Sensing system and vehicle

Abstract

A left-side sensing system (4L) includes a control unit (20L) that acquires information relating to an object that is present outside of a vehicle, a first camera (43L) that is disposed in a space formed of a translucent cover and a housing, and acquires first image data, and a cover cleaner (47L) that removes foreign matter adhering to the translucent cover. The control unit (20L) acquires information relating to the object on the basis of the first image data, in a case in which no foreign matter is adhering to the translucent cover. In a case in which a foreign matter is adhering to the translucent cover, the control unit (20L) acquires second image data from a second sensor disposed in a cabin of the vehicle, and thereupon acquires information relating to the object on the basis of the second image data.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sensing system and a vehicle equipped with the sensing system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an illumination unit that emits an adaptive driving beam (ADB) light distribution pattern including an illuminated area and a non-illuminated area toward a front area of ​​a vehicle in order to improve the visibility of the surrounding environment of the vehicle's occupants (particularly the driver). When a preceding vehicle such as a leading vehicle or an oncoming vehicle is present in front of the vehicle, the illumination unit emits an ADB light distribution pattern toward the front area so that the preceding vehicle is included in the non-illuminated area. In this way, the ADB light distribution pattern can ensure the visibility of the surrounding environment of the vehicle's occupants without giving glare light to the occupants of the preceding vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-026248 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In addition, a sensor such as a camera is disposed in the lamp chamber of the vehicle lamp, and an object such as a vehicle ahead is detected based on image data acquired by the camera. After that, a lighting control unit that controls the driving of the lighting unit emits an ADB light distribution pattern toward the front of the vehicle so that the detected object is included in the non-illuminated area.

[0005] However, when a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover of a vehicle lamp, it is assumed that the foreign object (raindrops, snow, mud, dust, etc.) attached to the light-transmitting cover makes it impossible to accurately obtain information related to the vehicle ahead (such as the position information of the vehicle ahead) based on image data from the camera. In such a case, the vehicle ahead may overlap a part of the irradiation area of ​​the ADB light distribution pattern, and glare may be given to the occupants of the vehicle ahead. Thus, there is room to consider a vehicle sensing system that can prevent a decrease in the recognition accuracy of objects (e.g., other vehicles) outside the vehicle even when a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a sensing system capable of preventing a decrease in the accuracy of recognition of an object present outside the sensing system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A sensing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A control unit configured to acquire information about an object present outside the sensing system; a first sensor disposed within a space defined by the light-transmitting cover and the housing and configured to acquire first data indicative of the external surrounding environment; a cover cleaner configured to remove foreign matter attached to the light-transmitting cover; Equipped with. The control unit is determining whether a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover, and driving the cover cleaner in response to the determination that a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover; When no foreign matter is attached to the light-transmitting cover, information about the object is acquired based on the first data; and When a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover, second data indicating the external surrounding environment is acquired from a second sensor arranged outside the space, and information regarding the target object is acquired based on the acquired second data.

[0008] According to the above configuration, when no foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover, information about an object existing outside the sensing system is acquired based on the first data acquired by the first sensor arranged in the space formed by the light-transmitting cover and the housing. On the other hand, when a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover, information about the object is acquired based on the second data acquired by the second sensor arranged outside the space. In this way, it is possible to provide a sensing system that can prevent a decrease in recognition accuracy for the object even when a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a sensing system capable of preventing a decrease in the accuracy of recognizing objects present outside the sensing system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 shows a front view of a vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicle system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the left sensing system. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a light distribution pattern for ADB and a light distribution pattern for low beam formed on a virtual vertical screen. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart for explaining a foreign matter adhesion determination process. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with a rear camera module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter simply referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the dimensions of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each component.

[0012] In the description of this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the "left-right direction", "up-down direction", and "front-rear direction" may be referred to as appropriate. These directions are relative directions set for the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1. Here, the "left-right direction" is a direction that includes the "left direction" and the "right direction". 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". Although the "front-rear direction" is not shown in FIG. 1, the "front-rear direction" is a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction and the up-down direction.

[0013] First, a vehicle 1 and a vehicle system 2 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 shows a front view of the vehicle 1. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the vehicle system 2 mounted on the vehicle 1.

