cleaner

Abstract

A cleaner (103) that jets a cleaning medium onto a surface (120) to be cleaned of a sensor (6f) comprises: a nozzle (130) that is provided with a jet outlet (133); a motor (140) that is rotatable in at least one direction; and a transmission mechanism (150) that is provided between the motor (140) and the nozzle (130). The transmission mechanism (150) is configured to change the position of the jet axis line (ML) of the jet outlet (133) relative to the surface (120) to be cleaned, by reciprocation of the nozzle (130) caused by transmission of rotation force of the motor (140) to the nozzle (130).

Description

cleaner

[0001] The present disclosure relates to cleaners.

[0002] A headlamp cleaner for a vehicle is known from, for example, Patent Document 1.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-187990

[0004] Recently, efforts have been made to develop autonomous vehicles. To achieve autonomous driving, it is necessary to maintain the sensitivity of various sensors, such as LiDAR. Therefore, there is a demand for a sensor cleaner that can clean the sensors and remove foreign matter adhering to the sensors.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cleaner that can efficiently clean a wide range of the surface of a sensor to be cleaned.

[0006] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a compact cleaner that can efficiently clean a wide area of ​​the surface of a sensor to be cleaned.

[0007] In order to achieve at least one of the above-mentioned objects, a cleaner according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a cleaner that sprays a cleaning medium onto a surface of a sensor to be cleaned, and comprises: a nozzle having an injection port for injecting the cleaning medium; a motor that can rotate in at least one direction; and a transmission mechanism provided between the motor and the nozzle, wherein the transmission mechanism is configured to transmit the rotational force of the motor to the nozzle, thereby causing the nozzle to reciprocate and changing the position of the injection axis of the injection port relative to the surface to be cleaned.

[0008] In order to achieve at least one of the above objects, a cleaner according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a cleaner that sprays a cleaning medium onto a surface of a sensor to be cleaned, and comprises: a nozzle having an injection port for injecting the cleaning medium; a motor that can rotate in forward and reverse directions; and a link mechanism provided between the motor and the nozzle, wherein the link mechanism is configured to transmit the rotational driving force of the motor to the nozzle, thereby causing the nozzle to reciprocate and changing the position of the injection port relative to the surface to be cleaned, while also changing the angle of the injection axis of the injection port.

[0009] In order to achieve at least one of the above-mentioned objects, a cleaner according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a cleaner that sprays a cleaning medium onto a surface of a sensor to be cleaned, and includes a nozzle having an outlet for spraying the cleaning medium, and a motor that can rotate the nozzle to change the position of the outlet relative to the surface to be cleaned, and the motor and the nozzle are directly connected.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a cleaner that can efficiently clean a wide range of the surface of a sensor to be cleaned.

[0011] Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a compact cleaner that can efficiently clean a wide area of ​​the surface of the sensor to be cleaned.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a top view of a vehicle equipped with a sensor system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicle system in which the sensor system of FIG. 1 is incorporated. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a cleaner system equipped with the sensor system of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cleaner according to a first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an internal mechanism of the cleaner shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a front view showing an internal mechanism and a housing of the cleaner shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cleaner according to a second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a front view of a cleaner shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a view explaining the operation of the cleaner shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 11 is a view explaining the operation of the cleaner shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 12 is a view explaining the operation of the cleaner shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 13 is a front view of a cleaner according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a cleaner according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a front view of a cleaner shown in FIG. 17. FIG. 18 is a view explaining the operation of the cleaner shown in FIG. 17. FIG. 19 is a view explaining the operation of the cleaner shown in FIG. 17. FIG. 20 is a view explaining the operation of the cleaner shown in FIG. 20. FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing an example of a state in which a cleaner according to a sixth embodiment is attached to a sensor. Fig. 25 is a rear perspective view of the sensor and cleaner shown in Fig. 24. Fig. 26 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 24. Fig. 27 is a diagram illustrating rotation of the nozzle in the cleaner of Fig. 24.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, descriptions of components having the same reference numerals as those already described in the description of the embodiments will be omitted. Furthermore, for the sake of convenience, the dimensions of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each component.

[0014] Furthermore, in the description of an embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment), for convenience of explanation, the terms "left-right direction," "front-rear direction," and "up-down direction" will be referred to 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."

[0015] 1 is a top view of a vehicle 1 equipped with a sensor system 100 including cleaners 101 to 108 according to this embodiment. The vehicle 1 is an automobile capable of running in an autonomous driving mode in which the driving control of the vehicle 1 is performed automatically. The vehicle 1 is equipped with a sensor system 100 including cleaners 101 to 108 for cleaning objects to be cleaned that are located outside the vehicle cabin (for example, on-board sensors, various lamps, a windshield, etc.).

[0016] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicle system 2 incorporating a sensor system 100. First, the vehicle system 2 of the vehicle 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 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 (Human Machine Interface) 8, a GPS (Global Positioning System) 9, a wireless communication unit 10, and a map information storage unit 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. The sensor system 100, which includes a cleaner control unit 113 and a sensor control unit 114, is communicatively connected to the vehicle control unit 3 of the vehicle system 2.

[0017] 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 specified 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 driving of the vehicle 1.

[0018] 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 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 and the cleaner control unit 113. The internal sensor 5 may 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, a human presence sensor that detects whether there is a person in the vehicle, etc.

[0019] The external sensor 6 is a sensor capable of acquiring information about the outside of the vehicle. The external sensor is, for example, at least one of a camera, a radar, a LiDAR, etc. 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, etc.), and output the information to the vehicle control unit 3, the cleaner control unit 113, and the sensor control unit 114. 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, etc. For example, the camera is a camera that includes an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor). The camera is a camera that detects visible light, or an infrared camera that detects infrared light. The radar is a millimeter-wave radar, a microwave radar, a laser radar, etc. LiDAR is an abbreviation for Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging. LiDAR is a sensor that generally emits invisible light in front of it and acquires information such as the distance to an object, the direction of the object, the shape of the object, and the material of the object based on the emitted light and the returned light.

[0020] The lamp 7 is at least one of a headlamp or a 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 vehicle's situation.

[0021] The HMI 8 is composed of an input unit that accepts input operations from the driver and an output unit that outputs driving information, etc. 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, etc. The output unit is a display that displays various driving information.

[0022] The GPS 9 is configured to acquire current location information of the vehicle 1 and output the acquired current location information to the vehicle control unit 3. The wireless communication unit 10 is configured to receive driving information of other vehicles around the vehicle 1 from the other vehicles and transmit driving 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 transmit driving information of the vehicle 1 to the infrastructure facilities (road-to-vehicle communication). The map information storage unit 11 is an external storage device such as a hard disk drive that stores map information and is configured to output the map information to the vehicle control unit 3.

[0023] When the vehicle 1 is traveling 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 traveling state information, surrounding environment information, current position information, map information, etc. The steering actuator 12 is configured to receive the 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 the 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 the 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, in the autonomous driving mode, the traveling of the vehicle 1 is automatically controlled by the vehicle system 2.

[0024] On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 is driven in the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 generates a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal in accordance with the driver's manual operation of the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, and the steering wheel. In this way, in the manual driving mode, the steering control signal, the accelerator control signal, and the brake control signal are generated by the driver's manual operation, so that the driving of the vehicle 1 is controlled by the driver.

[0025] Returning to Fig. 1, the sensor system 100 of the vehicle 1 has a front LiDAR 6f, a rear LiDAR 6b, a left LiDAR 6l, and a right LiDAR 6r 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 left LiDAR 6l is configured to acquire information to the left of the vehicle 1. The right LiDAR 6r is configured to acquire information to the right of the vehicle 1.

[0026] 1 shows an example in which the front LiDAR 6f is provided in the front of the vehicle 1, the rear LiDAR 6b is provided in the rear of the vehicle 1, the left LiDAR 6l is provided in the left of the vehicle 1, and the right LiDAR 6r is provided in the right of the vehicle 1, but the present disclosure is not limited to this example. For example, the front LiDAR, rear LiDAR, left LiDAR, and right LiDAR may be arranged together on the ceiling of the vehicle 1.

[0027] The sensor system 100 also has, as lamps 7, a left headlamp 7l provided on the left side of the front of the vehicle 1 and a right headlamp 7r provided on the right side of the front of the vehicle 1. The sensor system 100 also has, as windshields, a front window 1f and a rear window 1b.

[0028] The sensor system 100 also includes a cleaner unit 110 (described in detail in FIG. 3 ) that removes foreign matter such as water droplets, mud, and dust from an object to be cleaned or prevents foreign matter from adhering to the object to be cleaned. For example, in this embodiment, the cleaner unit 110 includes a front window washer (hereinafter referred to as the front WW) 101 that can clean the front window 1 f and a rear window washer (hereinafter referred to as the rear WW) 102 that can clean the rear window 1 b. The cleaner unit 110 also includes a front sensor cleaner (hereinafter referred to as the front SC) 103 that can clean the front LiDAR 6 f and a rear sensor cleaner (hereinafter referred to as the rear SC) 104 that can clean the rear LiDAR 6 b. The cleaner unit 110 also has a right sensor cleaner (hereinafter referred to as the right SC) 105 that can clean the right LiDAR 6r, and a left sensor cleaner (hereinafter referred to as the left SC) 106 that can clean the left LiDAR 6l. The cleaner unit 110 also has a right headlamp cleaner (hereinafter referred to as the right HC) 107 that can clean the right headlamp 7r, and a left headlamp cleaner (hereinafter referred to as the left HC) 108 that can clean the left headlamp 7l. Each of the cleaners 101 to 108 has one or more nozzles that spray a cleaning medium such as high-pressure air or cleaning liquid toward an object from an injection port provided in the nozzle.

[0029] 3 is a block diagram of the cleaner unit 110 provided in the sensor system 100. In addition to the cleaners 101 to 108, the cleaner unit 110 has a tank 111, a pump 112, a cleaner control unit 113, and air pumps 115 to 118.

[0030] The front WW 101, the rear WW 102, the right HC 107, and the left HC 108 are connected to a tank 111 via a pump 112. The pump 112 sucks in a cleaning liquid (an example of a cleaning medium) stored in the tank 111 and transfers it to the front WW 101, the rear WW 102, the right HC 107, and the left HC 108.

