in the reduced image I ′ (x, y).
  • a search direction (line) for calculating the luminance gradient g is set.
  • the search start point O and the line are positions and directions that are not easily influenced by the splash that the host vehicle 5 rolls up, the road surface reflection of the headlamp of the following vehicle, the headlamp of the vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane, etc. May be determined and set by experiment or the like.
  • Oy Oy is obtained by (Expression 3), where Oy is the vertical coordinate of the search start point O, and Jy is the vertical coordinate of the uppermost point J in the region R0 .
  • Oy Jy + (Gy ⁇ Jy) / Th y (Formula 3)
  • the threshold Th y is set to a value greater than zero.
  • the threshold value Th y is set based on experiments or the like.
  • lines that pass through the search start point O and are parallel to the horizontal line that passes through the center of gravity G of the region R0 are set as the line OP and the line OQ.
  • step S32 the luminance value Ld is calculated by reading the luminance value stored in the reduced image I '(x, y) from the search start point O toward the point P on the line OP.
  • step S33 the luminance distribution Ld is calculated by reading the luminance value stored in the reduced image I ′ (x, y) on the line OQ.
  • the luminance distribution Ld calculated in this way is as shown in the graph in FIG.
  • the luminance distribution Ld on the line OP and the luminance distribution on the line OQ are shown in one graph.
  • step S34 the sizes of the left and right bases of the luminance distribution Ld are obtained.
  • a threshold value A of luminance value and a threshold value B of luminance value smaller than A are prepared in advance.
  • the previously created luminance distribution Ld is searched in the left direction from the search start point O toward the point P, and as shown in FIG.
  • the interval with the position below the threshold value B is calculated as the left-right direction pixel number Lw.
  • a search is performed in the right direction from the search start point O toward the point Q, and the interval between the position where the luminance value is lower than the threshold value A and the position where the luminance value is lower than the threshold value B is determined in the left-right direction. Calculated as the number of pixels Rw.
  • FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the cloudiness degree calculation process performed by the cloudiness degree calculation unit 40.
  • FIG. 12 is a figure explaining the state transition showing transition of the certainty degree of a cloudiness degree.
  • step S40 it is determined whether or not D I / Lw and ⁇ D I / Rw, which are the left and right luminance gradients g of the region R 0 , are symmetrical.
  • the gap G I of brightness gradient g calculated by the equation (4) is carried out by confirming or less than a predetermined threshold value Th G.
  • G I (
  • step S41 the degree of white turbidity U of the lens 12 is calculated.
  • the degree of white turbidity U is calculated as an average value of the reciprocals of D I / Lw and ⁇ D I / Rw, which are the left and right luminance gradients g.
  • U ⁇ (Lw / D I ) + (Rw / D I ) ⁇ / 2 (Formula 5)
  • the reciprocal of the luminance gradient g is averaged, so that the higher the degree of white turbidity of the lens 12 (the more dirty it is), the larger the value of U becomes. This process is performed in the luminance gradient average value calculation unit 42 shown in FIG.
  • step S42 a region R 0 of the previously detected, whether the same as the region R 0 detected in the processing of one time before the, i.e., whether considered image from the same source Determined.
  • This determination is performed by comparing the average value Ave (U) of the white turbidity degree U calculated by the past processing and the latest white turbidity degree U calculated by (Equation 5). Then, when the difference between the average value Ave (U) of the past turbidity degree U and the latest turbidity degree U is small, it is determined that the region is an image formed by the same light source.
  • Th LOW ⁇ U / Ave (U) ⁇ Th HIGH (Formula 6)
  • Th LOW is a minimum threshold value for determining an image by the same light source
  • Th HIGH is a maximum threshold value for determining an image by the same light source.
  • step S43 the total number of times T indicating that images that can be regarded as being from the same light source are continuously detected is incremented, and the process proceeds to step S44. move on.
  • the processing after step S43 is performed in the certainty factor determination unit 46 shown in FIG. 2, and the value of the total number of times T incremented in step S43 is stored in the certainty factor determination unit 46 as needed.
  • step S47 the total number of times T is decremented, and the process proceeds to step S48. Note that the process of step S47 is performed in the certainty factor determination unit 46 shown in FIG. 2, and the value of the total count T decremented in step S47 is stored in the certainty factor determination unit 46 as needed.
