Cleaning control system and cleaning control device

Abstract

The cleaning control device includes a current monitoring unit (31d), a power-on time acquisition unit, and a calculation unit (31g). The current monitoring unit monitors the motor current value, which is the value of the current supplied to the cleaning motor (12). The power-on time acquisition unit acquires the power-on time for supplying this current to the cleaning motor. The calculation unit calculates the usage amount of the cleaning liquid based on the motor current value monitored by the current monitoring unit and the power-on time acquired by the power-on time acquisition unit, and calculates the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank (11) as the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid based on this usage amount.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cleaning control system provided in a vehicle and a cleaning control device applied to the cleaning control system. Background Art

[0002] JP 2019-18597 A proposes a vehicle cleaning system. When dirt is detected on the windshield, the vehicle cleaning system automatically cleans the windshield. The vehicle cleaning system includes a cleaning liquid level sensor for detecting the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. The vehicle cleaning system uses the cleaning liquid level sensor to determine whether the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is at least a specific value sufficient to operate the cleaning pump, and the vehicle cleaning system operates the cleaning pump when the remaining amount is at least the specific value and notifies the user when the remaining amount is less than the specific value. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Autopilot is performed by a condition monitoring device such as various cameras and sensors to obtain various information, by means of an advanced driver assistance system (hereinafter referred to as ADAS). If the condition monitoring device for maintaining the function gets dirty during autopilot, the functions related to the ADAS may deteriorate. Therefore, a method for removing dirt attached to the condition monitoring device through a cleaning control system has been developed.

[0004] In order to grasp the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid, as disclosed in JP 2019-18597 A, it is possible to consider using a cleaning liquid level sensor to confirm the presence of the cleaning liquid.

[0005] However, using only one cleaning liquid level sensor is a binary determination that can determine whether the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches a constant value. Therefore, it is possible to notify the shortage of the cleaning liquid only when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is exhausted, so that the condition monitoring device cannot be cleaned during autopilot.

[0006] To solve such a problem, it is possible to consider setting the threshold value of the liquid volume detected by the cleaning liquid level sensor to a value greater than 0. However, since the usage frequency of the cleaning liquid varies depending on the usage environment, it is difficult to predict the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid, and thus it is difficult to maintain the function during autopilot.

[0007] It is also possible to consider preparing multiple cleaning liquid level sensors to grasp the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in multiple stages. However, this will increase the number of components in the system, for example, multiple cleaning liquid level sensors are required, and thus the system cost will also increase.

[0008] In view of the above, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a cleaning control system and a cleaning control device applied to the cleaning control system, which can grasp the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid with a simple system configuration without setting a plurality of cleaning liquid level sensors.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning control system includes: a condition monitoring device configured to monitor a condition related to the running of a vehicle; a cleaning tank configured to store a cleaning liquid; a cleaning motor configured to perform a cleaning spray by sucking and discharging the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank in response to energization of the cleaning motor, so as to remove dirt that hinders the condition monitoring device from monitoring; and a cleaning control device configured to control the cleaning spray by controlling the energization of the cleaning motor. The cleaning control device includes: a current monitoring unit configured to monitor a motor current value, which is a value of the current supplied to the cleaning motor; an energization time acquisition unit configured to acquire an energization time for supplying the current to the cleaning motor; and a calculation unit configured to calculate a usage amount of the cleaning liquid based on the motor current value monitored by the current monitoring unit and the energization time acquired by the energization time acquisition unit, and calculate a remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank as a remaining amount of the cleaning liquid based on the usage amount.

[0010] In this way, the usage amount of the cleaning liquid can be calculated based on the motor current value (the motor current value is the value of the current supplied to the cleaning motor) and the energization time. Based on the usage amount, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank can be calculated. Accordingly, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid, for example, can be notified. Therefore, a driver or the like can grasp the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid and can be urged to replenish the cleaning liquid before the cleaning liquid is exhausted. In addition, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid can be grasped with a simple system configuration without setting a plurality of cleaning liquid level sensors.

[0011] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning control device controls the energization of a cleaning motor, which performs a cleaning spray by sucking and discharging the cleaning liquid stored in a cleaning tank to remove dirt that hinders a condition monitoring device from monitoring, and the condition monitoring device monitors a condition related to the running of a vehicle. The cleaning control device includes: a current monitoring unit configured to monitor a motor current value, which is a value of the current supplied to the cleaning motor; an energization time acquisition unit configured to acquire an energization time for supplying the current to the cleaning motor; and a calculation unit configured to calculate a usage amount of the cleaning liquid based on the motor current value monitored by the current monitoring unit and the energization time acquired by the energization time acquisition unit, and calculate a remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank as a remaining amount of the cleaning liquid based on the usage amount.

[0012] The cleaning control device according to the second aspect can achieve an effect similar to that achieved by the cleaning control system according to the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The above or other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0014] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cleaning control system according to a first embodiment;

[0015] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing details of a cleaning control process;

[0016] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of daily changes in the remaining amount of cleaning liquid and an estimated line;

[0017] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a method for calculating an estimated line;

[0018] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a circuit structure of a cleaning control system provided with one cleaning liquid level sensor according to a first comparative example;

[0019] Figure 6 is a diagram showing, in a cleaning control system having a Figure 5 circuit structure, the remaining amount of cleaning liquid and the time when the remaining amount can be detected;

[0020] Figure 7 is a diagram showing a circuit structure of a cleaning control system provided with a plurality of cleaning liquid level sensors according to a second comparative example;

[0021] Figure 8 is a diagram showing, in a cleaning control system having a Figure 7 circuit structure, the remaining amount of cleaning liquid and the time when the remaining amount can be detected; and

[0022] Figure 9 is a diagram showing changes in the remaining amount of cleaning liquid when the remaining amount of cleaning liquid is corrected at the moment when the remaining amount of cleaning liquid reaches 50%. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiments, the same or equivalent components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0024] (First Embodiment)

[0025] will be described with reference to Figure 1 a cleaning control system 1 according to a first embodiment.Figure 1 is a circuit structure diagram. In this circuit structure diagram, a wiper control system 2 is added to the cleaning control system 1 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the case where the cleaning control system 1 is applied to a system that sprays cleaning liquid according to an instruction from the wiper control system 2 is described as an example. However, the cleaning control system 1 can also be applied to a system that sprays cleaning liquid independently of the wiper control system 2.

