Method and system for managing sensor cleaning of a vehicle based on user preference

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for managing the cleaning of sensors of a vehicle based on a user preference. The method includes identifying one or more blocked sensors of a vehicle based on a blockage status associated with one or more sensors of the vehicle. Further, the method sends a notification regarding the one or more blocked sensors to a user of the vehicle and presents the user of the vehicle with a plurality of options regarding cleaning the one or more blocked sensors. The method receives user input indicating a preference for one of the plurality of options regarding cleaning the one or more blocked sensors.Based on the received input indicating a preferred option for managing the cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors of the vehicle, the method performs one or more actions associated with sensor cleaning.

Description

PREAMBLE FOR DESCRIPTION:In the following description, the invention and the manner in which it is practiced are described in more detail:DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONTechnical FieldThe present disclosure relates generally to the automotive industry. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to a method and system for managing sensor cleaning of a vehicle based on a user preference.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSUREIn recent years, numerous technologies have been developed to support automated driving functions and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) by incorporating additional sensors into an existing vehicle sensor stack. To increase the reliability, availability, and precision of this ADAS, various sensors fused to the vehicle, such as cameras, radar, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), global positioning system (GPS), and other types of sensors, must be available and operate precisely under all weather conditions. However, the detection and perception by the various sensors for ADAS under adverse weather conditions is a challenge that prevents ADAS from achieving a maximum level of autonomy. Therefore, problems caused by adverse weather conditions that make the sensors unavailable must be solved to improve the recognition capability as well as the perception of ADAS.At present, there are numerous methods for cleaning the sensors of the vehicle both manually and automatically. For example, a cleaning nozzle with generated cleaning water and / or cleaning air may be used to free the sensor surface from dirt.US11708054 relates to a vehicle cleaning system. A cleaning target provided on a vehicle is automatically cleaned appropriately. The vehicle cleaning system includes a cleaning section configured to clean a cleaning target provided on a vehicle, and a controller section configured to control cleaning of the cleaning target by the cleaning section depending on at least one of a driving situation of the vehicle, an environmental situation of the vehicle, and an indicator related to adhesion of adhering material to the cleaning target of the vehicle.Generally, the cleaning is performed under the same predefined conditions, regardless of the environmental conditions of the vehicle or the conditions related to the sensors to be cleaned, etc. Moreover, the typical ADAS used in very cold areas are not available when the sensors are blocked by snow and there is no information reaching the driver / owner (user) of the vehicle, except that "the systems are not available.". Thus, there is a need to solve the problems associated with existing sensor cleaning methods in a vehicle.The information disclosed in this Background of the Disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or an indication that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSUREIn a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for managing cleaning of sensors of a vehicle based on a user preference is provided. The method includes identifying one or more blocked sensors of a vehicle based on a blocking status associated with one or more sensors of the vehicle. Further, the method includes sending a notification regarding the one or more blocked sensors to a user of the vehicle and providing a plurality of options regarding cleaning the one or more blocked sensors to the user of the vehicle. The method further includes receiving a user input indicating a preferred option from the plurality of options regarding cleaning the one or more blocked sensors. Thereafter, the method includes performing one or more actions based on the preferred option to manage cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors of the vehicle.In an embodiment of the disclosure, the notification is provided to a user device connected to the user when an ignition status of the vehicle is OFF, and the notification is provided to a display of the vehicle when the ignition status of the vehicle is ON.In an embodiment of the disclosure, the plurality of options regarding cleaning of the one or more occluded sensors includes user-defined cleaning (CC), automatic cleaning (AC), and delayed cleaning (DC).In one embodiment of the disclosure, the one or more actions related to user-defined cleaning (CC) includes providing a plurality of user-defined cleaning options (CC) to the user to clean the one or more blocked sensors, receiving a user selection of a user-defined cleaning option (CC) from the plurality of user-defined cleaning options (CC) to clean the one or more blocked sensors, activating a sensor cleaning unit of the vehicle to preheat the one or more blocked sensors based on the selected user-defined cleaning option (CC) to remove blockages, deactivating the sensor cleaning unit of the vehicle upon completion of cleaning the one or more blocked sensors, and sending a notification, indicating a completion status of cleaning the one or more blocked sensors to the user of the vehicle.In one embodiment of the disclosure, the one or more actions related to delayed cleaning (DC) includes providing a plurality of delay options to the user to delay cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors, and notifying the vehicle user of non-functionality of the one or more blocked sensors due to the delayed cleaning (DC).In a further non-limiting embodiment of the disclosure, a sensor cleaning control system is provided for managing cleaning of sensors of a vehicle based on a user preference. The sensor cleaning control system includes one or more input devices, one or more output devices, one or more processors, and a memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to identify one or more blocked sensors of a vehicle based on a blocking status associated with one or more sensors of the vehicle. Further, the one or more processors are configured to send a notification of the one or more blocked sensors to a user of the vehicle and provide the user of the vehicle with a variety of options regarding cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors. Moreover, the one or more processors are configured to receive a user input indicative of a preference for one of the plurality of options regarding cleaning the one or more blocked sensors. Based on the received user preference regarding cleaning the one or more sensors, the one or more processors perform one or more actions based on the preferred option of managing cleaning the one or more blocked sensors of the vehicle.The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments and features described above, other aspects, embodiments and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe accompanying drawings, which form a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. In the figures, the leftmost digit(s) of a reference numeral indicates the figure in which the reference numeral first appears. In