Patent Description:
A vehicle cleaner that discharges a cleaning liquid to a sensor or the like mounted on a vehicle is known in Patent Literature <NUM> or the like.

Document <CIT> relates to a vehicle system comprising: a processor programmed to receive sensor signals from a LIDAR sensor, estimate frost accumulation on the LIDAR sensor from the sensor signals, compare the estimated frost accumulation to a predetermined threshold representing an amount of frost accumulation associated with interfering with an accuracy of the LIDAR sensor, and prevent a host vehicle from operating in an autonomous mode as a result of determining that the estimated frost accumulation exceeds the predetermined threshold, wherein the processor is programmed to prevent the host vehicle from operating in the autonomous mode by outputting a signal instructing an autonomous mode controller to prohibit autonomous operation of the host vehicle.

In an autonomous driving vehicle capable of executing a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode, it is required to clean an external sensor acquiring information on the outside of the vehicle when executing the autonomous driving mode. However, when the vehicle cleaner is operated at the time of switching from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode, since cleaning by a cleaner takes time, it may be difficult to quickly switch the driving mode.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle cleaner system capable of keeping an external sensor in a clean state when switching from a manual driving mode to an autonomous driving mode.

This object is solved by a vehicle cleaner system according to claim <NUM>.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an object thereof is to provide the vehicle cleaner system capable of keeping the external sensor in a clean state when switching from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Incidentally, members having the same reference numbers as members that have been described in the description of the present embodiment will be omitted for convenience of description. In addition, dimensions of the members shown in the drawings may be different from actual dimensions thereof for convenience of description.

In the description of the present embodiment, a "left-right direction", a "front-back direction", and an "upper-lower direction" are appropriately referred to, for convenience of description. These directions are relative directions set for a vehicle <NUM> shown in <FIG>. Here, the "upper-lower direction" is a direction including an "upper direction" and a "lower direction". The "front-back direction" is a direction including a "front direction" and a "back direction". The "left-right direction" is a direction including a "left direction" and a "right direction".

<FIG> is a top view of the vehicle <NUM> in which a vehicle cleaner system <NUM> (hereinafter, referred to as a cleaner system <NUM>) according to the present embodiment is mounted. The vehicle <NUM> includes the cleaner system <NUM>. In the present embodiment, the vehicle <NUM> is an automobile that can travel in an autonomous driving mode.

First, a vehicle system <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> will be described with reference to <FIG> is a block diagram of the vehicle system <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the vehicle system <NUM> includes a vehicle control unit <NUM>, an internal sensor <NUM>, an external sensor <NUM>, a lamp <NUM>, a human machine interface (HMI) <NUM>, a global positioning system (GPS) <NUM>, a wireless communication unit <NUM>, and a map information storage unit <NUM>. The vehicle system <NUM> further includes a steering actuator <NUM>, a steering device <NUM>, a brake actuator <NUM>, a brake device <NUM>, an accelerator actuator <NUM>, and an accelerator device <NUM>.

The vehicle control unit <NUM> includes an electronic control unit (ECU). The vehicle control unit <NUM> includes a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM) in which various vehicle control programs are stored, and a random access memory (RAM) in which vehicle control data are temporarily stored. The processor is configured to load a program designated from the various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM and executes various processes in cooperation with the RAM. The vehicle control unit <NUM> is configured to control traveling of the vehicle <NUM>.

The lamp <NUM> is at least one of a headlamp or a position lamp provided at a front portion of the vehicle <NUM>, a rear combination lamp provided at a back portion of the vehicle <NUM>, a turn signal lamp provided on the front portion or a side portion of the vehicle, and various lamps for notifying a pedestrian and a driver of other vehicles of a status of a host vehicle.

The HMI <NUM> includes an input unit that receives an input operation from a user, and an output unit that outputs traveling information or the like to the user. The input unit includes a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a driving mode switching switch that switches a driving mode of the vehicle <NUM>, or the like. The output unit is a display that displays various traveling information.

The internal sensor <NUM> is a sensor capable of acquiring information of the host vehicle. The internal sensor <NUM> is, for example, at least one of an acceleration sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, and a gyro sensor. The internal sensor <NUM> is configured to acquire information of the host vehicle including a traveling state of the vehicle <NUM> and output the information to the vehicle control unit <NUM>.

The internal sensor <NUM> may include a sensor that detects a displacement of the HMI <NUM>, a seating sensor that detects whether the user is sitting on a seat, a face orientation sensor that detects a direction of a face of the user, a human detection sensor that detects whether or not there is a person in the vehicle, or the like.

