JP2007307992A - Wiper control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiper control device enabling each driver to learn the operational control of a wiper by reflecting the intention of the driver. <P>SOLUTION: The wiper control device comprises: a raindrop amount detection means 300 for detecting the raindrop amount; a wiper 10 for wiping raindrop; an authentication means 200 for authenticating a driver, an individual storage unit 101 for storing wiper control information by the driver corresponding to the raindrop amount; a control device 100 for controlling the operation or the stop of the wiper based on the raindrop amount detected by the raindrop detection means and control information stored in the individual storage unit; and an input means 600 for inputting whether the wiper operation information and the raindrop amount detected by the raindrop detection means are stored in the control information, associated with each other when the wiper is operated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiper control device that controls a wiper of a vehicle, and more particularly to a wiper control device that automatically operates or stops a wiper based on a raindrop amount.

  When driving in rainy weather, the driver manually operates the wiper to remove raindrops on the windshield, and selects the operating speed of the wiper according to the amount of rain and traveling speed, and sets the operation interval during intermittent operation. . There has been proposed a wiper control device that automatically performs such operation control of the wiper according to the rainfall or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The wiper control device described in Patent Document 1 stores the operation speed of the driver's wiper in association with the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed and the operation interval at the time of intermittent operation in the IC card. It is possible to automatically control the operation of the wiper.

Further, a wiper control device has been proposed that learns wiper control such as wiper operation timing and intermittent period for each driver using vehicle speed, illuminance, rainfall, engine speed, inter-vehicle distance, and blinker direction as learning parameters. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2). According to the wiper control device described in Patent Literature 2, it is supposed that the operation timing for each driver is learned, and the wiper operation timing suitable for each driver can be controlled.
JP-A-6-171469 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-240433

  However, since the wiper control device of Patent Document 1 learns the rain amount and the like when manually operated, there is a problem that even an operation in a situation unsuitable for learning is a learning target. For example, when it is operated by mistake or when it is operated as a trial, it should not be learned, but the wiper control device of Patent Document 1 cannot recognize how the rainfall and the wiper operating conditions are stored in association with each other. Also, the memory cannot be canceled. That is, the learning may not reflect the driver's preference.

  In addition, since the wiper control device described in Patent Document 2 learns the wiper operation timing using a neural network, the learning result (output) when unlearned data is input is indeterminate. In addition, in the learning by the neural network, there is a problem that it takes time until learning is performed by a teacher signal of driver's operation because the learning result becomes incomplete if the number of observation data is not sufficient for the learning parameter.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a wiper control device capable of learning wiper operation control for each driver, reflecting the driver's will.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a raindrop amount detection means for detecting a raindrop amount, a wiper for wiping the raindrop, an authentication means for authenticating a driver, and wiper control information corresponding to the raindrop amount for each driver. When the wiper is operated, the individual storage unit to be stored, the control unit for controlling the operation or stop of the wiper based on the raindrop amount detected by the raindrop amount detection means and the control information stored in the individual storage unit, Input means for inputting whether or not to store the wiper operation information (for example, wiper SW position, wiper arm upright) and the raindrop amount detected by the raindrop amount detection means in association with the control information. And a wiper control device characterized by comprising:

  According to the present invention, when the driver's will is input from the input means, learning is performed by associating the wiper operation information with the amount of raindrops. Therefore, the operation control of the wiper is performed by reflecting the driver's intention. Can learn for each person.

  It is possible to provide a wiper control device that reflects the driver's will and can learn wiper operation control for each driver.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a wiper control device. FIG. 1A shows a case where devices and sensors constituting the wiper control device 1 are connected by a dedicated line, and FIG. 1B shows a case where they are connected by a body LAN such as a CAN (Controller Area Network). Show. Either configuration may be used, and the operation of each device and sensor is the same.

  The wiper control device 1 is controlled by the control device 100. The control device 100 is a microcomputer in which a CPU, RAM, ROM, NV-RAM (Non Volatile RAM), a communication unit, and the like are connected by a bus. The wiper operation control described below is realized by the CPU executing the program stored in the memory.

  The NV-RAM or HDD of the control device 100 is provided with a personal storage unit 101. For each vehicle user (driver in this case), personal authentication information for authenticating the driver, user name and avatar. Etc. and wiper control information are stored.

  In addition, the control information indicates the operation information of the in-vehicle device operated in conjunction with the operation information of the wiper, the operation information of the wiper, the operation information during the intermittent operation, the environmental information stored in association with the appropriate amount of rain and the vehicle speed, and the operation of the wiper. Has linkage history information.