[0026] First, the wiper control system 2 will be described. The wiper control system 2 is a system that controls the front wiper 3a and the rear wiper 4a. The front wiper 3a is used to wipe off dirt and the like on the front windshield 3 in the vehicle, and the rear wiper 4a is used to wipe off dirt and the like on the rear windshield 4. The wiper control system 2 executes wiper control and cleaning instructions, etc., based on an instruction from an electronic control unit (ECU) provided in the vehicle. The ECU is, for example, the body ECU 2a. The body ECU 2a is one of multiple in-vehicle ECUs and executes various functions related to the vehicle. Examples of these various functions include wiper control and cleaning instructions. Here, only the parts related to wiper control and cleaning instructions among the functions executed by the body ECU 2a will be described.

[0027] Specifically, the body ECU 2a receives a plurality of control signals that indicate the operating states of a front wiper switch (F WIP SW) 2b, a rear wiper switch (R WIP SW) 2c, a front washer switch (F WASH SW) 2d, and a rear washer switch (R WASH SW) 2e provided in a steering column part (not shown). When a control signal for operating the front wiper 3a or the rear wiper 4a is input, the body ECU 2a drives a wiper motor (not shown) for operating the front wiper 3a or the rear wiper 4a based on this control signal.

[0028] In addition, when a control signal for operating the front washer switch 2d or the rear washer switch 2e is input, the body ECU 2a outputs a control signal for a cleaning instruction to the cleaning control system 1, thereby performing corresponding cleaning spraying. In addition, within a certain period of time during which the cleaning spraying is performed, the body ECU 2a drives a wiper motor (not shown) to operate the corresponding front wiper 3a or rear wiper 4a.

[0029] In addition, the vehicle body ECU 2a receives the monitoring results of the dirt monitoring unit 6. The dirt monitoring unit 6 has a configuration including a front monitoring unit 6a and a rear monitoring unit 6b. The front monitoring unit 6a monitors the dirt adhesion on the front windshield 3, and the rear monitoring unit 6b monitors the dirt adhesion on the rear windshield 4. Inside the front windshield 3 and the rear windshield 4, that is, on the inner side of the vehicle, various condition monitoring devices 5 applicable to the autonomous driving by means of ADAS are installed to monitor the conditions related to the driving of the vehicle. These condition monitoring devices 5 are, for example, various cameras and sensors. Therefore, the dirt adhesion on the front windshield 3 and the rear windshield 4 will interfere with the monitoring of the various condition monitoring devices 5 and may reduce the functions of the various condition monitoring devices 5. Therefore, the dirt monitoring unit 6 monitors the dirt adhesion and transmits the monitoring results to the vehicle body ECU 2a. If there is dirt adhesion, the vehicle body ECU 2a outputs a control signal for a cleaning instruction to the cleaning control device 30 to perform corresponding cleaning injection.

[0030] When the condition monitoring device 5 is a camera, the dirt monitoring unit 6 can detect dirt from the images captured by the camera. The dirt monitoring unit 6 can also detect dirt based on the reflectivity change depending on the presence or absence of dirt. The dirt monitoring unit 6 is, for example, an infrared sensor. In addition, although the monitoring results are shown here to be directly transmitted from the dirt monitoring unit 6 to the vehicle body ECU 2a, another form can be used. For example, the monitoring signal of the dirt monitoring unit 6 is transmitted to another in-vehicle ECU that controls the autonomous driving by means of ADAS. This in-vehicle ECU judges the presence or absence of dirt to obtain the monitoring results and transmits the monitoring results to the vehicle body ECU 2a.

[0031] Next, the cleaning control system 1 will be described. The cleaning control system 1 of the present embodiment is configured to include a cleaning device 10, a cleaning liquid level sensor 20, a cleaning control device 30, a display control device (DCD) 40, and the like.

[0032] The cleaning device 10 is a component that constitutes a mechanical structure for spraying cleaning liquid onto the front windshield 3 and the rear windshield 4. The cleaning device 10 includes a cleaning tank 11, a cleaning motor 12, and a cleaning injector 13.

[0033] The cleaning tank 11 stores cleaning liquid internally, and the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 11 is used to clean the dirt adhering to the front windshield 3 and the rear windshield 4. The cleaning liquid allowing the limit liquid volume can be stored in the cleaning tank 11. In other words, the upper limit of the cleaning liquid level is fixed, and the value obtained by subtracting the used cleaning liquid volume from the allowable limit liquid volume is the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. However, when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is equal to or exceeds a predetermined value, for the cleaning liquid, since the liquid volume is sufficient, it is not necessary to estimate the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 detects that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches the predetermined value, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is estimated based on the predetermined value. This will be described later.

[0034] The cleaning motor 12 is a pump-integrated motor having a cleaning pump function, and the cleaning motor 12 is controlled by the cleaning control device 30. When the cleaning control device 30 drives the cleaning motor 12, the cleaning liquid is sucked and discharged toward the cleaning ejector 13. In the present embodiment, the cleaning motor 12 is composed of a motor and a built-in switching valve. The motor can rotate forward / backward according to the energization direction, and the built-in switching valve allows the discharge port of the cleaning liquid to be switched between the forward rotation period and the reverse rotation period. Then, during forward rotation, the cleaning liquid is discharged to the front ejector 13a, which will be described later. During reverse rotation, the cleaning liquid is discharged to the rear ejector 13b. The amount of the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning motor 12 to the cleaning ejector 13 is an amount corresponding to the rotation speed of the cleaning motor 12.

