JP7575334B2 - vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle equipped with a heating device that heats windows to prevent them from fogging up.

Vehicles are known that are equipped with a heating device that heats the windows to prevent them from fogging up.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle equipped with a heater capable of heating a window member, a power receiving means for receiving power from an external power supply device, and a control means for controlling the heater to an operating state when the power receiving means is receiving power from the power supply device.

JP 2020-111121 A

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, the environment in which the vehicle is placed determines whether or not the heater needs to be operated, and if it is determined that the heater needs to be operated, the heater is controlled to be in an operating state. With this type of control, it is difficult to accurately determine whether or not the heater needs to be operated on the route to the vehicle's destination, and there is a risk that window fogging cannot be effectively suppressed.

In view of the above background, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle that can effectively prevent fogging of windows.

In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle (1) that includes an image capture device (10) that captures an image of an exterior space (SP2) from an interior space (SP1) through a window (6), a route setting device (18) that sets a route to the destination of the vehicle based on map information, a weather information acquisition device (18) that acquires weather information on the route from an external source, a heating device (19) that heats the window to prevent fogging of the window, and a control device (26) that controls the heating device, and the control device determines whether or not a recommended operation section where operation of the heating device is recommended exists on the route based on the route information and the weather information, and if the recommended operation section exists on the route, starts operation of the heating device before the vehicle reaches the recommended operation section.

According to this aspect, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not a recommended operation section exists on the route based on route information and weather information. Furthermore, if a recommended operation section exists on the route, the heating device can be preliminarily operated to raise the window temperature before the vehicle reaches the recommended operation section. This makes it possible to effectively prevent the windows from fogging up.

In the above aspect, the vehicle further includes a battery (24) that supplies power to the heating device and a power generation device (25) that generates power to be stored in the battery, and the control device may estimate the power consumption of the heating device in the recommended operation section when the recommended operation section is present on the route, and control the power generation device based on the estimated power consumption.

According to this aspect, the power generation device can generate an appropriate amount of power based on an estimated value of the power consumption of the heating device in the recommended operation section. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the power generation device generates an amount of power that exceeds the capacity of the battery, and to suppress energy loss due to the operation of the power generation device.

In the above aspect, the control device may determine whether the battery's charging rate falls below a predetermined lower limit in the recommended operation section based on the estimated power consumption, and if it determines that the battery's charging rate falls below the lower limit in the recommended operation section, may start operation of the power generation device to increase the battery's charging rate before the vehicle reaches the recommended operation section.

Normally, to operate a heating device, it is necessary to supply a relatively large amount of power from the battery to the heating device. Therefore, if operation of the power generation device is started after the vehicle reaches the recommended operation section, there is a risk that the battery's charging rate will fall below the lower limit in the recommended operation section. According to the above aspect, in consideration of such a situation, operation of the power generation device is started as necessary before the vehicle reaches the recommended operation section. Therefore, even if a relatively large amount of power is consumed to operate the heating device, the battery's charging rate can be maintained at an appropriate value.

In the above aspect, the vehicle further includes a failure sensor (45) that detects a failure of the heating device and an alarm device (17) that notifies the occupants of the failure of the heating device. When the failure sensor detects a failure of the heating device and the recommended operation section does not exist on the route (ST1: No), the control device prohibits the alarm device from notifying the failure of the heating device until a predetermined condition is satisfied (ST5, ST6: Yes), and when the failure sensor detects a failure of the heating device and the recommended operation section exists on the route (ST1: Yes), the control device may permit the alarm device to notify the failure of the heating device regardless of whether the predetermined condition is satisfied (ST2).

According to this aspect, if the recommended operation section does not exist on the route, notification of a failure of the heating device is prohibited until the specified condition is met. This makes it possible to prevent occupants from being inconvenienced by notifications of a failure of the heating device. On the other hand, if the recommended operation section exists on the route, notification of a failure of the heating device is permitted regardless of whether the specified condition is met. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the vehicle passes through a recommended operation section with a failed heating device.