  • step S44 the degree of turbidity U previously calculated in step S41 is stored in the certainty factor determination unit 46.
  • step S45 the average value Ave (U) of the cloudiness degree U calculated by the past process is recalculated and updated using the cloudiness degree U previously calculated in step S41.
  • the updated average value Ave (U) of the degree of white turbidity U is stored in the certainty factor determination unit 46.
  • step S48 the certainty factor F of the calculated turbidity degree U is determined.
  • the certainty factor F is represented by the value of the total number of times T described above. Then, the greater the value of T, that is, the greater the degree of white turbidity U calculated based on the luminance gradient g of the images considered to be from the same light source detected continuously, the higher the certainty factor F is determined.
  • the certainty factor F is divided into four levels (Ph0, Ph1, Ph2, Ph3) and managed. And the level of each certainty factor F changes according to the value of T.
  • the level of certainty factor F is Ph0, and when the value of the total number of times T indicating that images that can be regarded as being from the same light source are continuously detected exceeds a predetermined value T1, The level of certainty factor F shifts to Ph1. Thereafter, when the value of the total number of times T exceeds the predetermined value T2, the level of the certainty factor F shifts to Ph2, and when the value of the total number of times T exceeds the predetermined value T3, the level of the certainty factor F shifts to Ph3.
  • the level of certainty factor F when the level of certainty factor F is at Ph3, when the value of the total number of times T is decremented and falls below a predetermined value T4, the level of certainty factor F shifts to Ph2, and then the value of the total number of times T is a predetermined value.
  • T5 When the value falls below T5, the level of certainty factor F shifts to Ph1, and when the value of the total count T falls below a predetermined value T6, the level of certainty factor F shifts to Ph0.
  • the predetermined value Tc 1 is added to the total number of times T when the certainty factor F transitions to a high level. , it is also possible to take action for subtracting a predetermined value Tc 2 from total number T when the confidence F transitions to a low level.
  • step S40 if it is determined that the right and left luminance gradients g of the region R0 are not symmetrical, the value of the total number of times T is set in step S48. You may decrement.
  • step S18 of FIG. 4 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
  • the lens cleaning unit 70 is configured to eject the cleaning liquid 114 and the compressed air 120 toward the surface of the lens 12 from a cleaning nozzle 79 installed in the housing of the imaging unit 10. It has become.
  • the cleaning liquid 114 is also used as the window washer liquid of the host vehicle 5 and is stored in the main washer tank 71. Then, an amount of the cleaning liquid 114 necessary for cleaning the lens 12 is sent to the sub washer tank 73 by the washer pump 72 through the first cleaning liquid channel 74.
  • Compressed air 120 compressed by the air pump 76 is sent through the air flow path 77 at a pressure corresponding to the driving force of the air pump 76 and is ejected from the cleaning nozzle 79.
  • the cleaning liquid 114 in the second cleaning liquid channel 75 is sucked out by the compressed air 120 ejected from the cleaning nozzle 79, and together with the compressed air 120, the cleaning nozzle 79. Is injected from.
  • FIG. 13B is a view of FIG. 13A as viewed from the right side of the drawing, that is, from the front side of the lens 12. As shown in FIG. 13B, the cleaning liquid 114 and the compressed air 120 are jetted toward a range that covers the front surface of the lens 12.
  • FIG. 14A shows an operation (dropping) of forming a film 112 of the cleaning liquid 114 on the surface of the lens 12 by dropping a water droplet 110 of the cleaning liquid onto the surface of the lens 12 from the cleaning nozzle 79.
  • This washing mode is applied when the degree of white turbidity U is a value between a relatively small predetermined value a1 and a predetermined value a2 larger than a1.
  • the film 112 of the cleaning liquid 114 formed on the surface of the lens 12 clears the field of view of the imaging unit 10 and allows an image of an approaching vehicle I (x, y) to be detected. Can be obtained.
  • the dropping of the cleaning liquid 114 is performed after the cleaning liquid 114 is transferred from the main washer tank 71 to the sub-washer tank 73 by operating the washer pump 72 in FIG. Then, the air pump 76 is operated with a small driving force for a predetermined short time, the compressed air 120 is jetted from the cleaning nozzle 79 with a small pressure, and the cleaning liquid 114 in the second cleaning liquid channel 75 is sucked out in the form of water droplets, This is realized by dropping a water droplet 110 of the sucked cleaning liquid onto the surface of the lens 12.