the figures, the same numbers are used to indicate like features and components. Some embodiments of systems and / or methods according to embodiments of the present subject matter will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment for managing cleaning of sensors of a vehicle based on user preference, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 shows a detailed block diagram of a sensor cleaning control system for managing cleaning of sensors of a vehicle based on a user preference, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 shows an example illustration of managing cleaning of sensors of a vehicle based on user preference, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for managing cleaning sensors of a vehicle based on user preference, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 shows a flow chart depicting a plurality of user settings for cleaning sensors of a vehicle in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an example computer system for managing cleaning of sensors of a vehicle based on user preference, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.Those skilled in the art should appreciate that all block diagrams included herein represent conceptual views of systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. It will also be understood that all flowcharts, flowcharts, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes that are substantially embodied in a computer readable medium and that can be executed by a computer or processor, regardless of whether such a computer or processor is explicitly illustrated.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONAs used herein, the word "exemplary" is used in the sense of "serving as an example, instance, or illustration.". Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be considered preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.Although the disclosure permits various modifications and alternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof is shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.The terms "comprises," "including," or other variants thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a structure, apparatus, or method comprising a list of components or steps not only includes those components or steps, but may also include other components or steps not expressly listed or associated with such structure or apparatus or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or device initiated with "comprises... a" do not exclude, without further limitations, the existence of other or additional elements in the system or device.In general, vehicles with advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) detect the environmental conditions to provide various ADAS functions such as road recognition, smart vehicle control in a driving environment including pedestrian recognition / avoidance, environmental view, parking assist, driver drowsiness recognition, automatic emergency braking, and the like. In order to provide the above-mentioned ADAS functions, a vehicle has a plurality of sensors that "detect" and correspondingly "act" the sensed conditions. In order for the vehicle to make appropriate decisions based on the collected data, it is critical that the sensors operate in all working environments. Typically, the performance of these sensors is severely impaired by various environmental factors such as snowfall, rain, fog, and other bad weather conditions.Thus, the ADAS sensors are impaired by glare from the sun, bright lights, vision-obstructing objects such as snow or ice on the lens, rain or snowfall in the air, water drops on the windshield or even fog, etc. Therefore, problems due to adverse weather conditions that make the sensors inaccessible must be solved appropriately to improve the recognition capability and perception of the vehicles.Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a method and sensor cleaning control system for managing cleaning of sensors of a vehicle based on a user preference. In the present disclosure, the sensor cleaning control system identifies one or more blocked sensors of a vehicle based on a blocking status associated with one or more sensors of the vehicle. Further, the sensor cleaning control system sends a notification regarding the one or more blocked sensors to a user of the vehicle and provides the user of the vehicle with a variety of options regarding cleaning the one or more blocked sensors. Additionally, the sensor cleaning control system is configured to receive a user input indicating a preference for one of the plurality of options regarding cleaning the one or more blocked sensors. Based on the received user preference regarding cleaning the one or more sensors, the sensor cleaning control system performs one or more actions based on the preferred option to manage cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors of the vehicle.FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment 100 for managing sensor cleaning of a vehicle based on user preference, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The example environment 100 includes a sensor cleaning control system 101 implemented in a vehicle 103 (the vehicle 103 is shown as a box for purposes of illustration only) and a user 105 of the vehicle 103. The present disclosure relates to managing sensor cleaning of the vehicle 103 with the sensor cleaning control system 101 based on the preferences of the user 105 of the vehicle 103. The vehicle 103 may be any vehicle with a display, such as a car, truck, and the like. The vehicle 103 includes one or more sensors 107, an infotainment unit 109, an ECU 111, and a heater control unit 113. One skilled in the art will understand that the vehicle 103 may also include other devices / components not explicitly shown herein. The one or more sensors 107 may include, but are not limited to, GPS, LIDAR, RADAR, camera, collision avoidance sensors, night vision sensors, and the like. The infotainment unit 109 may include a display for displaying content to the user 105 of the vehicle 103.In the present disclosure, the sensor cleaning control system 101 provides the user 105 of the vehicle 103 with various cleaning options to manage the sensor cleaning option according to the user preference. In an example, the user 105 may be a driver of the vehicle 103. In another example, the user 105 may be a passenger of the vehicle 103. In doing so, the sensor cleaning control system 101 may identify one or more blocked sensors from the one or more sensors 107 of the vehicle 103 based on a blocking status of the one or more blocked sensors received from the heater controller 113. The sensor cleaning control system 101 may send the notification of the blocked status of the one or more blocked sensors to the user 105 of the vehicle 103. The notification is provided on either a user device associated with the user 105 or on a display of the vehicle 103 based on an ignition status of the vehicle 103.In one embodiment, the sensor cleaning control system 101 may send the notification to one or more output devices of the vehicle 103, such as an infotainment display of the vehicle 103, a sound system in the vehicle cabin, and the like, when the ignition status of the vehicle 103 is "ON.". For example, the infotainment display in the vehicle interior may display a message indicating the non-functional status of sensors. In another example, a voice command for the non-functional status of the sensors may be transmitted via the audio environment in the vehicle 103.In another embodiment, the sensor cleaning control system 101 may send the notification of the blocked status of the one or more blocked sensors to the user 105 on the user device, e.g., via a registered mobile application, a registered web application, or ADAS of another vehicle of the user 105 when