The external sensor <NUM> is a sensor capable of acquiring information on the outside of the host vehicle. The external sensor is, for example, at least one of a camera, a radar, a LiDAR, the GPS <NUM>, the wireless communication unit <NUM>, or the like. The external sensor <NUM> is configured to acquire information on the outside of the host vehicle including a surrounding environment of the vehicle <NUM> (other vehicle, the pedestrian, a road shape, a traffic sign, an obstacle, or the like) and output the information to the vehicle control unit <NUM>. Alternatively, the external sensor <NUM> may include a weather sensor that detects a weather condition, an illuminance sensor that detects an illuminance of the surrounding environment of the vehicle <NUM>, or the like.

The camera is, for example, a camera including an image pickup element such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary MOS (CMOS). The camera is a camera that detects visible light or an infrared camera that detects infrared rays.

The radar is a millimeter-wave radar, a microwave radar, a laser radar, or the like.

The LiDAR is an abbreviation for light detection and ranging or laser imaging detection and ranging. The LiDAR is a sensor that generally emits non-visible light forward and acquires information such as a distance to an object, a shape of the object, a material of the object, a color of the object, or the like based on the emitted light and return light.

The GPS <NUM>, which is a kind of the external sensor <NUM>, is configured to acquire the current position information of the vehicle <NUM> by measuring a distance of a plurality of artificial satellites with respect to the host vehicle <NUM>, and output the acquired current position information to the vehicle control unit <NUM>. The wireless communication unit <NUM>, which is a kind of the external sensor <NUM>, is configured to receive traveling information of another vehicle around the vehicle <NUM> from the other vehicle and transmit the traveling information of the vehicle <NUM> to the other vehicle (inter-vehicle communication). In addition, the wireless communication unit <NUM> is configured to receive infrastructure information from infrastructure equipment such as a traffic light or a sign lamp and transmit the traveling information of the vehicle <NUM> to the infrastructure equipment (road-to-vehicle communication). The map information storage unit <NUM> is an external storage device such as a hard disk drive in which map information is stored, and is configured to output the map information to the vehicle control unit <NUM>.

The vehicle control unit <NUM> is configured to input an output from the internal sensor <NUM> that detects a displacement of an operator operated by a user such as the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, and the brake pedal, an output from the internal sensor <NUM> that detects a state of the vehicle, such as the vehicle speed sensor, the vehicle wheel speed sensor, the acceleration sensor, and the yaw rate sensor, and an output from the external sensor <NUM> that acquires the information on the outside of the vehicle <NUM>. The vehicle control unit <NUM> is configured to generate a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal based on these outputs, and control (process) these signals as necessary.

The steering actuator <NUM> is configured to receive the steering control signal from the vehicle control unit <NUM> and control the steering device <NUM> based on the received steering control signal. The brake actuator <NUM> is configured to receive the brake control signal from the vehicle control unit <NUM> and control the brake device <NUM> based on the received brake control signal. The accelerator actuator <NUM> is configured to receive the accelerator control signal from the vehicle control unit <NUM> and control the accelerator device <NUM> based on the received accelerator control signal.

The vehicle <NUM> can travel in the autonomous driving mode and a manual driving mode. The vehicle control unit <NUM> can selectively execute the autonomous driving mode and the manual driving mode.

In the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle control unit <NUM> automatically generates the steering control signal, the accelerator control signal, and the brake control signal in accordance with the output from the external sensor <NUM> that acquires the information on the outside of the vehicle <NUM>. The vehicle control unit <NUM> automatically generates the steering control signal, the accelerator control signal, and the brake control signal in accordance with the output from the external sensor <NUM>, regardless of the output from the internal sensor <NUM> that detects the displacement of the operator that can be operated by the user.

For example, in the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle control unit <NUM> automatically generates the steering control signal, the accelerator control signal, and the brake control signal based on surrounding environment information in front of the vehicle <NUM> acquired by a front camera 6c, the current position information of the GPS <NUM>, the map information stored in the map information storage unit <NUM>, or the like. In the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle <NUM> is driven independently of the user.

In the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit <NUM> normally generates the steering control signal, the accelerator control signal, and the brake control signal regardless of the output from the external sensor <NUM>. That is, in the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit <NUM> generates the steering control signal based on the operation of the steering wheel of the user, regardless of the output from the external sensor <NUM>. The vehicle control unit <NUM> normally generates the accelerator control signal based on the operation of the accelerator pedal of the user, regardless of the output from the external sensor <NUM>. The vehicle control unit <NUM> generates the brake control signal based on the operation of the brake pedal of the user, regardless of the output of from external sensor <NUM>. In the manual driving mode, the vehicle <NUM> is normally driven by the user.

In the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit <NUM> may execute an anti-lock brake control for controlling the brake control signal in accordance with the output from the vehicle wheel speed sensor, which is the internal sensor <NUM>, for example. In the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit <NUM> may execute a skid prevention control (electric stability control), a traction control, or the like, which controls at least one of the steering control signal, the accelerator control signal, and the brake control signal in accordance with the output from a steering angle sensor, the vehicle wheel speed sensor, and the yaw rate sensor that are the internal sensors <NUM>.

