Vehicle and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021170994-A1
Application number	US-202016916879-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 30, 2020
Priority date	Dec 6, 2019
Publication date	Jun 10, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle which contributes to safe autonomous driving by washing the sensor provided in the vehicle by efficiently using a limited capacity washing solution, and a control method thereof. The vehicle includes: a first sensor; a second sensor; a driving device including at least one motor and configured to operate to clean the first sensor and the second sensor; and a controller configured to control the driving device to first wash the first sensor prior to the second sensor based on predetermined rank information when is the controller determines that at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor is contaminated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle comprising:
a first sensor; a second sensor; a driving device including at least one motor and configured to operate to clean the first sensor and the second sensor; and a controller configured to control the driving device to first wash the first sensor prior to the second sensor based on predetermined rank information when is the controller determines that at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor is contaminated.

2 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the driving device to sequentially wash the first sensor and the second sensor.

3 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to change an output of the driving device based on velocity information of the vehicle.

4 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to obtain remaining amount information of a washing solution disposed in the vehicle and to control the driving device to spray the washing solution or pressurized air on at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor based on the remaining amount information.

5 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to obtain contamination information of the first sensor and the second sensor from the first sensor and the second sensor, respectively, and to change an output of the driving device based on the contamination information.

6 . The vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the output of the driving device comprises spraying pressure and spraying time of the washing solution that the driving device sprays on at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor.

7 . The vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein each of the first sensor and the second sensor comprises a plurality of sensor modules arranged at different positions of the vehicle, and
wherein the controller is further configured to obtain contamination information of each of the plurality of sensor modules and to change the output of the driving device based on the contamination information of each of the plurality of sensor modules and location information of each of the plurality of sensor modules.

8 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display; wherein the controller is further configured to output contamination information to the display.

9 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to, when a number of times of washing of at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor increases, increase an output of the driving device in response to the number of times of washing.

10 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the first sensor comprises a LIDAR sensor and the second sensor comprises a radar sensor.

11 . A control method of a vehicle, comprising:
determining whether at least one of a first sensor and a second sensor is contaminated; and controlling a driving device to first wash the first sensor prior to the second sensor based on predetermined rank information when it is determined that the at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor is contaminated.

12 . The control method according to claim 11 , wherein the controlling a driving device to first wash the first sensor prior to the second sensor comprises
controlling the driving device to sequentially wash the first sensor and the second sensor.

13 . The control method according to claim 11 , wherein the controlling a driving device to first wash the first sensor prior to the second sensor comprises
changing an output of the driving device based on velocity information of the vehicle.

14 . The control method according to claim 11 , further comprising
obtaining remaining amount information of a washing solution disposed in the vehicle, wherein the controlling a driving device to first wash the first sensor prior to the second sensor comprises: controlling the driving device to spray the washing solution or pressurized air on at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor based on the remaining amount information.

15 . The control method according to claim 11 , further comprising
obtaining contamination information of the first sensor and the second sensor from the first sensor and the second sensor, respectively, wherein the controlling a driving device to first wash the first sensor prior to the second sensor comprises changing an output of the driving device based on the contamination information.

16 . The control method according to claim 15 , wherein the output of the driving device comprises spraying pressure and spraying time of the washing solution that the driving device sprays on at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor.

17 . The control method according to claim 16 , wherein each of the first sensor and the second sensor comprises a plurality of sensor modules arranged at different positions of the vehicle, and
wherein the control method further comprises: obtaining contamination information of each of the plurality of sensor modules; and changing the output of the driving device based on the contamination information of each of the plurality of sensor modules and location information of each of the plurality of sensor modules.

18 . The control method according to claim 11 , further comprising
outputting contamination information to a display.

19 . The control method according to claim 11 , wherein the controlling a driving device to first wash the first sensor prior to the second sensor comprises
when a number of times of washing of at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor increases, increasing an output of the driving device in response to the number of times of washing.

20 . The control method according to claim 11 , wherein the first sensor comprises a LIDAR sensor and the second sensor comprises a radar sensor.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Gwon Suhak
• Park June Soo
• Yu Byung Seob
• Kim Ill Soo
• Choi Jae Hong

Classifications

• G01S13/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S7/4043

  including means to prevent or remove the obstruction · CPC title

• G01S17/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S2007/4977

  including means to prevent or remove the obstruction · CPC title

• B60S1/603 Primary

  the operation of at least a part of the cleaning means being controlled by electric means · CPC title