Surface cleaning system to clean lidar sensor of an autonomous vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12099147-B2
Application number	US-202217742886-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2022
Priority date	May 12, 2022
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

A vehicle having a Lidar system includes a cleaning apparatus that performs a method of cleaning the Lidar system. The cleaning apparatus includes a nozzle for spraying a gas onto a window of the Lidar, a pump for controlling a flow of the gas through the nozzle, and a processor. The processor is configured to control the pump to control the flow of the gas through the nozzle at a variable flow rate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of cleaning a window of a Lidar system of a vehicle, comprising:
a pump for controlling a flow of air;
controlling the pump, using a processor, to flow air through a primary nozzle located at a base of the window and directed at the window to spray from the nozzle at a variable flow rate, wherein the variable flow rate of air has a profile in the form of a cubic polynomial;
controlling, using the processor, a secondary nozzle located at a top end of the window to spray cleaning fluid onto the window, wherein the processor actuates the secondary nozzle at a same time as the primary nozzle; and
the variable flow rate is given by y=ax 3 +bx 2 +cx, where y is the flow rate, x is time, a=3333, b=−400 and c=1.1677.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a peak flow rate of the pulse is 48 liters per minute and a duration of the pulse is 5 milliseconds.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the nozzle is 1.4 millimeters and a length of the nozzle is 57 millimeters.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary nozzle includes a first nozzle and a second nozzle, further comprising controlling the flow of the gas through the first nozzle at the variable flow rate and controlling the flow of the gas through the second nozzle at the variable flow rate.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein a first time interval during which gas flows through the first nozzle is temporally disjoint from a second time interval during which gas flows through the second nozzle.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle has an elevation angle from a base of the Lidar system and a tilt angle within a plane parallel to the base.

7. A cleaning apparatus for a Lidar system of a vehicle, comprising:
a primary nozzle for spraying air onto a window of the Lidar, the primary nozzle located at a base of the window;
a pump for controlling a flow of the air through the primary nozzle;
a secondary nozzle located at a top end of the window for spraying cleaning fluid onto the window;
a processor configured to control the pump to control the flow of the air through the primary nozzle at a variable flow rate, wherein the variable flow rate of air has a profile in the form of a cubic polynomial, and the processor is configured to actuate the secondary nozzle at a same time as the primary nozzle; and
the variable flow rate is given by y=ax 3 +bx 2 +cx, where y is the flow rate, x is time, a=3333, b=−400 and c =1.1677.

8. The cleaning apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a peak flow rate of the pulse is 48 liters per minute and a duration of the pulse is 5 milliseconds.

9. The cleaning apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a diameter of the nozzle is 1.4 millimeters and a length of the nozzle is 57 millimeters.

10. The cleaning apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the primary nozzle includes a first nozzle and a second nozzle and the pump includes a first pump associated with the first nozzle and a second pump associated with the second nozzle, and the processor is further configured to control the first pump to generate the variable flow rate in the first nozzle and control the second pump to generate the variable flow rate in the second nozzle.

11. The cleaning apparatus of claim 10 , wherein a first time interval during which the first pump is activated is temporally disjoint from a second time interval during which second pump is activated.

12. The cleaning apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the nozzle has an elevation angle from a base of the Lidar system and a tilt angle within a plane parallel to the base.

13. A vehicle, comprising:
a window of a Lidar system;
a primary nozzle for spraying air onto the window, the primary nozzle located at a base of the window;
a pump for controlling a flow of the air through the primary nozzle;
a secondary nozzle located at a top end of the window for spraying cleaning fluid onto the window;
a processor configured to control the pump to control the flow of the air through the primary nozzle at a variable flow rate, wherein the variable flow rate of air has a profile in the form of a cubic polynomial and the processor is configured to actuate the secondary nozzle at a same time as the primary nozzle; and
the variable flow rate is given by y=ax 3 +bx 2 +cx, where y is the flow rate, x is time, a=3333, b=−400 and c=1.1677.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein a peak flow rate of the pulse is 48 liters per minute and a duration of the pulse is 5 milliseconds.

15. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein a diameter of the nozzle is 1.4 millimeters and a length of the nozzle is 57 millimeters.

16. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the primary nozzle includes a first nozzle and a second nozzle and the pump includes a first pump associated with the first nozzle and a second pump associated with the second nozzle, and the processor is further configured to control the first pump to generate the variable flow rate in the first nozzle and control the second pump to generate the variable flow rate in the second nozzle.

17. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein a first time interval during which the first pump is activated is temporally disjoint from a second time interval during which the second pump is activated.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Raju Kothamasi Sumithra
• Ray Sudipto
• Liu Yuchuan
• Mourou Julien P

Classifications

• B05B1/08

  of pulsating nature, e.g. delivering liquid in successive separate quantities · CPC title

• B60S1/54

  using gas, e.g. hot air · CPC title

• G01S2007/4977

  including means to prevent or remove the obstruction · CPC title

• B05B1/005

  Nozzles or other outlets specially adapted for discharging one or more gases · CPC title

• B05B12/06

  for effecting pulsating flow {(nozzles, spray heads or other outlets with means for generating a discharge of pulsating nature B05B1/08)} · CPC title