WO2019049381A1

WO2019049381A1 - Vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2019049381A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/032712
Authority: WO
Inventors: 三浦　弘
Original assignee: 本田技研工業株式会社
Priority date: 2017-09-11
Filing date: 2017-09-11
Publication date: 2019-03-14
Also published as: CN111051155B; JP6961002B2; CN111051155A; JPWO2019049381A1

Abstract

This vehicle is provided with a detecting unit that detects peripheral information of an own vehicle, a cleaning unit that performs cleaning of the detecting unit, and a control unit that uses the cleaning unit to perform the cleaning when the detection performance of the detecting unit falls to a predetermined threshold, and the control unit suppresses the cleaning when a predetermined condition is further established.

Description

vehicle

The present invention relates to a vehicle.

The vehicle includes a camera, a radar, a lidar (LiDAR), a detection unit capable of detecting peripheral information of the vehicle, a cleaning unit for cleaning the detection unit, and a control unit for controlling the cleaning unit. (See Patent Document 1). When the detection unit becomes dirty, the detection performance of the detection unit is lowered. Therefore, when the detection unit becomes dirty, the control unit cleans the detection unit by the cleaning unit and restores the detection performance of the detection unit.

JP, 2016-179767, A

By the way, according to Patent Document 1, the control unit can also execute the cleaning in response to an instruction from a user such as a driver. Therefore, if the above cleaning is performed every time the detection unit becomes dirty, when the user desires to clean the detection unit, for example, the cleaning can not be performed because the cleaning liquid such as the washer liquid is not sufficiently left. is there. Although Patent Document 1 exemplifies a washer device and a wiper device as the cleaning unit, the same applies to other cleaning units that recover the detection performance of the detection unit using consumables other than the cleaning solution. .

The present invention is made with recognition of the above-mentioned subject as a trigger, and controls the cleaning part which recovers the detection performance of the detection part for vehicles more appropriately, and controls the unnecessary consumption of the consumable for cleaning. The purpose is

One aspect of the present invention relates to a vehicle, and the vehicle has a detection unit that detects surrounding information of the host vehicle, a cleaning unit that cleans the detection unit, and a detection threshold of the detection unit having a predetermined threshold value. And a control unit that performs the cleaning by the cleaning unit when the pressure drops to a minimum, and the control unit is characterized by suppressing the cleaning when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

According to the present invention, useless consumption of cleaning consumables can be suppressed.

It is a figure for demonstrating the structural example of a vehicle. It is a block diagram for explaining the example of composition of vehicles. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the structural example for cleaning. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the example of the control method for cleaning. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the example of the control method for cleaning. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the automatic driving | operation level which can be set based on the remaining amount of consumables.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Note that each drawing is a schematic view showing the structure or configuration of the embodiment, and the dimensions of the illustrated members do not necessarily reflect the actual ones. Moreover, in each figure, the same reference numerals are given to the same members or the same components, and the description of the same contents will be omitted hereinafter.

First Embodiment
1 and 2 are diagrams for explaining the configuration of a vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 shows the arrangement position of each element described below and the connection relationship between the elements using a top view and a side view of the vehicle 1. FIG. 2 is a system block diagram of the vehicle 1.

In the following description, expressions such as front / back, up / down, left / right (side) may be used, but these are expressions as relative directions indicated on the basis of the vehicle body of the vehicle 1 Used. For example, “front” indicates the front in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and “upper” indicates the height direction of the vehicle body.

The vehicle 1 includes an operation unit 11, a detection unit 12, a travel control unit 13, a drive mechanism 14, a braking mechanism 15, and a steering mechanism 16. Although the vehicle 1 is a four-wheeled vehicle in the present embodiment, the number of wheels is not limited to this.

The operation unit 11 includes an acceleration control 111, a braking control 112, and a steering control 113. Typically, the acceleration control 111 is an accelerator pedal, the braking control 112 is a brake pedal, and the steering control 113 is a steering wheel. However, as these operation elements 111 to 113, other types such as lever type and button type may be used.

The detection unit 12 includes a camera 121, a radar 122, and a rider (Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)) 123, all of which function as a sensor for detecting peripheral information of the vehicle (own vehicle) 1. The camera 121 is an imaging device using, for example, a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor. The radar 122 is, for example, a distance measuring device such as a millimeter wave radar. The lidar 123 is, for example, a distance measuring device such as a laser radar. As illustrated in FIG. 1, these are respectively disposed at positions where the peripheral information of the vehicle 1 can be detected, for example, the front side, the rear side, the upper side and the side of the vehicle body.