In the above aspect, the control device may operate the heating device when a predetermined operating condition is met, and if the failure sensor detects a failure of the heating device, the recommended operating section is not present on the route (ST1: No), and the vehicle arrives at the destination without the operating condition being met (ST5: No) (ST6: Yes), the control device may allow the notification device to notify of the failure of the heating device when the vehicle arrives at the destination.

This aspect can prevent occupants from being annoyed by notifications of a heating device failure until the vehicle reaches its destination.

In the above aspect, if the failure sensor detects a failure of the heating device, the recommended operation section is not present on the route (ST1: No), and the operation condition is met before the vehicle arrives at the destination (ST5: Yes), the control device may allow the notification device to notify of the failure of the heating device when the operation condition is met.

This aspect makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the occupants do not notice a malfunction in the heating device even though the operating conditions of the heating device are met.

In the above aspect, the control device may control the heating device by PWM control, and set the duty ratio of the heating device until the vehicle reaches the recommended operation section to be lower than the duty ratio of the heating device while the vehicle is traveling in the recommended operation section.

This aspect makes it possible to prevent large amounts of power from being consumed by preliminary operation of the heating device until the vehicle reaches the recommended operating section.

In the above aspect, the weather information acquired from the outside by the weather information acquisition device may include the weather information for each section on the route at the predicted passage time, and the weather information for each section on the route at a time that is a predetermined time prior to the predicted passage time.

According to this aspect, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not a recommended operation section exists on the route based on route information and weather information.

The above configuration provides an anti-fogging system that can effectively prevent fogging of windows.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a front window and its surrounding area according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a vehicle and a weather information server according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a control flow for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the charging rate of a battery and the position of a vehicle on a route according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a flowchart showing a failure notification control according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Vehicle 1>
First, a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

Referring to FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment is an automobile. The vehicle 1 has a vehicle body 2 that is long in the front-rear direction. An interior space SP1 is formed inside the vehicle body 2, and a passenger compartment 3 for accommodating passengers is provided in the center of the interior space SP1 in the front-rear direction. The passenger compartment 3 is provided with, for example, a number of front seats 4 (driver's seat, passenger seat) and a number of rear seats 5 arranged behind the front seats 4. Note that, although two rows of seats are provided in the front-rear direction in this embodiment, in other embodiments, only one row of seats may be provided in the front-rear direction, or three or more rows of seats may be provided in the front-rear direction.

At the front of the vehicle body 2, a windshield 6 (an example of a window) is provided in front of the front seats 4. The windshield 6 is made of glass. In other embodiments, the windshield 6 may be made of a transparent material other than glass (for example, a transparent resin). At the rear of the vehicle body 2, a rear window 7 is provided behind the rear seats 5. On both sides of the vehicle body 2, a number of side doors 8 are provided beside the front seats 4 and the rear seats 5, and a side window 9 is provided at the top of each side door 8.

1 and 2, a front camera 10 (an example of an imaging device) is provided at the upper rear of the windshield 6. The front camera 10 is a device that captures an image of an external space SP2 (in this embodiment, the space in front of the vehicle 1) from an internal space SP1 through the windshield 6. The front camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera that uses a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS. The front camera 10 includes a lens that converges light incident from the front through the windshield 6, and a sensor that converts the light converged by the lens into an electrical signal. Note that the arrow P in FIG. 2 indicates the field of view (capturing range) of the front camera 10.

Referring to FIG. 2, the front camera 10 is attached to the inner surface of the front window 6 via a bracket 11. The bracket 11 includes a main body 12 arranged around the front camera 10, and a hood 13 extending forward from the main body 12. The main body 12 is fixed to the inner surface of the front window 6. The hood 13, together with the front window 6, surrounds the space in front of the lens of the front camera 10. The hood 13 includes a bottom wall 13A extending in the left-right direction, and left and right side walls 13B (only the right side wall 13B is shown in FIG. 2) extending upward from both left and right ends of the bottom wall 13A.

Referring to FIG. 3, the vehicle 1 includes a propulsion device 14, a braking device 15, a steering device 16, an HMI 17 (Human Machine Interface: an example of an alarm device), a navigation device 18 (an example of a route setting device and a weather information acquisition device), a heating device 19, an air conditioning device 20, an occupant sensor 21, an external sensor 22, a vehicle sensor 23, a battery 24, a power generation device 25, and a control device 26.