  A wiper & washer SW500 (hereinafter simply referred to as wiper SW500) is a switch for operating a front wiper & washer 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as front wiper 10) and a rear wiper & washer 20 (hereinafter simply referred to as rear wiper 20). Hereinafter, the wiper including the front wiper 10 and the rear wiper 20 may be simply referred to as a wiper.

  The wiper SW500 is a lever switch that is attached to the steering column and is operated by swinging around the attachment portion. When the driver swings and returns the wiper SW 500 upward from the “OFF” position, the front wiper operates only once. When the driver swings downward and matches “AUTO”, the raindrop detected by the rain sensor 300 is detected. It automatically starts or stops at a speed or time interval according to the amount, further swings downward and adjusts to “INT”, intermittent operation, adjusts to “LO”, runs at a low speed, and adjusts to “HI”. The wiper operates continuously at high speed. The operation interval during intermittent operation can also be adjusted.

  When the wiper SW 500 is in the “OFF” or “AUTO” position and the wiper SW 500 is pulled toward the driver (front side), the washer liquid is ejected and the front wiper 10 operates in conjunction with the wiper SW 500.

  When the tip 501 of the wiper switch SW500 is rotated, the rear wiper 20 is intermittently operated according to the rotational position, and the rear wiper 20 is operated in conjunction with injecting the washer liquid onto the rear glass according to the rotational position.

  Further, the wiper control device 1 is provided with a decision making SW 600. The decision making SW 600 is preferably arranged around the wiper SW 500, and is provided as a push-type switch on the left side of the steering wheel in FIG. The determination SW 600 is an input unit that is pressed when the driver wants the individual storage unit to learn the wiper control information.

  Note that the driver's will of learning may be input by voice input. A voice recognition device is mounted on the vehicle, and voice generated by the driver is converted into an electric signal by a microphone and output to the voice recognition device. The electrical signal is subjected to processing such as Fourier transform and is extracted as a feature quantity effective for speech recognition. The speech recognition device refers to the acoustic model database that associates the probability of the correspondence between the sound of the feature quantity and the phonetic symbol (phoneme), and the dictionary of words that define the utterance content based on vocabulary, grammar, language statistics, etc. Then, a phoneme string that most closely matches the input feature quantity such as a word used in the vehicle is selected and output as a recognition result. The recognized word is converted into a predetermined signal according to the word and output to the control device 100.

  The rain sensor 300 includes, for example, an emitting unit that emits infrared rays toward the windshield and a light receiving unit that receives infrared rays reflected by the windshield, and the infrared rays received by the light receiving unit when raindrops adhere to the detection region. The amount of raindrops is detected by changing the amount of received light. It should be noted that the sensor may be configured in any manner such as a sensor that detects a change in capacitance or a temperature drop due to water droplet adhesion and outputs a voltage corresponding to the amount of raindrops.

  The vehicle speed sensor 301 is a sensor that detects the vehicle speed provided in each wheel, and detects the rotational speed of each wheel. The vehicle speed sensor 301 detects, for example, a change in magnetic flux as a pulse when the convex portions installed at regular intervals pass on the circumference of the rotor provided in each wheel.

  The personal identification device 200 is a device for identifying a driver. The means for specifying an individual may have any configuration, but for example, a smart key system can be used.

  The smart key system is a key system that enables the door to be locked / unlocked by communicating with the smart key 201 without manual locking / unlocking operation. In addition, a lock / unlock button is provided, and a wireless lock control function is provided in which an identification code is transmitted by a button operation and the door is locked / unlocked.

  The smart key system forms a detection area for the smart key 201 by transmitting a request signal, and the smart key 201 entering the detection area transmits a response signal in response to the request signal. When the identification code included in the response signal matches the identification code registered in the smart system, the door is allowed to be unlocked / locked.

  The detection area outside the passenger compartment is formed, for example, within a range of 1 to 2 m from the driver's door, the passenger's door, and the back door. A person carrying the smart key 201 enters this detection area and touches the touch key of the door knob while parking. And the door is unlocked.

  The detection area in the passenger compartment is formed for each of the driver seat, front passenger seat, rear seat right, rear seat left when a predetermined condition (for example, opening / closing of a door, etc.) is established. It is determined whether 201 exists. When the smart key 201 is not present in the passenger compartment but outside the passenger compartment, the door can be locked. In addition, the function of the smart system can be stopped by a predetermined operation, and the person who does not carry the smart key 201 is prevented from being trapped.

