Vehicle Radar Sensor Cleaning via Signal Threshold Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle radar sensors face reduced detectability due to debris and contaminants accumulating on their external structures, especially in harsh weather conditions, which can impair object detection performance and driving safety.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for cleaning vehicle radar sensors, involving a comparison of sensor signal information with a signal quality threshold, and if below the threshold, a spraying step is performed to remove debris from the sensor external structure, potentially with multiple spraying steps separated by time periods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the radar sensor is continuously cleaned by spraying fluid, then the detectability is improved, but the energy consumption and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment by comparing current signal quality with historical baseline data before initiating cleaning. This allows the system to detect degradation trends and trigger cleaning only when necessary, rather than continuously or reactively after performance drops
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where cleaning effectiveness is continuously monitored by comparing signal quality before and after cleaning operations. This feedback mechanism allows the system to learn from past cleaning outcomes and optimize future cleaning decisions, reducing unnecessary cleaning operations
2Reliability
If multiple spraying steps are performed with time periods in between, then the cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the cleaning time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic cleaning cycles with multiple spraying steps separated by time periods, allowing the cleaning fluid to work effectively on contaminants. The periodic nature of the action enables thorough cleaning while managing the overall time investment through structured intervals
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies cleaning fluid in multiple partial spraying steps rather than a single excessive amount. This approach allows the fluid to penetrate and dissolve contaminants more effectively over time, with each step contributing to progressive removal without requiring excessive total fluid application time
3Use of energy by moving object
If cleaning is performed only when signal quality drops below threshold, then energy consumption is reduced, but detectability may be compromised in gradually degrading conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment by comparing current signal quality with historical baseline data to detect gradual degradation trends. This preliminary action allows the system to anticipate performance drops and trigger cleaning proactively before detectability is compromised, rather than waiting for threshold violations
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors signal quality and provides feedback to the cleaning control logic. This feedback enables the system to distinguish between temporary signal fluctuations and genuine degradation trends, triggering cleaning only when sustained degradation is detected, thus balancing energy consumption with maintainable detectability
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 method effectively improves the detectability of radar sensors in harsh environments by maintaining or restoring the object detection performance, thereby enhancing driving safety by ensuring accurate detection of objects.
Implementation Method 1
cleaning debris from a sensor external structure (28) by performing at least one spraying step (30), which includes spraying fluid on the sensor external structure (28) by a spraying device
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The invention regards a method for cleaning (10) a vehicle radar sensor comprising: providing sensor signal information (14) from a sensor signal (16) of the radar sensor (18), a comparison step (22) including comparing the sensor signal information (14) with a signal quality threshold (T), if the sensor signal information (14) is below the signal quality threshold (T), a cleaning step (26) including cleaning debris from a sensor external structure (28) forming an interface between the radar sensor (18) and the vehicle environment (20), by at least one spraying step (26), which includes spraying fluid on the sensor external structure (28) by a spraying device (38), wherein the radar sensor (18) is arranged for object detection of objects in the vehicle environment (20) and the sensor signal information (14) for comparing with the signal quality threshold (T) includes at least a performance benchmark (M) of the object detection of the radar sensor (18). The invention further regards a radar sensor cleaning system (36).