Vehicle cleaner system, vehicle system, cleaning method using vehicle cleaner system, and vehicle cleaner control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicular cleaner system, a method of cleaning by a vehicular cleaner system, a vehicular cleaner controller that are configured to suppress the exhaustion of cleaner units or the consumption of a cleaning medium for keeping an external sensors clean.SOLUTION: A vehicular cleaner system (100) comprises: cleaner units which clean external sensors, respectively, by discharging a cleaning liquid to the external sensors mounted on a vehicle (1) to acquire information outside of the vehicle (1); and a cleaner control part which controls the cleaner units. The cleaner control part is configured to: acquire vehicle speed information on a travel speed of the vehicle (1); and control the cleaner units, according to the vehicle speed information, so as to differentiate at least their discharge quantities of the cleaning liquid, their discharge quantities of the cleaning liquid per unit time, their discharge counts of the cleaning liquid, their discharge counts of the cleaning liquid per unit time, and their discharge time periods of the cleaning liquid.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle cleaner system, a vehicle system, a cleaning method using a vehicle cleaner system, and a vehicle cleaner control device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Patent Document 1 and other documents disclose a vehicle cleaner that ejects cleaning liquid onto a sensor or the like mounted on a vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-187990 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, when a vehicle travels on an expressway or the like, the travel speed of the vehicle is higher than when the vehicle travels on a general road. For this reason, when a vehicle travels on a highway, the sensor is required to sense objects that are farther away more accurately and quickly than when the vehicle travels on a general road. In other words, when the vehicle travels at a high speed, the sensor is required to have high sensitivity. In addition, when the vehicle approaches a congestion location, the sensor is required to have high sensitivity.

[0005] In addition, in an autonomous vehicle capable of operating in both manual and autonomous driving modes, it is necessary to keep the external sensors that obtain information about the outside of the vehicle clean when operating in the autonomous driving mode. On the other hand, there is a limit to the amount of cleaning media that can be installed in the vehicle, and it is also necessary to suppress the wear of the cleaner.

[0006] Furthermore, when there is an obstacle on the road, it is necessary to increase the sensing sensitivity of the sensor that detects external information in order to avoid contact with the obstacle.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle cleaner system and a vehicle system that can reduce wear on a cleaner unit and consumption of cleaning media for keeping an external sensor clean.

[0008] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle cleaner system that can maintain the sensing sensitivity of a sensor by selecting whether or not to operate the cleaner unit depending on the driving conditions of the vehicle.

[0009] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle cleaner system, a cleaning method using the vehicle cleaner system, and a vehicle cleaner control device that can suppress a decrease in sensing sensitivity when an obstacle is present. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A vehicle cleaner system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a first cleaner unit that is mounted on a vehicle and that discharges a cleaning liquid onto a first sensor that acquires information about a first area around the vehicle to clean the first sensor; a second cleaner unit that is mounted on the vehicle and that discharges a cleaning liquid onto a second sensor that acquires information about a second area around the vehicle that is different from the first area, to clean the second sensor; a cleaner control unit that controls the first cleaner unit and the second cleaner unit, The cleaner control unit is Acquire vehicle speed information relating to a traveling speed of the vehicle; When the traveling speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the operation of the first cleaner unit is permitted and the operation of the second cleaner unit is prohibited.

[0011] A vehicle system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: A vehicle control unit; a first cleaner unit that is mounted on a vehicle and that discharges a cleaning liquid onto a first sensor that acquires information about a first area around the vehicle to clean the first sensor; a second cleaner unit that is mounted on the vehicle and that discharges a cleaning liquid onto a second sensor that acquires information about a second area around the vehicle that is different from the first area, to clean the second sensor; a cleaner control unit that controls the first cleaner unit and the second cleaner unit, The cleaner control unit is Acquire vehicle speed information relating to a traveling speed of the vehicle; When the traveling speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the operation of the first cleaner unit is permitted and the operation of the second cleaner unit is prohibited.

[0012] A vehicle cleaner system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a cleaner unit that is mounted on a vehicle and discharges a cleaning liquid onto an external sensor that acquires information about the outside of the vehicle to clean the external sensor; a cleaner control unit that controls the cleaner unit; Equipped with The cleaner control unit is Acquire vehicle speed information relating to a traveling speed of the vehicle; The cleaner unit is configured to permit operation when the traveling speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, while prohibiting operation of the cleaner unit when the traveling speed is greater than the predetermined value.

[0013] A vehicle cleaner system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a cleaner for cleaning an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the vehicle; a cleaner control unit that controls the operation of the cleaner; Equipped with The cleaner control unit is an automatic mode execution unit that executes an automatic mode in which the cleaner is automatically operated based on a predetermined condition; The vehicle is configured to have an operation prohibition unit that prohibits operation of the cleaner based on vehicle speed information related to the traveling speed of the vehicle and obstacle information.

[0014] A cleaning method using a vehicle cleaner system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: A cleaning method using a vehicle cleaner system including a cleaner that cleans an external sensor that acquires information about the outside of a vehicle, and a cleaner control unit that controls an operation of the cleaner, comprising: The cleaner is configured to be prohibited from operating based on the vehicle speed and obstacle information during execution of an automatic mode in which the cleaner is automatically operated based on a predetermined condition.

[0015] A vehicle cleaner control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: A vehicle cleaner control device that controls an operation of a cleaner that cleans an external sensor that acquires information about the outside of a vehicle, an automatic mode execution unit that executes an automatic mode in which the cleaner is automatically operated based on a predetermined condition; The vehicle is configured to have an operation prohibition unit that prohibits operation of the cleaner based on the vehicle's traveling speed and obstacle information. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle cleaner system and a vehicle system capable of selecting suitable cleaning conditions for cleaning a sensor by a vehicle cleaner based on the traveling speed of the vehicle.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle cleaner system capable of maintaining the sensing sensitivity of a sensor by selecting whether or not to operate a cleaner unit depending on the driving conditions of the vehicle.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle cleaner system, a cleaning method using the vehicle cleaner system, and a vehicle cleaner control device that can suppress a decrease in sensing sensitivity when an obstacle is present. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a top view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle cleaner system according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicle system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle cleaner system. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram of a main part of a vehicle cleaner system according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 5] 3 is a flowchart executed by the vehicle cleaner system of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating a cleaning method in a first operation mode and a second operation mode of the cleaner unit executed by the vehicle cleaner system of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 6A to 6C are diagrams illustrating a cleaning method in a first operation mode and a second operation mode of the cleaner unit executed by the vehicle cleaner system according to the first modification. [Figure 8A] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating a cleaning method in a first operation mode of the cleaner unit executed by the vehicle cleaner system of Modification 2. [Figure 8B] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating a cleaning method in a second operation mode of the cleaner unit executed by the vehicle cleaner system according to the second modification. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart executed by a vehicle cleaner system according to a third modification. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a main part of a vehicle cleaner system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart executed by the vehicle cleaner system. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a vehicle approaches a congestion location. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the vehicle has reached the end of a congestion location. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a main part of a vehicle cleaner system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the position of a host vehicle; [Figure 16A] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining the operation of an operation prohibiting unit. [Figure 16B] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining the operation of an operation prohibiting unit. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart executed by a cleaner control unit of a vehicle cleaner system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a main part of a vehicle cleaner system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 19] 13 is a flowchart executed by a cleaner control unit of a vehicle cleaner system according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the description of the members having the same reference numbers as those already described in the description of the present embodiment will be omitted. In addition, for convenience of explanation, the dimensions of each member shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each member.

[0021] In addition, for convenience of explanation, in the explanation of this embodiment, the "left-right direction", "front-rear direction", and "up-down direction" will be mentioned as appropriate. These directions are relative directions set for the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1. Here, the "up-down direction" is a direction that includes the "upward direction" and the "downward direction". The "front-rear direction" is a direction that includes the "forward direction" and the "rearward direction". The "left-right direction" is a direction that includes the "leftward direction" and the "rightward direction". Furthermore, parts common to the first to fourth embodiments will be explained simply as this embodiment.

[0022] 1 is a top view of a vehicle 1 equipped with a vehicle cleaner system 100 (hereinafter referred to as the cleaner system 100) according to this embodiment. The vehicle 1 is equipped with the cleaner system 100. In this embodiment, the vehicle 1 is an automobile capable of running in an autonomous driving mode.

[0023] First, the vehicle system 2 of the vehicle 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of the vehicle system 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle system 2 includes a vehicle control unit 3, an internal sensor 5, an external sensor 6, lamps 7, an HMI 8 (Human Machine Interface), a GPS 9 (Global Positioning System), a wireless communication unit 10, and a map information storage unit 11. Furthermore, the vehicle system 2 includes a steering actuator 12, a steering device 13, a brake actuator 14, a brake device 15, an accelerator actuator 16, and an accelerator device 17.

[0024] The vehicle control unit 3 is configured with an electronic control unit (ECU). The vehicle control unit 3 is configured with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which various vehicle control programs are stored, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) in which various vehicle control data are temporarily stored. The processor is configured to load a program designated from the various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM. The vehicle control unit 3 is configured to control the running of the vehicle 1.