The propulsion device 14 is a device that provides driving force to the vehicle 1. The propulsion device 14 includes, for example, an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine or a diesel engine and/or an electric motor.

The brake device 15 is a device that applies a braking force to the vehicle 1. The brake device 15 includes, for example, a brake caliper that presses a pad against a brake rotor, and an electric cylinder that supplies hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper.

The steering device 16 is a device that changes the steering angle of the wheels. The steering device 16 includes, for example, a rack-and-pinion mechanism that steers the wheels and an electric motor that drives the rack-and-pinion mechanism.

The HMI 17 is a device that notifies the occupant of various information (e.g., a failure of the heating device 19) and accepts input operations from the occupant. The HMI 17 includes, for example, a touch panel, a voice generating device, an ignition switch, etc.

The navigation device 18 is a device that provides route guidance to the destination of the vehicle 1. The navigation device 18 includes an input device that accepts input operations from the occupant. This input device may be configured as part of the HMI 17, or may be provided separately from the HMI 17. The navigation device 18 stores map information. The navigation device 18 identifies the current position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle 1 based on a signal received from an artificial satellite. The navigation device 18 sets a route from the departure point of the vehicle 1 (e.g., the current position) to the destination based on the map information, the current position of the vehicle 1, and the destination of the vehicle 1 input by the occupant to the input device.

The navigation device 18 is connected to a weather information server 27 provided outside the vehicle 1 via a network N such as the Internet. The navigation device 18 obtains weather information for each section on the route from the weather information server 27.

The heating device 19 is a device that prevents fogging of the windshield 6 by heating the windshield 6. Referring to FIG. 2, the heating device 19 is composed of a plurality of metallic heating wires 28 that contact the inner surface of the windshield 6. It is preferable that at least a portion of the plurality of heating wires 28 is disposed within the field of view of the front camera 10 (see arrow P in FIG. 2). In another embodiment, the heating device 19 may be composed of a transparent film such as an ITO film (Indium Tin Oxide Film). In another embodiment, the heating device 19 may be built into the windshield 6, or may face the windshield 6 with a gap therebetween.

Referring to FIG. 3, the air conditioner 20 is a device that adjusts the air in the vehicle interior space SP1. The air conditioner 20 includes a duct connected to the vehicle interior space SP1 and the vehicle exterior space SP2, an evaporator and a heater core installed in the duct, a blower fan that generates an air flow in the duct, and an electric motor that drives the blower fan. The air conditioner 20 is configured to be able to switch the air volume (the rotation speed of the blower fan) and the air conditioning mode. The above air conditioning modes include, for example, an outside air introduction mode that introduces air from the vehicle exterior space SP2 into the vehicle interior space SP1, an inside air circulation mode that circulates air from the vehicle interior space SP1, and a defroster mode that blows air toward the windshield 6.

The occupant sensor 21 is a sensor that detects the riding state of an occupant. The occupant sensor 21 includes a seat belt sensor 35 that detects whether the occupant has fastened the seat belt, and an occupant camera 36 that photographs the occupant.

The external sensor 22 is a sensor that detects objects (e.g., obstacles and markings on the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling) present in the vehicle exterior space SP2. The external sensor 22 includes the front camera 10, the sonar 38, and the exterior camera 39 described above.

The vehicle sensor 23 is a sensor that detects the state of the interior space SP1, the state of the exterior space SP2, the running state of the vehicle 1, the state of the heating device 19, the state of the battery 24, etc. The vehicle sensor 23 includes an interior temperature sensor 41 that detects the temperature of the interior space SP1 (hereinafter referred to as the "interior temperature"), an interior humidity sensor 42 that detects the humidity of the interior space SP1 (hereinafter referred to as the "interior humidity"), an exterior temperature sensor 43 that detects the temperature of the exterior space SP2 (hereinafter referred to as the "exterior temperature"), a vehicle speed sensor 44 that detects the vehicle speed, a failure sensor 45 that detects a failure of the heating device 19, and a battery sensor 46 that detects the charging rate (SOC: State Of Charge) of the battery 24. The failure sensor 45 detects a failure of the heating device 19 based on, for example, the temperature and/or resistance value of the heating device 19. The battery sensor 46 detects the charging rate of the battery 24 based on, for example, the current value, voltage value, and/or temperature of the battery 24.

