Test-subject-testing system, test-subject-testing method, and test-subject-testing program

Abstract

The present invention is a test-subject-testing system that tests a test subject while spraying water droplets in accordance with the velocity of the test subject and recreating rainfall or snowfall, the test-subject-testing system testing a test subject that is a vehicle or a part thereof, the test-subject-testing system comprising: a test device on which the test subject is placed or to which the test subject is connected; a spray unit for spraying water droplets towards the test subject from the surroundings of the test subject; and a changing unit for changing the spray speed, the position, or the angle of the spray unit according to the velocity of the test subject.

Description

Specimen testing system, specimen testing method, and specimen testing program

[0001] The present invention relates to a specimen testing system, a specimen testing method, and a specimen testing program for testing a vehicle or a specimen that is a part thereof.

[0002] Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a vehicle driving test device has been considered that includes a real vehicle running bench device on which a test vehicle is mounted and an environmental reproduction mechanism that reproduces the environment around the test vehicle. The environmental reproduction mechanism includes a rainfall facility, a fog-generating facility, etc. This vehicle driving test device allows testing under rainy conditions by replicating rain conditions with the rainfall facility while the test vehicle is running on the real vehicle running bench.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 57-184943

[0004] However, the above vehicle driving test device simply reproduces rainfall conditions using rainfall equipment and does not take into account the driving conditions of the vehicle being tested. For example, the speed or angle of rain hitting the windshield changes depending on the speed of the vehicle being tested, but the above vehicle driving test device cannot change the speed or angle of rain hitting the windshield.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its main objective is to test a test specimen while simulating rainfall or snowfall by injecting water droplets according to the vehicle speed of the test specimen.

[0006] In other words, the specimen testing system of the present invention is a specimen testing system for testing a specimen that is a vehicle or a part thereof, and desirably comprises a test device on which the specimen is installed or connected, an injection unit that injects water droplets from around the specimen toward the specimen, and a change unit that changes the injection speed, position or angle of the injection unit depending on the vehicle speed of the specimen.

[0007] With this configuration, the spray speed, position, or angle of the spray section that sprays the water droplets is changed depending on the vehicle speed of the test specimen, and water droplets are sprayed from around the test specimen toward the test specimen, so that the test specimen can be tested while reproducing rainfall or snowfall depending on the vehicle speed of the test specimen.

[0008] It is desirable that the change unit is configured to move the ejection unit in the vertical direction and / or the front-rear direction so as to cover a predetermined range (a range that affects sensor detection).

[0009] The change unit is preferably configured to change the spray speed, position or angle of the spray unit within the range in which the water droplets hit the test piece, so as to cover a predetermined range (a range that affects sensor detection).

[0010] It is desirable that the change unit reduces the angle between the spray direction of the spray unit and the vertical direction as the falling speed of the water droplets increases and / or the vehicle speed of the test specimen decreases.

[0011] For example, if the jetting part obstructs the recognition range of the sensor, the change part desirably moves the jetting part in a direction away from the test specimen in accordance with the vehicle speed of the test specimen. Note that, since the jetting speed decreases when the jetting part is moved away from the test specimen, it may be advantageous to move the jetting part up or down as long as it does not obstruct the recognition range of the sensor.

[0012] As a specific embodiment of the ejection unit, it is desirable that the ejection unit be configured as a two-fluid nozzle.

[0013] In order to spray the water droplets sprayed from the spray unit toward the specimen, the specimen testing system of the present invention may further include an air blowing unit that blows the water droplets sprayed from the spray unit.

[0014] In order to be able to vary the spraying conditions of the water droplets sprayed onto the specimen, it is desirable that the spraying unit be capable of adjusting the amount of water, the size of the droplets, or the spraying speed.

[0015] In order to automatically set the injection unit according to the type of rainfall or snowfall, it is desirable that the specimen testing system of the present invention further includes a recording unit that stores the injection conditions of the injection unit according to the type of rainfall or snowfall, and that the changing unit reads out the injection conditions from the recording unit and adjusts the injection speed, position or angle of the injection unit according to the user's selection.

