Intelligent cleaning protective cover device, cleaning method and automobile

Abstract

The application provides a smart cleaning protective cover device, a cleaning method and a car. The smart cleaning protective cover device can form an umbrella-shaped cover to set up a gas protective cover for an environmental sensing device, comprising: an air duct assembly, an air inlet pipe connected with the air duct assembly; the air inlet pipe is connected with a gas flow rate adjustable gas generating mechanism and a gas temperature adjustable gas generating mechanism. In the application, high-speed airflow is discharged through the air duct assembly, an umbrella-shaped gas protective cover is formed above the laser radar and the camera, the gas protective cover isolates rainwater, mist or snow outside the protective cover, thereby ensuring that the laser radar and the camera are not disturbed by rainwater, mist or snow, and ensuring the accuracy and continuity of information collection. In addition, the application also provides a cleaning method, which can improve the effect of intelligent cleaning protection. Meanwhile, the application also provides a car, which applies the smart cleaning protective cover device to the car, greatly improving the good development of intelligent driving technology.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification relates to one or more embodiments in the field of automotive technology, and more particularly to a smart cleaning protective cover device and cleaning method. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of intelligent driving technology, intelligent vehicles are using environmental perception devices such as radar and cameras for environmental awareness. To ensure the safety and reliability of vehicle operation, the data collected by radar and cameras should be as accurate and continuous as possible. Radar works by emitting and receiving electromagnetic waves. Since the surface of the radar is exposed to the external environment, dirt and harsh conditions can lead to significant distortion of the collected environmental information, affecting driving safety.

[0003] Since the widespread adoption of autonomous driving and radar systems in automobiles, there have been increasing cases of water droplets interfering with intelligent vehicle radar systems. For example, some drivers have been seen driving at speeds up to 60 km / h in the rain at night, yet the central control screen displays a message indicating someone is running and chasing their car. Currently, automakers can only improve the recognition capabilities of these systems through algorithm research and subsequent over-the-air (OTA) updates.

[0004] Existing protective devices for environmental perception sensors are bulky, encroaching on vehicle space. In devices with lifting and cleaning functions, the radar cannot operate during descent and cleaning, resulting in discontinuous radar data collection. Furthermore, some existing devices use complex rotating protective covers for cleaning, but in rainy or snowy weather, the seal and reliability between the rotating cover and the vehicle body severely affect the cleaning function. If the cover freezes or rainwater enters, the cleaning function is also significantly impaired. Additionally, severe weather conditions such as rain, snow, frost, and fog greatly affect the stable operation of environmental perception equipment, hindering the development of intelligent driving technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the purpose of one or more embodiments of this specification is to provide an intelligent cleaning protective cover device, cleaning method, and automobile. A high-speed airflow is discharged through a duct assembly to form an umbrella-shaped gas protective cover above the lidar and camera. This gas protective cover isolates rainwater, fog, or snow from the cover, thereby ensuring that the lidar and camera are not interfered with by rainwater, fog, or snow, and guaranteeing the accuracy and continuity of the collected information. In cold, frosty, or snowy conditions, the high-speed heated airflow discharged through the duct assembly can defrost and de-ice the lidar surface and the windshield glass in the area where the camera is located.

[0006] In a first aspect, there is an intelligent cleaning protective cover device, including a cleaning protective cover mounted on a vehicle body, the cleaning protective cover being able to form an umbrella-shaped protective cover for an environmental sensing device, the cleaning protective cover including: an air duct assembly and an air inlet pipe connected to the air duct assembly;

[0007] The air duct assembly has a horizontally arranged U-shaped flow channel with its openings facing the same direction; the upper outlet of the U-shaped flow channel is a narrow-throat variable diameter air outlet, and the lower outlet of the U-shaped flow channel is a diffused and refracted gas outlet; the air inlet pipe is connected to a gas generating mechanism with adjustable gas flow rate and gas temperature.

[0008] The intelligent cleaning protective cover device also includes a controller for analyzing the data of the environmental sensing device; when the data of the environmental sensing device is abnormal, the controller controls the cleaning protective cover to open to form an umbrella-shaped gas protective cover, and when the coverage area of ​​the gas protective cover shrinks, it controls the corresponding environmental sensing device to move into the protection range of the gas protective cover.

