Vehicle sensor device and vehicle lamp

Abstract

A vehicle sensor device (1) is provided with: an outer cover (12); a sensor unit (20) which is disposed further toward the inside of a vehicle (VE) than the outer cover (12), sends and receives prescribed electromagnetic waves that are transmitted through the outer cover (12), and outputs a signal relating to electromagnetic waves which enter the inside of the outer cover (12); and a heat generating member which, by means of the conduction of electricity, heats a transmission region (AR) of the outer cover (12) through which the electromagnetic waves sent from the sensor unit are transmitted. The heat generating member is attached to the outer cover (12) in such a way that the inside of the transmission region (AR) is sparser than the outside of the transmission region (AR).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle sensor device and a vehicle lamp including the vehicle sensor device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, a vehicle sensor device that is mounted inside a lamp cover of a vehicle and detects objects outside the vehicle using electromagnetic waves has become known. In such a vehicle sensor device, if ice or snow adheres to the lamp cover, the electromagnetic waves transmitted from the sensor are reflected by the ice or snow, which may affect the detection accuracy.

[0003] For example, a vehicle sensor device described in the following Patent Document 1 is known as a vehicle sensor device capable of reducing the effects of ice and snow. The vehicle sensor device described in Patent Document 1 is disposed in a lamp cover and includes a sensor that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves to the outside of the vehicle, and a separator that separates the space in which the sensor is disposed. The vehicle sensor device described in Patent Document 1 determines whether or not ice and snow are attached to the lamp cover based on a change in the behavior of the reflected wave power of the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the sensor, and turns on the light source in the lamp cover when it is determined that ice and snow are attached. According to this vehicle sensor device, radiant heat from the light source is conducted to the lamp cover via the separator, melting the ice and snow attached to the lamp cover, thereby suppressing the effect on the detection accuracy of the sensor.

[0004] Also, for example, Patent Document 2 below describes a vehicle lamp in which a heating element that generates heat when electricity is passed through it is attached to a lamp cover. According to the vehicle lamp of Patent Document 2, the lamp cover can be directly heated by the heating element that generates heat when electricity is passed through it, which is expected to improve the efficiency of removing ice and snow.

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-050271 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2008-177054 A Summary of the Invention

[0006] However, in the vehicle sensor device described in Patent Document 1, the temperature rise of the lamp cover relies on the thermal conduction of radiant heat from the light source, so it is difficult for the lamp cover to rise in temperature, and there is a risk that ice and snow may not be removed sufficiently.

[0007] Furthermore, when a sensor device that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves is placed inside a lamp cover, if the heating element described in Patent Document 2 is attached to the lamp cover, the electromagnetic waves transmitted from the sensor may be reflected by the heating element and become noise, which may actually reduce the detection accuracy.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle sensor device capable of suppressing a decrease in detection accuracy, and a vehicle lamp including the vehicle sensor device.

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a vehicle sensor device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises an outer cover, a sensor unit that is arranged inside the vehicle relative to the outer cover and transmits and receives a predetermined electromagnetic wave that passes through the outer cover and outputs a signal related to the electromagnetic wave that is incident on the inside of the outer cover, and a heat-generating member that is attached to the outer cover and heats a transparent area of ​​the outer cover through which the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the sensor unit passes by passing an electric current through the heat-generating member, wherein the heat-generating member is attached to the outer cover so that the inside of the transparent area is sparser than the outside of the transparent area.

[0010] According to this sensor device for a vehicle, since a heat-generating member for heating the above-mentioned transmission area is attached to the outer cover, the outer cover can be directly heated, and ice and snow adhering to the outer cover can be effectively melted, as compared with the case where the outer cover is heated by thermal conduction of radiant heat from a light source as in, for example, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. Also, according to this sensor device for a vehicle, since the heat-generating member is attached so that the inside of the transmission area is sparser than the outside of the transmission area, it is possible to suppress the electromagnetic waves transmitted from the sensor unit from being reflected by the heat-generating member and becoming noise. Thus, according to this sensor device for a vehicle, ice and snow can be effectively removed while suppressing the reflection of electromagnetic waves by the heat-generating member, and therefore it is possible to suppress a decrease in detection accuracy.

[0011] In the vehicle sensor device according to the first aspect, the heat generating member may not be disposed inside the transmission area.

[0012] In this way, it is possible to more effectively suppress the reflection of electromagnetic waves by the heat-generating member. Meanwhile, since the heat-generating member is disposed outside the transmissive region, ice and snow adhering to the transmissive region can be effectively melted by the heat from the heat-generating member.

[0013] In addition, the vehicle sensor device according to the first aspect further includes a control unit that operates the sensor unit to scan the electromagnetic wave along a predetermined direction and calculates the position of a predetermined object based on the electromagnetic wave reflected from the object and received by the sensor unit, and in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction in the transparent area, the heat-generating member inside the transparent area may be attached to the outer cover so that it is sparser toward the center than toward the outer edge of the transparent area.

[0014] In the above-mentioned vehicle sensor device, the object to be detected is generally an object that is irradiated with the electromagnetic waves transmitted and received through the area on the central side of the transmission area in the direction perpendicular to the direction of scanning the electromagnetic waves. Therefore, by attaching the heat generating member inside the transmission area so that the central side of the transmission area in the perpendicular direction is sparse, the electromagnetic waves are prevented from being reflected at the central side of the transmission area and becoming noise, and the detection accuracy of the object to be detected can be prevented from decreasing. In addition, by arranging the heat generating member inside the transmission area so that the outer edge side of the transmission area in the perpendicular direction is dense, the transmission area can be heated more effectively, and ice and snow attached to the transmission area can be effectively melted.

[0015] In the vehicle sensor device according to the first aspect, the heat generating member may be attached to the outer cover so as to surround the entire periphery of the transmission area.

[0016] In this way, the transparent area can be heated more effectively than when a heat generating member is attached only to a portion of the entire periphery of the transparent area, and the efficiency of removing ice, snow, etc. can be improved.

[0017] Alternatively, in the vehicle sensor device according to the first aspect, the heat generating member may be attached only to a region of the outer cover that is vertically lower than a center of the transmissive region.

[0018] In this case, the ice and snow attached to the lower side of the transparent area may melt first. After that, the ice and snow remaining on the upper side of the transparent area may fall to the lower area from which the ice and snow have been removed and melt. Therefore, even when the heat generating member is attached only to the lower area in this manner, the ice and snow can be effectively removed. In addition, the number of heat generating members can be reduced compared to when the heat generating member is attached to the entire periphery of the transparent area, which can reduce costs.

[0019] In the vehicle sensor device according to the first aspect, the heat generating member may be in a mesh shape.

[0020] Here, the term "mesh-like" refers to a shape that divides a predetermined area into a plurality of compartments, such as a net-like, lattice-like, or porous shape. If the heat generating member is in a mesh shape, a plurality of compartments are formed in the outer cover that are surrounded by the heat generating member. Then, each of the compartments can be heated from all sides by the heat generating member that surrounds these compartments. Therefore, the outer cover can be heated more effectively, and the efficiency of removing ice and snow can be improved.

[0021] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle lamp of the present invention comprises a vehicle sensor device according to the first aspect described in any one of the above, and a lamp unit that is arranged inside the vehicle relative to the outer cover and emits light to the outside of the vehicle through the outer cover, and is characterized in that the heat-generating member heats a light emission area of ​​the outer cover from which the light is emitted, and is attached to the outer cover so that the inside of the light emission area is sparser than the outside of the light emission area.

[0022] This vehicle lamp includes a vehicle sensor device according to any one of the first aspects described above, and therefore can suppress a decrease in detection accuracy. In addition, in this vehicle lamp, the heat-generating member is attached so as to heat the light emission region, and therefore ice and snow adhering to the light emission region can be removed. In addition, the heat-generating member is sparser inside the light emission region than outside the light emission region, so that the light emitted from the lamp unit is suppressed from being reflected by the heat-generating member inside the light emission region, and a decrease in the light emission efficiency from the lamp unit can be suppressed.