[0025] The lamp 7 is at least one of a headlamp or position lamp provided at the front of the vehicle 1, a rear combination lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle 1, a turn signal lamp provided at the front or side of the vehicle, or various other lamps that inform pedestrians and drivers of other vehicles of the situation of the vehicle.

[0026] The HMI 8 is composed of an input unit that accepts input operations from the user, and an output unit that outputs driving information and the like to the user. The input unit includes a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a driving mode changeover switch that changes the driving mode of the vehicle 1, and the like. The output unit is a display that displays various types of driving information.

[0027] The internal sensor 5 is a sensor capable of acquiring information about the vehicle itself. The internal sensor 5 is, for example, at least one of an acceleration sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, a gyro sensor, etc. The internal sensor 5 is configured to acquire information about the vehicle itself, including the running state of the vehicle 1, and output the information to the vehicle control unit 3. The internal sensor 5 may include a sensor that detects the displacement of the HMI 8, a seating sensor that detects whether the user is sitting in the seat, a face direction sensor that detects the direction of the user's face, a human presence sensor that detects whether there is a person in the vehicle, etc. The internal sensor 5 may also include a location information sensor (e.g., GPS).

[0028] The external sensor 6 is a sensor capable of acquiring information about the outside of the vehicle. The external sensor 6 is, for example, at least one of a camera, a radar, a LiDAR, a GPS 9, a wireless communication unit 10, and the like. The external sensor 6 is configured to acquire information about the outside of the vehicle 1 including the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 (other vehicles, pedestrians, road shapes, traffic signs, obstacles, and the like) and output the information to the vehicle control unit 3. Alternatively, the external sensor 6 may include a weather sensor that detects weather conditions, an illuminance sensor that detects the illuminance of the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, and the like. The camera is, for example, a camera including an imaging element such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The camera is a camera that detects visible light or an infrared camera that detects infrared light. The radar may be a millimeter wave radar, a microwave radar, a laser radar, or the like. LiDAR is an abbreviation for Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging. LiDAR is a sensor that generally emits invisible light forward and obtains information such as the distance to an object, the shape of the object, and the material of the object based on the emitted light and the returned light.

[0029] The GPS 9, which is a kind of the external sensor 6, is configured to acquire current position information of the vehicle 1 by measuring the distances of a plurality of artificial satellites relative to the vehicle 1, and to output the acquired current position information to the vehicle control unit 3. The wireless communication unit 10, which is a kind of the external sensor 6, is configured to receive travel information of other vehicles around the vehicle 1 from the other vehicles, and to transmit travel information of the vehicle 1 to the other vehicles (vehicle-to-vehicle communication). The wireless communication unit 10 is also configured to receive infrastructure information from infrastructure facilities such as traffic lights and marker lights, and to transmit travel information of the vehicle 1 to the infrastructure facilities (road-to-vehicle communication). The wireless communication unit 10 is also configured to receive road traffic information (for example, congestion and traffic regulations) in real time using FM multiplex broadcasting and beacons, for example, by utilizing VICS (registered trademark) (Vehicle Information and Communication System). The map information storage unit 11 is an external storage device such as a hard disk drive in which map information is stored, and is configured to output the map information to the vehicle control unit 3.

[0030] The vehicle control unit 3 is configured to receive as input the outputs of the internal sensors 5 that detect the displacement of operators operated by the user, such as the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal, the outputs of the internal sensors 5 that detect the state of the vehicle, such as a vehicle speed sensor, wheel speed sensor, acceleration sensor, and yaw rate sensor, and the outputs of the external sensors 6 that obtain information from the outside of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control unit 3 is configured to generate a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal based on these outputs, and to control (process) these signals as necessary.

[0031] The steering actuator 12 is configured to receive a steering control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and control the steering device 13 based on the received steering control signal. The brake actuator 14 is configured to receive a brake control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and control the brake device 15 based on the received brake control signal. The accelerator actuator 16 is configured to receive an accelerator control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and control the accelerator device 17 based on the received accelerator control signal.

[0032] The vehicle 1 can run in an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. The vehicle control unit 3 can selectively execute the automatic driving mode and the manual driving mode.

[0033] In the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 automatically generates a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal in response to the output of the external sensor 6 that acquires information outside the vehicle 1. The vehicle control unit 3 automatically generates a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal in response to the output of the external sensor 6, regardless of the output of the internal sensor 5 that detects the displacement of an operator that can be operated by the user. For example, in the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 automatically generates a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal based on surrounding environment information in front of the vehicle 1 acquired by the front camera 6c, current position information from the GPS 9, map information stored in the map information storage unit 11, etc. In the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle 1 is driven without the assistance of a user.

[0034] In the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 normally generates a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal, regardless of the output of the external sensor 6. That is, in the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 normally generates a steering control signal based on the user's operation of the steering wheel, regardless of the output of the external sensor 6. In the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 normally generates an accelerator control signal based on the user's operation of the accelerator pedal, regardless of the output of the external sensor 6. The vehicle control unit 3 normally generates a brake control signal based on the user's operation of the brake pedal, regardless of the output of the external sensor 6. In the manual driving mode, the vehicle 1 is normally driven by the user.

[0035] In the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 may execute anti-lock brake control for controlling a brake control signal in response to the output of a wheel speed sensor which is the internal sensor 5. In addition, in the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 may execute electric stability control, traction control, etc. for controlling at least one of a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal in response to the output of a steering angle sensor, a wheel speed sensor, and a yaw rate sensor which are the internal sensors 5. Alternatively, in the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 may execute pre-crash control or collision avoidance control in which a steering control signal and a brake control signal are generated in response to the output of an external sensor 6 such as the front camera 6c in an emergency. In this way, in the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 may generate at least one of a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal in response to the output of the external sensor 6 in an emergency.

[0036] In the manual driving mode, the trigger for generating the steering control signal, accelerator control signal, and brake control signal under normal circumstances is the displacement of an operator such as the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal operated by the user. In the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 may normally control (process) signals such as the steering control signal, accelerator control signal, and brake control signal generated by the displacement of an operator according to the output of the internal sensor 5 or the external sensor 6. In this embodiment, a so-called assisted driving mode in which the user's driving is assisted according to the output of the internal sensor 5 or the external sensor 6 is one form of the manual driving mode.

[0037] According to the definitions of autonomous driving modes as of 2018, levels 0 to 5, the autonomous driving mode of this embodiment corresponds to levels 3 to 5 (excluding emergencies, etc.), and the manual driving mode of this embodiment corresponds to levels 0 to 2.

[0038] Returning to FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 has a front LiDAR 6f, a rear LiDAR 6b, a right LiDAR 6r, a left LiDAR 6l, a front camera 6c, and a rear camera 6d as external sensors 6. The front LiDAR 6f is configured to acquire information in front of the vehicle 1. The rear LiDAR 6b is configured to acquire information behind the vehicle 1. The right LiDAR 6r is configured to acquire information to the right of the vehicle 1. The left LiDAR 6l is configured to acquire information to the left of the vehicle 1. The front camera 6c is configured to acquire information in front of the vehicle 1. The rear camera 6d is configured to acquire information behind the vehicle 1.

[0039] 1 shows an example in which the front LiDAR 6f is provided at the front of the vehicle 1, the rear LiDAR 6b is provided at the rear of the vehicle 1, the right LiDAR 6r is provided at the right of the vehicle 1, and the left LiDAR 6l is provided at the left of the vehicle 1, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the front LiDAR, rear LiDAR, right LiDAR, and left LiDAR may be arranged together on the ceiling of the vehicle 1.

[0040] The vehicle 1 has a right headlamp 7r and a left headlamp 7l as lamps 7. The right headlamp 7r is provided on the right side of the front of the vehicle 1, and the left headlamp 7l is provided on the left side of the front of the vehicle 1. The right headlamp 7r is provided to the right of the left headlamp 7l.

[0041] The vehicle 1 has a front window 1f and a rear window 1b.

[0042] The vehicle 1 has a cleaner system 100 according to this embodiment. The cleaner system 100 is a system that removes foreign matter such as water droplets, mud, and dust adhering to an object to be cleaned using a cleaning medium. In this embodiment, the cleaner system 100 has a front window washer (hereinafter referred to as front WW) 101, a rear window washer (hereinafter referred to as rear WW) 102, a front LiDAR cleaner (hereinafter referred to as front LC) 103, a rear LiDAR cleaner (hereinafter referred to as rear LC) 104, a right LiDAR cleaner (hereinafter referred to as right LC) 105, a left LiDAR cleaner (hereinafter referred to as left LC) 106, a right headlamp cleaner (hereinafter referred to as right HC) 107, a left headlamp cleaner (hereinafter referred to as left HC) 108, a front camera cleaner 109a, and a rear camera cleaner 109b. Each of the cleaners 101 to 109b has one or more nozzles, and ejects a cleaning medium such as a cleaning liquid or air from the nozzle toward an object to be cleaned. Each of the cleaners 101 to 109b may be referred to as a cleaner unit 110.

