WHEEL CLEANING SYSTEM FOR AUTONOMOUS DRIVING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD FOR AUTONOMOUS DRIVING APPARATUS AND AUTONOMOUS DRIVING APPARATUS

• US 20160339879A1
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Published: 11/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: HIRATA, Kiyotaka, HIGUCHI, Atsushi, TANAKA, Kosuke, TAKA, Kyosuke, ITO, Tetsushi, TOMOMASA, Masatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,279,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 3/042 Wheel cleaning devices integral with vehicle B60S1/00

Abstract

A wheel cleaning system for an autonomous driving apparatus includes the autonomous driving apparatus with wheels, capable of driving autonomously based on peripheral information, and a cleaning area for cleaning the wheels. The cleaning area has a cleaning mat for cleaning the wheels as the wheels turn to rub against the mat. The autonomous driving apparatus has a controller for controlling an operation of the autonomous driving apparatus so as to perform a cleaning process of the wheels in the cleaning area.

Claims

1. A wheel cleaning system for an autonomous driving apparatus, comprising:

an autonomous driving apparatus having wheels and being capable of driving autonomously based on peripheral information; and

,

a cleaning area for cleaning the wheels of the autonomous driving apparatus,

wherein

the autonomous driving apparatus includes a control unit for controlling an operation of the autonomous driving apparatus so as to perform a cleaning process of the wheels in the cleaning area.

2. The wheel cleaning system for the autonomous driving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a position detecting device for detecting positional information on the autonomous driving apparatus,

wherein

the control unit includes an area determinator for determining where the autonomous driving apparatus is residing among an outdoor area, an indoor area and a cleaning area, based on a detected result of the position detecting device, and,

the control unit controls the autonomous driving apparatus so as to perform the cleaning process in the cleaning area before the autonomous driving apparatus enters the indoor area from the outdoor area.

3. The wheel cleaning system for the autonomous driving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning area is provided between the outdoor area and the indoor area, and

the control unit has a cleaning mode for performing the cleaning process and performs the cleaning mode when the autonomous driving apparatus enters the cleaning area.

4. The wheel cleaning system for the autonomous driving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning area has a rubbing member for cleaning the wheels as the wheels turn to rub against the rubbing member.

5. The wheel cleaning system for autonomous driving apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cleaning process includes an operation to rub an entire circumference of the wheels by making the autonomous driving apparatus turn round at a fixed position on the rubbing member.

6. The wheel cleaning system for the autonomous driving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the autonomous driving apparatus includes a dirt detector for detecting dirt of the wheels,

the control unit includes a dirt determinator for determining whether or not a detected value of the dirt of the wheels is equal to or lower than a predetermined value being set beforehand, based on a detected result of the dirt detector, and

the control unit repeats the cleaning process if the detected value of the dirt of the wheels is not equal to or lower than the predetermined value after the cleaning process has been performed in the cleaning area.

7. The wheel cleaning system for the autonomous driving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the autonomous driving apparatus includes a dirt detector for detecting dirt of the wheels,

the cleaning process has a plurality of cleaning modes in accordance with a dirt state on the wheels, and,

the control unit includes:

a dirt determinator for determining the dirt state on the wheels based on a detected result of the dirt detector;

a cleaning mode determinator for determining the cleaning mode to be performed in accordance with the dirt state on the wheels, based on a determined result of the dirt determinator; and

a cleaning operation controller for controlling the operation of the autonomous driving apparatus in accordance with the cleaning mode determined by the cleaning mode determinator.

8. The wheel cleaning system for the autonomous driving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the cleaning process has a plurality of cleaning modes in accordance with weather information on the outdoor area,

the control unit includes an acquisition function of weather information on the outdoor area, and,

the cleaning mode determinator has a function for determining the cleaning mode to be performed, in accordance with the weather information.

9. A control method of an autonomous driving apparatus having wheels and being capable of driving autonomously based on peripheral information, comprising the step of:

performing a cleaning process for cleaning the wheels as the autonomous driving apparatus turns the wheels and rubs the wheels against a rubbing member in a cleaning area for clearing the wheels of the autonomous driving apparatus.

10. An autonomous driving apparatus having wheels and being capable of driving autonomously based on peripheral information, comprising:

a control unit for controlling an operation of the autonomous driving apparatus so as to perform a cleaning process of the wheels in accordance with a change of a driving environment of the autonomous driving apparatus.

11. The autonomous driving apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the change of the driving environment is a change of a road surface.

12. The autonomous driving apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a position detector for detecting positional information on the autonomous driving apparatus, wherein

the control unit includes an area determinator for determining where the autonomous driving apparatus is residing among an outdoor area and an indoor area, based on a detected result of the position detector, and

the control unit controls the autonomous driving apparatus so as to perform the cleaning process before the autonomous driving apparatus enters the indoor area from the outdoor area.

13. The autonomous driving apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cleaning process has an operation selected from the group consisting of an intermittent turn at a fixed position;

a turn switching of a direction of the turn; and

a turn switching of a speed of the turn.