VEHICLE CONTROLLER

• US 20160039414A1
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kawai, Nobuharu
• Granted Patent: US 9,421,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0215 Sensor drifts or sensor failures
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2400/00 Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/00 Indexing codes relating to the type of sensors based on the principle of their operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2422/00 Indexing codes relating to the special location or mounting of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/04 Monitoring the functioning of the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/045 Monitoring control system parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/709 : Circuitry for control of the power supply

Abstract

When a temperature T detected by a thermistor built inside a camera unit exceeds a preset temperature T1, at least a process, among processes executed by a CPU built inside the camera unit, that relates only to LKA or AHB (such as a white line recognizing process) is stopped. Then, the amount of heat generated by the CPU decreases, whereby the temperature inside the housing also decreases. In this way, even when the PCS control is continuously performed by continuing electric power supply to an imaging element in the camera unit, performance of the imaging element can be maintained in some cases, thus allowing the electric power supply to the imaging element to continue in a satisfactory manner for a long period.

Claims

1. A vehicle controller, comprising:

an image sensor capturing an image of an area ahead of a vehicle;

a first controller portion executing a first, a second and a third processes for the image captured by the image sensor, the first process being a control for preventing the vehicle from colliding with obstacles ahead thereof, the second process being a control for preventing the vehicle from deviating from a traveling lane, the third process being a control for switching an irradiation state of a light of the vehicle;

a casing in which the image sensor and the controller portion are disposed;

a temperature detector portion detecting a temperature of the inside of the casing or a temperature of the image sensor; and

stopping means for stopping the second and third processes when the temperature detected by the temperature detector portion exceeds a first predetermined threshold, and further stopping the first process too when the temperature exceeds a second threshold set to be larger than the first threshold.

2. The vehicle controller according to claim 1, further comprising

notifying means for notifying a second controller portion provided outside the casing of the process which the controller portion has stopped.

3. The vehicle controller according to claim 1, wherein

the stopping means stops a part of the processes by the controller portion such that the temperature of the image sensor is kept equal to or lower than its operation guarantee temperature.

4. (canceled)