[0043] The front WW 101 can clean the front window 1f. The rear WW 102 can clean the rear window 1b. The front LC 103 can clean the front LiDAR 6f. The rear LC 104 can clean the rear LiDAR 6b. The right LC 105 can clean the right LiDAR 6r. The left LC 106 can clean the left LiDAR 6l. The right HC 107 can clean the right headlamp 7r. The left HC 108 can clean the left headlamp 7l. The front camera cleaner 109a can clean the front camera 6c. The rear camera cleaner 109b can clean the rear camera 6d.

[0044] 3 is a schematic diagram of the cleaner system 100. In addition to the cleaners 101 to 109b, the cleaner system 100 has a front tank 111, a front pump 112, a rear tank 113, a rear pump 114, and a cleaner control unit 116 (control unit).

[0045] The front WW 101, front LC 103, right LC 105, left LC 106, right HC 107, left HC 108, and front camera cleaner 109a are connected to a front tank 111 via a front pump 112. The front pump 112 sends the cleaning liquid stored in the front tank 111 to the front WW 101, front LC 103, right LC 105, left LC 106, right HC 107, left HC 108, and front camera cleaner 109a.

[0046] The rear WW 102, the rear LC 104, and the rear camera cleaner 109b are connected to a rear tank 113 via a rear pump 114. The rear pump 114 sends the cleaning liquid stored in the rear tank 113 to the rear WW 102, the rear LC 104, and the rear camera cleaner 109b.

[0047] Each of the cleaners 101-109b is provided with an actuator that opens a nozzle to discharge the cleaning liquid onto an object to be cleaned. The actuator provided in each of the cleaners 101-109b is electrically connected to a cleaner control unit 116. The cleaner control unit 116 is also electrically connected to the front pump 112, the rear pump 114, and the vehicle control unit 3.

[0048] First embodiment Hereinafter, a vehicle cleaner system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the main parts of the vehicle cleaner system 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the vehicle cleaner system 100 has a cleaner unit 110 that cleans the external sensor 6, and a cleaner control unit 116 that controls the operation of the cleaner unit 110. Note that, although Fig. 4 shows only the front LC 103 and the front camera cleaner 109a as the cleaner unit 110, the vehicle cleaner system 100 naturally has other cleaner units 110 as shown in Fig. 3.

[0049] The front LC 103 and the front camera cleaner 109a each have an air nozzle 131 that discharges air (e.g., high-pressure air) as a cleaning medium to the external sensor 6, a liquid nozzle 132 that discharges cleaning liquid as a cleaning medium to the external sensor 6, and a dirt sensor 133 that detects dirt on the external sensor 6. Specifically, the front LC 103 has an air nozzle 131 that discharges air as a cleaning medium to the front LiDAR 6f, a liquid nozzle 132 that discharges cleaning liquid as a cleaning medium to the front LiDAR 6f, and a dirt sensor 133 that detects dirt on the front LiDAR 6f. The front camera cleaner 109a and other cleaner units 110 similarly have the air nozzle 131, the liquid nozzle 132, and the dirt sensor 133.

[0050] The cleaner control unit 116 is connected to each of the front LC 103 and the front camera cleaner 109a. The cleaner control unit 116 is configured to control each of the cleaner units 110. The cleaner control unit 116 is configured, for example, by at least one electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit). The electronic control unit may include at least one microcontroller including one or more processors and one or more memories, and other electronic circuits including active elements such as transistors and passive elements. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and / or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The CPU may be configured by multiple CPU cores. The GPU may be configured by multiple GPU cores. The memory includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). A control program for the cleaner unit 110 may be stored in the ROM.

[0051] The processor may be configured to load a specified program from a group of programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM. The electronic control unit (ECU) may be configured with integrated circuits (hardware resources) such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The electronic control unit may be configured with a combination of at least one microcontroller and an integrated circuit.

[0052] The cleaner control unit 116 includes a vehicle speed information acquisition unit 121 and a cleaning target sensor determination unit 122. The vehicle speed information acquisition unit 121 acquires the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle 1. The vehicle speed information acquisition unit 121 is connected to a vehicle speed sensor 5 serving as an internal sensor, and acquires vehicle speed information. The cleaning target sensor determination unit 122 identifies an external sensor 6 to be cleaned among a plurality of external sensors 6 according to the vehicle speed acquired by the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 121.

[0053] In this embodiment, the cleaner control unit 116 receives a detection signal (e.g., a dirt signal) from the dirt sensor 133, determines whether the external sensor 6 is in a clean state, and activates the cleaner unit 110 if the external sensor 6 is not in a clean state.

[0054] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by the cleaner control unit 116. As shown in FIG. 5, in step S1, the cleaner control unit 116 determines whether the external sensor 6 is in a clean state based on the output of the dirt sensor 133. For example, the cleaner control unit 116 determines whether the front LiDAR 6f is in a clean state according to the output of the dirt sensor 133 that detects dirt on the front LiDAR 6f. Alternatively, the front LC 103 may be configured to transmit a signal notifying the front LiDAR 6f of whether cleaning is required or not according to the output of the dirt sensor 133 to the cleaner control unit 116, and the cleaner control unit 116 may be configured to determine whether the front LiDAR 6f is in a clean state according to the signal from the front LC 103. The cleaner control unit 116 determines whether the external sensor 6 to be cleaned is in a clean state for the other cleaner units 110 in the same manner as the front LC 103.

[0055] If it is determined in step S1 that the external sensor 6 is in a clean state (Yes in step S1), the cleaner control section 116 repeats the process of step S1 until it is determined that the external sensor 6 is not in a clean state.

[0056] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1 that the external sensor 6 is not in a clean state (No in step S1), in step S2, the cleaner control unit 116 causes the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 121 to acquire vehicle speed information from the vehicle speed sensor 5. Next, in step S3, the cleaner control unit 116 determines whether or not the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value V1, based on the vehicle speed information acquired in the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 121.

[0057] If it is determined that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined value V1 (Yes in step S3), the cleaner control section 116 operates the cleaner unit 110 in the first operation mode in step S4. On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle speed is greater than the predetermined value V1 (No in step S3), the cleaner control section 116 operates the cleaner unit 110 in the second operation mode in step S5.

[0058] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the timing of ejection of the cleaning liquid from the liquid nozzle 132 when the cleaner unit 110 is operated in the first operation mode and when the cleaner unit 110 is operated in the second operation mode. As shown in FIG. 6, for example, in the first operation mode when the vehicle speed is V1 or less, the cleaner control unit 116 operates the cleaner unit 110 so that the cleaning liquid is ejected from the liquid nozzle 132 six times at a predetermined interval. Also, in the second operation mode when the vehicle speed is greater than V1, the cleaner control unit 116 operates the cleaner unit 110 so that the cleaning liquid is ejected from the liquid nozzle 132 three times at a predetermined interval. In this way, the cleaner control unit 116 operates the cleaner unit 110 so that the number of ejections of the cleaning liquid differs between the first operation mode and the second operation mode. For example, when the vehicle speed is greater than V1, it is considered that the front LiDAR 6f and the front camera 6c, which are the external sensors 6 mounted on the front side of the vehicle 1, are in a situation in which they are likely to be kept clean under the influence of the traveling wind. Therefore, for example, when the front LC 103 and the front camera cleaner 109a are operated as the cleaner unit 110, it is preferable to reduce consumption of cleaning liquid by reducing the number of times cleaning liquid is ejected in the second operation mode selected when the vehicle speed is greater than V1 compared to the first operation mode selected when the vehicle speed is equal to or less than V1.

[0059] In addition, in steps S4 and S5, the cleaner control unit 116 may drive at least one of the cleaner units 110, or may operate all of the cleaner units 110. However, since the sensitivity of the external sensor 6 that acquires external information in front is required when executing the autonomous driving mode, it is preferable to configure so as to operate at least the front camera cleaner 109a that cleans the front camera 6c that acquires information in front of the vehicle, and the front LC 103 that cleans the front LiDAR 6f.

[0060] As described above, according to the vehicle cleaner system 100 of the first embodiment, the cleaner control unit 116 controls the cleaner unit 110 to vary the number of times the cleaning fluid is discharged, depending on the vehicle speed information acquired by the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 121. With this configuration, appropriate cleaning conditions for cleaning the external sensor 6 by the cleaner unit 110 can be selected based on the vehicle speed, and wear on the cleaner unit 110 and consumption of the cleaning fluid can be reduced while keeping the external sensor 6 clean.

[0061] In the example of the first embodiment, the cleaner control unit 116 makes the number of times the cleaning liquid is discharged from the liquid nozzle 132 different between the first operation mode and the second operation mode, but is not limited to this example. The cleaner control unit 116 may control the cleaner unit 110 to make at least one of the amount of cleaning liquid discharged, the amount of cleaning liquid discharged per unit time, the number of times the cleaning liquid is discharged per unit time, and the duration of the cleaning liquid discharged, different between the first operation mode and the second operation mode, for example.