the ignition status of the vehicle 103 is "OFF.". For example, the sensor cleaning control system 101 may inform the user 105 of the mobile application of the blockage status of the one or more blocked sensors by indicating that these sensors are identified as being inoperative due to the blockage.In the present disclosure, the sensor cleaning control system 101 is configured to clean the one or more blocked sensors from the one or more sensors 107 of the vehicle 103 according to the preference of the user 105. The sensor cleaning control system 101 may provide the user 105 with a variety of options regarding cleaning the one or more blocked sensors. The plurality of options regarding cleaning the one or more blocked sensors may include user-defined cleaning (CC), automatic cleaning (AC), and delayed cleaning (DC). Further, the sensor cleaning control system 101 may receive a user input indicating a preferred option from the plurality of options for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors. Based on the preferred option provided by the user 105, the sensor cleaning control system 101 may perform one or more actions to manage cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors of the vehicle 103.In one embodiment, the sensor cleaning control system 101 may initiate the removal of the blockage of the one or more blocked sensors of the vehicle 103 according to the preferred option received from the user 105. In one embodiment, the sensor cleaning control system 101 may receive the preferred option as a user-defined cleaning (CC) from a plurality of options provided for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors. In such a case, the sensor cleaning control system 101 may provide a plurality of user-defined cleaning (CC) options that indicate the heating time duration and the like. For example, the heating time may include options such as 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and the like. The heating duration may depend on the specification of the heating control device 113, e.g. on eco mode, power mode and the like, as well as on the type and amount of clogging of the sensors, e.g. on the amount of snow deposition. The user 105 may select a user-defined cleaning option (CC) from a plurality of user-defined cleaning options (CC). Based on the selected user-defined cleaning option (CC), the sensor cleaning control system 101 activates a sensor cleaning unit of the vehicle 103 to preheat the one or more blocked sensors to remove clogs. In one embodiment, an amount of battery consumption may be displayed to the user 105 during user-defined cleaning (CC) depending on the selected driving mode.If the sensor cleaning control system 101 receives the preferred option as automatic cleaning (AC) from the plurality of options for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors, the sensor cleaning control system 101 may perform a predefined automatic sensor cleaning process. The automatic sensor cleaning process may be based on known automatic cleaning (AC) processes. Upon completion of the user-defined cleaning (CC) or the automatic cleaning (AC), the sensor cleaning control system 101 may deactivate the sensor cleaning unit and send a notification to the user 105 indicating the completion status of cleaning the one or more blocked sensors.In one embodiment, if the preferred option is delayed cleaning (DC), the sensor cleaning control system 101 may provide the user 105 with a plurality of delay options to delay cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors. The delay options include, for example, the Later Clean, Not Options, and the like. Further, a notification of the non-functionality of the one or more blocked sensors due to the selection of the delayed cleaning (DC) is sent to the user 105 of the vehicle 103.FIG. 2 shows a detailed diagram of the sensor cleaning control system 101 for managing cleaning of one or more sensors of the vehicle based on a user preference, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The sensor cleaning control system 101 includes an input / output interface (I / O) 203, a memory 207, and one or more processors 205. In some embodiments, the memory 207 may be communicatively coupled to the one or more processors 205. The memory 207 stores instructions executable by the one or more processors 205. The one or more processors 205 may include at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user- or system-generated requests. The memory 207 may be communicatively coupled to the one or more processors 205. The memory 207 stores instructions executable by the one or more processors 205, which, when executed, may cause the one or more processors 205 to manage the cleaning of one or more occluded sensors of the vehicle 103 based on the user preference.In one embodiment, the memory 207 may include data 209 and one or more modules 211. The one or more modules 211 may be configured to perform the steps of the present disclosure using the data 209 to manage the cleaning of one or more blocked sensors of the vehicle 103 based on the received input indicative of the user preference. In one embodiment, each of the one or more modules 211 may be a hardware unit that may be external to the memory 207 and coupled to the sensor cleaning control system 101. As used herein, the term module 211 refers to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable system-on-a-chip (PSoC), combinatorial logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. The one or more modules 211, when configured with the functionality described in the present disclosure, provide novel hardware. Further, the I / O interface 203 is coupled to the one or more processors 205, via which an input signal or / and an output signal is transmitted. For example, the sensor cleaning control system 101 may communicate with one or more external devices connected to the user 105 via the I / O interface 203.In one implementation, data 209 may include, for example, communication data 213, sensor blocking data 215, user preference data 217, sensor cleaning data 219, and other data 221.In one embodiment, the communication data 213 may include data received / transmitted from / to the vehicle 103. For example, the communication data 213 may include the blockage status of the one or more sensors of the vehicle 103 received from the heater controller 113 of the vehicle 103.In one embodiment, the sensor blocking data 215 may include information about the one or more obstructed sensors of the vehicle 103. The one or more sensors may be blocked due to weather conditions in the environment of the vehicle 103.In one embodiment, the user preference data 217 may include information regarding a preference option of the user 105 from the plurality of options regarding cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors.In one embodiment, the sensor cleaning data 219 may include information about the one or more actions taken with respect to the preferred option selected by the user 105 to clean the sensors in the vehicle 103.The other data 221 may store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by the one or more modules 211 for performing the various functions of the sensor cleaning control system 101.In one implementation, the modules 211 may include, for example, a communication module 225, a sensor block identification module 227, a notification module 229, a user settings module 231, a sensor cleaning module 233, and other modules 235. It will be appreciated that such modules 211 may be represented as a single module or as a combination of different modules.In one embodiment, the communication module 225 may be configured to receive and / or transmit data from / to the vehicle 103, from the various modules, and the user 105 of the vehicle 103. The communication module 225 may be configured to receive / transmit the