[0031] Air pumps 115 to 118 are connected to the front SC 103, rear SC 104, right SC 105, and left SC 106, respectively. Each of the air pumps 115 to 118 generates high-pressure air (an example of a cleaning medium) and sends the generated high-pressure air to the front SC 103, rear SC 104, right SC 105, and left SC 106.

[0032] Each of the cleaners 101 to 108 may be provided with an actuator (not shown) that opens a nozzle provided in each cleaner to spray the cleaning medium onto the object to be cleaned. The actuator provided in each of the cleaners 101 to 108 is electrically connected to a cleaner control unit 113. The pump 112 and the air pumps 115 to 118 are also electrically connected to the cleaner control unit 113. The operations of the cleaners 101 to 108, the pump 112, the air pumps 115 to 118, etc. are controlled by the cleaner control unit 113.

[0033] The cleaner control unit 113 is electrically connected to the vehicle control unit 3 and the sensor control unit 114 (see FIG. 2). Information acquired by the cleaner control unit 113, information acquired by the sensor control unit 114, and information acquired by the vehicle control unit 3 is transmitted and received between the respective control units.

[0034] Next, the configuration of the cleaners 101 to 108 will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 4 to 16. In the example shown in Figures 4 to 16, of the cleaners 101 to 108, only the front SC 103 that cleans the front LiDAR 6f provided at the front of the vehicle 1 will be described. Note that the cleaners other than the front SC 103 have the same configuration, and therefore their description will be omitted.

[0035] First Embodiment A front SC 103A according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 6. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the front SC 103A. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the internal mechanism of the front SC 103A shown in Fig. 4 with a housing 160 (described later) removed. Fig. 6 is a front view showing the internal mechanism and housing 160 of the front SC 103A shown in Fig. 4.

[0036] 4 to 6, the front SC 103A includes a nozzle 130, a motor 140 that rotates the nozzle 130, a transmission mechanism 150 provided between the motor 140 and the nozzle 130, and a housing 160 that accommodates the motor 140 and the transmission mechanism 150. The front SC 103A is disposed in the upper center of the front LiDAR 6f, as shown in Fig. 6, for example. The front LiDAR 6f includes a rectangular front lens portion 120, which is the surface to be cleaned, in the center of its front surface.

[0037] The nozzle 130 is provided directly above the front LiDAR 6 f and extends toward the front lens portion 120 of the front LiDAR 6 f. The nozzle 130 has an ejection portion 131 extending in the up-down direction and a conduit 132 extending in the front-rear direction. The nozzle 130 is configured to rotate about a rotation axis X2 that passes through the center of the conduit 132 and extends in the front-rear direction.

[0038] Injection unit 131 has injection port 133 that injects high-pressure air toward front lens unit 120. Injection port 133 is formed on the lower surface of injection unit 131. The direction of injection port 133 is adjusted so that the high-pressure air injected from injection port 133 is sprayed from above to below front lens unit 120.

[0039] The conduit 132 is connected to the back surface of the ejection part 131. As shown in Fig. 5, the conduit 132 is provided along the rotation axis X2 of the nozzle 130. An external conduit (not shown) is connected to a rear end 132a of the conduit 132, and high-pressure air is supplied from the air pump 115 via the external conduit. The conduit 132 supplies the high-pressure air supplied from the air pump 115 to the ejection part 131.

[0040] The motor 140 is a motor that can rotate forward and backward. The motor 140 is provided so that a rotation axis X1 extends in the front-to-rear direction. The direction of the rotation axis X1 of the motor 140 coincides with the direction of the rotation axis X2 of the nozzle 130. The motor 140 is electrically connected to the cleaner control unit 113. The operation of the motor 140 is controlled by the cleaner control unit 113.

[0041] The transmission mechanism 150 is composed of a motor gear 151 attached to the motor 140, a nozzle gear 154 attached to the nozzle 130, and driven gears 152 and 153 provided between the motor gear 151 and the nozzle gear 154. The transmission mechanism 150 is configured to transmit the rotational force of the motor 140 to the nozzle 130.

[0042] The motor gear 151 is attached to the output shaft 141 of the motor 140. The motor gear 151 rotates together with the output shaft 141 as the output shaft 141 of the motor 140 rotates.

[0043] The nozzle gear 154 is attached to the conduit 132 of the nozzle 130. The nozzle gear 154 is provided at a portion of the circumferential direction of the conduit 132 and is formed, for example, in a fan shape when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis X2 of the nozzle 130. The nozzle gear 154 is formed in a fan shape centered directly above the conduit 132. The central angle θ2 (see FIG. 6 ) of the fan shape of the nozzle gear 154 is set to an angle that corresponds to the rotation range of the ejection portion 131 of the nozzle 130. That is, the central angle θ2 of the fan shape of the nozzle gear 154 is set so that the ejection portion 131 can swing forward and backward and the ejection axis ML of the high-pressure air ejected from the ejection port 133 can move within a range of a predetermined movable angle θ1. The predetermined movable angle θ1 is set to an angle such that the high-pressure air ejected from the ejection port 133 is ejected from the left end region to the right end region of the front lens portion 120 of the front LiDAR 6f.

[0044] The driven gears 152 and 153 are configured to rotate about a rotation axis X3 extending in the front-to-rear direction. The driven gears 152 and 153 are arranged on the rotation axis X3, stacked in the front-to-rear direction. The driven gear 152 has a larger diameter than the driven gear 153. The driven gear 152 is arranged on the rear side of the rotation axis X3, and the driven gear 153 is arranged on the front side of the rotation axis X3. The direction of the rotation axis X3 coincides with the direction of the rotation axis X1 of the motor 140 and the direction of the rotation axis X2 of the nozzle 130. The driven gear 152 is arranged to mesh with the motor gear 151 of the motor 140. The driven gear 153 (an example of a first gear) is arranged to mesh with a nozzle gear 154 (an example of a second gear) of the nozzle 130.

[0045] The driven gears 152 and 153 rotate in the forward and reverse directions in association with the forward and reverse rotation of the motor 140, as the driven gear 152 meshes with the motor gear 151. Furthermore, the driven gears 152 and 153 rotate the nozzle gear 154 in the forward and reverse directions in association with the forward and reverse rotation of the motor 140, as the driven gear 153 meshes with the nozzle gear 154.

[0046] The housing 160 has a motor housing 161 that houses the motor 140 and the motor gear 151, a driven gear housing 162 that houses the driven gears 152 and 153, and a nozzle gear housing 163 that houses the nozzle gear 154. The motor housing 161, the driven gear housing 162, and the nozzle gear housing 163 are integrally formed.

[0047] The nozzle gear housing 163 is formed so as to have a sector shape when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis X2 of the nozzle 130. The central angle θ3 (see FIG. 6 ) of the sector shape of the nozzle gear housing 163 is set to an angle corresponding to the range of rotation of the nozzle gear 154 in the forward and reverse directions along the circumferential direction of the conduit 132. In other words, the central angle θ3 of the nozzle gear housing 163 is set so as to provide an internal space S necessary to accommodate the nozzle gear 154, which rotates in the forward and reverse directions. The nozzle gear housing 163 has inner wall surfaces 163A and 163B on the left and right lower sides that define the central angle θ3. Each inner wall surface 163A and 163B functions as an abutment surface that contacts the nozzle gear 154, thereby defining the movable range of the nozzle gear 154.

[0048] The front SC 103A configured as described above operates as follows. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , when viewed from the front of the front SC 103A, as the motor gear 151 rotates clockwise, as indicated by the arrow CW, in response to the rotation of the motor 140, the driven gear 152 meshing with the motor gear 151 rotates counterclockwise, as indicated by the arrow CCW. When the driven gear 152 rotates counterclockwise, the driven gear 153 similarly rotates counterclockwise in response to the rotation of the driven gear 152. When the driven gear 153 rotates counterclockwise, the nozzle gear 154 meshing with the driven gear 153 rotates clockwise, as indicated by the arrow CW. When the nozzle gear 154 rotates clockwise, the nozzle 130 also rotates clockwise in response to the rotation of the nozzle gear 154. As a result, the ejection portion 131 of the nozzle 130 rotates clockwise around the rotation axis X2, changing the orientation of the ejection port 133 of the ejection portion 131 relative to the front lens portion 120 of the front LiDAR 6f to the right. The nozzle gear 154 can rotate clockwise until it abuts against the left inner wall surface 163B of the nozzle gear housing 163.

[0049] In contrast, when the motor gear 151 rotates counterclockwise in accordance with the rotation of the motor 140, the driven gears 152 and 153 rotate clockwise. When the driven gear 153 rotates clockwise, the nozzle gear 154 rotates counterclockwise, and the nozzle 130 to which the nozzle gear 154 is attached also rotates counterclockwise like the nozzle gear 154. As a result, the ejection portion 131 of the nozzle 130 rotates counterclockwise about the rotation axis X2, changing the orientation of the ejection port 133 of the ejection portion 131 relative to the front lens portion 120 of the front LiDAR 6f to the left, opposite the orientation in the clockwise direction. Note that the nozzle gear 154 can rotate counterclockwise until it abuts against the right inner wall surface 163A of the nozzle gear housing 163.

[0050] In this way, as motor 140 rotates forward and backward, the rotational drive force of motor 140 is transmitted to nozzle 130 by transmission mechanism 150, and ejection portion 131 of nozzle 130 repeatedly reciprocates forward and backward within the range of movable angle θ1. This changes the orientation of ejection port 133 of ejection portion 131, changes the position of ejection axis ML of ejection port 133, and ejects high-pressure air from ejection port 133 over a range from the left end region to the right end region of front lens portion 120 of front LiDAR 6f.

[0051] As described above, the front SC 103A (an example of a cleaner) of this embodiment includes a nozzle 130 with an injection port 133 that injects high-pressure air (an example of a cleaning medium), a motor 140 that can rotate in at least one direction, and a transmission mechanism 150 provided between the motor 140 and the nozzle 130. The transmission mechanism 150 is configured to transmit the rotational force of the motor 140 to the nozzle 130, thereby causing the nozzle 130 to reciprocate and changing the position of the injection axis ML of the injection port 133 relative to the front lens portion 120 of the front LiDAR 6f, which is the surface to be cleaned. With this configuration, the nozzle 130 can be reciprocated by the rotation of the motor 140, changing the position of the injection axis ML, thereby enabling the front lens portion 120 to be efficiently cleaned over a wide area.

