Device of unmanned vehicle with sensor device and cleaning mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11066048-B2
Application number	US-201916250994-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2019
Priority date	Jan 25, 2018
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to vehicle technology, and more particularly, to an unmanned vehicle and its sensor device and cleaning mechanism. The cleaning mechanism includes: a housing, a cleaning element, a driving component transmissively connected to the cleaning element and a control unit installed within a receiving cavity. The housing has a light transmissive element provided on a side surface thereof. The cleaning element is pivotable about one end thereof and mounted to the housing. The cleaning element, when pivoting, frictionally interacts with a surface of the light transmissive element that is away from the receiving cavity to clean the light transmissive element. The control unit is communicatively connected to the driving component for controlling the driving component. The cleaning mechanism can clean the light transmissive element using the cleaning element, so as to solve the problem in the related art that a sensor may not function normally due to contamination of a sensor device by dirt such as dust.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a cleaning apparatus that includes:
a housing having a receiving cavity formed therein and a light transmissive element provided on a side surface thereof for enabling light from outside the housing to enter the receiving cavity;
a cleaning element pivotable about one end thereof and mounted to the housing, the cleaning element, when pivoting, frictionally interacting with a surface of the light transmissive element that is away from the receiving cavity to clean the light transmissive element;
a driving component transmissively connected to the cleaning element for driving the cleaning element; and
a control unit installed within the receiving cavity and communicatively connected to the driving component for controlling the driving component.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one jet head mounted to the housing and corresponding to the light transmissive element, each jet head having a jet hole facing the light transmissive element,
wherein each jet head is configured to jet a liquid or a gas onto the surface of the light transmissive element that is away from the receiving cavity to clean the light transmissive element.

3. The device of claim 2 , further comprising a liquid storage container and a gas storage container connected to the at least one jet head.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein
the at least one jet head is connected to the liquid storage container through a first pipe and a first solenoid valve provided on the first pipe,
the at least one jet head is connected to the gas storage container through a second pipe and a second solenoid valve provided on the second pipe, and
the control unit is communicatively connected to the first solenoid valve and the second solenoid valve for controlling on/off of the first solenoid valve and the second solenoid valve.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the first pipe is further provided with a first check valve, and the second pipe is provided with a second check valve.

6. The device of claim 4 , further comprising:
a water pump provided on the first pipe between the first solenoid valve and the liquid storage container, and a gas pump connected to the gas storage container,
wherein the control unit is communicatively connected to the water pump and the gas pump for controlling the water pump and the gas pump.

7. The device of claim 5 , wherein
the first check valve is configured to prevent the liquid or the gas from flowing reversely into the liquid storage container, and
the second check valve is configured to prevent the liquid or the gas from flowing reversely into the gas storage container.

8. The device of claim 6 , wherein a pressure of the water pump or the gas pump is adjustable.

9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an electric heating film mounted on a surface of the light transmissive element, and a gas valve mounted to the housing, wherein the control unit is communicatively connected to the electric heating film to control the electric heating film to heat the light transmissive element.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the gas valve is operable to balance pressure between inside and outside of the housing.

11. The device of claim 9 , wherein the electric heating film includes holes.

12. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensor provided within the housing of the cleaning apparatus.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the sensor is a camera.

14. The device of claim 12 , wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of a laser radar, a millimeter wave radar, and a positioning sensor.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning apparatus is mounted on an unmanned vehicle, and wherein the cleaning apparatus is coupled to a sensor device of the unmanned vehicle.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the cleaning apparatus uses a liquid or a gas provided by the unmanned vehicle.

17. The device of claim 1 , wherein the housing is a waterproof housing.

18. The device of claim 1 , wherein the driving component includes a direct current (DC) motor or a stepper motor.

19. The device of claim 1 , wherein the light transmissive element is glass or plastic.

20. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning element is a wiper or a rag.

Assignees

• Tusimple Inc

Inventors

• Gu Xiaoping
• Sun Jie

Classifications

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• B60S1/54

  using gas, e.g. hot air · CPC title

• B60S1/52

  Arrangement of nozzles; {Liquid spreading means}(nozzles per se B05B) · CPC title

• B60S1/488

  electrically · CPC title

• B60S1/56 Primary

  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)} · CPC title