The battery 24 is a device that supplies power to each component of the vehicle 1 (e.g., the heating device 19). The battery 24 is composed of a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery.

The power generation device 25 is a device that generates electric power to be stored in the battery 24. The power generation device 25 is, for example, configured with an alternator connected to the internal combustion engine of the propulsion device 14, and is connected to the battery 24 via an AC/DC converter. Note that, in other embodiments, the power generation device 25 may be configured with an electric motor of the propulsion device 14. That is, in other embodiments, regenerative electric power generated by the electric motor of the propulsion device 14 may be stored in the battery 24.

The control device 26 is an electronic control unit composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. The control device 26 is connected to each component of the vehicle 1 via a communication network such as a Controller Area Network (CAN), and controls each component of the vehicle 1.

The control device 26 includes an external environment recognition unit 52, a driving control unit 53, an anti-fogging control unit 54, a power generation control unit 55, an action planning unit 56, and a memory unit 57.

The external environment recognition unit 52 of the control device 26 recognizes the position of targets (e.g., obstacles and markings on the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling) that exist in the vehicle exterior space SP2 based on the detection results of the external environment sensor 22. For example, the external environment recognition unit 52 recognizes the position of targets that exist in front of the vehicle 1 by analyzing changes in density values on the image captured by the front camera 10.

The driving control unit 53 of the control device 26 controls the driving of the vehicle 1 based on the detection results of the external sensor 22 and the vehicle sensor 23. For example, when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 44 is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold speed, the driving control unit 53 executes lane keeping control based on the position of the dividing line recognized by the external recognition unit 52. In the lane keeping control, the driving control unit 53 controls the steering device 16 so that the vehicle 1 drives at a reference position (e.g., the center of the lane width direction) within the lane divided by the dividing line. In addition, when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 44 is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold speed, the driving control unit 53 executes collision mitigation control based on the position of the obstacle recognized by the external recognition unit 52. In the collision mitigation control, the driving control unit 53 controls the brake device 15 so that a collision between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle is avoided or mitigated.

The defogging control unit 54 of the control device 26 controls the heating device 19 to suppress fogging of the front windshield 6. For example, the defogging control unit 54 controls the heating device 19 by PWM control based on the detection results of the vehicle sensor 23, etc.

The anti-fogging control unit 54 of the control device 26 operates the heating device 19 when a predetermined operating condition is met. The operating condition includes, for example, a condition that the temperature outside the vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold temperature. Note that, in other embodiments, the operating condition may include a condition related to a parameter other than the temperature outside the vehicle (for example, the temperature difference between the interior space SP1 and the exterior space SP2).

The power generation control unit 55 of the control device 26 controls the power generation device 25 based on the charging rate of the battery 24 detected by the battery sensor 46. For example, the power generation control unit 55 sets a lower limit and an upper limit for the charging rate of the battery 24, and switches between operating/stopping the power generation device 25 and the amount of power generation per unit time so that the charging rate of the battery 24 falls between the lower limit and the upper limit.

The action planning unit 56 of the control device 26 creates an action plan for driving the vehicle 1 to the destination along the route set by the navigation device 18.

The storage unit 57 of the control device 26 is composed of a memory, a HDD, etc. The storage unit 57 stores programs, tables, etc. necessary for controlling the vehicle 1.

<Control flow>
Next, an example of a control flow in the vehicle 1 as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the occupant turns the ignition switch ON (IG-ON). This starts the vehicle 1. Next, the occupant inputs the destination of the vehicle 1 into the input device of the navigation device 18. Once the occupant has completed inputting the destination, the navigation device 18 sets a route from the departure point of the vehicle 1 (e.g., the current position) to the destination based on the map information, the current position of the vehicle 1, and the destination. Furthermore, the navigation device 18 sets the estimated time when the vehicle 1 will pass each section on the route (hereinafter referred to as the "estimated passage time") and the estimated time when the vehicle 1 will arrive at the destination (hereinafter referred to as the "estimated arrival time") based on the set route. Hereinafter, information related to the route, estimated passage time, and estimated arrival time set by the navigation device 18 will be referred to as "route information."