[0009] In this invention, a high-speed airflow is discharged through a duct assembly, forming an umbrella-shaped gas shield above the lidar and camera. This gas shield isolates rainwater, fog, or snow, ensuring that the lidar and camera are not interfered with by these factors and guaranteeing the accuracy and continuity of the collected information. In cold, frosty, or snowy conditions, the high-speed heated airflow discharged through the duct assembly effectively defrosts and de-ices the lidar surface and the windshield area where the camera is located. Furthermore, this intelligent cleaning protective shield device is small in size, low in cost, fully utilizes aerodynamic principles, is easy to apply and promote in real vehicles, and effectively solves the problem of lidar and camera being susceptible to interference from environmental water droplets.

[0010] In one specific implementation, the environmental sensing device is a radar sensor and / or a visual acquisition device. Both types of environmental sensing devices can be protected individually or simultaneously.

[0011] In one specific implementation, the cleaning protective cover is mounted at any one or more locations on the front, rear, side, front, or rear roof of the vehicle body. It has multiple mounting points, allowing for optional higher performance adaptation.

[0012] In one specific possible implementation, when the cleaning protective cover is mounted on the front of the vehicle roof...

[0013] The cleaning protection shield forms an umbrella-shaped gas shield on the windshield of the vehicle body, protecting the radar sensor and the vision acquisition device. This provides simultaneous protection for both environmental sensing devices.

[0014] When the cleaning protective cover is mounted on the front of the vehicle roof, the radar sensor is a lidar mounted between the U-shaped channels;

[0015] The visual acquisition device is a camera installed inside the rearview mirror cover of the vehicle body. The camera works in conjunction with the windshield wipers to capture images, and the wipers are controlled to operate by a rain sensor. The installation positions are reasonably distributed to ensure a high level of protection.

[0016] When the cleaning shield is mounted on the front roof of the vehicle body, the controller controls the cleaning shield to form a gas shield on the windshield of the vehicle body when the rain sensor controls the windshield wipers to turn on. The controller decides whether to operate based on the rain sensor's determination of the surrounding environmental pattern.

[0017] When the cleaning protective cover is mounted on the front of the vehicle roof, the air duct assembly is connected to the sheet metal of the vehicle body via a bracket, and the bracket is covered with a decorative cover. Installation performance is stable, and when installed in other locations on the vehicle body, matching sheet metal parts and decorative covers can be used.

[0018] In one specific implementation scheme, when the controller controls the corresponding environmental sensing device to move within the protection range of the gas protective cover,

[0019] The environmental sensing device is connected to a displacement mechanism;

[0020] The displacement mechanism includes: a first guide rail and a second guide rail disposed opposite to each other, a mounting bracket slidably assembled between the first guide rail and the second guide rail, and a drive motor for driving the mounting bracket to slide; wherein,

[0021] The environmental sensing device is fixedly mounted on the mounting bracket. This environmental sensing device is a camera, capable of adjusting its position and capturing images.

[0022] In one specific implementation scheme, when the umbrella-shaped gas protective shield formed by the cleaning protective shield is subjected to excessive vehicle speed or excessive external wind convection impact, the coverage area of ​​the gas protective shield is reduced.

[0023] The controller or manual control activates the drive motor, causing the environmental sensing device to move within the protection range of the gas shield. The device moves accordingly based on changes in the protection range of the gas shield.

[0024] Secondly, a cleaning method for a smart cleaning protective cover device includes the following steps:

[0025] ① The controller analyzes whether the data collected by the radar sensor and / or vision collector is abnormal. If the collected data is normal, the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is not in working mode.

[0026] ② When the proportion of abnormal data is less than 3%, the controller analyzes and determines that the radar sensor and / or vision acquisition device are working normally, and the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is not in working mode.

[0027] ③ When the proportion of abnormal data is between 3% and 5%, the controller decides whether to work based on the rain sensor's judgment of the surrounding environment: when the rain sensor recognizes and drives the wipers, the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is in working mode; when the rain sensor does not drive the wipers, the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is not in working mode.