[0023] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a vehicle sensor device according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises an outer cover, a sensor unit arranged inside the vehicle relative to the outer cover and transmitting and receiving a predetermined electromagnetic wave that passes through the outer cover and outputting a signal related to the electromagnetic wave that is incident on the inside of the outer cover, a control unit that operates the sensor unit to scan the electromagnetic wave along a predetermined direction and calculates the position of a predetermined object based on the electromagnetic wave reflected by the object and received by the sensor unit, and a heat-generating member attached to the outer cover and heating a transparent area of ​​the outer cover through which the electromagnetic wave passes by by passing an electric current through the heat-generating member, wherein the heat-generating member extends along the predetermined direction through a portion of the inside of the transparent area and crosses the transparent area.

[0024] According to this vehicle sensor device, since a heat-generating member for heating the above-mentioned transparent region is attached to the outer cover, the outer cover can be heated directly, and ice and snow adhering to the outer cover can be effectively melted, compared to, for example, a case in which the outer cover is heated by thermal conduction of radiant heat from a light source as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. In addition, since the heat-generating member crosses the inside of the transparent region, the transparent region is heated over the entire length of the transparent region in the above-mentioned predetermined direction, and the transparent region can be effectively heated. Therefore, ice and snow adhering to the transparent region can be effectively melted.

[0025] However, if the heat-generating member inside the transmission area extends in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, the scanning electromagnetic wave is reflected by the heat-generating member, which changes the intensity distribution of the electromagnetic wave received by the sensor unit in the predetermined direction, which may result in a decrease in detection accuracy. In contrast, in this vehicle sensor device, the heat-generating member crosses a part of the inside of the transmission area along the predetermined direction. Therefore, the change in the intensity distribution of the electromagnetic wave received by the sensor unit in the predetermined direction is suppressed, and the decrease in detection accuracy can be suppressed.

[0026] In this manner, according to the vehicle sensor device, ice, snow, and the like can be effectively removed while suppressing the effects of reflection of electromagnetic waves caused by heat-generating members, so that deterioration of detection accuracy can be suppressed.

[0027] In addition, in the vehicle sensor device according to the second aspect, in a direction perpendicular to the specified direction in the transparent area, the heat-generating component inside the transparent area may be attached to the outer cover so that it is sparser toward the center than toward the outer edge of the transparent area.

[0028] In the vehicle sensor device according to the second aspect, similarly to the vehicle sensor device according to the first aspect, by attaching a heat generating member inside the transmission area so that the central side of the transmission area in the vertical direction is sparse, it is possible to suppress the electromagnetic waves from being reflected at the central side of the transmission area and becoming noise, and to suppress a decrease in the detection accuracy of the object to be detected. Also, by arranging the heat generating member inside the transmission area so that the outer edge side of the transmission area in the vertical direction is dense, it is possible to heat the transmission area more effectively, and to effectively melt ice and snow adhering to the transmission area.

[0029] In the vehicle sensor device according to the second aspect, the heat generating member may be attached to the outer cover such that the heat generating member is sparser inside the transmission area than outside the transmission area.

[0030] With this configuration, compared to when the heat-generating member is attached with the same density inside and outside the transparent area, or when it is attached so that the inside of the transparent area is denser than the outside of the transparent area, it is possible to prevent electromagnetic waves from being reflected by the heat-generating member and becoming noise, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in detection accuracy.

[0031] In the vehicle sensor device according to the second aspect, the heat generating member may be attached to the outer cover so as to surround the entire periphery of the transmission area.

[0032] In the vehicle sensor device of the second aspect, as in the vehicle sensor device of the first aspect, the transparent area can be heated more effectively than in the case where a heat-generating member is attached only to a portion of the entire periphery of the transparent area, and the efficiency of removing ice, snow, etc. can be improved.

[0033] Alternatively, in the vehicle sensor device according to the second aspect, the heat generating member may be attached only to a region of the outer cover that is vertically lower than a center of the transmissive region.

[0034] In the vehicle sensor device according to the second aspect, like the vehicle sensor device according to the first aspect, ice, snow, etc. can be effectively removed, and costs can be reduced because the amount of heat-generating components can be reduced compared to when heat-generating components are attached around the entire periphery of the transparent area.

[0035] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle lamp of the present invention comprises a vehicle sensor device according to the second aspect described in any one of the above, and a lamp unit that is arranged inside the vehicle relative to the outer cover and emits light to the outside of the vehicle through the outer cover, and is characterized in that at least a portion of the heat-generating member inside the transparent area extends outside the transparent area along the predetermined direction to a light emission area of ​​the outer cover from which the light is emitted.

[0036] This vehicle lamp includes a vehicle sensor device according to any one of the second aspects described above, and therefore can suppress a decrease in detection accuracy. In addition, in this vehicle lamp, the heat-generating member is attached so as to heat the light-emitting region, and therefore ice and snow adhering to the light-emitting region can be removed. In addition, in this vehicle lamp, the heat-generating member inside the transmissive region extends to the light-emitting region along a predetermined direction, and therefore the light-emitting region can be heated by the heat-generating member that heats the transmissive region. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a heat-generating member for heating the light-emitting region, and wiring costs can be reduced.

[0037] As described above, according to the present invention, a vehicle sensor device capable of suppressing a decrease in detection accuracy and a vehicle lamp including the vehicle sensor device are provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1]1 is a front view showing an outline of a vehicle and a vehicle lamp including a vehicle sensor device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vehicle sensor device taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a sensor unit of the sensor device for a vehicle shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a detectable region of an electromagnetic wave. [Diagram 5] 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the receiving antenna of the vehicle sensor device shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from above. FIG. [Figure 6] 3A and 3B are diagrams showing mainly the vicinity of a transmission region of a heater according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire in FIG. [Figure 8] 7 is a view showing a heater according to a second embodiment of the present invention from the same perspective as FIG. 6. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 7 is a view showing a heater according to a third embodiment of the present invention from the same perspective as FIG. 6. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram showing a modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire in FIG. 10. [Figure 12] 11 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire in FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] 7 is a view showing mainly the vicinity of the transmission region and the vicinity of the light emission region of a heater according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, taken from the same perspective as FIG. 6. [Figure 15] 15 is a diagram showing a modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire in FIG. 14. [Figure 16] 7 is a view showing a heater according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, taken from the same perspective as FIG. 6. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire in FIG. [Figure 18]FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire in FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire in FIG. 18. [Figure 20] 7 is a view showing a heater according to a modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention, taken from the same perspective as FIG. 6. [Figure 21] 7 is a view showing a heater according to a modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention, taken from the same perspective as FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0039] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the vehicle sensor device and vehicle lamp according to the present invention will be illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments illustrated below are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified or improved from the following embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, in this specification, the dimensions of each component may be exaggerated in order to facilitate understanding.

[0040] (First embodiment) Fig. 1 is a front view showing an outline of a vehicle and a vehicle lamp equipped with a vehicle sensor device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle lamp VL of this embodiment is a vehicle headlamp of the vehicle VE, and mainly comprises a vehicle sensor device 1 and a lamp unit LU. In this embodiment, the vehicle sensor device 1 and the lamp unit LU are arranged approximately along the left-right direction. In this specification, "forward" means the traveling direction of the vehicle VE, and "left and right" means the left and right sides with respect to the traveling direction.

[0041] The lamp unit LU is disposed inside the vehicle VE with respect to an outer cover 12, which will be described later, and emits light to the outside of the vehicle VE through the outer cover 12. As indicated by the dashed line in Fig. 1, the light emitted from the lamp unit LU passes through a light emission region LR in the outer cover 12 and is emitted forward of the vehicle VE.

[0042] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of the vehicle sensor device 1 taken along line II-II shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the vehicle sensor device 1 mainly comprises a housing 10, a sensor unit 20, a heater 30, and a control unit CO. Note that the heater 30 and the control unit CO are omitted from Fig. 1.

[0043] The control unit CO is connected to the sensor unit 20 and the heater 30. The control unit CO is configured by, for example, an integrated circuit such as a microcontroller, an integrated circuit (IC), a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or an NC (Numerical Control) device. When an NC device is used, the NC device may or may not use a machine learning device. The control unit CO may be unique to the vehicular sensor device 1, or at least a part of the control unit CO may be included in an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle VE.

