vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicle which can remove an accretion adhering to an on-vehicle device with less resources.SOLUTION: A vehicle comprises: a mounting part (antenna board 20) with an on-vehicle device (antenna 18) which includes an inclining mechanism 20A imparting inclination to the on-vehicle device 18; a removal unit (compressed air emission nozzle 22) which discharges fluid toward a surface of the on-vehicle device 18 in a vehicle upper side to remove an accretion (regolith 12) adhering to the on-vehicle device 18; and a control unit (ECU 16) which controls the mounting part (antenna board 20) to impart inclination to the on-vehicle device 18 and controls the removal unit 22 to discharge fluid toward the inclined on-vehicle device 18.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a vehicle equipped with a recognition sensor that recognizes the situation around the vehicle and a sensor washing device that washes the recognition sensor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-162915 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a vehicle that runs in an environment where sand, regolith, or other debris may adhere to the vehicle body, such as a desert region or a space environment, the performance of onboard devices, such as a communication antenna or radiator, may be reduced due to the adhesion of the debris. To ensure the necessary performance of the onboard devices, the debris must be removed at an appropriate time. Considering unmanned operation, automatic removal is necessary, and it is conceivable to use resources such as compressed air.

[0005] However, since it is difficult to replenish resources in desert areas or in space environments, it is necessary to remove the deposits attached to the on-board devices using as few resources as possible.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle that can remove deposits adhering to an on-board device using fewer resources. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle of claim 1 has a mounting unit that mounts an on-board device and is equipped with a tilt-imparting mechanism that tilts the on-board device, a removal unit that releases fluid toward the upper surface of the on-board device to remove any deposits that have adhered to the on-board device, and a control device that controls the mounting unit to tilt the on-board device and the removal unit to release fluid toward the tilted on-board device.

[0008] According to the vehicle of claim 1, the control device controls the tilt mechanism to tilt the on-board device mounted on the mounting unit. As a result, deposits accumulated on the on-board device are removed by an amount corresponding to the tilt angle of the on-board device. Furthermore, the control device controls the removal unit to eject fluid toward the upper surface of the tilted on-board device. As a result, any remaining deposits remaining on the on-board device even after tilting the on-board device are removed by the fluid. Therefore, deposits can be removed from the on-board device with a smaller amount of fluid than when ejecting fluid toward the on-board device without tilting the on-board device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] As described above, the vehicle according to the present invention has the excellent effect of being able to remove deposits adhering to on-board devices with fewer resources. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a left side view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a left side view showing the antenna shown in FIG. 1 in a tilted state. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a left side view showing the vehicle shown in FIG. 2 parked on a sloped road surface. [Figure 4] 4 is a left side view showing a state in which compressed air is discharged from the compressed air discharge nozzle shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing executed in the control device shown in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A vehicle 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Note that the arrows FR and UP shown as appropriate in each figure indicate the front side and the upper side, respectively, of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, when the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions are used in the following description unless otherwise specified, they refer to front-rear in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, up-down in the up-down direction of the vehicle, and left-right in the left-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle, respectively.

[0012] 1 shows a vehicle 10 according to this embodiment. The vehicle 10 is, as an example, a lunar vehicle that can travel on a lunar surface 14 covered with sandy regolith 12.

[0013] The vehicle 10 is equipped with an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 16 as a control device. Although not shown, the vehicle 10 is also equipped with a surroundings monitoring camera, a G sensor, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU), which enable the vehicle 10 to identify the position of a sloped road surface 14A (see FIG. 3) on the lunar surface 14.

[0014] Furthermore, the vehicle 10 is equipped with a communication antenna 18 (hereinafter referred to as "antenna 18") as an on-vehicle device. The antenna 18 is supported by an antenna mount 20 as a mounting portion. As an example, the antenna mount 20 is fixed to the upper surface of the rear roof of the vehicle 10. The antenna mount 20 is equipped with a tilt imparting mechanism 20A configured to be able to impart a tilt to the antenna 18 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0015] Furthermore, the vehicle 10 is equipped with a compressed air discharge nozzle 22 (hereinafter referred to as "nozzle 22") as a removal unit that discharges compressed air. The nozzle 22 extends in a substantially vertical direction, with one end 22A fixed to the center of the roof of the vehicle 10 and the other end 22B bent toward the rear and lower side of the vehicle. Specifically, the other end 22B of the nozzle 22 discharges compressed air in a direction along the lower side of the slope along the upper surface of the antenna 18, which is inclined downward from the front side to the rear side of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 4. In this manner, the compressed air discharged from the nozzle 22 blows away the regolith 12 accumulated on the antenna 18. Note that the removal unit is not limited to compressed air and may discharge other fluids.

