CN117203102A

CN117203102A - Cleaner systems, procedures, cleaner control methods and vehicles

Info

Publication number: CN117203102A
Application number: CN202280025887.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 铃木一弘; 久保田晃宜; 米丸翔太; 井口夏希; 伏见美昭; 井上达也; 佐藤诚晃; 速水寿文
Original assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-03-31
Filing date: 2022-03-07
Publication date: 2023-12-08

Abstract

The cleaner system is mounted on a vehicle having an external sensor for acquiring information about the outside of the vehicle. The cleaner system is equipped with: a cleaning device that sprays cleaning medium to the external sensor to clean the external sensor or prevent dirt from adhering to the external sensor; and a cleaner control unit that causes the cleaning device to operate as specified when specified operating conditions are met. cleaning intensity action. The cleaner control unit also acquires the driving conditions of the vehicle and controls the cleaning intensity based on the driving conditions.

Description

Cleaner system, program, cleaner control method, and vehicle

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a cleaner system, a program, a cleaner control method, a vehicle, and a carrier.

Background

In the automatic driving technique, the role of an external sensor such as a camera or LiDAR (light detection and ranging (Light Detection And Ranging) or laser imaging detection and ranging (Laser Imaging Detection And Ranging)) is important. In order to clean these external sensors, a system for removing dirt adhering to the external sensors by spraying a cleaning liquid, air, or the like is proposed. In order to put these external sensors in a clean state, various cleaners have been proposed. In addition, in order to put these external sensors in a clean state, various cleaners have been proposed.

For example, patent document 1 discloses: in a vehicle cleaning system including a plurality of optical sensors mounted on a vehicle, a plurality of cleaning mechanisms for cleaning sensor surfaces of the plurality of optical sensors, respectively, and a control mechanism capable of automatically controlling the cleaning mechanisms, when there is a cleaning demand for the cleaning mechanisms, a priority order in which the plurality of cleaning mechanisms are operated is controlled in accordance with a running condition and/or an environmental condition of the vehicle, and the plurality of optical sensors are cleaned based on the priority order.

For example, patent document 2 discloses a system for causing a cleaner device to clean an external sensor or diagnosing whether or not cleaning of the external sensor is necessary when a driving mode of a vehicle is switched from a manual driving mode to an automatic driving mode.

For example, patent document 3 discloses a cleaner system including: in the cleaner system, when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the tank is greater than a predetermined amount, the cleaner is operated in a first mode, and when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the tank is equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the cleaner is operated in a second mode in which the discharge amount of the cleaning liquid is smaller than the first mode.

In recent years, cameras are often mounted on vehicles. The image captured by the camera is displayed on a display device provided in the vehicle, contributing to driving. In order to sufficiently perform the function of the camera, it is preferable that the camera is in a cleaning state, and therefore, various proposals have been made for a cleaner that removes dirt adhering to the camera.

For example, patent document 4 discloses a cleaner system including a sensor cleaner for cleaning a sensor such as a camera, and a cleaner switch for operating the sensor cleaner, wherein the sensor cleaner is operated when a user operates the cleaner switch.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2019-104365

Patent document 2: international publication No. 2019/172377

Patent document 3: international publication No. 2019/181766 specification

Patent document 4: international publication No. 2018/230558 specification

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the present disclosure

Patent document 1 discloses a procedure of operating a plurality of cleaning mechanisms, but does not disclose a method of properly controlling the degree of cleaning of the cleaning mechanisms based on predetermined conditions when the cleaning mechanisms are operated.

In addition, in the external sensor, it is also important to remove the attached dirt, but it is also important to suppress the attachment of the dirt itself. However, patent document 2 does not disclose a method for suppressing the adhesion of dirt itself.

As a method for suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the external sensor, it is conceivable to continuously supply air to the external sensor to form a barrier made of air. However, if the cleaner device is thus continuously operated at a high output, power consumption increases.

In the cleaner system described in patent document 3, the amount of the cleaning liquid used is reduced when the amount of the cleaning liquid in the tank is small, so that the cleaner can be operated continuously even when the amount of the cleaning liquid in the tank is small.

In addition, in a situation where the user is supposed to require an image from a camera mounted on the vehicle, if the user is able to clean the camera to be in a clean state without performing an operation for cleaning the camera, it is supposed that usability is improved.

Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to appropriately control the degree of cleaning of an external sensor when the cleaning device is operated.

Further, an object of the present disclosure is to suppress adhesion of dirt to an external sensor itself, and to properly operate a cleaner device, thereby reducing power consumption of the cleaner device.

Further, an object of the present disclosure is to extend a period in which cleaning using a cleaning liquid by a cleaner can be performed, in a case where the cleaning liquid in a tank of the cleaner is reduced, in a manner other than the conventional method.

Further, an object of the present disclosure is to improve usability in a cleaner system for cleaning a camera mounted on a vehicle.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve at least one of the above objects, a cleaner system according to an aspect of the present disclosure is mounted on a vehicle having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the vehicle, and includes:

a cleaning device that sprays a cleaning medium to the external sensor to clean the external sensor or to inhibit dirt from adhering to the external sensor; and

a cleaner control unit for operating the cleaning device with a predetermined cleaning strength when a predetermined operation condition is satisfied,

the cleaner control section also acquires a running condition of the vehicle, and controls the cleaning intensity based on the running condition.

Further, according to a program of one embodiment of the present disclosure, executed by a computer mounted on a vehicle having an external sensor for acquiring information of the outside of the vehicle,

the vehicle has:

a cleaning device for jetting a cleaning medium to the external sensor to clean the external sensor or to inhibit dirt from adhering to the external sensor,

The program causes a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

a step of operating the cleaning device with a predetermined cleaning intensity when a predetermined operation condition is satisfied;

a step of acquiring a running condition of the vehicle; and

and controlling the cleaning intensity based on the running condition.

Further, according to a cleaner control method of one embodiment of the present disclosure, performed by a computer mounted on a vehicle having an external sensor for acquiring information of the outside of the vehicle,

the vehicle has:

the cleaner control method includes causing a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

a step of acquiring a running condition of the vehicle; and

and controlling the cleaning intensity based on the running condition.

Further, a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes:

an external sensor that acquires information on the outside of the vehicle;

a cleaner control unit that causes the cleaning device to operate at a predetermined cleaning strength when a predetermined operation condition is satisfied,

Further, in order to achieve at least one of the above objects, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaner system is mounted on a vehicle having a vehicle control section capable of selectively performing, as a driving mode:

an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle is controlled to perform at least one of acceleration, deceleration, and steering operations based on an output of at least one or more external sensors that acquire information external to the vehicle; and a manual driving mode in which a driving operation is performed on the vehicle by a driver,

the cleaner system is provided with:

at least one air curtain device for continuously blowing air to the external sensor with a prescribed blowing intensity to inhibit dirt from adhering to the external sensor; and

A cleaner control unit for controlling the air curtain device to operate when a predetermined operation condition is satisfied,

the cleaner control unit also controls the air supply intensity based on the driving mode.

Further, according to a program of one embodiment of the present disclosure, executed by a computer mounted on a vehicle having a vehicle control section,

as the driving mode, the vehicle control portion is capable of selectively performing:

an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle is controlled to perform at least one of acceleration, deceleration, and steering operations based on an output of at least one external sensor that acquires information on the outside of the vehicle; and a manual driving mode in which a driving operation is performed on the vehicle by a driver,

the vehicle has at least one air curtain device for continuously blowing air to the external sensor at a predetermined blowing air intensity to inhibit dirt from adhering to the external sensor,

the program causes a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

a step of controlling the air curtain device to operate when a predetermined operation condition is satisfied; and

and controlling the air supply intensity based on the driving mode.

Further, according to a cleaner control method of one embodiment of the present disclosure, executed by a computer mounted on a vehicle having a vehicle control section,

the vehicle has:

at least one air curtain device for continuously blowing air to the external sensor with a prescribed blowing intensity to inhibit dirt from adhering to the external sensor,

and controlling the air supply intensity based on the driving mode.

a vehicle control unit configured to selectively execute, as a driving mode, an automatic driving mode that controls to cause the vehicle to perform at least one of acceleration, deceleration, and steering operations based on an output of at least one external sensor that acquires information on the outside of the vehicle, and a manual driving mode that causes a driver to perform a driving operation on the vehicle;

In order to achieve at least one of the above objects, a cleaner system according to an aspect of the present disclosure is mounted on a mount having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the mount, and includes:

a cleaning device that ejects a cleaning liquid to clean the external sensor when a predetermined cleaning condition is satisfied;

an air curtain device that continuously blows air to the external sensor at a predetermined blowing strength when a predetermined blowing condition is satisfied, and suppresses adhesion of dirt to the external sensor; and

a cleaner control part for controlling the actions of the cleaning device and the air curtain device,

when the air blowing condition is satisfied and the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, the cleaner control unit sets the air blowing intensity to a first intensity,

The cleaner control unit sets the air blowing intensity to a second intensity higher than the first intensity when the air blowing condition is satisfied and the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is smaller than the first threshold.

Further, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaner system mounted on a carrier having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier, includes:

an air curtain device for continuously blowing air to the external sensor at a predetermined blowing intensity when a predetermined blowing condition is satisfied, thereby suppressing adhesion of dirt to the external sensor; and

the cleaner control unit controls the cleaning liquid so that the blower strength increases as the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid decreases.

Further, according to a program of one embodiment of the present disclosure, executed by a computer mounted on a carrier having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier,

the carrier has:

A cleaning device for jetting a cleaning liquid to clean the external sensor; and an air curtain device for continuously blowing air to the external sensor at a predetermined blowing intensity to inhibit dirt from adhering to the external sensor,

the program causes a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

a first step of controlling the cleaning device to operate when a predetermined cleaning condition is satisfied; and

a second step of controlling the air curtain device to operate when a predetermined air blowing condition is satisfied,

the second step includes: the air blowing intensity is set to a first intensity when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, and is set to a second intensity higher than the first intensity when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is less than the first threshold value.

the carrier has:

a cleaning device for jetting a cleaning liquid to clean the external sensor; and

an air curtain device for continuously blowing air to the external sensor with a prescribed blowing air intensity to inhibit dirt from adhering to the external sensor,

The program causes a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

the second step includes: the control is performed such that the blower strength is higher as the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is smaller.

Further, according to a cleaner control method of one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method is executed by a computer mounted on a carrier having:

an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier;

Further, a carrier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes:

an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier;

the cleaner control unit also acquires environmental information on the periphery of the carrier, and controls the cleaning intensity based on the environmental information.

The carrier has a cleaning device which sprays a cleaning medium to the external sensor to clean the external sensor or inhibit dirt from adhering to the external sensor,

the program causes a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

acquiring environmental information around the carrier; and

controlling the cleaning intensity based on the environmental information.

Further, according to a cleaner control method of one embodiment of the present disclosure, executed by a computer mounted on a carrier having an external sensor for acquiring information of the outside of the carrier,

Acquiring environmental information around the carrier; and

controlling the cleaning intensity based on the environmental information.

an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier;

In addition, in order to achieve at least one of the above objects, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaner system is mounted on a vehicle having a plurality of cameras for photographing an outside of the vehicle and a display device capable of displaying images photographed by the plurality of cameras,

the cleaner system is provided with:

a cleaning device that ejects a cleaning medium to the camera to clean the camera; and

a cleaner control part for controlling the action of the cleaning device,

The display device displays an image captured by a camera selected based on a condition of the vehicle or a selection operation of a driver of the vehicle,

the cleaner control section controls the cleaning device to clean the selected camera.

Further, according to a program of one mode of the present disclosure, executed by a computer mounted on a vehicle having a plurality of cameras for photographing an outside of the vehicle and a display device capable of displaying images photographed by the plurality of cameras,

the vehicle has a cleaning device that ejects a cleaning medium toward the camera to clean the camera,

the program causes a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

controlling the cleaning device to clean the selected camera.