[0062] 7 is a diagram showing the discharge timing of the cleaning liquid in the first operation mode and the second operation mode according to the first modification. As shown in FIG. 7, the cleaner control unit 116 may operate the cleaner unit 110 so that the cleaning liquid is continuously discharged for a time T1 in the first operation mode, while operating the cleaner unit 110 so that the cleaning liquid is continuously discharged for a time T2 shorter than the time T1 in the second operation mode. For example, when the front LC 103 and the front camera cleaner 109a are operated as the cleaner unit 110, it is preferable to suppress consumption of the cleaning liquid by shortening the discharge time of the cleaning liquid in the second operation mode selected when the vehicle speed is higher than V1 compared to the first operation mode selected when the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than V1.

[0063] FIG. 8A is a diagram showing the ejection timing of cleaning liquid and air in a first operation mode according to the second modification, and FIG. 8B is a diagram showing the ejection timing of cleaning liquid and air in a second operation mode according to the second modification. As shown in FIG. 8A, for example, in the first operation mode, the cleaner control unit 116 may eject air from the air nozzle 131 toward the external sensor 6 after ejecting cleaning liquid from the liquid nozzle 132 toward the external sensor 6. The cleaner control unit 116 ejects air (e.g., high-pressure air) from the air nozzle 131 after a predetermined time T3 has elapsed from the time when cleaning of the external sensor 6 with the cleaning liquid is completed. That is, the ejection of air is performed with a delay of the time T3 from the time when cleaning of the external sensor 6 by ejection of the cleaning liquid is completed. According to this method, dirt on the external sensor 6 can be cleaned with the cleaning liquid, and furthermore, the cleaning liquid attached to the external sensor 6 can be blown away by the air, and the external sensor 6 can be brought into a clean state. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, in the second operation mode, the cleaner control unit 116 may be configured not to eject air from the air nozzle 131 after ejecting cleaning liquid from the liquid nozzle 132 toward the external sensor 6.

[0064] In this way, the cleaner control unit 116 may control the cleaner unit 110 to change at least one of the amount of air discharged from the air nozzle 131, the amount of air discharged per unit time, the number of times the air is discharged, the number of times the air is discharged per unit time, and the time of air discharge, according to the vehicle speed information. As described above, when the vehicle speed is higher than V1, the front LiDAR 6f and the front camera 6c, which are the external sensor 6 mounted on the front side of the vehicle 1, are affected by the traveling wind, so that the cleaning solution attached to the external sensor 6 can be blown off by air without discharging air after discharging the cleaning solution. Therefore, by changing the air discharge mode according to the vehicle speed, it is possible to select suitable cleaning conditions for cleaning the external sensor 6 by the cleaner unit 110, and it is possible to suppress wear of the cleaner unit 110 while keeping the external sensor 6 clean.

[0065] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the process executed by the cleaner control unit 116 according to the third modification. In the third modification shown in FIG. 9, steps S1 to S3 are the same as the example of the process shown in FIG. 5, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0066] When it is determined that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined value V1 (Yes in step S3), in step S14, the cleaner control section 116 activates all the cleaner units 110. That is, the cleaner control section 116 cleans all the external sensors 6.

[0067] On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle speed is greater than the predetermined value V1 (No in step S3), in step S15, the cleaner control unit 116 identifies an external sensor 6 to be cleaned among the multiple external sensors 6 mounted on the vehicle 1. In this example, the cleaner control unit 116 identifies the front LiDAR 6f and the front camera 6c, which are disposed on the front side of the vehicle 1 and acquire information on the front area (an example of a first area) of the vehicle 1, among the front LiDAR 6f, rear LiDAR 6b, right LiDAR 6r, left LiDAR 6l, front camera 6c, and rear camera 6d, as the external sensor 6 to be cleaned.

[0068] Next, in step S16, the cleaner control unit 116 permits the operation of the cleaner unit 110 corresponding to the specified external sensor 6 to be cleaned (front LiDAR 6f and front camera 6c) and prohibits the operation of the cleaner unit 110 corresponding to the external sensor 6 not to be cleaned (rear LiDAR 6b, right LiDAR 6r, left LiDAR 6l, rear camera 6d). As a result, the front LiDAR cleaner 103 and the front camera cleaner 109a corresponding to the front LiDAR 6f and front camera 6c to be cleaned, respectively, are activated, and at least one of the cleaning liquid and the air is sprayed only to the front LiDAR 6f and the front camera 6c.

[0069] In this way, according to the vehicle cleaner system 100 of the third modification, the cleaner control unit 116 is configured to obtain vehicle speed information related to the traveling speed of the vehicle 1, and when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined value V1, to permit the operation of the cleaner unit 110 (an example of a first cleaner unit) corresponding to the external sensor 6 that obtains information on the front area (an example of a first area) of the vehicle 1, and to prohibit the operation of the cleaner unit 110 (an example of a second cleaner unit) corresponding to the external sensor 6 that obtains information on the rear and side areas (an example of a second area) of the vehicle 1. For example, when the vehicle 1 is traveling at high speed, information on the rear area of ​​the vehicle 1 is unnecessary, so that the wear of the cleaner unit 110 and the consumption of the cleaning liquid can be suppressed by prohibiting the operation of the external sensors 6, particularly the external sensors 6 (rear LiDAR 6b, rear camera 6d) mounted on the rear of the vehicle.

[0070] Second Embodiment Hereinafter, a vehicle cleaner system according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the description of the members having the same reference numbers as those already described in the first embodiment will be omitted. Fig. 10 is a block diagram of the main parts of a vehicle cleaner system 1100 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 10, the vehicle cleaner system 1100 has a cleaner unit 110 that cleans the external sensor 6, and a cleaner control unit 1116 that controls the operation of the cleaner unit 110. Note that, although Fig. 10 shows only the front LC 103 and the front camera cleaner 109a as the cleaner unit 110, the vehicle cleaner system 1100 naturally has other cleaner units 110 as shown in Fig. 3.

[0071] The front LC 103 and the front camera cleaner 109a each have an air nozzle 131 that discharges air (e.g., high-pressure air) as a cleaning medium to the external sensor 6, a liquid nozzle 132 that discharges cleaning liquid as a cleaning medium to the external sensor 6, and a dirt sensor 133 that detects dirt on the external sensor 6. Specifically, the front LC 103 has an air nozzle 131 that discharges air as a cleaning medium to the front LiDAR 6f, a liquid nozzle 132 that discharges cleaning liquid as a cleaning medium to the front LiDAR 6f, and a dirt sensor 133 that detects dirt on the front LiDAR 6f. The front camera cleaner 109a and other cleaner units 110 similarly have the air nozzle 131, the liquid nozzle 132, and the dirt sensor 133.

[0072] The cleaner control unit 1116 is connected to each of the front LC 103 and the front camera cleaner 109a. The cleaner control unit 1116 is configured to control each of the cleaner units 110. The cleaner control unit 1116 is configured, for example, by at least one electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit may include at least one microcontroller including one or more processors and one or more memories, and other electronic circuits including active elements such as transistors and passive elements. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and / or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The CPU may be configured by multiple CPU cores. The GPU may be configured by multiple GPU cores. The memory includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). A control program for the cleaner unit 110 may be stored in the ROM.

[0073] The processor may be configured to load a specified program from a group of programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM. The electronic control unit (ECU) may be configured with integrated circuits (hardware resources) such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The electronic control unit may be configured with a combination of at least one microcontroller and an integrated circuit.

[0074] The cleaner control unit 1116 includes a vehicle speed information acquisition unit 1117, a position information acquisition unit 1118, and a traffic jam information acquisition unit 1119. The vehicle speed information acquisition unit 1117 acquires the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle 1. The vehicle speed information acquisition unit 1117 is connected to a vehicle speed sensor 5 as an external sensor, and acquires vehicle speed information. The position information acquisition unit 1118 is connected to a GPS 9, and acquires current position information (vehicle position information) of the vehicle 1 output from the GPS 9. The traffic jam information acquisition unit 1119 is connected to at least one of the navigation system 1122 and the wireless communication unit 10, and acquires traffic jam information output from at least one of the navigation system 1122 and the wireless communication unit 10. The navigation system 1122 and the wireless communication unit 10 acquire, for example, VICS information from outside the vehicle, and output traffic jam information around the vehicle 1 to the traffic jam information acquisition unit 1119 based on the acquired VICS information. In addition, the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 1117, the position information acquisition unit 1118, and the traffic congestion information acquisition unit 1119 may acquire vehicle speed information, current position information, and traffic congestion information, respectively, from the vehicle speed sensor 5, GPS 9, and navigation system 1122 (or wireless communication unit 10) via the vehicle control unit 3.

