DE19850639A1 - Vehicle radar system - Google Patents

Abstract

Fixed to a vehicle bumper (2), a radar aerial (3) uses dwarf radio waves. Controlled by a radar signal processing unit (4), an alarm device (5) sets off an alarm whenever there is a dangerous distance between the vehicle and another vehicle traveling ahead. Designed with feeder perforations, a film (6) forms a continuous belt fitted in front of the radar aerial to prevent snow, ice and dust from sticking to the aerial.

Description

The invention relates to a vehicle radar system that as Collision alarm system is used that a driver the presence of an obstacle by measuring the Distance or the relative speed between the Vehicle and an obstacle (such as a ahead vehicle) using a millimeter radio wave radars reports, and in particular such Vehicle radar system, which also ent a facility which keeps a deterioration in radio wave transmissions performance due to the adherence of dust, snow or the like prevented on a radar antenna.

An alarm system for the distance between vehicles, the an alarm at a dangerous distance between Vehicles by measuring the distance between their own vehicle and an obstacle (your own vehicle and the obstacle are simply referred to as vehicles below referred to) has recently been an option to prevent vehicle accidents attention  acquired. For a device for measuring the distance between vehicles either by a millimeter radio wave radar or by means of a laser radar, which in the alarm system mentioned above is a high research and development effort been.

Because these radar systems have very different climates table conditions are used outdoors adherence of foreign substances such as dust, Snow, ice and the like on a radio wave or Laser transmission part of the radar system inevitable. If therefore those adhering foreign substances are not removed The following problems can arise: the About bearing function is deteriorated; therefore the Detection accuracy when measuring the distance between Vehicles worsened; and therefore one can foresee rendes vehicle at least not be accurately recorded.

Thus, for example, JP Hei 8-29535-A is a laser radar system known in which the front surface a laser transmission and reception section of one Laser radar covering a heating device device and an ultrasonic transducer, which a bending vibration generated, attached.

Furthermore, JP Hei 6-130149-A is an ultrasound radarsy stem known in which the one converter in one Ultrasound transmission and reception device ver applied ultrasound detector generated ultrasound vibration is also used on the Ultra sound transmission and ultrasound receiving device remove any deposits. It is also over JP Hei 2-7155-A (Gbm) mentioned in JP Hei 8-29535-A and is explained, a radar system is known in which with high pressure applied air to the front surface  a transmission device is steered to one Form an air curtain using a nozzle which has an electromagnetic valve with a pressure expansion tank is connected.

The following are the problems of the above techniques explained.

Although in the system known from JP Hei 8-29535-A is a heater and an ultrasonic transducer which is the front surface of the laser transmit and receive section covering cover pane are provided, can by the heater and the ultrasonic transducer the transmission of the radio wave can be affected if a millimeter radio wave radar is used, which makes the Measurement performance of the millimeter radio wave radar deteriorated becomes.

The system known from JP Hei 6-130149-A ver applies ultrasonic vibrations from that in the Ab level detector contained ultrasonic transducer generated to be adhered to the transmission device To remove deposits. However, this system can principally not in connection with a millimeter radio wave radar can be used.

Finally, it is the one known from JP Hei 2-7155-A System difficult, attached to a transmission device remove snow completely. Furthermore the not removed, remaining snow tends to Freeze, which reduces the measuring performance of the millimeter radio lenradars is deteriorating.

The invention is in view of the above problems of State of the art.

The invention has for its object a Fahrzeugra to create dar system with which always an accurate knife result can be obtained by the attachment of Foreign matter such as snow, dust and the like is reliably prevented on the radar antenna.

This task is solved by a vehicle radar system according to one of claims 1 to 6.

According to the invention, the malfunction of a radar antenna due to snow, dust and the like prevents the surface of a snow shield plate is wiped with a brush or a wiper and / or that washing liquid on the surface of a Snow shield plate is passed and / or that the Temperature of a snow shielding plate by blowing out Air and / or controlled by water circulation becomes.

The features of the invention are described in detail below specified.

A vehicle radar system according to a first aspect includes a forward-facing radar antenna and climate control gung-detection devices that the climatic conditions conditions in the vicinity of a vehicle into which the driver is driving Tool radar system is installed, with a Refe limit value for a safety distance between the driver and an obstacle to the determination of the Degree of danger used at the current vehicle distance is, based on the climatic conditions that the Climate condition detection devices are detected, is changed, a belt drive device, the one Endless belts with feed perforations run so that it is in front of the front surface of the radar antenna moved past, and a brush device that with the  Surface of the endless belt is in contact with the Wipe surface of the endless belt, the order Running speed of the endless belt based on that of the Climate condition detection devices recorded climati conditions is controlled.

A vehicle radar system according to a second aspect holds a forward facing radar antenna as well as one Snow shielding plate covering at least part of the front surface of the radar antenna, one Wipers for wiping the surface of the snow shield plate, a wiper drive device for driving the Wipers connected to the wiper via a connection meter mechanism is connected, and a storage device, which successively stores the results of the measurements, the signals from the radar antenna be carried out when the wiper is not in operation, the distance and relative speed between the vehicles based on the saved measurement results to be appreciated.

A vehicle radar system according to a third aspect maintains a forward facing radar antenna as well Housing for a snow shielding plate that the radaran tenne contains, and an air blowing device, the air blows into the housing of the snow shield plate to the Set temperature in this housing, the The temperature of the blown air through the air outlet device according to the temperature in the housing of the Snow shield plate is controlled.

A vehicle radar system according to a fourth aspect maintains a forward facing radar antenna as well A snow shield plate housing the radar antenna contains, a washing device for spraying washing liquid on the front surface of the housing  Snow shielding plate, and an air blowing device for Blow air out onto the front surface of the casing ses the snow shield plate, the air from the Air blowing device is blown out after by the Washer washing liquid has been injected is.

A vehicle radar system according to a fifth aspect holds a forward facing radar antenna as well as one Section of roof covering the front surface of the radaran threshing floor covering and sloping down to on this Airflow downward produce.

A vehicle radar system according to a sixth aspect contains a forward facing radar antenna as well as a A snow shield plate housing the radar antenna contains, and a water circulation device, the hot water circulates in the housing of the snow shielding plate lieren, the flow rate of the circulating hot water depending on the temperature in the Snow shield plate housing is adjusted.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become clear Lich more useful when reading the following description Designs referring to the attached drawing takes; show it:

Fig. 1A-1C the structure of a film having feed perforations used vehicle radar system according to an embodiment of the dung OF INVENTION;

Fig. 2 is an illustration for explaining the operation of the brushes for wiping snow from the film provided with feed perforations;

Fig. 3 shows a schematic structure of a film having feed perforations use the vehicle radar system according to a wei direct embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the signal processing which is carried out by a radar signal processing unit in the film using feed perforations using the vehicle radar system;

Figure 5 anzutrei a flowchart for explaining the control processing for an engine, which the vehicle radar system used for the film with feed perforations ben.

Fig. 6A, 6B, the structure of a wiper using the vehicle radar system according to a wei direct embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 7A, 7B show a mechanism for fastening the wiper and the structure of the vehicle rack system of the embodiment shown in FIGS . 6A and 6B;

Figs. 8A, 8B, the structure of a wiper using the vehicle radar system according to a wei direct embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9A, 9B antenna two exploded views of exemplary housing of a Schneeabschirmplatte and a Radaran contained in the casing, which are included in the vehicular radar systems according to the above embodiments;

FIG. 10A, 10B are flowcharts for explaining the extended from the radar signal processing unit or the signal processing carried STEU erverarbeitung for a wiper driving motor in the embodiment shown in Figures 8A and 8B.