[0044] The case 10 of the present embodiment mainly includes a housing 11 and an outer cover 12. The outer cover 12 is made of a material that transmits light emitted from the lamp unit LU and electromagnetic waves transmitted and received from the sensor unit 20 described later. Examples of materials for forming the outer cover 12 include resins such as polycarbonate. The housing 11 is configured in a box shape with an opening at the front, and the outer cover 12 is fixed to the housing 11 so as to close the opening. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer cover 12 extends along a substantially vertical direction. The housing 11 may be made of a different material from the outer cover 12, or may be made of the same material as the outer cover 12. The case 10 has an accommodation space 13 surrounded by the housing 11 and the outer cover 12, and the sensor unit 20 and the lamp unit LU are arranged in the accommodation space 13.

[0045] The sensor unit 20 of this embodiment is a millimeter wave radar that transmits and receives millimeter waves as the electromagnetic waves. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of the sensor unit 20 as viewed from the front. As shown in Fig. 3, the sensor unit 20 includes a transmitting antenna 25 and a plurality of receiving antennas 26. The control unit CO is connected to the transmitting antenna 25 and each receiving antenna 26. Although three receiving antennas 26 are shown in Fig. 3, the number may be two, or four or more.

[0046] The transmitting antenna 25 transmits the millimeter wave EW forward. Therefore, the millimeter wave EW transmits through a predetermined area of ​​the outer cover 12 and propagates forward outside the vehicle. In this embodiment, the millimeter wave EW is emitted from the transmitting antenna 25 so that the spread in the left-right direction is greater than the spread in the vertical direction. Therefore, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1, the transmission area AR through which the millimeter wave EW transmitted from the sensor unit 20 in the outer cover 12 transmits is a substantially rectangular shape that is flat in the left-right direction. In addition, the transmitting antenna 25 changes the millimeter wave EW into a millimeter wave whose intensity is approximately constant and whose frequency increases and decreases repeatedly in a predetermined cycle according to a control signal from the control unit CO.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 4, when the millimeter wave EW passes through the transmission area AR and is emitted to the outside of the vehicle, it spreads more in the left-right direction than in the vertical direction, forming a detectable area FA by the millimeter wave EW. In this embodiment, the detectable area FA is a substantially rectangular shape that is flat in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, and is a substantially fan-shaped shape that is wider toward the front when viewed from above. The detectable area FA is also called an FOV area. If an object is present in the detectable area FA, the millimeter wave EW is reflected by the object, and a part of the reflected millimeter wave EW passes through the transmission area AR and enters the storage space 13. The millimeter wave EW reflected by the object may enter the storage space 13 from a place other than the transmission area AR in the outer cover 12, for example, when the position of the receiving antenna 26 and the position of the transmitting antenna 25 are separated from each other.

[0048] In this embodiment, each of the multiple receiving antennas 26 has approximately the same configuration. As shown in FIG. 3, each of these receiving antennas 26 and the transmitting antenna 25 are arranged in the left-right direction at a predetermined interval. In addition, the vertical center of each of the receiving antennas 26 and the vertical center of the transmitting antenna 25 are approximately located on a straight line extending in the left-right direction. Each of the receiving antennas 26 has a configuration in which, for example, multiple patch antennas are overlapped along the vertical direction. Each of the receiving antennas 26 receives the millimeter wave EW reflected by an object and entered the accommodation space 13. In this embodiment, each of the receiving antennas 26 outputs a signal indicating the waveform of the millimeter wave EW to the control unit CO as a signal related to the received millimeter wave EW. Note that the intensity of the electromagnetic wave received by the receiving antenna 26 is included as a factor forming the waveform of the electromagnetic wave.

[0049] When the control unit CO receives the signals related to the millimeter wave EW from each receiving antenna 26, the control unit CO calculates the distance from the vehicle VE to the object based on the received signals related to the millimeter wave EW and a signal indicating the waveform of the electromagnetic wave emitted from the transmitting antenna 25, for example, by the FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method. In this embodiment, since the multiple receiving antennas 26 are provided at intervals in the left-right direction, a phase difference occurs in the millimeter wave EW reflected by the object and received by each receiving antenna 26. Based on this phase difference, the control unit CO can calculate, for example, to which side or to what angle θ the object OB in the detectable area FA shown in FIG. 4 is biased with respect to a reference line SL extending forward through the center of the detectable area FA in an upward view. A method of arranging multiple receiving antennas in parallel and calculating the position of an object in the detectable area based on the phase difference of the electromagnetic waves received by these receiving antennas is called an electronic scanning method. In such an electronic scanning method, the predetermined direction in which the electromagnetic wave is scanned corresponds to the direction in which the multiple receiving antennas are arranged in parallel, which is the left-right direction in this embodiment. Therefore, in this embodiment, the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction in which the electromagnetic wave is scanned is approximately the vertical direction.

[0050] The scanning method of the sensor unit 20 is not limited to the electronic scanning method. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, one receiving antenna 26 may be rotated around an axis Ax extending in the vertical direction to change the angle of the receiving antenna 26 with respect to the left and right direction. FIG. 5 is a view of the receiving antenna 26 viewed from above. As a result, a phase difference occurs in the electromagnetic waves received by the receiving antenna 26 according to the angle ψ of the receiving antenna 26. Therefore, the control unit CO can calculate, based on this phase difference, for example, at what angle θ the object OB in the detectable area FA is biased to the left or right with respect to the reference line SL. The method of calculating the position of the object in the detectable area based on the phase difference of the electromagnetic waves generated by mechanically changing the direction of the receiving antenna in this way is called a mechanical scanning method. In this mechanical scanning method, the predetermined direction in which the electromagnetic waves are scanned corresponds to the direction in which the angle ψ of the receiving antenna is defined, and in this embodiment, it is the left and right direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction in which the electromagnetic waves are scanned is approximately vertical.

[0051] Alternatively, the sensor unit 20 may be configured such that the transmitting antenna 25 emits pulsed electromagnetic waves while rotating around an axis extending in the vertical direction, for example. When the electromagnetic waves are emitted forward, the direction of scanning the electromagnetic waves can be changed to the left and right direction by rotating the transmitting antenna 25 around an axis extending in the vertical direction in this manner. In this case, only one receiving antenna 26 is required, and the control unit CO calculates the position of the object OB, for example, by a ToF (Time of Flight) method.

[0052] In this manner, the control unit CO of this embodiment operates the sensor unit 20 to scan the electromagnetic waves, which are millimeter waves, along a predetermined direction, and calculates the position of the object OB based on the electromagnetic waves reflected by the object OB and received by the sensor unit 20.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 2, the heater 30 includes a plurality of heating wires 31 as heat generating members. Each of the heating wires 31 is attached in and near the transparent area AR of the inner surface 12i of the outer cover 12. The heat generating members may be attached over the entire area of ​​the inner surface 12i outside the transparent area AR. Each of the heating wires 31 is connected to a power supply circuit 32 via a connector 33. The power supply circuit 32 supplies current from a power supply (not shown) to each of the heating wires 31 in response to a control signal from the control unit CO. As a result, each of the heating wires 31 is heated to a predetermined temperature due to electrical resistance to the current, and as a result, at least the transparent area AR is heated.

[0054] Such heating wire 31 may be attached to the inner surface 12i by applying or printing a conductive paste such as silver paste, gold paste, copper paste, aluminum paste, or ITO paste on the inner surface 12i, or by a predetermined adhesive. Alternatively, the heating wire 31 may be attached to the outer cover 12 by a metal wire or the like that is heat-wired to the outer cover 12. Heat-wired refers to applying heat to a base material on which the heating wire is provided to soften the base material, and then applying pressure to the softened base material to embed the metal wire in the base material. Therefore, when heat-wired is used, at least a part of the heat-generating member can be attached to the inside of the outer cover 12.

[0055] The heat generating member may be attached to the outer surface 12o of the outer cover 12. However, by attaching the heat generating member to the inner surface 12i of the outer cover 12 or inside the outer cover, it is possible to prevent ice, snow, dirt, and the like from adhering to the heat generating member.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the heat generating member only needs to be attached to an area that heats at least the transmission area AR, and may or may not be attached to an area that can heat the light emission area LR, for example.

[0057] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the heater 30 in this embodiment, mainly in the vicinity of the transmission area AR. As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, the heating wires 31 extend along the left-right direction, which is the direction in which the electromagnetic wave is scanned, and surround the entire periphery of the transmission area AR shown by the dashed line. In this way, the heat generating member in this embodiment is attached so as to surround the entire periphery of the transmission area AR. In order to avoid the diagrams becoming complicated, reference numerals are omitted from some of the heating wires 31 in this figure and the following figures.

