Method and apparatus for reducing vehicle environmental sensor contamination

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for reducing the contamination of a vehicle environmental sensor, comprising: a first step (100) of determining at least one variable representative of the current driving dynamics of the vehicle; a second step (200) of determining environmental conditions related to the vehicle; a third step (300) of determining a target driving dynamics of the vehicle, said target driving dynamics being suitable for reducing the contamination of environmental sensors of the vehicle caused by environmental influences, on the basis of at least one variable representative of the current driving dynamics and the current environmental conditions; and a fourth step (400) of setting a target driving state of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and a device for reducing the contamination of vehicle environmental sensors. Background Art

[0002] It is known from the prior art that (partially) autonomous vehicles and driver assistance systems operate based on the evaluation of signals provided by vehicle environmental sensors.

[0003] A challenge associated with such systems is the cleaning of environmental sensors, because during vehicle operation, these sensors are exposed to different environmental influences for a long time, which may cause the environmental sensors to be contaminated, thereby reducing the recognition performance of objects in the vehicle environment based on such systems.

[0004] Therefore, in the prior art, cleaning devices for such environmental sensors are used, which clean the sensor surface by means of a wiper device and / or a cleaning nozzle for outputting cleaning liquid and / or for outputting compressed air. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for reducing the contamination of vehicle environmental sensors is proposed. The environmental sensors are, for example, configured as cameras and / or lidar sensors and / or radar sensors and / or ultrasonic sensors and / or different sensors. The vehicle can be, for example, a passenger car (PKW), a motorcycle, a transporter, a truck (LKW), a bus, a rail vehicle, or other road vehicles, or different vehicles.

[0006] Generally, it should be noted that the term "contamination" is generally understood as any solid and / or liquid, etc. that may affect the detection performance of environmental sensors. In addition to dust particles, insects, etc., raindrops, icing, snow, etc. can also be regarded as contamination accordingly if they affect the detection performance of environmental sensors.

[0007] Particularly advantageously, the method according to the present invention can be used in vehicles that implement driver assistance systems and / or (partially) autonomous driving modes based on environmental sensors or based on a plurality of such environmental sensors.

[0008] It should be noted that the method according to the present invention can be implemented in the vehicle itself and / or at least partially away from the vehicle. The implementation of the method is carried out, for example, based on an evaluation unit, which can be designed as an ASIC, an FPGA, a processor, a digital signal processor, a microcontroller, or a similar device. Preferably, the method according to the present invention is implemented based on a computer program that implements at least a part of the method steps described below, and preferably is implemented by means of the evaluation unit as described above, but is not limited to such evaluation units and such computer programs.

[0009] In a first step of the method according to the invention, at least one variable representative of the current driving dynamics of the vehicle is determined. This determination is carried out, for example, based on an environmental sensor or based on a plurality of environmental sensors of the vehicle and / or based on sensors different therefrom, such as a position sensor and / or an inertial sensor and / or a speed sensor and / or an acceleration sensor and / or a wheel sensor and / or sensors different therefrom, which sensors can be sensors of the vehicle itself and / or sensors remote from the vehicle.

[0010] In a second step of the method according to the invention, environmental conditions related to the vehicle are determined. The aforementioned environmental sensors and / or sensors different therefrom of the vehicle itself and / or external sensors can also be used for this purpose. For example, environmental conditions related to the vehicle can be determined based on the aforementioned environmental sensors and / or based on a rain sensor and / or a light sensor and / or weather information and / or traffic information received in the vehicle, etc.

[0011] In a third step of the method according to the invention, a target driving dynamics of the vehicle is determined based on at least one variable representative of the current driving dynamics and the current environmental conditions, wherein the target driving dynamics is adapted to reduce the contamination caused by environmental influences on the environmental sensor and / or the plurality of environmental sensors of the vehicle.

[0012] It is understood that additional restrictions can or must be taken into account when determining the target driving dynamics, by means of which it is ensured that the target driving dynamics does not exceed a predetermined limit value of the respective variables representative of the target driving dynamics. These restrictions can be, for example, legal requirements, such as requirements of road traffic regulations, etc., which, for example, define the currently permitted maximum speed and / or the minimum distance from other traffic participants, etc.

[0013] In a fourth step of the method according to the invention, the determined target driving dynamics is set for the vehicle, for example, a signal suitable for this purpose is generated and output to a vehicle component suitable for setting the target driving dynamics.

[0014] The method according to the invention has a particular advantage that a suitable target driving dynamics can be determined and set for the vehicle according to the situation, in particular the driving situation, so that the contamination of the vehicle environmental sensor can be reduced or, ideally, completely avoided at least for a certain period of time. In this way, for example, the consumption of cleaning fluid and / or the energy consumption of the cleaning device actuator can be saved.

