Cleaning control system and method for camera of electric vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses an electric vehicle camera cleaning control system and method.The electric vehicle camera cleaning control system is characterized in that washing liquid is stored in a washing kettle module, the washing kettle module is connected with a water pump module through a pipeline, and the water pump module is connected to a nozzle through a pipeline; an electromagnetic control valve module is arranged in a pipeline between the water pump module and the nozzle to control the on-off of the pipeline; the output end of the cleaning controller module is connected to the water pump module and the electronic control valve module and used for controlling the washing liquid to be sprayed to the vehicle-mounted camera through the nozzle. The control system further comprises an air pump module. The air pump module is connected to the nozzle through a pipeline; an electronic control valve module is arranged in a pipeline between the air pump module and the nozzle and used for controlling connection and disconnection of the pipeline between the air pump module and the nozzle. The output end of the cleaning controller module is connected to the air pump module and the electronic control valve module. According to the scheme, the vehicle-mounted camera is cleaned under the conditions of raining, frost and the like, and the reliability and stability of cleaning are improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of electric vehicle on-board camera cleaning, in particular to an electric vehicle camera cleaning control system and method. BACKGROUND

[0002] When realizing automatic driving or unmanned driving, electric vehicles need a large number of sensors to collect and perceive the vehicle's surrounding environment data, and the vehicle's control is based on the perception data. Among them, the on-board camera as the core sensor undertakes the key functions of environmental perception, obstacle identification, path planning, etc. However, in daily vehicle driving, the camera surface is easily attached by rain, dust, frost and other pollutants, resulting in blurring, data misjudgment, and thus causing the failure of unmanned driving function or automatic driving function. Therefore, the on-board camera needs to be cleaned and cleaned. In the prior art, such as patent application number 201811294590.8, an automatic cleaning method, system, controller and car for automobile camera, the method comprises: detecting the starting signal of the camera, wherein the camera is provided with a photosensitive element inside, and the camera is arranged outside the automobile; detecting the first current value flowing through the camera; judging whether the first current value is less than the first preset threshold value; when the first current value is less than the first preset threshold value, sending a first signal to the washing motor arranged in the washing liquid container, wherein the first signal is used to instruct the washing motor to start operation, so that the high-pressure liquid nozzle connected with the washing liquid container sprays washing liquid to clean the camera.

[0003] The above-mentioned patent drives the washing liquid to spray the washing liquid to the camera through the nozzle by the washing motor to realize the cleaning work of the camera, but its control strategy is single, without considering the case of rain, low temperature frost, etc. In these cases, the cleaning effect is generally poor, and the cleaning effect cannot be evaluated, and manual cleaning operation cannot be started in time. SUMMARY

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, provide an electric vehicle camera cleaning control system and method, consider the cleaning of the on-board camera under the condition of rain, frost, etc., improve the reliability and stability of cleaning, and evaluate the cleaning result and timely issue warning information, etc.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical scheme adopted by the present application is:

[0006] An electric vehicle camera cleaning control system, comprising a cleaning controller module, a cleaning pot module, a water pump module, an electronic control valve module and a nozzle; the cleaning pot module stores cleaning liquid, the cleaning pot module is connected to the water pump module through a pipeline, the water pump module is connected to the nozzle through a pipeline, an electromagnetic control valve module is arranged in the pipeline between the water pump module and the nozzle to control the opening and closing of the pipeline; the output end of the cleaning controller module is connected to the water pump module and the electronic control valve module respectively to control the cleaning liquid to be sprayed onto the vehicle-mounted camera through the nozzle; the control system further comprises an air pump module; the air pump module is connected to the nozzle through a pipeline; an electronic control valve module is arranged in the pipeline between the air pump module and the nozzle to control the opening and closing of the pipeline between the air pump module and the nozzle; the output end of the cleaning controller module is connected to the air pump module and the electronic control valve module respectively.

[0007] The control system further comprises a heating module for heating the high-pressure air flow generated by the air pump module; the output end of the cleaning controller module is connected to the heating module to control the working state of the heating module.

[0008] The cleaning controller module is connected to a sensor module for collecting environmental data of the current vehicle, and the cleaning controller module controls the working state of the water pump module, the air pump module, the heating module and the electronic control valve module according to the environmental data of the current vehicle to realize cleaning of the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0009] The cleaning controller module is connected to the vehicle ECU module through CAN and / or LIN bus to obtain vehicle control data.

[0010] An electric vehicle camera cleaning control method, comprising collecting environmental information and vehicle state information of the current vehicle, and controlling the working state of the water pump module, the air pump module, the heating module and the electronic control valve module based on the environmental information and the vehicle state information, so as to realize high-pressure cleaning liquid cleaning of the camera, high-pressure air flow cleaning of the camera, high-pressure high-temperature air flow cleaning of the camera and high-pressure cleaning liquid superimposed high-pressure high-temperature air flow cleaning of the camera.

