Automatic control method, device and equipment of wiper and readable storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a wiper automatic control method, device, equipment and readable storage medium. The wiper automatic control method comprises the following steps: acquiring a raindrop image in real time, wherein the raindrop in the raindrop image is not in contact with the front windshield; calculating a total volume of raindrops in a preset range according to the raindrop image, averaging the total volumes of raindrops corresponding to all raindrop images acquired in a preset time to obtain a volume reference value; and controlling the working frequency of the wiper according to the volume reference value. The application expands the sensing range of raindrops through the image acquisition mode, which helps to reduce misjudgment and missed judgment. The volume reference value is calculated to determine the rainfall size, and the judgment accuracy is high, so that the stable and good rain removal effect is ensured, and the driving comfort and safety are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive wiper control technology, and in particular to an automatic wiper control method, device, equipment, and readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] For driving in the rain, the performance of the windshield wiper system is crucial. Traditional wipers require frequent operation of the wiper speed when rainfall changes, affecting driving comfort and posing safety hazards when rainfall intensity fluctuates frequently. The advent of automatic wiper systems has overcome the shortcomings of traditional wipers that require manual adjustment. They automatically adjust the wiper frequency according to the amount of rainfall, improving both comfort and safety when driving in the rain.

[0003] Most windshield wiper systems currently use rain sensors mounted on the windshield to detect rainfall. When there is rain on the windshield, the infrared reflection differs from when there is no rain, and this difference is used to calculate the rainfall amount, allowing for appropriate wiper frequency adjustments. However, rain sensors have a small sensing area; large, sparse raindrops will not be detected if they don't hit the sensor, leading to inaccurate rainfall detection and inconsistent wiper performance, impacting driving comfort and safety. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to provide an automatic wiper control method, device, equipment, and readable storage medium, aiming to solve the technical problem of unstable rain removal performance in existing wiper systems.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an automatic wiper control method, the automatic wiper control method comprising:

[0006] Real-time acquisition of raindrop images, wherein the raindrops in the raindrop images are not in contact with the windshield;

[0007] The total volume of raindrops is calculated based on the raindrop images. The average value of the total volume of raindrops corresponding to all raindrop images acquired within a preset time period is then obtained to obtain a volume reference value.

[0008] The operating frequency of the windshield wipers is controlled based on the volume reference value.

[0009] Further, in one embodiment, the step of calculating the total volume of raindrops based on the raindrop image includes:

[0010] Shape recognition is performed on the raindrops in the raindrop image. If the proportion of target raindrops with approximately circular edges is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, the diameter of each target raindrop in the raindrop image is obtained.

[0011] The volume of each target raindrop is calculated based on the diameter of each target raindrop and the formula for the volume of a sphere.

[0012] The total volume of the raindrops is obtained by summing the volumes of all the target raindrops in the raindrop image.

[0013] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the automatic wiper control method further includes:

[0014] Shape recognition is performed on the raindrops in the raindrop image. If the proportion of target raindrops with approximately circular edges is less than the preset threshold, the wipers are controlled to operate at the maximum frequency.

[0015] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the step of controlling the operating frequency of the windshield wipers based on the volume reference value includes:

[0016] The corresponding calibration frequency is determined based on the range in which the volume reference value is located.

[0017] Control the windshield wipers to operate at the calibrated frequency.

[0018] Furthermore, in one embodiment, after the step of controlling the operating frequency of the wipers according to the volume reference value, the method further includes:

[0019] The rain sensor is installed on the windshield and its detection value is obtained shortly after the wipers have wiped the windshield.

[0020] The rain removal performance of the wipers at the calibrated operating frequency is evaluated based on the detected values.

[0021] The calibration frequency is adjusted based on the rain removal effect.

[0022] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the step of acquiring raindrop images in real time includes:

[0023] Acquire raw images in real time from camera equipment;

[0024] Each of the original images is subjected to image preprocessing, edge gradient image extraction, edge gradient image binarization, and image morphology processing to obtain a raindrop image.

[0025] Secondly, the present invention also provides an automatic wiper control device, the automatic wiper control device comprising:

[0026] An acquisition module is used to acquire raindrop images in real time, wherein the raindrops in the raindrop images are not in contact with the windshield;

[0027] The calculation module is used to calculate the total volume of raindrops based on the raindrop images, and to calculate the average of the total volume of raindrops corresponding to all the raindrop images acquired within a preset time period to obtain a volume reference value;

[0028] The control module is used to control the operating frequency of the windshield wipers based on the volume reference value.