[0014] The vehicle 1 includes a vehicle system 2 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle system 2 includes a vehicle control unit 3, a left sensing system 4L, and a right sensing system 4R. The left sensing system 4L and the right sensing system 4R are examples of a vehicle sensing system. The vehicle system 2 further includes a sensor 5, a second camera 6, a radar 7, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 8, a GPS (Global Positioning System) 9, a wireless communication unit 10, and a storage device 11. The vehicle system 2 further 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.

[0015] The vehicle control unit 3 is configured to control the traveling of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control unit 3 is configured by, for example, at least one electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit). The electronic control unit includes a computer system (for example, SoC (System on a Chip) or the like) including one or more processors and one or more memories, and an electronic circuit configured by active elements such as transistors and passive elements. The processor includes, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The memory includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM may store a vehicle control program. For example, the vehicle control program may include an artificial intelligence (AI) program for autonomous driving. The AI ​​program is a program (trained model) constructed by supervised or unsupervised machine learning (particularly, deep learning) using a multi-layer neural network. The RAM may temporarily store the vehicle control program, vehicle control data, and / or surrounding environment information indicating the surrounding environment of the vehicle. The processor may be configured to load a specified program from various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM, and to execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 3, the left sensing system 4L includes a low beam lighting unit 45L, an ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) lighting unit 46L, a first camera 43L, a cover cleaner 47L, and a control unit 20L. The low beam lighting unit 45L, the ADB lighting unit 46L, and the first camera 43L are disposed in a space SL located on the left front side of the vehicle 1 (see Fig. 1). As shown in Fig. 1, the space SL is a lamp chamber formed by a lamp housing 42L (an example of a housing) and a light-transmitting lamp cover 40L (an example of a light-transmitting cover).

[0017] The low beam lighting unit 45L includes, for example, a light emitting element (for example, an LED) that emits light, a reflector that reflects the light emitted from the light emitting element forward, and a shade that blocks a part of the light reflected by the reflector. The low beam lighting unit 45L is configured to project a low beam light distribution pattern PL (see FIG. 4) onto the area ahead of the vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the low beam light distribution pattern PL is a light distribution pattern formed on a virtual vertical screen that is virtually placed 25 m ahead of the vehicle 1. The low beam light distribution pattern PL includes an oncoming lane side cutoff line CL1, an own lane side cutoff line CL2, and an oblique cutoff line CL3 connected to these cutoff lines CL1 and CL2.

[0018] The ADB lighting unit 46L is configured to irradiate the ADB light distribution pattern PH to a region in front of the vehicle 1. The ADB light distribution pattern PH is a light distribution pattern formed on a virtual vertical screen. The ADB light distribution pattern PH has an irradiation region PH1 to which light is irradiated and a non-irradiation region PH2 to which light is not irradiated. In particular, when an object such as a forward vehicle 1A exists in front of the vehicle 1, the ADB lighting unit 46L forms the ADB light distribution pattern PH in front of the vehicle 1 so that the object is included in the non-irradiation region PH2. In this case, the forward vehicle 1A is located between the left end El and the right end Er of the non-irradiation region PH2. In this way, glare light is suitably prevented from being given to the object such as the forward vehicle 1A. On the other hand, when there is no object in front of the vehicle 1, the ADB lighting unit 46L forms an ADB light distribution pattern (i.e., a high beam light distribution pattern) consisting of only the irradiation region PH1 in front of the vehicle 1. In this way, the ADB lighting unit 46L irradiates an ADB light distribution pattern or a high beam light distribution pattern having a non-irradiation region PH2 forward depending on the presence or absence of an object.

[0019] The ADB lighting unit 46L may include, for example, a plurality of light-emitting elements (e.g., LEDs) arranged in a matrix (n rows x m columns, n and m are integers equal to or greater than 1) and a projection lens that transmits light emitted from the plurality of light-emitting elements. In this case, the ADB lighting unit 46L can form an ADB light distribution pattern PH having an illumination area PH1 and a non-illumination area PH2 in front of the vehicle 1 by individually controlling the turning on and off of each light-emitting element.