Further, according to a cleaner control method of one embodiment of the present disclosure, which is performed by a computer mounted on a vehicle having a plurality of cameras for photographing the outside of the vehicle and a display device capable of displaying images photographed by the plurality of cameras,

controlling the cleaning device to clean the selected camera.

a plurality of cameras that capture the outside of the vehicle;

a display device capable of displaying images photographed by the plurality of cameras;

a cleaner control part for controlling the action of the cleaning device,

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present disclosure, when the cleaning device is operated on the external sensor, the degree of cleaning can be appropriately controlled.

Further, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress adhesion of dirt to the external sensor itself, and to appropriately operate the cleaner device, reducing power consumption of the cleaner device.

Further, according to the present disclosure, when the amount of the cleaning liquid in the tank of the cleaner is small, the period during which the cleaning using the cleaning liquid by the cleaner can be performed can be prolonged by a method other than the conventional method.

Further, according to the present disclosure, usability can be improved in a cleaner system for cleaning a camera mounted on a vehicle.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a top view of a vehicle mounted with a cleaner system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicle system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a cleaner system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cleaner system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation condition determination process shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the control process based on the running condition shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a monitoring area of a camera and a millimeter wave radar.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cleaner system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a cleaner system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cleaner system of fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation example shown in fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cleaner system according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of control processing based on the environment information shown in fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cleaner system according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display screen of the display device of fig. 14.

Detailed Description

Examples of embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components or members shown in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repetitive description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. The embodiments are not limited to the invention but are exemplified, and all the features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

In the drawings used in the following description, the scale is appropriately changed so that the components can be identified in size. The "L" (left), "R" (right), "F" (front), "B" (rear), "U" (upper), and "D" (lower) directions shown in the drawings are relative directions set for convenience of description. In the present specification, "front-rear direction" means a direction including "F direction" and "B direction". The "left-right direction" means a direction including the "L direction" and the "R direction". The "up-down direction" means a direction including the "U direction" and the "D direction".

(construction of cleaner System)

Fig. 1 is a top view of a vehicle 1 mounted with a cleaner system 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle 1 is provided with a cleaner system 100. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 is an automobile capable of selectively performing an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode.

First, a vehicle system 2 of a vehicle 1 will be described with reference to fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of a vehicle system 2. As shown in fig. 2, the vehicle system 2 includes: the vehicle control section 3, the internal sensor 5, the external sensor 6, the lamp 7, the HMI8 (human-machine interface (Human Machine Interface)), the GPS9 (global positioning system (Global Positioning System)), the wireless communication section 10, and the information storage section 11. Further, the vehicle system 2 includes: steering actuator 12, steering device 13, brake actuator 14, brake device 15, accelerator actuator 16, and accelerator device 17.

The vehicle control unit 3 is constituted by an electronic control unit (ECU: electronic Control Unit). The vehicle control unit 3 includes: a processor such as a CPU (central processing unit (Central Processing Unit)), a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which various vehicle control programs are stored, and a RAM (random access Memory (Random Access Memory)) in which various vehicle control data are temporarily stored. The processor expands programs specified from among various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM to the RAM, and performs various processes in cooperation with the RAM. The vehicle control unit 3 controls the running of the vehicle 1.

The internal sensor 5 is a sensor capable of acquiring information of the host vehicle. The internal sensor 5 is, for example, at least one of an acceleration sensor, a speed (vehicle speed) sensor, a wheel speed sensor, a gyro sensor, and the like. The internal sensor 5 acquires information of the own vehicle including the running state of the vehicle 1, and outputs the information to the vehicle control unit 3. The internal sensor 5 may include a seating sensor that detects whether or not the driver sits on the driver's seat, a face orientation sensor that detects the direction of the driver's face, a human body sensor that detects whether or not a person is in the vehicle, and the like.

The external sensor 6 is a sensor capable of acquiring information outside the host vehicle. The external sensor 6 is preferably at least one of a camera, radar, liDAR, etc., for example, and preferably at least one of a camera and LiDAR. The external sensor 6 acquires information on the outside of the host vehicle including the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 (other vehicles, pedestrians, road shapes, traffic signs, obstacles, etc.), and outputs the information to the vehicle control unit 3. The external sensor 6 may be provided with a weather sensor for detecting a weather state, an illuminance sensor for detecting illuminance of the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, or the like.

The camera is, for example, a camera including an image pickup element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)). The camera is a camera that detects visible light or an infrared camera that detects infrared light.

The radar is millimeter wave radar, microwave radar, laser radar, or the like.

LiDAR is a sensor that emits non-visible light to the front of the sensor and obtains information such as the distance to an object, the shape of the object, the material of the object, and the color of the object from the emitted light and the returned light.

The lamp 7 is a headlight or a marker lamp provided at the front of the vehicle 1position lamp) At least one of 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, various lamps for notifying the pedestrian or the driver of other vehicles of the status of the vehicle, and the like.

The HMI8 includes an input unit 8a for receiving an input operation from the driver and an output unit 8b for outputting travel information and the like to the driver. The input unit 8a includes a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a driving mode changeover switch for switching the driving mode of the vehicle 1, various buttons for selecting the output contents to the output unit 8b, and the like. The output unit 8b includes a display device that displays various travel information and the like. An image taken by a camera as the external sensor 6 may be displayed on the display device. The display device may be a touch panel.

The GPS9 acquires current position information of the vehicle 1, and outputs the acquired current position information to the vehicle control unit 3. The wireless communication unit 10 receives travel information of other vehicles located around the vehicle 1 from the other vehicles, and transmits the travel information of the vehicle 1 to the other vehicles (inter-vehicle communication). The wireless communication unit 10 receives infrastructure information from infrastructure equipment such as traffic lights or identification lights, and transmits traveling information of the vehicle 1 to the infrastructure equipment (road-to-vehicle communication).

The information storage unit 11 stores map information 11a, environment information 11b, and travel condition information 11c. The information storage unit 11 may be an external storage device such as a hard disk drive, an internal storage device incorporated in the vehicle 1, or both the external storage device and the internal storage device. The environment information 11b or the running condition information 11c may be acquired from the internal sensor 5, the external sensor 6, the GPS9, the wireless communication unit 10, or the like, for example.

The map information 11a is information on a map, and is output to the vehicle control unit 3 as needed. The environment information 11b is information about the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, and is output from the vehicle control unit 3 to a cleaner control unit described later as necessary. The environmental information 11b includes at least one of weather information relating to weather, air temperature information relating to air temperature, humidity information relating to humidity, time information relating to day and night, information relating to the presence or absence of frost or the like, attached matter information capable of determining whether or not water droplets or dirt or the like are attached to the external sensor 6, road surface information capable of determining the road surface condition of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, and the like, for example. The running condition information 11c is information on the running condition of the vehicle 1, and is output from the vehicle control unit 3 to a cleaner control unit described later as necessary. The driving condition information 11c includes, for example, at least one of speed information relating to the driving speed of the vehicle 1, inter-vehicle distance information relating to the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 1 and surrounding vehicles, congestion information relating to the congestion condition of the road on which the vehicle 1 is driving, turning information relating to the turning condition of the road on which the vehicle is driving, driving location information relating to the place where the vehicle 1 is driving, gear information relating to the condition of the gear (gear) of the vehicle 1, and lane change information relating to whether the vehicle 1 is changing lanes. The travel location information may include, for example, whether it is a junction point, whether it is a location estimated to have a predetermined number of insects or more, and the like.

When the vehicle 1 is traveling in the automatic driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 automatically generates at least one of a steering control signal, an accelerator control signal, and a brake control signal based on the traveling condition information 11c, the environment information 11b, the current position information, the map information 11a, and the like. The steering actuator 12 receives a steering control signal from the vehicle control unit 3, and controls the steering device 13 based on the received steering control signal. The brake actuator 14 receives a brake control signal from the vehicle control unit 3, and controls the brake device 15 based on the received brake control signal. The accelerator actuator 16 receives an accelerator control signal from the vehicle control unit 3, and controls the accelerator device 17 based on the received accelerator control signal. Thus, in the automatic driving mode, the running of the vehicle 1 is automatically controlled by the vehicle system 2.

On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 is traveling 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 response to a driving operation of an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a steering wheel by the driver. In this way, in the manual driving mode, since the steering control signal, the accelerator control signal, and the brake control signal are generated by the driving operation of the driver, the running of the vehicle 1 is controlled by the driver.

Next, a driving mode of the vehicle 1 will be described. The driving mode is constituted by an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. The automatic driving mode is a mode in which control is performed based on the output of one or more external sensors 6 to cause the vehicle 1 to perform at least one of acceleration, deceleration, and steering operations. The automatic driving mode includes a full automatic driving mode, a high driving assistance mode, and a driving assistance mode. In the fully automatic driving mode, the vehicle system 2 automatically performs all of the running control of the steering control, the braking control, and the accelerator control, and the driver is not in a state of being able to drive the vehicle 1. In the high-drive assist mode, the vehicle system 2 automatically performs all of the travel control of the steering control, the braking control, and the accelerator control, and the driver is in a state capable of driving the vehicle 1 but does not drive the vehicle 1. In the driving assistance mode, the vehicle system 2 automatically performs running control of a part of steering control, braking control, and accelerator control, and the driver drives the vehicle 1 with driving assistance of the vehicle system 2. On the other hand, in the manual driving mode, the vehicle system 2 does not automatically perform the running control, and the driver drives the vehicle 1 without driving assistance of the vehicle system 2.

The driving mode of the vehicle 1 may also be switched by the driver operating the driving mode switching switch. The driving mode of the vehicle 1 may be automatically switched based on information about a possible travel section in which the automated guided vehicle can travel, or a travel prohibition section in which the automated guided vehicle is prohibited from traveling, or information about an external weather condition. In this case, the vehicle control section 3 switches the driving mode of the vehicle 1 based on these pieces of information. Further, the driving mode of the vehicle 1 may also be automatically switched by using a seating sensor, a face orientation sensor, or the like. In this case, the vehicle control section 3 switches the driving mode of the vehicle 1 based on the output signal from the seating sensor or the face orientation sensor.

Returning to the description of fig. 1. The vehicle 1 has front LiDAR6Lf, rear LiDAR6Lb, right LiDAR6Lr, left LiDAR6Ll, front camera 6Cf, rear camera 6Cb, right camera 6Cr, and left camera 6Cl as the external sensors 6. The front LiDAR6Lf is configured to acquire information in front of the vehicle 1. The rear LiDAR6Lb is configured to acquire information on the rear of the vehicle 1. The right LiDAR6Lr is configured to acquire information on the right of the vehicle 1. The left LiDAR6L1 is configured to acquire information on the left side of the vehicle 1. The front camera 6Cf is configured to acquire information in front of the vehicle 1. The rear camera 6Cb is configured to acquire information on the rear of the vehicle 1. The right camera 6Cr is configured to acquire information on the right of the vehicle 1. The left camera 6Cl is configured to acquire information on the left side of the vehicle 1.

In the example shown in fig. 1, an example is shown in which the front LiDAR6Lf is provided in the front of the vehicle 1, the rear LiDAR6Lb is provided in the rear of the vehicle 1, the right LiDAR6Lr is provided in the right of the vehicle 1, and the left LiDAR6Ll is provided in the left of the vehicle 1. The present disclosure is not limited to this example. For example, front LiDAR, rear LiDAR, right LiDAR, and left LiDAR may be disposed in a concentrated manner in a ceiling portion of the vehicle 1.

The vehicle 1 has a right headlight 7r and a left headlight 7l as the lamps 7. The right headlamp 7r is disposed on the right side in the front portion of the vehicle 1, and the left headlamp 7l is disposed on the left side in the front portion of the vehicle 1.