[0015] The dependent claims show preferred further improvements of the invention.

[0016] In an advantageous design of the present invention, at least one variable representing the vehicle driving dynamics represents the longitudinal dynamics and / or lateral dynamics and / or speed and / or acceleration and / or turning inclination (Kurvenneigung) of the vehicle. In the example case where the variable represents the vehicle speed, for example, a reduction in environmental sensor contamination can be achieved by adjusting the speed according to the determined environmental conditions. For example, when the road surface is wet, the speed is reduced to increase the distance from the vehicle ahead, so as to prevent the mist generated by the vehicle ahead from reaching the environmental sensor arranged, for example, in the front area of the vehicle. In this case, reducing the speed may also reduce the mist (Gischt) generated by the vehicle itself, which may, for example, contaminate the environmental sensor located at the rear of the vehicle. It is also conceivable that increasing the speed can cause a reduction in environmental sensor contamination. For example, by using the air flow along the vehicle body, at a higher speed, the air flow can be advantageously formed around the environmental sensor, so that the dirt that may exist in the vehicle environment passes through the environmental sensor through the air flow, and / or any dirt (such as raindrops) attached to the environmental sensor is removed from the environmental sensor by the driving wind due to the high vehicle speed.

[0017] In addition, the target driving dynamics can be set automatically and / or semi-automatically by the vehicle, and / or manually by the vehicle driver. The semi-automatic setting can be carried out, for example, as follows: one or more variables representing the target driving dynamics are automatically determined by the method according to the present invention, and the actual setting of the variables is only carried out based on the driver's confirmation. For this purpose, for example, the user interface of the vehicle and / or a mobile terminal device coupled to the vehicle by information technology can be used. The manual setting can be carried out, for example, as follows: the driver is advised through the user interface to manually set one or more variables.

[0018] The environmental conditions include, for example, road type (such as highway, rural road, urban road, parking lot, etc.) and / or road surface condition (type and / or characteristics of the coating, etc.) and / or traffic flow (such as traffic jam) and / or weather conditions (such as rainfall, wind speed, etc.) and / or road gradient (to the side and / or along the driving direction) and / or driving direction and / or number of existing lanes, wherein the environmental conditions related to the vehicle can be current and / or future environmental conditions. In the case of future environmental conditions, the contamination situation of the environmental sensor can be predicted based on the future environmental conditions, so as to set the target driving dynamics immediately and / or only when the future environmental conditions affect the vehicle based on the prediction.

[0019] In another advantageous design of the present invention, the target driving dynamics are also determined based on the arrangement position and / or orientation of the environmental sensor and / or the cleaning device for the environmental sensor on the vehicle. In this way, it is possible to particularly and specifically avoid contamination of the environmental sensor, thereby further saving the cleaning liquid and / or energy used for cleaning the environmental sensor. Additionally or alternatively, if the degree of contamination of the environmental sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold, the environmental sensor is automatically cleaned by means of the cleaning device of the vehicle (for example, by means of a fluid nozzle and / or a compressed air nozzle and / or a wiper device, etc.). By combining the contamination avoidance method according to the present invention with automatic cleaning, the consumption of cleaning resources can be minimized, and at the same time, through cleaning, it can be ensured that the detection performance required by the environmental sensor is always guaranteed.

[0020] Furthermore, it is advantageous that the target driving dynamics can also be determined based on information about possible future pollution sources sent to the vehicle by an external source. Such an external source is, for example, another vehicle driving towards the vehicle on the current route of the vehicle, so the other vehicle has passed a pollution source in front of the vehicle before the vehicle. These pollution sources are preferably automatically determined by the other vehicle and are transmitted to the vehicle, for example, through vehicle-to-vehicle (Car2Car) communication and / or through a mobile phone connection and / or through a different wireless communication connection. Additionally or alternatively, the external source can also be a cloud server and / or a traffic monitoring system, etc.

[0021] Particularly advantageously, the environmental sensor has a plurality of environmental sensors, and the target driving dynamics are also determined based on the individual pollution reduction priorities of the respective environmental sensors.

[0022] For example, the pollution reduction priority is a predetermined priority of each environmental sensor. For example, an environmental sensor oriented along the driving direction generally has a higher priority than an environmental sensor oriented opposite to the driving direction and / or laterally and / or diagonally, because it can be assumed, for example, that the degree of contamination of an environmental sensor not oriented along the driving direction is lower and / or the relevance to vehicle safety is lower, without imposing any limitations on such priorities. In addition, it is also conceivable to determine the priority based on the average importance of each environmental sensor of the vehicle along the current route of the vehicle and / or differently. Additionally or alternatively, the priority can be a priority determined according to the current environmental conditions. For example, when driving on a highway, the forward-facing sensor can be preferentially used, while when driving in the city, all environmental sensors or laterally oriented environmental sensors can be preferentially used to ensure sufficient protection for pedestrians and / or cyclists.