Alternatively, in the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit <NUM> may execute a pre-crash control and a collision avoidance control for generating the steering control signal and the brake control signal in accordance with the output from the external sensor <NUM> such as the front camera 6c in an emergency. In this manner, in the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit <NUM> may generate at least one of the steering control signal, the accelerator control signal, and the brake control signal in accordance with the output from the external sensor <NUM> in an emergency.

In the manual driving mode, a trigger for generating the steering control signal, the accelerator control signal, and the brake control signal is normally a displacement of an operator such as the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, and the brake pedal operated by the user. In the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit <NUM> may normally control (process) a signal such as the steering control signal, the accelerator control signal, and the brake control signal generated by the displacement of the operator in accordance with the output from the internal sensor <NUM> or the external sensor <NUM>. In the present embodiment, the so-called assist driving mode that assists the driving of the user in accordance with the output from the internal sensor <NUM> or the external sensor <NUM> is one form of the manual driving mode.

According to the definitions of levels <NUM> to <NUM> of the autonomous driving mode currently known as of <NUM>, the autonomous driving mode of the present embodiment corresponds to levels <NUM> to <NUM> (except for an emergency or the like), and the manual driving mode of the present embodiment corresponds to levels <NUM> to <NUM>.

Referring back to <FIG>, the vehicle <NUM> includes, as the external sensor <NUM>, a front LiDAR 6f, a back LiDAR 6b, a right LiDAR 6r, a left LiDAR <NUM>, the front camera 6c, and a back camera 6d. The front LiDAR 6f is configured to acquire information on a front side of the vehicle <NUM>. The back LiDAR 6b is configured to acquire information on a back side of the vehicle <NUM>. The right LiDAR 6r is configured to acquire information on a right side of the vehicle <NUM>. The left LiDAR <NUM> is configured to acquire information on a left side of the vehicle <NUM>. The front camera 6c is configured to acquire information on the front side of the vehicle <NUM>. The back camera <NUM> d is configured to acquire information on the back side of the vehicle <NUM>.

In the example shown in <FIG>, the front LiDAR 6f is provided on a front portion of the vehicle <NUM>, the back LiDAR 6b is provided on a back portion of the vehicle <NUM>, the right LiDAR 6r is provided on a right portion of the vehicle <NUM>, and the left LiDAR <NUM> is provided on a left portion of the vehicle <NUM>, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the front LiDAR, the back LiDAR, the right LiDAR, and the left LiDAR may be collectively arranged on the ceiling of the vehicle <NUM>.

The vehicle <NUM> includes a right headlamp 7r and a left headlamp <NUM> as the lamp <NUM>. The right headlamp 7r is provided on a right portion on the front portion of the vehicle <NUM>, and the left headlamp <NUM> is provided on the left portion on the front portion of the vehicle <NUM>. The right headlamp 7r is provided on a right side of the left headlamp <NUM>.

The vehicle <NUM> includes a front window 1f and a rear window 1b.

The vehicle <NUM> includes the cleaner system <NUM> according to the embodiment of the present invention. The cleaner system <NUM> is a system that removes foreign matters such as a water droplet, mud, dust, or the like adhering to an object to be cleaned using a cleaning medium. In the present embodiment, the cleaner system <NUM> is a front window washer (hereinafter, referred to as a front WW) <NUM>, a back window washer (hereinafter, referred to as a back WW) <NUM>, a front LiDAR cleaner (hereinafter referred to as a front LC) <NUM>, and a back LiDAR cleaner (hereinafter, referred to as a back LC) <NUM>, a right LiDAR cleaner (hereinafter referred to as a right LC) <NUM>, and a left LiDAR cleaner (hereinafter, referred to as a left LC) <NUM>, a right headlamp cleaner (hereinafter referred to as a right HC) <NUM>, and a left headlamp cleaner (hereinafter referred to as a left HC) <NUM>, a front camera cleaner 109a, and a back camera cleaner 109b. Each of the cleaners <NUM> to 109b includes one or more nozzles, and discharges the cleaning medium such as a cleaning liquid or air from the nozzle toward the object to be cleaned. Incidentally, each of the cleaners <NUM> to 109b may be referred to as a cleaner unit <NUM>.

The front WW <NUM> can clean the front window 1f. The back WW <NUM> can clean the rear window 1b. The front LC <NUM> can clean the front LiDAR 6f. The back LC <NUM> can clean the back LiDAR 6b. The right LC <NUM> can clean the right LiDAR 6r. The left LC <NUM> can clean the left LiDAR <NUM>. The right HC <NUM> can clean the right headlamp 7r. The left HC <NUM> can clean the left headlamp <NUM>. The front camera cleaner 109a can clean the front camera 6c. The back camera cleaner 109b can clean the back camera 6d.