[0028] ④ When the proportion of abnormal data exceeds 5%, the controller determines that the data collected by the radar sensor and / or vision collector is seriously distorted, and the intelligent cleaning protective cover device enters the working mode.

[0029] Furthermore, the cleaning method also includes manual control, through which the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is directly put into working mode and the visual acquisition device is adjusted.

[0030] This cleaning method greatly enhances intelligent cleaning and ensures the accuracy and continuity of information collected by lidar and cameras.

[0031] Thirdly, an automobile includes a vehicle body on which a smart cleaning protective cover device as described in the first aspect is mounted.

[0032] The vehicle body is programmed with a cleaning method as described in the second aspect.

[0033] This demonstrates that by installing intelligent cleaning protective covers at multiple locations on the vehicle body, the information collected by LiDAR and cameras becomes more accurate and continuous, providing a promising development space for autonomous driving technology. Attached Figure Description

[0034] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in one or more embodiments of this specification or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only one or more embodiments of this specification. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0035] Figure 1 An assembly diagram of the intelligent cleaning protective cover device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0036] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the intelligent cleaning protective cover provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the formation state of the gas protective shield provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0038] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the state changes of the gas protective shield provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0039] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the first state of the displacement mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0040] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the second state of the displacement mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0041] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating the cleaning method provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0042] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0043] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in one or more embodiments of this specification should have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar words used in one or more embodiments of this specification do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0044] To facilitate understanding of the intelligent cleaning protective cover device, cleaning method, and automobile provided in this application embodiment, its application scenario is first explained. Existing protective devices for environmental perception sensors are bulky, encroaching on vehicle space. Furthermore, in protective devices with lifting and cleaning functions, the radar cannot operate during descent and cleaning, resulting in discontinuous radar data acquisition. Additionally, some existing devices employ complex and cumbersome rotating protective covers for cleaning; however, in rainy or snowy weather, the sealing and reliability between the rotating protective cover and the vehicle body severely affect the cleaning function. If the protective cover freezes or rainwater enters, the cleaning function is also significantly impaired. Simultaneously, severe weather conditions such as rain, snow, frost, and fog greatly affect the stable operation of environmental perception equipment, hindering the development of intelligent driving technology. Therefore, this application utilizes a duct assembly to discharge high-speed airflow, forming an umbrella-shaped gas protective cover above the lidar and camera. This gas protective cover isolates rainwater, fog, or snow from the protective cover, thereby ensuring that the lidar and camera are not interfered with by rainwater, fog, or snow, guaranteeing the accuracy and continuity of the collected information. In cold, frosty, or snowy conditions, the high-speed heated airflow discharged through the air duct assembly can defrost and de-ice the surface of the lidar and the windshield in the area where the camera is located.

[0045] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This illustration shows an assembly diagram of the intelligent cleaning protective cover device provided in an embodiment of this application. The intelligent cleaning protective cover device includes a cleaning protective cover 500 mounted on a vehicle body 100. The cleaning protective cover 500 is used to provide gas protection for environmental sensing equipment mounted on the vehicle body 100 using high-speed gas, preventing rain, snow, frost, fog, and other external factors from obstructing the environmental sensing equipment, thereby enabling the environmental sensing equipment to accurately and continuously collect information. Figure 1 The image shows the cleaning cover 500 mounted on the front of the roof of the vehicle body 100. Of course, the cleaning cover 500 can also be mounted on any one or more locations on the rear of the roof, the side of the roof, the front bumper, or the rear bumper of the vehicle body 100. It has multiple mounting points, allowing for higher compatibility. The cleaning cover 500 is compatible with both electric vehicles and gasoline-powered vehicles.

[0046] When the cleaning cover 500 is installed at the front of the roof, 1-3 forward-facing cameras 300 are typically installed inside the rearview mirror cover, and the cameras 300 are covered by the rearview mirror decorative cover 600. Information about the forward environment is obtained through the fusion of camera and radar sensors. In this case, the cleaning cover 500 can simultaneously provide protection and cleaning for both the radar and cameras. The radar can be a lidar, and the cameras can be high-definition cameras 300. When installed at the rear of the roof or at the front, rear, or side of the vehicle body 100, the cleaning cover 500 can be used solely for the protection and cleaning of the radar or camera 300. The principle of protecting the lidar 400 and camera 300 with the cleaning cover 500 installed at the front of the roof is the most complex; therefore, this application uses the installation of the cleaning cover 500 at the front of the roof as an example for explanation.

