US 10,479,327 B2Granted

Vehicle camera cleaning system

AssigneeThunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited

InventorsJen-Chieh Hsiao, Tai-Te Wu, Yen-An Chen

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Abstract

Embodiments provide vehicle camera cleaning systems used for cleaning foreign matter off of a camera lens, including, for example, a water flow nozzle arranged to eject water flow, an air nozzle arranged to eject air, and a central controller used to control the water flow nozzle and air nozzle. In certain embodiments, a plurality of sensing devices are used for sensing the conditions of the camera lens, such as an infrared water drop sensor, a temperature sensor, a camera sensing sensor, and the like. The central controller may determine whether there are water drops, ice, snow, or other foreign matter on the lens based on signals received from the plurality of sensing devices, and may control the air nozzle and the water flow nozzle to clean the camera lens based on the foreign matter present.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A vehicle camera cleaning system, comprising:

an air nozzle arranged proximate to a camera lens, the air nozzle being configured to expel air onto the camera lens;
and
a central controller comprising a processing unit including one or more processors, the central controller configured to control the operation of the air nozzle, wherein the central controller is further configured to:
determine whether there are water drops on the camera lens;
in response to determining there are water drops on the camera lens, generate a first instruction to activate the air nozzle to expel air onto the camera lens to remove the water drops;
in response to the air nozzle having expelled air onto the camera lens, determine whether there are residual water drops remaining on the camera lens;
and
in response to determining there are residual water drops on the camera lens, performing the following:
determining a temperature of the camera lens;
comparing the temperature of the camera lens with a threshold temperature value;
generating a second instruction to remove the residual water drops using a heated water flow based on a result of the comparison;
and
generating a third instruction to activate the air nozzle to expel air onto the camera lens to further remove the residual water drops;
and
after the third instruction is generated, determining whether there are residual water residual water drops on the camera lens, and in response to determining there are residual water drops on the camera lens,
generating a fourth instruction to remove the residual water drops using the heated water flow;
and
generating a fifth instruction to activate the air nozzle to expel air onto the camera lens to further remove the residual water drops.

15 more elements

A method for a clearing a camera lens in a vehicle, the vehicle comprising an air nozzle arranged proximate to the camera lens, the air nozzle being configured to expel air onto the camera lens, the method being implemented by a central controller, the method comprising:

determining whether there are water drops on the camera lens;
in response to determining there are water drops on the camera lens, generating a first instruction to activate the air nozzle to expel air onto the camera lens to remove the water drops;
in response to the air nozzle having expelled air onto the camera lens, determining whether there are residual water drops remaining on the camera lens;
and
in response to determining there are residual water drops on the camera lens, performing the following:
determining a temperature of the camera lens;
comparing the temperature of the camera lens with a threshold temperature value;
generating a second instruction to remove the residual water drops using a heated water flow based on a result of the comparison;
and
generating a third instruction to activate the air nozzle to expel air onto the camera lens to further remove the residual water drops;
and
after the third instruction is generated, determining whether there are residual water residual water drops on the camera lens, and in response to determining there are residual water drops on the camera lens,
generating a fourth instruction to remove the residual water drops using the heated water flow;
and
generating a fifth instruction to activate the air nozzle to expel air onto the camera lens to further remove the residual water drops.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/366,751Filed 1 Dec 2016 · continuation
Priority: 16 Mar 2015
Published: US 2017/0080904 A123 Mar 2017
Granted: 19 Nov 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

B60S 1/56
Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices: specially adapted for cleaning other parts or devices than front windows or windscreens
B08B 3/02
Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam: cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
B08B 3/10
Cleaning involving contact with liquid: with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by…
B08B 5/02
Cleaning by methods involving the use of air flow or gas flow: cleaning by the force of jets, e.g. blowing-out cavities

Family

Application62/133,991Us provisional application · filed 16 Mar 2015
Application62/150,848Us provisional application · filed 22 Apr 2015
Application14/883,605Parent of this continuation · filed 14 Oct 2015
US 2017/0080904 A1Pre-grant publication · published 23 Mar 2017
US 9,539,988 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2016/0272164 A1Published application
US 10,479,327 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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