[0052] In this embodiment, the nozzle 130 has a conduit 132 extending along the rotation axis X2 of the nozzle 130 to supply high-pressure air to the injection port 133. The transmission mechanism 150 is composed of at least a driven gear 153 (an example of a first gear) that rotates in the forward and reverse directions by the motor 140, and a nozzle gear 154 (an example of a second gear) that rotates in the forward and reverse directions by meshing with the driven gear 153. The nozzle gear 154 is provided at a portion of the circumferential direction of the conduit 132. With this configuration, the transmission mechanism 150 that can realize the reciprocating motion of the nozzle 130 can be constructed with a small number of parts.

[0053] In this embodiment, the nozzle gear 154 is formed in a sector shape. With this configuration, the nozzle gear 154 can be formed compactly according to the range of reciprocating motion of the nozzle 130, leading to a reduction in the size of the front SC 103A.

[0054] The front SC 103A of this embodiment further includes a housing 160 that houses at least the motor 140 and the transmission mechanism 150. The nozzle gear housing 163 in the housing 160 houses the nozzle gear 154 and has inner wall surfaces 163A and 163B that define the circumferential movable range of the nozzle gear 154. With this configuration, the movable range of the nozzle gear 154 can be restricted to a predetermined range by the inner wall surfaces 163A and 163B of the nozzle gear housing 163, thereby preventing the nozzle gear 154 and the driven gear 153 from disengaging when the motor 140 rotates.

[0055] Furthermore, in the front SC 103A of this embodiment, the direction of the rotation axis X1 of the motor 140 coincides with the direction of the rotation axis X2 of the nozzle 130. With this configuration, the reciprocating motion of the nozzle 130 can be achieved with fewer parts than in a case where the rotation axis X1 of the motor 140 is provided perpendicular to the rotation axis X2 of the nozzle 130, and the entire front SC 103A can be made smaller.

[0056] Second Embodiment A front SC 103B according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 11. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the front SC 103B. Fig. 8 is a front view of the front SC 103B shown in Fig. 7. Figs. 9 to 11 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the front SC 103B.

[0057] 7 and 8, the front SC 103B has a nozzle 230, a motor 240 that rotates the nozzle 230, and a transmission mechanism 250 provided between the motor 240 and the nozzle 230. Although not shown, the front SC 103B is disposed in the upper center of the front LiDAR 6f, similar to the front SC 103A of the first embodiment.

[0058] The nozzle 230 has an ejection portion 231 that extends in the up-down direction and a duct 232 that extends in the front-rear direction. The ejection portion 231 is provided with an ejection port 233. The duct 232 is provided with a connecting portion 234 that connects to the transmission mechanism 250. The connecting portion 234 is provided with a cylindrical protrusion 234a that protrudes forward. The configurations of the ejection portion 231, duct 232, and ejection port 233 of the nozzle 230 are similar to the configurations of the corresponding parts of the nozzle 130 in the first embodiment.

[0059] The motor 240 of the front SC 103B according to the second embodiment is configured to rotate in only one of the forward and reverse directions. The other configurations of the motor 240 are the same as those of the motor 140 according to the first embodiment.

[0060] The transmission mechanism 250 is composed of a motor gear 251 attached to the motor 240, a drive gear 254 (an example of a third gear) connected to the nozzle 230, driven gears 252 and 253 (an example of a fourth gear) provided between the motor gear 251 and the drive gear 254, and a link member 255 (an example of a first link member) provided between the drive gear 254 and the nozzle 230. The transmission mechanism 250 is configured to transmit the rotational force of the motor 240 to the nozzle 230.

[0061] The motor gear 251 is attached to the output shaft 241 of the motor 240. The motor gear 251 rotates together with the output shaft 241 as the output shaft 241 of the motor 240 rotates.

[0062] The drive gear 254 is a gear that drives the nozzle 230. The drive gear 254 is connected to the nozzle 230 via a link member 255. The drive gear 254 is configured to rotate about a rotation axis X4 that extends in the front-to-rear direction. The direction of the rotation axis X4 coincides with the direction of the rotation axis X1 of the motor 240 and the direction of the rotation axis X2 of the nozzle 230. A cylindrical circular step portion 264 that protrudes forward is formed integrally with the drive gear 254 on the front surface of the drive gear 254. The diameter of the circular step portion 264 is smaller than the diameter of the drive gear 254, and the position of its center P is formed eccentrically from the position of the rotation axis X4, which is the center of the drive gear 254.

[0063] The link member 255 is a member that connects the drive gear 254 to the nozzle 230. The link member 255 is composed of a gear link portion 255a that connects to the drive gear 254, a nozzle link portion 255c that connects to the nozzle 230, and a communication portion 255b that is provided between the gear link portion 255a and the nozzle link portion 255c.

[0064] The gear link portion 255a is provided at one end of the link member 255 on the drive gear 254 side. The gear link portion 255a is formed in a cylindrical body. The gear link portion 255a is configured to be connected to the drive gear 254 by accommodating the circular step portion 264 of the drive gear 254 within the internal space of the cylindrical body.

[0065] The nozzle link portion 255c is provided at one end of the link member 255 on the nozzle 230 side, opposite the gear link portion 255a. The nozzle link portion 255c is formed in a cylindrical body. The nozzle link portion 255c is configured to be connected to the nozzle 230 by accommodating the protrusion 234a provided on the connecting portion 234 of the nozzle 230 within the internal space of the cylindrical body.

[0066] The communication portion 255b is a member that connects the gear link portion 255a and the nozzle link portion 255c. The communication portion 255b is formed, for example, in a plate or rod shape.

[0067] The link member 255, which houses the circular step portion 264 of the drive gear 254 within the internal space of the gear link portion 255a, is configured to be rotatable in the circumferential direction around the circular step portion 264. The central axis X5 of rotation of the gear link portion 255a is provided eccentrically from the rotation axis X4 of the drive gear 254. The central axis X5 of the gear link portion 255a coincides with the position of the center P of the circular step portion 264 of the drive gear 254.

[0068] The link member 255, which houses the protruding portion 234a of the connecting portion 234 of the nozzle 230 in the internal space of the nozzle link portion 255c, is configured to be rotatable in the circumferential direction around the protruding portion 234a.

[0069] The driven gear 252 is arranged to mesh with a motor gear 251 of the motor 240. The driven gear 253 is arranged to mesh with a drive gear 254. The driven gears 252, 253 rotate in one direction in response to the rotation of the motor 240 in one direction, as the driven gear 252 meshes with the motor gear 251. Furthermore, the driven gears 252, 253 transmit the rotational force of the motor 240 in one direction to the drive gear 254, as the driven gear 253 meshes with the drive gear 254, causing the drive gear 254 to rotate in one direction.

[0070] The front SC 103B configured as described above operates as follows. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 , when the ejection portion 231 of the nozzle 230 is facing directly downward, as shown in FIG. 9 , when the motor gear 251 rotates clockwise as indicated by the arrow CW in response to the rotation of the motor 240, the driven gear 252 meshing with the motor gear 251 rotates counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow CCW. When the driven gear 252 rotates counterclockwise, the driven gear 253 also rotates counterclockwise in response to the rotation. When the driven gear 253 rotates counterclockwise, the drive gear 254 meshing with the driven gear 253 rotates clockwise as indicated by the arrow CW. When the drive gear 254 rotates clockwise, the circular step portion 264 changes position in a direction approaching the connecting portion 234 of the nozzle 230. When circular step portion 264 changes position, link member 255 attached to circular step portion 264 and connecting portion 234 (protruding portion 234 a) of nozzle 230 rotates around circular step portion 264 and protruding portion 234 a, pushing connecting portion 234 to the left. This causes ejection portion 231 of nozzle 230 to rotate clockwise about rotation axis X2, and the orientation of ejection port 233 of ejection portion 231 relative to front lens portion 120 of front LiDAR 6 f changes to the right.

[0071] Next, as shown in FIG. 10 , when the motor gear 251 further rotates clockwise from the state shown in FIG. 9 , the drive gear 254 further rotates clockwise via the driven gears 252 and 253, as shown by the arrow CW. As the drive gear 254 further rotates clockwise, the circular step portion 264 changes position in a direction away from the connecting portion 234 of the nozzle 230 and downward from the state shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 . When the circular step portion 264 changes position in this manner, the link member 255 rotates around the circular step portion 264 and the protruding portion 234 a, pulling the connecting portion 234 to the right. This causes the ejection portion 231 of the nozzle 230 to rotate counterclockwise about the rotation axis X2, and the orientation of the ejection port 233 of the ejection portion 231 relative to the front lens portion 120 of the front LiDAR 6 f now changes to the left.

[0072] 11 , when motor gear 251 further rotates clockwise as indicated by arrow CW from the state in FIG. 10 , drive gear 254 further rotates clockwise in the same manner as above, and as drive gear 254 rotates, circular step portion 264 further changes position in a direction away from coupling portion 234 of nozzle 230. This change in position of circular step portion 264 causes link member 255 to rotate around circular step portion 264 and protrusion 234 a, further attracting coupling portion 234. As a result, ejection portion 231 of nozzle 230 further rotates counterclockwise about rotation axis X2, and the orientation of ejection port 233 of ejection portion 231 relative to front lens portion 120 of front LiDAR 6 f changes further to the left.

[0073] Next, when the motor gear 251 further rotates clockwise as indicated by the arrow CW from the state shown in Figure 11 , the drive gear 254 further rotates clockwise in the same manner as above, and as the drive gear 254 rotates, the circular step portion 264 changes position in a direction approaching the connecting portion 234 of the nozzle 230 and upward from the state shown in Figures 10 and 11 . This change in position of the circular step portion 264 causes the link member 255 to rotate around the circular step portion 264 and the protruding portion 234 a, pushing the connecting portion 234 to the left. As a result, as shown in Figure 8 , the ejection portion 231 of the nozzle 230 further rotates counterclockwise about the rotation axis X2, returning to a state in which the ejection port 233 of the ejection portion 231 faces directly downward relative to the front lens portion 120 of the front LiDAR 6 f.