[0035] The cleaning ejector 13 discharges the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning motor 12 toward the front windshield 3 and the rear windshield 4. Specifically, the cleaning ejector 13 includes a front ejector 13a that ejects the cleaning liquid toward the front windshield 3 and a rear ejector 13b that ejects the cleaning liquid toward the rear windshield 4. When the cleaning motor 12 rotates forward, the cleaning liquid is discharged to the front ejector 13a and ejected onto the front windshield 3. When the cleaning motor 12 rotates backward, the cleaning liquid is discharged to the rear ejector 13b and ejected onto the rear windshield 4. In addition, except when the cleaning liquid is being ejected, the wiper control system 2 drives the front wiper 3a and the rear wiper 4a to clean and remove the dirt adhering to the front windshield 3 and the rear windshield 4.

[0036] The cleaning liquid level sensor 20 detects the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank 11 and notifies the cleaning control device 30. For example, the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 detects that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid has reached a predetermined value based on the height of the liquid level in the cleaning tank 11. The cleaning liquid level sensor 20 includes a liquid level detection switch that is turned off before the height of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches the predetermined value and is turned on when the height of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches the predetermined value. The cleaning liquid level sensor 20 performs binary determination to determine whether the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid has reached the predetermined value, and this determination result is notified to the cleaning control device 30 as the detection result of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. Then, this detection result is used by the cleaning control device 30 to estimate the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. Details of the estimation of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid will be described later.

[0037] The cleaning control device 30 controls the cleaning injection by controlling the energization of the cleaning motor 12. Specifically, when the cleaning control device 30 receives a control signal of a cleaning instruction from the vehicle body ECU 2a, the cleaning control device 30 drives the cleaning motor 12 to inject the cleaning liquid based on this control signal. The control signal of the cleaning instruction transmitted from the vehicle body ECU 2a also includes whether the cleaning motor 12 is about to rotate forward or backward, that is, whether the cleaning liquid is about to be injected onto the front windshield 3 or the rear windshield 4. Therefore, the cleaning control device 30 rotates the cleaning motor 12 forward or backward based on this control signal so as to inject the cleaning liquid onto one of the front windshield 3 and the rear windshield 4 as required.

[0038] As described above, the vehicle body ECU 2a outputs a control signal of a cleaning instruction when the front cleaning switch 2d or the rear cleaning switch 2e is operated, or when it receives the monitoring result of dirt attachment from the dirt monitoring unit 6. Therefore, the cleaning control device 30 performs corresponding cleaning injection when the driver requests to operate the wiper and when the front windshield 3 or the rear windshield 4 is attached with dirt. Therefore, when the front windshield 3 and the rear windshield 4 are attached with dirt, the degradation of the function of the condition monitoring device 5 installed inside the front windshield 3 or the rear windshield 4 can be suppressed by injecting the cleaning liquid.

[0039] Specifically, the cleaning control device 30 includes a microcomputer (MCOM) 31 and a switch unit 32.

[0040] The microcomputer 31 constitutes a controller, which includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an input / output (I / O), etc. The microcomputer 31 controls the switch unit 32 according to the program stored in the ROM, etc., so as to control the drive of the cleaning motor 12 to spray the cleaning liquid. Specifically, when the control signal of the cleaning instruction is input from the vehicle body ECU 2a, the microcomputer 31 outputs a drive instruction (DI) signal to the switch unit 32 to drive the cleaning motor 12. Accordingly, the switch unit 32 is controlled to supply current to the cleaning motor 12, the cleaning motor 12 is driven, and the cleaning liquid is sprayed.

[0041] The control signal of the cleaning instruction input from the vehicle body ECU 2a also includes a data, which indicates which one of the front windshield 3 and the rear windshield 4 the cleaning liquid will be sprayed onto. Therefore, the microcomputer 31 controls the switch unit 32 according to the drive instruction signal. The microcomputer 31 sets the direction of the current and supplies the current to the cleaning motor 12, so that the cleaning motor 12 rotates forward or backward.

[0042] In addition, the microcomputer 31 detects that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches a predetermined value according to the detection signal input by the cleaning liquid level sensor 20. In addition, the microcomputer 31 obtains the date and time information, such as the date and time, by communicating (COM) with the display control device 40, and the microcomputer 31 estimates the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid based on the date and time information and the detection signal of the cleaning liquid level sensor 20. Therefore, when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid becomes less than or equal to the predetermined value, the microcomputer 31 prompts the driver to replenish the cleaning liquid by displaying the display content indicating the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid.

[0043] Specifically, the microcomputer 31 has a fluid amount detection (FAD) unit 31a, a date / time acquisition (DTA) unit 31b, a washer fluid margin notification (WFMN) unit 31c, a current monitoring (CM) unit 31d, a spray time counting (STC) unit 31e, a spray number counting (SNC) unit 31f, and a calculation (CAL) unit 31g as the respective functional units for implementing the above functions.

[0044] The liquid level detection unit 31a receives the detection signal of the cleaning liquid level sensor 20, detects that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid has reached the predetermined value, and notifies the calculation unit 31g of it. In the present embodiment, the liquid level detection unit 31a detects that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid has reached the predetermined value. For example, when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 50%, it is detected that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid has reached the predetermined value. However, it is sufficient for the liquid level detection unit to detect that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is within the range greater than 0% and less than 100%.

[0045] The date / time acquisition unit 31b acquires date / time information such as date and time from the display control device 40, and notifies the date / time information to the calculation unit 31g. Here, the date / time acquisition unit 31b acquires the date / time information from the display control device 40. However, since the date / time information can be completely acquired through an in-vehicle communication system such as an in-vehicle local area network (LAN), the date / time information can be acquired from the in-vehicle ECU of a different vehicle.