[0011] The collected environmental information includes rainfall information and temperature information; the collected vehicle state information includes vehicle speed information; the working state parameters of the water pump module, the air pump module, the heating module and the electronic control valve module are controlled according to the rainfall information, the temperature information and the vehicle speed information, and the working state parameters include the opening state, the opening time and the opening power.

[0012] According to the current raining state and the rainfall value detected by the rainfall sensor, when the raining state is in, the working of the water pump module is closed, and the working power of the air pump module is adjusted according to the rainfall value.

[0013] The working state of the heating module is controlled according to the collected ambient temperature information, and when the temperature is lower than a set threshold, the heating module is controlled to start working, otherwise the heating module is controlled to be in a closed state.

[0014] The current vehicle driving scene is judged by the intelligent driving system, and a cleaning strategy is matched according to the driving scene, and the cleaning strategy is the control time sequence and working time of the water pump module, the air pump module and the heating module.

[0015] When cleaning the vehicle-mounted camera each time, the cleaning efficiency after cleaning is evaluated, and according to the evaluation result, an alarm or a secondary cleaning function is started.

[0016] The advantages of the present application are that the cleaning of the vehicle-mounted camera under the conditions of rain, frost and the like is considered, the reliability and stability of cleaning are improved, the cleaning result can be evaluated and early warning information is sent in time, manual cleaning can be accurately started, driving of the vehicle under the condition that the camera is not clear is reduced, and the safety and reliability of driving are improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] The content expressed by each drawing of the present application specification and the marks in the drawings are briefly described as follows:

[0018] Figure 1 It is a system architecture diagram of the camera cleaning system of the electric vehicle of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a rain and snow cleaning strategy table in one of the embodiments of the present application;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a driving in mud covering cleaning strategy table in one of the embodiments of the present application;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a system timing diagram of the camera cleaning system of the electric vehicle of the present application;

[0022] Figure 5 It is a system cleaning efficiency verification method flow chart of the cleaning system of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The specific embodiments of the present application are further described in detail by comparing the drawings and describing the optimal embodiments.

[0024] In view of the fact that the cleaning function of the prior art vehicle-mounted camera only includes the function of cleaning by cleaning liquid, the present scheme realizes real-time monitoring of camera pollution and dynamic cleaning of the camera surface by adopting high-pressure airflow, high-pressure water washing, high-temperature airflow, and combining with an unmanned driving algorithm to clean rainwater, frost, snow, and other pollutants with small adhesion. At the same time, for the judgment of the cleaning efficiency of the system, the digital image processing technology is adopted to take a photo of the camera lens before and after cleaning, perform grayscale processing, confirm the binary threshold, compare the original image, the monochrome image, and the binary image, and subjectively evaluate the accuracy of distinguishing the pollution area and the cleaning area. The threshold is iteratively adjusted until the image is optimally matched. Through the comparison of black and white pixels of the binary image, the cleaning efficiency of the system is obtained by the corresponding algorithm, and secondary cleaning or alarm for manual cleaning is performed based on the cleaning efficiency, so as to realize the automatic monitoring and operation process of cleaning.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1 , the present embodiment considers the cleaning of the vehicle-mounted camera in the case of rain, frost, etc., improves the reliability and stability of cleaning, and can evaluate the cleaning result and timely issue early warning information, etc. The cleaning control system of the camera of the electric vehicle of the present embodiment comprises a cleaning controller module, a washing kettle module, a water pump module, an electronic control valve module, and a nozzle; the washing kettle module stores washing liquid, the washing kettle module is connected to the water pump module through a pipeline, the water pump module is connected to the nozzle through a pipeline, and an electromagnetic control valve module is arranged in the pipeline between the water pump module and the nozzle to control the opening and closing of the pipeline; the output end of the cleaning controller module is connected to the water pump module and the electronic control valve module respectively to control the washing liquid to be sprayed onto the vehicle-mounted camera through the nozzle; the control system further comprises a gas pump module; the gas pump module is connected to the nozzle through a pipeline; an electronic control valve module is arranged in the pipeline between the gas pump module and the nozzle to control the opening and closing of the pipeline between the gas pump module and the nozzle; the output end of the cleaning controller module is connected to the gas pump module and the electronic control valve module respectively.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1 , the cleaning controller module serves as the core controller and can be used to control the opening and closing of the cleaning function and the parameter control in the cleaning process; the water pump module is a water pump motor which can be arranged in the washing kettle or the liquid output pipeline of the washing kettle, the washing kettle stores washing liquid, the liquid outlet of the washing kettle is connected to the water inlet of the water pump module through a pipeline, and the water outlet of the water pump module is connected to the nozzle through a pipeline; an electronic control valve is arranged in the pipeline between the water outlet of the water pump module and the nozzle to control the opening and closing of the pipeline. The water washing function can be realized by the working of the water pump module, specifically:

[0027] The cleaning controller module is connected to the water pump module and the electronic control valve through CAN communication to control the operation thereof. When water cleaning is needed, the water pump module is operated, and the water pump module converts the washing liquid in the washing kettle into high-pressure liquid (high-pressure water flow) which is connected to the nozzle through the pipeline controlled by the electronic control valve. The nozzle is a water cleaning nozzle, and the liquid sprayed through the nozzle is sprayed on the vehicle-mounted camera. Since it is high-pressure liquid, the purpose of cleaning can be achieved. The electronic control valve is controlled to be opened at the same time when the water pump is opened, so that the washing liquid is sprayed through the nozzle in a high-pressure manner to achieve the purpose of water cleaning.

[0028] In addition to the water cleaning function described above, the embodiment also has an air cleaning function. The specific structure of the air cleaning function includes that the air pump module is connected to one end of the electromagnetic control valve module through a high-pressure pipeline, and the other end of the electronic control valve is connected to the nozzle through a pipeline; the heating module is used to heat the high-pressure air flow generated by the air pump module; and the output end of the cleaning controller module is connected to the heating module to control the working state of the heating module. The electronic control valve module can share one electronic valve with the water cleaning function, or can use a separate valve, which is a water cleaning valve and an air cleaning valve, to control the conduction of the water cleaning circuit and the air cleaning circuit connected to the nozzle, respectively. The air cleaning function includes that the cleaning controller module is connected to the air pump module through CAN communication to control the operation of the electronic air pump. After the electronic air pump is operated, high-pressure air flow is generated. The high-pressure air flow is connected to the nozzle through a pipeline, and high-pressure gas is sprayed from the nozzle to clean the camera. A heating module is arranged in the pipeline between the air pump module and the nozzle to heat the high-pressure air flow generated by the air pump module to generate high-pressure and high-temperature air flow, which is sprayed to the camera through the pipeline and the nozzle for cleaning. The heating module can heat the high-pressure air flow by heating resistance wire or the like to realize high-pressure and high-temperature air flow. The heating module receives the control signal of the cleaning controller module to work.

[0029] In a preferred scheme of the embodiment, the cleaning controller module is connected to the sensor module, the sensor module is used to collect the current vehicle environment data, and the cleaning controller module controls the working state of the water pump module, the air pump module, the heating module and the electronic control valve module according to the current vehicle environment data to clean the vehicle-mounted camera. The state of the cleaning function is controlled according to the vehicle environment data, such as whether to start water cleaning and air cleaning and the working parameters according to the vehicle environment data, so as to meet the current cleaning demand and match the cleaning demand.

[0030] In a preferred scheme of the embodiment, the cleaning controller module is connected with the vehicle ECU module through a CAN and / or LIN bus to obtain vehicle control data and control signals, and the obtaining of the vehicle control data and control signals includes but is not limited to: obtaining a cleaning start signal, feeding back a cleaning completion signal, feeding back a cleaning efficiency signal, feeding back a cleaning abnormality alarm signal, and obtaining a camera image for calculating cleaning efficiency.

[0031] The embodiment also provides a control method for cleaning a camera of an electric vehicle, which is based on the control system in the above embodiment to control cleaning; the control method includes the following steps:

[0032] The vehicle ECU obtains a start instruction for cleaning the camera, and the camera cleaning is not performed when the start instruction is not obtained; when the cleaning controller module receives the control instruction from the vehicle ECU, the camera cleaning enters a working state;

[0033] When the camera cleaning enters the working state, environmental information and vehicle state information of the vehicle are collected, and the working states of a water pump module, an air pump module, a heating module, and an electronic control valve module are controlled based on the environmental information and the vehicle state information, so as to realize high-pressure washing liquid cleaning, high-pressure air flow cleaning, high-pressure high-temperature air flow cleaning, and high-pressure washing liquid superimposed high-pressure high-temperature air flow cleaning of the camera, respectively. The working states of the water pump module, the air pump module, and the heating module are controlled based on the environmental information and the vehicle state information to realize corresponding matching water washing, air washing, and corresponding control parameters.

[0034] In the embodiment, the collected environmental information includes rainfall information and temperature information, and the collected vehicle state information includes vehicle speed information; the working state parameters of the water pump module, the air pump module, the heating module, and the electronic control valve module are controlled based on the rainfall information, the temperature information, and the vehicle speed information, and the working state parameters include an opening state, an opening time, and an opening power.