[0016] Furthermore, in order to automatically set the spray unit according to the type of rainfall or snowfall, it is desirable that the specimen testing system of the present invention further includes a spray control unit that reads the spray conditions from the recording unit and adjusts the amount of water, water droplet size, or spray speed of the spray unit according to the user's selection.

[0017] As a specific embodiment of the spray unit, it is desirable that the spray unit sprays water droplets toward the windshield of the test specimen by changing the spray speed, position or angle using the change unit.

[0018] A test specimen for which the test system of the present invention is preferably used is an autonomous vehicle or a vehicle or part thereof equipped with an advanced driver assistance system, and is preferably equipped with a camera or LIDAR that recognizes the area in front of the vehicle through the windshield.

[0019] During actual driving, water droplets not only slide down onto the windshield, etc., but also behave in other ways due to air resistance during driving. In order to test a test specimen while reproducing this behavior of water droplets, it is desirable to further provide a blower that blows air toward the test specimen from the front or side of the test specimen.

[0020] As a specific embodiment of the test device, it is desirable that the test device performs a simulated run of the test subject, or activates the automated driving system or advanced driver assistance system of the test subject.

[0021] As a specific example of a test device for simulating a run of the test specimen, it is desirable that the test device has a rotating body on which the wheels of the test specimen are installed, or a rotating body to which the axle, wheel or wheel of the test specimen is connected.

[0022] In order to test a specimen while reproducing splashes from the wheels of the vehicle, it is desirable to provide a water supply unit that supplies water to the wheels of the specimen or to a simulated rotating body that is arranged around the wheels and simulates the wheels, thereby generating splashes from the wheels or the simulated rotating body.

[0023] Furthermore, the specimen testing method according to the present invention is a specimen testing method for testing a specimen that is a vehicle or a part thereof, characterized in that the injection speed, position or angle of an injection part that injects water droplets is changed according to the vehicle speed of the specimen, and the specimen is tested using a testing device while water droplets are injected from around the specimen toward the specimen.

[0024] Furthermore, the specimen testing program of the present invention is a specimen testing program for testing a specimen that is a vehicle or a part thereof, and is characterized in that it changes the spray speed, position or angle of the spray section that sprays water droplets according to the vehicle speed of the specimen, and sprays water droplets from around the specimen toward the specimen while causing a computer to perform the function of testing the specimen using a testing device.

[0025] According to the present invention as described above, a test specimen can be tested while simulating rainfall or snowfall by injecting water droplets in accordance with the vehicle speed of the test specimen.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a scenario of a specimen testing method using a specimen testing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an example of an overall schematic diagram of a specimen testing system according to the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is another example of an overall schematic diagram of a specimen testing system according to the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of moving the injection unit of the same embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration having a blower of a modified embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an injection mechanism of a modified embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of an injection mechanism of a modified embodiment. FIG. 8 is an example of an overall schematic diagram of a specimen testing system in a modified embodiment.

[0027] An embodiment of a specimen testing system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that, for ease of understanding, all of the drawings shown below are drawn in a schematic manner, with appropriate omissions or exaggerations. Identical components are designated by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will be omitted where appropriate.

[0028] The specimen testing system 100 of this embodiment is used to test, for example, a vehicle equipped with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) (hereinafter referred to as an ADAS vehicle), an autonomously driving vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an AD vehicle), or a part of either of them, a specimen W. In this embodiment, a completed ADAS vehicle or AD vehicle is used as the specimen W, but the specimen W may also be an incomplete vehicle (part of an ADAS vehicle or AD vehicle) that is not a completed vehicle as long as it is in a drivable state, or may be a single sensor (for example, a camera, millimeter-wave radar, infrared sensor, or LiDAR).

[0029] 1 and 2 show an example of a scenario of a specimen testing method using the specimen testing system 100 of this embodiment. Here, a possible method is to evaluate control of the specimen W (e.g., adaptive cruise control, automatic braking, lane keeping, overtaking, lane changes, emergency avoidance steering, etc.) by changing the surrounding environment, such as in front of, behind, or to the sides of the specimen W, while the specimen W is running on the specimen testing system 100, or by inputting pseudo signals to the sensors of the specimen W. The sensors of the specimen W acquire information about the surroundings, and examples thereof include a camera, millimeter-wave radar, an infrared sensor, or a LiDAR. Here, the camera W1 or the LiDAR W2 recognizes the area ahead of the vehicle through the windshield WF.