[0046] The remaining amount notification unit 31c of the cleaning liquid notifies the display control device 40 of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid based on the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. The remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is an index indicating how much cleaning liquid is available later, and the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is calculated by the calculation unit 31g. The remaining amount of the cleaning liquid itself and the expiration date can be notified to the display control device 40 as the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. The expiration date is, for example, how many days the cleaning liquid can be used, or how many months and days the cleaning liquid can be used.

[0047] The current monitoring unit 31d monitors in real time the value of the current supplied to the cleaning motor 12 (hereinafter referred to as the motor current value (MCV)), and notifies the motor current value to the calculation unit 31g. By combining the motor current value monitored by the current monitoring unit 31d and the energization time of the cleaning motor 12 (hereinafter referred to as the motor energization time), the rotational speed of the cleaning motor 12 (hereinafter referred to as the motor rotational speed) is obtained. Since the usage amount of the cleaning liquid, that is, the consumption amount of the cleaning liquid is related to the motor rotational speed, for example, is proportional to the motor rotational speed, the usage amount of the cleaning liquid can be calculated based on the motor rotational speed. Therefore, the current monitoring unit 31d monitors the motor current value.

[0048] The injection timing unit 31e measures the injection time of the cleaning liquid. The injection time of the cleaning liquid is a time corresponding to the motor energization time, and the injection timing unit 31e corresponds to the energization time acquisition unit. When calculating the above-mentioned motor speed, the injection time of the cleaning liquid is used as the motor energization time. As described later, since the cleaning motor 12 is driven by outputting a drive command signal from the calculation unit 31g to the switch unit 32, the injection timing unit 31e measures the output time of the drive command signal in order to measure the injection time of the cleaning liquid.

[0049] The injection count unit 31f counts the number of times the cleaning liquid is injected. Here, when the ignition switch is turned on, the number of times the cleaning liquid is injected is counted. In another example, starting from when the cleaning liquid is first used, for example, when the cleaning tank 11 is filled to the full state by replenishing the cleaning liquid, that is, when the allowable limit liquid volume is satisfied, the number of times the cleaning liquid is injected is counted. When the cleaning motor 12 is continuously energized, regardless of the length of the energization time of the cleaning motor 12, the number of times the cleaning liquid is injected is counted as 1 time.

[0050] The calculation unit 31g controls the switch unit 32 based on the control signal of the cleaning instruction from the vehicle body ECU 2a, and injects the cleaning liquid by supplying current to the cleaning motor 12. The control signal of the cleaning instruction transmitted from the vehicle body ECU 2a also includes whether the cleaning motor 12 is about to rotate forward or backward, that is, whether the cleaning liquid is about to be injected onto the front windshield 3 or the rear windshield 4. Therefore, the cleaning control device 30 rotates the cleaning motor 12 forward or backward based on this control signal, so as to inject the cleaning liquid onto one of the front windshield 3 and the rear windshield 4 as required.

[0051] In addition, the calculation unit 31g calculates the amount of cleaning liquid used each time (hereinafter referred to as the per-use amount) based on the motor current value transmitted from the current monitoring unit 31d and the injection time of the cleaning liquid corresponding to the motor energization time, and calculates the cumulative value of this usage amount (hereinafter referred to as the cumulative usage amount). Then, the calculation unit 31g calculates an estimated line indicating the daily usage amount change based on the calculation results of the per-use amount and the cumulative usage amount. After the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 detects that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches a predetermined value, the calculation unit 31g also calculates the remaining amount and the expiration date of the cleaning liquid.

[0052] The calculation unit 31g calculates the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid based on the daily usage amount and the cumulative usage amount within a predetermined time period (e.g., several consecutive days starting from an arbitrary day), and linearly approximates the remaining amount to calculate an estimated line, the details of which will be described later. In addition, since the calculation unit 31g can confirm that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid has reached a predetermined value through the cleaning liquid level sensor 20, when the cleaning liquid is used again after the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid has reached the predetermined value, the calculation unit 31g calculates the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid by subtracting the usage amount from the predetermined value. In addition, the calculation unit 31g also calculates the service life of the cleaning liquid based on the calculated estimated line. That is, the calculation unit 31g calculates the number of days the cleaning liquid can be used by calculating the intercept of the estimated line, and also calculates the specific date (month and date) until when the cleaning liquid can be used based on the date information obtained by the date / time acquisition unit 31b and the calculation result of the number of days the cleaning liquid can be used. Then, the calculation unit 31g sends the data regarding the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid remaining amount notification unit 31c.

[0053] From the moment when the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 detects that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is notified to the cleaning liquid remaining amount notification unit 31c. Therefore, the start time for transmitting the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is determined based on the value detected by the cleaning liquid level sensor 20. Here, since the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 is set to detect that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid has reached 50% of the allowable limit liquid amount, in the following description, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid being the predetermined value is interpreted as the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid being 50%. However, this predetermined value can be set appropriately and does not have to be 50%.

[0054] When the cleaning motor 12 is continuously driven, the motor speed increases, and even after the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid becomes 0%, the motor speed still increases. Therefore, if the usage amount of the cleaning liquid is calculated based on the motor speed, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid will be calculated as a negative value. Therefore, even if the cleaning motor 12 is continuously driven after the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid becomes 0%, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is calculated as 0%. The fact that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid becomes 0% can be specified based on the motor current value. When the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid becomes 0%, the cleaning liquid is used up and the cleaning motor 12 is driven without load, so that the motor current value becomes smaller compared to when the cleaning liquid is present, i.e., when there is a load. Therefore, by setting the threshold value to be greater than the no-load current value and less than the load current value, it can be specified that when the motor current value is less than this threshold value, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is 0%.

[0055] On the other hand, the switch unit 32 controls the supply of motor current to the cleaning motor 12. In the present embodiment, the switch unit 32 is configured to be able to control the direction of the motor current so that the cleaning motor 12 can rotate not only forward but also backward. However, if the cleaning motor 12 rotates only in one direction, the switch unit 32 can be just an on-off switch. Here, the switch unit 32 is configured by an H-bridge circuit so that, in addition to turning the motor current on and off, the direction of the motor current can also be controlled.