[0035] In the present embodiment, when entering the working state of the vehicle-mounted camera cleaning, the current raining state and the rainfall value are detected according to the rain sensor, when in the raining state, the working of the water pump module is closed, and the working power of the air pump module is adjusted according to the rainfall value. Because the effect of high-pressure cleaning liquid is small in the raining state, and the raining has already produced the basis required by water washing, therefore, after detecting the raining, the air pump module is controlled to start working and the water pump module is closed in the present scheme; at this time, only the gas cleaning is needed through the air pump module; in order to the reliability of cleaning, the power of the air pump module is adjusted according to the rainfall value, and the power of the air pump module is increased according to the increase of the rainfall, the purpose of which is to avoid the situation that the rain cannot be blown to the camera for effective cleaning due to the too small air pressure and the too large rain, therefore, with the increase of the rainfall, the water pump power is also increased to realize the increase of the air pressure.

[0036] In a preferred scheme of the present embodiment, the vehicle speed data is obtained through the vehicle-mounted ecu, when in the raining state during the cleaning process, the working of the air pump is controlled according to the vehicle speed, when the vehicle speed is larger, the power of the air pump is larger; the comparison table between the vehicle speed and the power of the air pump is calibrated in advance; after entering the cleaning process, when it is judged that it is in the raining state, the power of the air pump module is calculated as the reference power according to the rainfall value, then the calibration power corresponding to the current vehicle speed is obtained according to the comparison table between the vehicle speed and the power of the air pump; when the calibration power is smaller than the reference power, the air pump is controlled with the reference power, otherwise, the air pump is controlled with the calibration power. Because the larger the vehicle speed is, the larger the impact on the surface of the vehicle is under the condition of the certain rainfall, at this time, only considering the cleaning is not needed to increase the power of the air pump, but the present scheme not only considers the cleaning, but also considers the interference of the rain to the camera when the speed is large, by increasing the power of the air pump, the air pressure can not only realize the effective cleaning through the nozzle, but also blow away the rain, avoiding the interference of the rain to the camera when the vehicle is driving in the raining day. In a preferred embodiment, when the vehicle is driving in the raining day, the air pump is kept in the working state to meet the purpose of reducing the interference of the rain to the camera through the air pump.

[0037] In the present embodiment, when the air pump module is in the working state, the working state of the heating module is controlled according to the collected environmental temperature information, when the temperature is lower than the set threshold value, the heating module is controlled to start working, otherwise, the heating module is controlled to be in the closed state, the purpose of which is that if the temperature is too low during the gas cleaning process, the rain, snow, freezing rain and the like may cover the camera, therefore, the heating module is started to heat the high-pressure gas to form the high-pressure and high-temperature gas for cleaning the camera, which can realize the problems such as icing, frosting and snow covering the camera caused by the too low temperature.

[0038] In this embodiment, when entering the vehicle-mounted camera cleaning working state, the water washing function is opened by default, that is, the water pump module is opened and the water washing electromagnetic valves are controlled to be opened, the vehicle-mounted camera is cleaned by high-pressure washing liquid, and then it is monitored in real time whether it is raining. If it is in a raining state, switch to the gas pump module to be opened and the water pump module to be closed. If the raining state is not detected, the current vehicle driving scene is judged by the intelligent driving system and the cleaning strategy is matched according to the driving scene. The cleaning strategy is the control timing and working time of the water pump module, the gas pump module and the heating module. The intelligent driving system judges the type of the camera's pollutants according to the driving environment data of the vehicle before entering the cleaning working state, controls the cleaning strategy to be periodically executed in the cycle of water washing and gas washing according to the type of the pollutants, or periodically executed in the cycle of water washing and gas washing, and executes high-temperature and high-pressure gas washing after the cleaning is completed to end the camera cleaning working state and complete the cleaning. According to the dust data, PM2.5 data and road muddy data of the environment in which the vehicle is located within a period of time before starting cleaning, it is judged whether the camera's pollutants covered at the current cleaning belong to dry pollutants or wet pollutants. When it belongs to dry pollutants, periodically execute gas washing and water washing, and finally end the camera cleaning working state through high-temperature and high-pressure gas washing. When it belongs to wet pollutants, periodically execute water washing and gas washing, and finally end the camera cleaning working state through high-temperature and high-pressure gas washing. When the dust data of the environment in which the vehicle is located within a period of time before starting cleaning is greater than the dust threshold value and the PM2.5 data is greater than the particle threshold value, it is judged to be dry pollutants. When the image recognition is a muddy road, it is still not a muddy road when starting cleaning, it is judged to be wet pollutants. If the muddy road has been driven away when starting cleaning and the driving-away time is greater than the time threshold value, it is judged to be dry pollutants. According to the type (dry or wet) of the pollutants, the water washing and cleaning timing logic is controlled, and finally high-temperature and high-pressure gas washing is executed to complete the cleaning work.