  Since there are a plurality of smart keys 201 and each is assigned a different identification code, each smart key 201 can be specified. If the individual storage unit 101 is stored in association with the identification code of each smart key 201, the individual storage unit 101 of the driver can be specified by authenticating the smart key 201.

  The personal identification device 200 may be configured to identify a driver based on biometric information such as a face, fingerprint, iris, vein arrangement, and the like. In the case of authentication by face, a photographing camera for photographing an image including the driver's face is provided, and when the closing of the driver's seat door is detected, the driver's face is photographed. The control device 100 takes a geometrical relationship between feature points such as pupils, nose, eyes, eyes, and mouth edges from a face image in which a face is photographed, or the whole face as a shade pattern, A vector developed as a feature is compared with a feature stored in advance. Since the parameters of the image are represented by a certain point in the feature space, the control device 100 obtains the distance between the input pattern and each driver pattern stored in advance and obtains the closest distribution within a predetermined distance. The person of the corresponding parameter is authenticated as a driver.

  A door opening / closing detection SW (switch) 700 is a courtesy switch for detecting opening / closing of each door such as a driver's seat door. As described above, the detection area may be formed in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door.

  The front defroster 30 is a device that evaporates fog, ice, and mist on the windshield of the vehicle. The front defroster 30 blows warm air that has passed through a heater onto the windshield, or warms the glass through electricity in the glass to realize these.

  The conlight 40 is a device that automatically controls turning on / off of the headlights and taillights of the vehicle by detecting the illuminance outside the vehicle with an illuminance sensor. Prevent delays in lighting and forgetting to turn off after passing through the tunnel. An integrated light sensor is used as the illuminance sensor, and light around the vehicle is converted into a voltage by a photoelectric conversion element such as a photodiode, and arithmetic processing is performed in the sensor, which is converted into a signal and output.

  The auto window 50 is a window control device that can open or close windows such as a driver's seat, a passenger seat, and a rear seat from a switch on the driver's seat.

  The display 400 is a liquid crystal, organic EL, HUD (Head Up Display), or the like, and displays a message, graphic, image, video, or the like output from the control device 100. Also, the speaker may be linked to the display 400 to read out the displayed message, call attention, or output a description of the displayed image.

  A vehicle equipped with the wiper control device 1 is equipped with a car navigation system (hereinafter simply referred to as a car navigation system), and a current position on the map of the vehicle can be acquired by detecting the current position of the vehicle by GPS (Global Positioning System). The display device 400 is used for map display of a car navigation system and output of a TV or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) player.

[Identification of driver]
First, the identification of the driver will be described. In the wiper control device 1 according to the present embodiment, a user seated in the driver's seat is specified for operating the wiper at an appropriate condition and operating speed for each driver, and wiper control information is stored for each driver.

  FIG. 2 shows a state transition diagram of the wiper control device 1. In the initial state, the vehicle is parked, and the driver is authenticated and specified until the engine is started. In the present embodiment, personal identification device 200 is a smart system.

  The personal identification device 200 forms a detection area outside the vehicle compartment and waits until a person carrying the smart key 201 enters the detection area (S11). When the smart key 201 transmits a response signal in response to the request signal of the personal identification device 200, the personal identification device 200 determines whether or not the identification code included in the response signal matches the identification code registered in the personal identification device 200. And a state of waiting for unlocking of the door is entered. When the user touches the touch key of the door knob while waiting for the door to be unlocked, the door is unlocked and the user can actually open the door.

  Next, if the user opens the door, the door opening / closing detection SW 700 can detect the opening of the driver's seat door, so that the personal identification device 200 detects that the user has been seated in the driver's seat, so the smart key 201 is placed in the driver's seat. In other words, it is determined whether or not the smart key 201 detected in the detection area outside the passenger compartment has entered the passenger compartment.

  When the door is closed, the personal identification device 200 forms a detection area in the space of the driver's seat, and when the smart key 201 is detected, it is determined whether or not the identification code is a smart key outside the passenger compartment.

  When the smart key 201 is detected at the driver's seat, the engine can be started, and when the driver performs an IG on operation, the wiper control device 1 controls the user information and control of the user registered with the identification code of the smart key 201. Information is read from the individual storage unit 101 (S14).

  When the engine is stopped, the control information temporarily stored in the RAM or NV-RAM is written in the individual storage unit 101 as described later (S13).

  By the way, it is preferable that the user information of the identified driver is displayed on the display 400. FIG. 3A shows an example of user information displayed on the display 400. In FIG. 3A, “Smart key with identification code xxx has been detected. Mr. XX, Hello” is displayed. “Mr. XX” is a form of user information, and is associated with the identification code of the detected smart key 201.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the identified driver's nickname, face photo, avatar (own person in the computer to which the driver's profile is input) or agent (male or female synthesized by the computer) (The operation may be guided to the driver by artificial intelligence). The driver identified by displaying the image or the like can be visually confirmed.