[0056] The H-bridge circuit includes a first switch 32a, a second switch 32b, a third switch 32c, and a fourth switch 32d. A circuit in which the first switch 32a and the second switch 32b are connected in series is connected in parallel with a circuit in which the third switch 32c and the fourth switch 32d are connected in series, and the two midpoints of these two circuits are connected to the respective ends of the cleaning motor 12 to form the H-bridge circuit. The H-bridge circuit causes the motor current to flow through the cleaning motor 12 in a preset direction by turning on each switch arranged diagonally and turning off each switch arranged diagonally at the other side. Specifically, when the first switch 32a and the fourth switch 32d are turned on and the second switch 32b and the third switch 32c are turned off, the motor current flows Figure 1 in the direction of arrow A1 in []. When the first switch 32a and the fourth switch 32d are turned off and the second switch 32b and the third switch 32c are turned on, the motor current flows Figure 1 in the direction of arrow A2 in []. Accordingly, the cleaning motor 12 can rotate forward or backward.

[0057] The display control device 40 controls the display of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid through a display device (for example, a display) (not shown). The display control device 40 includes, for example, an in-vehicle instrument device. The display control device 40 can notify the driver of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid by displaying the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid on the display. The display can be any display as long as it can be visually seen by the driver. For example, a display panel or the like can be used.

[0058] The cleaning control system 1 and the wiper control system 2 according to the present embodiment are configured as described above. Next, the operations of the cleaning control system 1 and the wiper control system 2 configured in this way will be described.

[0059] First, when the driver operates the front wiper switch 2b or the rear wiper switch 2c, an operation signal is input to the body ECU 2a, and the corresponding wiper motor is driven based on the control signal from the body ECU 2a. Accordingly, the front wiper 3a or the rear wiper 4a operates. Then, when the driver operates to terminate the operation of the front wiper switch 2b or the rear wiper switch 2c, a termination signal is input to the body ECU 2a, the control signal from the body ECU 2a is released, and the wiper motor stops. Accordingly, the operation of the front wiper 3a or the rear wiper 4a terminates.

[0060] When the driver operates the front wash switch 2d or the rear wash switch 2e, a wash operation signal is input to the body ECU 2a, and the body ECU 2a outputs a control signal to the corresponding wiper motor and also outputs a control signal for wash indication. Accordingly, the wash motor 12 rotates forward or backward, the wash liquid is sprayed onto the front windshield 3 or the rear windshield 4, and the front wiper 3a or the rear wiper 4a operates for a certain period of time. Thus, the front wiper 3a or the rear wiper 4a wipes off dirt and the like on the front windshield 3 or the rear windshield 4.

[0061] In addition, when it is detected by the monitoring of the dirt monitoring unit 6 that dirt adheres to the front windshield 3 or the rear windshield 4, the monitoring result is input to the body ECU 2a. Accordingly, when dirt adheres, the body ECU 2a outputs a control signal for wash indication to the wash control device 30, thereby performing the corresponding wash spray, and a control signal is also sent to the corresponding wiper motor. Then, the wash motor 12 rotates forward or backward, the wash liquid is sprayed onto the front windshield 3 or the rear windshield 4, and the front wiper 3a or the rear wiper 4a operates. Thus, the front wiper 3a or the rear wiper 4a wipes off dirt and the like on the front windshield 3 or the rear windshield 4.

[0062] After that, when the dirt is wiped off and the dirt monitoring unit 6 no longer detects dirt, the monitoring result is input to the body ECU 2a. Accordingly, the control signal for wash indication and the control signal input to the wiper motor are released, and the wash spray is completed.

[0063] In addition, when performing a wash spray at the request of the driver or when dirt is detected, the calculation unit 31g calculates an estimated line indicating the change in the usage amount of the wash liquid and the daily usage amount change. Then, when the wash liquid level sensor 20 detects that the remaining amount of the wash liquid reaches 50%, the calculation unit 31g calculates the remaining amount of the wash liquid, and the remaining amount of the wash liquid is, for example, the remaining amount of the wash liquid and the expiration date. Then, the remaining amount of the wash liquid is transmitted to the display control device 40, and the remaining amount is displayed through a display (not shown) to notify the driver.

[0064] Specifically, each functional unit of the microcomputer 31 of the cleaning control device 30 cooperates with each other to execute Figure 2 the cleaning control method shown in

[0065] First, in S100, it is judged whether there is a cleaning drive instruction. Here, when a control signal for a cleaning instruction is input from the vehicle body ECU 2a, it is determined that there is a cleaning drive instruction. This process is repeated until a control signal for a cleaning instruction is input.

[0066] If an affirmative determination is made in S100, the process proceeds to S110 to perform cleaning injection. That is, based on the control signal for the cleaning instruction, the cleaning motor 12 rotates forward or backward, and the cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the front windshield 3 or the rear windshield 4. Then, the process proceeds to S120 to calculate the motor speed during the cleaning injection. In addition, in S130, it is judged whether the cleaning drive instruction has ended, and the processes of S110 and S120 are continued until the cleaning drive instruction ends, and when the cleaning drive instruction ends, the process proceeds to S140. In S140, the cleaning injection is stopped.

[0067] After that, the process proceeds to S150 to increment by 1 the number of times the cleaning liquid is sprayed, that is, the number of sprays, and then in S160, the amount of cleaning liquid used each time is calculated. Specifically, based on the motor speed calculated in S120, the amount of cleaning liquid used for the current cleaning injection is calculated. Then, the process proceeds to S170 to calculate the cumulative amount of cleaning liquid used. The cumulative amount can be calculated as the cumulative value of the amount used each time, and if the cumulative amount is calculated whenever the date changes, the daily usage amount can also be calculated. Then, the process proceeds to S180 to calculate an estimated line indicating the change in the daily usage amount.