[0058] In this embodiment, the heating wires 31 have the same thickness, and the intervals between adjacent heating wires 31 outside the transmission area AR are the same D1. In order to avoid the diagram from becoming complicated, the reference numerals are omitted from the spacing D1 between the heating wires 31 in this and subsequent drawings. Among the heating wires 31, some heating wires 31A, 31B, 31C, and 31D cross a part of the inner area of ​​the transmission area AR. Inside the transmission area AR, the spacing between the heating wires 31A and 31B, the spacing between the heating wires 31B and 31C, and the spacing between the heating wires 31C and 31D are the same D2. The spacing D2 is wider than the spacing D1, and in this embodiment, it is approximately three times the spacing D1. Since the heating wires 31A to 31D are attached at intervals from each other in this manner, the area inside the transmission area AR where the heat generating member is not attached is exposed to the storage space 13. In this embodiment, each of the heating wires 31 directly below the heating wires 31A to 31C does not cross the transmission area AR and is connected to one of the heating wires 31A to 31C. In this manner, in this embodiment, some of the heating wires are connected in parallel to each other, so that all of the heating wires 31 are electrically conductive.

[0059] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire 31 described in Fig. 6, and the same reference numerals are used for the same configuration as that described in Fig. 6, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this modified example, the heating wire 31 is formed in series, and the heating wire 31 does not branch at least in the transparent area AR and its periphery, and the arrangement of the heating wire 31 in the transparent area AR is the same as the arrangement of the heating wire 31 in the transparent area AR in Fig. 6. By attaching the heating wire 31 in this way, the current flowing through the heating wire 31 becomes constant regardless of the part of the heating wire 31, and when the resistance value of the heating wire 31 is constant, uneven distribution of the heat generation amount of the heating wire 31 can be suppressed.

[0060] Here, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, a plurality of unit areas SR having the same area are defined inside and outside the transparent area AR. In Figs. 6 and 7, in order to avoid the drawings becoming unclear, one unit area SR is exemplarily shown by a dashed line inside and outside the transparent area AR. In this embodiment, by arranging the heating wires 31 as described above, approximately one heating wire 31 crosses each unit area SR inside the transparent area AR, and approximately three heating wires 31 cross each unit area SR outside the transparent area AR. Therefore, in this embodiment, when focusing on the area of ​​the outer cover 12 where the heat generating member is arranged, the average ratio of the heat generating member to each unit area SR inside the transparent area AR is smaller than the average ratio of the heat generating member to each unit area SR outside the transparent area AR. In this way, in this embodiment, the heat generating member is attached to the outer cover 12 so that the heat generating member is sparser inside the transparent area AR than outside the transparent area AR. In this specification, the above ratio may be called density.

[0061] As described above, the vehicle sensor device 1 of this embodiment can be understood as a first aspect as follows. That is, the vehicle sensor device 1 of this embodiment includes the outer cover 12, the sensor unit 20 that is disposed inside the outer cover 12 of the vehicle VE and transmits and receives millimeter waves EW that pass through the outer cover 12 and outputs a signal related to the millimeter waves EW that enter the inside of the outer cover 12, and a plurality of heating wires 31 that are heat-generating members that are attached to the outer cover 12 and heat the transmission area AR of the outer cover 12 through which the millimeter waves EW transmitted from the sensor unit 20 pass by passing electricity, and the heat-generating members are attached to the outer cover 12 so that the inside of the transmission area AR is sparser than the outside of the transmission area AR.

[0062] According to the vehicle sensor device 1 of the first aspect, the plurality of heating wires 31 that heat the transmission area AR by passing electricity are attached to the outer cover 12 as heat-generating members, so that the outer cover 12 can be directly heated and ice and snow attached to the outer cover 12 can be effectively melted, compared to, for example, a case where the outer cover 12 is heated using thermal conduction of radiant heat from the lamp unit LU. Also, according to the vehicle sensor device 1, the heat-generating members are attached so that they are sparser on the inside of the transmission area AR than on the outside of the transmission area AR, and the ratio of the heat-generating members to the area inside the transmission area AR is small, so that the reflection of the millimeter wave by the heat-generating members and the generation of noise can be suppressed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the heat-generating members are also attached to the inside of the transmission area AR, so that the ice and snow attached to the inside of the transmission area AR can be effectively removed, compared to a case where the heat-generating members are not arranged inside the transmission area AR. Thus, according to the vehicle sensor device 1 grasped as the first aspect, the reflection of the millimeter wave by the heat-generating members can be effectively removed, so that the deterioration of the detection accuracy can be suppressed.

[0063] The vehicle sensor device 1 of this embodiment can be understood as a second aspect as follows. That is, the vehicle sensor device 1 of this embodiment includes an outer cover 12, a sensor unit 20 that is disposed inside the outer cover 12 of the vehicle VE and transmits and receives millimeter waves EW, which are predetermined electromagnetic waves that pass through the outer cover 12, and outputs a signal related to the millimeter waves EW that are incident on the inside of the outer cover 12, a control unit CO that operates the sensor unit 20 to scan the millimeter waves EW along a predetermined left-right direction and calculates the position of an object based on the millimeter waves EW reflected by the predetermined object and received by the sensor unit 20, and a plurality of heating wires 31 that are heat-generating members that are attached to the outer cover 12 and heat a transmission area AR of the outer cover 12 through which the millimeter waves EW pass by applying electricity, and the heat-generating member extends in a predetermined direction through a part of the inside of the transmission area AR to cross the transmission area AR.

[0064] According to this sensor device for vehicles 1, since the heating wires 31, which are heat-generating members, cross the inside of the transmission area AR, the transmission area AR is heated over the entire length of the transmission area AR in the left-right direction, and the transmission area AR can be effectively warmed. Therefore, ice and snow adhering to the transmission area AR can be effectively melted. However, if the heat-generating member inside the transmission area AR extends in a direction intersecting the left-right direction in which the electromagnetic wave is scanned, the scanned electromagnetic wave is reflected by the heat-generating member, and the intensity distribution of the received electromagnetic wave in the left-right direction changes, which can lead to a decrease in detection accuracy. In contrast, in this sensor device for vehicles 1, the heat-generating member crosses the inside of the transmission area AR along the left-right direction. Therefore, the change in the intensity distribution of the electromagnetic wave received by the sensor unit 20 in the left-right direction is suppressed, and the decrease in detection accuracy can be suppressed. Thus, according to the sensor device for vehicles 1 grasped as the second aspect, ice and snow can be effectively removed while suppressing the influence of the reflection of the millimeter wave by the heat-generating member, and therefore the decrease in detection accuracy can be suppressed.

[0065] In the vehicle sensor device 1 of the present embodiment, the predetermined direction for scanning the electromagnetic wave is the left-right direction. In the vehicle sensor device, the object to be detected is generally a moving body such as another vehicle or a pedestrian. Generally, such a moving body is easily detected by scanning the electromagnetic wave in the left-right direction or the front-rear direction. Therefore, as described above, the predetermined direction is the left-right direction, so that other vehicles, pedestrians, etc. can be effectively detected. In addition, since the outer cover 12 of the vehicle sensor device attached to the vehicle generally extends along the substantially vertical direction as described above, when the predetermined direction is the left-right direction, the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction is substantially the vertical direction. In such a vertical direction, the heat generating member is densely attached to the outside of the transmission area AR, so that the ice and snow attached to the upper side or lower side of the transmission area AR is effectively removed. As a result, the falling of the ice and snow due to its own weight is promoted, and the efficiency of removing the ice and snow can be improved.

[0066] In the vehicle sensor device 1 of the present embodiment, the heat-generating member is attached to the outer cover 12 so as to surround the entire periphery of the transparent area AR. In this manner, the transparent area AR can be heated more effectively than in the case where the heat-generating member is attached to only a part of the entire periphery of the transparent area AR, and the efficiency of removing ice and snow can be improved.

[0067] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. Components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described again unless otherwise specified.

[0068] The vehicle sensor device 1 according to this embodiment has the same configuration as the vehicle sensor device 1 according to the first embodiment, except for the heater configuration, so only the heater according to this embodiment will be described.