  • FIG. 14B shows an operation (high pressure cleaning) in which the cleaning liquid 114 and the compressed air 120 are sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 79 onto the surface of the lens 12.
  • This cleaning mode is applied when the degree of white turbidity U is larger than a predetermined value a2. Then, by executing this cleaning mode (high pressure cleaning), the cloudiness of the surface of the lens 12 is cleaned and washed away, so that the field of view of the imaging unit 10 is cleared and an approaching vehicle can be detected.
  • x, y can be obtained.
  • This high-pressure cleaning state is realized by operating the air pump 76 for a predetermined time after operating the washer pump 72 and transferring the cleaning liquid 114 from the main washer tank 71 to the sub-washer tank 73 in FIG. Is done.
  • FIG. 14C shows an operation (air cleaning) of injecting compressed air 120 from the cleaning nozzle 79 onto the surface of the lens 12.
  • This cleaning mode is applied when the degree of white turbidity U is a relatively small predetermined value a1 or less (when the degree of white turbidity is small) and injects compressed air 120 onto water droplets adhering to the surface of the lens 12. Is a cleaning method that blows off water droplets. Then, by executing this cleaning mode (air cleaning), the water droplets adhering to the surface of the lens 12 are blown off, so that the field of view of the imaging unit 10 is cleared and the approaching vehicle can be detected. , y).
  • This air cleaning state is realized by operating the air pump 76 for a predetermined time after emptying the sub washer tank 73 in FIG.
  • FIG. 15 shows a list of parameters necessary for determining the cleaning mode and determining the operation stop (system failure) of the BSW system 9 due to the high degree of white turbidity U, and the range of values of each parameter.
  • the cleaning mode and the system failure include a white turbidity degree U, a white turbidity degree certainty factor F, a counter value (C1, C2, C3, Cf) indicating the duration, and a counter value indicating the number of times of cleaning. It is determined based on (n1, n2, n3). And the threshold value described in FIG. 15 which switches each washing
  • FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the flow of lens cleaning control performed by the lens cleaning control unit 60.
  • FIGS. 17 to 20 are subroutines of FIG. 16 and show the flow of lens cleaning control corresponding to each cleaning mode.
  • step S ⁇ b> 50 the automatic cleaning determination unit 62 determines whether or not the host vehicle 5 is using the wiper based on the wiper operation signal of the host vehicle 5 acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 80. If the wiper is used, it is determined that the host vehicle 5 is traveling on a wet road surface, and the process proceeds to step S51. If the wiper is not used, the host vehicle 5 is traveling on a dry road surface. The process proceeds to step S53.
  • step S51 the automatic cleaning determination unit 62 determines whether to perform air cleaning. And when it is the conditions which perform air cleaning, air cleaning is performed. Details of the processing of this part will be described later.
  • step S52 the automatic cleaning determination unit 62 determines whether or not to perform dripping. And when it is the conditions which perform dripping, dripping of a washing
  • step S53 the automatic cleaning determination unit 62 determines whether to perform high pressure cleaning. And when it is the conditions for performing high pressure cleaning, high pressure cleaning is performed. Details of the processing of this part will be described later.
  • step S50 when it is determined that the host vehicle 5 is traveling on a dry road surface, high-pressure cleaning is performed without performing air cleaning and dripping.
  • step S54 the system failure determination unit 64 determines whether or not to stop the operation of the system (BSW system 9 in this embodiment).
  • the system (BSW system 9 in this embodiment).
  • the white turbidity U is very high and the white turbidity cannot be removed even if the lens 12 is washed, or when the white turbidity U is not improved even after washing a predetermined number of times, the operation of the BSW system 9 is performed. Stop. Details of the processing of this part will be described later.
  • step S54 the process returns to the main routine (FIG. 4).
  • step S60 it is determined whether or not the degree of white turbidity U is less than the predetermined value a1 and the certainty factor F is greater than or equal to the predetermined value F3. If the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S61. If the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S62.
  • step S61 the duration counter value C3 is incremented.