  By the way, when the driver carries a plurality of smart keys 201, a plurality of identification codes are detected from the driver's seat. For example, in addition to the normal smart key 201, a wristwatch type smart key or a mobile phone type smart key is carried. In such a case, the driver may be able to select which smart key to designate, or the smart key 201 may be selected with a predetermined priority.

  FIG. 3C shows an example of a plurality of smart keys 201 displayed for selection. In FIG. 3C, the normal smart key 201 and the wristwatch-type smart key 201 are displayed while rotating, and one of them is alternately surrounded by a frame, and “Please press the decision SW to select”. It is displayed. By recognizing such a display, the driver can select a desired smart key 201. Moreover, either can be selected by voice.

[Learn how to operate the front wiper 10]
Next, a procedure for learning the control information in association with the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed when the front wiper 10 is operated based on the state transition diagram of FIG. 2 will be described. In the control information, it is stored that the front wiper 10 has been operated at low speed, high speed, intermittent operation, or stopped in association with the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed. Since the operation speed of the rear wiper 20 is controlled relatively little, the front wiper 10 will be described below, but the control information of the rear wiper 20 can be similarly learned.

  As shown in the state transition diagram, when the wiper SW 500 is operated to “OFF”, the learning mode is set. When the wiper SW 500 is operated to “AUTO”, the AUTO mode is automatically activated or stopped. During engine startup, the driver can operate the wiper SW 500 to activate the wiper, and the control device 100 stores control information triggered by the operation of the driver's wiper SW 500.

  The wiper control device 1 controls the front wiper 10 to automatically operate or stop according to the amount of raindrops. For this reason, the control apparatus 100 determines first whether the rain sensor 300 detected the raindrop (S21).

  When the raindrop is detected, the wiper control device 1 enters a state of waiting for the operation of the wiper switch SW500 (S22). When the rain sensor 300 detects raindrops and the wiper SW 500 is operated (S23), the control device 100 accumulates the operation contents of the driver and the detection values detected by the sensors (S24). The information stored in this way is environmental information.

For example, the following contents are accumulated as operation contents.
-Operated wiper (at least one of front wiper 10 and rear wiper 20)
・ Operation position of wiper SW500 (in the case of “MIST”, “INT”, “LO”, “Hi”, “INT”, further intermittent time)
-Whether or not the washer fluid is injected (front injection time, rear injection time)
The detection values detected by the sensors are as follows, for example.
Raindrop amount / vehicle speed / vehicle position FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of environmental information stored by learning the operation position of the wiper SW 500 by the driver in association with the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents the vehicle speed, the vertical axis represents the amount of raindrops, and the operation position of the wiper SW 500 is indicated by different symbols (“INT” = “Δ”, “LO” = “O”, “Hi” = “□”). ”,“ OFF ”=“ × ”). For example, in the case of the vehicle speed Sa and the raindrop amount Ra, when the wiper SW 500 is operated to “INT”, a symbol “Δ” is plotted at the intersection. By accumulating such plots, it is possible to acquire the driver's operation tendency of the wiper SW 500 with respect to the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed.

  Although FIG. 4 shows an example, the driver tends to operate the wiper SW 500 at a higher operating speed as the amount of raindrops increases, and to operate the operating speed of the wiper SW500 at a higher speed as the vehicle speed increases. . The control device 100 detects the boundary of the operation position of the wiper SW 500 from the learning result as shown in FIG.

  In FIG. Intermittent speed high / low boundary, b. Intermittent / LO boundary, c. Four areas AREA1 to AREA4 are obtained by the three boundaries of the LO / HI boundary. That is, when the wiper is automatically operated based on the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed in the “AUTO” mode, when the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed corresponding to the AREA 3 are detected, the front wiper 10 is operated at the operation speed of “LO”.

  In FIG. 4, the boundary is defined substantially parallel to the horizontal axis, but the boundary may be provided substantially parallel to a certain vertical axis, or only the region may be divided into floating islands.

  Returning to FIG. 2, after the control device 100 accumulates or accumulates the control information regarding the raindrop amount, the vehicle speed, and the operation position of the wiper SW 500, the in-vehicle device operation detection means of the control device 100 is operated by the driver or the occupant. The other on-vehicle device is detected (S25).