communication data 213.In one embodiment, the sensor blockage identification module 227 may be configured to receive the communication data 213 and identify the one or more blocked sensors of the vehicle 103 based on the blockage status associated with one or more sensors of the vehicle 103.In one embodiment, the notification module 229 may send a notification of the identified blockage status of the one or more obstructed sensors to the user 105 of the vehicle 103. The notification module 229 may provide the notification in either a user device associated with the user 105 or an output unit of the vehicle 103 based on an ignition status of the vehicle 103. For example, when the ignition of the vehicle 103 is turned on, the notification may be transmitted to the output unit of the vehicle 103. In another example, if the in-vehicle ignition is turned on due to activation of the pre-heating option in the vehicle, the notification may be sent to the user device associated with the user 105. Further, the notification module 229 may be configured to send a notification of the completion of cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors.In one embodiment, the user preference module 231 may be configured to provide the user 105 with the plurality of options regarding cleaning the one or more blocked sensors. Further, the user preference module 231 may be configured to receive the user input indicating a preference for one of the plurality of options provided to the user 105 for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors. The plurality of options related to cleaning the one or more blocked sensors includes user-defined cleaning (CC), automatic cleaning (AC), and delayed cleaning (DC).In one embodiment, the sensor cleaning module 233 may be configured to perform the one or more actions associated with managing cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors according to user preference.FIG. 5 shows an example flow diagram illustrating the method steps of cleaning sensors of a vehicle based on the received user preferences, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the method 500 may include one or more steps. The method 500 may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions.The order in which method 500 is described is not intended to be limiting, and any number of the described method blocks may be combined in any order to perform the method. Moreover, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without compromising the scope of the subject matter described herein. Moreover, the method may be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.In step 501, the user input indicates the preferred cleaning option from the plurality of options available for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors of the vehicle 103. The received user input may include one of the options referred to as user-defined cleaning (also referred to as CC), automatic cleaning (also referred to as AC), and delayed cleaning (also referred to as DC).In step 503, the user preference for sensor cleaning is determined (user defined cleaning (CC) / automatic cleaning (AC) / delayed cleaning (DC)) to manage cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors. The method 500 proceeds to step 505, step 509 and step 511 for user-defined cleaning (CC), automatic cleaning (AC) and delayed cleaning (DC), respectively.In step 505, after identifying the user input as user-defined cleaning (CC), the sensor cleaning module 233 may perform various actions related to the user-defined cleaning (CC) of the one or more blocked sensors. The one or more actions may include providing the user with a plurality of user-defined cleaning options (CC) for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors, and receiving a user selection of a user-defined cleaning option (CC) from the plurality of user-defined cleaning options (CC) for cleaning. In this case, the method 500 may provide further options regarding user-defined cleaning (CC), such as heating duration, etc. For example, the options provided to the user may include preheating 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, etc. for the one or more blocked sensors, depending on the specification of the heater controller 113 and the type and amount of blockage in the sensors.At step 507, the method 500 includes performing the one or more actions associated with the user-defined cleaning (CC). The method 500 adjusts the sensor cleaning of the vehicle 103 relative to the user preferred sensor cleaning of the plurality of offered user defined cleaning options (CC). In addition, the sensor cleaning control system may indicate the amount of battery consumption for each of the offered user-defined cleaning options (CC).At step 509, after the user input is identified as automatic cleaning (AC), the method 500 performs various actions related to automatic cleaning (AC) with a predefined sensor cleaning process to clean the one or more blocked sensors.In step 511, after the user input is identified as delayed cleaning (DC), the method 500 performs various actions associated with the delayed cleaning (DC). The various actions associated with delayed cleaning (DC) include providing a plurality of delay options to the user for delayed cleaning (DC) of the one or more blocked sensors. For example, the plurality of delay options may include "notify mich later", then the method 500 may provide the next set of options such as "notify mich after 5 minutes", "notify mich after 10 minutes", "notify mich after 15 minutes", "notify mich after every 15 minutes", etc.In step 513, the method 500 may notify the user of the vehicle 103 of the status of non-functionality of the one or more sensors of the vehicle 103 if the next option selected by the user is "notification after 30 minutes", such as "sensors identified as blocked", "functions are not available", and "want to clean the sensor", etc.In step 515, the method 500 may send the notification associated with the status of completion of cleaning of the blocked sensors to the user 105 of the vehicle 103, either to the user device associated with the vehicle 103 or to the vehicle 103 itself, based on the ignition status of the vehicle 103.At step 517, the method 500 displays the completion status of the one or more actions to be taken in connection with cleaning the one or more blocked sensors of the vehicle 103 based on the user preference. For example, in one embodiment, the display may be via the infotainment unit of the vehicle 103 that includes a text message, a display indicating the non-functional status of the one or more sensors, a voice command via the audio environment, etc., when the ignition status of the vehicle 103 is "ON.". In another embodiment, the display may be via, for example, a registered mobile application, a registered web application, or another user's vehicle.Returning to FIG. 2, the one or more modules 211 may also include the other modules 235 to perform various other functions of the sensor cleaning control system 101. For example, the one or more modules 211 may include a sensing module. In one embodiment, the acquisition module may be configured to acquire the set of display information. The sensing module may be coupled to the communication module 225. The sensing module may transmit the set of display data regarding the blocking status of sensors or user preference options to the communication module 225. In another embodiment, the sensing module may be configured to sense the information from the ECU of the vehicle 103. It will be appreciated that the one or more modules 211 may be represented as a single module or as a combination of different modules.FIG. 3 shows an example illustration of managing cleaning of sensors of a vehicle based on user preference, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to an example illustrated