  • step S62 the counter value C3 of the duration is reset.
  • step S63 it is determined whether or not the continuation time counter value C3 is larger than a predetermined value t3.
  • step S64 If c3> t3, air cleaning is executed in step S64. On the other hand, when c3> t3 does not hold, the process returns to the main routine of FIG.
  • step S65 the counter value n3 of the number of times of cleaning by air cleaning is incremented.
  • step S66 it is determined whether or not the counter value n3 of the number of times of cleaning by air cleaning is larger than a predetermined value N3. If the counter value n3 of the number of times of cleaning by air cleaning is larger than the predetermined value N3, the process proceeds to step S67, and otherwise returns to the main routine of FIG.
  • step S67 when the counter value n3 of the number of times of cleaning by air cleaning is larger than the predetermined value N3, it is determined that the white turbidity cannot be removed even if the air cleaning is performed a predetermined number of times or more, and the third fail flag FF3 is set. Set. Thereafter, the process returns to the main routine of FIG.
  • step S70 it is determined whether the degree of white turbidity U is equal to or greater than a predetermined value a1 and less than a predetermined value a2, and whether the certainty factor F is equal to or greater than a predetermined value F1. If the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S71. If the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S72.
  • step S71 the counter value C1 of the duration is incremented.
  • step S72 the counter value C1 of the duration time is reset.
  • step S73 it is determined whether or not the counter value C1 of the duration is greater than a predetermined value t1.
  • step S74 If c1> t1, the cleaning liquid is dropped in step S74. On the other hand, when c1> t1, the process returns to the main routine of FIG.
  • step S75 the counter value n1 of the number of cleanings by dripping is incremented.
  • step S76 it is determined whether or not the counter value n1 of the number of cleanings by dripping is larger than a predetermined value N1. Then, when the counter value n1 of the number of cleanings by dripping is larger than the predetermined value N1, the process proceeds to step S77, and otherwise returns to the main routine of FIG.
  • step S77 when the counter value n1 of the number of cleanings by dripping is larger than the predetermined value N1, it is determined that white turbidity cannot be removed even if the dripping is performed a predetermined number of times or more, and the first fail flag FF1 is set. The Thereafter, the process returns to the main routine of FIG.
  • step S80 it is determined whether or not the degree of white turbidity U is equal to or greater than a predetermined value a2 and less than a predetermined value af, and whether the certainty factor F is equal to or greater than a predetermined value F2. If the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S81. If the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S82.
  • step S81 the counter value C2 of the duration is incremented.
  • step S82 the counter value C2 of the duration time is reset.
  • step S83 it is determined whether or not the continuation time counter value C2 is larger than a predetermined value t2.
  • step S84 If c2> t2, high pressure cleaning is executed in step S84. On the other hand, if c2> t2, the process returns to the main routine of FIG.
  • step S85 the counter value n2 of the number of times of cleaning by high pressure cleaning is incremented.
  • step S86 it is determined whether or not the counter value n2 of the number of times of cleaning by high-pressure cleaning is larger than a predetermined value N2. Then, when the counter value n2 of the number of times of cleaning by high pressure cleaning is larger than the predetermined value N2, the process proceeds to step S87, and otherwise returns to the main routine of FIG.
  • step S87 when the counter value n2 of the number of times of cleaning by high pressure cleaning is larger than the predetermined value N2, it is determined that white turbidity cannot be removed even if the high pressure cleaning is performed a predetermined number of times or more, and the second fail flag FF2 is set. Set. Thereafter, the process returns to the main routine of FIG.
  • step S90 it is determined whether or not the degree of white turbidity U is equal to or greater than a predetermined value af and the certainty factor F is equal to or greater than a predetermined value Ff. If the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S91. If the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S92.
  • step S91 the counter value Cf of the duration time is incremented.
  • step S92 the counter value Cf of the duration time is reset.
  • step S93 it is determined whether or not the continuation time counter value Cf is larger than a predetermined value tf.
  • step S94 the system failure determination unit 64 notifies the approaching vehicle detection unit 100 that a system failure is to be performed. On the other hand, when cf> tf is not satisfied, the process returns to the main routine of FIG.
  • step S95 the states of the first fail flag FF1, the second fail flag FF2, and the third fail flag FF3 are confirmed. If any of the first fail flag FF1, the second fail flag FF2, and the third fail flag FF3 is set, the process proceeds to step S94.