The above-described peripheral information of the vehicle 1 is information indicating under what circumstances the vehicle 1 is traveling. The peripheral information of the vehicle 1 is, for example, traveling environment information of the vehicle 1 (long lane direction, travelable area, color of traffic light, etc.), object information around the vehicle 1 (other vehicles, pedestrians, obstacles, etc.) Indicates the presence or absence of the object, the attribute of the object, the position, the direction or speed of movement, etc.

The traveling control unit 13 controls each of the mechanisms 14 to 16 based on, for example, a signal from the operation unit 11 and / or the detection unit 12. The traveling control unit 13 includes a plurality of ECUs (electronic control units) 131 to 134. Each ECU includes a CPU, a memory and a communication interface. Each ECU performs predetermined processing by the CPU based on the information (data or electric signal) received via the communication interface, stores the processing result in the memory, or to another element via the communication interface. Output.

In the present embodiment, the ECU 131 is an acceleration ECU, and controls the drive mechanism 14 based on, for example, the operation amount of the acceleration operation element 111 by the driver. The drive mechanism 14 includes, for example, an internal combustion engine and a transmission. Further, the ECU 132 is a braking ECU, and controls the braking mechanism 15 based on, for example, the operation amount of the braking operation element 112 by the driver. The braking mechanism 15 is, for example, a disk brake provided on each wheel. Further, the ECU 123 is a steering ECU, and controls the steering mechanism 16 based on, for example, an operation amount of the steering operation element 113 by the driver. The steering mechanism 16 includes, for example, power steering.

Further, the ECU 134 is a detection ECU, for example, receives the peripheral information of the vehicle 1 detected by the detection unit 12, performs predetermined processing, and outputs the processing result to the ECUs 131 to 133. The ECUs 131 to 133 can also control the respective mechanisms 14 to 16 based on the processing result from the ECU 134. With such a configuration, the vehicle 1 can perform automatic driving based on the detection result by the detection unit 12 (peripheral information of the vehicle 1).

In the present specification, the automatic driving refers to performing a part or all of the driving operation (acceleration, braking and steering) on the traveling control unit 13 side instead of the driver side. That is, the concept of the automatic driving includes an aspect in which all the driving operations are performed on the side of the traveling control unit 13 and an aspect in which only a part of the driving operation is performed on the traveling control unit 13 side (so-called driving assistance). Examples of the driving support include a vehicle speed control (auto cruise control) function, an inter-vehicle distance control (adaptive cruise control) function, a lane departure prevention support (lane keep assist) function, and a collision avoidance support function.

The travel control unit 13 is not limited to this configuration. For example, a semiconductor device such as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) may be used for each of the ECUs 131 to 134. That is, the functions of the ECUs 131 to 134 can be realized by either hardware or software. Further, part or all of the ECUs 131 to 134 may be configured by a single ECU.

As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 1 further includes a cleaning unit 17 and a cleaning control unit 18. The cleaning unit 17 cleans the detection unit 12 and restores the detection performance of the detection unit 12. The cleaning unit 17 is provided corresponding to each of the various sensors of the detection unit 12, that is, the camera 121, the radar 122, and the lidar 123. The cleaning unit 17 recovers the detection performance of the corresponding sensor by, for example, spraying cleaning liquid or gas to the detection surface or the exposed surface of the corresponding sensor or the other elements related thereto to remove dirt. That is, the concept of the above cleaning includes both direct cleaning and indirect cleaning with respect to the detection unit 12.

For example, in the present embodiment, the camera 121 is installed in a car and captures an image of the outside of the car through a windshield. Therefore, as for the camera 121, the detection performance of the camera 121 can be recovered by removing the dirt attached to the front glass, which corresponds to the above-mentioned indirect cleaning. Examples of the cleaning unit 17 corresponding to the camera 121 include a washer device that sprays a cleaning solution on the outer surface of the windshield, and a wiper device that removes dirt on the outer surface of the windshield together with the cleaning solution. It may be mounted.

Further, as an example of the cleaning unit 17 corresponding to the radar 122 and the lidar 123, there is a high-pressure cleaner which jets a cleaning gas (or air) from a nozzle. Alternatively, as an example of the cleaning unit 17 corresponding to the radar 122 and the lidar 123, there may be mentioned a washer device for injecting a cleaning solution to the surface thereof, and a wiper device for removing dirt on the surface together with the cleaning solution. Note that these examples can also be applied as the cleaning unit 17 corresponding to the camera 121 when the camera 121 is further installed outside the vehicle.