in FIG. 3, an environment 300 is shown including a vehicle 303 equipped with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) 301 including a plurality of sensors (313, 315, 317, 319, 321), an electronic control unit (ECU) 309, and a sensor cleaning control system 305. In an embodiment, the vehicle 303 may be equipped with a plurality of sensors ( 315, 317, 319) corresponding to a class of automatic driving such as class 0 (no driver automation), class 1 (driving support), class 2 (partial driving automation), class 3 (automatic driving with conditions), class 4 (high autopiotic), class 5 (fully automatic driving), and the like. To provide driver assistance based on the ADAS classification, the vehicle 303 may include various sensors, such as camera sensors 319, laser radar sensors (LiDAR) 313, navigation sensors 315, radar sensors 317, temperature sensors ( 321), etc., that may be mounted to the vehicle 303.In one example, the navigation sensors 315 may include one or more sensors with receivers and antennas configured to utilize a satellite-based navigation system including a network of navigation satellites capable of providing geolocation and time information to at least one component of the vehicle 303.In one example, laser radar (LiDAR) sensors 313 may include one or more components configured to measure distances to targets using laser light. In some embodiments, laser radar (LiDAR) sensors 313 may provide 3D image data of an environment around vehicle 303. The image data may be processed to generate a full 360 degree view of the environment around the cabin 303.In one example, radar sensors 317 may include one or more radio components configured to detect objects / targets in the environment of vehicle 303. In some embodiments, radar sensors 317 may determine a distance, position, and / or motion vector (e.g., angle, velocity, etc.) associated with a target over time. The radar sensors 317 may include a transmitter configured to generate and transmit electromagnetic waves (e.g., radio, microwaves, etc.) and a receiver configured to detect returned electromagnetic waves. In some embodiments, radar sensors 317 may include at least one processor configured to interpret the returned electromagnetic waves and determine the location characteristics of targets.In an example, the camera sensors 319 may include one or more components configured to capture image information associated with the environment of the vehicle 303. In some embodiments, the camera sensors 319 may include a lens, a filter, an image sensor, and / or a digital image processor.In some embodiments, the vehicle 303 equipped with ADAS 301 may include other sensors and / or combinations of the sensors described above. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the sensors described above may include one or more processors configured to process and / or interpret the signals detected by the one or more sensors. In some embodiments, processing of at least some sensor information provided by the ADAS 301 equipped vehicle 303 may be processed. In some embodiments, the sensor data store 311 may store instructions used by the ECU 309 to process sensor information provided by the vehicle 303 equipped with ADAS 301. In any case, the sensor data store 311 may be a disk drive, an optical storage device, a solid state storage device such as a random access memory ("RAM") and / or a read only memory ("ROM"), which may be programmable, flash-updateable, and / or the like.The ECU 309 of the ADAS 301 may acquire information on the operating state of the vehicle 303, including information such as the state of the ignition switch, the environmental conditions including weather, air temperature, road surface conditions, and information on the operating conditions of all sensors mounted on the vehicle 303. The sensor cleaning control system 305 may be operatively connected to the vehicle 303 and the user and configured to communicate therewith to facilitate sensor cleaning based on the user preference. Because the sensor cleaning control system 305 coordinates and / or controls the various operations of the ADAS 301 (vehicle 303), the information regarding the blockage status of one or more blocked sensors 323 of the ADAS 301 is identified and ultimately communicated to a user of the vehicle 303 via various user devices, as represented by 307.a, 307.b, and 307.c. The blocked status of the one or more blocked sensors may include information regarding the non-functionality or non-availability of the respective ADAS functions due to the occlusion of one or more sensors 323 by sun glare, bright lights, a view blocking object such as snow or ice on the lens, rain or snowfall in the air, water drops on the windshield, or even fog, etc.As shown in FIG. 3, the sensor cleaning control system 305 provides a plurality of cleaning options for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors, including user-defined cleaning (CC), automatic cleaning (AC), delayed cleaning (DC), etc. If the received input indicates that the user-defined cleaning (CC) is preferred, the sensor cleaning control system 305 may provide the user with a plurality of user-defined cleaning options (CC) for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors. Based on the plurality of user-defined cleaning options (CC), the sensor cleaning control system 305 may receive a user selection, e.g., clean for 30 minutes, from the plurality of user-defined cleaning options (CC) for cleaning. Accordingly, the sensor cleaning control system 305 enables cleaning actions to be performed for 30 minutes.If the received user preference of cleaning is the automatic cleaning (AC) option, then the sensor cleaning control system 305 performs various actions related to automatic cleaning (AC) with a predefined sensor cleaning process to clean the one or more blocked sensors 323.Upon receiving the user input indicating the delayed cleaning (DC) preference, the sensor cleaning control system 305 performs various actions associated with the delayed cleaning (DC). The various actions associated with delayed cleaning (DC) include providing a plurality of options to the user for delayed cleaning (DC) of the one or more blocked sensors and simultaneously notifying the user of the vehicle 303 of the non-functionality of the one or more sensors of the vehicle 303 due to the blockage. For example, the user may make the input "Notify Me later", whereupon the sensor cleaning control system 305 provides the next set of options such as "Notify Me after 15 minutes", "Notify Me after 30 minutes", "Notify Me after 45 minutes", "Notify Me every 15 minutes", etc. If the next option selected by the user is "notify after 30 minutes", the sensor cleaning control system 305 may notify the user of the cabin 303, e.g., "sensors identified as blocked", "functionalities are not available", and "want to clean the sensor", etc. Therefore, the sensor cleaning control system 305 provides the vehicle 303 based on the user preferences.Additionally, the sensor cleaning control system 305 may send the notification of the blockage status of the one or more blocked sensors to one or more output devices that include the infotainment display of the vehicle 303 or a voice command when the status of the vehicle ignition is "ON.".In a non-limiting embodiment of the sensor cleaning control system 305 coupled to the vehicle 303 for sensor cleaning, the infotainment of the vehicle 303 includes a vehicle operating display (e.g., configured to display and / or display driving data as well as information about the blockage status of one or more sensors of the vehicle), one or more auxiliary displays (e.g., configured to display and / or display information separate from the operating display, entertainment applications, movies, music, etc.),In another embodiment of the present invention, the sensor cleaning