[0039] In each cleaning of the vehicle-mounted camera, the cleaning efficiency after cleaning is evaluated, an alarm is given or a secondary cleaning function is started according to the evaluation result; when the cleaning efficiency meets the requirements, the cleaning is completed and a cleaning completion signal is fed back to the vehicle-mounted ECU. When the cleaning efficiency does not meet the requirements, the cleaning is repeated once, the cleaning effect is calculated again after the secondary cleaning is started, if it meets the requirements at this time, the cleaning is completed and a cleaning completion signal is fed back to the vehicle-mounted ECU for reminding; if it still does not meet the efficiency, the evaluation result is sent to the vehicle-mounted ECU and an alarm is given, the vehicle-mounted display screen is controlled by the vehicle-mounted ECU to give an alarm or an alarm is given to the user app by the vehicle-mounted ECU to request manual cleaning or inspection, so as to avoid the problem that the vehicle cannot work when the automatic cleaning cannot meet the requirements. In the embodiment, the calculation of the cleaning effect evaluates the cleaning effect according to the area occupied by the pollutants between the images taken by the camera before and after cleaning.

[0040] The embodiment is directed to the unmanned camera of the electric vehicle in daily vehicle driving, the surface is easy to be attached by rain, dust, frost and snow and other pollutants, which leads to fuzzy, data misjudgment and failure of unmanned function. A camera cleaning system for electric vehicles is provided, and a corresponding verification method for the cleaning efficiency of the system is provided to evaluate whether the system meets the cleaning requirements.

[0041] As shown in Figure 1 An electric vehicle camera cleaning system, characterized by comprising a hardware system and a software system. The hardware system of the electric vehicle camera cleaning system comprises a power module, a cleaning controller module, a sensor module, a gas pump module, a water pump module, an electronic control valve module, a washing kettle module, a heating module, a camera nozzle module and a pipeline module.

[0042] The power module of the hardware system is used to power the low-voltage electrical module of the system, which can include a 12V power module and a 24V power module.

[0043] The cleaning controller module of the hardware system is used to control the gas pump module, the water pump module, the electronic control valve module and the heating module, receive the sensor module signal, and communicate with other ECUs of the whole vehicle; the control mode of the controller module to the gas pump module and the water pump module can include CAN, LIN and PWM.

[0044] The sensor module of the hardware system is used to collect vehicle body environment parameters, including temperature information and rainfall information.

[0045] The gas pump module of the hardware system is used to generate high-pressure gas flow, which is blown out through the camera nozzle air duct via the electronic control valve and the pipeline, to clean the camera by air washing.

[0046] The water pump module of the hardware system is used to generate high-pressure water flow, which is sprayed out through the camera nozzle water duct via the electronic control valve and the pipeline, to clean the camera by water washing.

[0047] The electronic control valve module of the hardware system is used for precise control to clean the contaminated camera.

[0048] The washing kettle module of the hardware system is used to wash the camera.

[0049] The heating module of the hardware system is used to heat the high-pressure gas flow to clean the camera in the ice and snow covered environment.

[0050] The camera nozzle module of the hardware system comprises an air duct and a water duct, sprays high-pressure water flow and blows high-pressure gas flow to clean the camera.

[0051] The pipeline module of the hardware system is used for gas and water guide.

[0052] An electric vehicle camera cleaning system, the software system is characterized by containing embedded system software, bottom layer driving software, application logic software. The software system function contains system control strategy, remote upgrade, fault diagnosis.

[0053] The software system embedded system software is used for controlling system resources and ensuring system operation. The software system bottom layer driving software is used for encapsulating IO, CAN, LIN, PWM and other protocols. The software system application logic software is used for operating driving and realizing function logic.

[0054] In addition, the present application aims at judging the cleaning efficiency of the system, adopts digital image processing technology, takes pictures of the camera lens in the initial state, before cleaning and after cleaning, carries out gray processing, confirms the binary threshold value, compares the original picture, the single-color picture and the binary image, and subjectively evaluates the distinguishing accuracy of the pollution area and the cleaning area. The threshold value is adjusted through iteration until the image reaches the best matching. The black and white pixel contrast of the binary image is obtained through the corresponding algorithm, the system cleaning efficiency is obtained, and a cleaning efficiency verification method is provided. The method takes digital image processing technology as the basis and includes the following steps:

[0055] a, take a picture of the camera in the initial state Initial_Camera.jpg; The initial state picture can be taken by the whole vehicle when it is manufactured, and the related parameters are recorded and stored in the ECU. The electric vehicle camera cleaning control system and method provided by the present application is a general system and method mode, and the present application does not contain specific implementation algorithm; in addition, the cleaning efficiency evaluation provided by the present application includes relative cleaning efficiency and absolute cleaning efficiency, and the selection of specific parameters and methods should be selected according to specific vehicle project.