The cleaning control unit 18 drives the cleaning unit 17 to control its operation. Here, the “cleaning control unit” is shown to distinguish it from the traveling control unit 13, but the cleaning control unit 18 may be simply expressed as a “control unit”. Further, the cleaning control unit 18 may be configured by a single ECU together with the ECUs 131 to 134.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control method of the cleaning unit 17 according to the present embodiment. The steps described in this flowchart are mainly performed by the cleaning control unit 18. As an outline of this flowchart, while cleaning for recovering the detection performance is performed according to the decrease in detection performance of the detection unit 12, cleaning is suppressed when a predetermined condition is satisfied, that is, cleaning is performed do not do. This can prevent unnecessary consumption of cleaning consumables.

First, in step S410 (hereinafter, simply referred to as "S410". The same applies to the other steps), whether or not the automatic operation mode (the operation mode in which the traveling control unit 13 performs a part / all of the driving operation) Determine If it is the automatic operation mode, the process proceeds to S420, and if not, this flowchart ends.

In S420, peripheral information of the vehicle 1 is acquired. The surrounding information of the vehicle 1 is, as described above, the traveling environment information of the vehicle 1 (the extending direction of the lane, the travelable area, the color of the traffic light, etc.), object information around the vehicle 1 (other vehicles, pedestrians, obstacles, etc. Indicates the presence or absence of the object, the attribute of the object, the position, the direction and speed of movement, etc. These are generated based on the detection result by the detection unit 12, that is, based on the image data obtained from the camera 121 and the target information obtained from each of the radar 122 and the lidar 123.

In S430, the detection result obtained in S420 is analyzed to evaluate the detection performance of the detection unit 12. The evaluation of the detection performance can be realized by performing predetermined data processing on the detection result.

For example, with regard to image data obtained from the camera 121 as one of the detection results, it is determined whether the image data includes information indicating dirt (foreign matter such as mud). This can be realized by performing known image analysis. For example, when part or all of a signal (pixel signal) group constituting image data indicates a luminance lower than the reference value, it can be said that the surface of the camera 121 is contaminated. Thereby, the detection performance of the camera 121 can be evaluated.

As another example, when the image data includes distance information, this may be referred to. For example, when the image data includes information with a distance of 0, that is, information indicating the presence of an object attached to the radar 122, it can be said that the surface of the camera 121 is contaminated. Thereby, the detection performance of the camera 121 can be evaluated.

Further, for example, as for target information obtained from the radar 122 as another one of the detection results, it is determined whether or not the information with a distance of 0 is included in the target information. The radar 122 generates an electromagnetic wave (projected wave), and detects the one reflected by the object around the vehicle 1 (reflected wave), thereby acquiring target information. Therefore, when the target information includes information with a distance of 0, it can be said that the surface of the radar 122 is contaminated. Thereby, the detection performance of the radar 122 can be evaluated.

The lidar 123 differs mainly in that the wavelength of the generated electromagnetic wave is shorter (the frequency is higher) than the radar 122, but like the radar 122, detects the reflected wave from the object around the vehicle 1 and acquires target information . Therefore, the detection performance of the rider 123 can also be evaluated in the same manner as the radar 122.

Note that as another embodiment, part / all of the analysis of the detection result in S430 may be performed by the ECU 134. When the entire analysis is performed by the ECU 134, the cleaning control unit 18 may receive the evaluation result of the detection performance of the detection unit 12 from the ECU 134.

In S440, it is determined whether the detection performance of the evaluated detection unit 12 is within the allowable range. If the detection performance of the detection unit 12 is within the allowable range, the process returns to S410, and if the detection performance of the detection unit 12 is outside the allowable range, the process proceeds to S450.

Here, in the present specification, for ease of explanation, the case where the detection performance decreases to a predetermined threshold is described as the detection performance falls outside the allowable range, and the detection performance does not decrease to the threshold Will be described as being within the allowable range of detection performance. That is, this threshold is set as the lower limit value of the allowable range of detection performance.

In the present embodiment, the detection unit 12 includes a camera 121, a radar 122, and a rider 123, which have different configurations or functions. Therefore, the allowable range may be set individually for each type of sensor, that is, for each of the camera 121, the radar 122, and the lidar 123.