[0016] Although not shown, the ECU 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage, and a communication interface (communication I / F). Each component is connected to each other via an internal bus so that they can communicate with each other.

[0017] The ECU 10 uses the above hardware resources to realize various functions.

[0018] The ECU 10 acquires the communication strength of the antenna 18. When the communication strength becomes equal to or less than a reference value, the ECU 10 executes a process for removing the regolith 12 accumulated on the antenna 18.

[0019] Specifically, the ECU 16 has a function of tilting the antenna 18 by α [deg] toward the rear of the vehicle by controlling the tilt imparting mechanism 20A, as shown in Fig. 2. Note that the direction in which the antenna 18 is tilted is not limited to the rear of the vehicle, and it may be in another direction.

[0020] The ECU 16 also has a function of identifying the position of a sloped road surface 14A having an appropriate slope β [deg] as shown in Fig. 3 based on various information acquired from the surrounding monitoring camera, G sensor, and IMU of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the ECU 16 has a function of driving the vehicle 10 to the sloped road surface 14A and parking the vehicle 10 at that position.

[0021] Furthermore, the ECU 16 has a function of controlling the nozzle 22 to blow compressed air toward the antenna 18, as shown in FIG.

[0022] (action) Next, an example of processing by the ECU 16 mounted on the vehicle 10 of this embodiment will be described using the flowchart shown in Figure 5, and the operation of the vehicle 10 will be described through this explanation. These processings are executed by the CPU of the ECU 16 reading a display program from the ROM or storage, expanding it into the RAM, and executing it. Note that the processings are executed at a predetermined interval, as an example.

[0023] The ECU 16 acquires the communication strength of the antenna 18 in step S100.

[0024] In step S102, the ECU 16 determines whether removal of the regolith 12 is necessary. Specifically, the ECU 16 determines whether the acquired communication strength is equal to or less than a reference value, and if it is equal to or less than the reference value, the ECU 16 proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, if the acquired communication strength is greater than the reference value, the ECU 16 ends the process.

[0025] In step S104, the ECU 16 controls the tilt imparting mechanism 20A to tilt the antenna 18 by α [deg] toward the rear of the vehicle (see FIG. 2).

[0026] In step S106, the ECU 16 acquires the communication strength of the antenna 18 again.

[0027] In step S108, the ECU 16 again determines whether or not removal of the regolith 12 is necessary. Specifically, the ECU 16 determines whether or not the acquired communication strength is equal to or less than a reference value, and if it is equal to or less than the reference value, the ECU 16 proceeds to step S110. On the other hand, if the acquired communication strength is greater than the reference value, the ECU 16 ends the process.

[0028] In step S110, the ECU 16 parks the vehicle 10 on the sloped road surface 14A (see FIG. 3). Specifically, the ECU 16 identifies the position of the sloped road surface 14A having an appropriate slope β [deg] based on various information acquired from the surrounding monitoring camera, G sensor, and IMU of the vehicle 10. Then, the ECU 16 drives the vehicle 10 to the sloped road surface 14A and parks the vehicle 10 at that position.

[0029] In step S112, the ECU 16 acquires the communication strength of the antenna 18 again.

[0030] In step S114, the ECU 16 again determines whether or not removal of the regolith 12 is necessary. Specifically, the ECU 16 determines whether or not the acquired communication strength is equal to or less than a reference value, and if it is equal to or less than the reference value, the ECU 16 proceeds to step S116. On the other hand, if the acquired communication strength is greater than the reference value, the ECU 16 ends the process.

[0031] In step S116, the ECU 16 controls the nozzle 22 to blow compressed air toward the antenna 18, and then ends the process.

[0032] As described above, in the vehicle 10 according to this embodiment, when communication strength is insufficient and regolith 12 needs to be removed, as shown in FIG. 2, the ECU 16 controls the tilt mechanism 20A to tilt the antenna 18 mounted on the antenna mount 20 by α [deg]. This causes the regolith 12 accumulated on the antenna 18 to fall off by an amount corresponding to the tilt angle of the on-board device. On the other hand, when communication strength is sufficient and regolith 12 does not need to be removed, the antenna 18 is not tilted. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption.

[0033] If the regolith 12 still needs to be removed even after tilting the antenna 18 by α [deg], the ECU 16 parks the vehicle 10 on a sloped road surface 14A with a slope β [deg], as shown in Figure 3. This tilts the antenna 18 by α + β [deg], causing more regolith 12 to fall off.