  • step S19 of FIG. 4 the approaching vehicle detection unit 100 and the alarm output unit 90 perform behavior control of the BSW system 9. That is, when the lens cleaning control unit 60 determines that the system should fail, the BSW system 9 is shifted to the fail state.
  • the approaching vehicle detection unit 100 and the alarm output unit 90 stop their functions, and the information output unit 85 or the alarm output unit 90 indicates that the BSW system 9 has shifted to the fail state, such as a screen display or an indicator. Is notified to the passenger of the host vehicle 5.
  • a timer prepared in advance is activated so that the fail state is maintained until a predetermined time elapses.
  • the lens cleaning control unit 60 determines that the system failure condition is not satisfied, that is, when it is determined that the white turbidity of the lens 12 is eliminated by the cleaning, the BSW system 9 continues the predetermined operation. .
  • the behavior control of the BSW system 9 is not limited to failing the system as described above. That is, when the degree of white turbidity U of the lens 12 is high, the edge detection threshold in the image processing performed by the approaching vehicle detection unit 100 is reduced, and the edge composing points constituting the other vehicle 6 are contrasted by the white turbidity of the lens 12. Even if blurring or bleeding occurs due to the decrease in the above, it may be possible to reliably detect this.
  • the white turbidity degree U of the surface of the lens 12 is calculated based on the luminance gradient g in the image I (x, y), and the lens cleaning control unit 60 calculates in this way based on the calculated white turbidity degree U.
  • the example in which the cleaning liquid 114 from the lens cleaning unit 70 or the jetting form of the compressed air 120 is set to clean the surface of the lens 12 based on the measured turbidity degree U has been described. Is not limited to the method based on the luminance gradient g.
  • the turbidity degree U of the surface of the lens 12 may be calculated based on the distribution state of the edge intensity in the image I (x, y).
  • the image I (x, y) becomes unclear.
  • the degree of the unclearness increases as the degree of white turbidity U increases.
  • the degree of blurring can be calculated based on the distribution of edge intensity in the image I (x, y).
  • FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a configuration of the lens cleaning device 18 that controls the cleaning method of the lens 12 based on the degree of white turbidity U calculated based on the distribution of edge intensity, which is a modification of the first embodiment.
  • the configuration is substantially the same as that in FIG. 2, and a white turbidity degree calculation unit 130 is provided instead of the white turbidity degree calculation unit 40.
  • the white turbidity degree calculation unit 130 uses an edge strength calculation unit 132 that calculates the edge strength in the image captured by the imaging unit 10, and the edge strength calculated by the edge strength calculation unit 132.
  • the edge intensity analyzer 134 calculates the white turbidity degree U of the lens 12 based on the edge intensity distribution in the screen.
  • the flow of the flowchart of FIG. 22 is substantially the same as the flow of the flowchart of FIG. 4 described above, and only the portions for calculating the degree of white turbidity U (steps S104, S105, S106) are different, and therefore different portions will be described.
  • step S104 the edge strength calculation unit 132 sets a region for edge detection in the image I (x, y) captured by the imaging unit 10.
  • the region where edge detection is performed may be the entire image I (x, y), or may be limited to a position where an edge is likely to appear.
  • an area including the horizon behind the host vehicle 5 is set, edge detection is performed on the inside of the area, and the edge strength is calculated based on the edge formed by the horizon. Further, at night, an area including the adjacent lanes L 1 and L 3 is set, edge detection is performed inside the area, and the edge strength is calculated based on the edge of the vehicle existing in the adjacent lane. .
  • discrimination between daytime and nighttime can be performed based on, for example, the gain value adjusted by the gain adjusting unit 16.
  • an edge detection operator is applied to the region set in step S104, and the edge strength is obtained for each pixel in the image I (x, y).
  • the coefficient of the edge detection filter used at this time is not particularly limited.
  • the edge strength analysis unit 134 averages the edge strength values calculated for each pixel of the image I (x, y) to calculate the average edge strength.
  • the average edge strength is normalized by the area of the region where the edge is detected. It is determined that the smaller the average edge strength calculated in this way, the lower the sharpness of the image I (x, y), that is, the higher the degree of white turbidity. Further, it is determined that the higher the average edge strength is, the higher the sharpness of the image I (x, y), that is, the lower the degree of white turbidity.