[0047] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, specifically, the cleaning protective cover 500 can form an umbrella-shaped protective cover for the gas protection of the environmental sensing device. The cleaning protective cover 500 includes: an air duct assembly and an air inlet pipe 530 connected to the air duct assembly; the air duct assembly has a U-shaped flow channel 540 with the opening direction facing the same direction; the air inlet pipe 530 is connected to the middle position of the closed opening of the U-shaped flow channel 540 of the air duct assembly, so that high-speed gas is ejected at high speed from the upper end outlet and the lower end outlet of the U-shaped flow channel 540.

[0048] Furthermore, the air intake pipe 530 in this application is connected to a gas generating mechanism, which can be the vehicle body 100's own heating system or an independent gas generating device. When the gas generating mechanism is the vehicle body 100's own heating system, the air intake pipe 530 is connected via a valve. After the valve is opened, warm air gas is injected into the air intake pipe 530. The gas temperature can be adjusted by the vehicle body 100's own vehicle system to melt fog, snow, frost, etc., and prevent raindrops from interfering with the lidar 400 and camera 300. When the gas generating mechanism is an independent gas generating device, a fan is installed, the fan is connected to an exhaust pipe, and an electric heating wire is installed on the exhaust pipe. The assembly is simple, and the exhaust temperature and flow rate are adjustable and controllable.

[0049] Combination Figure 3As indicated by the extended direction of the middle arrow, which points to the gas flow direction, the upper outlet of the U-shaped flow channel 540 is a narrow-throat, tapered air outlet 541. This increases the gas velocity passing through the air outlet 541. The gas ejected from the air outlet 541 impacts the air during vehicle movement, forming an umbrella-shaped outer contour of the gas shield. The lower outlet of the U-shaped flow channel 540 is a diffused and refracted gas outlet 542. The intake pipe 530 is connected to a gas generating mechanism with adjustable gas velocity and temperature. By setting a bend at the lower end of the U-shaped flow channel 540, the gas passing through the lower end of the U-shaped flow channel 540 is refracted and diffused through the air outlet 542 to fill the interior of the gas shield, melting snow, frost, etc. on the windshield 120. In this application, when the U-shaped flow channel 540 is located at the rear of the vehicle body 100, and does not form an opposing impact relationship with the convective airflow, the air outlet 541 on the upper part of the flow channel can be slightly tilted downwards. The U-shaped flow channel 540 forms an umbrella-shaped gas protective shield after the gas flows through it, which is obtained through aerodynamic simulation calculations. During the vehicle body 100's movement, when the gas generating mechanism is not activated, a small amount of rain or snow enters through the upper air outlet 541 and the lower air outlet 542 of the flow channel, opposing the movement of the vehicle body 100. Due to the horizontal design of the U-shaped flow channel 540 and the bend at its bottom, the air intake pipe 530 is located in the middle of the horizontal U-shaped flow channel 540, thus preventing a small amount of rain or snow from entering the air intake pipe 530. Furthermore, when the gas generating mechanism is activated, the small amount of rain or snow can be impacted and expelled. Of course, in other embodiments of this application, one-way valves can be installed at the upper and lower ends of the U-shaped flow channel 540.

[0050] In addition, in order to better realize the intelligent monitoring of the data collected by the environmental sensing equipment, the intelligent cleaning protective cover device also includes a controller for analyzing the data of the environmental sensing equipment; when the data of the environmental sensing equipment is abnormal, the controller controls the cleaning protective cover 500 to open and form an umbrella-shaped gas protective cover, and when the coverage area of ​​the gas protective cover shrinks, it controls the corresponding environmental sensing equipment to move into the protection range of the gas protective cover.