[0023] Advantageously, an activation step is performed before the first method step, in which it is checked whether predetermined activation conditions are met. Subsequently, the first method step, the second method step, the third method step, and the fourth method step are only carried out if the activation conditions are met. These activation conditions can be, for example, no blockage (since there may not be sufficient opportunity to set the appropriate target driving dynamics in the case of a blockage) and / or a minimum distance maintained from other road users and / or driving situations existing outside urban traffic and / or outside a parking lot and / or certain required weather conditions (for example, no heavy rain and / or snowfall, etc.) and different activation conditions, such as legal requirements in the current driving situation.

[0024] In another advantageous design of the invention, if the maximum amount of pollution per time unit predetermined for the environmental sensor along the current route of the vehicle cannot be maintained, an alternative route is determined for the vehicle. Such an alternative route can be set automatically, for example, or manually set and / or confirmed by the user after a route suggestion has been issued to the user.

[0025] Advantageously, the determination of the target driving dynamics is based on a comparison of the current environmental conditions and variables representative of the current driving dynamics of the vehicle with a database in which a large number of different driving situations are stored, each with an assigned target driving dynamics. For example, during the development phase of the vehicle, the database is created by analyzing test drives during the development phase and / or the normal use of the vehicle and / or by means of a crowdsourcing process, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the target driving dynamics can also be determined based on a neural network that has been trained with a large number of different driving situations and, if necessary, further trained during the normal use of the vehicle.

[0026] According to a second aspect of the invention, a device for reducing the pollution of a vehicle's environmental sensor is proposed, wherein the device is configured, for example, based on an evaluation unit to: determine at least one variable representative of the current driving dynamics of the vehicle; determine the environmental conditions related to the vehicle; determine the target driving dynamics of the vehicle based on at least one variable representative of the current driving dynamics and the current environmental conditions, wherein the target driving dynamics are suitable for reducing the pollution caused by environmental influences on the vehicle's environmental sensor; and set the target driving dynamics of the vehicle. The features, feature combinations, and resulting advantages of the invention clearly correspond to the features, feature combinations, and advantages described in the first aspect of the invention. To avoid repetition, reference is made to the above description. Description of the Drawings

[0027] Embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 A flowchart showing the steps of an embodiment of the method according to the invention is shown; and

[0029] Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a device according to the invention connected to a vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Figure 1 FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating the steps of an embodiment of a method according to the invention, which is used here to reduce contamination of an environmental sensor of a vehicle configured as a passenger car (PKW). The environmental sensor is here exemplarily configured as a lidar sensor.

[0031] The method is based on an evaluation unit configured as a CPU and a computer program implemented by the evaluation unit. Starting from the start node S, first an activation step 90 is executed, in which it is checked whether predetermined activation conditions for implementing subsequent steps 100, 200, 300 and 400 are met. In this example, the activation conditions stipulate that the vehicle is outside a densely built-up area and the possible precipitation does not exceed a predetermined value.

[0032] If the activation conditions are met, in step 100 at least one variable representing the current driving dynamics of the vehicle is determined, where this variable here represents the speed of the vehicle.

[0033] If not all activation conditions are met, the method according to the invention terminates at the end node E. The method can be restarted immediately and / or with a predetermined time delay. Additionally or alternatively, the method can also be restarted based on an event (such as the vehicle leaving a densely built-up area, etc.).

[0034] Next, in step 200, environmental conditions related to the vehicle are determined, which here exemplarily include road type, road surface condition and traffic flow.

[0035] Next, in step 300, based on at least one variable representing the current driving dynamics and the current environmental conditions, a target driving dynamics of the vehicle 20 is determined, where this target driving dynamics is suitable for reducing the contamination of the environmental sensor of the vehicle caused by environmental influences.

[0036] The target driving dynamics is determined based on a comparison of the current environmental conditions and the variable representing the current driving dynamics of the vehicle with a database in which a large number of different driving situations are stored, each with an assigned target driving dynamics. Additionally, when determining the target driving dynamics, the relevant provisions of the road traffic regulations are also taken into account, which may limit the available value range of the target driving dynamics.

[0037] In step 400, a determined target driving dynamic is set for the vehicle in order to avoid contaminating the environmental sensor as much as possible when the vehicle continues to drive. To this end, the evaluation unit implementing the method is connected to the vehicle's autonomous driving system by information technology so that the evaluation unit can transmit the determined target driving dynamic to the system. Next, the autonomous driving system sets the target driving dynamic by actuating a suitable actuator of the vehicle (in this case the drive motor of the vehicle to achieve the required target speed).