[0030] Specifically, the specimen testing system 100 of this embodiment includes a test device 2 on which the specimen W is installed or connected, and an injection mechanism 3 that injects water droplets onto the specimen W, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

[0031] The test apparatus 2 has a rotating body (see FIG. 2) to which the axle, wheel, or axle of the test specimen is connected, or a rotating body 2R (see FIG. 3) on which the wheel of the test specimen W is installed. The rotating body on which the wheel of the test specimen W is installed may be, for example, a roller of a chassis dynamometer, or a free roller that rotates freely. Furthermore, the rotating body to which the wheel, wheel, or axle of the test specimen W is connected may be, for example, a dynamometer, a motor, or a rotating shaft. Furthermore, these may be connected to the wheel, wheel, or axle via a universal joint or the like.

[0032] The test apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 2 is configured such that a front-wheel motor M1 is connected to the left and right front wheels WH or axles via a rotating shaft 21 (front rotating shaft), and a rear-wheel motor M2 is connected to the left and right rear wheels WH or axles via a rotating shaft 22 (rear rotating shaft). The rotating shaft 21 connected to the left and right front wheels WH or axles can have an extension and contraction structure such as a spline function with a joint having a floating function such as a constant velocity joint or a universal joint. The rotating shaft 22 connected to the left and right rear wheels WH or axles can also have an extension and contraction structure such as a spline structure. The test specimen W may be placed on a support stand via a freewheel hub, or may be fixed in a state where it is suspended above the road surface using a fixing mechanism such as a jack.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the spray mechanism 3 sprays water droplets onto the test piece W to reproduce the rainfall conditions that occur when the test piece is traveling.

[0034] Specifically, the injection mechanism 3 includes an injection section 31 that injects water droplets from around the test specimen W toward the test specimen W, and a change section 32 that changes the injection speed, position, or angle of the injection section 31 depending on the vehicle speed of the test specimen W.

[0035] The spray unit 31 uses a nozzle, and in this embodiment is configured as a two-fluid nozzle. A water supply source (not shown) that supplies water and a compressed air source (not shown) that supplies compressed air are connected to the spray unit 31.

[0036] The spray unit 31 is also capable of adjusting the amount of water, the size of water droplets, or the spray speed. Here, for example, the amount of water, the size of water droplets, or the spray speed can be adjusted by adjusting the nozzle opening, the amount of water supplied to the nozzle, or the amount of compressed air supplied to the nozzle through control by the spray control unit 311, which performs part of the function of the change unit 32. Alternatively, the spray unit 31 may be a combination of two or more spray units with different spray performance (e.g., water amount, water droplet size, spray speed, etc.). Note that when adjusting the amount of water, the size of water droplets, or the spray speed of the spray unit 31, control by the spray control unit 311 is not necessarily required; these may be adjusted manually, or the spray valve 31 may have fixed values.

[0037] Furthermore, the ejection unit 31 is configured to eject water droplets toward the windshield WF of the specimen W by changing the position or angle thereof using the changing unit 32. Specifically, the ejection unit 31 ejects water droplets toward an area of ​​the windshield WF including the portion where the camera W1 or the lidar W2 is provided.

[0038] The changer 32 moves the jetting unit 31 within a first predetermined range in the vertical direction and / or a second predetermined range in the longitudinal direction. Here, both the first predetermined range and the second predetermined range are set within a range in which water droplets can hit the specimen W (particularly the front russ of the specimen W). The changer 32 also changes the angle of the jetting unit 31 within a range in which water droplets hit the specimen W. A specific configuration example of the changer 32 includes, for example, a mounting rail 321 extending in the vertical direction and / or the longitudinal direction in front of the specimen W, and the jetting unit 31 is movably mounted along the mounting rail 321. The jetting unit 31 is also configured so that its mounting angle relative to the mounting rail 321 can be changed. The changer 32 may only change either the position or the angle of the jetting unit 31. The changer 32 may also move the jetting unit 31 within a third predetermined range in the width direction of the specimen W.