[0051] The environmental sensing devices are radar sensors and / or vision acquisition devices. Both types of environmental sensing devices can be protected individually or simultaneously. When the cleaning protection cover 500 is mounted on the front roof of the vehicle body 100, the umbrella-shaped gas shield formed by the cleaning protection cover 500 on the windshield 120 of the vehicle body 100 protects both the radar sensor and the vision acquisition device. This provides simultaneous protection for both types of environmental sensing devices. Furthermore, when the cleaning protection cover 500 is mounted on the front roof of the vehicle body 100, the radar sensor is a lidar 400 mounted between U-shaped flow channels 540; the vision acquisition device is a camera 300 installed inside the rearview mirror cover of the vehicle body 100, and the camera 300 works in conjunction with the windshield wipers 200 to capture images, with the wipers 200 controlled by a rain sensor to activate. The installation positions are rationally distributed to ensure a high level of protection. When the rain sensor controls the windshield wipers 200 to activate, the controller controls the cleaning protection cover 500 to form a gas shield on the windshield 120 of the vehicle body 100. The controller determines whether to operate based on the ambient environment pattern determined by the rain sensor. The air duct assembly is connected to the sheet metal part 110 of the vehicle body 100 via a bracket 510, and the bracket 510 is covered with a decorative cover 520. Installation performance is stable, and when installed in other locations on the vehicle body 100, matching sheet metal parts 110 and decorative covers 520 can be used. The specific controller needs to analyze the information collected by the lidar 400 and camera 300, determine abnormal data, and control the gas generating mechanism to open or close, as well as control the flow rate and temperature of the gas generating mechanism. These are all common techniques in the control field and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0052] Combination Figure 4 As shown, in Figure 4 The vehicle has a first form and a second form of gas shield. When the gas shield is in the first form, the vehicle body 100 moves at a stable speed, external interference is minimal (no strong winds cause convective impact), and the protective range that the gas shield can cover is large.

[0053] When the umbrella-shaped gas shield formed by the cleaning protective cover 500 is subjected to excessive speed of the vehicle body 100 or excessive impact from external wind convection, the coverage area of ​​the gas shield shrinks, which is the second form of the gas shield.

[0054] Continue to refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 When the gas shield is in the second state, the protection range is reduced, and the camera 300 cannot be fully protected. Therefore, in this embodiment of the application, when the controller controls the corresponding environmental sensing device to move into the protection range of the gas shield, the environmental sensing device is connected to a displacement mechanism. Figure 5The first state of the displacement mechanism is shown, which matches the first configuration of the gas shield, thereby providing full protection for the camera 300. Figure 6 The second state of the displacement mechanism is shown, which matches the second form of the gas shield, so that the camera 300 is protected by the gas shield of the second form after it is displaced towards the top 121 of the windshield.

[0055] For example, when the cleaning cover 500 is mounted on the front of the roof of the vehicle body 100, the displacement mechanism includes: a first guide rail 320 and a second guide rail 330 disposed opposite to each other, and a mounting bracket 310 slidably mounted between the first guide rail 320 and the second guide rail 330, wherein the first guide rail 320 is the fixed side and the second guide rail 330 is the sliding side. It also includes a drive motor 340 for driving the mounting bracket 310 to slide; wherein an environmental sensing device is fixedly mounted on the mounting bracket 310. This environmental sensing device is a camera 300, capable of adjusting its position and capturing images. Slider blocks that slide in cooperation with the first guide rail 320 and the second guide rail 330 are correspondingly mounted at both ends of the mounting bracket 310, and the drive motor 340 uses screw drive, rack and pinion drive, or other methods to drive the displacement between the mounting brackets. When the drive motor 340 uses screw drive, the output shaft of the drive motor 340 is connected to a screw, and a nut is connected to the slider that slides with the second guide rail 330. The nut and the screw are threaded together, so that during the rotation of the screw, the nut is driven to climb along the screw, thereby enabling the slider to move along the first guide rail 320 and the second guide rail 330. This causes the mounting bracket 310 to move the camera 300 toward the top 121 of the windshield, into the reduced gas shield for protection. The controller or manual control activates the drive motor 340, and the environmental sensing device moves into the protection range of the gas shield. The device moves accordingly based on changes in the protection range of the gas shield.