[0068] Here, a method for calculating the estimated line, which shows the change in the daily usage amount, will be described with reference to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The estimated line is a line that linearly approximates the change in the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid due to daily cleaning injections, as shown in

[0069] The estimated line is a line that linearly approximates the change in the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid due to daily cleaning injections, as Figure 3as shown by the alternating long and short dashed lines therein. For example, an estimated line is calculated by continuously calculating the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid for several days starting from an arbitrary day and linearly approximating the remaining amount. The remaining amount of the cleaning liquid per day can be obtained as follows: taking the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid on the arbitrary day as a reference value, subtracting the daily usage amount from the reference value, that is, the cumulative usage amount calculated whenever the date changes. Then, the daily change in the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid starting from the arbitrary day is plotted as a daily transition. Thus, the relationship between the number of days elapsed since the arbitrary day and the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid can be understood. Based on this relationship, an estimated line indicating the relationship between the number of days elapsed since the arbitrary day and the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid can be calculated by linear approximation.

[0070] Figure 4 shows a case where an estimated line is calculated based on the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid for a week. For example, by setting the date one week before the current time as the arbitrary day. As Figure 4 shown, assuming that the daily usage amount for each week is represented by a shaded bar graph, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid within a week changes as shown in this plot. An estimated line can be calculated by approximating the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid per week to a linear equation Y = aX + b using the least squares method based on the daily plot of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. In this linear equation, Y is the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid, X is the available number of days, and a and b are the coefficients and constants obtained by linear approximation.

[0071] In addition, an approximate expression similar to the linear equation is calculated every week, and the estimated line is updated every week. Accordingly, the estimated line can be calculated based on the latest information, and the usage period of the cleaning liquid can be calculated more appropriately. As an alternative to updating the estimated line every week, the estimated line can be updated every day based on the data of the most recent week by moving the chart for one week used to obtain the estimated line by one day every day. In this embodiment, when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is greater than a predetermined value, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid cannot be grasped yet, but the slope of the estimated line can be obtained. Therefore, when it is detected in a subsequent process that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches the predetermined value, the usage period can be immediately calculated based on the estimated line.

[0072] After calculating the estimated line in this way, the process proceeds to S190 to determine whether the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is equal to or less than a predetermined value, where the predetermined value is 50%. As described above, the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 can detect that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 50%. Therefore, after the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 detects that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 50%, an affirmative determination is made in S190.

[0073] Then, if an affirmative determination is made in S190, the process proceeds to S200 to calculate the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. In S180 above, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid on an arbitrarily selected day is used as a reference value for the preliminary hypothesis to calculate the estimated line. However, since the moment when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid detected by the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 reaches 50% can be grasped in S190, assuming that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 50% at that time, then the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid can be calculated at any time by subtracting the usage amount during the above time from the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid at 50%.

[0074] After that, the process proceeds to S210 to calculate the service life based on the date when the estimated line is calculated, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid at that time, and the estimated line. The service life indicates the number of days that the cleaning liquid can be used in the future or the specific date when the cleaning liquid can be used at most. That is to say, the service life can be obtained by calculating the intercept of the axis representing the number of days in the estimated line characterized by the linear equation, or Figure 3 the intercept of the X-axis in. Since the estimated line is calculated before the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 50%, the service life can be calculated immediately after the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 50%. In this way, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid and the service life are calculated as the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. Then, the process proceeds to S220 to communicate with the display control device 40 to display the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid calculated in S210 on the display. Therefore, the display control device 40 displays the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid on the display (not shown).

[0075] As described above, according to the cleaning control system 1 of the present embodiment, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid, that is, the remaining amount and the service life of the cleaning liquid, can be notified to the driver. Therefore, the driver can grasp the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid and can be urged to replenish the cleaning liquid before the cleaning liquid runs out. Therefore, this function can be maintained during autonomous driving with the help of ADAS. In addition, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid can be grasped with a simple system configuration without setting multiple cleaning liquid level sensors.

[0076] As a reference, a comparison with the configurations of multiple cleaning control systems according to multiple comparative examples will be described. Figure 5 The circuit structure of a cleaning control system provided with one cleaning liquid level sensor J4 according to the first comparative example is shown. Figure 6 Shows a cleaning control system having Figure 5 the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid and the time when the remaining amount can be detected in the circuit structure. Figure 7 The circuit structure of a cleaning control system provided with multiple cleaning liquid level sensors according to the second comparative example is shown. Figure 8 Shows a cleaning control system having Figure 7 the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid and the time when the remaining amount can be detected in the circuit structure.

[0077] As Figure 5 and Figure 7 shown, in each of these comparative examples, the cleaning control system J1 sprays the cleaning liquid by controlling the cleaning motor J2 with the cleaning control device J3. The cleaning control device J3 includes a microcomputer J31 and a switch unit J32. The cleaning control device J3 controls the cleaning motor J2 by controlling the switch unit J32 with the microcomputer J31. Specifically, the switch unit J32 has a structure including a first transistor J32a and a second transistor J32b, and a first relay J32c and a second relay J32d. When the first transistor J32a is turned on and the second transistor J32b is turned off, the movable contact of the first relay J32c is placed at the power supply potential, and the movable contact of the second relay J32d is placed at the ground potential. Accordingly, the motor current flows through the cleaning motor 12 in the Figure 5 and Figure 7 downward direction. Therefore, the cleaning motor J2 rotates forward. In addition, when the first transistor J32a is turned off and the second transistor J32b is turned on, the movable contact of the first relay J32c is placed at the ground potential, and the movable contact of the second relay J32d is placed at the power supply potential. Accordingly, the motor current flows through the cleaning motor J2 in the Figure 5 and Figure 7 upward direction. Therefore, the cleaning motor J2 rotates in the reverse direction.