FIG. 11A, 11B, the structure of a wiper using the vehicle radar system according to a wei direct embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12A, 12B are flowcharts for explaining the extended from the radar signal processing unit or the signal processing carried STEU erverarbeitung for a wiper to be driven motor shown in Figs 11A and 11B embodiment shown.

Fig. 13 shows the schematic structure of a vehicle radar system according to another embodiment of the invention, in which the inside of the housing of the snow shield plate is heated with hot air;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the control processing for a control unit for an air conditioner used in the vehicle radar system shown in FIG. 13;

Fig. 15 shows the schematic structure of a vehicle radar system according to another exporting tion of the invention, the direction of a Waschein and uses an air blow-out;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining the signal and control processing performed by the radar signal processing unit in the vehicle radar system shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17A, 17B, the structure of a vehicle radar system according to another embodiment of the invention it, in which a housing of a Schneeabschirmplatte having a roof portion;

FIG. 18A, 18B, examples of the application of the Fahrzeugra darsystems when a housing of a Schneeabschirmplatte has a roof portion;

Fig. 19, circulates the structure of a vehicle radar system according to another embodiment of the invention it in the hot water;

FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining the hot-water circulation path in the system shown in Fig vehicle radar. 19;

21 is a flowchart for explaining the signal and control processing performed by the radar signal processing unit is performed in the stem in Fig Fahrzeugradarsy shown 20th.

Fig. 22 is a characteristic curve of a Strömungssteuerven TILs in the radar signal processing unit proces is used in the in Fig. Vehicular radar system shown 20th

In Figs. 1A to 1C, the arrangement and structure of a vehicle radar system are shown according to an embodiment of the invention. The vehicle radar system includes a radar antenna 3 that uses millimeter radio waves and is fixed to a bumper of a vehicle 1 , a device 5 for generating an alarm at a dangerous distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle, which is controlled by a radar signal processing unit 4 is, and a film 6 with feed perforations, which forms an endless belt, which is arranged in front of the radar antenna 3 and prevents the adhesion of snow, ice, dust and the like on the radar antenna.

This radar antenna 3 is a millimeter radio wave antenna with unidirectional directivity, which is oriented in the forward direction of the vehicle 1 , transmits millimeter radio waves from the vehicle 1 to the front and receives the reflections of the emitted wave.

The radar signal processing unit 4 includes a millimeter radio wave generating device and a millimeter radio wave receiving device and transmits 3 millimeter radio waves from the vehicle 1 to the front via the radar antenna and receives the reflections of the emitted wave via the radar antenna 3 . In addition, the processing unit 4 calculates the distance between the vehicles and their relative speed by processing signals of the received radio waves and possibly generates an alarm. In the processing that generates an alarm, the distance between the vehicle 1 and a vehicle in front (ie, the distance between the vehicles) and their relative speed are measured. The measured distance between the vehicles is then compared with the predetermined reference value for a safety distance between the vehicles. If the measured distance between the vehicles is less than the predetermined reference value, the device 5 generates an alarm which points to a dangerous distance between the vehicles in order to warn a driver of a collision with the vehicle driving out.

The film 6 with feed perforations forms a film in the form of an endless belt and is made of a material such as polycarbonate, polyester or the like, which absorbs radio waves only to a very small extent and hardly adhere to the snow or ice. As shown in Fig. 1C, similar to a photographic film with 35 mm on both sides of the film 6 feed perforations 6 a are formed.

In Fig. 1B, reference numeral 7 denotes a Zahntrom mel for driving the film 6 , while reference numerals 8 and 9 denote guide rollers for guiding the film 6 . The film 6 with feed perforations is arranged to cover the front surface of the radar antenna 3 using the sprocket 7 and the guide rollers 8 and 9 as shown in Fig. 1B to pass the film in the direction indicated by the arrow B. Rotate the toothed drum 7 to move.

Here, a high positioning accuracy of the radar antenna 3 is required, since this Positionierungsge accuracy greatly influences the measuring accuracy of the radar antenna. Therefore, the film 6 is arranged with feed perforations by the guide rollers 8 and 9 at a distance from the front surface of the radar antenna 3 so that it does not touch the front surface and therefore cannot affect the positioning accuracy.

The reference numerals 10 and 11 denote wiping brushes which are arranged so that they roll 8 and 9 touch the outer surface of the film 6 in the vicinity of the peripheral surfaces of the guide. Thus, the film 6 is fed with advance perforations between the guide rollers 8 and 9 and the brushes 10 and 11 , the brushes 10 and 11 being in contact with the outer surface of the film 6 and wiping over the film when the film 6 is moved .

The reference numerals 12 and 13 denote a motor or a power supply circuit for the motor 12. The motor 12 is controlled by the power supply circuit 13 and driven at two different speeds: with a comparatively low speed of 30 min ^-1 and a very high speed of 60 min ^-1 , between which is switched by the circuit 13 .

With the power supply circuit 13 , which is connected to the motor 12 , are also a switch 14 , which is provided in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 1 and can be operated by a driver, an ambient air temperature sensor 15 , a wiper operation sensor 16 , the operation of a Detected wiper for the windshield, and the radar signal processing unit 4 connected.

Furthermore, the radar signal processing unit 4 is connected to a vehicle receiver 17 , the predetermined information such as climatic information, which are sent from a predetermined fixed transmitting station, and a driving speed sensor 18 , which detects the speed of the vehicle 1 .

The following is how the vehicle radars work stems explained in more detail according to this embodiment.

The motor 12 is either stopped according to the results of the determination of three kinds of conditions, in the low speed mode (30 min ^-1 ) or in the high speed mode (60 min ^-1 ). The first condition relates to the operating state of the switch 14 provided in the interior of the vehicle 1. The sleep mode, the low-speed mode and the high-speed mode are selected by the switch 14 .

This switch 14 is a so-called three-position switch, which has an off button, a low speed button and a high speed button. In addition, the low speed button and the high speed button are locked together so that only one of them can be activated, and when the off button is activated, neither the low speed button nor the high speed button are activated can. Therefore, when the off button of the switch 14 is activated, the motor 12 is stopped or remains stopped.

The second condition is the climatic condition, which is determined by the information sent by the fixed transmitter station and received by the vehicle receiver 17 . When the vehicle receiver 17 receives information indicating that it is snowing or raining, the engine 12 is placed in the standby state. In addition, the motor 12 is operated at the speed corresponding to the intensity of the snow or rain: it is operated at a low or high speed when it is snowing moderately or heavily (or raining).

The third condition is also a climatic condition, which is determined on the basis of the measurement results, which is carried out by the ambient air sensor 15 and the wiper operating sensor 16 . If the measured ambient air temperature is less than 0 ° C and if the windshield wiper is in operation, the motor 12 is driven at a low speed.

When one of the above three conditions is met and the motor 12 is driven, the toothed drum 7 is rotated at low or high speed and the film 6 with feed perforations continuously moves past the radar antenna 3 at the determined speed. Since with this movement of the film 6, the feed perforations 6 a, which are formed on both sides of the film 6 , are engaged with the teeth of the toothed drum 7 , the film 6 can with feed perforations in full agreement with the rotation of the toothed drum 7 before the Ra darantenne 3 are passed.

When the film 6 with feed perforations as shown in Fig. 2 moves through the gap between the guide rollers 8 and 9 on the one hand and the brushes 10 and 11 on the other hand, the deposit, for example snow or water drops, on the outer surface of the film 6 stuck with feed perforations, completely removed by wiping brushes 10 and 11 . Since the front surface of the radar antenna 3 is completely covered by the film 6 with feed perforations, adhesion of foreign material such as snow or dust on the radar antenna 3 can be prevented without errors. Therefore, it is possible to completely prevent deterioration of the measurement performance of the millimeter radio wave radar due to freezing snow that has adhered to the radar antenna 3 and has not been removed.