For example, the allowable range of detection performance of the camera 121 is determined to be out of the allowable range when the detection performance of the camera 121 is lowered to such an extent that the external appearance of the vehicle can not be appropriately recognized by the camera 121 As long as it is set.

Specifically, when the ratio of a signal indicating a black image or a dark image (a signal indicating a luminance lower than a reference value) out of a group of signals constituting image data obtained by the camera 121 exceeds a predetermined value, the camera 121 The detection performance of may be out of the allowable range.

Similarly, when the ratio of information having a distance of 0 among target information obtained by the radar 122 exceeds a predetermined value, it may be assumed that the detection performance of the radar 122 is out of the allowable range. The allowable range of detection performance of the rider 123 is the same as that of the radar 122.

In S450, it is determined whether a predetermined condition for suppressing the cleaning by the cleaning unit 17 is satisfied. If the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to S460, and the cleaning unit 17 is caused to execute cleaning to recover the detection performance of the detection unit 12. On the other hand, when the predetermined condition is satisfied, the process returns to S410, and the cleaning by the cleaning unit 17 is not started. The recovery of this detection performance is to make the detection performance that is out of tolerance fall within the tolerance again, that is, the detection performance that has fallen to the lower limit (threshold) of the tolerance than the lower limit. It also means raising it substantially to return it to its original state.

As the above-mentioned predetermined condition, a condition indicating that the recovery effect of the detection performance of the detection unit 12 by the cleaning of the cleaning unit 17 is not sufficiently or substantially obtained is set. The predetermined condition may be fixedly set or may be set changeable by a user such as a driver. As an example, this predetermined condition can be set as follows. That is, when the degree of the contamination of the detection unit 12 exceeds the cleaning ability of the cleaning unit 17, the contamination can not be properly removed even if the cleaning is performed. Therefore, if the detection performance of the detection unit 12 does not recover to the above-described allowable range even by the cleaning of the cleaning unit 17, it is preferable to save the consumable for cleaning without performing the cleaning.

In addition, although liquid (washing fluid), such as a washer fluid, is mentioned as a typical example of a consumable, a consumable is not restricted to a washing | cleaning liquid. That is, the concept of consumables includes, in addition to the cleaning liquid, electrical energy (for example, a battery) which can be consumed by cleaning, a cleaning member (for example, a wiper blade) which can be worn by cleaning.

The degree of contamination of the detection unit 12 can be evaluated in the analysis of the detection result of S430 described above. As an example, for the camera 121, when at least a part of the signal of the image data substantially does not include the signal component (component according to the light amount), that is, the signal value (pixel value) is substantially zero, dirt Can be determined to exceed the cleaning ability of the cleaning unit 17.

Similarly, the degree of contamination of the radar 122 and the lidar 123 can also be evaluated. For example, for the radar 122, when at least a part of the generated electromagnetic wave is substantially totally reflected on the surface of the radar 122, the signal value (detection value of the electromagnetic wave reflected by the predetermined object) constituting the target information is It can be a unique value. As a result, it can be determined that the degree of contamination of the radar 122 exceeds the cleaning capability of the cleaning unit 17.

The above-mentioned predetermined condition of S450 may be set as follows as another example. That is, the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 is bad (for example, the amount of rainfall and snowfall in the area in which the vehicle 1 is traveling is relatively large), and the detection performance of the detection unit 12 is outside the allowable range in a short time even if cleaning is performed. If this happens, there is substantially no benefit to cleaning the detection unit 12. Therefore, even in such a case, it is preferable to save cleaning consumables without cleaning. This can be realized by acquiring information indicating the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. The information indicating the surrounding environment includes the weather information of the area in which the vehicle 1 is traveling and its surroundings, which may be acquired by the detection unit 12 or a signal using Wi-Fi or the like. It may be acquired by communication (for example, inter-vehicle communication, road-vehicle communication, etc.).

The above-mentioned predetermined condition of S450 may be set as follows as another example. That is, when the traveling vehicle 1 arrives soon at the destination (hereinafter simply referred to as "destination"), there is substantially no benefit in cleaning the detection unit 12. Therefore, even in such a case, it is preferable to save cleaning consumables without cleaning. This can be achieved based on the position of the vehicle 1 relative to the destination. The information indicating the position of the vehicle 1 with respect to the destination can be acquired, for example, by GPS (Global Positioning System). The destination may be set in advance by a passenger including the driver. Alternatively, the time when the vehicle 1 is expected to reach the destination may be calculated based on the position of the vehicle 1 and the vehicle speed, and the cleaning consumable may be saved without performing the cleaning based on the result. At this time, the traffic situation (for example, the presence or absence of traffic congestion) may be additionally taken into consideration.