The other in-vehicle device is a device that is operated in conjunction with the use of the front wiper 10. For example, when the front wiper 10 is used, it is always or frequently used as follows.
When the front wiper 10 is used, the rear wiper 20 is also used at the same time.
When the front wiper 10 is used, the front defroster 30 is also used at the same time.
・ In case of rain, turn on the headlight or the width lamp to appeal your vehicle.
・ In cold areas, raise the front and rear wiper arms while parking.
・ If the window is open when it rains, it will close automatically.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an in-vehicle device operated following the operation of the wiper SW 500 and an interlocking history in which the operation content is recorded. The control device 100 detects and accumulates other in-vehicle devices that are operated following the operation of the wiper SW 500 and the operation contents thereof (S26). The detection result is stored in the individual storage unit 101 as interlocking history information.

  In the “AUTO” mode, the control device 100 automatically controls other in-vehicle devices with reference to the control information of the interlocking history in FIG. 5 based on the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed.

  In addition, after accumulating the control information regarding the raindrop amount, the vehicle speed, and the operation position of the wiper SW 500, when the interlock history is not detected (when time-out occurs) or when the wiper SW 500 is further operated, the interlock history is not accumulated. This is because when the wiper SW 500 is further operated, the interlocking history may be detected for the subsequent operation.

  Regardless of whether or not the linkage history is accumulated, the control device 100 determines whether or not a series of learning by the operation of the wiper SW 500 is completed (S27). Whether or not learning is completed is determined based on whether or not there is learning that is different from the already learned content.

  When the operation position of the wiper SW 500 that is not included in the AREA so far is detected with respect to the amount of raindrops and the vehicle speed, it is determined that there has been learning different from the content already learned. Conversely, when the operation position of the wiper SW 500 included in the AREA so far is detected, the plot in FIG. 4 is increased as it is.

  For the interlocking history, when an operation of another in-vehicle device is detected with respect to the raindrop amount, the vehicle speed, and the operation position of the wiper SW 500, it is determined that there has been learning different from the content already learned. When the learning is not completed (No in S27), the control device 100 returns to the operation waiting state of the wiper SW500.

  When the learning is completed (Yes in S27), the control device 100 enters a confirmation mode for confirming whether or not the driver learns environmental information (S28).

  FIG. 6A shows a procedure in which the control device 100 confirms the driver's intention in the confirmation mode. In the confirmation mode, the control device 100 displays a message prompting the driver to input whether or not to learn the environment information and the link history on the display 400 (S281).

  FIG. 6B shows an example of a message displayed on the display 400. If the driver wants to learn by seeing the message “Do you want to learn the wiper operation or the accompanying operation?”, He / she presses the decision making SW 600, and does not push the decision making SW 600 when he / she does not want to learn. When inputting the will by the voice recognition device, the driver utters “learn” or “do not learn”. When displaying a message, the content of the message may be read out and output from a speaker, or short music may be output so as to call attention to the display 400.

  In addition, the environment information and the contents of the link history (if any) may be displayed in the message confirming the intention to learn. FIG. 6C shows an example of a message displayed on the display 400 when there is an interlocking history. The driver asks, “Do you want to learn the wiper operation and the accompanying operation? When the raindrop amount is medium and the vehicle speed is 40-60 km / h, the wiper SW operation position is HI. By reading the message “Defroster is activated”, it is possible to operate the decision making SW 600 by understanding what environmental information and the interlocking history are learned. In addition, the learning contents may be displayed more visually by displaying the in-vehicle device of the raindrop amount, the vehicle speed, the wiper operation speed, and the interlocking history by animation.

  The control device 100 waits for input of the decision making SW 600 for a predetermined period (S282), and then deletes the message on the display 400 (S283).

  Returning to FIG. 2, the control device 100 determines whether to automate (learn) the environment information and the link history based on the input result of the decision making SW 600 (S29). When it is determined that the driver does not learn (No in S29), the process returns to the wiper SW operation waiting state (S22).

  When the driver operates the decision making SW 600 to learn (Yes in S29), the control device 100 stores the environment information and the interlocking history information in the individual storage unit 101 (S30).

  When the operation position of the wiper SW 500 that is not included in the AREA learned so far is detected, the raindrop amount, the vehicle speed, and the operation position of the wiper SW 500 are plotted in FIG. Re-form. In addition, the newly detected linkage history is stored. In addition, when the driver operates the decision SW 600 when learning the interlocking history with which the driver competes in the state where the predetermined interlocking history is already learned for the same “operating position of the wiper SW 500, raindrop amount and vehicle speed”, The learned content becomes effective. When learning competing interlocking histories, attention may be given by a message.