[0075] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by the cleaner control unit 1116. As shown in FIG. 11, in step S21, the cleaner control unit 1116 determines whether the external sensor 6 is in a clean state based on the output of the dirt sensor 133. For example, the cleaner control unit 1116 determines whether the front LiDAR 6f is in a clean state according to the output of the dirt sensor 133 that detects dirt on the front LiDAR 6f. Alternatively, the front LC 103 may be configured to transmit a signal notifying the front LiDAR 6f of whether cleaning is required or not according to the output of the dirt sensor 133 to the cleaner control unit 1116, and the cleaner control unit 1116 may be configured to determine whether the front LiDAR 6f is in a clean state according to the signal from the front LC 103. The cleaner control unit 1116 determines whether the external sensor 6 to be cleaned is in a clean state for the other cleaner units 110 in the same manner as the front LC 103.

[0076] If it is determined that the external sensor 6 is in a clean state (Yes in step S21), the cleaner control section 1116 repeats the process of step S21 until it is determined that the external sensor 6 is not in a clean state.

[0077] On the other hand, when it is determined that the external sensor 6 is not in a clean state (No in step S21), in step S22, the cleaner control unit 1116 acquires congestion information in the congestion information acquisition unit 1119. The congestion information can be acquired from, for example, VICS information, vehicle-to-vehicle communication information, road-to-vehicle communication information, etc.

[0078] Next, in step S23, the cleaner control unit 1116 causes the position information acquisition unit 1118 to acquire the vehicle position information of the vehicle 1.

[0079] Next, in step S24, the cleaner control unit 1116 judges whether or not the current position of the vehicle 1 is within a predetermined range from the congestion occurrence point based on the acquired congestion information and vehicle position information. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the cleaner control unit 1116 judges whether or not the distance from the vehicle 1A at the end of the congestion occurrence point to the vehicle 1 is equal to or less than a predetermined value L1 (for example, 2 km). The cleaner control unit 1116 can accurately identify the current position of the vehicle 1 based on the vehicle position information acquired from the GPS 9 and the vehicle speed information acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 5. In addition, the cleaner control unit 1116 can appropriately change the predetermined value L1 according to the road conditions and weather conditions during traveling. For example, when the vehicle 1 is traveling on a highway (a highway for automobiles only), it is required to maintain the sensitivity of the sensor in a high state, so it is preferable to make the predetermined value L1 larger than when traveling on a general road. In addition, since high sensitivity sensing is required even in rainy weather, it is preferable to make the predetermined value L1 larger than when it is sunny.

[0080] If it is determined that the current position of the vehicle 1 is not within a predetermined range from the congestion location (No in step S24), the cleaner control unit 1116 permits the operation of the cleaner unit 110 in step S25. This causes the cleaner unit 110 to operate, and at least one of the air nozzle 131 and the liquid nozzle 132 sprays air and / or cleaning liquid toward the external sensor 6. Thereafter, the cleaner control unit 1116 returns the process to step S21.

[0081] On the other hand, if it is determined that the current position of vehicle 1 is within a predetermined range from the congestion location (Yes in step S24), in step S26, the cleaner control unit 1116 determines whether the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of vehicle 1 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value V1 (e.g., 30 km / h) based on the vehicle speed information acquired by the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 1117.

[0082] When it is determined that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined value V1 (Yes in step S26), in step S27, the cleaner control section 1116 permits the operation of the cleaner unit 110. This causes the cleaner unit 110 to operate, and at least one of the air nozzle 131 and the liquid nozzle 132 to spray air and / or cleaning liquid toward the external sensor 6.

[0083] Next, in step S28, the cleaner control unit 1116 determines whether or not the external sensor 6 is in a clean state based on the output of the dirt sensor 133. If it is determined that the external sensor 6 is in a clean state (Yes in step S28), the cleaner control unit 1116 ends the process. On the other hand, if it is determined that the external sensor 6 is not in a clean state (No in step S28), the cleaner control unit 1116 returns the process to step S26.

[0084] When it is determined in step S26 that the vehicle speed is greater than the predetermined value V1 (No in step S26), in step S29, the cleaner control section 1116 prohibits the operation of the cleaner unit 110. That is, in this state, cleaning of the external sensor 6 is not performed.

[0085] Next, in step S30, the cleaner control unit 1116 determines whether the current position of the vehicle 1 has reached the end of the congestion location. Whether the vehicle 1 has reached the end of the congestion location can be determined based on the distance between the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1A at the end of the congestion location and / or a change in the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, when the distance from the vehicle 1A at the end of the congestion location to the host vehicle 1 is equal to or less than a predetermined value L2 (for example, 5 m), the cleaner control unit 1116 determines that the vehicle 1 has reached the end of the congestion location. For example, the cleaner control unit 1116 can obtain information regarding the distance between the vehicle 1A and the host vehicle 1 from the camera image processing unit 1123 (see FIG. 10). The cleaner control unit 1116 may obtain information regarding the distance between the vehicle 1A and the host vehicle 1 directly from the front LiDAR 6f or the front camera 6c as the external sensor 6. In addition, the cleaner control unit 1116 may determine that the vehicle 1 has reached the end of the congestion location when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value (e.g., 5 km / h) in addition to or instead of when the distance from the vehicle 1A to the vehicle 1 is equal to or less than the predetermined value L2.

[0086] If it is determined that the vehicle 1 has not reached the end of the traffic jam location (No in step S30), the cleaner control unit 1116 repeats the process of step S30 until it is determined that the vehicle 1 has reached the end of the traffic jam location.

[0087] On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 has reached the end of the congestion location (Yes in step S30), in step S31, the cleaner control unit 1116 permits the operation of the cleaner unit 110. This causes the cleaner unit 110 to operate, and at least one of the air nozzle 131 and the liquid nozzle 132 to spray air and / or cleaning liquid toward the external sensor 6.

[0088] Next, in step S32, the cleaner control unit 1116 determines whether or not the external sensor 6 is in a clean state based on the output of the dirt sensor 133. If it is determined that the external sensor 6 is in a clean state (Yes in step S32), the cleaner control unit 1116 ends the process. On the other hand, if it is determined that the external sensor 6 is not in a clean state (No in step S32), the cleaner control unit 1116 returns the process to step S26.

[0089] In steps S25, S27, and S31, the cleaner control unit 1116 may permit the operation of at least one of the cleaner units 110, or may permit the operation of all of the cleaner units 110. However, since the sensitivity of the external sensor 6 that acquires external information in front is required when executing the autonomous driving mode, it is preferable to configure so as to operate at least the front camera cleaner 109a that cleans the front camera 6c that acquires information in front of the vehicle, and the front LC 103 that cleans the front LiDAR 6f.

[0090] Incidentally, when the vehicle 1 travels at a low speed, it is often not required to maintain the sensitivity of the sensing compared to when the vehicle 1 travels at a high speed. Therefore, when the vehicle 1 travels at a low speed, even if the cleaner unit 110 is operated to spray cleaning fluid or air onto the external sensor 6, the cleaning fluid or the like is unlikely to interfere with sensing. On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 travels at a high speed, it is required to maintain the sensitivity of the sensing at a high level, but while the cleaner unit 110 is operated to spray cleaning fluid or air onto the external sensor 6, the sensitivity of the sensing may decrease and may not satisfy the required sensitivity.

[0091] Therefore, according to the vehicle cleaner system 1100 of the second embodiment, the cleaner control unit 1116 is configured to acquire vehicle speed information of the vehicle 1, and permit the operation of the cleaner unit 110 when the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined value V1, while prohibiting the operation of the cleaner unit 110 when the vehicle speed is greater than the predetermined value V1. With this configuration, by prohibiting the operation of the cleaner unit 110 at a timing when it is required to maintain the sensing sensitivity of the external sensor 6 at a high level, it is possible to prevent the sensing sensitivity of the external sensor 6 from being reduced by the cleaning liquid or air sprayed from the cleaner unit 110 and from not satisfying the required sensitivity. On the other hand, by permitting the operation of the cleaner unit 110 at a timing when the sensing sensitivity is not so required, it is possible to clean the external sensor 6 and keep the external sensor 6 clean.

[0092] In particular, the cleaner control unit 1116 is configured to acquire vehicle position information and traffic congestion information of the vehicle 1, and determine whether or not to operate the cleaner unit 110 based on the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is located within a predetermined range L1 from the traffic congestion location. In a situation in which the vehicle 1 is approaching the traffic congestion location at high speed, it is required to maintain the sensing sensitivity of the external sensor 6 at a high level. Therefore, when the vehicle 1 is located within the predetermined range L1 from the traffic congestion location and the vehicle speed is greater than a predetermined value V1, it is preferable to prohibit the operation of the cleaner unit 110 even when it is determined that the external sensor 6 is not in a clean state, thereby reliably preventing the sensing sensitivity of the external sensor 6 from being reduced by the cleaning liquid or the like sprayed from the cleaner unit 110 and from not satisfying the required sensitivity.

[0093] Furthermore, according to the vehicle cleaner system 1100 of the second embodiment, the cleaner control unit 1116 is configured to permit operation of the cleaner unit 110 when it is determined that the vehicle 1 has reached the end of the congestion location. When the vehicle 1 has reached the congestion location, high sensitivity sensing by the external sensor 6 is often not required, so that the operation of the cleaner unit 110 can be permitted to clean the external sensor 6.