[0029] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the computing module is used for:

[0030] Shape recognition is performed on the raindrops in the raindrop image. If the proportion of target raindrops with approximately circular edges is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, the diameter of each target raindrop in the raindrop image is obtained.

[0031] The volume of each target raindrop is calculated based on the diameter of each target raindrop and the formula for the volume of a sphere.

[0032] The total volume of the raindrops is obtained by summing the volumes of all the target raindrops in the raindrop image.

[0033] Thirdly, the present invention also provides an automatic wiper control device, the automatic wiper control device including a processor, a memory, and an automatic wiper control program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein when the automatic wiper control program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the above-described automatic wiper control method.

[0034] Fourthly, the present invention also provides a readable storage medium storing a windshield wiper automatic control program, wherein when the windshield wiper automatic control program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the above-described windshield wiper automatic control method.

[0035] In this invention, raindrop images are acquired in real time, wherein the raindrops in the images are not in contact with the windshield. The total volume of raindrops within a preset range is calculated based on the raindrop images. The average of the total volume of raindrops corresponding to all raindrop images acquired within a preset time period is calculated to obtain a volume reference value. The operating frequency of the windshield wipers is controlled based on the volume reference value. This invention expands the sensing range of raindrops through image acquisition, which helps reduce false alarms and missed alarms. By calculating the volume reference value to determine the amount of rainfall, the accuracy of the judgment is high, thereby ensuring a stable and good rain removal effect and improving driving comfort and safety. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating an automatic wiper control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the process for calculating the total volume of raindrops based on raindrop images in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an automatic wiper control method according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the automatic wiper control device in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an automatic wiper control device in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0042] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0043] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide an automatic wiper control method.

[0044] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the automatic wiper control method of the present invention is shown.

[0045] Reference Figure 1 In one embodiment, the automatic wiper control method includes the following steps:

[0046] S11. Acquire raindrop images in real time, wherein the raindrops in the raindrop images are not in contact with the windshield;

[0047] In this embodiment, a photographic device is selected as the raindrop information acquisition device, thereby acquiring raindrop information over a wide range through image capture. Compared to a rain sensor installed on the windshield, this expands the raindrop sensing range and helps reduce false positives and false negatives. Considering that raindrops may splash, flow, and converge after contacting the windshield, which is not conducive to subsequent image analysis and calculation and makes it impossible to accurately determine the amount of rainfall, the acquired raindrop images are not images of raindrops falling behind the windshield, but rather images of raindrops in the air before contact with the windshield. Accordingly, the shooting direction of the photographic device is not towards the windshield; optionally, the shooting direction can be towards the top of the windshield or other directions outside the vehicle. Furthermore, raindrop images are acquired through an in-vehicle 360-degree panoramic system to obtain the largest possible sensing range.

[0048] Furthermore, in one embodiment, step S11 specifically includes:

[0049] Acquire raw images in real time from camera equipment;

[0050] Each original image is preprocessed, edge gradient image is extracted, edge gradient image is binarized, and image morphology is processed to obtain a raindrop image.

[0051] In this embodiment, after acquiring the original image, a series of operations are required to extract the raindrop information from the original image, resulting in a raindrop image that facilitates subsequent calculation of rainfall. Specifically, the original image is first acquired from the camera device, then the image is grayscaled and smoothed for noise reduction (i.e., image preprocessing), then edge detection is performed to extract the corresponding edge gradient image, the edge gradient image is binarized using a threshold, and finally, image morphology processing is performed to obtain the raindrop image.

[0052] S12. Calculate the total volume of raindrops based on the raindrop images, and average the total volume of raindrops corresponding to all raindrop images acquired within a preset time period to obtain a volume reference value.

[0053] In this embodiment, the rainfall amount is determined by calculating the total volume of raindrops, which improves accuracy compared to calculating the total area of ​​the pattern corresponding to the raindrops in a two-dimensional image. The total volume of raindrops in a single raindrop image only represents the rainfall amount at a single moment, which is highly random and affects the accuracy of the judgment. Therefore, this embodiment sets a preset time and calculates the average total volume of raindrops corresponding to all raindrop images acquired within the preset time. The obtained volume reference value can represent the average rainfall amount within the preset time, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the judgment.