Furthermore, the performance of the radar antenna 3 is only minimally deteriorated, since the film 6 with feed perforations in front of the radar antenna 3 is very thin. Therefore, the distance between vehicles can always be measured with high accuracy, whereby a high reliability of the measurements carried out by the radar antenna 3 can be easily maintained.

When the film 6 rotates with feed perforations as explained with reference to Fig. 2, foreign matter such as ice, snow, water drops and the like, which come on the front surface of the film 6 from the direction indicated by the arrow A cling when the vehicle is running, removed by the brushes 10 and 11 one by one when the film 6 rotates. In addition, the rotational speed of the film 6 can be switched between two different speeds. That is, if it snows or rains only slightly, the film 6 runs at a comparatively low speed, whereas if it snows or rains heavily, the film 6 runs at a very high speed.

In the vehicle radar system according to the invention, foreign matter such as ice, snow and the like are independent of the intensity of snowfall or rain only for a very short time in front of the radar antenna 3 , since the front surface of the film 6 is always kept clean with feed perforations. Therefore, it is possible to always measure the distance between vehicles with high accuracy, so that a high reliability of the measurement performed by the radar antenna 3 can be easily maintained. If the vehicle radar system according to this embodiment of the invention is used, the transmission power of the radar antenna 3 is hardly affected by ice, snow and the like even when the vehicle is traveling in bad weather such as snow, so that the radar antenna 3 is always normal is working. Thus, it is possible to reliably measure the distance and the Relativge speed between the vehicles with a prescribed accuracy.

However, the film 6 with feed perforations with respect to the Ra antenna 3 can fundamentally influence the millimeter radio waves emitted. However, if the film 6 is made of polycarbonate or polyester as mentioned above, it can have a very small thickness because the strength of the film is high in this case. Furthermore, since polycarbonate or polyester absorbs a millimeter radio wave only very slightly, the film 6 has practically no influence on the radar antenna 3 which emits the millimeter radio wave.

The radar signal processing unit 4 calculates the distance between the vehicles by processing the signals of the radio wave received by the radar antenna 3 and triggers an alarm if necessary. To generate an alarm, the distance between the vehicles is first measured. The measured distance between the vehicles is then compared with a predetermined reference value for a safety distance between the vehicles. If the measured distance between the vehicles is less than the predetermined reference value, the device 5 generates an alarm for a dangerous distance between the vehicles. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the predetermined reference value for a safety distance between the vehicles is changed in accordance with the climatic conditions which are determined on the basis of the information received from the vehicle receiver 17 and further information.

If, for example, it is determined from the strength of the snowfall, the rain or the fog that the road is slippery and / or the visibility is poor, the predetermined reference value for the safety distance between the vehicles is increased. Therefore, an alarm is triggered at a dangerous distance between the driving witnesses early, so that the vehicle 1 can always stop safely.

Fig. 3 shows the schematic structure of the vehicle radar system according to a further embodiment of the invention, in which the arrangement of the film 6 with feed perforations and the drive mechanism for driving the film 6 are modified, the film 6 rotating outside and in front of the radar antenna 3 .

In this embodiment, it is possible to make the film 6 and the drive mechanism for driving the film 6 compact from the radar antenna 3 . Accordingly, since a snow shielding device for the radar antenna can be formed as a single unit, it can be easily applied to any vehicle in which the radar antenna is designed as an externally attachable device.

Since there are two layers of film 6 in front of the radar antenna 3 , it is clear that the effects on the transmitted millimeter radio wave are increasing. However, it is possible to make the effects on the millimeter radio wave negligible by making the film 6 of polycarbonate or polyester.

In the following the operation of this embodiment is explained with reference to the flow plans shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 shows the processing that is carried out by the radar signal processing unit 4 . The processing routine represented by the flowchart in Fig. 4 is executed every 100 ms. At the beginning of the routine, it is determined in step S91 whether the vehicle receiver 17 has received the climatic information indicating whether it is snowing or raining from the most stationary transmitter station.

If the result of the determination in step S91 is "no", that is, it is neither snowing nor raining, it is determined in step S92 whether climatic information indicating whether it is snowing or raining is sent from the power supply circuit 13 for the device drive have been.

If the result of the determination in step S92 is "no", that is, it is neither snowing nor raining, it is determined that it is actually neither snowing nor raining, so that the processing proceeds to step S94. In step S94, the reference value for a safety distance between the vehicles is set to the normal value S ₀ , whereupon the processing proceeds to step S98.

On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S91 is "yes", that is, climatic information is received from the fixed broadcast station indicating that it is snowing or raining, the processing proceeds to step S93. In step S93, the information indicating that it is snowing or raining is sent to the power supply circuit 13 that drives the motor 12 . In addition, the amount of snow or rain is determined in step S95.

If the result of the determination in step S95 is "yes", ie if it is determined that it is snowing heavily or raining, it is assumed that the road conditions and visibility are poor, which is why the reference value for the safety distance between the vehicles on the second correction value S _{2 is} set. Thereafter, processing proceeds to step S98.

If, on the other hand, the result of the determination in step S95 is no, ie if it is determined that it is snowing or raining only slightly, it is assumed that neither the condition of the road surface nor the visibility are very bad, which is why the reference value for the safety distance between the Vehicles is set to the first correction value S ₁ . Thereafter, processing proceeds to step S98.

Finally, the current distance becomes in step S98 between vehicles by processing the signals received by the radar antenna, whereupon the processing is finished.

The above-mentioned reference values are explained below. The usual value is the value S ₀ : the distance between the vehicles is dimensioned so that a normal driver can stop the vehicle within this distance when the road surface is normal and the visibility is not bad. In the first correction value S ₁ , the distance between the vehicles is such that if the road surface is not in very bad condition and the visibility is not very bad, a normal driver can stop the vehicle within this distance, even if it is snowing or raining slightly.

At the second correction value S ₂ , the distance between the vehicles is such that even if the condition of the road surface and / or the visibility conditions are poor, for example because it is snowing or raining heavily, a normal driver stops the vehicle within this distance can.

Therefore, these values have the following relationship:
S ₀ <S ₁ <S ₂ .

Thus, in this version, the state of the driving web surface and visibility based on the climatic information regarding snowfall, rain, Mist and the like are valued. If found becomes that the road surface is slippery or that the visibility is poor, becomes the reference worth the safety distance between the vehicles set great value. Therefore, an alarm for a dangerous distance between vehicles early triggered early, so that the vehicle is always safely can be held, making a rear-end collision safe can be prevented.

Fig. 5 shows a flowchart of the processing routine for controlling the motor 12 , which is executed by the power supply circuit 13 . This processing routine is also carried out periodically every 100 ms. At the beginning of this routine, it is first determined whether the switch 14 is closed or not. If the result of the determination is "yes", the following processing is carried out.

Processing proceeds to step S108, in which it is determined whether the operating position of the switch is a high speed mode. If the result of the determination is "no", it means that the operating position of the switch 14 is a low speed mode, and therefore the processing proceeds to step S110 and then to step S107. In step S110, the information indicating that it is snowing or raining slightly is sent to the radar signal processing unit 104 . Then, in step S107, the motor 12 is controlled to rotate at the low speed of 30 min ^-1 , whereupon the processing is ended.