Next, the navigation device 18 transmits a signal requesting weather information along the route together with the route information to the weather information server 27. In response, the weather information server 27 transmits the weather information along the route to the navigation device 18. The weather information along the route that the weather information server 27 transmits to the navigation device 18 includes, for example, the following information 1 to 4.
[Information 1] Temperature, humidity, and weather at each section on the route at the estimated passage time; [Information 2] Weather at each section on the route at a time a specified time back from the estimated passage time (hereinafter referred to as the "reference passage time"); [Information 3] Temperature, humidity, and weather at the destination at the estimated arrival time; [Information 4] Weather at the destination at a time a specified time back from the estimated arrival time (hereinafter referred to as the "reference arrival time");

Next, the navigation device 18 transmits the route information and weather information along the route to the control device 26 via a gateway (not shown). In response, the action planning unit 56 of the control device 26 determines whether or not there is a recommended operation section along the route where operation of the heating device 19 is recommended, based on the route information and the weather information along the route (operation recommendation determination).

The action planning unit 56 determines that a recommended operation section exists on the route when, for example, at least one of the following conditions 1 to 5 is satisfied.
[Condition 1] The temperature at each section on the route at the estimated time of passing and/or the temperature at the destination at the estimated time of arrival is below a predetermined standard temperature. [Condition 2] The humidity at each section on the route at the estimated time of passing and/or the temperature at the destination at the estimated time of arrival is above a predetermined standard humidity. [Condition 3] The weather at each section on the route at the estimated time of passing and/or the weather at the destination at the estimated time of arrival is a predetermined recommended operation weather (e.g., rain or snow). [Condition 4] The weather at each section on the route at the reference time of passing and/or the weather at the destination at the reference time of arrival is the above-mentioned recommended operation weather. [Condition 5] The altitude of the destination is higher than the altitude of the departure point by a predetermined standard height or more.

When at least one of the above conditions 1 to 4 is met for the temperature, humidity, or weather of a section on the route, the action planning unit 56 may set that section as a recommended operation section. When at least one of the above conditions 1 to 4 is met for the temperature, humidity, or weather of the destination, the action planning unit 56 may set the section on the route that is closest to the destination as a recommended operation section. When the above condition 5 is met, the action planning unit 56 may set all sections on the route where the condition is met (i.e., sections that include points that are at least as high as the reference height above the starting point) as recommended operation sections.

Next, the action planning unit 56 creates an action plan for the vehicle 1 on the route based on the result of the above-mentioned operation recommendation judgment. The action plan includes a plan regarding the operation/stop timing of the heating device 19, a plan regarding the duty ratio of the heating device 19, a plan regarding the operation/stop timing of the power generation device 25, a plan regarding the operation rate (power generation rate) of the power generation device 25, etc.

When a recommended operation section is present on the route, the action planning unit 56 creates an action plan so that operation of the heating device 19 is started before the vehicle 1 reaches the recommended operation section. For example, the action planning unit 56 may estimate the time when the vehicle 1 will reach the recommended operation section, and create an action plan so that operation of the heating device 19 is started a predetermined time before the estimated time. The action planning unit 56 may set an action plan so that the duty ratio of the heating device 19 in sections before the recommended operation section (closer to the departure point) is lower than the duty ratio of the heating device 19 in the recommended operation section.

When a recommended operation section is present on the route, the action planning unit 56 estimates the power consumption of the heating device 19 in the recommended operation section (hereinafter referred to as "heating power consumption"). For example, the lower the temperature of the recommended operation section at the predicted passage time, the higher the heating power consumption estimated by the action planning unit 56. Also, the lower the humidity of the recommended operation section at the predicted passage time, the higher the heating power consumption estimated by the action planning unit 56.