  • step S106 the degree of white turbidity U is calculated based on the average edge strength thus calculated.
  • the average edge strength may be calculated not only from one image but also by averaging the average edge strength of a plurality of images taken at different times. As a result, the sharpness of the image can be stably evaluated even when sudden noise is mixed. At this time, the change in the average edge strength is obtained over a predetermined time, and when the change amount of the average edge strength is small, the calculated average edge strength, that is, the reliability of the degree of turbidity is described as high.
  • the certainty factor F can be calculated and used for lens cleaning control.
  • the lens cleaning device 8 in the imaging unit 10 that is installed in the host vehicle 5 and images the surroundings of the host vehicle 5, the lens 12. Is converted into an image I (x, y), and the degree of white turbidity calculation unit 40 determines the lens based on the luminance gradient g and edge intensity distribution, which are luminance characteristics in the image I (x, y). 12, the degree of white turbidity U of the surface is calculated, and the lens cleaning control unit 60 sets the injection form of the cleaning liquid 114 or the compressed air 120 from the lens cleaning unit 70 based on the degree of white turbidity U thus calculated. Since the surface of the lens 12 is cleaned, the surface of the lens 12 can be cleaned by a cleaning method according to the degree of white turbidity U of the lens 12, and thus the white turbidity of the lens 12 can be reliably cleaned.
  • the value of the gain adjusted by the gain adjusting unit 16 is monitored, and when the magnitude of the gain is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that is, at night, the headlight of the vehicle following the host vehicle 5 is clear. Since it is imaged, a more reliable white turbidity degree U can be obtained by calculating the white turbidity degree U based on the luminance gradient g of the headlamp.
  • the lens cleaning device 18 when a light source such as a headlamp is not reflected in the image I (x, y), the image I (x, y ), The turbidity degree U with higher reliability can be obtained.
  • the cleaning liquid 114 or the cleaning liquid 114 in the form of water droplets in the lens cleaning unit 70 in the form of spraying the cleaning liquid 114 or the compressed air 120 is applied to the surface of the lens 12. Since the film 112 of the cleaning liquid 114 is formed on the surface of the lens 12 by dripping, the field of view of the imaging unit 10 is cleared by the film 112 of the cleaning liquid 114 formed on the surface of the lens 12, and the approaching vehicle is detected. It is possible to acquire an image I (x, y) that can be
  • the lens cleaning device 8 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, at least the cleaning liquid 114 and the compressed air 120 are sprayed on the surface of the lens 12 with the cleaning liquid 114 or the compressed air 120 in the lens cleaning unit 70. Since the surface of the lens 12 is washed away and washed away, the field of view of the imaging unit 10 is cleared and an image I (x, y) that can detect an approaching vehicle is acquired. be able to.
  • the cleaning mode of the cleaning liquid 114 or the compressed air 120 in the lens cleaning control unit 60 is set so that at least the compressed air 120 is directed toward the surface of the lens 12. Since the water droplets adhering to the surface of the lens 12 are blown off, the field of view of the imaging unit 10 is cleared, and an image I (x, y) that can detect an approaching vehicle can be acquired. it can.
  • the lens cleaning control unit 60 determines that the turbidity degree U of the lens 12 is greater than or equal to the predetermined value af, and the counter value Cf of the duration is the predetermined value tf.
  • the image I (x, y) captured by the imaging unit 10 is used by notifying the fact that the lens 12 has a high degree of turbidity U.
  • the movement of a system that operates in a similar manner e.g. BSW system 9
  • BSW system 9 which may occur by processing the image I (x, y) captured by the clouded lens 12; It is possible to prevent undetected or erroneous detection of the vehicle.
  • the cloudiness degree calculation part 40 is as time when the similar brightness
  • the lens cleaning device 8 includes the vehicle information acquisition unit 80 that detects that the host vehicle 5 is traveling on a wet road surface, and the host vehicle 5 travels on a wet road surface.
  • the cleaning liquid 114 and the compressed air 120 in the lens cleaning unit 70 are sprayed toward the surface of the lens 12 by the compressed air 120. It is possible to prevent the own vehicle 5 from getting wet by the dripping cleaning liquid 114 by dripping while traveling on the road surface.