On the other hand, if the result of the determination is "yes", it is determined that the operating position of the switch 14 corresponds to the high speed mode, and the processing proceeds to step S109 and then to step S106. In step S109, the information indicating that it is snowing heavily or raining is sent to the radar signal processing unit 104 . Further, in step S106, the motor 12 is controlled to rotate at the high speed of 60 min ^-1 , whereupon the processing is finished.

If the result of the determination in step S100 is "no", that is, if it is determined that the switch 14 is open, the following processing is carried out. First, in step S101, it is determined on the basis of the signals sent by the ambient air temperature sensor 15 whether the ambient air temperature is lower than 0 ° C. If the result of the determination is "no", the processing proceeds to step S103, otherwise it proceeds to step S102. In step S102, it is determined on the basis of a signal sent by the wiper operating sensor 16 whether the windshield wiper for the windshield is in operation. If the results of the determination are "no", the processing also proceeds to step S103. In step S103, it is determined whether the information indicating that it is snowing or raining has been sent from the radar signal processing unit 4 . If the result of the determination is "no", the processing proceeds to step S105, in which the motor 12 is stopped.

On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S102 is "yes", the processing proceeds to step S111, and the information indicating that it is snowing or raining is sent to the radar signal processing unit 4 . Thereafter, in step S107, the motor 12 is controlled to rotate at the low speed of 30 min ^-1 , whereupon the processing is ended.

In addition, if the result of the determination in step S103 is "yes", the processing proceeds to step S104, in which it is determined whether it is snowing heavily or raining. If the result of determination in step S104 is "no", the processing proceeds to step S107 just optionally further substituted, in which the motor is controlled in such a way 12 that it rotates at the low speed of 30 min ^-1 whereupon the Processing is complete. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S104 is "yes", the processing proceeds to step S106, in which the motor 12 is controlled so as to rotate at the high speed of 60 min ^-1 , whereupon the Processing is complete.

According to this embodiment, the rotational speed of the film 6 is switched with feed perforations between the two speeds which correspond to the respective strength of the snowfall or the rain. That is, the film 6 rotates at a low speed when it is snowing or raining slightly, and rotates at a high speed when it is snowing or raining heavily. As a result, since the front surface of the film 6 is always kept clean, it is possible to measure the distance between the vehicles with high accuracy, so that high reliability can be easily maintained for the measurements carried out by the vehicle radar system.

A vehicle rack system according to a further embodiment of the invention will now be explained with reference to FIGS . 6A and 6B. In this embodiment, the millimeter radio wave radar antenna 3 and the snow shield plate 20 are attached to the bumper 2 of the vehicle 1 , and a wiper 21 is arranged on the front surface of the snow shield plate 20 , which is driven by a wiper drive device 22 . Here, FIG 6A shows. An example in which the wiper driving device 22 is arranged on the outer surface of a bumper 2, whereas Fig. 6B shows an example in which the wiper drive apparatus 22 in the bumper 2 is arranged.

In FIGS. 7A and 7B is the case shown game shown in FIG. 6A in detail, the device 22 Wischerantriebsvor BEFE on the upper surface of the bumper 2 is Stigt. Furthermore, FIGS. 7A and 7B show a front view and a top view of the arrangement of the components in this example. The snow shielding plate 20 is a thin plate made of plastic such as polycarbonate, polyester or the like or else made of glass, which covers the front surface of the radar antenna 3 . Furthermore, the plate 20 is fastened with fastening screws 200 directly to the bumper 2 , so that a narrow gap is present between the plate 20 and the front surface of the radar antenna 3 . Since with this attachment of the snow shielding plate 20, the fastening accuracy of the radar antenna 3 influences the measurement performed by the Ra darantenne 3 as mentioned above, the snow shielding plate 20 is arranged such that the pressing force of the wiper 21 is not exerted on the radar antenna 3 .

Furthermore, the wiper 21 is pressed against the front surface of the snow shield plate 20 by the adjusting nut 212 and an elastic member not shown in this figure, so that it wipes the surface of the snow shield plate 20 due to its reciprocating motion.

The wiper drive device 22 is contained in a housing 220 of a predetermined size together with the power supply circuit 13 as shown in Fig. 7B, the housing 220 is fixed to the upper surface of the bumper 2 with fastening screws 221 .

The housing 220 further includes the motor 12 , a worm drive 222 for reducing the speed of the motor 12 , a link mechanism 223 and a rail 224 for guiding the adjusting nut 212 , the wiper 21 being driven by these components.

Since, according to this embodiment, which is shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the wiper 21 and its drive device 22 are provided separately from the radar antenna 3 and their snow shield plate 20 and are attached to the bumper 2 of the vehicle 1 , the wiper 21 and its drive device 22 is removed in the seasons other than in winter, when these devices are not required.

The motor 12 is driven and controlled by the power supply circuit 13 , the frequency of its reciprocation depending on the choice of the low-frequency mode or the high-frequency mode of the switch 4 being controlled such that it is 30 times or 60 times, for example moved back and forth per minute.

When the wiper 21 is driven, as shown in FIG. 7A, the rotary motion of the motor 12 is converted into a linear reciprocating motion by using the worm gear 222 , the link mechanism 223 and the rail 224 in this embodiment, the mounting position of the Wiper 21 is changed by changing the distance between the wiper 21 and the housing 220 for the wiper drive device 22 by means of the adjusting nut 212 .

During the movement of the wiper 21 , the rotation angle of the worm drive 222 is detected by a rotation angle sensor 225 , wherein the detected rotation angle signal is sent to the radar signal processing unit 4 and processed by the water. Thus, the operating state and the position of the wiper 21 are determined on the basis of the processed rotation angle signal, this determination processing being explained later.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, it is possible to attach the wiper 21 and its drive device 22 to any bumper for a vehicle. Furthermore, the mounting method can be customer-oriented and optimized depending on the type of bumper. Thus, although the wiper drive apparatus 22 is arranged on the upper surface of the bumper 2 of the vehicle 1, the driving apparatus can also be mounted on the front surface or on the lower surface of the bumper 2 22nd

By attaching the wiper drive device 22 to the upper surface, to the front surface or to the lower surface of the bumper 2 , this embodiment of the invention can be applied to any vehicle: the optimal attachment position of the wiper drive device 22 can always be realized.

In FIGS. 8A and 8B, a wiper 21 is shown according to another embodiment of the invention, in which the wiper 21 is driven in a reciprocating pendulum motion. FIG. 8A is a front view of the wiper 21 and the wiper drive device 22 , while FIG. 8B is a side view in the direction of the line AA in FIG. 8A. In this embodiment, the radar antenna 3 is contained th for the Schneeabschirmplatte 20 in the housing 70th Furthermore, the front part of the housing serves as a 70 Schneeabschirmplatte 20th

The wiper 21 is connected to an arm 71 for driving the wiper 21 . This arm 71 is connected to the motor 12 via a link shaft 72 with adjusting nut and a connecting mechanism 73 , the wiper 21 being driven to the reciprocating pendulum movement from one limit position to the other limit position in the range of movement of the wiper 21 , as by the Arrows is displayed.

A wiper blade 21 A of the wiper 21 is held on the arm 71 by a shaft 74 so that it is pressed against the front surface of the housing 70 of the snow shield plate 20 with a predetermined contact pressure. In addition, the sliding portion of the wiper blade 21 A is made of rubber and shaped so that it has a flat or spherical surface, the shape of which is adapted to the shape of the surface of the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate 20 .

In addition, the distance L between the link shaft 72 and the connecting mechanism 73 is adjusted by the adjusting nut attached to the link shaft 72 in such a manner that the range of motion includes more than 90% of the front surface of the radar antenna 3 .