[0054] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of calculating the total volume of raindrops based on raindrop images in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] Reference Figure 2 Furthermore, in one embodiment, the step of calculating the total volume of raindrops based on the raindrop image includes:

[0056] S121. Perform shape recognition on raindrops in the raindrop image. If the proportion of target raindrops with approximately circular edges is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, then obtain the diameter of each target raindrop in the raindrop image.

[0057] S122. Calculate the volume of each target raindrop based on the formula for the diameter of each target raindrop and the volume of a sphere;

[0058] S123. Sum the volumes of all target raindrops in the raindrop image to obtain the total volume of the raindrops.

[0059] This embodiment provides a method for calculating the total volume of raindrops. The actual three-dimensional shape of a target raindrop with approximately circular edges in a two-dimensional image is considered as a sphere, and the diameter of the sphere is the diameter of the circle. The volume of the target raindrop is then quickly calculated using the formula for diameter and sphere volume. Finally, the volumes of all target raindrops are summed to obtain the total raindrop volume. It is understood that this calculation method should be used when most raindrops in the raindrop image have approximately circular edges, thereby reducing the proportion of other raindrop volumes in the actual total raindrop volume, making the calculated total raindrop volume close to the actual total raindrop volume. For example, a preset threshold can be set to 90%.

[0060] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the automatic wiper control method further includes:

[0061] Shape recognition is performed on raindrops in the raindrop image. If the proportion of target raindrops with approximately circular edges is less than a preset threshold, the wipers are controlled to work at the maximum frequency.

[0062] In this embodiment, when the proportion of target raindrops is less than a preset threshold, the volume of a single raindrop cannot be calculated using the sphere volume formula. This situation typically occurs when rainfall is heavy. Therefore, the wipers are directly controlled to operate at the maximum frequency. It can be understood that the maximum frequency referred to here is the upper limit of the normal operating frequency range of the wipers.

[0063] S13. Control the working frequency of the wipers according to the volume reference value.

[0064] In this embodiment, the volume reference value reflects the average rainfall over a preset time period. To achieve good rain removal performance, the operating frequency of the wipers corresponds to the volume reference value. When the volume reference value is small, the wipers operate at a lower frequency, and when the volume reference value is large, the wipers operate at a higher frequency. Specifically, the vehicle body controller receives the volume reference value in real time and sends instructions to the automatic wiper motor, which then drives the wipers to operate at the corresponding frequency.

[0065] In this embodiment, raindrop images are acquired in real time, wherein the raindrops in the images are not in contact with the windshield. The total volume of raindrops within a preset range is calculated based on the raindrop images. The average of the total volume of raindrops corresponding to all raindrop images acquired within a preset time period is calculated to obtain a volume reference value. The operating frequency of the windshield wipers is controlled based on the volume reference value. This embodiment expands the sensing range of raindrops through image acquisition, which helps reduce false alarms and missed alarms. By calculating the volume reference value to determine the amount of rainfall, the accuracy of the judgment is high, thereby ensuring a stable and good rain removal effect and improving driving comfort and safety.

[0066] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating an automatic wiper control method according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0067] Reference Figure 2 In one embodiment, the automatic wiper control method includes the following steps:

[0068] S21. Acquire raindrop images in real time, wherein the raindrops in the raindrop images are not in contact with the windshield;

[0069] S22. Calculate the total volume of raindrops based on the raindrop images, and average the total volume of raindrops corresponding to all raindrop images acquired within a preset time period to obtain a volume reference value.

[0070] In this embodiment, the analysis of steps S21 and S22 is based on the analysis of steps S11 and S12, and will not be repeated here.

[0071] S23. Determine the corresponding calibration frequency based on the range of the volume reference value; control the wipers to operate at the calibration frequency.

[0072] In this embodiment, the volume reference value and the wiper operating frequency are not in a one-to-one correspondence. A specific volume reference value within a certain range corresponds to a calibration operating frequency. For example, the calibration operating frequency for volume reference values ​​in the 0.01-1 ml range is 6 times / minute, for 1-10 ml range it is 15 times / minute, for 10-50 ml range it is 30 times / minute, and for values ​​greater than 50 ml it is 75 times / minute. The calibration operating frequency corresponding to each volume reference value range can be determined through comparative testing experiments.

[0073] S24. Obtain the detection value of the rain sensor within a short period after the wipers have wiped the windshield, wherein the rain sensor is installed on the windshield; evaluate the rain removal effect of the wipers at the calibrated operating frequency based on the detection value; adjust the calibrated operating frequency based on the rain removal effect.