In the present embodiment, in order to acquire the peripheral information of the vehicle 1 necessary for performing the automatic driving (see S410), the detection performance of the detection unit 12 is maintained or recovered, but when the automatic driving is not performed, There is a case where it is not necessary to maintain high detection performance of the detection unit 12. Therefore, as one embodiment, when the predetermined condition is satisfied in S450 (ie, when the detection performance of the detection unit 12 is out of the allowable range and the cleaning is not performed), the automatic operation may be canceled. For example, when the remaining amount of consumables is less than a predetermined amount, the consumables are preserved without cleaning and the automatic operation is canceled. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which no consumables remain when the driver desires to execute the cleaning after the cancellation of the automatic driving. At this time, a request for causing the driver to change the subject of the driving operation, that is, a so-called takeover request is performed.

As another embodiment, when the above-mentioned predetermined condition is satisfied in S450, the detection performance of the detection unit 12 is lowered prior to canceling the automatic operation, and the remaining amount of consumables is not sufficient. May be notified to the driver.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 includes the cleaning unit 17 for recovering the detection performance of the detection unit 12 and the cleaning control unit 18. The cleaning control unit 18 causes the cleaning unit 17 to perform cleaning when the detection performance of the detection unit 12 is out of the allowable range, but does not start cleaning when a predetermined condition is satisfied (see S450). Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately save the cleaning consumable and prevent its unnecessary consumption. The above predetermined conditions may be set so as to suppress substantially profitable cleaning.

Although the control method (S410) in the automatic operation mode is illustrated in the present embodiment, the contents of the present embodiment can be applied to other operation modes. For example, the contents of the present embodiment can be applied to an operation mode which is not the automatic operation mode and which recovers the detection performance in response to the decrease in the detection performance of the detection unit 12, that is, the so-called automatic cleaning mode. is there. As an example, the detection performance of the camera 121 is recovered by cleaning the outer surface of the windshield with a washer and a wiper as described above. Therefore, even when the automatic operation mode is not set, the cleaning may be performed in response to the decrease in the detection performance of the camera 121. The same applies to the other embodiments described later.

Second Embodiment
In the above-described first embodiment, while cleaning by the cleaning unit 17 is performed according to the decrease in detection performance of the detection unit 12, an example in which cleaning is not started when a predetermined condition is satisfied is exemplified. The aspect of is not limited to this. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control method of the cleaning unit 17 according to the second embodiment. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment mainly in that the cleaning is started according to the decrease in detection performance of the detection unit 12 and the started cleaning is interrupted when a predetermined condition is satisfied. .

The respective steps of S410 to S440 are the same as those of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here. Next, in S550, in response to the detection performance of the detection unit 12 being determined to be out of the allowable range in S440, the cleaning unit 17 starts cleaning of the detection unit 12. Thereafter, in S560, if the predetermined condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to S570, and if not, the process proceeds to S580.

In S570, in response to the establishment of the predetermined condition, the cleaning started in S550 is interrupted and the process returns to S410. In S580, the cleaning started in S550 is completed, and the process returns to S410. Here, the completion of the cleaning means restoring the detection performance of the detection unit 12 to an allowable range and / or performing the cleaning for a predetermined period.

According to the present embodiment, even when cleaning of the detection unit 12 is started once by the cleaning unit 17 according to the decrease in detection performance of the detection unit 12, if the predetermined condition is satisfied (see S560) , Interrupt the initiated cleaning. That is, suppressing cleaning includes not only starting cleaning but also interrupting cleaning that has been started once before its completion. Also according to this embodiment, by suppressing cleaning without substantial gain, consumables for cleaning can be properly preserved, and its unnecessary consumption can be prevented.

In the present embodiment, as the predetermined condition, one similar to the first embodiment may be set, or one different from the first embodiment may be set. For example, after the cleaning is started in S550, if the detection performance does not fall within the allowable range after a predetermined time (ie, the recovery speed of the detection performance is slower than the standard), the started cleaning is interrupted You may As another embodiment, the evaluation of the recovery speed of the detection performance can also be realized by referring to the cleaning history (the result of past cleaning by the cleaning unit 17), or by referring to the cleaning history. The accuracy of the evaluation can be improved. For example, the recovery speed of the detection performance of the detection unit 12 by the cleaning started in S550 can be evaluated by comparing with the speed by the past cleaning.