control system 305 may send the notification of the blockage status of the one or more blocked sensors to one or more output devices of the user device, including a registered mobile application 307.a, a registered web application 307.b, or ADAS of another vehicle 307.c of the user when the vehicle ignition status is "OFF.". For example, the sensor cleaning control system 305 may inform the user, via the mobile application 307.a, of the blockage status of the one or more blocked sensors 323 by indicating that these sensors are identified as inoperative due to the blockage when the ignition status of the vehicle 303 is "OFF.". Further, the sensor cleaning control system 305 provides a variety of options for cleaning the sensors via the user device mobile application 307.a. In another embodiment of the present invention, the sensor cleaning control system 305 may notify the vehicle 303 itself via the one or more blocked sensors 323 via the infotainment unit of the vehicle 303 via a text message, a display indicating the status of non-functionality of the one or more blocked sensors 323, a voice command about the audio environment, etc., when the ignition status of the vehicle 303 is "ON". Since the sensor cleaning control system 305 coordinates and / or controls the various operations of the ADAS 301 (the vehicle 303), it obtains information about the operating state of the vehicle 303, including information such as the state of the ignition switch, from the ECU 309 of the ADAS 301. Accordingly, the sensor cleaning control system 305 notifies the user of any of the available user devices, such as the registered mobile application 307.a, the registered web application 307.b, or the ADAS of another vehicle 307.c of the user.In one embodiment, the notification may be text in which it is "sensors identified as blocked", "functions are not available" and "want to clean the sensor", etc., sent to the user devices and / or the vehicle 303, or a voice command, and the like. The response may include information about the cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors 323 identified by the sensor cleaning control system 305. For example, the notification may include a variety of options provided to the user to adjust sensor cleaning according to the cleaning / use preference. The plurality of options may be displayed as follows: "Please select one of the following options: a user defined cleaning (CC); an automatic cleaning (AC); and a delayed cleaning (DC).".FIG. 4 shows an example flow diagram illustrating the method steps for managing cleaning of the sensors of the vehicle 103 based on user preference, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, method 400 may include one or more steps. The method 400 may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions may generally include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions that perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types.The order in which method 400 is described is not intended to be limiting, and any number of the described method blocks may be combined in any order to perform the method. Moreover, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without compromising the scope of the subject matter described herein. Moreover, the method may be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.In step 401, the one or more obstructed sensors of the vehicle 103 are identified based on a blockage status of the one or more sensors 107 associated with the vehicle 103. In one embodiment, the blockage status of the one or more sensors of the vehicle 103 may be identified based on information received from the ECU of the vehicle 103.The blocking status of the one or more blocked sensors may include information regarding non-functionality or non-availability of the respective ADAS functions due to occlusions of the ADAS sensors by sun glare, bright lights, a vision blocking object such as snow or ice on the lens, rain or snowfall in the air, water drops on the windshield, or even fog, etc.In step 403, the notification of the one or more blocked sensors is sent to the user 105 of the vehicle 103.The notification of one or more blocked sensors may be in the form of text indicating "sensors identified as blocked", "functions are not available", and "want to clean the sensor", etc., to the user devices and / or the vehicle 103, or in the form of a voice command or the like. The response may include information about the cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors 323.In some cases, the notification of the blockage status of the one or more obstructed sensors may be sent to one or more output devices of the user 105.In another embodiment of the present invention, the notification of one or more blocked sensors may be sent to the vehicle itself via the infotainment unit of the vehicle 103.In step 405, the user 105 of the vehicle 103 is presented with the plurality of options for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors. In one embodiment, the plurality of options include user-defined cleaning (CC), automatic cleaning (AC), and delayed cleaning (DC).At step 407, user input indicating a preference for one of the plurality of options regarding cleaning one or more blocked sensors is received. The plurality of options for cleaning these sensors may be sent to the user 105 via the user device when the ignition status of the vehicle 103 is "OFF.". When the ignition status of the vehicle 103 is "ON", the plurality of options regarding cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors may be sent to the infotainment unit of the vehicle 103.In step 409, the one or more actions to manage the cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors are performed based on the preferred user option to eliminate the blocking of the one or more blocked sensors.COMPUTER SYSTEMFIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an example computer system 600 for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the computer system 600 may be used to implement the sensor cleaning control system 101. Thus, the computer system 600 may be used to manage sensor cleaning of the vehicle 103 based on the user preference. The computer system 600 may communicate with one or more external devices via a communication network 609. The computer system 600 may include a central processing unit 602 (also referred to as a "CPU" or "processor"). The processor 602 may include at least one data processor. The processor 602 may include specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management controllers, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc.Processor 602 may communicate with one or more input / output devices (not shown) via I / O interface 601. The I / O interface 601 may use communication protocols / methods, such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, monaural, RCA, stereo, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) -1394, serial bus, universal serial bus (USB), infrared, PS / 2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, digital visual interface (DVI), high resolution multimedia interface (HDMI), radio frequency (RF) antennas, S-video, VGA, IEEE 802.n / b / g / n / x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., code division multiple access (CDMA), for example, High-speed packet access (HSPA+), global system for mobile communications (GSM), long term evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like), etc.Via the I / O interface 601, the computer system 600 may communicate with one or more I / O devices. The input device 610 may be, for example, an antenna, a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, an (infrared) keyboard, a camera, a card reader, a facsimile machine, a dongle, a biometric reader, a microphone, a touch screen, a touchpad, a trackball, a pen, a scanner, a storage device, a