[0078] Then, Figure 5 the cleaning control system in Figure 7 receives the detection result from one cleaning liquid level sensor J4, and the cleaning control system in

[0079] receives the detection results from a plurality of cleaning liquid level sensors J4, such as the detection results of five cleaning liquid level sensors J4a to J4e. Figure 5 In the cleaning control system having the structure shown in Figure 6 , even if the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank drops from the full state, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid cannot be detected, as shown in

[0080] . Only when the detection result of the cleaning liquid level sensor J4 is obtained can the remaining amount be detected. That is, when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid can be detected by the cleaning liquid level sensor J4, the cleaning liquid reaches a predetermined value, for example, 0%. Figure 7 Similarly, in the cleaning control system having the structure shown in Figure 8 , even if the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank drops from the full state, as shown in Figure 5 , the remaining amount can only be detected when the detection results of the cleaning liquid level sensors J4a to J4e are obtained. That is, compared with the cleaning control system shown in Figure 7The shown cleaning control system can detect that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches multiple predetermined values in stages because multiple cleaning liquid level sensors J4a to J4e are provided, but it can only detect the remaining amount at these moments.

[0081] Therefore, regardless of Figure 5 and Figure 7 how it is configured, in the case of no cleaning liquid level sensors J4, J4a to J4e, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid cannot be detected, and the cleaning liquid level sensors J4 and J4a to J4e can only detect the remaining amount at each predetermined value. In addition, in order to detect the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in multiple stages, multiple cleaning liquid level sensors J4a to J4e need to be provided, which will increase the number of system components and increase the system cost.

[0082] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the usage amount is calculated based on the motor current value and the motor energization time (i.e., the injection time of the cleaning liquid), and after the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches a predetermined value, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is estimated by subtracting the usage amount after the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches the predetermined value from the predetermined value. Therefore, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid can be grasped with a simple system configuration without setting multiple cleaning liquid level sensors. In addition, by notifying the expiration date of the cleaning liquid, the driver can grasp the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid and can be urged to replenish the cleaning liquid before it runs out.

[0083] (Second Embodiment)

[0084] The second embodiment will be described. The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the process executed by the microcomputer 31 is changed, and other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described.

[0085] In the first embodiment, when it is detected that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches a predetermined value, for example, 50%, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is calculated based on this predetermined value. In contrast, in this embodiment, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is measured starting from the full state of the cleaning tank 11, and the detection result that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid detected by the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 reaches the predetermined value is used for correction.

[0086] Specifically, when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is 50% or more, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is used as the data of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. At this time, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid can be calculated by subtracting the usage amount of the cleaning liquid from the allowable limit liquid amount. Accordingly, when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is 50% or more, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is always notified to the driver.

[0087] In addition, when the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 detects that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 50%, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid calculated by the calculation unit 31g is corrected. In this embodiment, the calculation unit 31g continuously calculates the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid, but the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid calculated here is an estimated value and may deviate from the corrected value. The detection accuracy of the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 detecting that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 50% is higher than the estimated value calculated by the calculation unit 31g. Therefore, when the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 detects that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 50%, the calculation unit 31g corrects the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid to 50%. Then, when the calculation unit 31g calculates the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid later, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is calculated by subtracting the usage amount of the cleaning liquid from the corrected remaining amount of the cleaning liquid.

[0088] Therefore, the accuracy of the calculation of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid by the calculation unit 31g can be improved. Figure 9 It is a graph showing the change in the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is corrected at the moment when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 50%. As Figure 9 shown, when the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 detects that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 50%, even if the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid calculated by subtracting the usage amount of the cleaning liquid from the allowable limit liquid amount is not 50%, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is corrected to 50%. After that, by subtracting the usage amount of the cleaning liquid after the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 50% from the remaining amount of 50% of the cleaning liquid, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid can be calculated more accurately.

[0089] In addition, when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is less than 50%, the number of days that the cleaning liquid can be used before the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches 0%, or the specific date when the cleaning liquid can be used at most, is used as data regarding the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. The estimated line as described in the first embodiment can be used to calculate the usage period. Additionally, in this embodiment, the data of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid itself can be included as data regarding the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid.

[0090] Therefore, when the cleaning liquid is still sufficient, only the remaining amount is notified to the driver, and when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is low, the time that the cleaning liquid can be used is also notified to the driver.

[0091] In addition, although this embodiment includes one cleaning liquid level sensor 20, even if the cleaning liquid level sensor 20 is not provided, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid can be estimated. Therefore, if the cleaning control system does not provide any cleaning liquid level sensors 20, a simpler system configuration can be obtained. On the contrary, if the cleaning control system according to this embodiment is provided with the cleaning liquid level sensor 20, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid can be estimated more accurately.

[0092] When a driver or the like replenishes the cleaning liquid, the fact that the cleaning liquid is in a full state is input through a touch panel display (not shown) controlled by the display control device 40. At this time, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is updated to 100%. Of course, an input switch separate from the display may be provided so that the fact that the cleaning liquid has been filled can be input through the input switch.

[0093] (Other embodiments)

[0094] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the above embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and includes various variations and equivalent variations. In addition, although various elements are presented in exemplary various combinations and configurations, other combinations and configurations including more elements, fewer elements, or only a single element are also within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0095] For example, in the above embodiments, in order to suppress the degradation of the function of the condition monitoring device 5, the front wiper 3a or the rear wiper 4a is driven to wipe the dirt on the front windshield 3 or the rear windshield 4. However, this only shows one way to suppress the degradation of the function of the condition monitoring device 5, and any method can be used as long as the dirt is removed by spraying the cleaning liquid.

[0096] For example, the condition monitoring device 5 may be provided outside the front windshield 3 and the rear windshield 4, that is, on the outside of the vehicle. When dirt directly adheres to the condition monitoring device 5, the dirt can be removed by directly spraying the cleaning liquid onto the condition monitoring device 5. The condition monitoring device 5 is composed of various cameras and sensors, etc. However, if dirt adheres to the lens part of the camera or the sensing part of the sensor, the functions related to ADAS may degrade. In that case, by directing the ejection port of the cleaning ejector 13 toward the lens part or the sensing part, etc., the dirt can be appropriately cleaned.