[0056] b, carry out pollution treatment on the camera, and take a picture of the contaminated camera Contaminative_Camera.jpg;

[0057] c, clean the camera, and take a picture of the cleaned camera Cleaned_Camera.jpg;

[0058] d, carry out gray processing on Initial_Camera.jpg, Contaminative_Camera.jpg and Cleaned_Camera.jpg, and confirm the binary threshold value;

[0059] e, according to the threshold value confirmed in d, carry out binary image processing on Initial_Camera.jpg, Contaminative_Camera.jpg and Cleaned_Camera.jpg, and subjectively evaluate the distinguishing accuracy of the pollution area and the cleaning area;

[0060] f, repeat the steps of d, e, confirm the most suitable threshold, generate the most realistic binary image;

[0061] g, respectively, the black and white pixel value, the total pixel value, the black and white pixel ratio in Initial_Camera.jpg, Contaminative_Camera.jpg, Cleaned_Camera.jpg is counted;

[0062] Note: for the total pixel value in Initial_Camera.jpg, Contaminative_Camera.jpg, Cleaned_Camera.jpg, the error between the three should be controlled within 10%.

[0063] h, the cleaning efficiency of the system is calculated by the corresponding algorithm.

[0064] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the electric vehicle camera cleaning system and the system cleaning efficiency verification method are:

[0065] The cleaning system and the system cleaning efficiency verification method: on the one hand, the electric vehicle camera cleaning system is perfect in function, strong in applicability, and can cope with the problem of unmanned driving function failure caused by camera pollution in various complex environments. In particular, when the camera is polluted, it can quickly respond, remove pollution and quickly restore the unmanned driving function; on the other hand, the system cleaning efficiency verification method is based on digital image processing technology, which can be applied to different camera categories of various vehicle models, uses python program, and automatically and efficiently verifies the system cleaning efficiency. In system calibration, the corresponding parameters are quickly confirmed, and the system development and calibration cycle is significantly shortened.

[0066] Combined with the system architecture diagram, Figure 1 The electric vehicle camera cleaning system disclosed by the application mainly includes a module: a power module, a cleaning controller module, a sensor module, a gas pump module, a water pump module, an electronic control valve module, a washing kettle module, a heating module, a camera nozzle module and a pipeline module.

[0067] The power module is connected to the external vehicle low-voltage power supply and connected to the vehicle low-voltage power system, and supplies power to the low-voltage electrical appliances in the cleaning system, including the cleaning controller, the water pump, the gas pump and the sensor.

[0068] The cleaning controller module is a system decision unit, which communicates with other ECUs, receives sensor signals, controls the water pump, the gas pump, the heating module and the electronic valve module, and receives corresponding feedback signals at the same time.

[0069] Combined with the system architecture diagram, Figure 4System timing diagram, system running process, control strategy are briefly described. The complete running process of the system mainly includes the following behaviors:

[0070] 1. Power-on cleaning function, the cleaning controller module receives the ECU power-on signal, sends a request to the sensor module, and the sensor module returns the current temperature information;

[0071] 2. The cleaning controller module judges the current temperature information, if the detected temperature <3℃, sends a heating request to the heating module, the heating module starts heating to 50℃, and feeds back the temperature information to the cleaning controller module; The cleaning controller module sends a request to the electronic control valve, air pump, water pump, and heating module to complete the following actions in order:

[0072] (1) The electronic control valve module opens all valve channels;

[0073] (2) The air pump module sprays high-pressure high-temperature gas flow for 30s;

[0074] (3) The water pump module sprays high-pressure cleaning liquid for 3s;

[0075] (4) The air pump module sprays high-pressure high-temperature gas flow for 10s;

[0076] (5) The heating module stops heating;

[0077] (6) The electronic control valve module closes all valve channels.

[0078] 3. Driving cleaning function, the cleaning controller module periodically requests the ECU vehicle speed signal, and periodically sends a request to the sensor module for temperature and rainfall information;

[0079] 4. The cleaning controller module can divide the working conditions into stage rain and snow during driving and mud covering during driving according to the actual driving calibration, and the corresponding cleaning strategies are as shown in Figure 3 . The cleaning strategy table for stage rain and snow during driving is as shown in Figure 4 , and the cleaning strategy table for mud covering during driving. The control strategy of the cleaning system shows the core principle of the system strategy. Environmental conditions drive, based on real-time monitoring of temperature, rainfall, vehicle speed, mud dryness and coverage area, dynamically adjust the cleaning mode; Multi-modal collaboration, combined with high-pressure air washing, water washing, and heating air washing, to deal with different pollution scenarios. Energy efficiency optimization, through power grading (such as 60% / 80% / 100%) and heating control, balance cleaning effect and energy consumption.

[0080] The control strategy is only one cleaning strategy of the system, and the cleaning time, power size, range definition and other parameters involved in the cleaning strategy are only reference strategies of the application. For those skilled in the art, the application can have various modifications and changes, and the parameter boundary should be determined according to the actual project and the actual design calibration of the system. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement and the like within the spirit and principles of the control strategy of the application should be included in the protection scope of the application.