<FIG> is a schematic view of the cleaner system <NUM>. The cleaner system <NUM> includes, in addition to the cleaner units <NUM> to 109b, a front tank <NUM>, a front pump <NUM>, a back tank <NUM>, a back pump <NUM>, and a cleaner control unit <NUM> (control unit).

The front WW <NUM>, the front LC <NUM>, the right LC <NUM>, the left LC <NUM>, the right HC <NUM>, the left HC <NUM>, and the front camera cleaner 109a are connected to the front tank <NUM> via the front pump <NUM>. The front pump <NUM> sends the cleaning liquid stored in the front tank <NUM> to the front WW <NUM>, the front LC <NUM>, the right LC <NUM>, the left LC <NUM>, the right HC <NUM>, the left HC <NUM>, and the front camera cleaner 109a.

The back WW <NUM>, the back LC <NUM>, and the back camera cleaner 109b are connected to the back tank <NUM> via the back pump <NUM>. The back pump <NUM> sends the cleaning liquid stored in the back tank <NUM> to the back WW <NUM>, the back LC <NUM>, and the back camera cleaner 109b.

Each of the cleaners <NUM> to 109b is provided with an actuator that opens the nozzle to discharge the cleaning liquid to the object to be cleaned. The actuator provided in each of the cleaners <NUM> to 109b is electrically connected to the cleaner control unit <NUM>. In addition, the cleaner control unit <NUM> is also electrically connected to the front pump <NUM>, the back pump <NUM>, and the vehicle control unit <NUM>.

<FIG> is a block diagram of a main part of the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in <FIG>, the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> includes the cleaner units <NUM> that clean the external sensors <NUM>, the cleaner control unit <NUM> that controls the operations of the cleaner units <NUM>, and an advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM>. Although only the front LC <NUM> and the back LC <NUM> are shown as the cleaner units <NUM> in <FIG>, it is needless to say that the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> includes the other cleaner units <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

The cleaner control unit <NUM> is configured to control each cleaner unit <NUM>. The cleaner control unit <NUM> is configured by, for example, at least one electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit may include at least one microcontroller including one or more processors and one or more memories, and another electronic circuit including an active element such as a transistor and a passive element. The processor is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), and/or a graphics processing unit (GPU). The CPU may be configured by a plurality of CPU cores. The GPU may be configured by a plurality of GPU cores. The memory includes a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). A control program for the cleaner unit <NUM> may be stored in the ROM.

The processor may be configured to load a program designated from a program group stored in the ROM onto the RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM. In addition, the electronic control unit (ECU) may be configured by an integrated circuit (hardware resource) such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Further, the electronic control unit may be configured by a combination of at least one microcontroller and an integrated circuit.

In the present embodiment, the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> includes dirt sensors <NUM> that can detect whether or not the respective external sensors <NUM> are clean, and the vehicle control unit <NUM>. The vehicle control unit <NUM> is connected to a switchable display unit <NUM> and a switching operation unit <NUM>. The switchable display unit <NUM> is a display device that displays that the vehicle control unit <NUM> is in a state in which the autonomous driving mode is executable. The switchable display unit <NUM> can be configured by a lamp, a display, or the like, for example. The switching operation unit <NUM> is an operator operated by the user to cause the vehicle control unit <NUM> to execute the autonomous driving mode. The switching operation unit <NUM> can be configured by a button, a switch, a lever, a touch display, or the like. The switchable display unit <NUM> may be integrated with the switching operation unit <NUM>.

The advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM> acquires, from a switching advanced notification signal transmission unit <NUM>, a switching advanced notification signal for notifying that the host vehicle <NUM> is entering an area in which the driving mode can be switched from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode. In the present embodiment, the switching advanced notification signal transmission unit <NUM> includes a navigation system <NUM>, an image recognition unit <NUM>, a wireless communication unit <NUM>, and a switching preparation input unit <NUM>. The switching preparation input unit <NUM> is a user-operable operator for notifying the vehicle control unit <NUM> that the host vehicle <NUM> has entered an area in which the driving mode can be switched from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode. The switching preparation input unit <NUM> may be configured by a button, a switch, a lever, a touch display, or the like.

In the present embodiment, when the advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM> acquires the switching advanced notification signal, the vehicle control unit <NUM> causes the switchable display unit <NUM> to display that the autonomous driving mode is executable. In this state, when the switching operation unit <NUM> is operated to input a signal for executing the autonomous driving mode to the vehicle control unit <NUM>, the vehicle control unit <NUM> executes the autonomous driving mode.