Referring to FIG. 5, when a recommended operation section is present on the route, the action planning unit 56 estimates the progress of the charging rate of the battery 24 in the recommended operation section based on the heating power consumption, and determines whether the charging rate of the battery 24 falls below the lower limit in the recommended operation section. When it is determined that the charging rate of the battery 24 falls below the lower limit in the recommended operation section (see solid line L1 in FIG. 5), the action planning unit 56 creates an action plan to start operation of the power generation device 25 to increase the charging rate of the battery 24 before the vehicle 1 reaches the recommended operation section (see dashed line L2 in FIG. 5).

When the action plan unit 56 has completed creating the action plan and the vehicle 1 has started traveling, the defogging control unit 54 of the control device 26 controls the heating device 19 based on the action plan created by the action plan unit 56. For example, if a recommended operation section is present on the route, the defogging control unit 54 starts operation of the heating device 19 using power from the battery 24 before the vehicle 1 reaches the recommended operation section, and raises the temperature of the front window 6. However, the defogging control unit 54 sets the duty ratio of the heating device 19 until the vehicle 1 reaches the recommended operation section to be lower than the duty ratio of the heating device 19 while the vehicle 1 is traveling in the recommended operation section.

Furthermore, when the vehicle 1 starts traveling, the power generation control unit 55 controls the power generation device 25 based on the action plan created by the action planning unit 56. More specifically, when a recommended operation section exists on the route, the power generation control unit 55 controls the power generation device 25 based on the heating power consumption (power consumption of the heating device 19 in the recommended operation section). For example, when a recommended operation section exists on the route and the charging rate of the battery 24 falls below a lower limit value in the recommended operation section, the power generation control unit 55 starts operation of the power generation device 25 before the vehicle 1 reaches the recommended operation section (i.e., causes the power generation device 25 to start generating electricity). As a result, the battery 24 is charged by the power supplied from the power generation device 25 to the battery 24 before the vehicle 1 reaches the recommended operation section, and the charging rate of the battery 24 increases.

As described above, when a recommended operation section is present on the route, the defogging control unit 54 starts operation of the heating device 19 before the vehicle 1 reaches the recommended operation section. This allows the heating device 19 to be preliminarily operated before the vehicle 1 reaches the recommended operation section, thereby raising the temperature of the windshield 6. This makes it possible to effectively suppress fogging of the windshield 6.

The anti-fogging control unit 54 also sets the duty ratio of the heating device 19 until the vehicle 1 reaches the recommended operation section to be lower than the duty ratio of the heating device 19 while the vehicle 1 is traveling in the recommended operation section. This makes it possible to prevent large amounts of power from being consumed by preliminary operation of the heating device 19 until the vehicle 1 reaches the recommended operation section.

In addition, when a recommended operation section is present on the route, the power generation control unit 55 controls the power generation device 25 based on the heating power consumption (power consumption of the heating device 19 in the recommended operation section). This allows the power generation device 25 to generate an appropriate amount of power based on an estimated value of the power consumption of the heating device 19 in the recommended operation section. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the power generation device 25 generates an amount of power that exceeds the capacity of the battery 24, and suppresses energy loss due to the operation of the power generation device 25.

Normally, in order to operate the heating device 19, it is necessary to supply a relatively large amount of power from the battery 24 to the heating device 19. Therefore, if the operation of the power generation device 25 is started after the vehicle 1 reaches the recommended operation section, there is a risk that the charging rate of the battery 24 will fall below the lower limit in the recommended operation section. Therefore, when it is estimated that the charging rate of the battery 24 will fall below the lower limit in the recommended operation section, the power generation control unit 55 starts operation of the power generation device 25 to increase the charging rate of the battery 24 before the vehicle 1 reaches the recommended operation section (see dashed line L2 in Figure 5). Therefore, even if a relatively large amount of power is consumed to operate the heating device 19, the charging rate of the battery 24 can be maintained at an appropriate value.

In addition, the weather information that the navigation device 18 obtains from the external weather information server 27 includes weather information for each section on the route at the predicted passing time, and weather information for each section on the route at the reference passing time (a time a predetermined time back from the predicted passing time). Therefore, it is possible to predict not only whether it will rain or snow in each section on the route at the predicted passing time, but also whether there will be rainwater or snow remaining in each section on the route at the predicted passing time. This makes it possible to more accurately determine whether a recommended operating section exists on the route, based on the route information and weather information on the route.