[0081] In combination Figure 5 The system cleaning efficiency verification method flow chart illustrates the system cleaning efficiency verification method provided by the application. The system cleaning efficiency verification method provided by the application is based on digital image processing technology, and the relative cleaning efficiency and the absolute cleaning efficiency are calculated by quantitatively analyzing the pollution pixel change of the camera lens before and after cleaning, so as to realize the objective evaluation of the cleaning effect. The method supports automatic testing and multi-scene adaptation, and is suitable for laboratory calibration and real vehicle verification. The following is the specific implementation steps of the verification method:

[0082] Step one: take a photo of the camera in the initial state Initial_Camera.jpg; The initial state picture can be taken when the vehicle is delivered from the factory, and the related parameters are recorded in the ECU. The cleaning control system and method of the electric vehicle camera provided by the application are general system and method modes, and the application does not include specific implementation algorithms; In addition, the cleaning efficiency evaluation provided by the application includes relative cleaning efficiency and absolute cleaning efficiency, and the selection of specific parameters and methods should be based on the selection of specific vehicle projects.

[0083] Step two: take a photo of the contaminated camera Contaminative_Camera.jpg before the pneumatic cleaning process;

[0084] Step three: clean the camera through the above cleaning control strategy;

[0085] Step four: take a photo of the cleaned camera Cleaned_Camera.jpg;

[0086] Step five: perform gray scale processing on Initial_Camera.jpg, Contaminative_Camera.jpg and Cleaned_Camera.jpg to confirm the binary threshold value;

[0087] Step six: According to the threshold value identified in step five, perform binary image processing on Initial_Camera.jpg, Contaminative_Camera.jpg, and Cleaned_Camera.jpg, and subjectively evaluate the accuracy of the division between the contaminated area and the cleaned area. Identify the most suitable threshold value and generate the most realistic binary image.

[0088] Step seven: Count the black and white pixel values, total pixel values, and the proportion of black and white pixels in Initial_Camera.jpg, Contaminative_Camera.jpg, and Cleaned_Camera.jpg.

[0089] Step nine: Calculate the evaluation. The relative cleaning efficiency (the ability to remove contamination) of the system:

[0090]

[0091] The absolute cleaning efficiency (the ability to restore the original state) of the system:

[0092]

[0093] Where:

[0094] η relative : Relative cleaning efficiency of the system;

[0095] η absolute : Absolute cleaning efficiency of the system;

[0096] η cleaned_white_pixel_precentage : Proportion of white pixels before cleaning, calculated by processing the pre-cleaning image, white pixel value / total pixel value;

[0097] η cleaned_black_pixel_precentage : Proportion of black pixels before cleaning, calculated by processing the pre-cleaning image, black pixel value / total pixel value;

[0098] η contaminative_white_pixel_precentage : Proportion of white pixels after cleaning, calculated by processing the post-cleaning image, white pixel value / total pixel value;

[0099] η contaminative_black_pixel_precentage : Proportion of black pixels after cleaning, calculated by processing the post-cleaning image, black pixel value / total pixel value;

[0100] η initial_white_pixel_precentage : Proportion of white pixels in the original state, calculated by processing the original state image, white pixel value / total pixel value;

[0101] η initial_black_pixel_precentage: the proportion of black pixels in the original state, the calculation method is that the original state image is processed, and the black pixel value / total pixel value is calculated;

[0102] η relative 、η absolute Two parameters can evaluate the efficiency of this cleaning, three images are used, the initial image and the image before cleaning, the camera image after cleaning, then the corresponding black and white pixel values are calculated by gray level and the corresponding efficiency is calculated. According to the comparison of the relative cleaning efficiency and the absolute cleaning effect with the pre-set threshold, it is judged whether the cleaning meets the requirements.

[0103] Next, through an actual case, the efficiency of the system is verified by using a python program. In the application process of the embodiment, according to the flow chart shown in Figure 5 , the above steps are combined to analyze step by step.

[0104] The initial state of the camera photo is shot; the real scene uses the vehicle to make the vehicle camera appear pollutants or to quickly verify, which can also be manually and uniformly applied with dust; the contaminated camera photo is shot; the camera is cleaned; the cleaned camera photo is shot; the standard images Initial_Camera.jpg, Contaminative_Camera.jpg and Cleaned_Camera.jpg are collected;

[0105] The image is preprocessed, specifically, the cv2.imread method is used to read the picture;

[0106] Initial_Camera_image = cv2.imread('Initial_Camera.jpg', cv2.IMREAD_GRAYSCALE)

[0107] Contaminative_Camera_image = cv2.imread('Contaminative_Camera.jpg',cv2.IMREAD_GRAYSCALE)

[0108] Cleaned_Camera_image = cv2.imread('Cleaned_Camera.jpg', cv2.IMREAD_GRAYSCALE)

