Heated Sensor Cleaning Fluid for Autonomous Vehicle Heat Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicle sensors face contamination and heat-related issues that affect their performance and longevity, leading to reduced accuracy and safety in navigation.
Innovation Solution
A fluid cleaning system utilizing heated fluid, where heat from vehicle parts is harnessed to warm the cleaning fluid, which is then sprayed onto sensors to remove contaminants while also cooling the parts, ensuring effective cleaning and heat management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fluid is used to clean sensors, then contaminants are removed, but the cleaning fluid may occlude the sensor view during cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs cleaning operations periodically or on-demand rather than continuously, allowing the sensor to be cleaned when contamination is detected or at scheduled intervals, minimizing view occlusion time while maintaining cleaning effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning system is designed to apply fluid only to specific contaminated areas of the sensor rather than covering the entire sensor surface, extracting the cleaning action to only where needed and preserving the rest of the sensor view
2Use of energy by moving object
If heat is generated by vehicle parts, then power is available for heating cleaning fluid, but the parts overheat
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the harmful overheating of vehicle parts into a beneficial heat source for warming the cleaning fluid. The excess heat that would otherwise be wasted or damaging is captured and utilized to preheat the cleaning fluid, improving cleaning effectiveness while solving the overheating problem
Solution Approach 2:
A heat exchanger serves as an intermediary between the hot vehicle parts and the cleaning fluid, transferring thermal energy from the parts to the fluid without direct contact, allowing heat recovery while maintaining separate thermal zones
3Reliability
If cleaning fluid is heated, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary heating of the cleaning fluid using waste heat from vehicle parts before the actual cleaning operation. This preheating reduces the additional energy needed during cleaning and prepares the fluid for optimal cleaning performance
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers waste heat from vehicle parts that would otherwise be discarded or lost. This recovered thermal energy is captured and reused to heat the cleaning fluid, converting a waste stream into a useful resource and reducing overall energy consumption
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system maintains sensor performance by removing contaminants and managing heat, thereby enhancing the accuracy and safety of autonomous vehicle navigation.
Implementation Method 1
A fluid cleaning system utilizes heated fluid, where heat from vehicle parts is harnessed to warm the cleaning fluid
Implementation Method 2
heated fluid, where heat from vehicle parts is harnessed to warm the cleaning fluid, which is then sprayed onto sensors to remove contaminants
Implementation Method 3
heat from vehicle parts is harnessed to warm the cleaning fluid, which is then sprayed onto sensors to remove contaminants while also cooling the parts
Data Source
AI summary
Fluid cleaning systems for cleaning AV sensors are disclosed herein. An example fluid cleaning system includes a reservoir storing a fluid. The fluid can flow from the reservoir to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger can transfer heat generated by a part of the AV to the fluid, thereby improving cleaning efficacy. The part may be battery, motor, engine, sensor (e.g., the sensor to be cleaned with the fluid or another sensor), etc. The heat may be an unintended product of an operation of the part. The heat exchanger can use the heat to warm up the fluid and cool down the part. Additionally or alternatively, the fluid can be heated by another heat exchanger or a heater. The heater can generate heat intended for heating the fluid. The heater may be local to the sensor to be cleaned, e.g., the heater is closer to the sensor than the reservoir.