Not only the wiper 21 , but also the housing 70 for the snow shield plate, the arm 71 , the articulation shaft 72 and its adjusting nut 212 as well as the connecting mechanism 73 are made of plastic in order to influence the influence of these components on the transmission of the radar antenna 3 To significantly reduce millimeter radio waves. However, it is possible to use glass for the front surface of the housing 70 of the snow shielding plate opposite the radar antenna 3 .

FIGS. 9A and 9B are views for explaining the structure of the housing 70 for the Schneeabschirmplatte that contains the radar antenna 3. FIG. 9A shows an open housing which is formed from a single plate which is arranged in front of the radar antenna 3 . On the other hand shows

Fig. 9B, a semi-closed housing that includes the radar antenna 3 by means of a counter plate.

In FIGS. 9A and 9B, reference numeral 80 designates a radar antenna mounting bracket, the Ra antenna 3 being attached to the radar antenna mounting bracket 80 with radar antenna mounting screws 81 . The housing 70 for the snow shield plate is attached to the radar antenna mounting bracket 80 , to which the radar antenna 3 is connected, by means of snow shield plate fastening screws 82 . In the example shown in FIG. 9B, the counter plate 83 is also used.

Finally, the radar antenna mounting bracket 80 is attached to the bumper 2 by means of screws 84 and 85 . In this embodiment, it is therefore possible, the housing 70 of the attachment accuracy of the radar antenna 3 solution to secure easy for the Schneeabschirmplatte and without Beeinflus and also the housing 70 for easy Schneeab faceplate remove from the radar antenna mounting bracket 80th

In addition, on the surface of the housing 70 for the snow shield plate, a thin film of a material such as Teflon is attached, to which ice, snow, water drops and the like are difficult to adhere. This prevents ice, snow and the like from adhering to the surface of the housing 70 by this film, and the influence of ice, snow and the like on the transmission performance of the radar antenna 3 can be reduced.

The processing for controlling the motor 12 in the embodiments using the wiper shown in FIGS . 9A and 9B will now be explained with reference to the flowcharts in FIGS. 10A and 10B.

FIG. 10A is for explaining processing to the processing a flowchart which is executed periodically every 100 ms from the Radarsi gnal processing unit 4. At the start of processing, the position of the wiper 21 , which is detected by the rotation angle sensor 225 , is supplied to the power supply circuit 13 in step S1.

In step S2, it is determined whether the wiper 21 is in operation. If the result of the determination is "no", ie if the wiper 21 is at rest, the processing proceeds to step S3, in which the current distance between the vehicles is obtained using the currently measured signals of the radar antenna 3 .

If the result of the determination is "yes", that is, if the wiper 21 is in operation, the processing proceeds to step S4, in which the current distance and the relative speed between the vehicles using the distance values and the relative speed values between the vehicles as well as from the acceleration recorded before the last movement of the wiper 21 .

Therefore, in this embodiment, if the wiper 21 is in operation and its operation could affect the transmission performance of the radar antenna 3 , the distance and relative speed between the vehicles are estimated using the data recorded just before the wiper 21 was last moved . This prevents radar signals from being used which have not been measured correctly, so that a highly reliable alarm can be triggered using the precisely measured signals.

FIG. 10B shows a flow chart of the processing routine for controlling the power supply circuit 13 through which the motor is controlled on the basis of the switching state of the switch 14 and the position of the wiper 21. The wiper 21 is driven by the motor 12. First, it is determined in step S10 whether the switch 14 is closed. As mentioned above, the switch 14 is closed when either the low speed key or the high speed key is pressed. If the switch 14 is closed, the processing proceeds to step S14, in which the content t of a timer is checked with respect to the fact whether the content t is less than 10 s. If the result of the determination is "no", the processing proceeds to step S18, whereupon the motor 12 is stopped.

If, on the other hand, the result of the determination in step S14 is "yes", ie if the content t of the timer is not less than 10 s, the processing proceeds to step S15, in which the motor 12 is brought into the ready state. Then the engine 12 is started and the wiper 12 begins to move.

The speed of the motor 12 is set to either the low speed or the high speed according to the selection of the low speed button or the high speed button of the switch 14 .

In step S16, the position of the wiper 21 is determined. If the wiper 21 is not at the starting point, the processing proceeds to step S12, and the motor 12 continues to be driven. On the other hand, if the wiper 21 is at the start point, the processing proceeds to step S17. In this step, the content t of the timer is cleared, whereupon the motor 12 is stopped in step S18.

If it is determined that the switch 14 is open, the processing proceeds to step S16. Therefore, the engine 12 is stopped only when the wiper 21 has returned to the starting point.

If is therefore concluded ge 14 in this embodiment of the switch, the wiper 21 is automatically driven and peri dically s with the period of 10, to rule wi to snow from the surface of the Schneeabschirmplatte 20th If, on the other hand, the switch 14 is open, the wiper 21 is always returned to the starting point and stopped. Thus, the influence of ice, snow and the like on the transmission performance of the radar antenna is reliably prevented.

In FIGS. 11A and 11B, the structure of the wiper 21 is shown according to another embodiment of the invention, in which the wiper 21 is driven by a belt mechanism is. Figs. 11A and 11B are a view Vorderan and a plan view of this embodiment. In these figures, reference numerals 100 , 101 and 102 denote an endless belt, a belt drive shaft (a pulley driven by the motor 12 ) and a follower shaft (the other pulley to support the belt 100 ), the other components being the same in this embodiment as in the embodiment shown in Figures 7A and 7B.

The wiper 21 is connected to the belt 100 via a horizontal drive connection 103 and a vertical drive connection 104 , the entire wiper drive mechanism being accommodated in a housing 105 for this wiper drive mechanism. The housing 105 is fastened to a bumper 2 .

Although not shown in the figure, a rotation angle sensor (which corresponds to the sensor 225 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B) is attached to the idler shaft 102 , and the position of the wiper 21 can be detected by this sensor.

By alternately rotating the motor 12 in two directions, which is controlled by the power supply circuit 13 , the belt 100 is alternately driven to the left and to the right, so that the Wi shear 21 performs a straight forward and backward movement and the front surface of the Snow shielding plate 20 wipes.

In this embodiment, too, the speed of the motor 12 is set to either the low speed of 30 min ^-1 or the high speed of 60 min ^-1 , depending on the choice of the low speed button or the high speed button of the switch 14 .

The connection 104 for driving the wiper 21 is inserted into the housing 105 for the wiper drive mechanism from the rear and connected to the belt 100 so that snow or rain cannot penetrate into the housing 105 .

The processing for controlling the motor 12 according to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B is explained below with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B.

Fig. 12A is a flowchart showing the processing periodically executed every 100 ms by the radar signal processing unit 4 , the position of the wiper 21 being detected by the rotation angle sensor 225 at the start of this processing and sent to the power supply circuit in step S20 13 is sent.

In step S21, it is determined whether the wiper 21 is in operation. If the result of the determination is "no", ie if the wiper 21 is not in motion, the processing proceeds to step S22, wherein the current distance between the vehicles is obtained using the signals currently measured by the radar antenna 3 .

If the result of the determination is "yes", that is, if the wiper 21 is in operation, the processing proceeds to step S23, in which the current distance and the relative speed between the vehicles using the values of the distance and the relative speed between the vehicles that were recorded before the wiper 21 was last moved and estimated from the current speed and acceleration.

Therefore, in this embodiment, if the wiper 21 is in operation and the operation could affect the transmission performance of the radar antenna, the distance and relative speed between the vehicles are estimated using the data recorded before the wiper 21 was last moved. This prevents radar signals from being used which have not been measured correctly, so that a highly reliable alarm can be triggered using precisely measured signals.