[0074] In this way, when motor 240 rotates in one direction, the rotational driving force of motor 240 is transmitted to nozzle 230 by transmission mechanism 250, and ejection portion 231 of nozzle 230 repeatedly reciprocates in the forward and reverse directions within a predetermined movable range. This changes the orientation of ejection port 233 of ejection portion 231, changes the position of ejection axis ML of ejection port 233, and ejects high-pressure air from ejection port 233 over a range from the left end region to the right end region of front lens portion 120 of front LiDAR 6f.

[0075] As described above, in the front SC 103B of this embodiment, the transmission mechanism 250 includes the drive gear 254 (an example of a third gear) that rotates in one direction when the motor 240 rotates in one direction, and the link member 255 (an example of a first link member) that has one end attached to the drive gear 254 and the other end attached to the nozzle 230. A cylindrical gear link portion 255a is formed at one end of the link member 255, and the central axis X5 of the gear link portion 255a is eccentric from the rotation axis X4 of the drive gear 254. With this configuration, the central axis X5 of one end (cylindrical gear link portion 255a) of the link member 255 attached to the drive gear 254 is eccentric from the rotation axis X4 of the drive gear 254, so that when the drive gear 254 rotates in one direction, the nozzle 230 attached to the other end (nozzle link portion 255c) of the link member 255 reciprocates within a predetermined movable range. This allows the front lens portion 120, which is the surface to be cleaned, to be cleaned over a wide area with a simple configuration.

[0076] In this embodiment, a circular step portion 264 is formed on one side of the drive gear 254 and is housed in the internal space of the gear link portion 255a of the link member 255, and the center P of the circular step portion 264 is eccentric from the rotation axis X4 of the drive gear 254. With this configuration, the central axis X5 of the gear link portion 255a of the link member 255 and the rotation axis X4 of the drive gear 254 can be eccentric with a simple configuration.

[0077] Furthermore, the front SC 103B of this embodiment further includes driven gears 252, 253 (an example of a fourth gear) disposed between the motor 240 and the drive gear 254 in order to transmit the rotation of the motor 240 in one direction to the drive gear 254. With this configuration, the nozzle 230 can be rotated without using a high-torque motor 240, and therefore the motor 240 can be made smaller.

[0078] Third Embodiment A front SC 103C according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12 to Fig. 15. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the front SC 103C. Fig. 13 is a front view of the front SC 103C shown in Fig. 12. Figs. 14 and 15 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the front SC 103C.

[0079] 12 and 13, the front SC 103C has a nozzle 330, a motor 340 that rotates the nozzle 330, and a transmission mechanism 350 provided between the motor 340 and the nozzle 330. Although not shown, the front SC 103C is disposed in the upper center of the front LiDAR 6f, similar to the front SC 103A of the first embodiment.

[0080] The nozzle 330 has an ejection portion 331 extending in the up-down direction and a conduit 332 extending in the front-rear direction. The ejection portion 331 is provided with an ejection port 333. The conduit 332 is provided with connecting portions 334, 335, and 336 that connect to the transmission mechanism 350. The connecting portions 334, 335, and 336 are provided above, to the right, and on the left side of the conduit 332, and are arranged in parallel at different positions in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the conduit 332. The connecting portions 334, 335, and 336 are each provided with a cylindrical protrusion 334a, 335a, or 336a that protrudes forward or rearward. The configurations of the ejection portion 331, conduit 332, and ejection port 333 of the nozzle 330 are similar to the configurations of the corresponding portions of the nozzle 130 in the first embodiment.

[0081] The motor 340 has a configuration similar to that of the motor 140 of the first embodiment.

[0082] The transmission mechanism 350 is composed of a motor gear 351 attached to the motor 340, a drive gear 354 (an example of a fifth gear) connected to the nozzle 330, driven gears 352 and 353 provided between the motor gear 351 and the drive gear 354, and a link member 355 (an example of a second link member) connected between the drive gear 354 and the nozzle 330. The transmission mechanism 350 is configured to transmit the rotational force of the motor 340 to the nozzle 330.

[0083] The motor gear 351 and the driven gears 352 and 353 are gears having the same configurations as the motor gear 151 and the driven gears 152 and 153 of the first embodiment, respectively.

[0084] The drive gear 354 is formed so as to have a fan shape when viewed from the front side of the front SC 103C, and is similar in configuration to the nozzle gear 154 in the first embodiment in that it meshes with the driven gear 353 and rotates in forward and reverse directions in response to forward and reverse rotation of the motor 340. The drive gear 354 is further provided with a connecting portion 354a that connects to a link member 355. The drive gear 354 is a gear that rotates the nozzle 330 via the link member 355.

[0085] The link member 355 has an upper link member 355a attached above the nozzle 330, a right link member 355b attached to the right side of the nozzle 330, and a left link member 355c attached to the left side of the nozzle 330.

[0086] One end of the upper link member 355a is attached to the connecting portion 334 of the nozzle 330, and the other end opposite the nozzle 330 is attached to a link fixing point 361. One end of the upper link member 355a is formed, for example, in the shape of a cylinder. The upper link member 355a is rotatably attached to the connecting portion 334 with the protrusion 334a of the connecting portion 334 housed within the internal space of the cylinder that forms the one end. The nozzle 330 is configured to be rotatable around the protrusion 334a of the connecting portion 334. The other end of the upper link member 355a is formed, for example, in the shape of a cylinder. The upper link member 355a is fixed to the link fixing point 361 with the link fixing point 361 housed within the internal space of the cylinder that forms the other end.

[0087] One end of the right link member 355b is attached to the connecting portion 335 of the nozzle 330, and the other end opposite the nozzle 330 is attached to the connecting portion 354a of the drive gear 354. One end of the right link member 355b is formed, for example, in the shape of a cylinder. The right link member 355b is attached to the connecting portion 335 with the protruding portion 335a of the connecting portion 335 housed within the internal space of the cylinder that forms the one end. The right link member 355b is configured to be rotatable around the protruding portion 335a of the connecting portion 335. The other end of the right link member 355b is formed, for example, in the shape of a cylinder. The right link member 355b is fixed to the connecting portion 354a with the connecting portion 354a of the drive gear 354 housed within the internal space of the cylinder that forms the other end.

[0088] One end of the left link member 355c is attached to the connecting portion 336 of the nozzle 330, and the other end opposite the nozzle 330 is attached to a link fixing point 362. One end of the left link member 355c is formed, for example, in the shape of a cylinder. The left link member 355c is attached to the connecting portion 336 with the protrusion 336a of the connecting portion 336 housed within the internal space of the cylinder that forms the one end. The left link member 355c is configured to be rotatable around the protrusion 336a of the connecting portion 336. The other end of the left link member 355c is formed, for example, in the shape of a cylinder. The left link member 355c is attached to the link fixing point 362 with the link fixing point 362 housed within the internal space of the cylinder that forms the other end. The left link member 355c is configured to be rotatable around the link fixing point 362.

[0089] The front SC 103C configured as described above operates as follows. For example, as shown in FIG. 13 , when the injection portion 331 of the nozzle 330 is facing directly downward, as shown in FIG. 14 , when the motor gear 351 rotates counterclockwise, as indicated by the arrow CCW, in response to the rotation of the motor 340, the driven gear 352 meshing with the motor gear 351 rotates clockwise, as indicated by the arrow CW. When the driven gear 352 rotates clockwise, the driven gear 353 also rotates clockwise in response to the rotation. When the driven gear 353 rotates clockwise, the drive gear 354 meshing with the driven gear 353 rotates counterclockwise, as indicated by the arrow CCW. When the drive gear 354 rotates counterclockwise, the right link member 355b rotates counterclockwise around the connecting portion 354a, pushing the nozzle 330 through the connecting portion 335. As a result, the nozzle 330 rotates counterclockwise around the protrusion 334a of the connecting portion 334, and the orientation of the injection port 333 of the injection portion 331 relative to the front lens portion 120 of the front LiDAR 6f changes to the left. At this time, the left link member 355c rotates counterclockwise in conjunction with the rotation of the nozzle 330, while restricting the rotation of the nozzle 330 so that the amount of rotation does not exceed a predetermined movable range.

[0090] In contrast to this, for example, when the motor gear 351 rotates clockwise as indicated by the arrow CW in conjunction with the rotation of the motor 340 from a state in which the ejection portion 331 of the nozzle 330 faces directly downward as shown in Fig. 13, the driven gears 352 and 353 rotate counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow CCW as shown in Fig. 15. When the driven gear 353 rotates counterclockwise, the drive gear 354 meshing with the driven gear 353 rotates clockwise as indicated by the arrow CW. When the drive gear 354 rotates clockwise, the right link member 355b rotates clockwise around the connecting portion 354a in conjunction with the rotation, and pulls the nozzle 330 in via the connecting portion 335. As a result, the nozzle 330 rotates clockwise around the protrusion 334a of the connecting part 334, and the orientation of the injection port 333 of the injection part 331 relative to the front lens part 120 of the front LiDAR 6f changes to the right. At this time, the left link member 355c rotates clockwise in conjunction with the rotation of the nozzle 330, while restricting the rotation of the nozzle 330 so that the amount of rotation does not exceed a predetermined movable range.

[0091] In this way, as motor 340 rotates forward and backward, the rotational drive force of motor 340 is transmitted to nozzle 330 by transmission mechanism 350, and ejection portion 331 of nozzle 330 repeatedly reciprocates forward and backward within a predetermined movable range. This changes the orientation of ejection port 333 of ejection portion 331, changes the position of ejection axis ML of ejection port 333, and ejects high-pressure air from ejection port 333 over a range from the left end region to the right end region of front lens portion 120 of front LiDAR 6f.

[0092] As described above, in the front SC 103C of this embodiment, the transmission mechanism 350 includes a drive gear 354 (an example of a fifth gear) that rotates forward and reverse by the motor 340, and a plurality of link members 355 (an example of a second link member), one end of each of which is attached to the nozzle 330. Of the plurality of link members 355, the right link member 355b has its other end connected to the drive gear 354. Of the plurality of link members 355, the left link member 355c is configured so that its other end is rotatable about the link fixed point 362. This configuration makes it possible to easily configure the transmission mechanism 350 that can realize the reciprocating motion of the nozzle 330.