[0034] Furthermore, if the vehicle 10 is parked on the sloped road surface 14A but the regolith 12 still needs to be removed, as shown in Figure 4, the ECU 16 controls the nozzle 22 to release compressed air toward the tilted antenna 18. This blows the regolith 12 away from the antenna 18.

[0035] Therefore, compared to when compressed air is released toward the antenna 18 without tilting the antenna 18, the regolith 12 can be removed from the antenna 18 with a smaller amount of compressed air.

[0036] Furthermore, the vehicle 10 according to this embodiment checks the communication strength each time. That is, if the communication strength is insufficient, the antenna 18 is tilted. If the communication strength is still insufficient, the vehicle 10 is parked on the sloped road surface 14A. If the communication strength of the antenna 18 is still insufficient, compressed air is sprayed onto the antenna 18. This saves not only compressed air but also electricity. By reducing the frequency of resource replenishment in this way, the operational efficiency of the vehicle 10 on the lunar surface 14 can be improved. Furthermore, if resources run short on the lunar surface 14, there are no replenishment facilities like those on Earth, so rocket transport in the space environment is required, which increases costs. The vehicle 10 according to this embodiment can reduce the cost required for resource replenishment.

[0037] Furthermore, in the vehicle 10 according to this embodiment, the compressed air is released in a direction along the lower side of the slope along the upper surface of the antenna 18, which is inclined downward from the front side of the vehicle to the rear side of the vehicle as shown in Fig. 4. This allows the regolith 12 to fall efficiently along the slope of the antenna 18.

[0038] Furthermore, in the vehicle 10 according to this embodiment, the antenna 18 is disposed at the rear of the vehicle 10, and is configured to drop the regolith 12 by tilting the vehicle rearward. This prevents the dropped regolith 12 from interfering with the running of the vehicle 10. It also prevents the dropped regolith 12 from adhering to the body of the vehicle 10.

[0039] [Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment] In the above embodiment, the vehicle 10 is a vehicle that travels on the surface of the moon, and the ECU 16 is described as performing a process to remove the regolith 12 that has accumulated on the antenna 18, but this is not limiting. For example, the vehicle may be a vehicle that travels in a desert area, and the control device may perform a process to remove sand that has accumulated on an on-board device such as an antenna.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the in-vehicle device is described as an antenna, but the in-vehicle device may be another communication device. Furthermore, the in-vehicle device is not limited to a communication device, and may be another device such as a heat exchanger. For example, if the in-vehicle device is a radiator, a process for removing deposits may be performed when the heat exchange capacity falls below a reference value.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the compressed air discharge nozzle 22 is described as discharging compressed air, but this is not limiting, and the removal portion may discharge other fluids. Also, the shape of the removal portion is not limited to a nozzle.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the compressed air is discharged in a direction along the downward slope of the upper surface of the antenna 18, but the direction in which the fluid is discharged is not limited to this. For example, the fluid may be discharged horizontally.

[0043] Furthermore, the process flow described in the above embodiment is merely an example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the process order may be changed within the scope of the gist. For example, the control device may not need to perform the process of parking the vehicle on a sloped road surface.

[0044] For example, the vehicle control device may control the tilting of the on-board device, and then move the vehicle to a rough road surface with many bumps and grooves as needed, and drive the vehicle on that road surface. In this case, it is expected that the vibration input to the vehicle from the road surface will increase, thereby removing the deposits from the on-board device. Furthermore, absorber control may be performed to increase the vibration and remove the deposits. In this way, the deposits can be removed by utilizing the vibrations generated when the vehicle is moving, without providing a separate vibration device to the vehicle. When the vibrations input to the vehicle are increased in this way, the control device may blow compressed air or the like onto the on-board device as needed. Note that a separate vibration device may also be provided to the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 vehicles 12 Regolith (adhesion) 16 ECU (control unit) 18 Communication antenna (on-board device) 20 Antenna stand (mounting section) 20A tilt mechanism 22 Compressed air discharge nozzle (removal part)

Claims

[Claim 1] a mounting unit that mounts an in-vehicle device and includes a tilt imparting mechanism that tilts the in-vehicle device; a removal unit that ejects a fluid toward a surface of the vehicle-mounted device on an upper side of the vehicle to remove deposits that have adhered to the vehicle-mounted device; a control device that controls the mounting unit to tilt the on-vehicle device and controls the removal unit to release fluid onto the tilted on-vehicle device; A vehicle having:

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