  • the lens cleaning unit 70 automatically cleans the lens 12 in the set cleaning mode based on the determination of the lens cleaning control unit 60. According to the instruction, the lens 12 may be cleaned by selecting an arbitrary cleaning mode at an arbitrary timing.
  • the imaging unit 10 is not only used for the BSW system 9 but also as an imaging unit 10 for a so-called back monitor that displays the situation behind the host vehicle 5 to the driver when the host vehicle 5 moves backward.
  • the imaging unit 10 is difficult to view due to the cloudiness of the lens 12, the lens 12 is washed at the discretion of the occupant of the host vehicle 5, Clear images can be obtained.
  • the above-described configuration can be realized by adding a unit for selecting a cleaning mode and a unit for instructing cleaning to the configuration of FIG. 2 as switch mechanisms.
  • the photoelectric conversion unit 14 of the imaging unit 10 has been described as being configured using a CMOS type element, but this is not limited to a CMOS type element. That is, a CCD type element may be used.
  • a CCD type element may be used.
  • a high-intensity light source such as a headlamp
  • a phenomenon (smear) in which the charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit 14 overflows occurs, and the image of the headlamp Since bright bands having the same width as the image are generated above and below, a filtering process for removing elongated rectangular regions is performed to remove bands caused by smear, and then the above-described process may be executed.
  • the in-vehicle image processing system that operates simultaneously with the lens cleaning device 8 is not limited to the BSW system 9. That is, the present invention can be applied to an LDW (Lane Departure Warning) system that detects and notifies the lane protrusion and other systems.
  • LDW Lane Departure Warning
  • This embodiment is an example in which the lens cleaning device according to the present invention is applied to a vehicle on which a BSW system is mounted, as in the first embodiment.
  • the difference from Example 1 is that the degree of white turbidity U for switching the cleaning mode according to the presence / absence of water-repellent processing applied to the surface of the lens 12, the degree of water-repellent processing, the presence / absence of hydrophilic processing, and the degree of hydrophilic processing.
  • the threshold value is changed.
  • the configuration of the lens cleaning device 8 according to the second embodiment is the same as that illustrated in FIG. 2 and described in the first embodiment. Therefore, differences in operation from the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. To do.
  • FIG. 23A shows a change in the water repellency performance of the lens 12 with respect to the degree of white turbidity U in the lens 12 that has been subjected to water repellency
  • FIG. 23B shows the change in the lens 12 that has not been subjected to water repellency. The change in the water repellency of the lens 12 with respect to the degree of white turbidity U is shown.
  • the water repellent state of the lens 12 is maintained until the degree of white turbidity U is somewhat high (threshold value a 01 ). Is done. After the water repellency is lost, the surface of the lens 12 gradually transitions to a hydrophilic state as the degree of white turbidity U progresses.
  • the water repellent performance of the lens 12 is impaired at a low degree of white turbidity U (threshold value a 11 ). Then, after the water repellency is lost, the surface of the lens 12 abruptly shifts to a hydrophilic state as the degree of white turbidity U progresses.
  • the threshold value of the degree of white turbidity U for switching the cleaning mode is changed according to the lens 12 to be used according to the presence / absence of the water repellent treatment and the degree of the water repellent finish. is there.
  • the white turbidity U thresholds a 01 and a 11 for switching between air cleaning and dripping, and cloudiness for switching between dripping and high pressure cleaning
  • the threshold values a 02 and a 12 for the degree U and the upper threshold values a 0f and a 1f for the degree of white turbidity U at which it is determined to perform system failure are set.
  • the threshold value of the cloudiness degree U set in this way is stored in the lens cleaning control unit 60 in advance, so that the cleaning mode can be switched at a desired timing according to the lens 12 to be used.
  • the threshold value of the cloudiness degree U is set by storing a plurality of cloudiness degree threshold values U in the lens cleaning control unit 60, and the cloudiness degree U corresponding to the lens 12 to be used is selected from the threshold values.
  • a configuration may be adopted in which a threshold value is selected.
  • the water-repellent processed lens has been described above as an example, but the threshold value of the degree of white turbidity U for switching the cleaning mode can be similarly changed for the hydrophilic processed lens. As a result, even in a hydrophilically processed lens, the lens 12 can be cleaned in a cleaning mode corresponding to the degree of turbidity U.