[0020] As another configuration of the ADB lighting unit 46L, the ADB lighting unit 46L may include, for example, a light-emitting element that emits light, a reflector, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) mirror, and a projection lens. The reflector is configured to reflect the light emitted from the light-emitting element toward the MEMS mirror. The MEMS mirror is configured to reflect the light reflected by the reflector toward the projection lens. The MEMS mirror includes a plurality of micro mirror elements arranged in a matrix (n rows x m columns). The angle of each of the plurality of micro mirror elements is set to a first angle (ON state) that reflects the light toward the projection lens or a second angle (OFF state) that does not reflect the light toward the projection lens in response to a control signal from the lighting unit control unit 23L. In this way, the angle of each micro mirror element of the MEMS mirror is controlled, so that the ADB lighting unit 46L can form an ADB light distribution pattern PH having an irradiation area PH1 and a non-irradiation area PH2 in front of the vehicle 1.

[0021] As another configuration of the ADB lighting unit 46L, the ADB lighting unit 46L may be a blade scan type lighting unit including a light emitting element that emits light and a rotating reflector having a plurality of blades around a rotation axis. The rotating reflector can scan the light by reflecting the light emitted from the light emitting element while rotating in one direction around the rotation axis. In this way, with the rotation of the rotating reflector, the ADB lighting unit 46L can form an ADB light distribution pattern PH having an irradiation area PH1 and a non-irradiation area PH2 in front of the vehicle 1.

[0022] The first camera 43L (an example of a first sensor) is disposed in the space SL and configured to acquire first image data (an example of first data) that indicates the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. The first camera 43L may be configured with an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary MOS).

[0023] The cover cleaner 47L is disposed around the lamp cover 40L and is configured to clean the lamp cover 40L by removing foreign matter (e.g., raindrops, snow, mud, dust, etc.) adhering to the lamp cover 40L. The cover cleaner 47L may be configured to remove foreign matter or dirt adhering to the lamp cover 40L by spraying a cleaning liquid or air toward the lamp cover 40L.

[0024] The control unit 20L is configured to control the low beam lighting unit 45L, the ADB lighting unit 46L, the first camera 43L, and the cover cleaner 47L, respectively. The control unit 20L is configured, for example, by at least one electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit includes a computer system including one or more processors and one or more memories, and an electronic circuit (analog control circuit) including active elements such as transistors and passive elements. The processor includes, for example, at least one of a CPU, an MPU, and a GPU. The memory includes a ROM and a RAM.

[0025] The control unit 20L includes a camera control unit 21L, a cleaner control unit 22L, and a lighting unit control unit 23L. The camera control unit 21L is configured to control the driving of the first camera 43L and to obtain first image data from the first camera 43L. Furthermore, the camera control unit 21L is configured to obtain second image data obtained by the second camera 6 from the vehicle control unit 3 shown in FIG. 2, as described later.

[0026] The cleaner control unit 22L is configured to control the cover cleaner 47L. In particular, the cleaner control unit 22L is configured to determine whether or not a foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L based on the first image data, and to drive the cover cleaner 47L in response to the determination that a foreign object is attached to the cover cleaner 47L.

[0027] The lighting unit control unit 23L is configured to control the low beam lighting unit 45L and the ADB lighting unit 46L. In particular, the lighting unit control unit 23L acquires information about an object (such as a vehicle ahead or a pedestrian) existing around the vehicle 1 based on the first image data or the second image data. Thereafter, the lighting unit control unit 23L is configured to control the ADB lighting unit 46L based on the acquired information about the object so that the object existing around the vehicle 1 is included in the non-illumination area PH2 of the ADB light distribution pattern PH (see FIG. 4). The information about the object includes, for example, information about the angular position of the object.

[0028] More specifically, when the lighting unit control unit 23L determines that the vehicle 1A does not exist in front of the vehicle 1, it controls the ADB lighting unit 46L so that a high beam light distribution pattern (i.e., an ADB light distribution pattern PH consisting of only an irradiation area PH1) is emitted forward. On the other hand, when the lighting unit control unit 23L determines that the vehicle 1A exists in front of the vehicle 1, it acquires an angular position θ of the vehicle 1A in front of the light axis of the ADB lighting unit 46L (particularly, an angular position of the left end of the vehicle 1A and an angular position of the right end of the vehicle 1A). After that, the lighting unit control unit 23L determines a non-illumination area PH based on the angular position θ of the vehicle 1A in front, and controls the ADB lighting unit 46L so that the ADB light distribution pattern PH is emitted forward.