[0074] In this embodiment, when the wipers operate at the calibrated frequency corresponding to the current volume reference value, the rain-removing effect of the wipers at the calibrated frequency is evaluated by acquiring the detection value of the rain sensor shortly after the wipers have passed. Since rain is continuous, the windshield is constantly exposed to rainwater, which is then wiped away by the wipers. Therefore, the detection value used to evaluate the rain-removing effect in this embodiment needs to be acquired shortly after the wipers have passed; for example, this short time is set to the millisecond level. If the wipers operate at an appropriate frequency under the current rainfall, the wipers will remove the previously accumulated rainwater before new rainwater accumulates, resulting in a relatively small amount of rain on the windshield for a short period, thus ensuring clear visibility. Conversely, if the wipers operate at a relatively low frequency, the amount of rain on the windshield will remain large shortly after the wipers have passed, affecting visibility.

[0075] Understandably, if the rain removal effect is unsatisfactory, the calibration frequency needs to be adjusted by increasing the corresponding calibration frequency to achieve a better rain removal effect. Optionally, the detection values ​​corresponding to each calibration frequency during driving are uploaded to a cloud server. The cloud server evaluates the rain removal effect based on the detection values. If the rain removal effect is still poor, a new calibration frequency is determined and distributed to the vehicle to optimize the rain removal effect.

[0076] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention also provide an automatic wiper control device.

[0077] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an automatic wiper control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0078] Reference Figure 4 In one embodiment, the automatic wiper control device includes:

[0079] The acquisition module 10 is used to acquire raindrop images in real time, wherein the raindrops in the raindrop images are not in contact with the windshield;

[0080] The calculation module 20 is used to calculate the total volume of raindrops based on the raindrop images, and to calculate the average of the total volume of raindrops corresponding to all raindrop images acquired within a preset time period to obtain a volume reference value.

[0081] The control module 30 is used to control the working frequency of the windshield wipers based on the volume reference value.

[0082] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the computing module 20 is used for:

[0083] Shape recognition is performed on raindrops in the raindrop image. If the proportion of target raindrops with approximately circular edges is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, the diameter of each target raindrop in the raindrop image is obtained.

[0084] The volume of each target raindrop is calculated based on the diameter of each target raindrop and the formula for the volume of a sphere;

[0085] The total volume of the raindrops is obtained by summing the volumes of all target raindrops in the raindrop image.

[0086] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the control module 30 is also used for:

[0087] Shape recognition is performed on raindrops in the raindrop image. If the proportion of target raindrops with approximately circular edges is less than a preset threshold, the wipers are controlled to work at the maximum frequency.

[0088] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the control module 30 is used to:

[0089] The corresponding calibration frequency is determined based on the range in which the volume reference value is located.

[0090] Control the windshield wipers to operate at the calibrated frequency.

[0091] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the automatic wiper control device further includes an adjustment module 40, used for:

[0092] The rain sensor detects values ​​shortly after the wipers have wiped the windshield. The rain sensor is located on the windshield.

[0093] The effectiveness of the wipers in removing rain at the calibrated operating frequency is evaluated based on the test values.

[0094] Adjust the calibration frequency based on the rain removal effect.

[0095] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the acquisition module 10 is used for:

[0096] Acquire raw images in real time from camera equipment;

[0097] Each original image is preprocessed, edge gradient image is extracted, edge gradient image is binarized, and image morphology is processed to obtain a raindrop image.

[0098] The functions of each module in the above-mentioned automatic wiper control device correspond to the steps in the above-mentioned automatic wiper control method embodiment, and their functions and implementation processes will not be described in detail here.

[0099] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention provide an automatic wiper control device, which can be a device with data processing capabilities such as a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, or a server.

[0100] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an automatic wiper control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0101] Reference Figure 5In this embodiment of the invention, the automatic wiper control device may include a processor 1001 (e.g., a Central Processing Unit, CPU), a communication bus 1002, a user interface 1003, a network interface 1004, and a memory 1005. The communication bus 1002 is used to establish communication between these components; the user interface 1003 may include a display screen or an input unit such as a keyboard; the network interface 1004 may optionally include a standard wired interface or a wireless interface (e.g., Wireless Fidelity, Wi-Fi); the memory 1005 may be high-speed random access memory (RAM) or stable memory (non-volatile memory), such as a disk storage device. Alternatively, the memory 1005 may also be a storage device independent of the aforementioned processor 1001. Those skilled in the art will understand that… Figure 5 The hardware structure shown does not constitute a limitation of the invention and may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0102] Continue to refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 The memory 1005, which serves as a computer storage medium, may include an operating system, a network communication module, a user interface module, and an automatic wiper control program. The processor 1001 can call the automatic wiper control program stored in the memory 1005 and execute the automatic wiper control method provided in this embodiment of the invention.