It should be noted that predetermined conditions (see S450 and S560) described in the first and second embodiments may be set to prevent useless consumption of cleaning consumables, as exemplified in the present specification. It is not limited to

Third Embodiment
In the first and second embodiments described above, the aspect has been illustrated in which it is determined in S440 whether the detection performance of the detection unit 12 is within the allowable range. For example, the detection performance of the camera 121 can be evaluated based on whether a ratio of a signal indicating a black image (dark image) out of a group of signals constituting image data obtained thereby exceeds a predetermined value. Also, for example, the detection performance of the radar 122 or the lidar 123 can be evaluated based on whether the ratio of information having a distance of 0 exceeds a predetermined value among the target information obtained thereby.

Here, in the first and second embodiments, the allowable range of detection performance of various sensors (the camera 121, the radar 122, and the lidar 123) is set individually for each type. It may be set to The fouling sensitivity of the sensor differs depending on the installation position in the vehicle body. For example, the rear side sensor is more likely to be soiled than the front side sensor. Therefore, the allowable range may be set individually for each installation position of the sensor. For example, the tolerance range for the front side sensor may be set looser (wider) than the rear side sensor. That is, the cleaning of the rear side sensor is preferentially performed, and the cleaning of the front side sensor is suppressed. This makes it possible to properly save cleaning consumables.

Fourth Embodiment
In addition to / in place of the third embodiment described above, a priority (priority) may be provided to a sensor which is a cleaning suppression target. By setting the priority of cleaning for each sensor, if the above-described predetermined condition is satisfied (see S450 and S560), cleaning may be suppressed for those with low priority. For example, as described above, the rear side sensor is more susceptible to contamination than the front side sensor. Therefore, by setting the cleaning priority of the front side sensor lower than that of the rear side sensor, when the above-mentioned predetermined condition is satisfied, the rear side sensor is cleaned and the front side is cleaned. Cleaning is suppressed for the sensor. This makes it possible to properly save cleaning consumables.

Fifth Embodiment
In the first and second embodiments described above, the allowable range of detection performance of these various sensors is fixedly set, but may be variably set according to the situation of the vehicle 1. As an example, it is also possible to change the tolerance based on the remaining amount of consumables, such as the remaining amount of cleaning fluid and / or the remaining amount of battery. For example, it is also possible to lower the cleaning frequency of the detection unit 12 by the cleaning unit 17 by loosening the above-described allowable range (reducing the allowable level) as the remaining amount of consumables decreases. This enables the consumables to be properly preserved.

Sixth Embodiment
In addition to / in place of the fifth embodiment, the automatic operation may be suppressed based on the remaining amount of consumables. The suppression of the automatic driving mentioned here includes stopping all of the driving operation performed by the traveling control unit 13 and also interrupting a part of the driving operation, that is, limiting the content of the automatic driving. The mode of automatic driving is generally divided into four stages (levels 1 to 4), and the higher the level of automatic driving, the lower the driver's participation in driving operations (for example, at level 1, only part of driving operations It is performed by the traveling control unit 13, and at level 4, the entire traveling operation is performed by the traveling control unit 13. Therefore, the suppression of the above-mentioned automatic operation also includes lowering this level. As a result, it becomes unnecessary to maintain the detection performance higher than necessary, and it becomes possible to perform automatic operation according to the detection performance while suppressing unnecessary consumption of the consumable item.

FIG. 6 shows, as an example, a mode in which the level of the automatic operation is lowered in response to the decrease in the remaining amount of consumables. According to FIG. 6, when consumables are sufficiently present (when the remaining amount is 50% or more), any automatic operation of levels 1 to 4 can be provided. In addition, levels 1 to 3 of automatic operation can be provided in the range of 40 to 50% of the remaining amount. In addition, in the range of 30 to 40% of the remaining amount, it is possible to provide automatic operation of levels 1 to 2, and in the range of 20 to 30% of the remaining amount, it is possible to provide automatic operation of level 1. When the remaining amount becomes 20% or less, all driving operations performed by the traveling control unit 13 are interrupted. At this time, a request for changing the subject of the driving operation to the driver, that is, a so-called takeover request is performed.