[0029] The right sensing system 4R has the same configuration as the left sensing system 4L described above. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the right sensing system 4R includes a low beam lighting unit 45R, an ADB lighting unit 46R, a first camera 43R, a cover cleaner 47R, and a control unit (not shown). The low beam lighting unit 45R, the ADB lighting unit 46R, and the first camera 43R are arranged in a space SR located on the right front side of the vehicle 1. The space SR is a lamp chamber formed by a lamp housing 42R (an example of a housing) and a translucent lamp cover 40R (an example of a translucent cover). Each component provided in the right sensing system 4R has the same configuration and function as each component provided in the left sensing system 4L described above, so a description thereof will be omitted here. In this respect, the control unit (not shown) provided in the right sensing system 4R has the same function and configuration as the control unit 20L shown in FIG. 3.

[0030] Returning to Fig. 2, the sensor 5 includes at least one of an acceleration sensor, a speed sensor, and a gyro sensor. The sensor 5 is configured to detect the driving state of the vehicle 1 and output driving state information to the vehicle control unit 3. The sensor 5 may further include a seating sensor that detects whether the driver is sitting in the driver's seat, a face direction sensor that detects the direction of the driver's face, an external weather sensor that detects the external weather conditions, and a human presence sensor that detects whether a person is inside the vehicle.

[0031] The second camera 6 is configured with an imaging element such as a CCD or a CMOS. As shown in FIG. 1, the second camera 6 is arranged in the interior of the vehicle 1 so as to face the front windshield 70 of the vehicle 1. The second camera 6 is configured to obtain second image data (an example of second data) showing the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, and then transmit the second image data to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 may identify surrounding environment information (i.e., attributes and position information of an object, etc.) showing the surrounding environment of the vehicle based on the second image data transmitted from the second camera and the trained model stored in the memory.

[0032] The radar 7 includes at least one of a millimeter wave radar, a microwave radar, and a laser radar (e.g., a LiDAR unit). For example, the LiDAR unit is configured to detect the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. In particular, the LiDAR unit is configured to obtain 3D mapping data (point cloud data) indicating the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, and then transmit the 3D mapping data to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 identifies surrounding environment information based on the transmitted 3D mapping data.

[0033] The HMI 8 is composed of an input unit that accepts input operations from the driver, and an output unit that outputs driving information and the like to the driver. 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 (for example, a Head Up Display (HUD) or the like) that displays various types of driving information. The GPS 9 is configured to acquire current position information of the vehicle 1, and output the acquired current position information to the vehicle control unit 3.

[0034] The wireless communication unit 10 is configured to receive information about other vehicles around the vehicle 1 from the other vehicles and transmit information about 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 transmit driving information about the vehicle 1 to the infrastructure facilities (road-to-vehicle communication). The wireless communication unit 10 is also configured to receive information about pedestrians from portable electronic devices (smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, etc.) carried by pedestrians and transmit driving information about the vehicle 1 to the portable electronic devices (pedestrian-to-vehicle communication). The vehicle 1 may directly communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure facilities, or portable electronic devices in an ad-hoc mode, or may communicate via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0035] The storage device 11 is an external storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). Two-dimensional or three-dimensional map information and / or a vehicle control program may be stored in the storage device 11. For example, the three-dimensional map information may be composed of 3D mapping data (point cloud data). The storage device 11 is configured to output the map information and the vehicle control program to the vehicle control device 3 in response to a request from the vehicle control device 3. The map information and the vehicle control program may be updated via the wireless communication unit 10 and a communication network.

[0036] When the vehicle 1 travels in the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 automatically generates at least one of a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal based on the driving state information, the surrounding environment information, the current position information, the map information, and the like. 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. In this way, the vehicle control unit 3 automatically controls the traveling of the vehicle 1 based on the driving state information, the surrounding environment information, the current position information, the map information, and the like. That is, in the autonomous driving mode, the traveling of the vehicle 1 is automatically controlled by the vehicle system 2.