<Fault notification control>
Next, the failure notification control executed by the action planning unit 56 of the control device 26 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The failure notification control is a control for determining whether or not to notify the occupant of a failure of the heating device 19 when the failure sensor 45 detects a failure of the heating device 19. The following description is given on the assumption that the vehicle 1 is stopped at the departure point when the failure notification control is started, but in other embodiments, the vehicle 1 may already have started traveling when the failure notification control is started.

When the fault notification control is started, the action planning unit 56 determines whether or not a recommended operation section exists on the route (step ST1). The determination in step ST1 is the same as the operation recommendation determination in the control flow described above, so a description thereof will be omitted.

If a recommended operation section exists on the route (step ST1: Yes), the action planning unit 56 notifies the HMI 17 of a failure of the heating device 19 (step ST2). For example, the action planning unit 56 displays a message indicating that the heating device 19 has failed on the touch panel of the HMI 17.

On the other hand, if the recommended operating section does not exist on the route (step ST1: No), the action planning unit 56 starts driving the vehicle 1 without notifying the HMI 17 of a failure of the heating device 19 (step ST3).

Next, the action planning unit 56 acquires the outside vehicle temperature based on the detection result of the outside vehicle temperature sensor 43 (step ST4).

Next, the behavior planning unit 56 determines whether the operating conditions of the heating device 19 are met. For example, if the outside-vehicle temperature acquired in step ST4 is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold temperature (20°C in this embodiment), the behavior planning unit 56 determines that the operating conditions of the heating device 19 are met. On the other hand, if the outside-vehicle temperature acquired in step ST4 is higher than the threshold temperature, the behavior planning unit 56 determines that the operating conditions of the heating device 19 are not met.

If the operating conditions of the heating device 19 are met (step ST5: Yes), the action planning unit 56 notifies the HMI 17 of a failure of the heating device 19 (step ST2).

On the other hand, if the operating conditions of the heating device 19 are not met (step ST5: No), the action planning unit 56 determines whether the vehicle 1 has arrived at the destination (step ST6). If the vehicle 1 has arrived at the destination (step ST6: Yes), the action planning unit 56 notifies the HMI 17 of a failure of the heating device 19 (step ST2). On the other hand, if the vehicle 1 has not arrived at the destination (step ST6: No), the action planning unit 56 repeats steps ST4 to ST6 while the vehicle 1 continues to travel.

As described above, when the failure sensor 45 detects a failure of the heating device 19 and there is no recommended operation section on the route, the action planning unit 56 prohibits the HMI 17 from reporting the failure of the heating device 19 until a predetermined condition (see steps ST5 and ST6) is met. This makes it possible to prevent the occupants from being annoyed by the notification of the failure of the heating device 19.

On the other hand, if the failure sensor 45 detects a failure of the heating device 19 and a recommended operation section is present on the route, the action planning unit 56 allows the HMI 17 to notify of the failure of the heating device 19 regardless of whether or not a predetermined condition is met. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the vehicle 1 passes through a recommended operation section with a failed heating device 19.

In addition, if the failure sensor 45 detects a failure of the heating device 19, there is no recommended operation section on the route, and the vehicle 1 arrives at the destination without the operation conditions being met, the action planning unit 56 allows the HMI 17 to notify the driver of the failure of the heating device 19 when the vehicle 1 arrives at the destination. This makes it possible to prevent the occupants from being annoyed by notifications of the failure of the heating device 19 until the vehicle 1 reaches the destination.

In addition, if the failure sensor 45 detects a failure of the heating device 19, there is no recommended operating section on the route, and the operating conditions are met before the vehicle 1 arrives at the destination, the action planning unit 56 allows the HMI 17 to notify of the failure of the heating device 19 when the operating conditions are met. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the occupants do not notice the failure of the heating device 19 even though the operating conditions of the heating device 19 are met.

In the above embodiment, the anti-fogging system X prevents fogging of the front window 6, but in other embodiments, the anti-fogging system X may also prevent fogging of the rear window 7 or the side window 9. In other words, in the above embodiment, the front camera 10 is an example of an image capturing device, but in other embodiments, a rear camera or a side camera (neither of which are shown) may be an example of an image capturing device.

