Cantilevered sensor assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025085398-A1
Application number	US-202318466102-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 13, 2023
Priority date	Sep 13, 2023
Publication date	Mar 13, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sensor assembly can include a bracket mounted to a vehicle roof in an attachment area of the vehicle roof. The bracket may cover the attachment area and the bracket may include a cantilevered portion extending in a vehicle-forward direction from a forwardmost point of the attachment area. A sensor can be mounted to, or within, the cantilevered portion forward of the forwardmost point.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A sensor assembly, comprising:
a vehicle roof; a bracket mounted to the vehicle roof in an attachment area of the vehicle roof, the bracket covering the attachment area, the bracket having a cantilevered portion extending in a vehicle-forward direction from a forwardmost point of the attachment area; and a sensor mounted to the cantilevered portion forward of the forwardmost point.

2 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bracket is connected to a reinforcing beam, and wherein the reinforcing beam is connected to a first structural component at a first side of a vehicle that includes the sensor assembly.

3 . The sensor assembly of claim 2 , wherein the reinforcing beam is connected to a second structural component at a second side of the vehicle.

4 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , wherein an area defined by vertically projecting the cantilevered portion downward onto the vehicle roof is outside of a windshield of a vehicle that includes the sensor assembly.

5 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bracket and the sensor mounted within the bracket have a combined structural resonance frequency of greater than 2.5 hertz.

6 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bracket includes two support members supporting the cantilevered portion, the support members being separated in a vehicle-lateral direction by a gap of between about 200 millimeters and about 400 millimeters.

7 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cantilevered portion includes a bottom panel supporting the sensor, the bottom panel being positioned between about 40 millimeters and about 80 millimeters vertically above the vehicle roof.

8 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a lidar sensor.

9 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bracket is arranged to restrict displacement of the sensor to between about 3.5 millimeters and about 8.0 millimeters in any direction with respect to the vehicle roof.

10 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bracket is sized to restrict angular displacement to between 1.0 degree and 3.0 degrees with respect to a longitudinal axis of a vehicle including the sensor assembly.

11 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a fan positioned in the cantilevered portion, wherein the cantilevered portion includes a bottom panel supporting the sensor, and the fan is positioned to draw airflow into the cantilevered portion through an opening in the bottom panel of the cantilevered portion.

12 . The sensor assembly of claim 11 , wherein the fan is coupled to an air passage that extends from the fan and away from the bottom panel.

13 . The sensor assembly of claim 11 , wherein the cantilevered portion includes a top panel positioned vertically upward from the sensor, the cantilevered portion defines an air passage to permit airflow to pass directly above the sensor and directly below the top panel.

14 . The sensor assembly of claim 11 , wherein the cantilevered portion includes an outlet air vent positioned to receive the airflow from the fan and to supply the airflow to a sensing surface of the sensor.

15 . The sensor assembly of claim 11 , wherein the cantilevered portion includes an outlet air vent that extends in a vehicle-lateral direction to supply the airflow across a sensing surface of the sensor in a vertically downward direction.

16 . The sensor assembly of claim 11 , wherein the bracket includes two support members supporting the cantilevered portion, the support members being separated in a vehicle-lateral direction, and the opening is located between the support members along a vehicle-lateral direction.

17 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a nozzle positioned in the cantilevered portion that is fluidly coupled to a washer fluid reservoir of a vehicle that includes the sensor assembly.

18 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first nozzle positioned in the cantilevered portion and aimed at a first portion of a sensing surface of the sensor; and a second nozzle positioned in the cantilevered portion and aimed at a second portion of the sensing surface of the sensor, wherein the first and second portions of the sensing surface are non-overlapping.

19 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cantilevered portion is positioned to provide a field-of-view of the sensor that includes a vehicle-forward portion of a hood of a vehicle that includes the sensor assembly.

20 . The sensor assembly of claim 1 , wherein a bottom panel and a top panel of the cantilevered portion are each shaped so as to provide an airflow velocity at the bottom panel that is equal to the airflow velocity at the top panel during vehicle travel in a forward direction.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Robertson Jr Michael
• Baldovino Segundo
• Krishnan Venkatesh

Classifications

• B60S1/52

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

• B60S1/50

  Arrangement of reservoir · CPC title

• G01S2007/4977

  including means to prevent or remove the obstruction · CPC title

• B60S1/56

  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)} · CPC title

• G01S17/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title