[0037] Next, the foreign matter adhesion determination process executed by the left sensing system 4L will be described below with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the foreign matter adhesion determination process. Note that the right sensing system 4R also executes a similar foreign matter adhesion determination process.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 5, in step S1, the cleaner control unit 22L starts a foreign matter adhesion determination to determine whether or not foreign matter (raindrops, snow, mud, dust, etc.) is attached to the lamp cover 40L. In step S2, the cleaner control unit 22L determines whether or not foreign matter is attached to the lamp cover 40L based on the first image data acquired by the first camera 43L. At this point, since the first camera 43L is disposed in the space SL, the lamp cover 40L is included in the field of view of the first camera 43L. Therefore, if a foreign matter is present on the lamp cover 40L, the presence of the foreign matter can be identified from the first image data.

[0039] Specifically, the cleaner control unit 22L determines whether a pixel value correlating with the luminance of each pixel constituting the first image data is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Here, the pixel value of a pixel correlates with the luminance of the pixel. That is, the higher the luminance of a pixel, the higher the pixel value of the pixel, whereas the lower the luminance of the pixel, the lower the pixel value of the pixel. Next, the cleaner control unit 22L identifies pixels whose pixel values ​​are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and then determines whether a foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L based on information related to the pixels whose pixel values ​​are equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold. In this respect, it is preferable that the foreign object attachment determination is performed in a situation in which the surroundings of the vehicle 1 are dark (for example, at night). In a situation in which the surroundings of the vehicle 1 are dark, light is emitted forward from the low beam lighting unit 45L and / or the ADB lighting unit 46L (hereinafter, lighting unit). That is, the light emitted from the lighting unit passes through the lamp cover 40L. When a foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L, the light emitted from the lighting unit is reflected by the foreign object, and the reflected light is incident on the first camera 43L. In this way, in the first image data captured by the first camera 43L, the pixel value (brightness) of a pixel belonging to an area where a foreign object exists is greater than the pixel value (brightness) of a pixel belonging to an area where no foreign object exists. In this way, by focusing on the pixel value of each pixel of the first image data, it is possible to identify pixels belonging to an area where a foreign object exists.

[0040] In addition, information related to pixels whose pixel values ​​are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value may be, for example, 1) the area of ​​a pixel group composed of pixels whose pixel values ​​are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, 2) the number of pixels whose pixel values ​​are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, or 3) the ratio of pixels whose pixel values ​​are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value to all pixels constituting the first image data.

[0041] That is, the cleaner control unit 22L may determine that a foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L if the area of ​​a pixel group composed of pixels whose pixel values ​​are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is equal to or greater than a predetermined area. Conversely, the cleaner control unit 22L may determine that a foreign object is not attached to the lamp cover 40L if the area of ​​the pixel group is smaller than the predetermined area. Furthermore, the cleaner control unit 22L may determine that a foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L if the number of pixels whose pixel values ​​are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. Conversely, the cleaner control unit 22L may determine that a foreign object is not attached to the lamp cover 40L if the number of pixels whose pixel values ​​are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is smaller than a predetermined number. Furthermore, the cleaner control unit 22L may determine that a foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L if the ratio of pixels whose pixel values ​​are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold to all pixels constituting the first image data is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio. Conversely, the cleaner control unit 22L may determine that a foreign object is not attached to the lamp cover 40L if the ratio is smaller than a predetermined ratio.

[0042] Next, when the cleaner control unit 22L determines that a foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L (YES in step S2), it requests the vehicle control unit 3 to transfer the second image data acquired by the second camera 6. Then, the cleaner control unit 22L receives the second image data from the vehicle control unit 3. Next, the lighting unit control unit 23L acquires information about an object such as a vehicle ahead (particularly, information about the angular position of the vehicle ahead) based on the second image data (step S3). Then, the lighting unit control unit 23L causes the ADB lighting unit 46L to irradiate the ADB light distribution pattern PH so that the object is located within the non-irradiation region PH2 of the ADB light distribution pattern PH.