[0097] In addition, in Figure 1 , only one switch unit 32 and one cleaning motor 12 are shown, but the number of the switch unit 32 and the cleaning motor 12 may correspond to the number of objects to which dirt may adhere, that is, the number of the condition monitoring devices 5 related to the autonomous driving by means of ADAS. Then, the cleaning control device 30 can clean the condition monitoring device 5 and remove the dirt by driving the cleaning motor 12 corresponding to the condition monitoring device 5 on which dirt is detected and needs to be cleaned.

[0098] In each of the above-mentioned multiple second embodiments, when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, in addition to the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid, the expiration date of the cleaning liquid is also calculated. However, this is also only an example, and the expiration date of the cleaning liquid can be calculated without considering the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. In addition, as the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid, at least the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is calculated, and the expiration date is an optional item.

[0099] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, a case has been described in which the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is notified to the driver. However, the present disclosure can be applied to fully autonomous driving in which autonomous driving is performed without a driver. In such a case, the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid can be notified to another in-vehicle ECU instead of the driver. For example, in fully autonomous driving, it can be conceived that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is notified to the in-vehicle ECU related to autonomous driving by means of ADAS. As a result, for example, when the cleaning liquid is insufficient, measures such as preventing the in-vehicle ECU from performing fully autonomous driving can be taken, and the vehicle owner can be urged to replenish the cleaning liquid before fully autonomous driving.

[0100] In addition, in the above embodiments, a configuration in which a cleaning instruction is given by the body ECU 2a has been described, but other configurations in which a cleaning instruction is given without going through the body ECU 2a or a cleaning instruction is given by another ECU can also be used.

[0101] The controller and its method described in the present disclosure are implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and a memory, and the processor and the memory are programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the controller and method described in the present disclosure can be implemented by a special purpose computer configured as a processor having one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the controller and method described in the present disclosure can be implemented by one or more special purpose computers and a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits, and the one or more special purpose computers are configured as a combination of a processor and a memory, and the processor and the memory are programmed to execute one or more functions. The computer program can be stored as instructions executed by a computer in a tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium.

Claims

1. A cleaning control system, characterized in that, Comprising: A condition monitoring device (5), configured to monitor conditions related to the running of a vehicle; A cleaning tank (11), configured to store a cleaning liquid; A cleaning motor (12), configured to perform a cleaning spray by sucking and discharging the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank in response to energization of the cleaning motor, so as to remove dirt that obstructs the monitoring by the condition monitoring device; A cleaning control device (30), configured to control the cleaning spray by controlling the energization of the cleaning motor; And A cleaning liquid level sensor (20), configured to detect that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank reaches a predetermined value, wherein The cleaning control device includes: A current monitoring unit (31d), configured to monitor a motor current value, which is the value of the current supplied to the cleaning motor; An energization time acquisition unit, configured to acquire the energization time for supplying the current to the cleaning motor; and A calculation unit (31g), configured to: Calculate the usage amount of the cleaning liquid according to the motor current value monitored by the current monitoring unit and the energization time acquired by the energization time acquisition unit, and calculate the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank by subtracting the usage amount of the cleaning liquid used after the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches the predetermined value from the predetermined value; Based on the change in the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid over several consecutive days starting from an arbitrary day, calculate the daily reduction amount in the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid over the several consecutive days; Calculate an estimated line represented by a linear equation by linearly approximating the relationship between the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid and the number of days over the several consecutive days; and Based on the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid and the estimated line, calculate the service life of the cleaning liquid as the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid.

2. The cleaning control system according to claim 1, wherein The energization time acquisition unit is a spray timing unit (31e), and the spray timing unit is configured to time the spray time for performing the cleaning spray, The calculation unit is further configured to use the spray time timed by the spray timing unit as the energization time, and calculate the usage amount of the cleaning liquid according to the motor current value and the spray time.

3. The cleaning control system according to claim 1, wherein The calculation unit is further configured to: Calculate the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid by subtracting the usage amount from the allowable limit liquid amount of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank until the cleaning liquid level sensor detects that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches the predetermined value; and By responding to the cleaning liquid level sensor detecting that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches the predetermined value, correct the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid to the predetermined value, and calculate the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid by subtracting the usage amount of the cleaning liquid used after the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid reaches the predetermined value from the predetermined value.

4. The cleaning control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes: A display control device, configured to: Cause a display device to display the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid; And When the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is equal to or less than the predetermined value, cause the display device to display the expiration date of the cleaning liquid as the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid.

5. A cleaning control device, characterized in that, The cleaning control device is configured to control energization of a cleaning motor (12). The cleaning motor (12) performs cleaning injection by sucking and discharging the cleaning liquid stored in a cleaning tank (11) to remove dirt that obstructs monitoring by a condition monitoring device (5). The condition monitoring device (5) monitors conditions related to the running of a vehicle. The cleaning control device is configured to receive a notification that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank detected by a cleaning liquid level sensor (20) has reached a predetermined value. The cleaning control device includes: a current monitoring unit (31d) configured to monitor a motor current value, which is a value of the current supplied to the cleaning motor; an energization time acquisition unit configured to acquire the energization time for supplying the current to the cleaning motor; and a calculation unit (31g) configured to: calculate the usage amount of the cleaning liquid based on the motor current value monitored by the current monitoring unit and the energization time acquired by the energization time acquisition unit, and calculate the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank by subtracting the usage amount of the cleaning liquid used after the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid has reached the predetermined value from the predetermined value; calculate a daily decrease amount in the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid over consecutive days starting from an arbitrary day based on the change in the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid over the consecutive days; calculate an estimated line represented by a linear equation by linearly approximating the relationship between the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid and the number of days over the consecutive days; and calculate the expiration date of the cleaning liquid as the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid based on the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid and the estimated line.

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