  As described above, the control device 100 learns the operating condition of the front wiper, the in-vehicle device operated following the wiper, and the operation content thereof.

  In the description of FIG. 2, the learning is performed according to the start condition of the operation of the front wiper 10, but the same can be learned when the front wiper 10 is stopped. When the front wiper 10 is turned “OFF” in step S23, the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed are detected, and their relationship is learned by plotting as shown in FIG. Therefore, for example, a driver who turns off the wiper when stopping regardless of the amount of raindrops learns the environmental information.

  Since the wiper should not be stopped when the vehicle immediately travels even after stopping (such as blinker operation, re-running start, etc.), learning of wiper stop when the vehicle is stopped has no history of interlocking with other in-vehicle devices Alternatively, the vehicle may not be re-run for a predetermined time. With this learning, in the AUTO mode, even when the vehicle is stopped, the wiper can be automatically stopped when the vehicle is simply stopped, and the wiper can be kept operating when the vehicle is temporarily stopped.

  Next, automatic wiper control by the control device 100 in the “AUTO” mode will be described. When the driver sets the wiper SW 500 to “AUTO”, the wiper control device 1 enters the “AUTO” mode, and the control device 100 automatically activates / stops the wiper based on the control information.

  In the “AUTO” mode, the control device 100 detects the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed at a predetermined sampling interval, and determines whether or not the environment is suitable for the already learned environmental information (S41). For example, it is determined which corresponds to the rainfall and vehicle speed corresponding to AREA 1 to 4 in FIG.

  When the operation content of the wiper that matches the environmental information is extracted (Yes in S41), the control device 100 operates or stops the front wiper 10 (S42). That is, when the raindrop amount and vehicle speed of AREA 2 are detected, the control device 100 intermittently operates the front wiper 10 at a low speed, and when the raindrop amount and vehicle speed of AREA 3 is detected, the control device 100 causes the front wiper 10 to “LO”. When the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed of the AREA 4 are detected, the control device 100 operates the front wiper 10 at the speed of “HI”. Further, when the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed of AREA 1 are detected while the front wiper 10 is already operating, the control device 100 stops the front wiper 10.

  Next, the control device 100 determines whether or not a linkage history linked to the environment information is stored (S43). When the interlocking history linked to the environmental information is not stored (No in S43), the control device 100 returns to the standby state without controlling the other in-vehicle devices (S40).

  When interlocking history information linked to the environmental information is stored (Yes in S43), the control device 100 confirms with the driver whether or not to control the in-vehicle device in interlocking (S44). The control device 100 displays a confirmation message on the display 400. The message is, for example, “The front wiper has been activated. Do you want to activate the front defroster?”. When the driver depresses the decision making SW 600 or utters “activate” or the like by voice, the control device 100 acquires the interlocking history as information to be executed. Note that if the driver does not perform a predetermined operation such as pressing the determination SW 600, the control device 100 returns to a standby state after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  Next, the control device 100 determines whether or not to control the in-vehicle device of the interlocking history (S45). When executing the interlock history (Yes in S45), the control device 100 controls the in-vehicle device stored in conjunction with the operation / stop of the wiper (S46), and when not executing the interlock history (No in S45). ), The control device 100 returns to the standby state (S40).

  In addition, when the interlocking history is stored without confirming with the driver whether or not to control the in-vehicle device as in step S44, the in-vehicle device is directly controlled in conjunction with the operation / stop of the wiper. Also good. Since the driver's intention is confirmed in the manual mode, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling troublesome by performing the control without confirming again.

  As described above, the wiper control device 1 according to the present embodiment can learn the operation or stop of the wiper after confirming the driver's intention, so that it is not automatically learned without the driver's recognition. That is, only the operation of the wiper that the driver wants to be automatically controlled can be learned.

  In addition, when learning the interlock history that is linked to the wiper operation, and automatically controlling the wiper operation or stop in auto mode, the in-vehicle device that has been learned is automatically Therefore, it is convenient that the driver does not always have to perform a predetermined operation continuously. Note that the number of on-vehicle devices that operate in conjunction with each other is not limited to one, and a plurality of on-vehicle devices can be operated one after another as the front wiper 10 operates.

[Control of wiper after vehicle parking]
The driver may operate the wiper not only during traveling but also to operate the wiper while parking. For example, in a cold region, the wiper and the windshield may freeze during parking, or may be damaged by the weight of snow. In the tropics, the wiper blade may melt into the windshield.

