Vehicle Travel Control Sensor Cleaning Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The temporary decrease in recognition performance of vehicle travel control systems during sensor cleaning can lead to reduced accuracy and the need to limit vehicle travel control, causing inconvenience due to frequent interruptions.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle travel control system that permits sensor cleaning only when the decrease in recognition performance has a minimal influence on vehicle travel control, using multiple recognition sensors, road shape coincidence with map data, and travel plan considerations to determine optimal cleaning times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If vehicle travel control is limited during sensor cleaning to maintain safety, then control accuracy is preserved, but convenience decreases due to frequent interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of sensor dirt and evaluates the necessity and timing of cleaning before it affects vehicle travel control. By assessing conditions in advance, it schedules cleaning operations during periods when they will have minimal impact on control accuracy, thus avoiding frequent interruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the dirt detection unit to continuously monitor sensor condition and adjusts cleaning execution timing based on this information. It also considers the state of vehicle travel control to determine optimal cleaning moments, creating a closed-loop system that balances sensor maintenance with operational continuity.
2Measurement precision
If cleaning is executed frequently to maintain sensor performance, then recognition accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases due to multiple sensors and control logic
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the cleaning control into distinct functional units: a dirt detection unit that monitors sensor condition and a control unit that decides when to execute cleaning. This modular approach manages complexity by separating detection and control functions while maintaining high recognition accuracy through targeted cleaning.
3Productivity
If sensor cleaning is performed without considering vehicle travel control state, then cleaning efficiency is improved, but vehicle travel control safety may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary evaluation of both sensor dirt conditions and vehicle travel control states before executing cleaning. It determines the optimal timing by considering both factors, ensuring cleaning is performed efficiently while maintaining safety requirements of vehicle travel control.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit receives feedback about the vehicle travel control state and uses this information to adjust cleaning execution timing. This feedback mechanism ensures that cleaning operations are coordinated with the safety requirements of vehicle travel control, preventing conflicts between cleaning efficiency and operational safety.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle travel control system installed on a vehicle includes: a recognition sensor configured to recognize a situation around the vehicle; a sensor cleaning device configured to clean the recognition sensor; and a control device configured to execute vehicle travel control based on result of recognition by the recognition sensor, and to actuate the sensor cleaning device to execute sensor cleaning processing that cleans the recognition sensor. The control device permits execution of the sensor cleaning processing in a situation where decrease in recognition performance has a small influence on the vehicle travel control. For example, when a surrounding vehicle recognized by a first recognition sensor is also recognized by a second recognition sensor, the control device permits execution of the sensor cleaning processing that cleans the first recognition sensor.