[0093] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the multiple link members 355 include an upper link member 355a, a right link member 355b, and a left link member 355c that are arranged in parallel, and the three link members are provided above and on the left and right sides of the nozzle 330. With this configuration, the upper link member 355a, the right link member 355b, and the left link member 355c do not interfere with each other, and a rotation mechanism for the nozzle 330 can be realized.

[0094] Fourth Embodiment In the front SC 103C of the third embodiment described above, the link member 355 of the transmission mechanism 350 is composed of three members: the upper link member 355a, the right link member 355b, and the left link member 355c. However, this is not limiting. Fig. 16 is a structural diagram showing a transmission mechanism 450 of a front SC 103D according to a fourth embodiment.

[0095] As shown in Figure 16, the transmission mechanism 450 of the front SC103D is composed of a motor gear 451 attached to the motor 440, a drive gear 454 connected to the nozzle 430, driven gears 452 and 453 provided between the motor gear 451 and the drive gear 454, and a link member 455 connected between the drive gear 454 and the nozzle 430.

[0096] The motor gear 451, the driven gears 452 and 453, and the drive gear 454 are gears having the same configurations as the motor gear 351, the driven gears 352 and 353, and the drive gear 354 of the third embodiment, respectively.

[0097] The link member 455 is made up of two members: a right link member 455 a attached to the right side of the nozzle 430 and a left link member 455 b attached to the left side of the nozzle 430 .

[0098] One end of the right link member 455a is attached to the connecting portion 435 of the nozzle 430, and the other end opposite the nozzle 430 is attached to the connecting portion 454a of the drive gear 454. One end of the right link member 455a is formed, for example, in the shape of a cylinder, and is attached to the connecting portion 435 with the protruding portion 435a of the connecting portion 435 housed within the internal space of the cylinder. The right link member 455a is configured to be rotatable around the protruding portion 435a of the connecting portion 435. The other end of the right link member 455a is formed, for example, in the shape of a cylinder, and is fixed to the connecting portion 454a of the drive gear 454 with the connecting portion 454a housed within the internal space of the cylinder.

[0099] One end of the left link member 455b is attached to the connecting portion 436 of the nozzle 430, and the other end opposite the nozzle 430 is attached to a link fixing point 461. One end of the left link member 455b is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape, and is attached to the connecting portion 436 with the protruding portion 436a of the connecting portion 436 housed within the internal space of the cylinder. The protruding portion 436a of the connecting portion 436 is rotatably housed within the internal space of one end of the left link member 455b. The other end of the left link member 455b is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape, and is attached to the link fixing point 461 with the link fixing point 461 housed within the internal space of the cylinder. The left link member 455b is arranged to intersect with the right link member 455a. The link fixing point 461 is located at a position where the left link member 455b and the right link member 455a intersect with each other.

[0100] The front SC 103D configured as described above operates as follows. For example, when the drive gear 454 rotates counterclockwise as the motor 440 rotates, the right link member 455a rotates counterclockwise around the connecting portion 454a. The counterclockwise rotation of the right link member 455a rotates the nozzle 430 counterclockwise via the connecting portion 435. This changes the orientation of the injection port 433 of the injection unit 431 relative to the front lens unit 120 of the front LiDAR 6f to the left. At this time, the protrusion 436a of the connecting portion 436 rotates counterclockwise in the internal space at one end of the left link member 455b in conjunction with the rotation of the nozzle 430, thereby assisting the counterclockwise rotation of the nozzle 430 by the right link member 455a.

[0101] In contrast, for example, when the drive gear 454 rotates clockwise, the right link member 455a rotates clockwise around the connecting portion 454a in response to the rotation. The clockwise rotation of the right link member 455a causes the nozzle 430 to rotate clockwise via the connecting portion 435. This changes the orientation of the injection port 433 of the injection unit 431 relative to the front lens unit 120 of the front LiDAR 6f to the right. At this time, the protruding portion 436a of the connecting portion 436 rotates clockwise in the internal space at one end of the left link member 455b in response to the rotation of the nozzle 430, thereby assisting the clockwise rotation of the nozzle 430 by the right link member 455a.

[0102] As described above, the link member 455 of the transmission mechanism 450 in the modified front SC 103D is composed of two members: a right link member 455a and a left link member 455b. One end of each of the two link members is connected to the left and right sides of the nozzle 430, respectively, and the other ends of the two link members are fixed in positions where the two link members intersect with each other. With this configuration, a smaller number of link members can be used to clean a wider area of ​​the front lens portion 120, which is the surface to be cleaned.

[0103] In the above embodiment, a driven gear is provided between the motor gear and the nozzle gear, or between the motor gear and the drive gear, but this is not limiting. For example, the nozzle gear or the drive gear may be directly meshed with the motor gear without providing a driven gear.

[0104] Fifth Embodiment Next, the configuration of a front SC 503 according to a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 23. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the front SC 503. FIG. 18 is a front view of the front SC 503 shown in FIG. 17. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the front SC 503 includes a nozzle 530, a motor 540 that rotates the nozzle 530, and a gear mechanism 550 and a link mechanism 560 that are provided between the motor 540 and the nozzle 530. As shown in FIG. 18, the front SC 503 is disposed in the upper center of the front LiDAR 6f. The front LiDAR 6f includes a rectangular front lens unit 120, which is the surface to be cleaned, in the center of its front surface. The rear portion of the nozzle 530 of the front SC 503, the motor 540, the gear mechanism 550, and the link mechanism 560 are housed within a housing, preventing water and the like from entering the housing from the outside. For the sake of simplicity and clarity of the drawings, the housing of the front SC 503 is omitted from illustration in FIG. 17 and the like.

[0105] The nozzle 530 is provided directly above the front LiDAR 6 f so as to extend toward the front lens portion 120 of the front LiDAR 6 f. The nozzle 530 has an ejection portion 531 extending in the up-down direction and a conduit 532 extending in the front-rear direction.

[0106] Injection unit 531 has injection port 533 that injects high-pressure air toward front lens unit 120. Injection port 533 is formed on the lower surface of injection unit 531. The direction of injection port 533 is adjusted so that the high-pressure air injected from injection port 533 is sprayed from above to below front lens unit 120.

[0107] The conduit 532 is connected to the rear surface of the jetting portion 531. An external conduit (not shown) is connected to a rear end 532a of the conduit 532, and high-pressure air is supplied from the air pump 115 via the external conduit. The conduit 532 supplies the high-pressure air supplied from the air pump 115 to the jetting portion 531. The conduit 532 is provided with two connecting portions 534, 535 that connect to the link mechanism 560. The connecting portions 534, 535 are provided on the right and left sides of the conduit 532, respectively. The connecting portions 534 and 535 are provided at different positions from each other in the longitudinal direction (front-to-back direction) of the conduit 532. The connecting portions 534, 535 are provided with cylindrical protrusions 534a, 535a that protrude forward or rearward, respectively.

[0108] The motor 540 is a motor that can rotate in both forward and reverse directions. The motor 540 is configured to rotate around a rotation axis X6 that extends in the front-rear direction. The motor 540 is electrically connected to the cleaner control unit 113. The operation of the motor 540 is controlled by the cleaner control unit 113.

[0109] The gear mechanism 550 is composed of a motor gear 551 attached to the motor 540, a drive gear 554 connected to the link mechanism 560, and driven gears 552 and 553 provided between the motor gear 551 and the drive gear 554. The gear mechanism 550 is configured to transmit the rotational force of the motor 540 to the link mechanism 560.

[0110] The motor gear 551 is attached to the output shaft 541 of the motor 540. The motor gear 551 rotates together with the output shaft 541 as the output shaft 541 of the motor 540 rotates.

[0111] The drive gear 554 is attached to a connecting portion 554a (an example of a fixed point). The connecting portion 554a is provided so as to extend in the front-to-rear direction. The drive gear 554 is provided on a portion of the circumferential direction of the connecting portion 554a and is formed so as to have a fan shape when viewed from the direction of the central axis X8 of the connecting portion 554a. The drive gear 554 is configured to rotate together with the connecting portion 554a around the central axis X8. The direction of the central axis X8 of the connecting portion 554a coincides with the direction of the rotation axis X6 of the motor 540.

[0112] The driven gears 552 and 553 are configured to rotate about a rotation axis X7 extending in the front-rear direction. The driven gears 552 and 553 are stacked on the rotation axis X7 in the front-rear direction. The driven gear 552 has a larger diameter than the driven gear 553. The driven gear 552 is provided on the rear side of the rotation axis X7, and the driven gear 553 is provided on the front side of the rotation axis X7. The direction of the rotation axis X7 coincides with the direction of the rotation axis X6 of the motor 540 and the direction of the central axis X8 of the connecting portion 554a. The driven gear 552 is provided to mesh with a motor gear 551 attached to the motor 540. The driven gear 553 is provided to mesh with a drive gear 554 attached to the connecting portion 554a.

[0113] The driven gears 552 and 553 rotate in the forward and reverse directions in association with the forward and reverse rotation of the motor 540, as the driven gear 552 meshes with the motor gear 551. Furthermore, the driven gears 552 and 553 rotate the drive gear 554 in the forward and reverse directions in association with the forward and reverse rotation of the motor 540, as the driven gear 553 meshes with the drive gear 554.

[0114] The link mechanism 560 has a gear link member 561 (an example of a third link member) and an auxiliary link member 562 (an example of a fourth link member).

[0115] The gear link member 561 is provided between the nozzle 530 and the drive gear 554. The gear link member 561 has a nozzle link portion 561a that connects to the nozzle 530, a gear link portion 561c that connects to a connecting portion 554a to which the drive gear 554 is attached, and a shaft portion 561b that connects the nozzle link portion 561a and the gear link portion 561c.