This concludes the explanation of the specific embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment or modified examples, and can be implemented in a wide variety of variations.

1: Vehicle 6: Front window (example of a window)
10: Front camera (an example of a photographing device)
17: HMI (an example of an alarm device)
18: Navigation device (an example of a route setting device and a weather information acquisition device)
19: Heating device 24: Battery 25: Power generation device 26: Control device 45: Failure sensor SP1: Vehicle interior space SP2: Vehicle exterior space

Claims (7)

An imaging device that captures an image of an exterior space of the vehicle through a window from an interior space of the vehicle;
A route setting device that sets a route to a destination of a vehicle based on map information;
a weather information acquisition device that acquires weather information on the route from an external source;
a heating device for heating the window to suppress fogging of the window;
A control device for controlling the heating device,
The control device determines whether or not a recommended operation section in which operation of the heating device is recommended exists on the route based on information about the route and the weather information, and if the recommended operation section exists on the route, starts operation of the heating device before the vehicle reaches the recommended operation section .
a battery for supplying power to the heating device;
A power generation device that generates the power stored in the battery,
The control device, when the recommended operation section is present on the route, estimates the power consumption of the heating device in the recommended operation section, and controls the power generation device based on the estimated power consumption. The vehicle described in claim 1, characterized in that the control device determines whether the battery's charging rate will fall below a predetermined lower limit value in the recommended operation section based on the estimated power consumption, and if it determines that the battery's charging rate will fall below the lower limit value in the recommended operation section , starts operation of the power generation device to increase the battery's charging rate before the vehicle reaches the recommended operation section. An imaging device that captures an image of an exterior space of the vehicle through a window from an interior space of the vehicle;
A route setting device that sets a route to a destination of a vehicle based on map information;
a weather information acquisition device that acquires weather information on the route from an external source;
a heating device for heating the window to suppress fogging of the window;
A control device for controlling the heating device,
The control device determines whether or not a recommended operation section in which operation of the heating device is recommended exists on the route based on information about the route and the weather information, and if the recommended operation section exists on the route, starts operation of the heating device before the vehicle reaches the recommended operation section.
a fault sensor for detecting a fault in the heating device;
An alarm device that notifies an occupant of a failure of the heating device,
When the failure sensor detects a failure of the heating device and the recommended operation section is not present on the route, the control device prohibits the notification device from notifying the failure of the heating device until a predetermined condition is satisfied,
A vehicle characterized in that, when the failure sensor detects a failure of the heating device and the recommended operation section is present on the route , the control device allows the alarm device to alert of the failure of the heating device regardless of whether the specified condition is met. The control device operates the heating device when a predetermined operating condition is satisfied,
The vehicle described in claim 3, characterized in that when the failure sensor detects a failure of the heating device, the recommended operation section is not present on the route, and the vehicle arrives at the destination without the operation condition being satisfied, the control device allows the alarm device to notify of the failure of the heating device when the vehicle arrives at the destination . The vehicle described in claim 4, characterized in that when the failure sensor detects a failure of the heating device, the recommended operation section is not present on the route, and the operation conditions are met before the vehicle arrives at the destination, the control device allows the alarm device to notify of the failure of the heating device when the operation conditions are met. An imaging device that captures an image of an exterior space of the vehicle through a window from an interior space of the vehicle;
A route setting device that sets a route to a destination of a vehicle based on map information;
a weather information acquisition device that acquires weather information on the route from an external source;
a heating device for heating the window to suppress fogging of the window;
A control device for controlling the heating device,
The control device determines whether or not a recommended operation section in which operation of the heating device is recommended exists on the route based on information about the route and the weather information, and if the recommended operation section exists on the route, starts operation of the heating device before the vehicle reaches the recommended operation section.
The control device controls the heating device by PWM control, and sets the duty ratio of the heating device until the vehicle reaches the recommended operation section to be lower than the duty ratio of the heating device while the vehicle is traveling through the recommended operation section. The vehicle described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition device from outside includes the weather information for each section on the route at a predicted time of passage, and the weather information for each section on the route at a time that is a predetermined time prior to the predicted time of passage.

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