# US 12,761,469 B2 · Vehicle camera lens cleaning system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,761,469 B2 - Document ID: US12761469B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/552,249 - Filed: 2022-06-24 - Published: 2024-09-12 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-06-29 - Assignees: Mobileye Vision Technologies Ltd. - Applicants: Mobileye Vision Technologies Ltd. - Inventors: Gabriel Koretz; Moshe Katiee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12761469B2 ## CPC - 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)} - B60S 1/54: using gas, e.g. hot air - 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)} - G06V 10/764: using classification, e.g. of video objects - G06V 20/56: exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - B60S: SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract Techniques are disclosed to implement a vehicle camera lens cleaning systems that selectively utilize different cleaning modes for the vehicle camera lenses based upon various conditions. The different cleaning modes may be used on a per vehicle camera basis to provide specific types of cleaning to each of the vehicle cameras. The cleaning modes may include the use of air and/or liquid cleaning, which may be provided to each of the vehicle cameras independently. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic control unit (ECU), comprising: a data interface configured to receive one or more activation signals indicative of an operating mode of a respective one of a plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components; a control interface communicatively coupled to the plurality of a vehicle camera lens cleaning components; and processing circuitry configured to generate, based upon the one or more activation signals, one or more control signals that are transmitted via the control interface to control an operating mode of each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components, wherein the one or more control signals cause each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to selectively operate between i) a first operating mode that uses low-pressure air provided by an on-vehicle air compressor and (ii) a second operating mode that uses high-pressure air provided by an on-vehicle air tanks. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ECU of claim 1, wherein the one or more activation signals indicate the operating mode of each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components based upon weather conditions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The ECU of claim 1, wherein the one or more activation signals indicate the operating mode of each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components in response to image processing performed on an image acquired by a vehicle camera. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The ECU of claim 3, wherein the image processing comprises using a machine learning technique to classify a detected obstruction in the acquired image, and wherein the one or more activation signals are transmitted based upon the classified detected obstruction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The ECU of claim 1, wherein the one or more control signals cause each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode to clean a respectively coupled one of a plurality of vehicle cameras while other ones of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components are not utilized for cleaning their respective vehicle cameras. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The ECU of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate the one or more control signals to cause each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to sequentially clean, during a respective individual camera cleaning time slot that is a fraction of a cleaning cycle duration, a respectively coupled one of a plurality of vehicle cameras. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The ECU of claim 1, wherein each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components is coupled to one or more cameras from among a plurality of external cameras of an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS). ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The ECU of claim 6, wherein the one or more control signals comprise a first control signal and a second control signal, the first control signal causing one or more respective camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode such that at least one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components is utilized during the cleaning cycle with a greater frequency than another one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The ECU of claim 6, wherein the one or more control signals comprise a first control signal and a second control signal, the first control signal causing one or more respective camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode such that at least one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components is utilized during the cleaning cycle with a respective individual camera cleaning time slot having a greater duration than an individual camera cleaning time slot of another one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The ECU of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate the one or more control signals to cause one or more first sets of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode while one or more second sets of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components operate in the second operating mode. ### Claim 11 A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by processing circuitry identified with a vehicle, cause the vehicle to: receive one or more activation signals indicative of an operating mode of a respective one of a plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components; and transmit, based upon the one or more activation signals, one or more control signals that are transmitted to control an operating mode of each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components, wherein the one or more control signals cause each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to selectively operate between (i) a first operating mode that uses low-pressure air provided by an on-vehicle air compressor and (ii) a second operating mode that uses high-pressure air provided by an on-vehicle air tanks. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more activation signals indicate the operating mode of each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components based upon weather conditions. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more activation signals indicate the operating mode of each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components in response to image processing performed on an image acquired by a vehicle camera. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the image processing comprises using a machine learning technique to classify a detected obstruction in the acquired image, and wherein the one or more activation signals are transmitted based upon the classified detected obstruction. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more control signals cause each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode to clean a respectively coupled one of a plurality of vehicle cameras while other ones of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components are not utilized for cleaning their respective vehicle cameras. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more control signals cause each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to sequentially clean, during a respective individual camera cleaning time slot that is a fraction of a cleaning cycle duration, a respectively coupled one of a plurality of vehicle cameras. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components is coupled to one or more cameras from among a plurality of external cameras of an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS). ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more control signals comprise a first control signal and a second control signal, the first control signal causing one or more respective camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode such that at least one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components is utilized during the cleaning cycle with a greater frequency than another one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more control signals comprise a first control signal and a second control signal, the first control signal causing one or more respective camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode such that at least one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components is utilized during the cleaning cycle with a respective individual camera cleaning time slot having a greater duration than an individual camera cleaning time slot of another one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more control signals cause one or more first sets of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode while one or more second sets of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components operate in the second operating mode. ### Claim 21 A vehicle, comprising: a vehicle camera lens cleaning system comprising a plurality of a vehicle camera lens cleaning components; and a controller configured to: receive one or more activation signals indicative of an operating mode of a respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components; and transmit, based upon the one or more activation signals, one or more control signals; wherein the one or more control signals cause each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to selectively operate between (i) a first operating mode that uses low-pressure air provided by an on-vehicle air compressor and (ii) a second operating mode that uses high-pressure air provided by an on-vehicle air tanks. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the one or more activation signals indicate the operating mode of each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components based upon weather conditions. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the one or more activation signals indicate the operating mode of each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components in response to image processing performed on an image acquired by a vehicle camera. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The vehicle of claim 23, wherein the image processing comprises using a machine learning technique to classify a detected obstruction in the acquired image, and wherein the one or more activation signals are transmitted based upon the classified detected obstruction. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the one or more control signals cause each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode to clean a respectively coupled one of a plurality of vehicle cameras while other ones of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components are not utilized for cleaning their respective vehicle cameras. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the controller is configured to generate the one or more control signals to cause each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to sequentially clean, during a respective individual camera cleaning time slot that is a fraction of a cleaning cycle duration, a respectively coupled one of a plurality of vehicle cameras. ### Claim 27 (depends on 21) The vehicle of claim 21, wherein each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components is coupled to one or more cameras from among a plurality of external cameras of an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS). ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The vehicle of claim 26, wherein the one or more control signals comprise a first control signal and a second control signal, the first control signal causing one or more respective camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode such that at least one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components is utilized during the cleaning cycle with a greater frequency than another one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components. ### Claim 29 (depends on 26) The vehicle of claim 26, wherein the one or more control signals comprise a first control signal and a second control signal, the first control signal causing one or more respective camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode such that at least one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components is utilized during the cleaning cycle with a respective individual camera cleaning time slot having a greater duration than an individual camera cleaning time slot of another one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components. ### Claim 30 (depends on 21) The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the one or more control signals cause one or more first sets of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode while one or more second sets of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components operate in the second operating mode. ### Claim 31 A method, comprising: receiving one or more activation signals indicative of an operating mode of a respective one of a plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components; and transmitting, based upon the one or more activation signals, one or more control signals to control an operating mode of each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components, wherein the one or more control signals cause each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to selectively operate between (i) a first operating mode that uses low-pressure air provided by an on-vehicle air compressor and (ii) a second operating mode that uses high-pressure air provided by an on-vehicle air tanks. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The method of claim 31, wherein the one or more activation signals indicate the operating mode of each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components based upon weather conditions. ### Claim 33 (depends on 31) The method of claim 31, further comprising: performing image processing on an image acquired by a vehicle camera, wherein the one or more activation signals indicate the operating mode of each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components in response to the image processing. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) The method of claim 33, wherein the image processing comprises using a machine learning technique to classify a detected obstruction in the acquired image, and wherein the one or more activation signals are transmitted based upon the classified detected obstruction. ### Claim 35 (depends on 31) The method of claim 31, wherein the one or more control signals cause each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode to clean a respectively coupled one of a plurality of vehicle cameras while other ones of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components are not utilized for cleaning their respective vehicle cameras. ### Claim 36 (depends on 31) The method of claim 31, wherein the one or more control signals cause each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to sequentially clean, during a respective individual camera cleaning time slot that is a fraction of a cleaning cycle duration, a respectively coupled one of a plurality of vehicle cameras. ### Claim 37 (depends on 31) The method of claim 31, wherein each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components is coupled to one or more cameras from among a plurality of external cameras of an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS). ### Claim 38 (depends on 36) The method of claim 36, wherein the one or more control signals comprise a first control signal and a second control signal, the first control signal causing one or more respective camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode such that at least one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components is utilized during the cleaning cycle with a greater frequency than another one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components. ### Claim 39 (depends on 36) The method of claim 36, wherein the one or more control signals comprise a first control signal and a second control signal, the first control signal causing one or more respective camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode such that at least one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components is utilized during the cleaning cycle with a respective individual camera cleaning time slot having a greater duration than an individual camera cleaning time slot of another one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components. ### Claim 40 (depends on 31) The method of claim 31, wherein the one or more control signals cause one or more first sets of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components to operate in the first operating mode while one or more second sets of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components operate in the second operating mode. ### Claim 41 (depends on 1) The ECU of claim 1, wherein the selectively-selective operation of each respective one of the plurality of vehicle camera lens cleaning components in the first operating mode that uses low-pressure air provided by the on-vehicle air compressor, and the second operating mode that uses high-pressure air provided by the on-vehicle air tank utilizes a network of air tubes that are independent of a network of liquid tubes used for liquid delivery.