FIG. 12B shows a flow chart of the processing routine for controlling the power supply circuit 13. In this routine, the motor 12 of the switch 14 and the position of the wiper 21, which is driven by the motor 12 is controlled on the basis of Schaltzu stands. First, it is determined in step S30 whether the switch 14 is closed.

As mentioned above, the switch 14 is closed when either the low speed button or the high speed button is pressed.

If the switch 14 is closed, the processing goes to step S34, in which the content t of a timer is checked to see if its content t is less than 10 s. If the result of the determination is "no", the processing ends without executing a process.

On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S14 is "yes", that is, if the content t of the timer is equal to or larger than 10 s, the processing proceeds to step S35, in which the motor 12 is brought into the ready state. Then the engine 12 is started and the wiper 21 starts with the wiping operation.

The speed of the motor 12 is set to either low speed or high speed according to the selection of the low speed button or the high speed button in switch 14 .

In step S36, the position of the wiper 21 is determined. If the wiper 21 is not at the starting point, the processing proceeds to step S39, and the motor 12 continues to be driven. On the other hand, if the wiper 21 is at the start point, the processing proceeds to step S37, in which the content t of the timer is cleared, and the motor 12 is stopped in step S38.

If it is determined in step S36 that the wiper is at the limit position from the starting point, the processing proceeds to step S33 with the motor 12 rotated in the opposite direction.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S30 that the switch is open, the processing proceeds to step S36. Therefore, the engine 12 is stopped only when the wiper 21 has returned to the starting point.

Therefore, if the switch 14 is closed in this embodiment, the wiper 21 is automatically and periodically moved with the period of 10 s alternately to the right and to the left so that it wipes the snow from the surface of the snow shield plate 20 . On the other hand, if the switch 14 is open, the wiper 21 is always returned to the starting point and stopped. As a result, an influence of ice, snow and the like on the transmission power of the radar antenna 3 can be reliably prevented.

Here, although the housing 105 of the wiper drive mechanism is fixed to the upper surface of the bumper 2 , the housing 105 can also be fixed to the front surface or the lower surface of the bumper 2 .

As mentioned above, due to the possibility that the housing 105 can be fixed not only to the upper surface but also to the front surface or to the lower surface of the bumper 2 , it is applicable to any type of vehicle, so that always the optimal attachment of the housing 105 of the wiper drive mechanism can be realized.

The following is another embodiment of the invention explained.

In Fig. 13 the schematic structure of a Fahrzeugra dar system is shown according to a further embodiment, in which the temperature in the housing 64 for the snow shielding plate is increased by blowing hot air into the housing 70 , thereby preventing ice or Snow adheres to the surface of the snow shield plate opposite to the front surface of the radar antenna 3 , or by placing the ice or snow in a state in which the ice or snow simply slides off the surface of the snow shield plate, that the radar antenna 3 is not working properly due to the accumulation of snow or the like.

As shown in Fig. 13, the vehicle radar system according to this embodiment includes an air conditioner 120 , a control unit 121 for the air conditioner 120 , the radar antenna 3 , the radar signal processing unit 4 , the switch 14 and the housing 70 for the snow shield plate. Components 3 , 4 , 14 and 70 are the same as those of the embodiment which has been explained with reference to FIG. 7.

The outlet 122 for hot or cool air, which is generated by the air conditioning system 120 , is connected via a tube to an air outlet nozzle 123 , and the suction inlet 124 is connected to the interior of the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate via a tube. In addition, a temperature sensor 125 is provided in the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate.

Therefore, this version is suitable for a vehicle with air conditioning, which can also be used for the generation of warm or cold air in the interior of the housing 70 of the vehicle racing system according to this embodiment. When the switch 14 is closed, the ACU is positionally controlled by the control unit 121 120, wherein the air with the predetermined temperature from the air conditioner 120 in the housing 70 for the ge Schneeabschirmplatte is sent.

Consequently, the housing 70 for the snow shield plate is heated, so that the temperature of the front surface of the housing 70 for the snow shield plate is raised to a sufficiently high value above the ambient air temperature. This prevents that 70 ice or snow adhering to the front surface of the housing, further melts the already on the front surface of the housing 70 adhering ice or snow and tend anhaf slides from the front surface downwardly. Therefore, the transmission performance of the radar antenna 3 is hardly affected by snow or ice.

The operation of the control unit 121 for the air conditioner 120 will now be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 14.

When the processing routine for controlling the air conditioner 120 by the control unit 121 starts, it is determined in step S50 whether the switch 14 is closed. If the result of the determination is "no", that is, if the switch 14 is open, the processing proceeds to step S56, in which the blowing out of air from the air conditioner 120 is stopped in the housing 70 for the snow shield plate. On the other hand, if the result of the determination is "", that is, if the switch 14 is closed, the processing proceeds to step S52, in which the temperature in the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate is measured using a signal from the temperature sensor 125 . Then, based on the results of the determination in step S54 and step S55, one of the following three types of controls is carried out.

If the result of the determination in step S54 is "no", ie if the temperature T is higher than the predetermined high temperature reference value of 50 ° C., the processing proceeds to step S57, in which the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate from Air conditioner 120 cool air is blown.

However, if the result of the determination in step S54 is "yes" and the result of the determination in step S55 is "no", ie if the temperature T is lower than the predetermined low temperature reference value of 10 ° C., the processing proceeds to Step S58 in which hot air is blown into the housing 70 for the snow shield plate from the air conditioner 120 .

If the result of the determination in step S54 is "yes" and the result of the determination in step S55 is also "yes", ie if the temperature is in a range from 10 ° C to 50 ° C, the processing proceeds to step S56 in which the air blowing into the housing 70 for the snow shield plate from the air conditioner 120 is stopped.

Therefore, when using this embodiment, the ambient air temperature is low, for example, in winter, the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate is heated so that the temperature of its front surface rises and the adherence of ice or snow to the front surface can be prevented. Even if ice or snow is already attached to the front surface, the attached ice or snow melts and slides down from the front surface. On the other hand, when the ambient air temperature is high, for example in summer, and the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate is exposed to direct solar radiation, the temperature of the radar antenna 3 does not rise because cool air is blown into the housing 70 . This makes it possible to always maintain the normal performance of the radar antenna so that the distance between the vehicles and the like can be measured reliably with the prescribed accuracy.

Fig. 15 shows a schematic structure of the Fahrzeugra dar system according to a further embodiment in which washing liquid or a mixture of a washing liquid and a deicing liquid is sprayed onto the surface of the snow shielding plate together with hot air. In this figure, reference numeral 140 designates a washing device, while the other components shown in FIG. 15 correspond to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 13.

The washing device 140 contains a tank 141 for storing washing liquid, a heating device 142 for heating the washing liquid to a predetermined temperature, a pump 143 for pressurizing and ejecting the washing liquid, a motor 144 for driving the pump 143 , an injection nozzle 145 , which is used to spray washing liquid onto the outer surface of the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate, and a pipe 146 which connects the pump 143 to the spray nozzle 145 .

The washing device 140 is controlled by the radar signal processing unit 4 , so that the washing device 140 optionally injects washing liquid onto the outer front surface of the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate.

Further, the air blow nozzle 123 is connected to the outlet 122 of the air conditioner 120 via an air discharge pipe 126 , so that hot air can also be blown onto the outer front surface of the housing 70 from the air blow nozzle 123 .