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

The vehicle 1 has the cleaner system 100 of the present embodiment. The cleaner system 100 is a system for removing foreign matters such as water droplets, dirt, and dust adhering to an object, or suppressing adhesion of the foreign matters to the object.

In the present embodiment, the cleaner system 100 has: a front window cleaner unit (hereinafter, also referred to as "window cleaner unit") 101f capable of cleaning the front window 1f; and a rear WC101b capable of cleaning the rear window 1b. Hereinafter, the front WC101f and the rear WC101b are collectively referred to as "WC101".

Further, the cleaner system 100 has: a front LiDAR cleaner unit (hereinafter, also referred to as "LiDAR cleaner unit" as "LC") 102f capable of cleaning the front LiDAR6 Lf; rear LC102b capable of cleaning rear LiDAR6 Lb; right LC102r capable of cleaning right LiDAR6 Lr; and a left LC102l capable of washing the left LiDAR6 Ll. Hereinafter, the front LC102f, the rear LC102b, the right LC102r, and the left LC102l are collectively referred to as "LC102".

Further, the cleaner system 100 has: a front camera cleaner unit (hereinafter, also referred to as "camera cleaner unit") 103f capable of cleaning the front camera 6 Cf; a rear CC103b capable of cleaning the rear camera 6 Cb; right CC103r capable of cleaning right camera 6 Cr; the left CC103l of the left camera 6Cl can be cleaned. Hereinafter, the front CC103f, the rear CC103b, the right CC103r, and the left CC103l are collectively referred to as "CC103".

Further, the cleaner system 100 has: a right headlamp cleaner unit (hereinafter, also referred to as "headlamp cleaner unit") 104r capable of cleaning the right headlamp 7 r; and a left HC104l capable of cleaning the left headlamp 7 l. Hereinafter, the right HC104r and the left HC104l are collectively referred to as "HC104".

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a cleaner system 100. The cleaner system 100 has the above-described WC101, LC102, CC103, and HC104, and an integrated control portion 111 for controlling these cleaner units. In addition, in fig. 3, the front LC102f, the front CC103f, the rear LC102b, and the rear CC103b in the above-described cleaner are shown, and other cleaner units are omitted.

The front LC102f has a first cleaner device 120 and a first air curtain device 130. Front CC103f has a second cleaner assembly 140 and a second air curtain assembly 150. The rear LC102b has a third cleaner device 160 and a third air curtain device 170. The rear CC103b has a fourth cleaner apparatus 180 and a fourth air curtain apparatus 190.

Here, the cleaner device is a device that has one or more nozzles for ejecting a cleaning medium such as a cleaning liquid or air from the nozzles to the external sensor 6 or a cleaning object such as a vehicle lamp, and for removing foreign matter adhering to the cleaning object. The cleaner device may include a liquid nozzle that ejects the cleaning liquid and an air nozzle that ejects the air. The air curtain device is a device that continuously blows air at a predetermined blowing intensity to the cleaning object such as the external sensor 6 or the vehicle lamp, and that always causes a certain amount of air to flow on the surface layer of the cleaning object, thereby realizing an air curtain function of suppressing adhesion of foreign matter to the cleaning object. The cleaner device and the air curtain device can be used without particular limitation as long as they have these functions.

The cleaning target may be a detection surface of the external sensor 6, a cover covering the detection surface, or the like. The air blowing strength indicates the degree of strength of the air blowing. The air blowing intensity can be defined by, for example, the wind speed or the wind volume of the air to be blown to the cleaning object. High air supply strength may mean high wind speed or high air volume. The state in which the air blowing intensity is the lowest may be a state in which the air blowing is stopped.

Other cleaner units not shown in fig. 3 are also provided with at least one of a cleaner device and an air curtain device. The structure of each cleaner unit, or the structure of the cleaner device or the air curtain device included in each cleaner unit may be appropriately determined according to the type of the cleaning object, and the like.

The cleaner devices 120, 140, 160, 180 are provided with control units 120a, 140a, 160a, 180a, respectively. The air curtain devices 130, 150, 170, 190 are provided with control units 130a, 150a, 170a, 190a, respectively. The control unit of each cleaner device and the control unit of each air curtain device are electrically connected to the integrated control unit 111. The control unit of each cleaner device and the control unit of each air curtain device control the operation of each cleaner device 120, 140, 160, 180 and each air curtain device 130, 150, 170, 190, respectively, based on the signals input from the integrated control unit 111. The integrated control unit 111 is electrically connected to the vehicle control unit 3. In the present specification, the integrated control unit 111, the control unit of each cleaner device, and the control unit of each air curtain device are collectively referred to as "cleaning control unit".

In the present embodiment, the control unit of each cleaner device, the control unit of each air curtain device, and the integrated control unit 111 are provided as different configurations, but these control units may be integrally configured. That is, the cleaner control unit may be constituted by a single electronic control unit. The vehicle control unit 3 and the integrated control unit 111 are provided as different configurations, but the vehicle control unit 3 and the integrated control unit 111 may be integrally configured. In this regard, the vehicle control section 3 and the integrated control section 111 may be constituted by a single electronic control unit. That is, the cleaner control unit may be a part of the vehicle control unit 3.

(Cleaner control method)

Next, a cleaner control method of the cleaner system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. The cleaner control method of the present embodiment is executed by a computer including a cleaner control unit, and includes causing the cleaner control unit to execute various actions. Further, the cleaner control unit executes various operations by executing programs stored in a computer including the cleaner control unit or an external storage device communicatively connected to the computer. The "computer" referred to herein may be a computer device including the vehicle control unit 3, a computer device including the integrated control unit 111, or a computer device including a control unit of the air curtain device.

(first embodiment)

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cleaner system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, fig. 4 shows an example of operation control of each cleaner unit (cleaning device) by the cleaner control unit. The order of the processes constituting the flowcharts described in the present specification is not particularly specific insofar as the process contents do not contradict or match.

Hereinafter, a case will be described in which each cleaner unit provided for cleaning the external sensor 6 has both a cleaner device and an air curtain device, but may be configured to have only any of these devices. In the case where each cleaner unit is configured to include only a cleaner device, the cleaner device preferably includes: a liquid nozzle for ejecting a cleaning liquid, and an air nozzle for ejecting air (air).

In the present embodiment, the external sensor 6 is a camera or LiDAR. That is, unless otherwise stated, the "cleaner unit" in the following description is the LC102 or the CC103. Since cameras and LiDAR are more susceptible to the effects of the adhering substances such as water droplets and dirt than millimeter wave radar, the cleaner unit is of great significance in removing the adhering substances or suppressing the adhering substances.

First, in step S1, the cleaner control unit determines whether or not each cleaner unit satisfies an operation condition. Here, fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation condition determination process in step S1 of fig. 4.

In step S11, the cleaner control unit acquires weather information from the vehicle control unit 3, for example. Then, when it is determined that the weather is rain based on the weather information (yes in step S12), the cleaner control unit determines that the operation condition of the cleaner unit is satisfied, and proceeds to step S2 in fig. 4. On the other hand, when it is determined that the weather is not rainy (no in step S12), the cleaner control unit does not operate the air curtain device. The weather information may be weather information as long as it is information that can determine weather, and may be information related to the output from a rainfall sensor mounted on the vehicle 1, the presence or absence of driving of a wiper, the output from a camera as the external sensor 6, or the like.

The weather in step S12 is rain, which is one of the action conditions of the cleaner unit. In the case where the weather is rain, falling rain drops, water drops carried up from the road surface, dirt such as mud, and the like easily adhere to the external sensor 6. Therefore, in the case where the weather is rain, it is preferable to operate the cleaner unit.

In step S13, the cleaner control unit acquires current position information of the vehicle 1 from the vehicle control unit 3, for example. The current position information is, for example, information acquired by a GPS sensor. Then, when the cleaner control unit determines that the current position of the vehicle 1 is a place where the number of insects is estimated to be equal to or greater than the predetermined number (yes in step S14), it determines that the operation condition of the cleaner unit is satisfied, and the flow proceeds to step S2 in fig. 4. On the other hand, when the cleaner control unit determines that the current position of the vehicle 1 is not a place where insects are estimated to be a predetermined number or more (no in step S14), the air curtain device is not operated.

The processing of step S14 may be performed by, for example, referring to the map information 11a, and determining whether or not the current position is a place where a large number of insects are considered. Sites where many insects are considered are, for example, mountain areas, the vicinity of rivers, and the like. For example, when it is determined that the current position is a mountain land or the like based on the map information 11a, the cleaner control unit determines that the operation condition of the cleaner unit is satisfied. The cleaner control unit may acquire the travel location information included in the travel situation information 11c instead of the map information 11a, and perform the determination in step S14 based on the travel location information.

Further, it is also possible to determine whether or not the current position is a place where the insect is considered to be more based on the image captured by the camera as the external sensor 6. In this case, the cleaner control part may determine whether the current position is in a mountain area by performing image analysis on an image photographed by the camera.

The current location is a location where insects are considered to be more, which is one of the action conditions of the cleaner unit. If insects attach to the camera or LiDAR, the function as a sensor is reduced, so that if the current position of the vehicle 1 is a location where it is considered that there are many insects, it is preferable to operate the cleaner unit.

In addition, of course, even if no in step S12 and step S14, when other operation conditions are satisfied, the cleaner control unit operates the cleaner unit based on the other operation conditions. The other operating conditions are not particularly limited, and may be, for example, conditions under which it is considered that the attached matter such as water droplets or dirt easily adheres to the external sensor 6. As other operation conditions, specifically, there are a wet road surface on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, an automatic driving mode of the vehicle 1, and the like.

Returning to the description of fig. 4. In step S2, the cleaner control unit operates the cleaner unit at a predetermined cleaning intensity. Here, the cleaning strength means the degree of cleaning strength. The cleaning strength can be defined by, for example, the type of cleaning medium used for cleaning, the operation time of the cleaner unit, the amount of the cleaning medium, the strength of ejection, and the like. As an example of the level of the cleaning intensity depending on the type of the cleaning medium, the cleaning liquid and the air are used in the order of the level of the cleaning intensity. Further, it can be said that the longer the operation time of the cleaner unit is, the higher the cleaning strength is. Also, it can be said that the higher the amount of the cleaning medium and the intensity of the ejection (for example, the air volume or the air velocity), the higher the cleaning intensity.

The cleaning intensity (i.e., the cleaning medium used or the operation time, the amount of the cleaning medium or the ejection intensity, etc.) in step S2 may be determined based on the satisfied operation condition. When it is determined in step S12 that the weather is rainy or when it is determined in step S14 that the current position is a place where a large number of insects are considered, the cleaner control unit preferably operates the air curtain device so as to continuously blow air to the external sensor 6, for example. By operating the air curtain device, a barrier made of wind can be formed on the detection surface of the air curtain device, and adhesion itself of rain, mud, insects, or the like to the external sensor 6 can be suppressed.

Further, it is considered that suppression of the adhesion of insects is possible even at a lower air volume or air velocity than in the case of suppressing the adhesion of rain or mud. Therefore, the cleaning strength may be reduced when the current position is determined to be a place where a large number of insects are considered, as compared with when the weather is determined to be rain. With this configuration, the power consumption of the cleaner unit can be reduced.

The cleaner units operated in step S2 may be all or part of the respective cleaner units corresponding to the respective external sensors 6. The cleaner controller may determine the cleaner unit to be operated based on the satisfied operation condition.

Each air curtain device included in the LC102 has a pump (not shown) for supplying air to the air nozzles of the air curtain device, but as another configuration example, each air curtain device included in the LC102 may share one pump. With such a configuration, wind can be supplied to all or part of LC102 decided to operate by one pump. The same applies to each cleaner device included in LC102, each cleaner device included in CC103, and each air curtain device.

In step S3, the cleaner control section controls the cleaning strength of the cleaner unit based on the running condition of the vehicle 1. Here, fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the control process based on the running condition in step S3 of fig. 4.