Next, the switching advanced notification signal will be described with reference to <FIG> is a schematic view showing a position of the host vehicle <NUM>. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that an expressway S is an area in which the vehicle is allowed to travel in the autonomous driving mode. As shown in <FIG>, a transmission device that emits a wireless signal notifying that the vehicle is allowed to travel in the autonomous driving mode on the road S is installed at an entrance of the expressway S. In <FIG>, the area in which strength of the wireless signal emitted from the transmission device is equal to or larger than a predetermined value is indicated by a symbol A. When the host vehicle <NUM> is entering the area A, the wireless communication unit <NUM>, which is the switching advanced notification signal transmission unit <NUM>, acquires the wireless signal emitted from the transmission device, and outputs the switching advanced notification signal to the advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM>. In addition, in a case where the host vehicle is located outside the area A, a switchable signal is not input to the advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM>.

<FIG> is a flowchart executed by the cleaner control unit <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, first, the cleaner control unit <NUM> determines whether or not the advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM> has acquired the switching advanced notification signal (step S01).

In a case where the host vehicle <NUM> is located outside the area A and the advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM> does not acquire the switching advanced notification signal (step S01: No), the cleaner control unit <NUM> ends the process.

In a case where the host vehicle <NUM> is located in the area A and the advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM> acquires the switching advanced notification signal (step S01: Yes), the cleaner control unit <NUM> drives the cleaner unit <NUM> to clean the external sensor <NUM> (step S02).

In step S02, the cleaner control unit <NUM> may drive at least one of the cleaner units <NUM>, or may operate all the cleaner units <NUM>. However, since sensitivity of the external sensor <NUM> that acquires the external information in front is required when the autonomous driving mode is executed, it is preferable to operate at least the front camera cleaner 109a for cleaning the front camera 6c that acquires the information on the front side of the vehicle and the front LC <NUM> for cleaning the front LiDAR 6f.

Next, the cleaner control unit <NUM> determines whether or not the external sensor <NUM> is clean based on an output from the dirt sensor <NUM> (step S03).

In a case where the cleaner control unit <NUM> determines in step S03 that the external sensor <NUM> is still dirty (step S03: No), the cleaner control unit <NUM> returns to step S02 to drive the cleaner unit <NUM> to clean the external sensor <NUM>.

In a case where the cleaner control unit <NUM> determines in step S03 that the external sensor <NUM> is clean (step S03: Yes), the cleaner control unit <NUM> outputs a cleaning signal indicating that the external sensor <NUM> is clean to the vehicle control unit <NUM> (step S04).

When the vehicle control unit <NUM> acquires the cleaning signal from the cleaner control unit <NUM>, the vehicle control unit <NUM> causes the switchable display unit <NUM> to display that switching from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode is possible (step S05). Further, when the vehicle control unit <NUM> acquires the cleaning signal from the cleaner control unit <NUM>, the vehicle control unit <NUM> starts receiving a signal from the switching operation unit <NUM> (step S06). Incidentally, steps S05 and S06 may be executed in a reverse order or may be executed at the same time.

Subsequently, the vehicle control unit <NUM> determines whether or not a switching signal of the user to cause the vehicle control unit <NUM> to execute the autonomous driving mode has been acquired from the switching operation unit <NUM> (step S07).

The vehicle control unit <NUM> repeatedly executes step S07 until the switching signal is acquired (step S07: No).

When the vehicle control unit <NUM> acquires the switching signal (step S07: Yes), the vehicle control unit <NUM> ends execution of the manual driving mode, and executes the autonomous driving mode (step S08). That is, the driving mode is switched from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode. Incidentally, the vehicle control unit <NUM> is configured not to perform switching of the driving mode even when the switching signal is input from the switching operation unit <NUM> unless the step S06 is executed.

As described above, according to the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> according to the present embodiment, when the vehicle control unit <NUM> switches from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle control unit <NUM> is configured to, after the cleaner control unit <NUM> causes the cleaner unit <NUM> to clean the external sensor <NUM>, switch from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode. Therefore, when the autonomous driving mode is executed, the external sensor <NUM> can be kept clean at all times.

According to the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> according to the present embodiment, the cleaner control unit <NUM> is configured to, when a switching advanced notification acquiring unit has acquired the switching advanced notification signal, clean the external sensor <NUM> by the cleaner unit <NUM>. Therefore, the external sensor <NUM> can be in a clean state before the autonomous driving mode is executed, and the sensitivity of the external sensor <NUM> when the autonomous driving mode is executed can be increased.

That is, unlike the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> according to the present embodiment, in a configuration in which the switching advanced notification signal is not acquired, even when the user operates the switching operation unit to switch from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode, if the external sensor is not clean, the vehicle control unit cannot execute the autonomous driving mode based on the external information having high reliability. Therefore, even if the cleaner unit attempts to clean the external sensor before switching from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode, it takes time to clean the external sensor. Therefore, it is not possible to respond to meet the user's request to immediately switch the driving mode.

According to the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> according to the present embodiment, by cleaning the cleaner unit <NUM> based on the switching advanced notification signal, the vehicle control unit <NUM> can be configured to switch the driving mode immediately when the switching signal has been acquired, and it is easy to meet the user's request to immediately switch the driving mode.