[0038] Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a device 50 according to the invention connected to a vehicle 20.

[0039] The device 50 according to the invention for reducing the contamination of the environmental sensor 10 of the vehicle 20 is hereby configured as an ASIC, which is connected by information technology to the environmental sensor 10, to the cleaning device 30 of the environmental sensor 10 having a cleaning nozzle, and to the driver assistance system 60 of the vehicle 20.

[0040] Based on this configuration, the device 50 is set to determine at least one variable representing the current driving dynamic of the vehicle 20, determine the environmental conditions related to the vehicle 20, determine the target driving dynamic of the vehicle 20 based on at least one variable representing the current driving dynamic and the current environmental conditions, wherein the target driving dynamic is suitable for reducing the contamination of the environmental sensor 10 of the vehicle 20 caused by environmental influences, and set the target driving dynamic of the vehicle 20 by appropriately actuating the driver assistance system 60.

[0041] The device 50 is hereby set to determine the environmental conditions related to the vehicle 20 based on the environmental sensor 10, based on other (not shown) sensors of the vehicle 20, and based on a wireless communication connection 80 established between the vehicle 20 and an external server 40 via the antenna 70 of the vehicle 20. In particular, the environmental conditions pre-existing on its route are transmitted to the vehicle 20 via the wireless communication connection 80, enabling the device 50 to predict a suitable target driving dynamic for the vehicle 20 in the future.

[0042] The device 50 is also set to determine the degree of contamination of the environmental sensor 10 and activate the cleaning device 30 when the degree of contamination exceeds a predetermined threshold to permanently ensure the function of the environmental sensor 10.

Claims

1. A method for reducing contamination of an environmental sensor (10) of a vehicle (20), the method comprising: - a first step (100) of determining at least one variable representative of the current driving dynamics of the vehicle (20), - a second step (200) of determining environmental conditions associated with said vehicle (20), - a third step (300) of determining a target driving dynamics of the vehicle (20) based on at least one variable representing the current driving dynamics and the current environmental conditions, wherein: The target driving dynamics are suitable for reducing contamination of an environmental sensor (10) of the vehicle (20) by environmental influences, and - A fourth step (400) is to set target driving dynamics of the vehicle (20).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one variable representative of driving dynamics represents the longitudinal dynamics of the vehicle (20), and / or - lateral dynamics, and / or - speed, and / or - acceleration, and / or -Turn angle.

3. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The target driving dynamics are set automatically and / or semi-automatically and / or manually by a driver of the vehicle (20).

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The environmental conditions include current and / or future road type, and / or - road conditions, and / or - Traffic flow, and / or - weather conditions, and / or - road slope, and / or - direction of travel, and / or -Number of existing lanes.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: - additionally determining the target driving dynamics as a function of the arrangement position and / or orientation of the surroundings sensor (10) and / or a cleaning device (30) for the surroundings sensor (10) on the vehicle (20), and / or Additionally, if the degree of contamination of the surroundings sensor (10) exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the surroundings sensor (10) is automatically cleaned by means of a cleaning device (30) of the vehicle (20).

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The target driving dynamics are additionally determined based on information about possible causes of contamination transmitted to the vehicle (20) from an external source (40).

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: - the environmental sensor (10) comprises a plurality of environmental sensors (10), and - the target driving dynamics is additionally determined as a function of individual pollution reduction priorities of the individual surroundings sensors (10).

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The pollution reduction priority is a priority predetermined for each environmental sensor (10) and / or a priority determined according to current environmental conditions.

9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: - before said first step (100) an activation step (90) is performed, in which it is checked whether a predetermined activation condition is met, and The first step (100), the second step (200), the third step (300) and the fourth step (400) are performed only when the activation condition is met.

10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: If a predetermined maximum amount of pollution per time unit from the ambient sensor (10) along the current route of the vehicle (20) cannot be maintained, an alternative route for the vehicle (20) is determined.

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The target driving dynamics are determined based on: - comparing current environmental conditions and variables representing the current driving dynamics of the vehicle (20) with a database in which a plurality of different driving situations are stored, each of which has an associated target driving dynamics, and / or - Determine a neural network that has been trained using a large number of different driving situations.

12. A device (50) for reducing contamination of an environmental sensor (10) of a vehicle (20), wherein: The device (50) is configured to: - determining at least one variable representative of the current driving dynamics of the vehicle (20), - determining environmental conditions associated with said vehicle (20), - determining a target driving dynamics of the vehicle (20) based on at least one variable representing the current driving dynamics and current environmental conditions, wherein the target driving dynamics is suitable for reducing contamination of an environmental sensor (10) of the vehicle (20) by environmental influences, and - setting target driving dynamics of the vehicle (20).

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