[0116] The nozzle link portion 561a and the gear link portion 561c of the gear link member 561 are formed in a cylindrical body. The nozzle link portion 561a is connected to the nozzle 530 such that the protrusion 534a of the connecting portion 534 of the pipe line 532 is accommodated within the internal space of the cylindrical body. The nozzle link portion 561a is rotatable around the protrusion 534a. The gear link portion 561c is fixed to the connecting portion 554a of the drive gear 554 such that the connecting portion 554a is accommodated within the internal space of the cylindrical body. The gear link portion 561c rotates together with the connecting portion 554a around the central axis X8.

[0117] The auxiliary link member 562 is provided between the nozzle 530 and a link fixing portion 563 (an example of a fixing point) disposed above the nozzle 530. The auxiliary link member 562 has a nozzle link portion 562a connected to the nozzle 530, a fixed link portion 562c connected to the link fixing portion 563, and a shaft portion 562b connecting the nozzle link portion 562a and the fixed link portion 562c. The link fixing portion 563 is a cylindrical protruding member that protrudes forward. The direction of the central axis X9 of the link fixing portion 563 coincides with the direction of the central axis X8 of the connecting portion 554a.

[0118] The nozzle link portion 562a and the fixed link portion 562c of the auxiliary link member 562 are formed in a cylindrical body. The nozzle link portion 562a is connected to the nozzle 530 so that the protrusion 535a of the connection portion 535 of the pipe line 532 is accommodated within the internal space of the cylindrical body. The nozzle link portion 562a is rotatable around the protrusion 535a. The fixed link portion 562c is connected to the link fixing portion 563 so that the link fixing portion 563 is accommodated within the internal space of the cylindrical body. The fixed link portion 562c is rotatable around the link fixing portion 563 around the central axis X9.

[0119] The gear link member 561 and the auxiliary link member 562 of the link mechanism 560 are attached so as to intersect with each other in a front view of the front SC 503. That is, the connecting portion 554a to which the gear link member 561 is fixed and the link fixing portion 563 to which the auxiliary link member 562 is connected are provided at positions such that the gear link member 561 and the auxiliary link member 562 intersect with each other.

[0120] The gear link member 561 fixed to the connecting portion 554a is configured to receive the rotational driving force of the motor 540. The gear link member 561 is configured to transmit the rotational force of the motor 540 to the nozzle 530, causing the nozzle 530 to rotate. The auxiliary link member 562 connected to the link fixing portion 563 is configured to rotate the nozzle 530 together with the gear link member 561. The auxiliary link member 562 assists the gear link member 561 in rotating the nozzle 530.

[0121] Next, the operation of the front SC 503 will be described with reference to Figures 19 to 23. Figures 19 to 23 are diagrams that schematically show the operation of the link mechanism 560 and the nozzle 530 of the front SC 503 shown in Figures 17 and 18.

[0122] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing a state in which the ejection portion 531 faces directly downward, as in the nozzle 530 shown in Fig. 17 and Fig. 18. As shown in Fig. 19, when the ejection portion 531 of the nozzle 530 faces directly downward, the ejection axis ML of the high-pressure air ejected from the ejection port 533 is adjusted to face the central region of the front lens portion 120 of the front LiDAR 6f.

[0123] 17 and 18, for example, suppose that the motor 540 rotates in one direction, causing the motor gear 551 to rotate counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow CCW. When the motor gear 551 rotates counterclockwise, the driven gear 552 meshing with the motor gear 551 rotates clockwise as indicated by the arrow CW. When the driven gear 552 rotates clockwise, the driven gear 553 also rotates clockwise in response to the rotation. When the driven gear 553 rotates clockwise, the drive gear 554 meshing with the driven gear 553 rotates counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow CCW.

[0124] Figure 20 is a diagram showing the state of the link mechanism 560 and the nozzle 530 when the drive gear 554 rotates counterclockwise. When the drive gear 554 rotates counterclockwise, as shown in Figure 20, the gear link member 561 of the link mechanism 560, which is fixed to the coupling portion 554a, rotates counterclockwise together with the coupling portion 554a around the coupling portion 554a in accordance with the rotation of the drive gear 554. When the gear link member 561 rotates counterclockwise, the coupling portion 534 (on the right side of the nozzle 530) of the conduit 532 of the nozzle 530, which is coupled to the nozzle link portion 561a of the gear link member 561, is pushed leftward by the gear link member 561. When the nozzle 530 pushed by the gear link member 561 rotates leftward, the nozzle 530 rotates leftward while being pulled toward the link fixing part 563 by the auxiliary link member 562 because the connecting part 535 (left side of the nozzle 530) of the conduit 532 of the nozzle 530 is connected to the auxiliary link member 562 of the link mechanism 560. At this time, as the nozzle 530 is pushed by the gear link member 561, the auxiliary link member 562 rotates counterclockwise around the link fixing part 563.

[0125] As a result, nozzle 530 rotates counterclockwise relative to gear link member 561 around protrusion 534a of connecting portion 534, and rotates leftward while rotating counterclockwise relative to auxiliary link member 562 around protrusion 535a of connecting portion 535. As a result, the position of outlet 533 in ejection portion 531 of nozzle 530 moves diagonally upward to the left, the orientation of outlet 533 tilts leftward, and the direction of ejection axis ML of the high-pressure air ejected from outlet 533 changes from the direction of the central region of front lens portion 120 of front LiDAR 6f to the direction of the outer region (leftward).

[0126] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the state of the link mechanism 560 and the nozzle 530 when the drive gear 554 further rotates counterclockwise. When the drive gear 554 further rotates counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. 21, the gear link member 561 further rotates counterclockwise around the connecting portion 554a. When the gear link member 561 further rotates counterclockwise, the connecting portion 534 of the conduit 532 of the nozzle 530 (on the right side of the nozzle 530) is pushed further to the left by the gear link member 561. The nozzle 530 pushed by the gear link member 561 rotates leftward while being pulled toward the link fixing portion 563 by the auxiliary link member 562 in the same manner as described above. At this time, the auxiliary link member 562 rotates counterclockwise around the link fixing portion 563 in the same manner as described above.

[0127] As a result, nozzle 530 further rotates counterclockwise relative to gear link member 561 around protrusion 534a of connecting portion 534, and also rotates leftward while further rotating counterclockwise relative to auxiliary link member 562 around protrusion 535a of connecting portion 535. As a result, the position of jet nozzle 533 of nozzle 530 moves further diagonally upward to the left, the orientation of jet nozzle 533 tilts further leftward, and the direction of jet axis ML changes toward a further outer region (leftward) of front lens unit 120. In this way, as the rotational force of motor 540 is transmitted to nozzle 530 by link mechanism 560 and the position of jet nozzle 533 moves from the central region of front lens unit 120 toward the left side region, the angle of jet axis ML of jet nozzle 533 with respect to the vertical direction (up-down direction) gradually increases. That is, the orientation of the nozzle 530 changes so that the angle θ6 of the injection axis ML in FIG. 21 becomes larger than the angle θ5 of the injection axis ML in FIG.

[0128] 17 and 18, for example, the motor 540 rotates in the opposite direction to the one direction shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, and the motor gear 551 rotates clockwise as indicated by the arrow CW in accordance with the rotation. When the motor gear 551 rotates clockwise, the driven gear 552 meshing with the motor gear 551 rotates counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow CCW. When the driven gear 552 rotates counterclockwise, the driven gear 553 also rotates counterclockwise in accordance with the rotation. When the driven gear 553 rotates counterclockwise, the drive gear 554 meshing with the driven gear 553 rotates clockwise as indicated by the arrow CW.

[0129] Figure 22 is a diagram showing the state of the link mechanism 560 and the nozzle 530 when the drive gear 554 rotates clockwise. When the drive gear 554 rotates clockwise, as shown in Figure 22, the gear link member 561 rotates clockwise around the connecting portion 554a. When the gear link member 561 rotates clockwise, the connecting portion 534 (the right side of the nozzle 530) of the conduit 532 of the nozzle 530 is pulled rightward by the gear link member 561. When the nozzle 530 rotates rightward, the nozzle 530, pulled by the gear link member 561, rotates rightward while being pushed toward the connecting portion 535 by the auxiliary link member 562 because the connecting portion 535 (the left side of the nozzle 530) is connected to the auxiliary link member 562 of the link mechanism 560. At this time, as the nozzle 530 is pulled by the gear link member 561 , the auxiliary link member 562 rotates clockwise around the link fixing portion 563 .

[0130] As a result, nozzle 530 rotates clockwise relative to gear link member 561 around protrusion 534a of connecting portion 534, and rotates to the right while rotating clockwise relative to auxiliary link member 562 around protrusion 535a of connecting portion 535. As a result, the position of nozzle 533 of nozzle 530 moves diagonally upward to the right, the orientation of nozzle 533 tilts to the right, and the direction of injection axis ML changes from the direction of the central region of front lens unit 120 to the direction of the outer region (to the right).

[0131] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing the state of the link mechanism 560 and the nozzle 530 when the drive gear 554 further rotates clockwise. When the drive gear 554 further rotates clockwise, the gear link member 561 further rotates clockwise around the connecting portion 554a, as shown in FIG. 23. When the gear link member 561 further rotates clockwise, the connecting portion 534 (the right side of the nozzle 530) of the conduit 532 of the nozzle 530 is pulled further to the right by the gear link member 561. The nozzle 530, pulled by the gear link member 561, rotates to the right while being pushed toward the connecting portion 535 by the auxiliary link member 562 in the same manner as above. At this time, the auxiliary link member 562 rotates clockwise around the link fixing portion 563 in the same manner as above.

[0132] As a result, nozzle 530 further rotates clockwise relative to gear link member 561 around protrusion 534a of connecting portion 534, and also rotates to the right while further rotating clockwise relative to auxiliary link member 562 around protrusion 535a of connecting portion 535. As a result, the position of jet nozzle 533 of nozzle 530 moves further diagonally upward to the right, the orientation of jet nozzle 533 tilts further to the right, and the direction of jet axis ML changes toward a further outer region (to the right) of front lens unit 120. In this way, as the rotational force of motor 540 is transmitted to nozzle 530 by link mechanism 560 and the position of jet nozzle 533 moves from the central region of front lens unit 120 toward the right side, the angle of jet axis ML of jet nozzle 533 with respect to the vertical direction (up and down direction) gradually increases. That is, the orientation of the nozzle 530 changes so that the angle θ8 of the injection axis ML in FIG. 23 becomes larger than the angle θ7 of the injection axis ML in FIG.