[0056] In this invention, a high-speed airflow is discharged through a duct assembly, forming an umbrella-shaped gas shield above the lidar 400 and camera 300. This gas shield isolates rainwater, fog, or snow, ensuring that the lidar 400 and camera 300 are not interfered with by these substances, thus guaranteeing the accuracy and continuity of the collected information. In cold, frosty, or snowy conditions, the high-speed heated airflow discharged through the duct assembly effectively defrosts and de-ices the surface of the lidar 400 and the windshield 120 where the camera 300 is located. Furthermore, this intelligent cleaning protective shield device is small in size, low in cost, fully utilizes aerodynamic principles, is easy to apply and promote in real vehicles, and effectively solves the problem of the lidar 400 and camera 300 being susceptible to interference from environmental water droplets.

[0057] Combination Figure 7As shown, this application also includes a cleaning method for a smart cleaning protective cover device, the cleaning method comprising the following steps:

[0058] ① The controller analyzes whether the data collected by the radar sensor and / or vision collector is abnormal. If the collected data is normal, the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is not in working mode.

[0059] ② When the proportion of abnormal data is less than 3%, the controller analyzes and determines that the radar sensor and / or vision acquisition device are working normally, and the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is not in working mode.

[0060] ③ When the proportion of abnormal data is between 3% and 5%, the controller decides whether to work based on the rain sensor's judgment of the surrounding environment: when the rain sensor recognizes and drives the wipers, the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is in working mode; when the rain sensor does not drive the wipers, the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is not in working mode.

[0061] ④ When the proportion of abnormal data exceeds 5%, the controller determines that the data collected by the radar sensor and / or vision collector is seriously distorted, and the intelligent cleaning protective cover device enters the working mode.

[0062] Furthermore, the cleaning method also includes manual control, through which the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is directly put into working mode and the visual acquisition device is adjusted.

[0063] This cleaning method greatly enhances intelligent cleaning and ensures the accuracy and continuity of information collected by lidar and cameras.

[0064] Additionally, it includes a vehicle comprising a body equipped with an intelligent cleaning protective cover; the aforementioned cleaning method is programmed into the overall system of the vehicle body.

[0065] This demonstrates that by installing intelligent cleaning protective covers at multiple locations on the vehicle body, the information collected by LiDAR and cameras becomes more accurate and continuous, providing a promising development space for autonomous driving technology.

[0066] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of this disclosure (including the claims) is limited to these examples; within the framework of this disclosure, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of one or more embodiments of this specification, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity.

[0067] Additionally, to simplify the description and discussion, and to avoid obscuring one or more embodiments of this specification, well-known power / ground connections to integrated circuit (IC) chips and other components may or may not be shown in the provided drawings. Furthermore, the apparatus may be illustrated in block diagram form to avoid obscuring one or more embodiments of this specification, and this also takes into account the fact that the details of implementation of these block diagram apparatuses are highly dependent on the platform on which one or more embodiments of this specification will be implemented (i.e., these details should be fully understood by those skilled in the art). While specific details (e.g., circuits) have been set forth to describe exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that one or more embodiments of this specification may be implemented without these specific details or with variations thereof. Therefore, these descriptions should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0068] Although this disclosure has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many substitutions, modifications, and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. For example, other memory architectures (e.g., dynamic RAM (DRAM)) may be used with the embodiments discussed.