First, in step S21, the cleaner control unit acquires the running condition information 11c from the vehicle control unit 3, for example. If the running condition of the vehicle 1 grasped by the running condition information 11c acquired in step S21 does not satisfy the change condition for changing the cleaning intensity (no in step S22), the flow proceeds to step S4 in fig. 4.

On the other hand, when the running condition of the vehicle 1 satisfies the change condition for changing the cleaning intensity (yes in step S22), the cleaner control unit controls the cleaning intensity based on the satisfied change condition.

One of the changing conditions in the present embodiment is road congestion in which the vehicle 1 is traveling. When this change condition is satisfied (the "jam" in step S23), the cleaner control unit decreases the cleaning strength of the operating cleaner unit in step S24. Specifically, the air speed or the air volume of the air curtain device in operation is increased.

This is because the air curtain device is easily affected by the vehicle speed, and it is desirable to increase the wind speed or the like when the vehicle speed is high, but when the road is congested, the vehicle 1 runs at a slower speed, and therefore, even if the wind speed, the wind volume, or the like of the air curtain device is reduced, the effect of suppressing the adhesion of the attached matter can be obtained. By performing such control, the power consumption of the air curtain device can be reduced. In addition, in the case where the congestion is eliminated, the cleaning strength is improved.

One of the changing conditions in the present embodiment is turning of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling during rainfall or in a wet road surface. When this change condition is satisfied (the "turn" in step S23), the cleaner control unit increases the cleaning strength of the operating cleaner unit in step S25. Specifically, the air speed or the air volume of the air curtain device in operation is increased.

When the vehicle 1 turns while it is raining or while the road surface is wet, water, mud, or the like is more likely to adhere to the external sensor 6 than when it is traveling straight. Therefore, in this case, by increasing the wind speed of the air curtain device or the like, adhesion of water, mud, or the like is easily suppressed even in this case.

Whether or not the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling is turning, for example, can be determined based on the turning information included in the traveling condition information 11 c. Specifically, the cleaner control unit calculates the curvature of the guardrail or the white line based on the image captured by the camera as the external sensor 6, and determines whether or not the vehicle is turning based on the calculated curvature. The curvature of the guardrail or the white line may be calculated by the vehicle control unit 3. Instead of the turning information, the map information 11a may be used to determine whether or not the road turns.

One of the changing conditions in the present embodiment is that the gear of the vehicle 1 is set to the reverse gear. When this change condition is satisfied (reverse in step S23), the cleaner control unit increases the cleaning strength of the cleaner unit in step S26. In step S26, for example, the air velocity or the air volume of the air curtain device may be increased, or the air curtain device may be switched from continuous air blowing to cleaning using the cleaning liquid of the cleaner device.

When the vehicle 1 is retracted, the driver's visual field is more likely to be restricted than when the vehicle 1 is advanced, and the importance of the external sensor 6 is higher. In the present embodiment, when the importance of the external sensor 6 increases, it can be said that the cleaner unit is more appropriately controlled by further suppressing the decrease in the detection capability of the external sensor 6.

One of the changing conditions in the present embodiment is that the vehicle 1 is to make a lane change. When this change condition is satisfied (the "lane change" in step S23), the cleaner control unit increases the cleaning strength of the cleaner unit in step S27. In step S27, for example, the air velocity or the air volume of the air curtain device may be increased, or the air curtain device may be switched from continuous air blowing to cleaning using the cleaning liquid of the cleaner device.

When the vehicle 1 is to change lanes, the possibility of contact with another vehicle or the like becomes higher than when the vehicle 1 is caused to advance, and therefore the importance of the external sensor 6 becomes higher. In the present embodiment, when the importance of the external sensor 6 increases, it can be said that the cleaner unit is more appropriately controlled by further suppressing the decrease in the detection capability of the external sensor 6.

Whether or not the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling is turning, for example, can be determined based on the lane change information included in the traveling condition information 11 c. Specifically, the cleaner control unit determines whether or not there is a lane change based on the information of the lane obtained from the image captured by the front camera 6Cf, the steering control signal, and the like.

One of the changing conditions in the present embodiment is that the vehicle 1 is located at the junction of the road. When this change condition is satisfied (the "merging point" in step S23), the cleaner control unit increases the cleaning strength of the cleaner unit for a predetermined period of time in step S28. In step S28, for example, the air velocity or the air volume of the air curtain device may be increased, or the air curtain device may be switched from continuous air blowing to cleaning using the cleaning liquid of the cleaner device.

When the vehicle 1 is located at a junction of a road, the possibility of contact with another vehicle or the like increases, and therefore the importance of the external sensor 6 increases. In the present embodiment, when the importance of the external sensor 6 increases, it can be said that the cleaner unit is more appropriately controlled by further suppressing the decrease in the detection capability of the external sensor 6.

Whether the vehicle 1 is at the junction of the road can be determined based on, for example, the travel location information included in the travel condition information 11 c. Specifically, the cleaner control unit determines whether or not the vehicle is at the junction based on the pattern of the lane, the current position information, the position of the map information 11a and ETC, and the like, which are obtained from the image captured by the camera as the external sensor 6.

After the processing of steps S24 to S28, the flow advances to step S4 of fig. 4. The conditions for changing the cleaning strength are not limited to the conditions described with reference to fig. 6, and various conditions for changing the cleaning strength can be set based on the running condition of the vehicle 1.

Returning to the description of fig. 4. In step S4, the cleaner control unit determines whether or not the monitoring area of the millimeter wave radar overlaps with the monitoring area of the camera or the LiDAR. When it is determined that these monitoring areas overlap (yes in step S4), the cleaner control unit reduces the cleaning intensity of the camera or LiDAR in which the monitoring areas overlap with the millimeter wave radar in step S5.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a monitoring area of a camera and a millimeter wave radar. In fig. 7, the area between the broken lines A1 and A1 is a monitoring area R1 of the millimeter wave radar, and the area between the broken lines A2 and A2 is a monitoring area R2 of the camera.

In the state of fig. 7, the monitor region R1 and the monitor region R2 overlap. In such a state, when it can be determined that external information can be sufficiently acquired by the millimeter wave radar, the importance of acquiring external information by the camera is low. Further, since the millimeter wave radar is less susceptible to the adhesion of water droplets or the like than the camera or LiDAR, external information can be sufficiently acquired without operating the air curtain device or the like even when the weather is rainy. Therefore, in this case, the cleaning strength of the camera may be reduced, and the operation of the cleaner unit of the camera may be stopped.

(second embodiment)

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cleaner system 100 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, fig. 8 shows an example of operation control of each air curtain device by the cleaner control unit.

In this operation example, each air curtain device is operated so that air is continuously blown to the external sensor 6 at a predetermined blowing intensity when predetermined operation conditions are satisfied. The operating condition is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a condition in which an attached matter such as water droplets or dirt easily adheres to the external sensor 6. In this operation example, the external sensor 6 is a camera or LiDAR. Since cameras and LiDAR are more susceptible to the effects of the attachment of water droplets, dirt, and the like than millimeter wave radars and the like, the air curtain device has a great significance in suppressing the attachment of the attachment.

First, in step S101, when the ignition of the vehicle 1 is turned on (yes in step S101), the cleaner control unit acquires information indicating that the ignition is turned on, for example, from the vehicle control unit 3. The ignition being turned on is one of the operating conditions. If the ignition device is not turned on (no in step S101), the operation condition of the air curtain device is not satisfied, and the operation is ended.

When the ignition device is turned on in step S101, in the next step S102, the cleaner control unit causes the air curtain device to operate so as to jet air to the external sensor 6 for a predetermined time at the blowing intensity for cleaning. The air injection in step S102 is not used to suppress adhesion of dirt or the like to the external sensor 6, but is used to remove water droplets or dirt or the like attached matter that may adhere to the external sensor 6. By executing step S102, even if the attached matter adheres to the external sensor 6 during the period when the vehicle 1 before starting the engine is not in use, the attached matter can be removed to the extent possible.

In step S102, it is preferable to operate all the air curtain devices provided to the external sensor 6. Thereby, all the external sensors 6 can be cleaned to the extent possible at the start of driving. On the other hand, a dirt sensor for detecting dirt of the external sensor 6 may be provided, and whether or not to clean each external sensor 6 may be determined based on an output from the dirt sensor, and the air curtain device may be operated only for the external sensor 6 determined to clean. Thus, the power consumption of the air curtain device can be reduced.

The blowing strength for cleaning is not particularly limited, and is preferably higher than that for suppressing adhesion of dirt or the like to the external sensor 6, for example. The air blowing strength for cleaning may be, for example, the maximum air velocity or the maximum air volume in the air curtain device. The predetermined time is not particularly limited, and is, for example, about 1 to 10 seconds. After a predetermined time, the ejection of air based on the blowing intensity for cleaning is completed.

In addition, step S102 may be performed by a device different from the air curtain device. For example, the cleaner device included in the cleaner unit may be configured to include a liquid nozzle for ejecting the cleaning liquid and an air nozzle for ejecting the air, and the air may be ejected from the cleaner device to the external sensor 6.

The weather in step S103 is rain, which is one of the action conditions. In the case where the weather is rain, dirt such as falling raindrops, water drops or mud carried up from the road surface is likely to adhere to the external sensor 6. Therefore, in the case where the weather is rain, it is preferable to operate the air curtain device.

The cleaner control unit acquires weather information from the vehicle control unit 3, for example. Then, when it is determined that the weather is rain based on the weather information (yes in step S103), the cleaner control unit determines that the operation condition is satisfied, and proceeds to step S104. The weather information may be weather information as long as it is information that can determine weather, and may be information related to the output from a rainfall sensor mounted on the vehicle 1, the presence or absence of driving of a wiper, the output from a camera as the external sensor 6, or the like.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the weather is not rainy (no in step S103), the cleaner control unit ends without operating the air curtain device. In addition, of course, even if no in step S103, if other operation conditions are satisfied, the cleaner control unit operates the air curtain device based on the other operation conditions. Examples of other operating conditions include wetting of a road surface on which the vehicle 1 is traveling.

In step S104, the cleaner control unit acquires information on the driving mode of the vehicle 1 from the vehicle control unit 3. When it is determined in step S104 that the driving mode is the manual driving mode, the cleaner control unit causes the air curtain device to operate the external sensor 6 in front of the vehicle 1 at the first air blowing intensity in step S105.

The first air blowing intensity is lower than a third air blowing intensity in the automatic driving mode described later. In the manual driving mode, the front of the vehicle 1 is generally recognized by the driver. Therefore, in the manual driving mode, the importance of the external sensor 6 that acquires information in front of the vehicle 1 is not high as compared with the automatic driving mode. In the present embodiment, the power consumption of the air curtain device is reduced by setting the air supply intensity to the external sensor 6, which is considered to be of low importance in the manual driving mode, to be lower than that in the automatic driving mode.

Specifically, in step S105, the first air curtain device 130 continuously blows air to the front LiDAR6Lf at the first blowing intensity. Similarly, the second air curtain device 150 continuously blows air to the front camera Cf at the first blowing intensity. Here, the first air blowing intensity in the first air curtain device 130 may be lower than the third air blowing intensity in the first air curtain device 130, and may be the same as or different from the first air blowing intensity in the second air curtain device 150. The same applies to the first air supply intensity in the second air curtain device 150. The first air blowing intensity may be an air blowing intensity at which the air volume and the air velocity are zero. That is, in step S105, the air curtain device may not be operated to the external sensor 6 in front of the vehicle 1.

When it is determined in step S104 that the driving mode is the manual driving mode, the cleaner control unit causes the air curtain device to operate the external sensor 6 behind the vehicle 1 at the second air blowing intensity in step S106. The second air blowing intensity is higher than a fourth intensity described later. In the case where the vehicle is traveling in the manual driving mode, the rear of the vehicle 1 is generally an area that is difficult for the driver to observe and recognize. Therefore, the importance of the external sensor 6 that acquires the information on the rear of the vehicle 1 is high in the manual driving mode. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the air blowing intensity to the rear external sensor 6 considered to be of high importance in the manual driving mode is set to be higher than that in a specific situation in the automatic driving mode described later.