[0133] As described above, the front SC 503 (an example of a cleaner) of this embodiment includes a nozzle 530 with an injection port 533 that injects high-pressure air (an example of a cleaning medium), a motor 540 that can rotate in forward and reverse directions, and a link mechanism 560 provided between the motor 540 and the nozzle 530. The link mechanism 560 is configured to transmit the rotational driving force of the motor 540 to the nozzle 530, thereby reciprocating the nozzle 530 and changing the position of the injection port 533 relative to the front lens portion 120 of the front LiDAR 6f (an example of a sensor), which is the surface to be cleaned, while changing the angles θ5 to θ8 of the injection axis ML of the injection port 533. With this configuration, the rotation of the motor 540 reciprocates the nozzle 530, changing not only the position but also the orientation of the injection port 533, thereby enabling the front LiDAR 6f to be efficiently cleaned over a wide area.

[0134] Furthermore, in this embodiment, nozzle 530 is reciprocated such that angles θ5 to θ8 of injection axis ML increase as the position of injection port 533 moves from the central region toward the outer region of front lens portion 120. With this configuration, a wider area of ​​front lens portion 120 can be cleaned.

[0135] In the present embodiment, the link mechanism 560 includes a gear link member 561 (an example of a third link member) and an auxiliary link member 562 (an example of a fourth link member). Either the gear link member 561 or the auxiliary link member 562 is configured to receive the rotational driving force of the motor 540. With this configuration, the nozzle 530 can be reciprocated with a simple configuration in which one of the link members is rotated by the motor 540.

[0136] In this embodiment, one end of the gear link member 561 is connected to the right side of the nozzle 530, and one end of the auxiliary link member 562 is connected to the left side of the nozzle 530. The other end of the gear link member 561 and the other end of the auxiliary link member 562 are configured to be rotatable around a link fixing portion 563 (an example of a fixing point) and a connecting portion 554a (an example of a fixing point) that are provided at a position where the gear link member 561 and the auxiliary link member 562 intersect with each other. With this configuration, the link mechanism 560 that can realize the reciprocating motion of the nozzle 530 can be configured with a small number of parts.

[0137] Furthermore, in the front SC 503 of this embodiment, the direction of the rotation axis X6 of the motor 540 coincides with the direction of the rotation axis (the central axis X8 of the connecting portion 554a and the central axis X9 of the link fixing portion 563) of the link mechanism 560. With this configuration, the reciprocating motion of the nozzle 530 can be achieved with fewer parts than in a case where the rotation axis X6 of the motor 540 is provided perpendicular to the rotation axis of the link mechanism 560, and the entire front SC 503 can be made smaller.

[0138] In the above embodiment, the gear mechanism 550 (motor gear 551, driven gears 552 and 553, and drive gear 554) is provided between the motor 540 and the link mechanism 560, but this is not limiting. For example, the link mechanism 560 may be directly connected to the motor 540 without providing the motor gear 551, driven gears 552 and 553, and drive gear 554.

[0139] Sixth Embodiment Next, the configuration of a front SC 603 according to a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 24 to 27. Fig. 24 is a perspective view showing the front SC 603 attached to a front LiDAR 6f. As shown in Fig. 24, the front LiDAR 6f to which the front SC 603 is attached has an overall box-like shape, and a rectangular front lens unit 120, which is the surface to be cleaned, is provided in the center of its front surface. The front SC 603 is attached to the upper center of the front LiDAR 6f.

[0140] The front SC 603 has a nozzle 633, a motor 643 that rotates the nozzle 633, a motor housing 653 that houses the motor 643, and an attachment portion 663 that attaches the motor housing 653 to the front LiDAR 6f.

[0141] The nozzle 633 is provided to extend in the vertical direction from the front side of the motor housing 653 toward the front lens unit 120 of the front LiDAR 6f. The nozzle 633 is formed, for example, as a vertically long rod. The nozzle 633 is provided with an injection port 634 that injects high-pressure air toward the front lens unit 120, and a first pipe 635 that supplies high-pressure air to the injection port 634.

[0142] Jet port 634 is provided on the underside of nozzle 633 so as to face front lens portion 120. The direction of jet port 634 is adjusted so that the high-pressure air jetted from jet port 634 is sprayed from above to below front lens portion 120. First pipe 635 is provided to protrude from the back surface of nozzle 633 so as to face rearward.

[0143] The motor 643 is connected to the nozzle 633. The motor 643 is configured to rotate to turn the nozzle 633 and change the position of the injection port 634 of the nozzle 633 relative to the front lens unit 120. The motor 643 is electrically connected to the cleaner control unit 113. The operation of the motor 643 is controlled by the cleaner control unit 113.

[0144] The motor housing 653 is formed in a box shape capable of accommodating the motor 643. The motor housing 653 accommodates the motor 643 therein and is disposed in the upper center of the front LiDAR 6f.

[0145] The mounting portion 663 has a housing connection portion 664 that connects to the motor housing 653 and a sensor connection portion 665 that connects to the front LiDAR 6f. The housing connection portion 664 is connected to the left and right side walls of the motor housing 653 and is configured to hold the motor housing 653 from both the left and right sides. An internal space 666 is formed inside the housing connection portion 664. An opening 667 that communicates with the internal space 666 is formed in the front wall of the housing connection portion 664. The sensor connection portion 665 has an upper surface connection portion 665a that abuts the top surface of the front LiDAR 6f and a pair of side surface connection portions 665b that abut the left and right side surfaces of the front LiDAR 6f, respectively. The pair of side surface connection portions 665b are made of, for example, an elastic member and elastically grip the side surfaces of the front LiDAR 6f from both the left and right sides, thereby fixing the front SC 603 to the front LiDAR 6f. In the example shown in FIG. 24, the mounting portion 663 is formed integrally with the motor housing 653 .

[0146] Fig. 25 is a perspective view of the front SC 603 shown in Fig. 24 as seen from the rear side. As shown in Fig. 25, a lid 654 that covers the rear opening of the motor housing 653 is provided on the rear side of the motor housing 653. The lid 654 is provided with a wire passage opening 655 through which wires for supplying power to the motor 643 housed therein are passed.

[0147] The housing connecting portion 664 is provided with a second conduit 669 that protrudes from the rear wall 668 to the outside. The second conduit 669 also penetrates the rear wall 668 and protrudes into the internal space 666 of the housing connecting portion 664. The second conduit 669 that protrudes into the internal space 666 is configured to be connected to the first conduit 635 of the nozzle 633 described above. An external conduit (not shown) is connected to the second conduit 669 that protrudes to the outside, and high-pressure air is supplied from the air pump 115 to the second conduit 669 via this external conduit.

[0148] FIG. 26 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 24. As shown in FIG. 26, a motor 643 is housed inside a motor housing 653. The motor 643 is housed with its output shaft 644 protruding from a front wall 656 of the motor housing 653. In the motor 643, the protruding output shaft 644 is directly connected to the nozzle 633. Specifically, the output shaft 644 of the motor 643 is connected to the nozzle 633 by being directly fitted into a fitting hole 636 formed on the back side of the nozzle 633. The fitting hole 636 is formed on the back side of the upper end of the nozzle 633. As a result, the output shaft 644 of the motor 643 is connected to the upper end of the nozzle 633. The nozzle 633 is configured to rotate around the output shaft 644, which serves as the rotation axis of the motor 643, as the motor 643 rotates. That is, the nozzle 633 is connected to the output shaft 644 of the motor 643 and is configured to be directly rotated by the motor 643 .

[0149] A rear portion of the first conduit 635 protruding from the back surface of the nozzle 633 passes through an opening 667 (see FIG. 24 ) of the housing connecting portion 664 and is disposed within an internal space 666 of the housing connecting portion 664. Furthermore, a front portion of the second conduit 669 provided so as to penetrate a rear wall 668 of the housing connecting portion 664 is disposed within the internal space 666 of the housing connecting portion 664. The first conduit 635 and the second conduit 669 disposed within the internal space 666 are connected by a flexible conduit 670 that communicates between the two conduits 635, 669. As a result, the pressurized air delivered from the air pump 115 to the second conduit 669 passes through the flexible conduit 670 and the first conduit 635 before being supplied to the nozzle 634.

[0150] The flexible conduit 670 is formed of a flexible conduit, and is configured to bend in conjunction with the movement of the nozzle 633 without generating a large load on the first conduit 635, the second conduit 669, and the flexible conduit 670 itself, even when the nozzle 633 rotates in accordance with the rotation of the motor 643. Specifically, the flexible conduit 670 is formed of a conduit having a bellows structure that is freely bendable (flexible). Note that the flexible conduit 670 may be a conduit that is entirely flexible, or may be a conduit that is at least partially flexible.

[0151] FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the nozzle 633 of the front SC 603. As shown in FIG. 27 , when the output shaft 644 of the motor 643 connected to the nozzle 633 rotates, the rotational drive force of the motor 643 is directly transmitted to the nozzle 633. That is, in this example, the rotational axis direction of the output shaft 644 of the motor 643 coincides with the rotational axis direction of the nozzle 633. As the motor 643 rotates, the nozzle 633 rotates, for example, by a movable angle θ around the output shaft 644. As the rotation of the motor 643 is switched between forward and reverse rotation, the nozzle 633 repeatedly rotates back and forth in the left-right direction around the output shaft 644 within the movable angle θ. When the nozzle 633 rotates, the flexible conduit 670 connected to the first conduit 635 of the nozzle 633 moves while bending within the internal space 666 of the housing connecting portion 664 so as to follow the nozzle 633. The movable angle θ of the nozzle 633 is set to an angle such that the high-pressure air jetted from the jet port 634 is jetted across the front lens portion 120 from the left end region to the right end region.