Additionally or alternatively, the cleaning unit 17 may clean the detection unit 12 upon takeover request. As described above, cleaning is performed when the detection performance of the detection unit 12 is out of the allowable range (see S440), but in the case of a takeover request, the cleaning unit 17 is performed even if the detection performance is within the allowable range. You may do the cleaning.

This is suitable, for example, in the case of the camera 121 which is installed in a car and which captures an image of the outside of the car through a windshield. As described above, the detection performance of the camera 121 is recovered by cleaning the outer surface of the windshield with the washer device and the wiper device. Therefore, when the detection performance of the camera 121 is relatively lowered, performing the cleaning enables the driver to smoothly take over the driving operation thereafter. When the detection performance of the camera 121 is relatively lowered, for example, a reference range narrower than the allowable range is provided, and the detection performance of the camera 121 is within the allowable range and outside the reference range. The case is That is, at the time of takeover request, even if the detection performance is higher than the lower limit value of the allowable range, if it is lowered to the predetermined reference value (value higher than the lower limit value), the cleaning by the cleaning unit 17 is performed. .

Although some embodiments and their modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these examples, and some modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. . For example, the content of each embodiment may be combined with other elements depending on the purpose, application, etc., or the content of one embodiment may be combined with part of the content of another embodiment. is there. In addition, the individual terms described in the present specification are merely used for the purpose of describing the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the exact meaning of the terms, It may also include its equivalents.

(Summary of the embodiment)
A first aspect relates to a vehicle (for example, 1), the vehicle includes a detection unit (for example, 12) for detecting surrounding information of the host vehicle, a cleaning unit (for example, 17) for cleaning the detection unit, The control unit (for example, 18) that performs the cleaning by the cleaning unit when the detection performance of the detection unit decreases to a predetermined threshold (for example, S440), and the control unit further performs a predetermined condition (for For example, the cleaning is suppressed in S450 and S560).
According to the first aspect, the cleaning can be appropriately performed or the cleaning can be suppressed to appropriately save the consumables (for example, the cleaning solution), and the unnecessary consumption can be prevented. The predetermined conditions may be set in advance so as to suppress substantially profitable cleaning. In addition to suppressing the start of cleaning (do not start cleaning), the suppression of cleaning includes interrupting the cleaning after the start of cleaning.

In the second aspect, the control unit suppresses the cleaning when the detection performance does not recover until the detection performance becomes higher than the predetermined threshold even by the cleaning of the cleaning unit.
According to the second aspect, the cleaning is suppressed for the contamination exceeding the cleaning ability of the cleaning unit. As an example, the cause of the contamination is determined based on the detection result by the detection unit, and when the contamination can not be removed by the cleaning by the cleaning unit, the start of the cleaning is suppressed. Also, as another example, if the detection performance does not become larger than the above-mentioned threshold even if a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the cleaning / if it does not fall within the allowable range (that is, the recovery speed of the detection performance is slow) The initiated cleaning may be interrupted.

In the third aspect, the control unit suppresses the cleaning based on the surrounding environment of the vehicle.
According to the third aspect, for example, when the surrounding environment is poor and cleaning is practically meaningless (for example, the amount of rainfall or snowfall is relatively large, and the detection performance is within the above-mentioned threshold in a short time after cleaning) If it falls to the point (if it falls outside the allowable range), control the cleaning.

In a fourth aspect, the control unit suppresses the cleaning based on the position of the own vehicle with respect to the arrival destination of the own vehicle.
According to the fourth aspect, in consideration of the position of the host vehicle with respect to the destination, the cleaning is suppressed when there is substantially no need for cleaning. The destination may be set in advance by a driver or other occupant.

In the fifth aspect, the control unit suppresses the cleaning based on the remaining amount of the consumable (for example, the cleaning liquid) used for the cleaning.
According to the fifth aspect, for example, when the remaining amount of consumables becomes smaller than the reference value, the cleaning is suppressed.

In a sixth aspect, the cleaning unit performs the cleaning by discharging a cleaning solution, and the control unit changes the predetermined threshold based on the remaining amount of the cleaning solution.
According to the sixth aspect, by changing the threshold value / permissible range in accordance with the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid, cleaning is appropriately performed or cleaning is suppressed to appropriately save the consumable for cleaning. As one example, as the remaining amount decreases, the cleaning frequency can be reduced by lowering the threshold value / releasing the allowable range.