transceiver, a video device / source, sensors, etc. The output device 611 may be a printer, a facsimile machine, a video display (e.g., cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diode (LED), plasma, plasma display (PDP), organic light emitting diode display (OLED), or the like), a speaker, and so forth.The processor 602 may be connected to the communication network 609 via a network interface 603. The network interface 603 may communicate with the communication network 609. The network interface 603 may use connection protocols including, without limitation, direct connection, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10 / 100 / 1000 base T), transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / x, etc. The communication network 609 may include, without limitation, a direct connection, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless network (e.g., with wireless application protocol), the Internet, etc. The network interface 603 may use connection protocols such as direct connection, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10 / 100 / 1000 base T), transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / x, Bluetooth mesh, zigbee, etc.The communication network 609 includes, among other things, a direct connection, an e-commerce network, a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless network (e.g., with wireless application protocol), the Internet, Wi-Fi, etc. The first network and the second network may be either a dedicated network or a shared network representing a connection of the various types of networks that includes a variety of protocols, e.g., hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), transmission control protocol / Internet protocol (TCP / IP), among others, Use Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., for communication with each other. Moreover, the first network and the second network may comprise a plurality of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computers, storage devices, etc.In some embodiments, processor 602 may be in communication with memory 605 (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc., not shown in FIG. 6 ) via a memory interface 604. The memory interface 604 may be connected to the memory 605, including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disk drives, etc., using connection protocols such as serial advanced technology attachment (SATA), integrated drive electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, universal serial bus (USB), fiber channel, small computer systems interface (SCSI), etc. The storage drives may further include a drum, a magnetic disk drive, a magneto-optical drive, an optical drive, a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), solid state storage devices, solid state drives, etc.The memory 605 may store a collection of program or database components including, without limitation, the user interface 606, an operating system 607, a web browser 608, etc. In some embodiments, the computer system 600 may store user / application data, e.g., the data, variables, records, etc., as described in this disclosure. Such databases may be implemented as fault tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle®, or Sybase®.Operating system 607 may facilitate resource management and operation of computer system 600. Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, APPLE MACINTOSH ® OS X, UNIX ®, UNIX-like system distributions (e.g., BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTIONTM (BSD), FREEBSDTM, NETBSDTM, OPENBSDTM, etc.), LINUX DISTRIBUTIONSTM (e.g., RED HATTM, UBUTNTUTM, KUBUTNTUTM, etc.), IBMTM OS / 2, MICROSOFTTM WlNDOWSTM (XPTM, VISSTATM / 7 / 8, 10, etc.), APPLE R IOSM, GOOGLE R ANDROIDTM, blackberry_ner5_os or the like.In some embodiments, computer system 600 may implement stored program component web browser 608. The web browser 608 may be a hypertext display application, for example, MICROSOFT R INTERNET EXPLORER™ GOOGLE R CHROME, MOZILLA R FIREFOX™ APPLE R SAFARI™ etc. Secure Internet surfing may be provided with secure hypertext transport protocol (HTTPS), secure sockets layer (SSL), transport layer security (TLS), etc. Web browsers 508 may utilize devices such as AJAX™ DHTML™ ADOBE R FLASH™ JAVASCRIPT™ JAVA™ application programming interfaces (APIs), etc. In some embodiments, computer system 600 may implement a mail server (not shown in the figure) as a stored program component. The mail server may be an Internet mail server such as Microsoft Exchange, or the like. The mail server may use devices such as ASP™ ACTIVEX™ ANSI™ C++ / C#, MICROSOFT R,. NET™ CGI SCRIPTS™ JAVA™ JAVASCRIPT™ PERL™ PHP™ PYTHONTM, WEB OBJECTSTM, etc. The mail server may use communication protocols such as Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAPP), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), MICROSOFT R exchange, Post Office Protocol (POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or the like. In some embodiments, computer system 600 may implement a stored mail client program component. The mail client (not shown in the figure) may be a mail display application such as APPLE R MAIL™ MICROSOFT R ENTOURAGE™ MICROSOFT R OUTLOOK™ MOZILLA R THUNDERBIRD™ and so on.Moreover, one or more computer readable storage media may be used in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions that cause the processor(s) to perform steps or steps consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term "computer readable medium" should be understood to include tangible articles and to exclude, i.e., be non-transitory, carrier waves and transient signals. Examples include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, hard disks, compact disk read-only memories (CD ROMs), digital video disks (DVDs), flash drives, floppy disks, and any other known physical storage media.The present disclosure provides a method and system for cleaning sensors in the vehicle. In one embodiment, a user interface (UX) for mobile and vehicle instrument clusters (also known as vehicle displays / dashboards) is provided that can connect ADAS sensors, sensor cleaning control systems, and visible user applications (mobile app, vehicle UX display app, etc.) to one another. This provides the user (driver / owner / passengers) with flexible preferences to make the decision for sensor cleaning based on his needs and preferences. In one embodiment, even with the vehicle key off, the status of the sensor blockage may be sent to the user via its mobile app or other device, and based on its inputs, sensor cleaning may occur before the user schedules the vehicle to drive.The terms "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "the embodiment," "the embodiments," "one or more embodiments," "some embodiments," and "an embodiment" mean "one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)," unless expressly stated otherwise.The terms "including", "consisting of", "with", and variations thereof mean "including, but not limited to" unless expressly stated otherwise.The enumeration of items does not mean that some or all items are mutually exclusive unless expressly stated otherwise. The terms "a", "an" and "the" mean "one or more" unless expressly stated otherwise.The description of an embodiment having multiple components in communication does not mean that all of these components are required. Rather, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily appreciated that more than one device / article (whether cooperating or not) may be used in place of a single device / article. When more than one device or article is described herein (whether or not they cooperate), it will be readily appreciated that a single device / article may be used in place of more than one device or article, or that a different number of devices / articles may be used in place of the specified number of devices or programs. The functionality and / or features of a device may alternatively also be embodied by one or more other devices not expressly described as being equipped with such functionality / features. Therefore, other embodiments of the invention need not include the device itself.The operations illustrated in FIG. 4 show that certain events are occurring in a particular order. In alternative embodiments, certain operations may be performed, changed, or removed in a different order. Moreover, steps may be added to the logic described above, which nevertheless correspond to the described embodiments. Further, the operations described herein may occur sequentially or certain operations may be processed in parallel. Moreover, the operations may be performed by a single processing unit or by distributed processing units.Finally, the language used in the specification has been chosen primarily for readability and guidance purposes, and not to delineate or describe the subject matter of the invention. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by all claims that rely on an application based thereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.Although various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not restrictive, the true scope being indicated by the following claims.Reference Number:100 Example environment 101 sensor cleaning control system 103 vehicle 105 user of vehicle 107 one or more sensors of vehicle 109 infotainment unit 111 ECU 113 controller for heating 200 detailed diagram 203 I / O interface 205 one or more processors 207 memory 209 data 211 module 213 communication data 215 sensor blocking data 217 user preference data 219 sensor cleaning data 221 other data 225 communication module 227 sensor blocking identification module 229 notification module 231 user preference module 233 sensor cleaning module 235 other modules 300 environment 301 ADAS 303 vehicle 305 sensor cleaning control system 307 user devices 309 electronic control unit 311 sensor data storage 313- 321 a plurality of sensors 323 one or more blocked sensors 600 computer system 601 I / O interface 603 The following are examples of examples of the invention: Network interface 604 storage interface 605 storage 606 user interface 607 operating system 608 web browser 609 communication network 610 input device 611 output deviceReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedUS 11708054

[0005]

Claims

A method for managing cleaning of sensors of a vehicle based on a user preference, the method comprising: identifying, by a sensor cleaning control system, one or more blocked sensors of a vehicle based on a blockage status associated with one or more sensors of the vehicle; sending, by the sensor cleaning control system, a notification of the one or more blocked sensors to a user of the vehicle; providing, by the sensor cleaning control system, a plurality of options for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors; receiving, by the sensor cleaning control system, a user input indicating, by the sensor cleaning control system, a preference for one of the plurality of options regarding cleaning the one or more blocked sensors; and performing one or more actions by the sensor cleaning control system based on the preferred option to manage cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors of the vehicle.The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is provided to a user device connected to the user when an ignition status of the vehicle is OFF, and the notification is provided to a display of the vehicle when the ignition status of the vehicle is ON.The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of options regarding the cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors comprises a user-defined cleaning (CC), an automatic cleaning (AC), and a delayed cleaning (DC).The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions related to the user-defined cleaning (CC) comprises: providing a plurality of user-defined cleaning options (CC) to the user for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors; receiving a user selection of a user-defined cleaning option (CC) from the plurality of user-defined cleaning options (CC) for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors; and activating a sensor cleaning unit of the vehicle to preheat the one or more blocked sensors based on the selected user-defined cleaning option (CC) to remove blockages; deactivating the sensor cleaning unit of the vehicle after completion of cleaning the one or more blocked sensors; sending a notification indicating completion of cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors to the user of the vehicle.The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions related to the delayed cleaning (DC) comprise: providing a plurality of delay options to the user to delay cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors; and notifying the vehicle user of non-functionality of the one or more blocked sensors due to delayed cleaning (DC).A sensor cleaning control system for managing cleaning of sensors of a vehicle based on user preference, comprising: one or more input devices configured to receive data comprising a plurality of parameters related to the decision for sensor cleaning; one or more output devices configured to provide an output value related to the decision for sensor cleaning; a memory; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more input devices, the one or more output devices, and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: identify one or more blocked sensors of a vehicle based on a blocking status associated with one or more sensors of the vehicle; providing the user with a plurality of options for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors; receiving a user input indicating a preference for one of the plurality of options regarding cleaning the one or more blocked sensors; and performing one or more actions based on the preferred option for managing cleaning the one or more blocked sensors of the vehicle.The sensor cleaning control system of claim 6, wherein the processor provides the notification to a user device connected to the user when an ignition status of the vehicle is OFF and provides the notification to a display of the vehicle when the ignition status of the vehicle is ON.The sensor cleaning controller of claim 6, wherein the plurality of options regarding cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors comprises a user-defined cleaning (CC), an automatic cleaning (AC), and a delayed cleaning (DC).The sensor cleaning controller of claim 6, wherein the processor performs the one or more actions related to customized cleaning (CC): providing a plurality of user-defined cleaning options (CC) to the user for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors; receiving a user selection of a user-defined cleaning option (CC) from the plurality of user-defined cleaning options (CC) for cleaning the one or more blocked sensors; and activating a sensor cleaning unit of the vehicle to preheat the one or more blocked sensors based on the selected user-defined cleaning option (CC) to remove blockages; deactivating the sensor cleaning unit of the vehicle upon completion of cleaning the one or more blocked sensors; sending a notification indicating completion of cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors to the user of the vehicle.The sensor cleaning control system of claim 6, wherein the processor performs the one or more actions related to the delayed cleaning (DC): providing a plurality of delay options to the user to delay cleaning of the one or more blocked sensors; and notifying the vehicle user of non-functionality of the one or more blocked sensors due to delayed cleaning (DC).

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