[0094] Third embodiment Hereinafter, a vehicle cleaner system according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the description of the members having the same reference numbers as those already described in the first embodiment will be omitted. Fig. 14 is a block diagram of the main parts of a vehicle cleaner system 2100 according to the third embodiment. As shown in Fig. 14, the vehicle cleaner system 2100 has a cleaner unit 110 that cleans the external sensor 6, and a cleaner control unit 2116 that controls the operation of the cleaner unit 110. Note that Fig. 14 shows only the front LC 103 and the rear LC 104 as the cleaner unit 110, but it goes without saying that the vehicle cleaner system 2100 has other cleaner units 110 as shown in Fig. 3.

[0095] The cleaner control unit 2116 (an example of a vehicle cleaner control device) is configured to control each cleaner unit 110. The cleaner control unit 2116 is configured, for example, by at least one electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit may include at least one microcontroller including one or more processors and one or more memories, and other electronic circuits including active elements such as transistors and passive elements. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and / or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The CPU may be configured by multiple CPU cores. The GPU may be configured by multiple GPU cores. The memory includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). A control program for the cleaner unit 110 may be stored in the ROM.

[0096] The processor may be configured to load a specified program from a group of programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM. The electronic control unit (ECU) may be configured with integrated circuits (hardware resources) such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The electronic control unit may be configured with a combination of at least one microcontroller and an integrated circuit.

[0097] The cleaner control unit 2116 is connected to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 pre-stores information on the braking distance corresponding to the vehicle speed and the maximum detection distance of the external sensor 6, and outputs this information in response to a request from the cleaner control unit 2116. In addition, the cleaner control unit 2116 is connected via the vehicle control unit 3 to an external sensor 6 (camera, radar, LiDAR, etc.), a wireless communication unit 10, a vehicle speed sensor 5, a cleaner automatic button 21, and an automatic driving button 22.

[0098] The external sensor 6 (camera, radar, LiDAR, etc.) acquires information on the distance to an obstacle ahead of the vehicle 1 (for example, a vehicle ahead of the vehicle 1), and outputs this information to the vehicle control unit 3 as obstacle information. The wireless communication unit 10 receives infrastructure information from infrastructure facilities by road-to-vehicle communication, and outputs an automatic driving possible signal to the vehicle control unit 3, notifying the vehicle 1 that the vehicle 1 is entering an area in which the vehicle is permitted to drive in automatic driving mode (hereinafter referred to as an automatic driving possible area). The wireless communication unit 10 also acquires infrastructure information from infrastructure facilities by road-to-vehicle communication, driving information of a vehicle ahead by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and road traffic information (for example, congestion information, traffic regulation information, etc.) from VICS, and outputs this information to the vehicle control unit 3 as obstacle information. The vehicle speed sensor 5 detects the driving speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle 1, and outputs the vehicle speed information to the vehicle control unit 3. The cleaner automatic button 21 outputs a cleaner automatic signal to the vehicle control unit 3 when operated by a user. When the automatic driving button 22 is operated by a user, it outputs an automatic driving signal to the vehicle control unit 3. The information output to the vehicle control unit 3 is output as appropriate to the cleaner control unit 2116. Note that the cleaner automatic button 21 and the automatic driving button 22 can be configured with a switch, a lever, a touch display, or the like instead of a button.

[0099] The automatic driving possible signal will be described with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the position of the vehicle 1. In the third embodiment, the highway S is an area where automatic driving is possible. As shown in FIG. 15, a transmitting device is installed at the entrance to the highway S, which transmits a wireless signal notifying that the vehicle is permitted to travel on the highway S in automatic driving mode. In FIG. 15, an area where the strength of the wireless signal transmitted from the transmitting device is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is indicated by the symbol A. When the vehicle 1 enters the area A, the wireless communication unit 10 acquires the wireless signal transmitted from the transmitting device and outputs the automatic driving possible signal to the vehicle control unit 3. In addition, when the vehicle is located outside the area A, the automatic driving possible signal is not input to the vehicle control unit 3.

[0100] Furthermore, the cleaner control section 2116 has an automatic mode execution section 2117 and an operation prohibition section 2118. The automatic mode execution section 2117 and the operation prohibition section 2118 are realized by the electronic control unit of the cleaner control section 2116. The automatic mode execution unit 2117 executes the cleaner automatic mode that automatically operates the cleaner unit 110 based on a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition is, for example, when entering an area where automatic driving is possible, such as a motorway (for example, a highway), when switching to automatic driving mode after entering an area where automatic driving is possible, or when the cleaner automatic button 21 is pressed by a user. When switching to automatic driving mode after entering an area where automatic driving is possible, for example, when a predetermined process (for example, a dirt confirmation process or a pre-wash process) is performed after entering an area where automatic driving is possible and the mode is automatically switched to automatic driving mode, or when the automatic driving button 22 is pressed by a user who confirms that the area where automatic driving is possible has been entered.

[0101] The operation prohibition unit 2118 prohibits the operation of the cleaner unit 110 based on the vehicle speed and obstacle information. Prohibition of the operation of the cleaner unit 110 includes a case where the operation of the cleaner unit is stopped while the cleaner unit is operating, or a case where the cleaner automatic mode is cancelled. Obstacles include, for example, objects that may impede the running of the host vehicle, such as fallen objects or deposits on the road, an accident vehicle, a preceding vehicle that is running at a low speed or stopped due to congestion, and traffic regulations. Obstacle information is information on these obstacles, and as described above, is, for example, position information of obstacles and road traffic information (for example, congestion and traffic regulations) acquired by the external sensor 6 (camera, radar, LiDAR, etc.) or the wireless communication unit 10.

[0102] When the operation prohibition unit 2118 obtains information about an obstacle present within a specified distance ahead of the vehicle from the vehicle control unit 3, it obtains information about the braking distance corresponding to the vehicle speed obtained from the vehicle speed sensor 5 and the maximum detection distance of the external sensor 6 from the vehicle control unit 3, and prohibits operation of the cleaner unit 110 if the braking distance is greater than or equal to the maximum detection distance of the external sensor 6.

[0103] FIG. 16 shows an example in which an obstacle exists within 10 km ahead of the vehicle. In general, the vehicle speed and the braking distance are proportional to each other. That is, as shown in FIG. 16A, when the vehicle speed is low, the braking distance is small, and the maximum detection distance of the external sensor is larger than the braking distance of the vehicle. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16B, when the vehicle speed is high, the braking distance is large, and the maximum detection distance of the external sensor is smaller than the braking distance of the vehicle. That is, in the case of FIG. 16B, when the vehicle speed is high, the braking distance is also large, and it becomes difficult for the vehicle to avoid the obstacle after the obstacle is detected by the external sensor 6. Therefore, it is preferable that the external sensor 6 continues sensing without decreasing the sensing sensitivity by operating the cleaner. For this reason, in the third embodiment, in the case of FIG. 16B, by prohibiting the operation of the cleaner of the external sensor 6, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the sensing sensitivity of the external camera 6 and to continue sensing.

[0104] The automatic mode execution unit 2117 may drive at least one of the cleaner units 110, or may operate all of the cleaner units 110. However, since the sensitivity of the external sensor 6 that acquires external information in front is required when executing the automatic driving mode, it is preferable to configure so as to operate at least the front camera cleaner 109a that cleans the front camera 6c that acquires information in front of the vehicle, and the front LC 103 that cleans the front LiDAR 6f. Furthermore, the operation prohibition unit 2118 may prohibit the operation of only the cleaner unit 110 corresponding to the external sensor 6 whose maximum detection distance has become less than the braking distance, or may prohibit the operation of all the cleaner units 110.

[0105] Next, the operation of the vehicle cleaner system 2100 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

[0106] 17, first, the cleaner control unit 2116 determines whether or not the host vehicle 1 has entered an expressway (step S41). For example, the cleaner control unit 2116 determines whether or not an automatic driving possible signal has been acquired from the wireless communication unit 10 of the external sensor 6. If the host vehicle 1 is located outside area A in FIG. 15 and the cleaner control unit 2116 has not acquired the automatic driving enable signal (step S41: No), the cleaner control unit 2116 ends the process.

[0107] When the host vehicle 1 is located within area A and the cleaner control unit 2116 has acquired an automatic driving possible signal (step S41: Yes), the automatic mode execution unit 2117 of the cleaner control unit 2116 executes the cleaner automatic mode (step S42). For example, the automatic mode execution unit 2117 periodically drives the cleaner unit 110 to clean the external sensor 6. The automatic mode execution unit 2117 may drive the cleaner unit 110 every time a predetermined time has elapsed or every time a predetermined distance has been traveled. Note that in step S42, the cleaner control unit 2116 may drive at least one of the cleaner units 110, or may operate all of the cleaner units 110.