[0069] FIG. 8 is a view showing the heater according to this embodiment from the same viewpoint as FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 8, the heat generating member of the heater of this embodiment is a plurality of heating wires 31 extending in the left-right direction, as in the first embodiment, but the heating wires 31, which are heat generating members, are not arranged inside the transparent region AR. In this embodiment, heating wires 31P extending approximately perpendicular to the direction in which these heating wires 31 extend are connected to the ends of the heating wires 31 on the transparent region AR side that do not cross the inside of the transparent region AR. In this way, in this embodiment, some of the heating wires are connected in parallel to each other, so that all of the heating wires 31 are conductive. The wiring pattern for conducting all of the heating wires is not limited to this.

[0070] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire 31 described in FIG. 8, and the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations described in FIG. 8, and the description is omitted. In this modified example, the heating wire 31 is not arranged in the transparent area AR, similar to the heating wire 31 in FIG. 8. Therefore, the vehicle sensor device 1 of this embodiment does not correspond to the second aspect, but corresponds only to the first aspect. In addition, the heating wire 31 similar to the heating wire 31 in FIG. 8 is formed in series, and the heating wire 31 does not branch at least around the transparent area AR. By attaching the heating wire 31 in this way, the current flowing through the heating wire 31 becomes constant regardless of the part of the heating wire 31, and when the resistance value of the heating wire 31 is constant, uneven distribution of the heat generation amount in the heating wire 31 can be suppressed.

[0071] According to the arrangement of the heating wire 31 shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the average ratio of the heat-generating member to each unit area SR of the outer cover 12 inside the transmission area AR is zero. In this way, in this embodiment, when focusing on the area of ​​the outer cover 12 where the heat-generating member is arranged, the average ratio of the heat-generating member to each unit area SR inside the transmission area AR is smaller than the average ratio of the heat-generating member to each unit area SR outside the transmission area AR. For this reason, in this embodiment, the heat-generating member is attached to the outer cover 12 so that the inside of the transmission area AR is sparser than the outside of the transmission area AR. Therefore, the vehicle sensor device 1 of this embodiment can effectively remove ice and snow while suppressing the reflection of the millimeter wave by the heat-generating member, and therefore can suppress the deterioration of the detection accuracy, similar to the case where the vehicle sensor device 1 of the first embodiment is grasped in the first aspect. In Figs. 8 and 9, the unit areas SR on the inside and outside of the transmission area AR are exemplarily shown by one each of the dashed and dotted lines, as in Fig. 6. In this embodiment, the heating wire 31, which is the heat-generating member, does not cross the transmission area AR. Therefore, the vehicle sensor device 1 of this embodiment corresponds only to the first aspect, and does not correspond to the second aspect.

[0072] Furthermore, as in the first embodiment, since the specified direction for scanning the electromagnetic waves is the left-right direction, it is easy to detect the moving body, and since the direction perpendicular to the specified direction is approximately vertical, the efficiency of ice and snow removal can be improved.

[0073] In addition, in this embodiment, since the heat-generating member is not disposed inside the transmissive region AR, reflection of electromagnetic waves by the heat-generating member can be more effectively suppressed. On the other hand, since the heat-generating member is disposed outside the transmissive region AR, ice and snow adhering to the transmissive region AR can be effectively melted by heat from the heat-generating member.

[0074] Third embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described. Components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described again unless otherwise specified.

[0075] The vehicle sensor device 1 according to this embodiment has the same configuration as the vehicle sensor device 1 according to the first embodiment, except for the heater configuration, so only the heater according to this embodiment will be described.

[0076] Fig. 10 is a view showing the heater according to this embodiment from the same perspective as Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 10, the heat generating member of the heater of this embodiment is a plurality of heating wires 31 each having the same thickness, similar to the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the plurality of heating wires 31 are attached to the outer cover 12 in the following arrangement.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 10, each of the heating wires 31, which are heat generating members, extends in the left-right direction, which is the direction in which the electromagnetic waves are scanned. Outside the transparent region AR, the distance between adjacent heating wires 31 is the same D1. Of these heating wires 31, each of the heating wires 31A-31I crosses a part of the inner region of the transparent region AR. Among these heating wires 31A-31I, the heating wires 31A-31C cross the upper region ARou inside the transparent region AR, the heating wires 31G-31I cross the lower region ARod inside the transparent region AR, and the heating wires 31D-31F cross the center region ARi sandwiched between the upper region ARou and the lower region ARod. Each of the heating wires 31 located between the heating wires 31A-31I is connected to a heating wire extending in a substantially vertical direction along the outer edge of the transparent region AR. In this manner, in this embodiment, some of the heating wires are connected in parallel to each other, thereby conducting all of the heating wires 31. Note that the wiring pattern for conducting all of the heating wires is not limited to this.

[0078] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a modified wiring pattern of the heating wire 31 described in Fig. 10, and the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations as those described in Fig. 10, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this modified example, heating wires 31 similar to the heating wire 31 in Fig. 10 are formed in series, and the heating wires 31 do not branch at least in the transparent area AR and its periphery, and the arrangement of the heating wires 31 in the transparent area AR is the same as the arrangement of the heating wires 31 in the transparent area AR in Fig. 10. By attaching the heating wire 31 in this way, the current flowing through the heating wire 31 becomes constant regardless of the part of the heating wire 31, and when the resistance value of the heating wire 31 is constant, uneven distribution of the heat generation amount in the heating wire 31 can be suppressed.

[0079] As shown by the dashed lines in Figs. 10 and 11, in this embodiment, the upper region ARou corresponds to one upper section when the transparent region AR is divided into four equal sections along the left-right direction, the lower region ARod corresponds to one lower section, and the central region ARi corresponds to two central sections. In the upper region ARou, the heating wires 31A to 31C are arranged at the same interval D2, in the lower region ARod, the heating wires 31G to 31I are arranged at the same interval D2, and in the central region ARi, the heating wires 31D to 31F are arranged at the same interval D3. In this embodiment, the interval D2 is three times the interval D1, but the interval D2 may be greater or smaller than three times as long as it is greater than the interval D1. Moreover, the interval D3 is greater than the interval D2, and in this embodiment, the interval D3 is five times the interval D1, but the interval D3 may be greater or smaller than five times the interval D1 as long as it is greater than the interval D2. For example, the distance D3 may be approximately twice or more the distance D2.

[0080] Here, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, a plurality of unit regions SR having the same area are defined in each of the upper region ARou, the lower region ARod, the central region ARi, and the outside of the transparent region AR. In Figures 10 and 11, in order to avoid the figures becoming unclear, one unit region SR each in the upper region ARou, the lower region ARod, the central region ARi, and the outside of the transparent region AR is exemplarily shown by a dashed line.

[0081] In this embodiment, by arranging the heating wires 31 as described above, approximately two heating wires 31 cross each unit area SR of the upper region ARou and each unit area SR of the lower region ARod, and approximately one heating wire 31 crosses each unit area SR of the central region ARi. Furthermore, approximately four heating wires 31 cross each unit area SR outside the transmission region AR.

[0082] Therefore, when focusing on the area of ​​the outer cover 12 where the heat generating member is arranged, the average ratio of the heat generating member to each unit area SR inside the transmission area AR is smaller than the average ratio of the heat generating member to each unit area SR outside the transmission area AR. In this way, in this embodiment, the heat generating member is attached to the outer cover 12 so that the inside of the transmission area AR is sparser than the outside of the transmission area AR. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to suppress the millimeter wave from being reflected by the heat generating member and becoming noise. In addition, since the heat generating member is also attached to the inside of the transmission area AR, it is possible to effectively remove ice and snow adhering to the inside of the transmission area AR compared to the case where the heat generating member is not arranged inside the transmission area AR.

[0083] In addition, in this embodiment, when focusing on the inside of the transmission region AR, the average ratio of the heat generating member in each unit region SR of the center side region ARi is smaller than the average ratio of the heat generating member in each unit region SR of the upper region ARou. Similarly, the average ratio of the heat generating member in each unit region SR of the center side region ARi is smaller than the average ratio of the heat generating member in each unit region SR of the lower region ARod. Therefore, in this embodiment, in the direction perpendicular to the left-right direction in which the electromagnetic wave is scanned in the transmission region AR, the heat generating member inside the transmission region AR is attached to the outer cover 12 so that it is sparser on the center side than on the outer edge side of the transmission region AR.