According to the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> according to the present embodiment, the cleaner control unit <NUM> is configured to output the cleaning signal to the vehicle control unit <NUM> when it is determined that the external sensor <NUM> is clean, and to display on the switchable display unit <NUM> that the autonomous driving mode is executable. Therefore, the user can grasp whether or not the autonomous driving mode is executable immediately after the cleaner unit <NUM> is clean.

According to the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> according to the present embodiment, when the vehicle control unit <NUM> acquires the switching signal from the switching operation unit <NUM>, which is operable by the user, while the switchable display unit <NUM> displays that the autonomous driving mode is executable, the vehicle control unit <NUM> is configured to end the manual driving mode and execute the autonomous driving mode. Therefore, the user can visually determine whether or not the vehicle is in a state in which the autonomous driving mode is executable.

<FIG> is a flowchart executed by the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> according to an unclaimed first modification of the present invention.

In the flowchart shown in <FIG>, after the switching advanced notification signal is acquired (step S11: Yes), the cleaner control unit <NUM> determines whether or not the external sensor <NUM> needs to be cleaned (step S12).

The cleaner control unit <NUM> may be configured to determine whether or not the external sensor <NUM> needs to be cleaned based on the output from the dirt sensor <NUM>. Alternatively, the cleaner control unit <NUM> may be configured to determine whether or not the external sensor <NUM> needs to be cleaned based on weather information.

The weather information is, for example, weather information provided from the outside acquired by the wireless communication unit <NUM>, information output from the raindrop sensor <NUM> indicating that rain is falling, or the like. In a case where it is raining, there is a high possibility that dirt adheres to the external sensor <NUM> due to muddy water or the like splashed by a vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle <NUM>. Alternatively, in a case where the strong wind is blown, the dust is likely to adhere to the external sensor <NUM>. As described above, the weather in which the dirt is likely to adhere to the external sensor <NUM> is recorded in the memory as a predetermined weather condition. The cleaner control unit <NUM> reads the predetermined weather condition from the memory and collates it with the weather information to determine whether or not the acquired weather information matches the predetermined weather condition. In this manner, the cleaner control unit <NUM> may be configured to determine whether or not the external sensor <NUM> needs to be cleaned based on the weather information.

In a case where the cleaner control unit <NUM> determines that the external sensor <NUM> needs to be cleaned (step S12: Yes), the cleaner control unit <NUM> drives the cleaner unit <NUM> to clean the external sensor <NUM> (step S13).

In a case where the cleaner control unit <NUM> determines that the external sensor <NUM> does not need to be cleaned (step S12: No), since the external sensor <NUM> is clean, the cleaner control unit <NUM> outputs the cleaning signal to the vehicle control unit <NUM> (step S15).

Incidentally, the determination as to whether or not the external sensor <NUM> needs to be cleaned in step S12 may be performed on all the external sensors <NUM> or may be determined only for a specific external sensor <NUM>. In a case where it is determined that the specific external sensor <NUM> needs to be cleaned, all the external sensors <NUM> may be cleaned. Since subsequent processes are the same as those of the flowchart of <FIG> described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> according to the first modification, since the already clean external sensor <NUM> is not cleaned, the cleaning medium can be saved.

According to the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> according to the first modification, the cleaner control unit <NUM> is configured to, after the switching advanced notification signal is acquired and the determination is performed to ascertain whether or not the external sensor <NUM> needs to be cleaned, output the cleaning signal to the vehicle control unit <NUM> when it is determined that the external sensor <NUM> does not need to be cleaned, and cause the switchable display unit <NUM> to display that the autonomous driving mode is executable.

Therefore, the cleaning medium can be saved without cleaning the already clean external sensor <NUM>.

According to the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> according to the first modification, the cleaner control unit <NUM> is configured such that.

Therefore, by cleaning only the external sensor <NUM> that needs to be cleaned, the external sensor <NUM> can be kept in the clean state when the autonomous driving mode is executed while saving the cleaning medium.

The autonomous driving vehicle <NUM> of the present embodiment includes.

In the autonomous driving vehicle <NUM>,.

<FIG> is a flowchart executed by the vehicle cleaner system <NUM> according to an unclaimed second modification of the present invention.

As shown in <FIG>, first, the vehicle control unit <NUM> acquires the switching signal for switching from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode (step S21). The vehicle control unit <NUM> repeats this process until the switching signal is acquired.

When the vehicle control unit <NUM> acquires the switching signal (step S21: Yes), the cleaner control unit <NUM> determines whether or not the external sensor <NUM> needs to be cleaned (step S22).

If the external sensor does not need to be cleaned (step S22: No), the cleaner control unit <NUM> outputs the cleaning signal indicating that the external sensor <NUM> is clean to the vehicle control unit <NUM> (step S25).