[0043] Next, the cleaner control section 22L drives the cover cleaner 47L to remove foreign matter adhering to the lamp cover 40L (step S4), and then executes the process of determining whether or not foreign matter is adhering to the lamp cover again (the process of step S2).

[0044] On the other hand, when the cleaner control section 22L determines that no foreign matter is attached to the lamp cover 40L (NO in step S2), the lighting unit control section 23L acquires information about the object such as a vehicle ahead (particularly, information about the angular position of the vehicle ahead) based on the first image data acquired by the first camera 43L (step S5). After that, the lighting unit control section 23L causes the ADB lighting unit 46L to irradiate the ADB light distribution pattern PH so that the object is located within the non-irradiation region PH2 of the ADB light distribution pattern PH.

[0045] Next, if cleaner control unit 22L determines that the foreign matter adhesion determination is to be ended (YES in step S6), it ends the series of processes shown in Fig. 5. On the other hand, if cleaner control unit 22L determines that the foreign matter adhesion determination is not to be ended (NO in step S6), it executes the process of step S2 again.

[0046] According to this embodiment, when no foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L, information on the angular position of an object present outside the vehicle 1 is acquired based on the first image data from the first camera 43L arranged in the space SL formed by the lamp cover 40L and the lamp housing 42L. Then, based on the information on the angular position of the object, the irradiation of the ADB light distribution pattern PH is controlled. On the other hand, when a foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L, information on the angular position of the object is acquired based on the second image data from the second camera 6 arranged in the interior of the vehicle 1. Then, based on the information on the angular position of the object, the irradiation of the ADB light distribution pattern PH is controlled. In this way, even if a foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L, it is possible to provide a left sensing system 4L that can prevent a decrease in the recognition accuracy of the object. Furthermore, it is possible to suitably prevent a situation in which glare light is irradiated to an occupant of a vehicle ahead.

[0047] In this respect, since the second camera 6 is disposed in the interior of the vehicle 1 so as to face the windshield 70, a situation in which a foreign object adheres to the second camera 6 is prevented. Furthermore, a foreign object adhered to the windshield 70 located within the field of view of the second camera 6 is reliably removed by a wiper (not shown) provided on the windshield 70. In this manner, a situation in which a foreign object is reflected in the second image data acquired by the second camera 6 is suitably prevented. Therefore, even if a foreign object adheres to the lamp cover 40L, the control unit 20L can reliably acquire information about the object based on the second image data in which the foreign object is not reflected. For this reason, the control unit 20L can control the irradiation of the ADB light distribution pattern PH so that the forward vehicle is included in the non-irradiation region PH2 of the ADB light distribution pattern PH, so that a situation in which glare light is given to the occupants of the forward vehicle can be suitably prevented.

[0048] Moreover, according to this embodiment, it is determined whether or not a foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L based on the first image data acquired by the first camera 43L. Furthermore, if no foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L, information on an object such as a vehicle ahead is acquired based on the first image data. In this way, the first image data can be efficiently used to identify the presence of both the object and the foreign object.

[0049] Although the embodiment of the present invention 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 embodiment. The 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.

[0050] For example, in this embodiment, a lamp cover and a lamp housing are given as an example of the light-transmitting cover and the housing, but the light-transmitting cover and the housing of this embodiment are not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the light-transmitting cover and the housing of the rear camera module 43b installed on the rear side of the vehicle 1B may be another example of the light-transmitting cover and the housing. In this case, the rear camera module 43b is configured to acquire surrounding environment information indicating the rear area of ​​the vehicle 1B. The rear camera module 43b includes a light-transmitting cover, a housing, and a first camera. The first camera is disposed in a space formed by the light-transmitting cover and the housing of the rear camera module 43b, and is configured to acquire first image data. In addition, a cover cleaner 47b is provided around the rear camera module 43b, and is configured to remove foreign matter attached to the light-transmitting cover of the rear camera module 43b. Furthermore, the second camera 6a that acquires the second image data is disposed in the interior of the vehicle 1B so as to face the rear window 80 of the vehicle 1B.