[0039] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, the change unit 32 may decrease the angle between the spray direction of the spray unit 31 and the vertical direction as the falling speed of the water droplets increases and / or the vehicle speed decreases. Furthermore, the change unit 32 may move the spray unit 31 in a direction away from the test specimen W according to the vehicle speed of the test specimen W and / or the falling speed of the water droplets. Here, when taking into consideration a headwind or a tailwind when the test specimen W is traveling, the vehicle speed of the test specimen W may be corrected using the wind speed of the headwind or tailwind. In the case of a headwind, it is conceivable to add the wind speed of the headwind to the vehicle speed, and in the case of a tailwind, to subtract the wind speed of the tailwind from the vehicle speed.

[0040] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the specimen testing system 100 of this embodiment configured as described above, the position or angle of the spraying unit 31 that sprays water droplets is changed according to the vehicle speed of the specimen W, and water droplets are sprayed from around the specimen W toward the specimen W, so that the specimen W can be tested while reproducing precipitation conditions according to the vehicle speed of the specimen W.

[0041] <Other embodiments> For example, the spray mechanism in the above embodiment sprays water droplets to reproduce a precipitation state, but the precipitation state may be reproduced by spraying frozen water (snow) as water droplets, or by spraying a mixture (sleet) of water droplets and frozen water (snow).

[0042] In addition to the configuration of the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, a blower 4 may be further provided that blows air toward the test specimen W from the front or side of the test specimen W. The blower 4 is controlled by an air flow control unit 41, and blows air according to the vehicle speed of the test specimen W. The air flow control unit 41 may also control the blower 4 taking into account the wind speed of a headwind or a tailwind when the test specimen W is traveling. With this configuration, it is possible to generate an air flow along the test specimen, such as a windshield, during actual traveling, and to reproduce the behavior of water droplets due to air resistance during traveling.

[0043] 6, the jetting mechanism 3 may further include an air blower 33 that is provided adjacent to the jetting unit 31 and blows the water droplets jetted from the jetting unit 31. The air blower 33 is controlled by an air blowing control unit 331, which controls the air blowing direction and air volume of the air blower 33 according to the vehicle speed of the test specimen W. With this configuration, by adjusting the air blowing direction and / or air volume of the air blower 33, it is possible to adjust the direction, jet volume, size, or jetting speed of the water droplets that strike the test specimen W without using a two-fluid nozzle. Note that the jetting unit 31, which is a two-fluid nozzle, and the air blower 33 may be combined.

[0044] Furthermore, the change unit 32 may be configured to automatically change the jetting speed, position, or angle of the jetting unit 31 in accordance with the vehicle speed of the specimen W. In this case, the change unit 32 has an actuator for changing the position or angle of the jetting unit 31. The change unit 32 acquires speed information from the specimen W or acquires speed information of the specimen W from the control device of the test device 2, and controls the actuator to automatically change the jetting speed, position, or angle of the jetting unit 31. In this configuration, the specimen testing system changes the jetting speed, position, or angle of the jetting unit that injects water droplets in accordance with the vehicle speed of the specimen, using a specimen testing program stored in the computer memory, and performs the function of testing the specimen using the test device while spraying water droplets from around the specimen toward the specimen.

[0045] 7, the spray mechanism 3 may further include a recording unit 34 that stores spray conditions for the spray unit 31 according to the type of rainfall or snowfall, and the change unit 32 may be configured to read the spray conditions from the recording unit 34 and adjust the spray speed, position, or angle of the spray unit 31 according to a user's selection. Here, the change unit 32 has an actuator control unit 323 that controls an actuator 322 for changing the position or angle of the spray unit 31. Furthermore, the spray control unit 311 that controls the spray unit 31 may be configured to read the spray conditions from the recording unit 34 and adjust the water volume, water droplet size, or spray speed of the spray unit 31 according to a user's selection.

[0046] The test device in the above embodiment physically simulates the running of the test specimen W, but it may also be a computer such as a simulator that activates the test specimen W's autonomous driving system or advanced driving assistance system by inputting a simulated signal to the test specimen W.