Specifically, in step S106, the third air curtain device 170 continuously blows air to the rear LiDAR6Lb at the second blowing intensity. Similarly, the fourth air curtain device 190 continuously blows air to the rear camera Cb at the second blowing intensity. The second air blowing intensity in the third air curtain device 170 may be higher than the fourth air blowing intensity in the third air curtain device 170, and may be the same as or different from the second air blowing intensity in the fourth air curtain device 190. The same applies to the second air blowing intensity in the fourth air curtain device 190.

Next, in step S107, when the driving mode is switched to the automatic driving mode (yes in step S107), the cleaner control unit acquires information indicating that the driving mode is switched to the automatic driving mode from the vehicle control unit 3, for example, and the flow of actions proceeds to step S108.

If the determination is yes in step S107 and if the determination is made in step S104 that the driving mode is the automatic driving mode, the cleaner control unit causes the air curtain device to operate the external sensor 6 in front of the vehicle 1 at the third air blowing intensity in step S108.

The third air blowing intensity is higher than the first air blowing intensity. In the automatic driving mode, the importance of the external sensor 6 that acquires information in front of the vehicle 1 is higher than in the manual driving mode. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the air blowing intensity to the external sensor 6, which is considered to be of high importance in the automatic driving mode, is set to be higher than that in the manual driving mode.

Specifically, in step S108, the first air curtain device 130 continuously blows air to the front LiDAR6Lf at the third blowing intensity. Similarly, the second air curtain device 150 continuously blows air to the front camera Cf at the third blowing intensity. Here, the third air blowing intensity in the first air curtain device 130 may be higher than the first air blowing intensity in the first air curtain device 130, and may be the same as or different from the third air blowing intensity in the second air curtain device 150. The same applies to the third air blowing intensity in the second air curtain device 150.

When it is determined in step S109 that the vehicle 1 is in the following state, the cleaner control unit causes the air curtain device to operate the external sensor 6 at the rear of the vehicle 1 at the fourth air blowing intensity in step S110. The following state is one of modes selectable in the automatic driving mode. In the following state, the vehicle control unit 3 generates, for example, an accelerator control signal to maintain a speed set by a driver or the like, and generates a brake control signal to maintain an inter-vehicle distance from another vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle 1 at a constant value or more.

The fourth air blowing intensity is lower than the second air blowing intensity. In the following state, the accelerator control signal and the brake control signal are generated mainly based on the set speed and the inter-vehicle distance from the other vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle 1. In the following state, since the inter-vehicle distance to another vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle 1 is determined based on the output from the external sensor 6 that acquires the information in front of the vehicle 1, it is considered that the importance to the external sensor 6 in the rear of the vehicle 1 is not very high, but lower than in the manual driving mode. In the present embodiment, the power consumption of the air curtain device is reduced by setting the air supply intensity to the external sensor 6 at the rear of the vehicle 1, which is considered to be of low importance in the following state, to be lower than that in the manual driving mode.

Specifically, in step S110, the third air curtain device 170 continuously blows air to the rear LiDAR6Lb at the fourth blowing intensity. Similarly, the fourth air curtain device 190 continuously blows air to the rear camera Cb at the fourth blowing intensity. Here, the fourth air blowing intensity in the third air curtain device 170 may be lower than the second air blowing intensity in the third air curtain device 170, and may be the same as or different from the fourth air blowing intensity in the fourth air curtain device 190. The same applies to the fourth air supply intensity of the fourth air curtain device 190. The 4 th air blowing intensity may be an air blowing intensity at which the air volume and the air velocity are zero. That is, in step S110, the air curtain device may not be operated to the rear external sensor 6 of the vehicle 1.

In the case where the vehicle 1 is in the following state, in step S111, the cleaner control unit acquires, for example, information on the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 or information on the inter-vehicle distance of surrounding vehicles traveling around the vehicle 1 from the vehicle control unit 3. In step S111, both the travel speed and the inter-vehicle distance may be acquired.

Next, in step S112, the cleaner control unit changes the air blowing intensity of the air curtain device based on the travel speed or the inter-vehicle distance acquired in step S111. In step S112, the blower strength may be changed based on both the traveling speed and the inter-vehicle distance.

The faster the running speed is, the higher the possibility that the attached matter adheres to the external sensor 6 is considered. Therefore, in order to suppress this, in step S112, for example, if the running speed exceeds a predetermined threshold value or if the running speed is faster, the blower strength is stronger. In addition, it is considered that the shorter the inter-vehicle distance is, the higher the possibility that water droplets or mud or the like carried by other vehicles adhere to the external sensor 6. Therefore, in order to suppress this, in step S112, for example, if the inter-vehicle distance is smaller than a predetermined threshold value or if the inter-vehicle distance is shorter, the blower strength is increased.

As the target of the change of the air blowing intensity in step S112, it is preferable to include at least an air curtain device for the external sensor 6 (for example, the front LiDAR6Lf and the front camera 6 Cf) that acquires information on the front of the vehicle 1 important in the following state. The object of the change of the air blowing intensity in step S112 may be to the external sensor 6 for acquiring a part of the information of the direction of the short inter-vehicle distance from the other vehicle. Specifically, when the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 1 and another vehicle traveling in front is short, the air blowing intensity to the front LiDAR6Lf and the front camera 6Cf can be improved, and when the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 1 and another vehicle traveling in right is short, the air blowing intensity to the right LiDAR6Lr and the right camera 6Cr can be improved.

In addition, the processing of steps S111 and S112 may be performed in a case where the following state in the automatic driving mode is not performed, or in the manual driving mode. At this time, when the traveling speeds and the inter-vehicle distances are the same, the first air blowing speed < third air blowing intensity, and the second air blowing speed > fourth air blowing intensity are obtained.

When the vehicle 1 changes lanes, the cleaner control unit acquires lane change information indicating whether the vehicle 1 changes lanes from the vehicle control unit 3, for example, and determines whether the vehicle 1 changes lanes in step S113. Specifically, the cleaner control unit determines whether or not there is a lane change based on the information of the lane, the steering control signal, and the like obtained from the image captured by the front camera 6 Cf. In this case, the vehicle control unit 3 may send information to the cleaner control unit when it is determined that the lane is changed.

When it is determined in step S113 that the vehicle 1 has changed lanes (yes in step S113), the cleaner control unit causes the air curtain device to operate the external sensor 6 at the rear of the vehicle 1 at the fifth air blowing intensity in step S114. On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 does not change lanes in step S113 (no in step S113), the process of step S114 is not executed.

The fifth air blowing intensity is higher than the fourth air blowing intensity. In the case of changing lanes, the importance of the external sensor 6 that acquires information on the rear side of the vehicle 1 is higher than that in the case of following. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the air blowing intensity to the external sensor 6, which is considered to be of high importance in the case of lane change in the automatic driving mode, is set to be higher than that in the case of the following state in the automatic driving mode.

Specifically, in step S114, the third air curtain device 170 continuously blows air to the rear LiDAR6Lb at the fifth blowing intensity. Similarly, the fourth air curtain device 190 continuously blows air to the rear camera Cb at the fifth blowing intensity. Here, the fifth air blowing intensity in the third air curtain device 170 may be higher than the fourth air blowing intensity in the third air curtain device 170, and may be the same as or different from the fourth air blowing intensity in the fourth air curtain device 190. The same applies to the fifth air blowing intensity in the fourth air curtain device 190.

In step S115, when the driving mode is switched to the manual driving mode (yes in step S115), the cleaner control unit acquires information indicating that the driving mode is switched to the manual driving mode from the vehicle control unit 3, for example, and proceeds to step S105. On the other hand, if no in step S115, if the stop condition of the air curtain device is satisfied (for example, if the operation condition is not satisfied or the engine is stopped), the cleaner control unit stops the air curtain device and ends the series of processing. The same applies to no in step S107.

(third embodiment)

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a cleaner system 100A according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition to the front LC102f, the front CC103f, the rear LC102b, the rear CC103b, and the integrated control unit 111 of the cleaner system 100 according to the first embodiment shown in fig. 3, the cleaner system 100A further includes: a front tank 200, a remaining amount sensor 201 for the front tank, a rear tank 210, and a remaining amount sensor 211 for the rear tank. The front tank 200 supplies the cleaning liquid in the front tank 200 to, for example, the front WC101f, the front LC102f, the right LC102r, the left LC102l, the front CC103f, the right CC103r, the left CC103l, the right HC104r, and the left HC104l via a front pump (not shown). The rear tank 210 supplies the cleaning liquid in the rear tank 210 to, for example, the rear WW101b, the rear LC102b, and the rear CC103b via a rear pump.

The remaining amount sensor 201 for the front tank detects the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the front tank 200. The remaining amount sensor 211 for the rear tank detects the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the rear tank 210. The remaining amount sensors 201 and 211 can be conventionally known sensors. The remaining amount sensor 201 detects, for example, the liquid level of the cleaning liquid in the front tank 200, and based on the detection result of the liquid level, can determine the absolute amount of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid, or can determine the relative amount (for example, the ratio of the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid to the full capacity of the front tank 200).

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cleaner system 100A according to the third embodiment. Specifically, fig. 10 shows an example of operation control of each cleaner device and each air curtain device by the cleaner control unit.

In the present embodiment, when predetermined cleaning conditions are satisfied, each cleaner device ejects the cleaning liquid to the external sensor 6 to clean the external sensor 6. The cleaning conditions are not particularly limited, and dirt or the like which cannot be removed by the jet of air (wind) adheres to the external sensor 6, for example. The cleaner control unit determines the state of the external sensor 6 based on, for example, information from a dirt sensor (not shown) that detects dirt or the like of the external sensor 6, and, when it is determined that the state of the external sensor 6 satisfies the cleaning condition, ejects the cleaning liquid to the external sensor 6.

In addition, when it is determined that dirt is attached to the external sensor 6, the cleaner control unit may be configured to perform the operation of injecting air from the air nozzle or the air curtain device of the cleaner device to the external sensor 6 at least once. In this case, cleaning conditions may be used in which dirt or the like cannot be removed even by air injection. Further, as one of the cleaning conditions, an operation for cleaning by the driver of the vehicle 1 may be included.

In the present embodiment, each air curtain device operates when predetermined air blowing conditions are satisfied, and continuously blows air to the external sensor 6 at predetermined air blowing intensity. The blowing condition is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a condition in which an attached matter such as water droplets or dirt is considered to be easily attached to the external sensor 6.

As the blowing condition, a preferable one is that the weather is rain. In the case where the weather is rain, dirt such as falling raindrops, water drops or mud carried up from the road surface is likely to adhere to the external sensor 6. Therefore, in the case where the weather is rain, it is preferable to operate the air curtain device.

Further, as a preferable one of the blowing conditions, there is a case where the vehicle 1 is in the automatic driving mode. In the automatic driving mode, various control signals such as an accelerator control signal are generated based on the output from the external sensor 6, so that it is of great importance to suppress the adhesion of dirt or the like to the external sensor 6.

In the present embodiment, the external sensor 6 is a camera or LiDAR. Since cameras and LiDAR are more susceptible to the effects of the attachment of water droplets, dirt, and the like than millimeter wave radars and the like, the air curtain device has a great significance in suppressing the attachment of the attachment.

Steps S201 to S202 shown in fig. 10 are processes related to control of the cleaner device.

As shown in fig. 10, when the cleaner control unit determines that the cleaning condition of the external sensor 6 is satisfied (yes in step S201), the cleaner control unit causes the cleaner device to operate so as to discharge a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid to the external sensor 6 that satisfies the cleaning condition and perform cleaning in step S202. The process of step S202 is executed each time the cleaning condition of the external sensor 6 is satisfied.