[0108] Next, the cleaner control unit 2116 determines whether or not obstacle information that exists within a predetermined distance (for example, 10 km) ahead of the vehicle has been acquired from the wireless communication unit 10 or the like (step S43). If it is determined in step S43 that the cleaner control section 2116 has not acquired obstacle information (step S43: No), the cleaner control section 2116 returns to step S42 and continues the cleaner automatic mode. If the cleaner control unit 2116 determines in step S43 that it has acquired obstacle information (step S43: Yes), the cleaner control unit 2116 acquires vehicle speed information of the host vehicle 1 from the vehicle speed sensor 5, and acquires braking distance information corresponding to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1 and maximum detection distance information of the external sensor 6 from the vehicle control unit 3 (step S44).

[0109] Next, the cleaner control unit 2116 compares the braking distance with the maximum detection distance of the external sensor 6, and if it determines that the braking distance is greater than or equal to the maximum detection distance of the external sensor 6 (step S45: Yes), the cleaner control unit 2116 stops the operation of the cleaner unit 110 that is in operation (step S46). If the cleaner control unit 2116 determines in step S45 that the braking distance is less than the maximum detection distance of the external sensor (step S45: No), the cleaner control unit 2116 returns to step S42 and continues the cleaner automatic mode.

[0110] Thus, according to the vehicle cleaner system 2100 according to the third embodiment, the cleaner control unit 2116 executes the cleaner automatic mode when entering an area where automatic driving is possible, such as an expressway. The cleaner control unit 2116 is configured to stop the operation of the cleaner when it acquires obstacle information and the braking distance of the host vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than the maximum detection distance of the external sensor 6. For this reason, when obstacle information is received while traveling on a road, it is possible to prevent the cleaner unit 110 of the external sensor 6 from operating, suppressing a decrease in the sensitivity of the external sensor 6 and making it easier to avoid contact with an obstacle.

[0111] In the above-described third embodiment, the specified condition for executing the automatic cleaner mode is when the vehicle 1 enters an expressway, and an example is described in which the operation of the cleaner is stopped while the cleaner is in operation, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0112] (Fourth embodiment) Hereinafter, a vehicle cleaner system according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the description of the components having the same reference numbers as those already described in the first and third embodiments will be omitted. 18 is a block diagram of a main part of a vehicle cleaner system 3100 according to the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, detailed descriptions of the same elements and similar steps as those in the third embodiment will be omitted. As shown in Fig. 18, the vehicle cleaner system 3100 has a cleaner unit 110 that cleans the external sensor 6, a cleaner control unit 2116 that controls the operation of the cleaner unit 110, and a dirt sensor 3121 that can detect whether the external sensor 6 is clean or not. Note that Fig. 18 shows only dirt sensors for the front LC 103 and rear LC 104 as the dirt sensor 3121, but it goes without saying that the vehicle cleaner system 3100 has other cleaner units 110 and corresponding dirt sensors as shown in Fig. 3. Also, the dirt sensor 3121 may be included in the cleaner unit 110.

[0113] The cleaner control unit 2116 is connected to the external sensors 6 (camera, radar, LiDAR, etc.), the wireless communication unit 10, the vehicle speed sensor 5, the cleaner automatic button 21, the automatic driving button 22, and the road surface condition detection unit 23 via the vehicle control unit 3. The road surface condition detection unit 23 is, for example, a weather sensor that detects weather conditions, determines the condition of the road surface from the weather conditions, and outputs road surface condition information to the vehicle control unit 3. The road surface condition information output to the vehicle control unit 3 is output to the cleaner control unit 2116 as appropriate.

[0114] 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle cleaner system 3100 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0115] 19, first, the cleaner control unit 2116 determines whether or not the cleaner automatic button 21 has been pressed by the user (step S51). For example, the cleaner control unit 2116 determines whether or not a cleaner automatic signal has been acquired from the cleaner automatic button 21. If the cleaner control unit 2116 has not acquired the cleaner automatic signal (step S51: No), the cleaner control unit 2116 ends the process.

[0116] If the cleaner control unit 2116 has acquired the cleaner automatic signal (step S51: Yes), the automatic mode execution unit 2117 of the cleaner control unit 2116 executes the cleaner automatic mode (step S52). For example, when the automatic mode execution unit 2117 determines that the external sensor 6 is not clean based on the output of the dirt sensor 3121, it drives the cleaner unit 110 to clean the external sensor 6. The determination in step S52 as to whether or not cleaning of the external sensors 6 is necessary may be performed for all external sensors 6, or may be performed only for a specific external sensor 6. When it is determined that cleaning is necessary for a specific external sensor 6, all external sensors 6 may be configured to be cleaned.

[0117] Next, the cleaner control unit 2116 determines whether or not obstacle information that exists within a predetermined distance (for example, 10 km) ahead of the vehicle has been acquired from the wireless communication unit 10 or the like (step S53). If it is determined in step S53 that the cleaner control section 2116 has not acquired obstacle information (step S53: No), the cleaner control section 2116 returns to step S52 and continues the cleaner automatic mode. If the cleaner control unit 2116 determines in step S53 that it has acquired obstacle information (step S53: Yes), the cleaner control unit 2116 acquires vehicle speed information of the host vehicle 1 from the vehicle speed sensor 5, and acquires braking distance information corresponding to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1 and maximum detection distance information of the external sensor 6 from the vehicle control unit 3 (step S54).

[0118] Next, the cleaner control unit 2116 receives road surface condition information from the road surface condition detection unit 23, and calculates a corrected braking distance by multiplying the braking distance by a coefficient according to the road surface condition (step S55). The coefficient according to the road surface condition is stored in advance in the vehicle control unit 3 or the cleaner control unit 2116. For example, the coefficient is set to 1 when the weather is fine, while the coefficient value is increased to increase the braking distance when the conditions are prone to slipping.

[0119] If the cleaner control unit 2116 determines in step S56 that the corrected braking distance is equal to or greater than the maximum detection distance of the external sensor (step S56: Yes), the cleaner control unit 2116 cancels the automatic cleaner mode (step S57). If the cleaner control unit 2116 determines in step S56 that the corrected braking distance is less than the maximum detection distance of the external sensor (step S56: No), the cleaner control unit 2116 returns to step S52 and continues the cleaner automatic mode.

[0120] Thus, according to the vehicle cleaner system 3100 of the fourth embodiment, the cleaner control unit 2116 executes the cleaner automatic mode when the cleaner automatic button 21 is pressed. Then, when the cleaner control unit 2116 acquires obstacle information, it is configured to cancel the cleaner automatic mode if the corrected braking distance calculated by multiplying the braking distance of the vehicle 1 by a coefficient according to the road surface condition is equal to or greater than the maximum detection distance of the external sensor 6. Therefore, when obstacle information is received while traveling on a road, it is possible to prevent the cleaner unit 110 of the external sensor 6 from operating, suppressing a decrease in the sensitivity of the external sensor 6 and making it easier to avoid contact with an obstacle.

[0121] In the fourth embodiment, the cleaner control unit 2116 is configured to determine whether or not cleaning of the external sensor 6 is necessary based on the output of the dirt sensor 3121, but is not limited to this. The cleaner control unit 2116 may be configured to determine whether or not cleaning of the external sensor 6 is necessary based on weather information.

[0122] <Various Modifications> Although the present embodiment has been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the present embodiment. The present embodiment is merely an example, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiment are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0123] In the present embodiment, the vehicle driving modes are described as including driving modes of levels 0 to 5, but the vehicle driving modes should not be limited to these modes. The vehicle driving modes may include at least one of these modes. For example, the vehicle driving modes may be executable in only one of them.

[0124] The classification and display format of the vehicle driving modes may be changed as appropriate in accordance with the laws, regulations, or rules related to autonomous driving in each country. Similarly, the definitions of the driving modes described in the description of the present embodiment are merely examples, and these definitions may be changed as appropriate in accordance with the laws, regulations, or rules related to autonomous driving in each country.

[0125] In the present embodiment, examples have been described in which the cleaner systems 100, 1100, 2100, and 3100 are mounted on vehicles capable of autonomous driving, but the cleaner systems 100, 1100, 2100, and 3100 may also be mounted on vehicles that cannot be autonomously driven.

[0126] In the present embodiment, the cleaner systems 100, 1100, 2100, and 3100 have been described as including the external sensor 6, but the cleaner systems 100, 1100, 2100, and 3100 may be configured not to include the external sensor 6. However, it is preferable that the cleaner systems 100, 1100, 2100, and 3100 are configured as an assembly including the external sensor 6, since this makes it easier to improve the positioning accuracy of the cleaners 103 to 106, 109a, and 109b relative to the external sensor 6. In addition, when the cleaner systems 100, 1100, 2100, and 3100 are mounted on the vehicle 1, the external sensor 6 can also be incorporated together, thereby improving the ease of installation on the vehicle 1.

[0127] In this embodiment, the cleaners 103 to 106 for cleaning the LiDARs 6f, 6b, 6r, and 6l, the cleaner 109a for cleaning the front camera 6c, and the cleaner 109b for cleaning the rear camera 6d have been described as cleaners for cleaning the external sensors 6, but the present invention is not limited to this. The cleaner systems 100, 1100, 2100, and 3100 may have a cleaner for cleaning a radar instead of the sensor cleaners 103 to 106, 109a, and 109b, or may have a cleaner in addition to the sensor cleaners 103 to 106, 109a, and 109b.