[0051] The vehicle sensing system 4b is configured with a rear camera module 43b, a cover cleaner 47b, and a control unit (not shown) configured with an ECU. The vehicle sensing system 4b may be configured to execute a foreign object adhesion determination process shown in FIG. 5. The vehicle sensing system 4b adopts either the first image data acquired by the first camera or the second image data acquired by the second camera 6a depending on the result of the determination as to whether or not a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover of the rear camera module 43b. After that, the vehicle sensing system 4b may identify surrounding environment information indicating the rear area of ​​the vehicle 1B based on either the adopted first image data or the adopted second image data.

[0052] In this way, it is possible to provide a vehicle sensing system 4b that can prevent a decrease in the accuracy of recognizing surrounding environment information even if a foreign object is attached to the translucent cover of the rear camera module 43b.

[0053] In addition, in this embodiment, the first camera and the second camera are given as an example of the first sensor and the second sensor, but the first sensor and the second sensor in this embodiment are not limited to cameras. For example, a first LiDAR unit may be adopted instead of the first camera, and a second LiDAR unit may be adopted instead of the second camera. The left sensing system 4L shown in FIG. 3 may adopt either the first point cloud data acquired by the first LiDAR unit or the second point cloud data acquired by the second LiDAR, depending on the determination result of whether a foreign object is attached to the lamp cover 40L. After that, the left sensing system 4L may identify surrounding environment information indicating the surrounding area of ​​the vehicle 1 based on either the adopted first point cloud data or the adopted second point cloud data.

[0054] In addition, in this embodiment, a vehicle sensing system mounted on a vehicle is described, but the sensing system is not limited to a vehicle sensing system. In this respect, the sensing system may be a sensing system for a surveillance camera installed on a road. In this case, the surveillance camera sensing system includes a first surveillance camera unit, a second surveillance camera unit, a control unit, and a cover cleaner. The first surveillance camera unit is arranged in a space formed by the translucent cover and the housing, and is configured to acquire first image data showing the surrounding environment. On the other hand, the second surveillance camera unit is arranged outside the space formed by the translucent cover and the housing, and is configured to acquire second image data showing the surrounding environment. The control unit is, for example, configured by a microcontroller having a processor and a memory. The cover cleaner is provided around the translucent cover, and is configured to remove foreign matter attached to the translucent cover. When no foreign matter is attached to the translucent cover, the control unit acquires information about objects such as pedestrians and vehicles based on the first image data acquired by the first surveillance camera unit. On the other hand, when a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover, the control unit acquires information about the object based on the second image data acquired by the second surveillance camera unit. In this way, the sensing system according to the present embodiment fully functions as a surveillance camera sensing system.

[0055] This application incorporates by reference the contents disclosed in a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2020-141045) filed on August 24, 2020.

Claims

1. 1. A sensing system comprising: A control unit configured to acquire information about an object present outside the sensing system; a first sensor disposed within a space defined by the light-transmitting cover and the housing and configured to acquire first data indicative of the external surrounding environment; a cover cleaner configured to remove foreign matter attached to the light-transmitting cover; Equipped with The control unit is determining whether a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover, and driving the cover cleaner in response to the determination that a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover; When no foreign matter is attached to the light-transmitting cover, information about the object is acquired based on the first data; and The sensing system is configured to, when a foreign object is attached to the translucent cover, acquire second data indicating the external surrounding environment from a second sensor arranged outside the space, and acquire information regarding the target object based on the acquired second data.

2. Further comprising an illumination unit disposed in the space and configured to emit a light distribution pattern having an illumination area and a non-illumination area toward the outside, The sensing system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to control the lighting unit so that the object is included in a non-illuminated region of the light distribution pattern.

3. The first sensor is a first camera configured to acquire first image data indicative of the external surroundings, The sensing system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether or not a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover based on the first image data.

4. The control unit is determining whether a pixel value correlated with the luminance of each pixel constituting the first image data is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value; The sensing system according to claim 3 , configured to determine whether or not a foreign object is attached to the light-transmitting cover based on information related to pixels whose pixel values ​​are equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

5. The sensing system is provided in a vehicle, The sensing system according to claim 1 , wherein the second sensor is disposed in a passenger compartment of the vehicle.

6. The sensing system according to claim 5 , wherein the second sensor is disposed so as to face a front window or a rear window of the vehicle.

7. A vehicle comprising the sensing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images