In addition, in the same manner as in the case of the cleaning object other than the external sensor 6, when the cleaning conditions set for the cleaning object (for example, the front window 1f, the rear window 1b, the right head lamp 7r, the left head lamp 7l, etc.) are satisfied, the cleaning using the cleaning liquid can be performed by the corresponding cleaner device.

Steps S203 to S207 shown in fig. 10 are processes related to control of the air curtain device. The processing in steps S203 to S207 and the processing in steps S201 to S202 described above are executed independently of each other, or may be executed in parallel.

When the cooler control unit determines that the air blowing condition of the external sensor 6 is satisfied (yes in step S203), the cleaner control unit acquires the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in step S204. Specifically, the cleaner control unit acquires the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid of the front tank 200 from the remaining amount sensor 201, and acquires the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid of the rear tank 210 from the remaining amount sensor 211.

Next, in step S205, the cleaner control unit determines whether or not the remaining amounts of the cleaning liquid in the front tank 200 and the rear tank 210 are equal to or greater than a first threshold value. The first threshold value may be a value for determining whether or not the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is small, and may be appropriately set according to the capacity of the tank, the number of cleaner devices connected to the tank, or the like. The first threshold may be a different value or the same value for each tank.

When it is determined that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (yes in step S205), in step S206, the cleaner control unit sets the air blowing intensity to the first air blowing intensity in the cleaner unit that receives the supply of the cleaning liquid from the tank for which the determination is made, and operates the air curtain device. For example, when it is determined that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the front tank 200 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the first air curtain device 130 and the second air curtain device 150 are operated, and the front LiDAR6Lf and the front camera 6Cf are continuously blown with the first blowing intensity.

The first air blowing intensity is lower than the second air blowing intensity described later. When the cleaning liquid is sufficient, even if the attachment such as mud adheres to the external sensor 6, the cleaning is performed by using the cleaning liquid, and therefore, the air blowing strength is improved and the necessity of excessively suppressing the attachment of dirt and the like to the external sensor 6 is low. In the present disclosure, when there is a sufficient cleaning liquid, the air blowing intensity is set to the first air blowing intensity, whereby the adhesion of dirt or the like to the external sensor 6 due to the air curtain device is suppressed, and the power consumption is suppressed.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is smaller than the first threshold (no in step S205), in step S207, the cleaner control unit sets the air blowing intensity to the second air blowing intensity in the cleaner unit that receives the supply of the cleaning liquid from the tank for which the determination is made, and operates the air curtain device. For example, when it is determined that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid in the rear tank 210 is smaller than the first threshold value, the third air curtain device 170 and the fourth air curtain device 190 are operated, and the rear LiDAR6Lb and the rear camera 6Cb are continuously blown with the second blowing intensity.

The second air blowing intensity is higher than the first air blowing intensity. When the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is small, the air curtain device is operated at the second air blowing intensity, so that the possibility of dirt requiring the cleaning liquid adhering to the external sensor 6 can be reduced as compared with the case where the air curtain device is operated at the first air blowing intensity. That is, since the frequency of operating the cleaner device is reduced, as a result, the time for cleaning with the cleaning liquid can be prolonged. Further, according to the above configuration, the period in which the cleaning liquid can be used for cleaning can be prolonged without reducing the amount of the cleaning liquid used. That is, the period during which cleaning using the cleaning liquid is possible can be prolonged without reducing the cleaning performance of the cleaner device. In addition, from the viewpoint of further extending the period in which cleaning can be performed using the cleaning liquid, the amount of the cleaning liquid used may be reduced when it is determined that the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is smaller than the first threshold value.

After the processing in step S206 or step S207, if the stop condition of the air curtain device is satisfied (for example, if the air blowing condition is not satisfied or the engine is stopped), the cleaner control unit stops the air curtain device, and ends the series of processing.

In the operation example shown in fig. 10, the blower strength is determined based on one threshold value, but two or more threshold values may be used. For example, a second threshold value lower than the first threshold value may be set, and when the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is smaller than the second threshold value, the air curtain device may be operated at a third air blowing intensity higher than the second air blowing intensity.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation example shown in fig. 10. The processing in steps S211 to S214 in fig. 11 is the same as the processing in steps S201 to S204 in fig. 10, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

In the operation example shown in fig. 11, in step S215, the cleaner control unit determines the air blowing intensity of the air curtain device based on the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid. Specifically, in step S215, the cleaner control unit controls the air curtain device so that the blower strength increases as the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid decreases. In step S215, the air blowing intensity may be increased stepwise according to the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid, may be increased continuously (for example, as a function of a time) according to the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid, or may be increased by a combination thereof.

In the example shown in fig. 11, since the frequency of operating the cleaner device is reduced, as a result, the period in which cleaning using the cleaning liquid is possible can be prolonged. Further, the period during which cleaning using the cleaning liquid is possible can be prolonged without reducing the cleaning performance of the cleaner device.

(fourth embodiment)

Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cleaner system 100 according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. First, in step S301, the cleaner control section acquires the environment information 11b or other information. In step S301, the information acquired by the cleaner control unit is information on the operation conditions of the respective cleaner units, and is used to determine whether the operation conditions are satisfied.

In the present embodiment, the first to sixth operation conditions are included as operation conditions. The first operation condition is that the cleaner control unit determines that the surroundings of the vehicle 1 are within a predetermined time from the time of the rainstop. In a predetermined period of time from the time of a rain stop, the road surface is wet or water is formed, and therefore, there is a situation in which water drops, mud, or the like are easily attached to the external sensor 6 due to sputtering or the like of other vehicles traveling around. Therefore, it is considered that the meaning of the operation of the cleaner unit is great. Whether or not the 1 st operation condition is satisfied can be determined based on, for example, the time from when the wiper is stopped and weather information (for example, information including the time of a rain stop) included in the environmental information 11 b.

The second operation condition is that the cleaner control unit determines that there is frost or dew condensation around. When frost or dew condensation is present around the sensor, the external sensor 6 is also in a state where the frost or dew condensation is likely to adhere. Therefore, it is considered that the meaning of the operation of the cleaner unit is great. For example, whether the second operation condition is satisfied can be determined based on information of the temperature sensor or the humidity sensor. Further, whether the second operation condition is satisfied may be determined based on information from the dew condensation sensor.

The third operating condition is that the cleaner control unit determines that the ambient air temperature is less than a predetermined first threshold value and that the ambient humidity exceeds a predetermined second threshold value. The first threshold value and the second threshold value are, for example, boundary values at which dew condensation is likely to occur. When the third operation condition is satisfied, condensation is likely to adhere to the external sensor 6. Therefore, it is considered that the meaning of the operation of the cleaner unit is great. For example, whether the third operation condition is satisfied can be determined based on information of the temperature sensor or the humidity sensor.

The fourth operation condition is that the cleaner control unit determines that the attached matter is attached to the predetermined range of the external sensor 6 or more. When the attached matter adheres to the external sensor 6 in a predetermined range or more, the possibility of the detection capability of the external sensor 6 decreasing is high, and therefore, it is necessary to remove the attached matter. For example, whether the fourth operation condition is satisfied can be determined based on information of the dirt sensor or an image captured by a camera as the external sensor 6. The fourth action condition may also include that the vehicle 1 is running. In the following description, the fourth operating condition also includes that the vehicle 1 is traveling.

The fifth operation condition is that the cleaner control unit determines that the wiper of the vehicle 1 is being driven based on the detection result of the rainfall sensor included in the vehicle 1. When the wiper of the vehicle 1 is driven based on the detection result of the rainfall sensor, there is a high possibility of rain, and therefore, dirt such as water drops or mud is likely to adhere to the external sensor 6. Further, the driver's field of view may be considered limited as compared to a sunny day. Therefore, it is considered that the cleaner unit is operated, and the meaning of keeping the external sensor 6 in the cleaning state is great. The fifth action condition may also include that the vehicle 1 is running. In the following description, the fifth operation condition is also assumed to include that the vehicle 1 is traveling.

The sixth operation condition is that the cleaner control unit determines that the ambient temperature of the vehicle 1 is less than a predetermined third threshold value. The third threshold value is, for example, a boundary value at which freeze exposure is considered to easily occur. When the sixth operation condition is satisfied, the freeze-dew tends to adhere to the external sensor 6. Therefore, it is considered that the meaning of the operation of the cleaner unit is great.

The operation conditions are not limited to the above examples. The operation condition may be, for example, a condition in which an attached matter such as water droplets or dirt easily adheres to the external sensor 6. As other operation conditions, for example, weather is rain, or the vehicle 1 is in the automatic driving mode, or the like may be used.

In step S302, when the cleaner control unit determines that the operation condition is not satisfied (no in step S302), the operation of the cleaner unit is terminated. On the other hand, in step S302, when the cleaner control unit determines that the operation condition is satisfied (yes in step S302), the cleaner control unit operates the cleaner unit at a predetermined cleaning strength in step S303 and thereafter.

Here, the cleaning strength means the degree of cleaning strength. The cleaning strength can be defined by, for example, the type of cleaning medium used for cleaning, the operation time of the cleaner unit, the amount of the cleaning medium, the strength of ejection, and the like. As an example of the level of the cleaning intensity depending on the type of the cleaning medium, the cleaning liquid and the air are used in the order of the level of the cleaning intensity. Further, it can be said that the longer the operation time of the cleaner unit is, the higher the cleaning strength is. Also, it can be said that the higher the amount of the cleaning medium and the intensity of the ejection (for example, the air volume or the air velocity), the higher the cleaning intensity.

The cleaning intensity (i.e., the cleaning medium used, the action time, the amount of the cleaning medium, the ejection intensity, or the like) in each cleaner unit may be determined based on the satisfied action condition. When the first to third operating conditions and the fifth to sixth operating conditions are satisfied, the cleaner control unit preferably operates the air curtain device, for example, to continuously blow air to the external sensor 6. By operating the air curtain device, a barrier made of wind can be formed on the detection surface of the air curtain device, and adhesion of rain or mud to the external sensor 6 can be suppressed. In the case where the fourth operation condition is satisfied, the cleaner control unit preferably sprays cleaning liquid or air from the cleaner device, for example, in order to remove the attached matter.

The cleaner units that operate after step S303 may be all or part of the respective cleaner units corresponding to the respective external sensors 6. The cleaner controller may determine the cleaner unit to be operated based on the satisfied operation condition. For example, the cleaner unit that operates when the fourth operation condition is satisfied may be a cleaner unit that cleans only the external sensor 6 having attached attachments in a predetermined range or more of the external sensor 6.

Each air curtain device included in LC102 has a pump (not shown) for supplying air to the air nozzles of the air curtain device, but as another configuration example, each air curtain device included in LC102 may share a single pump. With such a configuration, wind can be supplied to all or part of LC102 decided to operate by the one pump. The same applies to each cleaner device included in LC102, each cleaner device included in CC103, and each air curtain device.

If the operation condition that is satisfied is the sixth operation condition (yes in step S303), the cleaner control unit controls the cleaner unit to spray warm air heated by heat radiation from the engine, the lamp, or the fuel cell mounted on the vehicle 1 to the external sensor 6 in step S304. In step S304, for example, the warm air is continuously supplied from the air curtain device, whereby the adhesion of the frost to the external sensor 6 is suppressed. After step S304 is executed, the process advances to step S308 described later.

If the operation condition satisfied is the fourth operation condition or the fifth operation condition (yes in step S305), in step S306, the cleaner control unit operates the cleaner unit, and the process proceeds to step S308, which will be described later. In addition, when the vehicle 1 is stopped, the operation of the cleaner unit in step S306 is also stopped. When the vehicle 1 is stopped, the importance of the external sensor 6 is reduced, and thus such control is performed from the viewpoint of reducing power consumption or the like. When the operation of the cleaner unit is stopped, the flow returns to step S301 as indicated by a broken line. When the travel is restarted, the cleaner unit is operated again if the fourth operation condition or the fifth operation condition is still satisfied.