[0128] In addition, the external sensor 6 such as the LiDAR 6f, 6b, 6r, and 6l may have a detection surface and a cover that covers the detection surface. The cleaner that cleans the external sensor 6 may be configured to clean the detection surface or the cover that covers the sensor.

[0129] The cleaning liquid discharged by the cleaner systems 100, 1100, 2100, and 3100 includes water or detergent. The cleaning medium discharged to the front and rear windows 1f and 1b, the headlamps 7r and 7l, the LiDARs 6f, 6b, 6r, and 6l, and the cameras 6c and 6d may be different or the same.

[0130] In the present embodiment, the cleaners 101, 103, 105 to 109a are connected to the front tank 111, and the cleaners 102, 104, 109b are connected to the rear tank 113. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The cleaners 101 to 109b may be connected to a single tank, or the cleaners 101 to 109b may be connected to different tanks. Alternatively, the cleaners 101 to 109b may be connected to a common tank for each type of object to be cleaned. For example, the LCs 103 to 106 may be connected to a common first tank, and the HCs 107 and 108 may be connected to a second tank different from the first tank. Alternatively, the cleaners 101 to 109b may be connected to a common tank for each position of the object to be cleaned. For example, the front WW 101, front LC 103, and front camera cleaner 109a may be connected to a common front tank, the right LC 105 and right HC 107 may be connected to a common right tank, the rear WW 102, rear LC 104, and rear camera cleaner 109b may be connected to a common rear tank, and the left LC 106 and left HC 108 may be connected to a common left tank.

[0131] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the actuators provided in the cleaners 101 to 109b are actuated to cause the cleaners 101 to 109b to eject the cleaning medium, but the present invention is not limited to this. Each of the cleaners 101 to 109b may be provided with a normally-closed valve, and a pump may be operated to constantly maintain high pressure between the tank and the cleaners 101 to 109b. The cleaner control units 116, 1116, and 2116 may be configured to open the valves provided in the cleaners 101 to 109b to cause the cleaning medium to be discharged from the cleaners 101 to 109b. Alternatively, the cleaners 101 to 109b may each be connected to a separate pump, and the cleaner control units 116, 1116, and 2116 may individually control the pumps to control the discharge of the cleaning medium from the cleaners 101 to 109b. In this case, the cleaners 101 to 109b may each be connected to a different tank, or may be connected to a common tank.

[0132] The cleaners 101 to 109b are provided with one or more discharge holes for discharging a cleaning medium. The cleaners 101 to 109b may be provided with one or more discharge holes for discharging a cleaning liquid and one or more discharge holes for discharging air.

[0133] Each of the cleaners 101 to 109b may be provided separately, or a plurality of cleaners may be configured as a unit. For example, the right LC 105 and the right HC 107 may be configured as a single unit. In a case where the right headlamp 7r and the right LiDAR 6r are integrated, it is preferable to configure the right LC 105 and the right HC 107 as a single unit.

[0134] Furthermore, in the third and fourth embodiments, an example is shown in which the automatic mode execution unit 2117 and the operation prohibition unit 2118 are incorporated into the electronic control unit constituting the cleaner control unit 2116, but the automatic mode execution unit 2117 and the operation prohibition unit 2118 may be incorporated into the electronic control unit constituting the vehicle control unit 3, or may be configured as separate entities from the cleaner control unit 2116 and the vehicle control unit 3. Also, a single electronic control unit may be configured to function as both the cleaner control unit 2116 and the vehicle control unit 3.

[0135] In the third and fourth embodiments, the wireless communication unit 10 outputs an automatic driving possible signal indicating entry into an area where automatic driving is possible, but the present invention is not limited to this. If a navigation system (not shown) that sets the planned route of the vehicle includes an area where the vehicle is permitted to travel in automatic driving mode on this planned route, the navigation system may be configured to output an automatic driving possible signal to the cleaner control unit 2116 when the vehicle reaches a point a predetermined length before the area (for example, 1 km before).

[0136] Alternatively, the front camera 6c may be configured to capture an image of a sign or the like indicating an area in which the vehicle is permitted to travel in autonomous driving mode, and when the image recognition unit (not shown) recognizes the sign, the image recognition unit may output an autonomous driving enable signal to the cleaner control unit 2116.

[0137] In the third and fourth embodiments, the information on the braking distance and the maximum detection distance of the external sensor 6 is stored in advance in the vehicle control unit 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. The information on the braking distance and the maximum detection distance of the external sensor 6 may be stored in the cleaner control unit 2116.

[0138] In the third embodiment, cleaning is performed periodically in the cleaner execution mode, but cleaning may be performed when the vehicle becomes dirty or in response to weather information, as in the fourth embodiment. In the third embodiment, the braking distance is compared with the maximum detection distance of the sensor, but the corrected braking distance may be compared with the maximum detection distance of the sensor, as in the fourth embodiment.

[0139] In the fourth embodiment, in the cleaner execution mode, cleaning is performed when the sensor is dirty, but cleaning may be performed periodically as in the third embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the corrected braking distance is compared with the maximum detection distance of the sensor, but the braking distance may be compared with the maximum detection distance of the sensor as in the third embodiment.

[0140] In the third and fourth embodiments, the configuration in which the operation of the cleaner is prohibited when the braking distance is equal to or longer than the maximum detection distance of the external sensor 6 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Even when the braking distance is shorter than the maximum detection distance of the external sensor 6, it may be preferable to prohibit the operation of the cleaner. For example, it is not preferable for the cleaner to operate when an obstacle is present at a position closer than the braking distance. In other words, even in the cleaner automatic mode, it is preferable to prohibit the operation of the cleaner when an obstacle is present at a position closer than the braking distance.

[0141] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-051329 filed on March 19, 2018, Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-051339 filed on March 19, 2018, Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-041034 filed on March 7, 2018, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-041035 filed on March 7, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. a first cleaner unit that is mounted on a vehicle and that discharges a cleaning liquid onto a first sensor that acquires information about a first area around the vehicle to clean the first sensor; a second cleaner unit that is mounted on the vehicle and that discharges a cleaning liquid onto a second sensor that acquires information about a second area around the vehicle that is different from the first area, to clean the second sensor; a cleaner control unit that controls the first cleaner unit and the second cleaner unit, The cleaner control unit is Acquire vehicle speed information relating to a traveling speed of the vehicle; When the traveling speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the operation of the first cleaner unit is permitted and the operation of the second cleaner unit is prohibited, The first area is a front area of ​​the vehicle, and the second area is a rear area of ​​the vehicle.

2. A vehicle control unit; a first cleaner unit that is mounted on a vehicle and that discharges a cleaning liquid onto a first sensor that acquires information about a first area around the vehicle to clean the first sensor; a second cleaner unit that is mounted on the vehicle and that discharges a cleaning liquid onto a second sensor that acquires information about a second area around the vehicle that is different from the first area, to clean the second sensor; a cleaner control unit that controls the first cleaner unit and the second cleaner unit, The cleaner control unit is Acquire vehicle speed information relating to a traveling speed of the vehicle; When the traveling speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the operation of the first cleaner unit is permitted and the operation of the second cleaner unit is prohibited, The first area is a front area of ​​the vehicle and the second area is a rear area of ​​the vehicle.

3. a cleaner for cleaning an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the vehicle; a cleaner control unit that controls the operation of the cleaner; Equipped with The cleaner control unit is an automatic mode execution unit that executes an automatic mode in which the cleaner is automatically operated based on a predetermined condition; an operation prohibition unit that prohibits operation of the cleaner based on vehicle speed information related to a traveling speed of the vehicle and obstacle information; The operation prohibition unit prohibits operation of the cleaner when a braking distance corresponding to a traveling speed of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a maximum detection distance of the external sensor.

4. 4. The vehicle cleaner system according to claim 3, wherein the operation prohibition unit cancels the automatic mode based on a traveling speed of the vehicle and obstacle information.

5. 4. The vehicle cleaner system according to claim 3, wherein the operation prohibition unit stops the cleaner in operation based on a traveling speed of the vehicle and obstacle information.

6. A cleaning method using a vehicle cleaner system having a cleaner that cleans an external sensor that acquires information about the outside of a vehicle, and a cleaner control unit that controls an operation of the cleaner, comprising: A cleaning method comprising: prohibiting operation of the cleaner when a braking distance corresponding to the vehicle's traveling speed is equal to or greater than a maximum detection distance of the external sensor while an automatic mode is being executed in which the cleaner is automatically operated based on predetermined conditions.

7. A vehicle cleaner control device that controls an operation of a cleaner that cleans an external sensor that acquires information about the outside of a vehicle, an automatic mode execution unit that executes an automatic mode in which the cleaner is automatically operated based on a predetermined condition; an operation prohibition unit that prohibits operation of the cleaner based on a traveling speed of the vehicle and obstacle information; The operation prohibition unit prohibits operation of the cleaner when a braking distance corresponding to a traveling speed of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a maximum detection distance of the external sensor.

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