  Therefore, a wiper control device that learns the operation of the wiper or wiper arm after parking the vehicle and automatically stands the wiper or wiper arm in the AUTO mode when the vehicle is parked will be described.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a schematic diagram of a front wiper of a vehicle. The front wiper is provided with a wiper composed of a pair of wiper blades 10b and a wiper arm 10a on the left and right, and one ends of the left and right wiper arms 10a are connected to each other by a link rod 10c. The connecting portions are connected to each other so that the wiper arm 10a can swing along the windshield. One wiper arm 10a is connected to a gear that meshes with the motor 61 via a link arm 10d. With such a structure, the left and right wiper arms operate in conjunction with one motor 61. Further, the link rod 10 c can be connected to the motor 62 via the clutch mechanism 63. The clutch mechanism 63 is connected with the wiper arm facing a predetermined position (preferably in a substantially vertical direction), and when the motor 62 rotates in the connected state, the left and right wiper arms 10a are separated from the windshield surface and stand upright.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a state transition diagram of wiper arm upright learning and automatic upright control. The control device 100 is in a state of waiting for the operation of the wiper SW 500 (S22), and determines whether the shift position is neutral and the side brake is turned on in this state (S51). This determination is to determine whether or not the vehicle is parked, and IG off may be used as the determination condition.

  When the shift position is neutral and the side brake is on (Yes in S51), the control device 100 determines whether or not the temperature outside the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (S52). If it is not such a temperature (No in S52), the control device 100 does not learn.

  When the temperature outside the vehicle is low or high (Yes in S52), it is determined whether or not the driver stands the wiper arm upright (S53). When standing upright, a confirmation mode similar to S281 to S283 is entered. That is, for example, a message “Do you want to learn how to erect the wiper arm while parking?” Is displayed, and the intention of the driver is confirmed by the intention confirmation SW 500. When the intention of learning is input by the driver (Yes in S55), the control device 100 learns the control of standing up the wiper arm during parking when the temperature is lower or higher than the predetermined temperature, and the individual storage unit 101 Is stored as environmental information (S56).

  In the “AUTO” mode, control device 100 determines whether or not the shift position is neutral and the side brake is on (S57). If the shift position is neutral and the side brake is on (Yes in S57), the controller 100 determines whether the temperature outside the vehicle is lower or higher than a predetermined temperature because there is a possibility that the vehicle is parked (S58). If the temperature is not lower or higher than the predetermined temperature, it is determined that there is no possibility of damaging the wiper blade or the like, and the process returns to the standby state (S40).

  When the temperature outside the vehicle is lower or higher than the predetermined temperature (Yes in S58), the control device 100 enters the confirmation mode, and confirms the driver's intention as to whether or not to erect the wiper arm during parking (S59). When the intention of standing upright is input by the driver (Yes in S60), the control device 100 waits for IG off (S61), and when the IG is turned off, stands up the wiper arm (S62).

  As described above, the wiper control device 1 according to the present embodiment can automatically stand the wiper arm upright when the vehicle is parked in a cold region or a tropical region. Can be prevented. When IG is turned on in a parked vehicle, the control device 100 automatically tilts the wiper arm and stores it in a predetermined position. When there is snow on the windshield during storage, the rain sensor 300 detects it and displays a message to remove the snow, so that the wiper is prevented from interfering with the snow during damage and being damaged.

[Wiper operation control based on position information]
When it is raining outside the vehicle but the vehicle is in some building, the rain sensor 300 does not detect raindrops, so the front wiper 10 stops, and when it goes outside, it detects raindrops and detects the front according to the control information. The wiper 10 is activated. However, if the conditions for operating the front wiper 10 are set when leaving the building, it is more convenient for the front wiper 10 to operate immediately before detecting raindrops. For example, when the vehicle is passing through a tunnel, it is clear that the front wiper 10 is operated after passing through the tunnel. Therefore, if the front wiper 10 is operated before the raindrop amount is detected by the rain sensor 300, the driver It is possible to operate the front wiper 10 by manual operation or to avoid a slight time lag until the operation in the “AUTO” mode.

  Therefore, the control device 100 acquires the position information of the host vehicle and learns the operation / stop of the wiper. That is, at the time of learning, the control device 100 estimates the position information of the own vehicle by car navigation, detects the relationship between the position of the tunnel and the vehicle on the map by well-known autonomous navigation and map matching, and sends it to the control device 100. .

  The control device 100 operates when the driver enters “OFF” when the amount of raindrops is no longer detected, and when the driver exits the tunnel and detects the amount of raindrops, the driver operates “Lo” or the like. Detect operations. Then, the control device 100 confirms with the driver whether or not to learn the operation of the wiper SW 500 associated with the tunnel, and when learning is input, when the decision is input, the position information and the operation position of the wiper SW 500 are individually stored. Store in the separate storage unit 101.