[0109] The corresponding gray histogram is generated, specifically, the cv2.calcHist is used to generate the histogram;

[0110] Initial_Camera_image_histogram = cv2.calcHist([Initial_Camera_image],[0], None,

[256] , [0, 256])

[0111] Contaminative_Camera_image_histogram = cv2.calcHist([Contaminative_Camera_image], [0], None,

[256] , [0, 256])

[0112] Cleaned_Camera_image_histogram = cv2.calcHist([Cleaned_Camera_image],[0], None,

[256] , [0, 256])

[0113] Confirm the binarization threshold value as 160, specifically, the cv2.threshold method is used, the threshold value is set as 160 to generate a binarization picture;

[0114] Initial_Camera_image_thresh=cv2.threshold(Initial_Camera_image,160,255,cv2.THRESH_BINARY)

[0115] Contaminative_Camera_image_thresh=cv2.threshold(Contaminative_Camera_image,160,255,cv2.THRESH_BINARY)

[0116] Cleaned_Camera_image_thresh=cv2.threshold(Cleaned_Camera_image,160,255,cv2.THRESH_BINARY)

[0117] Through the observation of the finally generated binarization picture in the above experiment, the corresponding pixel value proportion is counted, and the final result is calculated, the relative cleaning efficiency of the system is 55.08%, the absolute cleaning efficiency is 94.82%, and the cleaning requirement is met.

[0118] Obviously, the specific implementation of the present application is not limited by the above method, as long as various non-essential improvements are made by using the method concept and technical scheme of the present application, they are within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A cleaning control system for an electric vehicle camera, comprising a cleaning controller module, a washing jug module, a water pump module, an electronic control valve module, and a nozzle; the washing jug module contains washing liquid, the washing jug module is connected to the water pump module via a pipe, the water pump module is connected to the nozzle via a pipe, and an electromagnetic control valve module is installed in the pipe between the water pump module and the nozzle to control the opening and closing of the pipe; the output terminal of the cleaning controller module is connected to the water pump module and the electronic control valve module respectively, for controlling the washing liquid to be sprayed out through the nozzle onto the vehicle camera; characterized in that: The control system also includes an air pump module; the air pump module is connected to the nozzle via a pipe; an electronic control valve module is installed in the pipe between the air pump module and the nozzle to control the opening and closing of the pipe between the air pump module and the nozzle; the output of the cleaning controller module is connected to the air pump module and the electronic control valve module respectively.

2. The electric vehicle camera cleaning control system as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The control system also includes a heating module for heating the high-pressure airflow generated by the air pump module; the output of the cleaning controller module is connected to the heating module to control the working state of the heating module.

3. The electric vehicle camera cleaning control system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The cleaning controller module is connected to the sensor module, which is used to collect environmental data of the current vehicle environment. The cleaning controller module controls the working status of the water pump module, air pump module, heating module and electronic control valve module according to the current environmental data of the vehicle environment in order to achieve cleaning of the vehicle camera.

4. A cleaning control system for an electric vehicle camera as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The cleaning controller module is connected to the vehicle ECU module via CAN and / or LIN bus to obtain vehicle control data.

5. A method for controlling the cleaning of an electric vehicle camera, characterized in that: This includes collecting environmental information and vehicle status information of the current vehicle, and controlling the working status of the water pump module, air pump module, heating module and electronic control valve module based on the environmental information and vehicle status information, so as to realize the cleaning of the camera by high pressure washing liquid, high pressure airflow, high pressure high temperature airflow, and high pressure washing liquid superimposed high pressure high temperature airflow.

6. The electric vehicle camera cleaning control method as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The collected environmental information includes rainfall and temperature information; the collected vehicle status information includes vehicle speed information; the working status parameters of the water pump module, air pump module, heating module, and electronic control valve module are controlled based on the rainfall, temperature, and vehicle speed information. The working status parameters include on / off status, on / off time, and on / off power.

7. The electric vehicle camera cleaning control method as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The system detects the current rain condition and rainfall amount using a rain sensor. When it is raining, the water pump module is shut down, and the air pump module's operating power is adjusted according to the rainfall amount.

8. A method for cleaning a camera in an electric vehicle as described in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The heating module's operating status is controlled based on the collected ambient temperature information. When the temperature is below the set threshold, the heating module is turned on; otherwise, it is turned off.

9. A method for cleaning a camera in an electric vehicle as described in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The intelligent driving system determines the current vehicle driving scenario and matches a cleaning strategy based on the driving scenario. The cleaning strategy includes the control sequence and working time of the water pump module, air pump module, and heating module.

10. A method for cleaning a camera in an electric vehicle as described in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: Each time the vehicle camera is cleaned, the cleaning efficiency is evaluated, and an alarm is triggered or a secondary cleaning function is activated based on the evaluation results.

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