If the external sensor <NUM> needs to be cleaned (step S22: Yes), the cleaner control unit <NUM> operates the cleaner unit <NUM> to clean the external sensor <NUM> (step S23). Next, the cleaner control unit <NUM> determines whether or not the external sensor is clean (step S24). If the external sensor <NUM> is clean (step S24: Yes), the cleaner control unit <NUM> outputs the cleaning signal to the vehicle control unit <NUM> (step S25). If the external sensor <NUM> is not clean (step S24: No), the cleaner control unit <NUM> operates the cleaner unit <NUM> to clean the external sensor <NUM> again (step S23).

After the cleaning signal is acquired from the cleaner control unit <NUM> (step S25), the vehicle control unit <NUM> ends the execution of the manual driving mode, and executes the autonomous driving mode.

Also in the second modification, when the vehicle control unit <NUM> switches from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle control unit <NUM> is configured to switch from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode after the cleaner control unit <NUM> diagnoses whether or not the external sensor <NUM> needs to be cleaned. Therefore, the external sensor <NUM> can be kept in the clean state at all times when the vehicle control unit <NUM> executes the autonomous driving mode. In the present modification, when the vehicle control unit <NUM> switches from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle control unit <NUM> may be configured to switch from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode after the cleaner control unit <NUM> causes the cleaner unit <NUM> to clean the external sensor <NUM>.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the present embodiment. It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the present embodiment is merely an example and various modifications can be made.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which the cleaner system <NUM> includes the external sensor <NUM> has been described, but the cleaner system <NUM> may be configured not to include the external sensor <NUM>. However, it is preferable that the cleaner system <NUM> is configured as an assembly including the external sensor <NUM> because positioning accuracy of the cleaners <NUM> to <NUM>, 109a and 109b with respect to the external sensor <NUM> can be easily increased. In addition, since the external sensors <NUM> can also be incorporated together when the cleaner system <NUM> is mounted on the vehicle <NUM>, the ease of assembly to the vehicle <NUM> is also enhanced.

In the embodiment described above, as a cleaner for cleaning the external sensor <NUM>, the cleaners <NUM> to <NUM> for cleaning the LiDARs 6f, 6b, 6r, and <NUM>, the cleaner 109a for cleaning the front camera 6c, and the cleaner 109b for cleaning the back camera 6d have been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The cleaner system <NUM> may include a cleaner for cleaning a radar, or the like, instead of the sensor cleaners <NUM> to <NUM>, 109a, and 109b, or may include the cleaner with the sensor cleaners <NUM> to <NUM>, 109a, and 109b.

Note that the external sensor <NUM> such as the LiDARs 6f, 6b, 6r, and <NUM> may have a detection surface and a cover that covers the detection surface. The cleaner for cleaning the external sensor <NUM> may be configured to clean the detection surface, or may be configured to clean the cover that covers the sensor.

The cleaning liquid discharged by the cleaner system <NUM> includes water or a detergent. The cleaning mediums to be discharged to the front and rear windows 1f, 1b, the headlamps 7r, <NUM>, the LiDARs 6f, 6b, 6r, <NUM>, and the cameras 6c, 6d may be different or may be the same.

In the embodiment described above, the example in which the cleaners <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> to 109b are connected to the front tank <NUM> and the cleaners <NUM>, <NUM> are connected to the back tank <NUM> has been described above, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The cleaners <NUM> to 109b may be connected to a single tank. The cleaners <NUM> to 109b may be connected to tanks different from each other.

Alternatively, the cleaners <NUM> to 109b may be connected to a common tank for each type of an object to be cleaned thereof. For example, the LCs <NUM> to <NUM> may be connected to a common first tank, and the HCs <NUM>, <NUM> may be connected to a second tank different from the first tank.

Alternatively, the cleaners <NUM> to 109b may be connected to a common tank for each arrangement position of the object to be cleaned. For example, the front WW <NUM>, the front LC <NUM>, and the front camera cleaner 109a may be connected to a common front tank, the right LC <NUM> and the right HC <NUM> may be connected to a common right tank, the back WW <NUM>, the back WW104, the back camera cleaner 109b may be connected to a common back tank, and the left LC <NUM> and the left HC <NUM> may be connected to a common left tank.

In the embodiment described above, an example in which the cleaning medium is discharged from the cleaners <NUM> to 109b by operating the actuators provided in the cleaners <NUM> to 109b has been described above, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Each of the cleaners <NUM> to 109b is provided with a normally closed valve, the pump is operated such that a pressure between the tank and each of the cleaners <NUM> to 109b is always high. The cleaner control unit <NUM> may open the valves provided in the cleaners <NUM> to 109b to discharge the cleaning mediums from the cleaners <NUM> to 109b.