In a seventh aspect, the cleaning unit can perform the cleaning by discharging a cleaning solution, and the control unit can perform an automatic operation to perform at least a part of the driving operation of the host vehicle. The control unit suppresses the automatic operation based on the remaining amount of the cleaning solution.
According to the seventh aspect, the detection performance is maintained higher than necessary by suppressing the automatic operation (canceling the automatic operation / reducing the level of the automatic operation) in response to the decrease in the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. There is no need to do this, and automatic operation can be performed according to the detection performance.

In an eighth aspect, the detection unit includes a sensor (for example, 121) installed in a car and detecting the surrounding information through a windshield, and the control unit is configured to at least partially drive the host vehicle. When the automatic control is canceled, the control unit may lower to a predetermined reference value even if the detection performance is higher than the predetermined threshold value. And performing the cleaning on the windshield.
According to the eighth aspect, at the time of takeover request, the driver can take over the driving operation smoothly by clearing the windshield and transferring the driving subject to the driver.

In a ninth aspect, two or more (for example, 121 to 123) different types of detection units are provided, and the predetermined threshold of each detection unit is set for each type.
Examples of the detection unit include a camera (imaging sensor), a radar (distance measurement sensor), a lidar (distance measurement sensor), and the like, but detection units of different types generally have different functions. Therefore, according to the ninth aspect, it is possible to individually perform appropriate cleaning by individually setting the lower limit value of the threshold value or the allowable range for each detection unit.

In a tenth aspect, two or more (for example, 121 to 123) of the detection units are installed at mutually different positions in the vehicle, and the predetermined threshold of each detection unit is set for each installation position.
Generally, the dirtiness of the detection unit differs depending on the installation position of the detection unit. Therefore, according to the tenth aspect, it is possible to individually perform appropriate cleaning by individually setting the lower limit value of the threshold value or the allowable range for each installation position.

In an eleventh aspect, two or more detection units (for example, 121 to 123) are provided, the cleaning priority is set to the two or more detection units, and the control unit satisfies the predetermined condition. In this case, among the two or more detection units, the cleaning with respect to the one with the lower priority is suppressed.
According to the eleventh aspect, the cleaning is suppressed for those with low priority of cleaning. For example, since the detection unit on the rear side is more easily soiled than the detection unit on the front side, the detection unit on the rear side may be cleaned and the detection unit on the front side may be cleaned less frequently.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the following claims are attached to disclose the scope of the present invention.

1: Vehicle, 12: Detection unit, 17: Cleaning unit, 18: Cleaning control unit

Claims

A detection unit that detects surrounding information of the host vehicle;
A cleaning unit for cleaning the detection unit;
And a control unit that performs the cleaning by the cleaning unit when the detection performance of the detection unit decreases to a predetermined threshold value,
The control unit further suppresses the cleaning when a predetermined condition is satisfied.
The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit suppresses the cleaning when the detection performance does not recover until the detection performance becomes higher than the predetermined threshold even by the cleaning of the cleaning unit.
The said control part suppresses the said cleaning based on the surrounding environment of the said own vehicle. The vehicle of Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.
The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit suppresses the cleaning based on a position of the vehicle relative to a destination destination of the vehicle.
The said control part suppresses the said cleaning based on the residual amount of the consumables used for the said cleaning. The vehicle in any one of the Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned.
The cleaning unit performs the cleaning by discharging a cleaning solution,
The said control part changes the said predetermined threshold value based on the residual amount of the said washing | cleaning liquid. The vehicle in any one of the Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned.
The cleaning unit performs the cleaning by discharging a cleaning solution,
The control unit can perform automatic driving to perform at least a part of driving operation of the host vehicle.
The said control part suppresses the said automatic driving | operation based on the residual amount of the said washing | cleaning liquid. The vehicle in any one of the Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned.
The detection unit includes a sensor installed in a car and detecting the surrounding information through a windshield.
The control unit can perform automatic driving to perform at least a part of driving operation of the host vehicle.
When canceling the automatic operation, the control unit performs the cleaning on the windshield if the detection performance is lowered to a predetermined reference value even if the detection performance is higher than the predetermined threshold. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by
Two or more different types of detection units are provided.
The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the predetermined threshold value of each detection unit is set for each type.
Two or more detection units are installed at mutually different positions in the vehicle.
The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the predetermined threshold value of each detection unit is set for each installation position.
Two or more detection units are provided,
The cleaning priority is set in the two or more detection units,
9. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit suppresses the cleaning of one of the two or more detection units with low priority when the predetermined condition is satisfied. Or a vehicle according to clause 1.