[0047] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8 , the specimen testing system 100 may be configured to generate splashes from the wheels of the vehicle. That is, the specimen testing system 100 includes a water supply unit 6 that supplies water to the wheels of the specimen W or to simulated rotating bodies 5 arranged around the wheels to simulate the wheels, thereby generating splashes from the wheels or the simulated rotating bodies. The water supply unit 6 includes a nozzle 61 and a water supply source 62 that supplies water to the nozzle 61. When supplying water to the wheels, water may be supplied to the left and right rear wheels, or to the left and right front wheels. Furthermore, the simulated rotating bodies 5 may be provided around each of the left and right rear wheels, or around each of the left and right front wheels. Note that the figure shows an example in which the simulated rotating bodies 5 are provided around the left and right rear wheels, and the water supply unit 6 supplies water to the simulated rotating bodies 5. These configurations may or may not be combined with the above-described embodiment. In addition, the water supply unit 32 may supply liquid water, or may supply frozen water (snow), or may supply a mixture (sleet) of liquid water and frozen water (snow).

[0048] In addition, various modifications and combinations of the embodiments may be made as long as they do not go against the spirit of the present invention.

[0049] According to the present invention, a test specimen can be tested while simulating rainfall or snowfall by injecting water droplets in accordance with the vehicle speed of the test specimen.

[0050] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100... Specimen testing system W... Specimen 2... Testing device 31... Injection unit 32... Changing unit 33... Blower unit 34... Recording unit 35... Control unit 4... Blower

Claims

1. A test piece testing system for testing a test piece that is a vehicle or a part thereof, a test device to which the test specimen is installed or connected; An ejection unit that ejects water droplets from around the specimen toward the specimen; A specimen testing system comprising a change unit that changes the injection speed, position or angle of the injection unit according to the vehicle speed of the specimen.

2. The specimen testing system according to claim 1 , wherein the changer moves the ejector in a vertical direction and / or a front-rear direction within a predetermined range.

3. 3. The specimen testing system according to claim 1, wherein the changer changes the spray speed, position or angle of the sprayer within a range in which the water droplets strike the specimen.

4. 3. The specimen testing system of claim 1, wherein the change unit reduces the angle between the spray direction of the spray unit and the vertical direction as the falling speed of the water droplets increases and / or the vehicle speed of the specimen decreases.

5. 3. The specimen testing system according to claim 1, wherein the change unit moves the spray unit in a direction away from the specimen in accordance with the vehicle speed of the specimen and / or the falling speed of the water droplets.

6. 3. The specimen testing system according to claim 1, wherein the spraying unit is capable of adjusting the amount of water, the size of water droplets, or the spraying speed.

7. Further provided is a recording unit that stores the jetting conditions of the jetting unit according to the type of rainfall or snowfall, 3. The specimen testing system according to claim 1, wherein the change unit reads out the jetting conditions from the recording unit and adjusts the jetting speed, position or angle of the jetting unit in response to a user selection.

8. 3. The specimen testing system according to claim 1, wherein the spraying unit sprays water droplets toward the windshield of the specimen by changing a position or an angle of the spraying unit using the changing unit.

9. 3. The test specimen testing system according to claim 1, wherein the test specimen is an autonomous vehicle or a vehicle having an advanced driver assistance system, or a part thereof, and is equipped with a camera or a lidar that recognizes the area in front of the vehicle through the windshield.

10. 3. The specimen testing system according to claim 1, further comprising a blower that blows air toward the specimen from the front or side of the specimen.

11. 3. The test specimen testing system according to claim 1, wherein the test device causes the specimen to undergo a simulated run or activates an automated driving system or an advanced driver assistance system of the specimen.

12. 3. The specimen testing system according to claim 1, further comprising a water supply unit that supplies water to the wheel of the specimen or to a simulated rotating body arranged around the wheel to simulate the wheel, thereby generating splashes from the wheel or the simulated rotating body.

13. A specimen testing method for testing a specimen that is a vehicle or a part thereof, A specimen testing method in which the injection speed, position or angle of an injection part that injects water droplets is changed depending on the vehicle speed of the specimen, and the specimen is tested using a testing device while water droplets are injected from around the specimen toward the specimen.

14. A specimen testing program for testing a specimen that is a vehicle or a part thereof, A test specimen testing program that tests the specimen using a test device while changing the spray speed, position, or angle of an injection unit that injects water droplets according to the vehicle speed of the specimen and spraying water droplets from around the specimen toward the specimen.