[0069] One or more embodiments of this specification are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of one or more embodiments of this specification should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A smart cleaning protective cover device, comprising a cleaning protective cover mounted on a vehicle body, the cleaning protective cover being capable of forming an umbrella-shaped protective cover for gas protection of environmental sensing equipment, characterized in that, The cleaning protective cover includes: an air duct assembly and an air inlet pipe connected to the air duct assembly; The air duct assembly has a horizontally arranged U-shaped flow channel with openings facing the same direction. The upper outlet of the U-shaped flow channel is a narrow-throat, variable-diameter air outlet. The gas ejected from the upper outlet impacts the air during vehicle movement, forming an umbrella-shaped outer contour of the gas protective shield. The lower outlet of the U-shaped flow channel is a diffused and refracted gas outlet. The air inlet pipe is connected to a gas generating mechanism with adjustable gas flow rate and temperature. By setting a bend at the lower end of the U-shaped flow channel, the gas passing through the lower end of the U-shaped flow channel is refracted and diffused through the lower outlet to fill the interior of the gas protective shield, melting snow and frost on the windshield. The intelligent cleaning protective cover device also includes a controller for analyzing the data of the environmental sensing device; when the data of the environmental sensing device is abnormal, the controller controls the cleaning protective cover to open to form an umbrella-shaped gas protective cover, and when the coverage area of ​​the gas protective cover shrinks, it controls the corresponding environmental sensing device to move into the protection range of the gas protective cover. The environmental sensing device is connected to a displacement mechanism; The displacement mechanism includes: a first guide rail and a second guide rail disposed opposite to each other, a mounting bracket slidably mounted between the first guide rail and the second guide rail, and a drive motor for driving the mounting bracket to slide; wherein, the environmental sensing device is fixedly mounted on the mounting bracket, and the environmental sensing device is a camera; The first guide rail is a fixed side, and the second guide rail is a sliding side. Slider blocks that slide with the first and second guide rails are fitted at both ends of the mounting bracket. The drive motor uses screw drive or rack drive to drive the displacement between the mounting brackets. When the drive motor uses screw drive, the output shaft of the drive motor is connected to a screw, and the slider that slides with the second guide rail is connected to a nut. The nut and the screw are threaded together. During the rotation of the screw, the nut is driven to climb along the screw, and the slider moves along the first guide rail and the second guide rail. The mounting bracket drives the camera to move toward the top of the windshield and enter the reduced gas shield for protection. The controller or manual control activates the drive motor, causing the environmental sensing equipment to move within the protection range of the gas shield.

2. The intelligent cleaning protective cover device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The environmental sensing device is a radar sensor and / or a visual acquisition device.

3. The intelligent cleaning protective cover device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cleaning and protective cover is mounted on any one or more locations on the front, rear, side, front, or rear of the vehicle roof.

4. The intelligent cleaning protective cover device according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the cleaning protective cover is mounted on the front of the vehicle roof, The cleaning protective shield forms an umbrella-shaped gas shield on the windshield of the vehicle body, protecting the radar sensor and vision acquisition device.

5. The intelligent cleaning protective cover device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The radar sensor is a lidar assembled between the U-shaped channels; The visual acquisition device is a camera installed inside the rearview mirror cover of the vehicle body, and the camera works in conjunction with the windshield wipers to capture images, and the windshield wipers are controlled to turn on by a rain sensor.

6. The intelligent cleaning protective cover device according to claim 5, characterized in that, When the rain sensor controls the windshield wipers to turn on, the controller controls the cleaning shield to form a gas shield on the windshield of the vehicle body.

7. The intelligent cleaning protective cover device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The air duct assembly is connected to the sheet metal parts of the vehicle body via a bracket, and the bracket is covered with a decorative cover.

8. The intelligent cleaning protective cover device according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the umbrella-shaped gas shield formed by the cleaning protective cover is subjected to excessive vehicle speed or excessive external wind convection impact, the coverage area of ​​the gas protective cover is reduced. The controller or manual control turns on the drive motor, and the environmental sensing device moves to the protection range of the gas protective cover.

9. A cleaning method, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The controller analyzes whether the data collected by the radar sensor and / or vision collector is abnormal. If the collected data is normal, the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is not in working mode. When the percentage of abnormal data is less than 3%, the controller analyzes and determines that the radar sensor and / or vision acquisition device are working normally, and the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is not in working mode. When the percentage of abnormal data is between 3% and 5%, the controller decides whether to operate based on the rain sensor's judgment of the surrounding environment: when the rain sensor identifies and drives the wipers, the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is in working mode; when the rain sensor does not drive the wipers, the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is not in working mode. When the proportion of abnormal data exceeds 5%, the controller determines that the data collected by the radar sensor and / or vision collector is seriously distorted, and the intelligent cleaning protective cover device enters the working mode.

10. The intelligent cleaning protective cover device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The cleaning method also includes manual control, through which the intelligent cleaning protective cover device is directly put into working mode and the visual acquisition device is adjusted.

11. A car, characterized in that, Includes a vehicle body, on which is equipped a protective cover device for intelligent cleaning as described in any one of claims 1 to 8; The cleaning method described in claims 9 and 10 is programmed into the overall system of the vehicle body.

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