External Vehicle Sensor Cleaning for Weight-Limited Autonomous Fleets
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning systems for vehicle sensors are limited by onboard vehicle requirements, such as size and weight restrictions, and fail to effectively clean sensors that become polluted, impairing their functionality.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a movable cleaning device, actuator, and controller that positions the cleaning device relative to the vehicle to target and clean sensors, using information from onboard and external sensors to ensure thorough cleaning without size or weight limitations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an onboard cleaning system is used, then the vehicle can clean its own sensors, but the system is limited by size and weight restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is extracted from the vehicle and placed at an external hub location. The vehicle passes through the hub where cleaning occurs, eliminating the need for onboard cleaning equipment while maintaining autonomous cleaning capability.
Solution Approach 2:
An external hub acts as an intermediary between the vehicle and the cleaning function. The hub contains the cleaning equipment and performs sensor cleaning as the vehicle passes through, mediating the cleaning process without requiring onboard systems.
2Quantity of substance
If a reservoir-based cleaning system is used, then cleaning fluid is available, but the reservoir size is limited by vehicle requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning fluid reservoir is extracted from the vehicle and placed at the external hub. This eliminates volume constraints imposed by vehicle requirements while ensuring adequate cleaning fluid availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning system transitions from a mobile onboard reservoir to a stationary hub-based reservoir, changing the spatial dimension from vehicle-constrained to location-constrained, thereby increasing available volume.
3Productivity
If current cleaning systems are used, then some cleaning capability is provided, but they do not fully clean the sensors or target them effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the vehicle's own sensors to identify and locate its sensor positions, then uses this information to guide the cleaning device to the correct locations, enabling self-service cleaning without complex external guidance systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback from vehicle sensors to continuously monitor and adjust the positioning of the cleaning device, ensuring accurate targeting of sensors while maintaining simple overall system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for cleaning a vehicle sensor includes a cleaning device movable relative to a vehicle, an actuator configured to position the cleaning device relative to the vehicle, and a sensor configured to collect information relating to a position of a vehicle sensor on the vehicle. The system also includes a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor and the actuator. The controller is configured to receive information from the sensor and identify the vehicle sensor on the vehicle. The controller is configured to operate the actuator to selectively position the cleaning device relative to the vehicle and target the vehicle sensor on the vehicle.