Vehicle-mounted sensor cleaning device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11945415-B2
Application number	US-202017030820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2020
Priority date	Mar 28, 2018
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

A vehicle-mounted sensor cleaning device cleans a sensing surface of a vehicle-mounted sensor. The vehicle-mounted sensor cleaning device includes a gas nozzle spraying a gas toward the sensing surface, a gas supply device supplying the gas to the gas nozzle, and a control section controlling operation of the gas supply device. A predetermined value is set in the control section, for indicating an abnormal state of detection accuracy of the vehicle-mounted sensor based on detection accuracy information of an object which is obtained from the vehicle-mounted sensor. A gas supply threshold value is also set, for use in operating the gas supply device to direct a supply of the gas toward the sensing surface before the detection accuracy information becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined value. If the detection accuracy information has become lower than the gas supply threshold value, the control section operates the gas supply device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle-mounted sensor cleaning device that cleans a sensing surface of a vehicle-mounted sensor, comprising:
a gas nozzle that sprays a gas toward the sensing surface;
a gas supply device that supplies the gas to the gas nozzle; and
a control section that controls operation of the gas supply device,
wherein:
the control section is configured to:
receive, from the vehicle-mounted sensor, a value of an object detection accuracy of the vehicle-mounted sensor;
determine whether the value of the object detection accuracy is higher than a first threshold value, the first threshold value being predetermined and used for determination of whether the object detection accuracy is in an abnormal state, wherein a value of the object detection accuracy less than the first threshold value indicates that the object detection accuracy is in the abnormal state;
determine whether the value of the object detection accuracy is lower than a second threshold value, the second threshold value being a first predetermined threshold for operating the gas supply device, the second threshold value being higher than the first threshold value;
determine whether the value of the object detection accuracy is lower than a third threshold value, the third threshold value being a second predetermined threshold for operating the gas supply device, the third threshold value being higher than the first threshold value and the second threshold value;
setting a cleaning completion flag, a count value of the cleaning completion flag representing the number of gas cleaning of the sensing surface of the vehicle-mounted sensor having been performed;
control the gas supply device to operate the gas supply device upon determining that the value of the object detection accuracy is lower than the second threshold value and higher than the first threshold value when the count value of the cleaning completion flag is 0; and
control the gas supply device to operate the gas supply device upon determining that the value of the object detection accuracy is lower than the third threshold value when the count value of the cleaning completion flag is greater than 0,

wherein
for a state in which the value of the object detection accuracy is lower than the second threshold value and higher than the first threshold value, only the gas from the gas supply device is sprayed toward the sensing surface.

2. The vehicle-mounted sensor cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the control section continues operating the gas supply device until value of the object detection accuracy becomes equal to or higher than the second threshold value.

3. The vehicle-mounted sensor cleaning device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a liquid nozzle that sprays a liquid toward the sensing surface; and
a liquid supply device that supplies the liquid to the liquid nozzle,
wherein
the control section is configured to:
control the gas supply device to operate the gas supply device for a predetermined time period upon determining that the value of the object detection accuracy has changed from being higher than the first threshold value to being lower than or equal to the first threshold value;
determine whether the value of the object detection accuracy has changed from being lower than or equal to the first threshold value to being higher than the first threshold value after operating the gas supply device for the predetermined time period; and
control the liquid supply device to operate the liquid supply device upon determining that the value of the object detection accuracy has continued to be lower than or equal to the first threshold value after operating the gas supply device for the predetermined time period.

4. The vehicle-mounted sensor cleaning device according to claim 3 , wherein
the control section is configured to control the gas supply device to operate the gas supply device again after operating the liquid supply device.

5. The vehicle-mounted sensor cleaning device according to claim 3 , wherein the control section is configured to repeatedly operate both the gas supply device and the liquid supply device a predetermined number of times upon determining that the value of the object detection accuracy has continued to be lower than or equal to the first threshold value.

6. The vehicle-mounted sensor cleaning device according to claim 5 , further comprising a notification section that issues a notification to a user to indicate that appropriate detection of an object cannot be performed,
wherein
the control section is configured to:
determine whether the value of the object detection accuracy has changed to be higher than the first threshold value after the repeated execution of the operation of the gas supply device and the operation of the liquid supply device the predetermined number of times; and
halt the operation of the gas supply device and the operation of the liquid supply device and cause the notification section to issue the notification upon determining that the value of the object detection accuracy has been kept lower than or equal to the first threshold value after the repeated execution of the operation of the gas supply device and the operation of the liquid supply device the predetermined number of times.

7. The vehicle-mounted sensor cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control section is configured to:
determine whether a period for which the value of the object detection accuracy is lower than the second threshold value while keeping higher than the first threshold value has reached a predetermined threshold period; and
control the gas supply device to halt the operation of the gas supply device upon determining that the period has reached the predetermined threshold period.

8. The vehicle-mounted sensor cleaning device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a liquid nozzle that sprays a liquid toward the sensing surface; and
a liquid supply device that supplies the liquid to the liquid nozzle,
wherein:
the gas supply device comprises an air pump; and
the control section is configured to:
control the gas supply device to increase an output of the air pump stepwise upon determining that the value of the object detection accuracy becomes lower than the first threshold value;
determine whether the value of the object detection accuracy has changed to be higher than the first threshold value after operation of the gas supply device for a predetermined time period; and
control the liquid supply device to operate the liquid supply device upon determining that the value of the object detection accuracy has been kept lower than or equal to the first threshold value after the stepwise increase in the output of the air pump.

9. A vehicle-mounted sensor cleaning device that cleans a sensing surface of a vehicle-mounted sensor, comprising:
a gas nozzle that sprays a gas toward the sensing surface;
a gas supply device that supplies the gas to the gas nozzle; and
a control section that controls operation of the gas supply device,
wherein:
the control section is configured to:
receive, from the vehicle-mounted sensor, a value of an object detection accuracy of the vehicle-mounted sensor;
determine whether the value of the object detection accuracy is higher than a first threshold value, the first threshold value being predetermined and used for determination of whether the object detection accuracy is in an abnormal state, wherein a value of the object detection accuracy less than the first threshold value indicates that the object detection accuracy is in the abnormal state;
determine whether the value of the object detection accuracy is lower than a second threshold value, the

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Hayashi Yuji
• Toyama Kohei

Classifications

• B60S1/56 Primary

  specially adapted for cleaning other parts or devices than front windows or windscreens {(rear-view mirror arrangements mounted on vehicle exterior including cleaning devices B60R1/0602)} · CPC title

• B08B3/02

  Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays · CPC title

• B08B5/02

  Cleaning by the force of jets, e.g. blowing-out cavities {(airguns or nozzles per se B05B1/005)} · CPC title

• B08B7/04

  by a combination of operations · CPC title

• B08B13/00

  Accessories or details of general applicability for machines or apparatus for cleaning · CPC title