[0084] In a sensor device for a vehicle, an object to be detected is generally an object that is irradiated with electromagnetic waves transmitted and received through a region on the center side of the transmission region in a direction perpendicular to the direction of scanning the electromagnetic waves. Such objects to be detected are generally moving objects such as other vehicles and pedestrians. Therefore, as in this embodiment, by attaching a heat generating member inside the transmission region AR so that the center side region ARi is relatively sparse, it is possible to suppress the electromagnetic waves from being reflected at the center side of the transmission region AR and becoming noise, and to suppress a decrease in the detection accuracy of the detection object, for example, a moving object.

[0085] On the other hand, in the above-mentioned vehicle sensor device, the electromagnetic waves transmitted and received through the upper edge side area of ​​the inner side of the transmission area AR are considered to be mainly electromagnetic waves reflected by non-moving objects such as signs located generally above the viewpoint of the driver of the vehicle VE. Also, the electromagnetic waves transmitted and received through the lower edge side area of ​​the inner side of the transmission area AR are considered to be mainly electromagnetic waves reflected by non-moving objects such as roads located generally below the viewpoint of the driver of the vehicle VE. Therefore, when the detection target is a moving object as described above, even if the heat-generating members are relatively densely arranged in the upper area ARou and the lower area ARod, the detection accuracy of the detection target is unlikely to decrease. Therefore, by densely arranging the heat-generating members in the upper area ARou and the lower area ARod, ice and snow can be removed more effectively without affecting the detection accuracy. Therefore, the decrease in detection accuracy can be further suppressed.

[0086] In addition, as in the first embodiment, since the predetermined direction for scanning the electromagnetic waves is the left-right direction, it may be easier to detect the moving object, and since the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction is approximately vertical, it may be possible to further increase the efficiency of removing ice and snow.

[0087] The upper region ARou, the lower region ARod, and the central region ARi do not have to be defined as described above, and the upper region ARou, the lower region ARod, and the central region ARi can be defined as appropriate, for example, depending on the object to be detected. For example, the upper region ARou may be defined to be in a range of 10 to 30% along a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction of the transparent region AR, the central region ARi may be defined to be in a range of 40 to 80% along a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction of the transparent region AR, and the lower region ARod may be defined to be in a range of 10 to 30% along a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction of the transparent region AR.

[0088] In the above description of this embodiment, an example has been described in which the heat generating member inside the transparent region AR is attached so as to be sparser on the center side than on the outer edge side of the transparent region AR in the direction perpendicular to the left-right direction of the transparent region AR. However, the case in which the heat generating member crosses the transparent region AR is not limited to this example. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire in FIG. 10, and the same reference numerals are used for the same configuration as that described in FIG. 10, and the description is omitted. In the modified example shown in FIG. 12, the interval D2 between the heating wires 31 in the upper region ARou and the lower region ARod is larger than the interval D3 between the heating wires 31 in the center region ARi. By arranging the heating wires 31 in this way, in this example, approximately one heating wire 31 crosses the unit region SR of the upper region ARou and the unit region SR of the lower region ARod, and approximately two heating wires 31 cross the unit region SR of the center region ARi. In this example, some heating wires are connected in parallel to each other, so that all the heating wires 31 are conductive. The wiring pattern for conducting all the heating wires is not limited to this.

[0089] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a modified wiring pattern of the heating wire 31 described in Fig. 12, and the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations as those described in Fig. 12, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this modified example, heating wires 31 similar to the heating wire 31 in Fig. 12 are formed in series, and the heating wires 31 do not branch at least in the transparent area AR and its periphery, and the arrangement of the heating wires 31 in the transparent area AR is the same as the arrangement of the heating wires 31 in the transparent area AR in Fig. 12. By attaching the heating wire 31 in this manner, the current flowing through the heating wire 31 becomes constant regardless of the part of the heating wire 31, and when the resistance value of the heating wire 31 is constant, uneven distribution of the heat generation amount in the heating wire 31 can be suppressed.

[0090] In the modified examples shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the heating wires 31A and 31B are arranged at a distance D2 in the upper region ARou, the heating wires 31G and 31H are arranged at a distance D2 in the lower region ARod, and the heating wires 31C to 31F are arranged at the same distance D3 in the central region ARi. In these modified examples, the distance D2 is set to 5 times the distance D1, but the distance D2 may be greater than or less than 5 times as long as it is greater than the distance D1. The distance D3 is smaller than the distance D2, and in these modified examples, the distance D3 is set to 5 times the distance D1, but the distance D3 may be greater than or less than 3 times the distance D1 as long as it is smaller than the distance D2. For example, the distance D3 may be approximately half the distance D2 or less. In these modified examples, the heat generating members inside the transparent region AR are attached so that they are denser on the central side than on the outer edge side of the transparent region AR in the direction perpendicular to the left-right direction of the transparent region AR. According to these configurations, the central region ARi can be heated more effectively than the upper region ARou and the lower region ARod, so that ice and snow adhering to the central region ARi can be effectively removed, and a decrease in detection accuracy can be suppressed. Note that the heat generating member inside the transmission region AR may be attached at the same density on the outer edge side and the central side of the transmission region AR.

[0091] (Fourth embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described again unless otherwise specified.

[0092] The vehicle sensor device 1 according to this embodiment has the same configuration as the vehicle sensor device 1 according to the first embodiment, except for the heater configuration, so only the heater according to this embodiment will be described.

[0093] Fig. 14 is a view mainly showing the vicinity of the transmission region and the vicinity of the light emission region of the heater according to this embodiment from the same perspective as Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 14, the heat generating member of the heater of this embodiment is a plurality of heating wires 31 each having the same thickness, similar to the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the plurality of heating wires 31 are attached to the outer cover 12 in the following arrangement.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 14, in this embodiment, the heating wires 31 extend from the transparent region AR and the vicinity of the transparent region AR to the light exit region LR and the vicinity of the light exit region LR along the left-right direction. With this configuration, not only the transparent region AR but also the light exit region LR is heated by the heating wires 31. Each of the heating wires 31A to 31D among these heating wires 31 crosses a part of the inner region of the transparent region AR as in the first embodiment, and further crosses a part of the inner region of the light exit region LR. In this embodiment, the heating wire 31E, which is three wires below the heating wire 31D, crosses a part of the inner region of the light exit region LR. Thus, in this embodiment, each of the four heating wires 31A, 31B, 31C, and 31D extending from the transparent region AR and the heating wire 31E extending from the outside of the transparent region AR crosses a part of the inner region of the light exit region LR.

[0095] Each of the heating wires 31 between the heating wires 31A to 31D is divided into three in the left-right direction with the transparent region AR and the light exit region LR in between, and has a first section between the transparent region AR and the light exit region LR, a second section on the opposite side of the first section with the transparent region AR as a reference, and a third section on the opposite side of the first section with the light exit region LR as a reference. These first to third sections are connected in parallel to the heating wires 31A to 31C via heating wires extending in the vertical direction. In addition, the two heating wires 31 directly below the heating wire 31D are divided into two with the light exit region LR in between, and have a first section on the transparent region AR side with the light exit region LR as a reference, and a second section on the opposite side of the first section with the light exit region LR as a reference. Each of the first and second sections of the heating wires 31 is connected in parallel to the heating wire 31D via heating wires extending in the vertical direction. In this manner, in this embodiment, some of the heating wires are connected in parallel to each other, thereby conducting all of the heating wires 31. Note that the wiring pattern for conducting all of the heating wires 31 is not limited to this.

[0096] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a modified wiring pattern of the heating wire 31 described in Fig. 14, and the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations described in Fig. 14, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this modified example, heating wires 31 similar to the heating wire 31 in Fig. 14 are formed in series, and the heating wire 31 does not branch at least in the transmission area AR, the light emission area LR, and the surroundings thereof, and the arrangement of the heating wire 31 in the transmission area AR and the light emission area LR is the same as the arrangement of the heating wire 31 in the transmission area AR and the light emission area LR in Fig. 14. By attaching the heating wire 31 in this way, the current flowing through the heating wire 31 becomes constant regardless of the part of the heating wire 31, and when the resistance value of the heating wire 31 is constant, uneven distribution of the heat generation amount in the heating wire 31 can be suppressed.

