US 9,539,988 B2Granted

Vehicle camera cleaning system

AssigneeThunder Power Hong Kong Ltd.

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.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A vehicle camera cleaning system, comprising:

a water flow nozzle arranged proximate to a camera lens, the water flow nozzle being configured to spray water onto the camera lens;
an air nozzle arranged proximate to the camera lens, the air nozzle being configured to expel air onto the camera lens;
a water drop sensor comprising an infrared emitter and an infrared receiver, wherein the water drop sensor is configured to generate and transmit water drop sensor information indicating a percentage of infrared rays emitted by the infrared emitter that are received by the infrared receiver;
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:
receive the water drop sensor information from the water drop sensor;
determine whether there are water drops on the camera lens based on the water drop sensor information;
in response to determining there are water drops on the camera lens, generate an instruction to activate the air nozzle to expel air onto the camera lens to remove the water drops;
after the air nozzle has expelled air onto the camera lens, receive the water drop sensor information from the water drop sensor and determine whether there are residual water drops remaining on the camera lens based on the water drop sensor information;
and
in response to determining there are residual water drops on the camera lens, generating an activation instruction to activate the water flow nozzle to remove the residual water drops.

7 more elements

A method of using a vehicle camera cleaning system to clean a camera lens in the vehicle, the camera cleaning system comprising a water flow nozzle arranged proximate to a camera lens, the water flow nozzle being configured to spray water onto the camera lens, an air nozzle arranged proximate to the camera lens, the air nozzle being configured to expel air onto the camera lens, a water drop sensor comprising an infrared emitter and an infrared receiver, the water drop sensor being configured to generate and transmit water drop sensor information indicating a percentage of infrared rays emitted by the infrared emitter that are received by the infrared receiver, 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, the method comprising:

receiving, by the controller of a vehicle camera cleaning system, the water drop sensor information from the water drop sensor;
determining, by the controller of the vehicle camera cleaning system, whether there are water drops on the camera lens based on the water drop sensor information;
in response to determining there are water drops on the camera lens, generating an instruction to activate the air nozzle to expel air onto the camera lens to remove the water drops;
after the air nozzle has expelled air onto the camera lens, receiving the water drop sensor information from the water drop sensor and determine whether there are residual water drops remaining on the camera lens based on the water drop sensor information;
and
in response to determining there are residual water drops on the camera lens, generating an activation instruction to activate the water flow nozzle to removing the residual water drops.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/883,605Filed 14 Oct 2015 · us provisional application
Priority: 16 Mar 2015
Published: US 2016/0272164 A122 Sep 2016
Granted: 10 Jan 2017
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