The stop of the vehicle 1 is a stop condition set for the fourth operation condition and the fifth operation condition. In this way, the stop condition for stopping the operation of the cleaner unit can be set for each operation condition.

When the operation conditions are the first to third operation conditions (no in step S305), the cleaner control unit operates the cleaner unit in step S307. In the present embodiment, the stop condition in the case where the first to third operation conditions are satisfied is not the stop of the vehicle 1, but the first to third operation conditions are no longer satisfied, for example.

In step S308, the cleaner control section controls the cleaning intensity of the cleaner unit based on the environmental information 11b. Here, fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the control processing based on the environmental information in step S308 in fig. 12.

First, in step S311, the cleaner control unit acquires the environment information 11b from the vehicle control unit 3, for example. The information contained in the environment information 11b acquired in step S311 may be repeated with the information contained in the environment information 11b acquired in step S301. In step S311, the information included in the environment information 11b acquired in step S301 may not be acquired.

When the environment around the vehicle 1 grasped by the environment information 11b acquired in step S311 does not satisfy the change condition for changing the cleaning intensity (no in step S312), the process ends without changing the cleaning intensity.

On the other hand, when the cleaner control unit determines that the environment around the vehicle 1 satisfies the change condition for changing the cleaning intensity (yes in step S312), the cleaner control unit controls the cleaning intensity based on the satisfied change condition.

One of the changing conditions in the present embodiment is that the vehicle 1 enters a region indicated as being rainy among the weather information included in the environmental information 11b. When this change condition is satisfied (the "entering a rainfall area" in step S313), the cleaner control unit increases the cleaning strength of the operating cleaner unit in step S314. Specifically, the air speed or the air volume of the air curtain device in operation is increased.

In the case of entering a rainfall area, water, mud, or the like is easily attached to the external sensor 6. Therefore, in this case, by increasing the wind speed of the air curtain device or the like, adhesion of water, mud, or the like is easily suppressed even in this case. The cleaner control unit may acquire, as the weather information, information indicating the intensity of the rain in the rainfall area, and may further change the cleaning intensity according to the intensity of the rain. In this case, it is preferable that the stronger the intensity of the rain is, the higher the wind speed or the wind volume of the air curtain device is.

One of the changing conditions in the present embodiment is that the current time is at night. When this change condition is satisfied (at "night" in step S313), the cleaner control unit increases the cleaning strength of the operating cleaner unit in step S315. Specifically, the air speed or the air volume of the air curtain device in operation is increased.

If a water droplet adheres to the external sensor 6 at night, light or the like from a headlight of an opposite vehicle is reflected by the water droplet, and it is considered that the detection capability of the external sensor 6 is reduced compared to the case where the water droplet adheres during the daytime. In this case, therefore, by increasing the wind speed of the air curtain device, the adhesion of water droplets to the external sensor 6 can be further suppressed, and the possibility of occurrence of the above-described situation can be reduced.

Whether the current time is at night or not may be determined based on the time information, or may be determined based on the output from the illuminance sensor. In the case of using the illuminance sensor, it is preferable to detect entry into a dark tunnel, for example, and to improve the cleaning strength in this case.

One of the changing conditions in the present embodiment is that water drops adhere to the external sensor 6. When this change condition is satisfied (the "water droplets adhering" in step S313), the cleaner control unit increases the cleaning strength of the operating cleaner unit in step S316. Specifically, the air speed or the air volume of the air curtain device in operation is increased.

Although the air curtain device is operated, it is considered that the air curtain device has insufficient wind speed or air volume when water drops adhere to the external sensor 6. Therefore, in this case, it is preferable to increase the wind speed or the wind volume of the air curtain device.

In addition, the changing condition may be that water drops adhere to the external sensor 6 in a state where the vehicle 1 is stopped. This is because the air curtain device is susceptible to the influence of the vehicle speed, and therefore it is easier to determine whether the wind speed or the air volume is appropriate in a state where the vehicle 1 is stopped.

One of the changing conditions in the present embodiment is that the road surface on which the vehicle 1 is traveling is wet. When this change condition is satisfied (the "road surface wet" in step S313), the cleaner control unit increases the cleaning strength of the operating cleaner unit in step S317. Specifically, the air speed or the air volume of the air curtain device in operation is increased.

In a wet road surface state, water, mud, or the like is easily attached to the external sensor 6 due to splash or the like from another vehicle. In this case, by increasing the wind speed of the air curtain device or the like, adhesion of water, mud, or the like is easily suppressed even in this case.

Whether the road surface is wet or not can also be determined by whether, for example, water drops or mud are attached to the plurality of external sensors 6. For example, when water droplets or mud adhere to the plurality of external sensors 6, the cleaner control unit determines that the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling is wet, and increases the wind speed of the air curtain device with respect to the plurality of external sensors 6. In this case, the air curtain device may be stopped after a predetermined time elapses, and it may be determined again whether or not water droplets or mud adhere to the plurality of external sensors 6. The determination of whether or not the road surface is wet may be performed on the premise that the weather information is not rainy, or may be performed separately from the weather information.

After the processing of steps S314 to S317, the processing ends in response to the stop condition of the cleaner unit being satisfied. The conditions for changing the cleaning strength are not limited to the conditions described with reference to fig. 13, and various conditions for changing the cleaning strength based on the environmental information around the vehicle 1 can be set.

(fifth embodiment)

Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the cleaner system 100 according to the fifth embodiment. Specifically, fig. 14 shows an example of operation control of the CC103 by the cleaner control unit.

As described above, CCs 103 include front CC103f, rear CC103b, right CC103r, and left CC103l. In the present embodiment, each CC103 is provided with a cleaner device and an air curtain device, but may be configured to be provided with only one of these devices. In the case where each CC103 is configured to include only a cleaner device, the cleaner device preferably includes: a liquid nozzle for ejecting a cleaning liquid, and an air nozzle for ejecting air (air).

If a camera is selected based on the condition of the vehicle 1 (yes in step S401), the cleaner control unit receives information for specifying the selected camera from the vehicle control unit 3 in step S402. Next, in step S403, the cleaner control unit operates the CC103 corresponding to the selected camera to clean the selected camera. In step S403, the cleaning device may be operated, or the air curtain device may be operated, but it is preferable that the cleaning medium used is air. If the camera is not selected based on the condition of the vehicle 1 (no in step S401), the processing in steps S402 to S403 is not executed.

Here, the "selection of the camera based on the condition of the vehicle 1" in step S401 means that the vehicle control unit 3 selects the camera based on the condition of the vehicle 1 in order to display an image on the display device (output unit) 8 b.

The condition of the vehicle 1 is not particularly limited, and for example, a gear of the vehicle 1 is set to a reverse gear. In this case, the vehicle control unit 3 selects the rear camera 6Cb that photographs the rear of the vehicle 1, and causes the display device 8b to display an image photographed by the rear camera 6Cb. The vehicle control unit 3 transmits this information to the cleaner control unit at substantially the same timing as the timing of selecting the rear camera 6Cb, and immediately after receiving this information in step S402, the cleaner control unit operates the rear CC103b to clean the rear camera 6Cb in step S403. That is, the cleaner control unit controls the rear CC103b to start the cleaning of the rear camera 6Cb at substantially the same timing as the timing at which the camera is selected by the vehicle control unit 3.

Further, as another example of the condition of the vehicle 1, there is an obstacle in the vicinity of the vehicle 1. When there is an obstacle in the vicinity of the vehicle and there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 will come into contact with the obstacle, the vehicle control unit 3 selects a camera that captures the obstacle, and displays an image captured by the camera on the display device 8 b. The subsequent processing is the same as in the case where the gear of the vehicle 1 is placed in the reverse gear.

According to these examples, the camera that captures the image displayed on the display device 8b can be cleaned without requiring an operation by the user, and thus usability can be improved. Further, by starting the cleaning of the camera at substantially the same timing as the timing at which the camera is selected by the vehicle control section 3, it is possible to provide the driver with a good image captured by the cleaned camera from the stage at which the image starts to be displayed on the display device 8 b.

Further, in the case where there is a selection of a camera based on the selection operation of the driver (yes in step S404), in step S405, the cleaner control section receives information for determining the selected camera from the vehicle control section 3. Next, in step S406, the cleaner control unit operates the CC103 corresponding to the selected camera to clean the selected camera, and ends. The processing in steps S405 and S406 is the same as the processing in steps S402 and S403, respectively.

The "selection of the camera by the selection operation of the driver" in step S404 means that the driver selects a predetermined camera, for example, in order to display an image on the display device 8 b. As an example of such a selection, there is an image in which the driver selects a specific direction in a state in which the 360-degree image is displayed on the display device 8 b.

Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display screen of the display device 8 b. Specifically, fig. 15 shows an example in which a 360-degree image Po is displayed on the display device 8 b. Here, the "360-degree image" refers to an image including 360 degrees of the surroundings of the vehicle 1. The 360-degree image Po includes a front image Pf, a rear image Pb, a right image Pr, and a left image Pl of the vehicle 1 centered on the vehicle 1.

The front image Pr is an image captured by the front camera 6Cf. The rear image Pb is an image captured by the rear camera 6 Cb. The right image Pr is an image captured by the right camera 6 Cr. The left image Pl is an image photographed by the left camera 6 Cl. The 360-degree image Po is an image produced by combining these images. That is, the front camera 6Cf, the rear camera 6Cb, the right camera 6Cr, and the left camera 6Cl are configured to be able to produce a 360-degree image Po.

In the state shown in fig. 15, when the driver performs an operation of selecting the front image Pf, for example, only the front image Pf is displayed in an enlarged manner on the display device 8 b. In this case, in response to the selection of the front image Pf, the vehicle control section 3 transmits the information to the cleaner control section. Upon receiving this information in step S405, the cleaner control unit immediately activates the front CC103f in step S406 to clean the front camera 6Cf. The same applies to the case where the driver selects another image.

< various modifications >

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The number, position, shape, and the like of the constituent members described above are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be changed to the number, position, shape, and the like that are preferable in implementing the present disclosure. Further, the elements included in each structural example or operation example in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be combined with each other within a range where no contradiction occurs.

In the present embodiment, the case where the automatic driving mode includes the full automatic driving mode, the high driving assist mode, and the driving assist mode is described, but the automatic driving mode should not be limited to these three modes. The autopilot mode may also include at least one of these three modes. For example, the vehicle 1 may be capable of executing only any one of these three modes.

Further, the manner of distinguishing or displaying the driving modes of the vehicle may be changed as appropriate according to the laws or regulations relating to the automatic driving in each country. In the same manner, the definitions of the "full automatic driving mode", the "high driving support mode", and the "driving support mode" described in the description of the present embodiment are merely examples, and these definitions may be appropriately changed according to the laws and regulations relating to automatic driving in each country.

The respective cleaner units may be provided individually or may be formed by unitizing a plurality of cleaner units. For example, the right LC102r and the right HC104r may be constructed as a single unit. The right LC102r and the right HC104r may be configured as a single unit with respect to the manner in which the right headlamp 7r and the right LiDAR6Lr are integrated.

The above embodiment describes an example in which the cleaner system 100 is mounted on the vehicle 1, but the vehicle on which the cleaner system 100 is mounted is not limited to the vehicle 1. The vehicle on which the cleaner system 100 is mounted may be any vehicle including the external sensor 6, for example, various mobile bodies such as an unmanned aerial vehicle, traffic infrastructure such as a street lamp or a traffic light, and other installation bodies.

In the above embodiment, the vehicle 1 includes 4 cameras, that is, the front camera 6Cf, the rear camera 6Cb, the right camera 6Cr, and the left camera 6Cl, but the number of cameras may be more than 4 or less than 4. In steps S403 and S406 in fig. 14, the degree of dirt in the camera may be detected by a dirt sensor or the like, and whether to use the cleaning liquid or air may be determined based on the degree of dirt.