The air conditioner 120 is controlled by the control unit 121 for the air conditioner 120 in response to a control signal sent from the radar signal processing unit 4 similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, and hot air is blown from the air discharge nozzle 123 to the outer front Blown surface of the housing 70 for the snow shield plate.

In this embodiment, a mixture of washing liquid and de-icing liquid is stored in the tank 141 in a mixing ratio of, for example, 5: 1, the temperature of the stored mixture being kept at the predetermined value. If necessary, the mixture is sprayed onto the outer front surface of the housing 70 for the snow shield plate. Thereafter, hot air is blown from the air blowing nozzle 123 onto the outer front surface of the case 70 for a predetermined period.

When the switch 14 in the vehicle 1 is closed, electric power is supplied to the heater 142 of the washer 140 . In addition, a control signal is sent from the radar signal processing unit 4 to the motor 144 , so that the pump 143 is driven. Thereby, at each ejection timing, a given amount of the mixture is sprayed from a liquid ejection nozzle 145 onto the outer front surface of the housing 70 for the snow shield plate, so that the ice or snow attached to the outer front surface is melted and removed. Thereafter, the mixture remaining on the front surface is dried by the hot air blown from the air blowing nozzle 123 onto the front surface.

Fig. 16 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of this embodiment, the processing routine will be described with reference to this flowchart in the following.

This processing routine is executed by the radar signal processing unit 4 every 100 ms. First, electric power is supplied to the heater 142 in step S131. A timer is started in step S120. Thereafter, it is determined in step S121 whether the content t of the timer is less than 60 s.

If the result of the determination is "yes", the processing proceeds to step S130, in which the distance between the vehicles is obtained using the signals currently measured by the radar antenna 3 .

If, on the other hand, the result of the determination is "no" is, d. H. if the content t of the timer is the same or greater than 60 s, the content of the timer deleted in step S122, whereupon based on the Results of determining the following three conditions it is determined whether it is snowing.

The first condition is whether switch 14 is closed, which is determined in step S123. The second condition is whether the information indicating whether it is snowing is sent from the fixed transmission station to the vehicle receiver 17 , which is determined in step S124. Finally, the third condition is whether the ambient air temperature detected by the temperature sensor 125 is equal to or lower than 0 ° C., which is determined in step S125. In addition, the operating state of the wiper for the windshield of the vehicle 1 can be detected by the wiper operation sensor 16 , this determination being carried out in step S126. If the result is "yes" for at least one of the three determinations, it is determined that it is snowing.

If it is determined that it is snowing, the radar signal processing unit 4 drives the motor 144 in step S127 so that the given amount of the mixture is sprayed from the ejection nozzle 145 onto the front surface of the housing 70 at every ejection time.

In step S128, the radar signal processing unit 4 sends a control signal for blowing out hot air from the air blowing nozzle 123 to the front surface of the case 70 to the control unit 121 for the air conditioner 120 at a predetermined time . Thus, the air conditioner 120 blows for a predetermined period of time of, for example, 10 seconds of hot air on the front surface of the housing 70.

Thereafter, in step S129, the current distance and the relative speed between the vehicles are estimated using the distance and the relative speed between the vehicles and the acceleration of the vehicle 1 recorded before the washer 140 was last operated. On the other hand, if all the results of the above three determinations in steps S123, S125 and S126 are "no", it is determined that it is not snowing. Then, in step S132, the supply of electric power to the heater 142 is stopped, and the distance between the vehicles is obtained using the signals currently measured by the radar antenna 3 .

Therefore, if the switch 14 is closed in this embodiment, or if it is determined that it is snowing, the mixture of washing liquid and deicing liquid is for a predetermined period of time (z. B. 60 s) on the outer front surface of the housing 70th for the snow shield plate, whereupon the outer front surface of the housing 70 is dried with hot air. This can reliably prevent snow from adhering to the surface of the snow shielding plate and the remaining liquid.

Also in this embodiment the housing 70 is mounted for Schneeabschirmplatte a thin film of a material such as Teflon on the surface, on the ice, snow and the like are difficult to adhere. Therefore, the adherence of ice, snow and the like on this film is prevented, whereby the influence of ice, snow and the like on the transmission performance of the radar antenna 3 can be reduced.

In FIGS. 17A and 17B is the structure of the housing 70 for the Schneeabschirmplatte according to another exporting the invention tion shown. FIG. 17A is a side sectional view of this housing 70, while Fig. 17B is an exploded view of this housing 70. In this embodiment, the housing 70 for the snow shield plate in its upper region a roof portion 91 , as shown in Fig. 17A, the front surface 92 is inclined downward. The other components shown in this figure are the same as those in the embodiment shown in Fig. 9A.

In this embodiment, the the case 70 is formed by the shielding effect of the inclined front face 92 due to the strö Menden downward air, adhesion of the snow at the front surface 92 changed verhin, further characterized drops of water attached to the front surface 92 of the snow slightly from this surface 92 , so that deterioration in the transmission performance of the Ra antenna 3 due to the adhesion of ice or snow can be prevented.

The housing 70 for the snow shielding plate, which contains the front surface 92 , is made of plastic and coated with a thin film of plastic such as Teflon, which hardly absorbs the radio waves and hardly adheres to the ice or snow. Even if ice or snow adheres to the front surface 92 , this adhering ice or snow can easily fall off the front surface 92 due to its inclination.

When this housing 70 for the snow shielding plate and the radar antenna 3 is assembled and fastened to the bumper 2 , the radar antenna 3 is first attached to the radar antenna mounting bracket 80 by means of radar antenna mounting screws 81 , whereupon the housing 70 is attached to the radar antenna 3 attached to the carrier 80 by means of Snow shield plate mounting screws 82 is attached.

Thereafter, the radar antenna mounting bracket 80 is attached to the bumper 2 of the vehicle 1 by means of screws 84 and 85 to attach the radar antenna 3 to the bumper 2 . Therefore, using this embodiment, it is possible to easily fix the housing 70 for the snow shield plate without adversely affecting the fixing accuracy of the radar antenna 3 , and besides detaching only the housing 70 for the snow shield plate from the radar antenna mounting bracket 80 .

In addition, it is possible to remove the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate from the radar antenna mounting bracket 80 in other seasons than in winter, in which the housing 70 is not necessary.

FIG. 18A and 18B show an example of application of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, in which the vehicle radar system of this embodiment beitsfahrzeug at an Ar 119 such as a snow plow is attached.

In this example, the housing 70 for the snow shield plate containing the radar antenna 3 is fixed to the front side of the roof of the work vehicle 119 in such a way that the radiation axis of the radar antenna 3 is inclined downward by a predetermined angle θ with respect to the horizontal line 118 . Therefore, when this work vehicle performs 119 snow removal, a downward flow of air is generated on the front surface 92, by the adherence of snow on the prede ren surface 92 can be prevented or can thereby easily slide down to the front surface 92 already adhering snow.

In this embodiment, only by attaching the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate to the vehicle, it is possible to easily prevent deterioration in the transmission performance of the radar antenna 3 due to the adherence of ice or snow.

It is effective here, for the sake of simplicity, to attach only one open roof section 120 to the Ra antenna 3 , as shown in FIG. 18B. In addition, it is possible to use a vehicle radar system formed by integrating the embodiment shown in FIGS . 17A and 17B into one of the embodiments shown in FIGS . 13 and 15.

Fig. 19 shows the schematic structure of a Fahrzeugra dar system according to another embodiment in which a method of hot water circulation is used.

As shown in Fig. 19, the interior is the Gehäu ses 70 by the circulation of heated by the engine Warming system engine cooling water so that the adhesion of ice or snow on the outer surface of the housing 70 is prevented or already adhering ice or already adhering snow can easily slide down from the outer surface of the housing 70 .