[0097] In this embodiment, the distance between the heating wires 31A and 31B, the distance between the heating wires 31B and 31C, and the distance between the heating wires 31C and 31D are all the same D2 inside the transmission region AR and the light exit region LR. Inside the light exit region LR, the distance between the heating wires 31D and 31E is also D2. On the other hand, except inside the transmission region AR and the light exit region LR, the distance between adjacent heating wires 31 is the same D1. In this embodiment, the distance D2 is three times the distance D1, but the distance D2 may be greater or smaller than three times the distance D1 as long as it is greater than the distance D1.

[0098] Here, as shown in Figures 14 and 15, a plurality of unit regions SR having the same area are defined inside the transmission region AR and outside the transmission region AR. Also, a plurality of unit regions SR having the same area are defined inside the light output region LR and outside the light output region LR. Note that in Figures 14 and 15, only some of the unit regions SR are shown to avoid making the figures unclear.

[0099] With the above-described arrangement of the heating wires 31, approximately one heating wire 31 crosses each unit area SR inside the transparent area AR, and approximately three heating wires 31 cross each unit area SR outside the transparent area AR. Therefore, in this embodiment, when focusing on the area of ​​the outer cover 12 where the heat-generating member is arranged, the average ratio of the heat-generating member to each unit area SR inside the transparent area AR is smaller than the average ratio of the heat-generating member to each unit area SR outside the transparent area AR. In this manner, in this embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the heat-generating member is attached to the outer cover 12 so that the heat-generating member is sparser inside the transparent area AR than outside the transparent area AR.

[0100] In addition, by arranging the heating wires 31 as described above, approximately three heating wires 31 cross each unit area SR outside the light emission area LR. On the other hand, approximately one heating wire 31 crosses each unit area SR inside the light emission area LR. Therefore, in this embodiment, when focusing on the area of ​​the outer cover 12 where the heat-generating member is arranged, the average ratio of the heat-generating member to each unit area SR inside the light emission area LR is smaller than the average ratio of the heat-generating member to each unit area SR outside the light emission area LR. Therefore, in this embodiment, the heat-generating member is attached to the outer cover 12 so that the heat-generating member is sparser inside the light emission area LR than outside the light emission area LR.

[0101] According to this configuration, the heat generating member is attached to the outer cover 12 so that the heat generating member is sparser inside the transmission region AR than outside the transmission region AR, so that the deterioration of the detection accuracy of the vehicle sensor device 1 can be suppressed as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the heat generating member is attached so as to heat the light emission region LR, so that ice and snow adhering to the light emission region can be removed. In addition, since the heat generating member is sparser inside the light emission region LR than outside the light emission region LR, the light emitted from the lamp unit LU is suppressed from being reflected by the heat generating member inside the light emission region LR, and the deterioration of the emission efficiency of the light from the lamp unit LU can be suppressed.

[0102] In addition, in this embodiment, the heat generating member inside the transmission region AR extends to the light exit region LR in the left-right direction, so the light exit region LR can be heated by the heat generating member that heats the transmission region AR. Therefore, there is no need to provide a separate heat generating member for heating the light exit region LR, which can reduce wiring costs. However, the heating wire that heats the light exit region LR may be provided separately from the heating wire that heats the transmission region AR.

[0103] Furthermore, as in the first embodiment, since the specified direction for scanning the electromagnetic waves is the left-right direction, it is easy to detect the moving body, and since the direction perpendicular to the specified direction is approximately vertical, the efficiency of ice and snow removal can be improved.

[0104] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which all of the heating wires 31A to 31D inside the transmission region AR extend to the light emission region LR along the left-right direction outside the transmission region AR. However, only some of the heating wires 31A to 31D, for example, the heating wires 31A and 31B, may extend to the light emission region LR along the left-right direction outside the transmission region AR. When the vehicle sensor device 1 of this embodiment is understood as the above-mentioned second aspect, the density of the heat generating member may be the same inside and outside the light emission region LR, or the heat generating member may be attached so that the inside of the light emission region LR is denser than the outside.

[0105] It is also possible to dispose no heat generating member inside the light exit region LR.

[0106] Fifth embodiment Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described again unless otherwise specified.

[0107] The vehicle sensor device 1 according to this embodiment has the same configuration as the vehicle sensor device 1 according to the first embodiment, except for the heater configuration, so only the heater according to this embodiment will be described.

[0108] Fig. 16 is a view showing the heater according to this embodiment from the same viewpoint as Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 16, in this embodiment, the heating wires 31, which are heat generating members, are arranged at equal intervals D1 and extend in the left-right direction, which is the scanning direction of the electromagnetic wave. In the example of Fig. 16, the heating wires 31 extending in the left-right direction are connected in parallel, and all the heating wires 31 are conductive.

[0109] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing a modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire 31 described in Fig. 16, and the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations described in Fig. 16, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this modified example, heating wires 31 similar to the heating wire 31 in Fig. 16 are formed in series, and the heating wires 31 do not branch at least in the transparent area AR and its periphery, and the arrangement of the heating wires 31 in the transparent area AR is the same as the arrangement of the heating wires 31 in the transparent area AR in Fig. 16. By attaching the heating wire 31 in this way, the current flowing through the heating wire 31 becomes constant regardless of the part of the heating wire 31, and when the resistance value of the heating wire 31 is constant, uneven distribution of the heat generation amount in the heating wire 31 can be suppressed.

[0110] In the vehicle sensor device 1 of this embodiment shown in Figs. 16 and 17, when focusing on the area of ​​the outer cover 12 where the heat-generating member is arranged, the average ratio of the heat-generating member to each unit area SR inside the transmission area AR is the same as the average ratio of the heat-generating member to each unit area SR outside the transmission area AR. In this way, in this embodiment, the heat-generating member is attached at the same density inside and outside the transmission area AR. Therefore, the vehicle sensor device 1 of this embodiment does not correspond to the first aspect, but only to the second aspect. In Figs. 16 and 17, as in Fig. 6, in order to avoid the figure becoming unclear, one unit area SR each on the inside and outside of the transmission area AR is illustrated by a dashed line.

[0111] In this embodiment, as described above, the distance between the heating wires inside the transparent region AR is the same as the distance between the heating wires outside the transparent region AR. Therefore, in order to make the distance between the heating wires inside the transparent region AR different from the distance between the heating wires outside the transparent region AR and to ensure electrical conduction of all the heating wires, it is not necessary to divide the heating wire directly below the heating wire crossing the inside of the transparent region AR into two parts with the transparent region AR in between, and connect each end of the divided heating wire on the transparent region AR side to the heating wire directly above it, as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the wiring can be simplified.

[0112] In the present embodiment, the example in which the heat generating member is attached at the same density inside and outside the transmission area AR has been described. However, when the vehicle sensor device 1 is grasped in the above-mentioned second aspect, the heat generating member may extend along the direction in which the electromagnetic wave is scanned and cross a part of the inside area of ​​the transmission area AR. Therefore, the example of FIG. 18 may be used. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire in FIG. 16, and the same reference numerals are used to omit the description of the same configuration as that described in FIG. 16. As shown in FIG. 16, in this modified example, the interval D2 between the heating wires 31 inside the transmission area AR is made smaller than the interval D1 between the heating wires 31 outside, and the heat generating member is attached so that the inside of the transmission area AR is denser than the outside of the transmission area AR. Some of the heating wires 31 are connected in parallel with other parts of the heating wires 31. By densely arranging the heat generating member inside the transmission area AR in this way, the inside of the transmission area AR can be heated more effectively than the outside, and ice and snow attached to the inside of the transmission area AR can be effectively removed. This can prevent a decrease in detection accuracy.

[0113] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing a modified example of the wiring pattern of the heating wire 31 described in Fig. 18, and the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations as those described in Fig. 18, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this modified example, heating wires 31 similar to the heating wire 31 in Fig. 18 are formed in series, and the heating wires 31 do not branch at least in the transparent area AR and its periphery, and the arrangement of the heating wires 31 in the transparent area AR is the same as the arrangement of the heating wires 31 in the transparent area AR in Fig. 18. By attaching the heating wire 31 in this manner, the current flowing through the heating wire 31 becomes constant regardless of the part of the heating wire 31, and when the resistance value of the heating wire 31 is constant, uneven distribution of the heat generation amount in the heating wire 31 can be suppressed.