[0103] Fourthly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a readable storage medium.

[0104] The present invention provides a windshield wiper automatic control program stored on a readable storage medium, wherein when the windshield wiper automatic control program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the windshield wiper automatic control method as described above.

[0105] The method implemented when the automatic wiper control program is executed can be referred to in various embodiments of the automatic wiper control method of the present invention, and will not be repeated here.

[0106] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or system that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or system. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or system that includes that element.

[0107] The sequence numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0108] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) as described above, and includes several instructions to cause a terminal device to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0109] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the scope of the patent. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the description and drawings of the present invention, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the scope of patent protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for automatic control of windshield wipers, characterized in that, The automatic wiper control method includes: Real-time acquisition of raindrop images, wherein the raindrops in the raindrop images are not in contact with the windshield; The total volume of raindrops is calculated based on the raindrop images. The average value of the total volume of raindrops corresponding to all raindrop images acquired within a preset time period is then obtained to obtain a volume reference value. The operating frequency of the windshield wipers is controlled according to the aforementioned volume reference value; The step of calculating the total volume of raindrops based on the raindrop image includes: Shape recognition is performed on the raindrops in the raindrop image. If the proportion of target raindrops with approximately circular edges is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, the diameter of each target raindrop in the raindrop image is obtained. The volume of each target raindrop is calculated based on the diameter of each target raindrop and the formula for the volume of a sphere. The total volume of the raindrops is obtained by summing the volumes of all the target raindrops in the raindrop image; The automatic wiper control method also includes: Shape recognition is performed on the raindrops in the raindrop image. If the proportion of target raindrops with approximately circular edges is less than the preset threshold, the wipers are controlled to operate at the maximum frequency.

2. The automatic wiper control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of controlling the operating frequency of the windshield wipers based on the volume reference value includes: The corresponding calibration frequency is determined based on the range in which the volume reference value is located. Control the windshield wipers to operate at the calibrated frequency.

3. The automatic wiper control method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Following the step of controlling the wiper operating frequency based on the volume reference value, the method further includes: The rain sensor is installed on the windshield and its detection value is obtained shortly after the wipers have wiped the windshield. The rain removal performance of the wipers at the calibrated operating frequency is evaluated based on the detected values. The calibration frequency is adjusted based on the rain removal effect.

4. The automatic wiper control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The steps for acquiring raindrop images in real time include: Acquire raw images in real time from camera equipment; Each of the original images is subjected to image preprocessing, edge gradient image extraction, edge gradient image binarization, and image morphology processing to obtain a raindrop image.

5. An automatic wiper control device, characterized in that, The automatic wiper control device includes: An acquisition module is used to acquire raindrop images in real time, wherein the raindrops in the raindrop images are not in contact with the windshield; The calculation module is used to calculate the total volume of raindrops based on the raindrop images, and to calculate the average of the total volume of raindrops corresponding to all the raindrop images acquired within a preset time period to obtain a volume reference value; The control module is used to control the operating frequency of the windshield wipers based on the volume reference value; The calculation module is used for: Shape recognition is performed on the raindrops in the raindrop image. If the proportion of target raindrops with approximately circular edges is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, the diameter of each target raindrop in the raindrop image is obtained. The volume of each target raindrop is calculated based on the diameter of each target raindrop and the formula for the volume of a sphere. The total volume of the raindrops is obtained by summing the volumes of all the target raindrops in the raindrop image; The control module is also used to perform shape recognition on raindrops in raindrop images. If the proportion of target raindrops with approximately circular edges is less than a preset threshold, the wipers are controlled to work at the maximum frequency.

6. An automatic wiper control device, characterized in that, The automatic wiper control device includes a processor, a memory, and an automatic wiper control program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein when the automatic wiper control program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the automatic wiper control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The readable storage medium stores an automatic wiper control program, wherein when the automatic wiper control program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the automatic wiper control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

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