In this embodiment, hot water circulates in a hot water circulation path 183 which is formed in the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate by a pipe 182 into which a hot water pump 180 and a flow control valve 181 are inserted. In addition, the temperature in the housing 70 is detected by the temperature sensor 125 , and the radar signal processing unit 4 controls the hot water pump 180 and the flow control valve 181 to maintain the temperature in the housing 70 at an appropriate value. A power supply circuit 184 shown in FIG. 19 supplies electric power to the hot water pump 180 and the flow control valve 181.

The hot water pump 180 communicates with an engine cooling water through a pipe not shown in Fig. 19 and sends hot water from the engine cooling water path into the hot water circulation path so that the hot water circulates in the path indicated by the arrows. In addition, the flow rate of the circulating hot water is controlled by the flow control valve 181 .

The hot water circulation path 183 is heated by the circulating hot water and serves as a heat exchanger by which the temperature in the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate is increased.

As shown in the plan view of the housing 70 for the snow shield plate shown in FIG. 20, which is a view in the direction of the arrows A in FIG. 19, a pipe 183 A that forms the hot water circulation path 180 is on the side wall of the housing 70 arranged for the snow shield plate so as not to affect the transmission of the radar antenna 3 , wherein in this arrangement the tube 183 A does not run in front of the front surface of the radar antenna 3 . The circulating hot water flows into inlet 183 B and out of outlet 183 C of path 183 .

Fig. 21 shows a flowchart for explaining the control processing for the hot water pump 180 and for the flow control valve 181 , this control processing being carried out periodically every 100 ms by the radar signal processing unit 4 .

First, the timer is started in step S70. In step S71, it is determined whether the content t of the timer is less than 10 s. If the result of the determination is "no", that is, if the content t is less than 10 s, the processing proceeds to step S78. In step S78, the radar signal processing unit 4 obtains the distance and the relative speed between the vehicles using the signals sent from the radar antenna 3 , whereupon the processing is finished.

On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S71 is "yes", ie if the content t of the timer is not less than 10 s, it is checked in step S72 whether the switch 14 is closed.

If the result of the determination in step S72 is "no", ie if the switch 14 is open, the processing proceeds to step S73. In step S73, the circulation of hot water is stopped by stopping the hot water pump 180 , whereupon the processing is finished.

On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S72 is "yes", that is, if the switch 14 is closed, the processing proceeds to step S74, in which the temperature in the housing 70 for the snow shielding plate is measured using a signal sent by the temperature sensor 125 becomes. In addition, in step S76, the opening of the flow control valve 181 at which the necessary flow rate of the hot water in the hot water circulation path 183 is obtained is calculated from the map shown in FIG. 22, which is obtained in advance, and the relationship between the opening of the flow control valve 181 and the temperature in the housing 70 , wherein a control signal is sent to the power supply circuit 184 .

In response to the sent control signal, the power supply circuit 184 operates the hot water pump 180 and the flow control valve 181 in such a manner that the flow rate of the hot water in the hot water DHW circulation is onsweg adjusted so that the temperature follows in the housing 70 for the Schneeabschirmplatte a suitable target value.

Thereafter, the processing in step S78 is carried out, that is, the radar signal processing unit 4 obtains the distance and the relative speed between the vehicles using the signals sent from the radar antenna 3 , whereupon the processing is ended.

Since when using the embodiment shown in Fig. 19, the radar antenna 3- containing housing for the snow shield plate is heated using the excess heat in the engine, the malfunction of the radar antenna 3 due to adhesion of snow or ice can be prevented without additional energy to consume. This embodiment thus ensures that the vehicle radar system functions sufficiently to ensure the safety of vehicle 1 .

Even if in the vehicle radar system of the invention If the vehicle drives in snowfall, this does not lead to one Vehicle radar system malfunction due to Adherence of ice or snow to the surface of the Radar antenna, so that a sufficient function of the Vehicle radar system can be guaranteed and the Vehicle safety is ensured.

Claims (6)

1. Vehicle radar system, which contains a forward facing radar antenna ( 3 ), characterized by
Climate condition detection devices ( 15 , 16 , 17 ) which detects the climatic conditions in the vicinity of a vehicle ( 1 ) in which the vehicle radar system is installed, a reference value (S ₀ , S ₁ , S ₂ ) for a safety distance between the vehicle ( 1 ) and an obstacle which is used for determining the degree of danger at the current vehicle distance is changed on the basis of the climatic conditions which are detected by the climatic condition detection devices ( 15 , 16 , 17 ),
a belt drive device ( 12 ) which umlau fen an endless belt ( 6 ) with feed perforations ( 6 a) so that it moves in front of the front surface of the radar antenna ( 3 ), and
a brush device ( 10 , 11 ) which is in contact with the surface of the endless belt ( 6 ) in order to wipe the surface of the endless belt ( 6 ),
wherein the rotational speed of the endless belt ( 6 ) is controlled on the basis of the climatic conditions ( 15 , 16 , 17 ) detected by the climatic conditions. 2. Vehicle radar system, which contains a forward-facing radar antenna ( 3 ), characterized by
a snow shielding plate ( 20 ) covering at least part of the front surface of the radar antenna ( 3 ),
a wiper ( 21 ) for wiping the surface of the snow shielding plate ( 20 ),
a wiper drive device ( 22 ) for driving the wiper ( 21 ), which is connected to the wiper ( 21 ) via a link mechanism ( 223 ), and
a memory device ( 4 ) which successively stores the results of the measurements which are carried out on the basis of the signals detected by the radar antenna ( 3 ) when the wiper ( 21 ) is not in operation,
the distance and the relative speed between the vehicles are estimated on the basis of the stored measurement results. 3. Vehicle radar system, which contains a forward-facing radar antenna ( 3 ), characterized by
a housing ( 70 ) for a snow shielding plate ( 20 ) containing the radar antenna ( 3 ), and
an air blowing device ( 120 , 121 , 123 ) which blows air into the housing ( 70 ) of the snow shielding plate ( 20 ) in order to set the temperature in this housing ( 70 ),
wherein the temperature of the blown air is controlled by the air blowing device ( 120 , 121 , 123 ) in accordance with the temperature in the housing ( 70 ) of the snow shielding plate ( 20 ). 4. Vehicle radar system, which contains a forward facing radar antenna ( 3 ), characterized by
a housing ( 70 ) of a snow shielding plate ( 20 ) which contains the radar antenna ( 3 ),
a washing device ( 140 to 144 ) for spraying washing liquid onto the front surface of the housing ( 70 ) of the snow shielding plate ( 20 ), and
an air blowing device ( 120 to 123 ) for blowing air onto the front surface of the housing ( 70 ) of the snow shielding plate ( 20 ),
wherein the air is blown out from the air blowing device ( 120 to 123 ) after the washing liquid ( 140 to 144 ) has been ejected with washing liquid. 5. Vehicle radar system, which contains a forward-facing radar antenna ( 3 ), characterized by a roof section ( 91 ) which covers the front upper surface of the radar antenna ( 3 ) and is inclined downward to a downward on this surface To generate airflow. 6. Vehicle radar system, which contains a forward-facing radar antenna ( 3 ), characterized by
a housing ( 70 ) of a snow shielding plate ( 20 ) containing the radar antenna ( 3 ), and
a water circulation device ( 180 to 183 ), the hot water in the housing ( 70 ) of the snow shield plate ( 20 ) can circulate,
wherein the flow rate of the circulating hot water is adjusted depending on the temperature in the housing ( 70 ) of the snow shielding plate ( 20 ).