[0152] As described above, the front SC 603 (an example of a cleaner) of this embodiment includes a nozzle 633 with an injection port 634 that injects high-pressure air (an example of a cleaning medium) toward the front lens unit 120, which is the surface to be cleaned of the front LiDAR 6f (an example of a sensor), and a motor 643 that can rotate the nozzle 633 to change the position of the injection port 634 relative to the front lens unit 120. In the front SC 603, the motor 643 and the nozzle 633 are directly connected. With this configuration, because the nozzle 633 is directly connected to the motor 643, the nozzle 633 can be rotated within a predetermined range of motion with a small number of parts. This allows the front lens unit 120 to be cleaned efficiently over a wide area using the compact front SC 603.

[0153] In this embodiment, the output shaft 644 of the motor 643 is directly connected to the nozzle 633. With this configuration, the rotation mechanism of the nozzle 633 can be configured with a smaller number of parts.

[0154] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the axial direction of the output shaft 644 of the motor 643 coincides with the rotational axis direction of the nozzle 633. With this configuration, the rotation of the motor 643 can be directly transmitted to the nozzle 633 to rotate the nozzle 633. This makes it possible to achieve rotation of the nozzle 633 with a simple configuration.

[0155] In this embodiment, the front SC 603 further includes a motor housing 653 that houses the motor 643 therein, and an attachment portion 663 for attaching the motor housing 653 to the front LiDAR 6 f. With this configuration, the front SC 603 equipped with the motor 643 and the nozzle 633 is directly mounted on the front LiDAR 6 f, thereby reducing the size of the entire sensor system 100.

[0156] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the nozzle 633 has a first conduit 635 that supplies high-pressure air toward the injection port 634. The attachment portion 663 is provided with a second conduit 669 that is connected to the first conduit 635 of the nozzle 633 and supplies high-pressure air to the first conduit 635. A flexible conduit 670, at least a portion of which is flexible, is provided between the first conduit 635 and the second conduit 669. With this configuration, the flexible conduit 670 provided between the first conduit 635 and the second conduit 669 bends in response to the rotation of the nozzle 633, so that high-pressure air can be appropriately supplied from each conduit toward the injection port 634 even when the nozzle 633 rotates.

[0157] In addition, in this embodiment, the front LiDAR 6f is an on-board sensor mounted on the vehicle 1. According to this configuration, the front lens portion 120 of the on-board sensor can be efficiently cleaned over a wide area by the small front SC 603.

[0158] In the sixth embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the flexible conduit 670, at least a portion of which is flexible, is provided between the first conduit 635 and the second conduit 669 as a conduit for supplying high-pressure air, but this is not limiting. For example, at least one of the first conduit 635 and the second conduit 669 may be configured as a conduit having a portion that is flexible.

[0159] 26 , flexible conduit 670 may be formed integrally with first conduit 635 as a part of first conduit 635. That is, first conduit 635 may be formed as a conduit having a portion thereof being flexible. The rear end side of first conduit 635 may be configured to be connected to the front end side of second conduit 669.

[0160] 26 , the flexible conduit 670 may be formed integrally with the second conduit 669 as a part of the second conduit 669. That is, the second conduit 669 may be formed as a conduit having a portion thereof being flexible. The front end of the second conduit 669 may be connected to the rear end of the first conduit 635.

[0161] In this way, a flexible portion may be provided in at least one of first pipeline 635 and second pipeline 669. This allows the flexible region to bend in response to the rotation of nozzle 633, so that high-pressure air can be appropriately supplied from the pipeline toward nozzle 634 even when nozzle 633 rotates.

[0162] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the motor housing 653 and the mounting portion 663 are integrally formed, but this is not limiting. For example, the motor housing 653 and the mounting portion 663 may be formed separately, and the motor housing 653 may be attached to the mounting portion 663.

[0163] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the present embodiments. The present embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0164] In the above embodiment, the front WW 101, rear WW 102, right HC 107, and left HC 108 spray cleaning liquid, while the front SC 103 (103A to 103D), 503, and 603, rear SC 104, right SC 105, and left SC 106 spray high-pressure air. However, this is not limiting. In each cleaner, whether cleaning liquid or high-pressure air is used as a cleaning medium can be changed as appropriate depending on the type of object to be cleaned and the desired cleanliness.

[0165] In the above embodiment, the vehicle control unit 3, the cleaner control unit 113, and the sensor control unit 114 are provided as separate components, but this is not limiting. For example, the vehicle control unit 3 and the sensor control unit 114 may be integrally configured, the vehicle control unit 3 and the cleaner control unit 113 may be integrally configured, or the vehicle control unit 3, the cleaner control unit 113, and the sensor control unit 114 may be integrally configured.

[0166] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the sensor system 100 is mounted on a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, but the sensor system 100 may also be mounted on a vehicle that cannot be autonomously driven.

[0167] In the above embodiment, a cleaner for cleaning an on-board sensor mounted on the vehicle 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The cleaner of the sensor system may be used, for example, as a cleaner for cleaning surveillance cameras, LiDARs, and the like installed in infrastructure such as roads and railways. Even when used in a sensor system for such infrastructure facilities, the surface to be cleaned can be efficiently cleaned over a wide area using a small cleaner.

[0168] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-178592 filed on November 1, 2021, Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-187223 filed on November 17, 2021, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-187224 filed on November 17, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A cleaner that sprays a cleaning medium onto a surface of a sensor to be cleaned, a nozzle having an ejection port for ejecting the cleaning medium; a motor rotatable in at least one direction; a transmission mechanism provided between the motor and the nozzle; Equipped with The cleaner is configured such that the transmission mechanism transmits the rotational force of the motor to the nozzle, thereby causing the nozzle to reciprocate and changing the position of the jet axis of the jet nozzle relative to the surface to be cleaned.

2. the nozzle has a conduit extending along a rotation axis of the nozzle for supplying the cleaning medium to the injection port; the transmission mechanism is configured at least with a first gear that is rotated in a forward and reverse direction by the motor, and a second gear that is rotated in the forward and reverse direction by meshing with the first gear, The cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the second gear is provided at a portion of the circumferential direction of the pipe.

3. The cleaner according to claim 2 , wherein the second gear is formed in a sector shape.

4. a housing that accommodates at least the motor and the transmission mechanism; 4. The cleaner according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the housing that houses the second gear has an inner wall surface that defines a range of movement of the second gear along the circumferential direction.

5. The transmission mechanism includes: a third gear that rotates in one direction when the motor rotates in the one direction; a first link member having one end attached to the third gear and the other end attached to the nozzle; The one end of the first link member is formed into a cylindrical body, 2. The cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the central axis of the cylindrical body is eccentric from the rotation axis of the third gear.

6. a circular stepped portion that is accommodated in the internal space of the cylindrical body is formed on one side surface of the third gear, The cleaner according to claim 5 , wherein the center of the circular step portion is eccentric from the rotation axis of the third gear.

7. 7. The cleaner according to claim 5, further comprising a fourth gear disposed between the motor and the third gear for transmitting the rotation of the motor in one direction to the third gear.

8. The transmission mechanism includes: a fifth gear that is rotated in forward and reverse directions by the motor; a plurality of second link members, each having one end attached to the nozzle; and One of the plurality of second link members has the other end connected to the fifth gear, 2. The cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the other ends of the plurality of second link members other than the one link member are configured to be rotatable about a fixed point.

9. the plurality of second link members include three link members arranged in parallel, 9. The cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the three link members are provided above, on the left and right sides of the nozzle, respectively.

10. the plurality of second link members include two link members, one end of each of the two link members is connected to the left and right sides of the nozzle, 9. The cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the other ends of the two link members are fixed in positions such that the two link members cross each other.

11. The cleaner according to claim 1 , wherein a rotational axis direction of the motor coincides with a rotational axis direction of the nozzle.

12. A cleaner that sprays a cleaning medium onto a surface of a sensor to be cleaned, a nozzle having an ejection port for ejecting the cleaning medium; a motor that can rotate in forward and reverse directions; a link mechanism provided between the motor and the nozzle; Equipped with The link mechanism is configured to transmit the rotational driving force of the motor to the nozzle, thereby causing the nozzle to reciprocate and change the position of the nozzle relative to the surface to be cleaned, while also changing the angle of the spray axis of the nozzle.

13. 13. The cleaner of claim 12, wherein the nozzle is reciprocated such that the angle of the position of the jet increases from a central region toward an outer region of the surface to be cleaned.

14. the link mechanism includes a third link member and a fourth link member, 14. The cleaner according to claim 12, wherein one of the third link member and the fourth link member is configured to receive the rotational driving force of the motor.

15. one end of the third link member is connected to a right side of the nozzle, and one end of the fourth link member is connected to a left side of the nozzle, 15. The cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the other end of the third link member and the other end of the fourth link member are configured to be rotatable around a fixed point provided at a position where the third link member and the fourth link member intersect with each other.

16. 14. The cleaner according to claim 13, wherein a rotational axis direction of the motor coincides with a rotational axis direction of the link mechanism.

17. A cleaner that sprays a cleaning medium onto a surface of a sensor to be cleaned, a nozzle having an ejection port for ejecting the cleaning medium; a motor that can rotate the nozzle to change the position of the jet outlet relative to the surface to be cleaned, A cleaner, wherein the motor and the nozzle are directly connected.

18. 18. The cleaner of claim 17, wherein the output shaft of the motor is directly connected to the nozzle.

19. 19. The cleaner according to claim 18, wherein the axial direction of the output shaft coincides with the rotational axis direction of the nozzle.

20. a motor housing that houses the motor therein; a mounting portion for mounting the motor housing to the sensor; 20. The cleaner of any one of claims 17 to 19, further comprising:

21. the nozzle has a first pipe for supplying the cleaning medium toward the injection port, the attachment portion is provided with a second conduit connected to the first conduit of the nozzle to supply the cleaning medium to the first conduit; 21. The cleaner according to claim 20, wherein a flexible conduit, at least a portion of which is flexible, is provided between the first conduit and the second conduit.

22. the nozzle has a first pipe for supplying the cleaning medium toward the injection port, the attachment portion is provided with a second conduit connected to the first conduit of the nozzle to supply the cleaning medium to the first conduit; 21. The cleaner of claim 20, wherein a portion of at least one of the first conduit and the second conduit is flexible.

23. The cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, 6, 8 to 10, 12, 13, and 16 to 19, wherein the sensor is an on-board sensor mounted on a vehicle.