[0114] Although the present invention has been described above by taking the above embodiment as an example, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0115] For example, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the heat generating member is attached to the outer cover 12 so as to surround the entire periphery of the transparent region AR and the light emitting region LR. However, if the heat generating member can heat the transparent region AR and the light emitting region LR, the heat generating member may be attached to a part of the entire periphery of the transparent region and the light emitting region. For example, the heat generating member may be arranged as shown in FIG. 20. FIG. 20 is a view showing a heater according to a modified example of the first embodiment from the same viewpoint as FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 20, in this modified example, a plurality of heating wires 31, which are heat generating members, are attached only to an area of ​​the outer cover 12 that is vertically lower than the center C of the transparent region AR. In such a modified example, ice and snow attached to the lower side of the transparent region AR may melt first. After that, ice and snow remaining on the upper side of the transparent region AR may fall to the lower area from which the ice and snow have been removed and melt. Therefore, even when the heat generating member is attached only to the lower area in this way, ice and snow can be effectively removed. In addition, the number of heat generating members can be reduced compared to when the heat generating member is attached to the entire periphery of the transparent region AR, and therefore costs can be reduced. In the second and third embodiments, the heating wire may be attached only to the region vertically below the center of the transmission region AR. In the fourth embodiment, the heating wire may be attached only to the region vertically below the center of the transmission region AR or the center of the light emission region LR. In these examples, the heating wires 31 may be formed in series as described in FIG. 7 and the like.

[0116] In the above embodiment, the example in which the plurality of heating wires 31 are attached in parallel to each other in one direction has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a mesh-shaped heating wire 131 may be used as the heat generating member. FIG. 21 is a view showing such a modified example applied to the second embodiment from the same viewpoint as FIG. 6. Therefore, this modified example corresponds to the case where the vehicle sensor device 1 is grasped in the first aspect. As shown in FIG. 21, in this modified example, the end of each of the plurality of heating wires 131 on the transparent area AR side is connected to the heat generating member 131P surrounding the outside of the transparent area, and all of the heating wires 131 are conductive. If the heat generating member is in a mesh shape like this, a plurality of sections SD surrounded by the heat generating member are formed in the outer cover 12. Then, each of the sections SD can be heated from the entire periphery by the heat generating member surrounding these sections SD. Therefore, the outer cover 12 can be heated more effectively, and the efficiency of removing ice and snow can be improved. In the first, third and fourth embodiments, heating wires may be attached in a mesh pattern on the inside of the transmissive region AR and the inside of the light exit region LR, and the heating wires may be attached so that they are sparser inside the transmissive region AR and the inside of the light exit region LR than outside the transmissive region AR and the outside of the light exit region LR.

[0117] In the first and fourth embodiments, the heating wires 31 attached inside the transmission area AR and inside the light exit area LR may be thinner than the heating wires attached outside the transmission area AR and outside the light exit area LR. In this way, the average ratio of the heat-generating members in each unit area of ​​the outer cover 12 inside the transmission area AR and inside the light exit area LR can be made smaller than the average ratio of the heat-generating members in each unit area of ​​the outer cover 12 outside the transmission area AR and outside the light exit area LR. Therefore, the heat-generating members inside the transmission area AR and inside the light exit area LR can be made sparser.

[0118] In the third embodiment, the heating wire attached inside the transparent region AR may be thinner than the heating wire attached outside the transparent region AR, and the heating wire in the central region ARi may be thinner than the heating wire in the upper region ARou and the lower region ARod. This makes the density of the heat generating member more noticeable in the third embodiment.

[0119] In the above embodiment, the sensor unit 20 is a millimeter wave radar. However, the sensor unit 20 is not particularly limited as long as it can detect an object present outside the vehicle VE by transmitting and receiving a predetermined electromagnetic wave that penetrates the outer cover 12. For example, the sensor unit 20 may be a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) that transmits and receives laser light as an electromagnetic wave. The predetermined electromagnetic wave transmitted and received by the sensor unit 20 may be infrared light or ultraviolet light.

[0120] In the above embodiment, the heat generating member is an electric heating wire, but the heat generating member is not particularly limited as long as it is heated by passing electricity through it. For example, the heat generating member may be a film-like member.

[0121] In the above embodiment, the vehicle sensor device 1 is configured as a part of the vehicle headlight, and an example in which an object in front of the vehicle VE is mainly detected has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the vehicle sensor device 1 may be attached to the left or right side of the vehicle VE to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves to and from the left or right side of the vehicle VE to detect an object on the left or right side. In this case, it may be easier to detect a moving object such as a two-wheeled vehicle or a pedestrian that exists on the side of the vehicle VE. In addition, when an electronic scanning method is adopted to detect an object on the left or right side of the vehicle VE, the direction in which the electromagnetic waves are scanned may be the front-rear direction by arranging the transmitting antenna 25 and the multiple receiving antennas 26 in the front-rear direction. When the direction in which the electromagnetic waves are scanned is the front-rear direction, the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction in which the electromagnetic waves are scanned may be approximately vertical. Alternatively, the vehicle sensor device 1 may be attached to the rear of the vehicle VE to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves to and from the rear side of the vehicle VE to detect an object behind the vehicle VE. In addition, when an electronic scanning method is adopted to detect an object behind the vehicle VE, the direction in which the electromagnetic waves are scanned can be made horizontal by arranging the transmitting antenna 25 and the multiple receiving antennas 26 in the horizontal direction.

[0122] In the fourth embodiment, the vehicle lamp is a vehicle headlamp, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle lamp may be a vehicle tail lamp.

[0123] In the above embodiment, the example in which the electromagnetic wave is scanned is the left-right direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the transmitting antenna 25 may be configured so that the FOV area of ​​the electromagnetic wave is a substantially rectangular shape that is flat in the vertical direction when viewed from the front, and the transmitting antenna 25 and the receiving antenna 26 may be arranged at a predetermined interval on a straight line parallel to the vertical direction. This allows the electromagnetic wave to be scanned in the vertical direction. In addition, the direction in which the electromagnetic wave is scanned is not limited to the left-right direction, the front-rear direction, and the vertical direction, and may be, for example, a direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the left-right direction.

[0124] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the electromagnetic waves are transmitted so that the transparent area AR is rectangular. However, the electromagnetic waves may be transmitted so that the transparent area AR has a shape other than rectangular.

[0125] According to the present invention, a vehicle sensor device capable of suppressing a decrease in detection accuracy and a vehicle lamp including the vehicle sensor device are provided, and can be used in fields such as automobiles.

Claims

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8. An outer cover, a sensor unit that is disposed on the inner side of the vehicle relative to the outer cover and transmits and receives a predetermined electromagnetic wave that passes through the outer cover and outputs a signal related to the electromagnetic wave that is incident on the inner side of the outer cover; a control unit that operates the sensor unit to scan the electromagnetic wave in a predetermined direction and calculates a position of a predetermined object based on the electromagnetic wave reflected by the object and received by the sensor unit; a heat generating member attached to the outer cover and configured to heat a transmission area of ​​the outer cover through which the electromagnetic waves transmitted from the sensor unit are transmitted by passing an electric current through the transmission area; Equipped with The heat generating member extends in a part of the inner area of ​​the transmission area along the predetermined direction and crosses the transmission area. A sensor device for a vehicle.

9. The heat generating member inside the transmitting area is attached to the outer cover so that the heat generating member is spaced less in the center side than in the outer edge side of the transmitting area in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction in the transmitting area.

9. The sensor device for a vehicle according to claim 8.

10. The heat generating member is attached to the outer cover so that the heat generating member is sparser inside the transmission area than outside the transmission area.

9. The sensor device for a vehicle according to claim 8.

11. The heat generating member is attached to the outer cover so as to surround the entire periphery of the transmission area. The sensor device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

12. The heat generating member is attached only to a region of the outer cover that is vertically lower than the center of the transmission area. The sensor device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

13. A sensor device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 8 to 12, a lamp unit that is disposed on an inner side of the vehicle relative to the outer cover and emits light to an outside of the vehicle through the outer cover; Equipped with At least a portion of the heat generating member inside the light transmitting area extends outside the light transmitting area along the predetermined direction to a light emitting area of ​​the outer cover from which the light is emitted. A vehicle lamp characterized by the above.

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