Alternatively, each of the cleaners <NUM> to 109b is connected to an individual pump, and the cleaner control unit <NUM> may control each pump individually to control the discharge of the cleaning mediums from the cleaners <NUM> to 109b. In this case, each of the cleaners <NUM> to 109b may be connected to different tanks, or may be connected to a common tank.

The cleaners <NUM> to 109b are provided with one or more discharge holes for discharging the cleaning medium. The cleaners <NUM> to 109b may be provided with one or more discharge holes for discharging the cleaning liquid and one or more discharge holes for discharging air.

Each of the cleaners <NUM> to 109b may be individually provided, or the plurality of the cleaners <NUM> to 109b may be formed as a unit. For example, the right LC <NUM> and the right HC <NUM> may be configured as a single unit. In contrast to an aspect in which the right headlamp 7r and the right LiDAR 6r are integrated, the right LC <NUM> and the right HC <NUM> may be configured as a single unit.

In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, an example in which the advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM> is incorporated in the electronic control unit forming the cleaner control unit <NUM> is shown, but the advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM> may be incorporated in the electronic control unit forming the vehicle control unit <NUM>, or may be configured separately from the cleaner control unit <NUM> and the vehicle control unit <NUM>. In addition, a single electronic control unit may function as both the cleaner control unit <NUM> and the vehicle control unit <NUM>.

In the example shown in <FIG>, the example in which the wireless communication unit <NUM> functions as the switching advanced notification signal transmission unit <NUM> has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The navigation system <NUM> sets a scheduled course of the host vehicle. There is a case in which the area in which the vehicle is allowed to travel in the autonomous driving mode is included in the scheduled course. In this case, the navigation system <NUM> as the switching advanced notification signal transmission unit <NUM> may be configured to output the switching advanced notification signal to the advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM> when the host vehicle arrives a point in front of a predetermined length (for example, <NUM> before) from the area.

When the front camera 6c captures an image of a sign or the like indicating the area in which the vehicle is allowed to travel in the autonomous driving mode and the image recognition unit <NUM> recognizes the sign, the image recognition unit <NUM> functioning as the switching advanced notification signal transmission unit <NUM> may be configured to transmit the switching advanced notification signal to the advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM>.

Alternatively, by pressing the switch preparation input unit <NUM> when the vehicle has entered the area in which the vehicle is allowed to travel in the autonomous driving mode by the user, the switching preparation input unit <NUM> functioning as the switching advanced notification signal transmission unit <NUM> may be configured to transmit the switching advanced notification signal to the advanced notification signal acquiring unit <NUM>.

Alternatively, the switching preparation input unit <NUM> may also serve as a driving mode switching unit operated by the user to switch the driving mode of the vehicle. The switching advanced notification signal may be transmitted when the user operates the driving mode switching unit once, the cleaner unit may be operated in response to the switching advanced notification signal, and the manual driving mode may be switched to the autonomous driving mode when the user operates the driving mode switching unit again in a state in which the external sensor is clean.

Claim 1:
A vehicle cleaner system (<NUM>) mounted on an autonomous driving vehicle (<NUM>) including a vehicle control unit (<NUM>) capable of selectively executing an autonomous driving mode in which an accelerator control signal, a brake control signal, and a steering control signal are generated in accordance with an output from an external sensor (<NUM>) acquiring information on outside of the vehicle (<NUM>) and a manual driving mode in which the accelerator control signal, the brake control signal, and the steering control signal are generated independently of the output from the external sensor (<NUM>), the vehicle cleaner system (<NUM>) comprising:
a cleaner unit (<NUM>) configured to clean the external sensor (<NUM>); and
a cleaner control unit (<NUM>) configured to control the cleaner unit (<NUM>),
wherein the vehicle control unit (<NUM>) is configured to switch from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode after the cleaner control unit (<NUM>) causes the cleaner unit (<NUM>) to clean the external sensor (<NUM>) or after a diagnosis determines that the external sensor (<NUM>) need not to be cleaned,
characterized in that the vehicle cleaner system further comprises
a switching advanced notification acquiring unit (<NUM>) configured to acquire a switching advanced notification signal for notifying that the vehicle (<NUM>) is entering an area (S) in which a driving mode is capable of switching from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode, wherein
the cleaner control unit (<NUM>) is configured such that, when the switching advanced notification acquiring unit (<NUM>) has acquired the switching advanced notification signal, the external sensor (<NUM>) is cleaned by the cleaner unit (<NUM>) or the diagnosis is performed to ascertain whether or not the external sensor (<NUM>) needs to be cleaned, and
the cleaner control unit (<NUM>) is configured to acquire the switching advanced notification signal, from a navigation system (<NUM>), a wireless communication unit (<NUM>) or an image recognition unit (<NUM>) for notifying that the vehicle (<NUM>) is entering an area in which the autonomous driving mode is executable.