  The learning stored in the individual storage unit may be a predetermined tunnel traveled when learning is performed, or may be all tunnels. When learning about a predetermined tunnel, the learning result is used only for a tunnel that the driver has traveled once. When learning is performed for all tunnels, the learning result can be used even for a tunnel that has not traveled.

  In the “AUTO” mode, the control device 100 detects position information from the car navigation system while traveling. When raindrops are no longer detected at the entrance of the tunnel, the control device 100 stops the front wiper 10 and remembers that there is rainfall outside the tunnel. Then, when the vehicle approaches the exit of the tunnel, the front wiper 10 is automatically activated, so that the front wiper 10 can be activated before the rain sensor 300 detects raindrops.

  In addition, if the driver wants to operate the wiper intermittently, for example, in the tunnel, if the location information of the tunnel and the wiper operation information are stored, even if the amount of raindrops is almost zero, the driver automatically Intermittent operation is possible.

  As described above, it is possible to control the wiper according to not only the amount of raindrops but also the position by using the position information, and the driver's favorite wiper operation is automatically executed, making the driver more comfortable You can travel.

  As described above, the wiper control device 1 according to the present embodiment reflects the driver's will, and can store the wiper control content for each driver, automatically activating or stopping the wiper, and further interlocking with it. The in-vehicle device can be operated. Further, when the vehicle is parked as well as traveling, the wiper arm can be automatically set upright. Further, the wiper can be automatically controlled according to the traveling position of the vehicle.

It is an example of the block diagram of a wiper control apparatus. It is an example of the block diagram of a wiper control apparatus. The state transition diagram of a wiper control device is shown. It is a figure which shows an example of the user information displayed on the display. It is a figure which shows an example of the environmental information stored by learning the operation position of the wiper SW500 by the driver in association with the raindrop amount and the vehicle speed. It is a figure which shows an example of the interlocking history which recorded the vehicle-mounted apparatus operated following operation of wiper SW, and the operation content. It is a figure which shows the procedure in which a control apparatus confirms an intention with a driver | operator in confirmation mode. It is an example of the schematic diagram of the front wiper of a vehicle. It is an example of the state transition diagram of the upright learning and automatic upright control of a wiper arm.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wiper control apparatus 10 Front wiper & washer 20 Rear wiper & washer 30 Front defroster 40 Conlight 50 Auto window 100 Control apparatus 101 Personal storage part 200 Personal identification apparatus 201 Smart key 300 Rain sensor 301 Vehicle speed sensor
400 Display 500 Wiper SW
600 Decision SW
700 Door open / close detection SW

Claims (6)

Raindrop amount detection means for detecting the amount of raindrop;
Wiper to wipe raindrops,
An authentication means for authenticating the driver;
An individual storage unit that stores the wiper control information for each driver in association with the raindrop amount;
A control device for controlling the operation or stop of the wiper based on the raindrop amount detected by the raindrop amount detection means and the control information stored in the individual storage unit;
When the wiper is operated, input means for inputting whether or not the operation information of the wiper is associated with the raindrop amount detected by the raindrop amount detection unit and stored in the control information;
A wiper control device comprising: After the operation of the wiper, having an in-vehicle device operation detection means for detecting the operation of the in-vehicle device within a predetermined time,
When it is input by the input means that the operation information of the wiper is stored in the control information,
The control device stores, together with the operation information of the wiper, interlocking history information indicating the operation content of the in-vehicle device detected by the in-vehicle device operation detecting unit in the individual storage unit for each driver.
The wiper control device according to claim 1. When the control device controls the wiper based on the control information, the control device controls the in-vehicle device based on the interlocking history information.
The wiper control device according to claim 2.   4. The wiper control device according to claim 2, wherein the on-vehicle device is at least one of a rear wiper, a defroster, a lighting device, and a window. Air temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature outside the vehicle;
Wiper arm upright control means for erecting the wiper arm of the wiper;
When the temperature detected by the temperature detection means is lower or higher than a predetermined value, and when the operation information for erecting the wiper arm by the input means is input to be stored in the individual storage unit,
The control device stores the operation information of the wiper arm in the individual storage unit.
The wiper control device according to claim 1. When the vehicle is parked,
The control device controls the wiper arm upright based on the operation information of the wiper arm stored in the individual storage unit when the temperature detected by the temperature detection means is lower or higher than a predetermined temperature.
The wiper control device according to claim 5.

Images