  • the lens cleaning control unit 60 includes the presence / absence of water repellency processing of the lens 12, the degree of water repellency processing,
  • the threshold value of the degree of white turbidity U that sets the spraying form of the cleaning liquid 114 or the compressed air 120 is changed according to the presence or absence of the hydrophilic processing and the degree of the hydrophilic processing, so that it does not depend on the state of the lens 12 to be used. Therefore, it is possible to surely clean the white turbidity.
  • the luminance gradient g is calculated on a line extending in one direction, but for calculating the luminance gradient g.
  • the line is not limited to the above-described direction, and may be set as shown in FIGS. 24 (a) to 24 (e).
  • a plurality of lines may be set. At that time, not only the line extending in the left-right direction described in the first embodiment but also a straight line extending in the vertical direction from the center of gravity G of the region R 0 to the inside of the region R 0 as shown in FIG.
  • lines O 1 P 1 and O 2 P 2 that extend upward and left and right at an angle ⁇ may be set. In this case, the search start points O 1 and O 2 are set above the center of gravity G of the region R 0 .
  • the brightness gradient g calculated for each of the plurality of lines may be averaged to obtain the degree of white turbidity U as described in the first embodiment. Moreover, if you set the plurality of lines, and calculate the gap G I of luminance gradient described in Example 1, based on the gap G I of the luminance gradient, determining the validity of the detected region R 0 You may make it do.
  • FIG. 24D shows, in addition to the lines O 1 P 1 and O 2 P 2 set according to FIG. 24A, a line O 3 P 3 extending in the left direction and a line O 3 P 4 extending in the right direction. This is an example of setting.
  • a plurality of lines are set so as to be symmetric with respect to a straight line in the vertical direction passing through the center of gravity G of the region R0. Is not to be done. In other words, a plurality of lines that are not symmetrical with respect to the straight line in the vertical direction passing through the gravity center position G of the region R0 may be set.
  • the clouding of the surface of the lens 12 is substantially circular, i.e., as viewed from the center of gravity position G of the region R 0, when there is isotropic cloudy, area from the gravity center position G of the region R 0 R Since the luminance gradient g along the line toward the periphery of 0 has substantially the same shape regardless of the line direction, a plurality of lines can be set without considering the symmetry of the line.
  • the line from which the luminance gradient g indicating an abnormal value is calculated is rejected, and the other lines
  • the brightness turbidity U may be calculated by averaging the luminance gradient g.
  • the luminance gradient g can be calculated by reading the luminance distribution Ld on a line other than that line, so the influence of noise is reduced. By doing so, it is possible to calculate a highly reliable luminance gradient g, and thereby to calculate a highly reliable white turbidity degree U.
  • the search for the luminance distribution Ld may be performed not on a line but on an elongated area as shown in FIG.
  • Figure 24 (e) is, inside the region R 0, sets the search start point O 3 in the vertical direction of the straight line passing through the center of gravity position G of the region R 0, the line extending from the search starting point O 3 to the left O After 3 P 3 and a line O 3 P 4 extending in the right direction are set, a region having a thickness t is set in a direction orthogonal to the line O 3 P 3 and the line O 3 P 4 .
  • the luminance gradient g is calculated from the distribution of the total value in the same manner as described above.
  • the first threshold value A and the second threshold value B set when calculating the luminance gradient g are set as different threshold values corresponding to the thickness t of the set region. .
  • the distribution of the sum of luminance values is calculated, and then the luminance gradient g is calculated.
  • the cloudiness degree U is calculated in the same manner as described above, and the cloudiness degree U is diagnosed.

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  • Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
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PCT/JP2013/069668 2012-07-27 2013-07-19 レンズ洗浄装置 Ceased WO2014017404A1 (ja)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US14/417,772 US9616856B2 (en) 2012-07-27 2013-07-19 Lens cleaning apparatus
EP13822653.5A EP2879368B1 (en) 2012-07-27 2013-07-19 Lens cleaning device

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2012167302A JP6055224B2 (ja) 2012-07-27 2012-07-27 レンズ洗浄装置
JP2012-167302 2012-07-27

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