The present application is based on Japanese patent applications 2021-061108 filed on 3 months of 2021, 2021-061109 filed on 3 months of 2021, 2021-061110 filed on 3 months of 2021, 2021-061111 filed on 3 months of 2021, and 2021-061112 filed on 3 months of 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A cleaner system mounted on a vehicle having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the vehicle, the cleaner system comprising:

2. The cleaner system of claim 1, wherein,

the cleaner control portion is capable of acquiring a congestion condition of a road on which the vehicle is traveling as the traveling condition,

the cleaner control unit controls the cleaning intensity to be lower when the road is determined to be congested based on the congestion status and the operation condition is satisfied than when the road is determined to be not congested.

3. The cleaner system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the cleaner control portion is capable of acquiring a turning condition of a road on which the vehicle is traveling as the traveling condition,

The cleaner control unit controls the cleaning intensity to be higher when the road is determined to be turning based on the turning condition and the operation condition is satisfied than when the road is determined to be not turning.

4. The cleaner system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein,

the cleaner control unit is capable of determining whether or not a place where the vehicle is traveling is a place where it is estimated that the number of insects that can be attached to the external sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, based on information acquired from the external sensor or a GPS sensor mounted on the vehicle,

the operation condition includes that the location where the vehicle is determined to be traveling is a location where the insect is estimated to be a predetermined number or more.

5. The cleaner system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein,

the cleaner control portion is capable of acquiring a condition of a gear of the vehicle as the running condition,

the cleaner control portion controls such that the washing strength is increased when the gear of the vehicle is placed in the reverse gear, as compared with before the gear of the vehicle is placed in the reverse gear.

6. The cleaner system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein,

the cleaner control unit may acquire, as the running condition, at least one of information on whether the vehicle changes lanes and information on whether the vehicle is located at a junction of a road,

the cleaner control unit controls such that the cleaning strength is increased compared to that before the determination when it is determined that the vehicle is changing lanes or the vehicle is at a junction.

7. The cleaner system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein,

as the cleaning device, there is provided: and an air curtain device for continuously blowing air to the external sensor with a prescribed blowing air intensity to inhibit dirt from adhering to the external sensor.

8. The cleaner system of claim 7, wherein,

the vehicle includes a millimeter wave radar for acquiring information of an exterior of the vehicle,

the cleaner control unit controls the cleaning intensity of the external sensor monitoring the first monitoring area to be lower when the first monitoring area monitored by the external sensor and the second monitoring area monitored by the millimeter wave radar overlap than when the first monitoring area and the second monitoring area do not overlap.

9. A program executed by a computer mounted on a vehicle having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the vehicle,

the vehicle has:

the program causes a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

a step of acquiring a running condition of the vehicle; and

and controlling the cleaning intensity based on the running condition.

10. A cleaner control method is executed by a computer mounted on a vehicle having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the vehicle,

the vehicle has:

A step of acquiring a running condition of the vehicle; and

and controlling the cleaning intensity based on the running condition.

11. A vehicle is provided with:

an external sensor that acquires information on the outside of the vehicle;

12. A cleaner system mounted on a vehicle having a vehicle control section capable of selectively performing, as a driving mode:

the cleaner system is provided with:

13. The cleaner system of claim 12, wherein,

the cleaner control portion controls, when the automatic driving mode is executed, such that the air supply intensity to the external sensor that acquires information in front of the vehicle is increased as compared with when the manual driving mode is executed.

14. The cleaner system as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein,

when the automatic driving mode is executed, and in a case where the vehicle is in a following state in which it is following a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle,

the cleaner control unit controls the blower strength of the external sensor that acquires information on the rear of the vehicle to be lower than that when the manual driving mode is executed.

15. The cleaner system as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein,

when the automatic driving mode is executed, and in the case where a steering control signal generated based on an output of the external sensor includes a control signal for causing the vehicle to change lanes,

the cleaner control unit controls the blower strength to the external sensor that acquires information on the rear side of the vehicle to be higher than when the vehicle is in a following state following a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle.

16. The cleaner system as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein,

in the execution of the automatic driving mode,

the cleaner control unit further controls the air blowing intensity based on at least one of a traveling speed of the vehicle and an inter-vehicle distance from a surrounding vehicle traveling around the vehicle.

17. The cleaner system as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein,

as the operation condition, there is included a case where the ignition is turned on,

the cleaner control unit controls the air curtain device to blow air to the sensor at a blowing intensity for cleaning set for cleaning dirt of the external sensor until a predetermined time elapses after the ignition device is turned on.

18. The cleaner system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and claims 12 to 17, wherein,

the cleaner control portion is capable of acquiring weather information of the surroundings of the vehicle,

as the action condition, it is included that the weather information is rain.

19. A program executed by a computer mounted on a vehicle having a vehicle control unit,

the program causes a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

and controlling the air supply intensity based on the driving mode.

20. A cleaner control method is executed by a computer mounted on a vehicle having a vehicle control section,

the vehicle has:

and controlling the air supply intensity based on the driving mode.

21. A vehicle is provided with:

22. A cleaner system mounted on a carrier having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier, comprising:

23. A cleaner system mounted on a carrier having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier, comprising:

24. The cleaner system as claimed in claim 22 or 23, wherein,

the carrier is a vehicle and the carrier is a vehicle,

the vehicle is capable of executing an automatic driving mode that generates an accelerator control signal, a brake control signal and a steering control signal from the output of the external sensor,

as the air blowing condition, the automatic driving mode is executed.

25. The cleaner system as recited in any one of claims 22 to 24, wherein,

As the air supply condition, it is included that the weather information is rain.

26. A program executed by a computer mounted on a carrier having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier,

the carrier has:

the program causes a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

27. A program executed by a computer mounted on a carrier having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier,

The carrier has:

the program causes a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

28. A cleaner control method is executed by a computer mounted on a carrier having:

an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier;

29. A cleaner control method is executed by a computer mounted on a carrier having:

an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier;

30. A carrier is provided with:

an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier;

31. A carrier is provided with:

an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier;

32. A cleaner system mounted on a carrier having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier, comprising:

33. The cleaner system of claim 32, wherein,

the environmental information includes weather information of the surroundings of the carrier,

the cleaner control unit controls the cleaning intensity to be higher than before the determination when it is determined that the vehicle enters the region indicated as being rainy in the weather information.

34. The cleaner system as claimed in claim 32 or 33, wherein,

the environment information includes information capable of determining whether or not the surroundings of the carrier are within a predetermined time from the time of a rain stop,

as a first action condition, the action condition includes: the cleaner control unit determines that the periphery of the carrier is within a predetermined time from when the carrier is stopped in the rain.

35. The cleaner system as recited in any one of claims 32 to 34, wherein,

the environment information includes information capable of determining whether or not the current time is at night,

the cleaner control unit controls the cleaning intensity to be higher when the current time is determined to be at night than when the current time is determined not to be at night.

36. The cleaner system according to any one of claims 32 to 35 wherein,

The environmental information includes information capable of determining whether or not frost or dew condensation exists around the carrier,

as the second action condition, the action condition includes: the cleaner control unit determines that frost or dew condensation is present around the carrier.

37. The cleaner system according to any one of claims 32 to 36 wherein,

the environmental information includes information on the ambient temperature and humidity of the carrier,

as a third action condition, the action condition includes: the ambient air temperature of the carrier is less than a prescribed first threshold value, and the ambient humidity of the carrier exceeds a prescribed second threshold value.

38. The cleaner system as recited in any one of claims 32 to 37, wherein,

the environment information includes information capable of judging whether water drops are attached to the external sensor,

the cleaner control unit controls such that, when it is determined that water droplets are attached to the external sensor, the cleaning strength is increased as compared with that before the determination.

39. The cleaner system according to any one of claims 32 to 38 wherein,

the operation condition includes at least one of a fourth operation condition and a fifth operation condition,

The fourth operation condition is that an attached matter is attached to a predetermined range or more of the external sensor,

the fifth operation condition is that the wiper of the carrier is being driven based on a detection result of the rainfall sensor of the mobile body,

when the fourth operation condition or the fifth operation condition is satisfied, the cleaner control unit operates the cleaning device until a predetermined stop condition is satisfied.

40. The cleaner system according to any one of claims 32 to 39 wherein,

the environmental information includes information capable of determining the road surface condition of the road on which the carrier is located,

the cleaner control unit controls the cleaning strength to be higher when the road is determined to be wet than when the road is determined to be not wet.

41. The cleaner system according to any one of claims 32 to 40, wherein,

the carrying body is a vehicle,

the environment information includes information on the air temperature around the vehicle,

as a sixth action condition, the action condition includes: the ambient air temperature of the vehicle is less than a prescribed third threshold,

When the sixth operation condition is satisfied, the cleaner control unit controls the cleaning device to discharge warm air heated by heat radiation from an engine, a lamp, or a fuel cell mounted on the vehicle as the cleaning medium to the external sensor.

42. The cleaner system according to any one of claims 32 to 41 wherein,

the carrying body is a vehicle,

the vehicle has a plurality of the external sensors,

when water drops or soil adhere to the plurality of external sensors, the cleaner control unit determines that the road on which the vehicle is traveling is wet, and causes the cleaning device to operate on the plurality of external sensors until a predetermined time elapses.

43. The cleaner system according to any one of claims 32 to 42 wherein,

the cleaning device includes an air curtain device that continuously blows air to the external sensor at a predetermined blowing intensity to prevent dirt from adhering to the external sensor.

44. The cleaner system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, 12 to 18, 22 to 25, and 32 to 43, wherein,

The external sensor is at least one or more of a camera and light detection and ranging (Light Detection and Ranging, liDAR).

45. A program executed by a computer mounted on a carrier having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier,

the program causes a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

acquiring environmental information around the carrier; and

controlling the cleaning intensity based on the environmental information.

46. A cleaner control method is executed by a computer mounted on a carrier having an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier,

acquiring environmental information around the carrier; and

controlling the cleaning intensity based on the environmental information.

47. A carrier is provided with:

an external sensor for acquiring information on the outside of the carrier;

48. A cleaner system is mounted on a vehicle having a plurality of cameras for photographing the outside of the vehicle and a display device capable of displaying images photographed by the plurality of cameras,

the cleaner system is provided with:

A cleaner control part for controlling the action of the cleaning device,

49. The cleaner system according to claim 48 wherein,

the cleaner control section controls the cleaning device to start cleaning of the selected camera at a timing at which the selection is made.

50. The cleaner system according to claim 48 or 49, wherein,

as the condition of the vehicle, including whether the gear of the vehicle is placed in reverse,

when the gear of the vehicle is placed in the reverse gear, a camera that captures the rear of the vehicle is selected, and an image captured by the camera is displayed on the display device.

51. The cleaner system according to any one of claims 48 to 50 wherein,

as the condition of the vehicle, it is included whether there is an obstacle in the vicinity of the vehicle,

when an obstacle exists in the vicinity of the vehicle, a camera that captures the obstacle is selected, and an image captured by the camera is displayed on the display device.

52. The cleaner system according to any one of claims 48 to 51 wherein,

the plurality of cameras are configured to be capable of producing 360 degree images.

53. A program executed by a computer mounted on a vehicle having a plurality of cameras for photographing an outside of the vehicle and a display device capable of displaying images photographed by the plurality of cameras,

the program causes a cleaner control section of the computer to execute:

controlling the cleaning device to clean the selected camera.

54. A cleaner control method is executed by a computer mounted on a vehicle having a plurality of cameras for photographing an outside of the vehicle and a display device capable of displaying images photographed by the plurality of cameras,

controlling the cleaning device to clean the selected camera.

55. A vehicle is provided with:

a plurality of cameras that capture the outside of the vehicle;

a cleaner control part for controlling the action of the cleaning device,