# US 11,077,472 B2 · Cleaning apparatus and method of object detection sensor

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,077,472 B2
- Document ID: US11077472B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/408,996
- Filed: 2019-05-10
- Published: 2019-11-21
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-15
- Assignees: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Won Gyum Kim; Young Shin Kim; Kyung Rin Kim; Sung Eun Jo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11077472B2

## CPC

- B08B 3/02: Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
- B08B 3/08: the liquid having chemical or dissolving effect
- B60S 1/48: Liquid supply therefor
- B60S 1/56: specially adapted for cleaning other parts or devices than front windows or windscreens {(rear-view mirror arrangements mounted on vehicle exterior including cleaning devices B60R1/0602)}
- G02B 27/0006: {with means to keep optical surfaces clean, e.g. by preventing or removing dirt, stains, contamination, condensation (G02B1/18 takes precedence; cleaning in general B08B)}
- G05D 1/0231: {using optical position detecting means (position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16)}
- B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
- B60S: SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES

## Abstract

A cleaning apparatus of an object detection sensor may include: an environment information acquisition unit configured to acquire surrounding environment information of a vehicle; and a cleaning unit configured to create a cleaning solution mixture based on the surrounding environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit, and clean a cover installed on the object detection sensor to protect the object detection sensor from foreign matter by spraying the created cleaning solution mixture onto the cover, in order to prevent a reduction in sensing performance of the object detection sensor due to contamination by the foreign matter. The object detection sensor may sense a target object by transmitting a scan signal to the target object and receiving a sensing signal reflected from the target object, and the scan signal and the sensing signal may be transmitted and received through the cover.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A cleaning apparatus of an object detection sensor, comprising:
a navigation terminal configured to acquire surrounding environment information of a vehicle including content of organic matter in an atmosphere of the surrounding environment and an outside temperature from an external server; and
a cleaning unit configured to create a cleaning solution mixture based on the surrounding environment information acquired by the navigation terminal, and to clean a cover installed on the object detection sensor to protect the object detection sensor from foreign matter by spraying the cleaning solution mixture onto the cover,
wherein:
the navigation terminal utilizes a navigation system to determine a region on earth where the vehicle is driving; and
the object detection sensor is configured to sense a target object by transmitting a scan signal to the target object and receiving a sensing signal reflected from the target object, and the scan signal and the sensing signal are respectively transmitted and received through the cover.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit is configured to create the cleaning solution mixture by mixing a volatile cleaning solution and a nonvolatile cleaning solution.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2, wherein the surrounding environment information comprises the content of organic matter in the atmosphere of the surrounding environment, and
the cleaning unit is configured to create the cleaning solution mixture by adjusting a mixing ratio of the volatile cleaning solution to the nonvolatile cleaning solution based on the content of organic matter in the atmosphere.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The cleaning apparatus of claim 3, wherein the cleaning unit is configured to create the cleaning solution mixture by increasing the mixing ratio of the volatile cleaning solution to the nonvolatile cleaning solution as the content of organic matter in the atmosphere increases.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The cleaning apparatus of claim 3, wherein when the content of organic matter in the atmosphere is equal to or more than a preset reference content, the cleaning unit is configured to create the cleaning solution mixture by increasing the mixing ratio of the volatile cleaning solution to the nonvolatile cleaning solution according to a preset reference mixing ratio.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2,
wherein when the outside temperature is equal to or more than a preset reference temperature, the cleaning unit is configured to create the cleaning solution mixture by adding an organic coating agent to a mixture of the volatile cleaning solution and the nonvolatile cleaning solution.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object detection sensor comprises a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging Sensor).