Rotating Lidar Window Cover for Contaminant Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lidar sensors are sensitive to contamination on their window covers, which degrades their sensing performance, and existing methods lack effective cleaning solutions to maintain their operation, especially in autonomous driving applications where high distance resolution is required.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that includes a contaminant detector, rotator, and cleaner to rotate and clean the window cover of a lidar sensor, using a liquid sprayer, air sprayer, heating dryer, and wiper to remove contaminants, allowing the sensor to operate continuously while maintaining performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the lidar sensor is exposed to the outside for sensing, then the sensing performance is improved, but the window cover is easily contaminated by external foreign matters
Solution Approach 1:
The window cover is divided into multiple independent sections that can be rotated separately. The rotator divides the window cover into a sensing region and a cleaning region, allowing contamination to be isolated and removed without affecting the entire sensing surface. This segmentation enables the clean portions to continue sensing while contaminated portions are cleaned.
Solution Approach 2:
A contaminant detector is introduced as an intermediary component between the window cover and the cleaning system. The detector monitors the window cover for contaminants and triggers the rotator and cleaner only when contamination is detected, rather than continuously cleaning. This intermediary enables selective cleaning while maintaining sensing performance.
2Measurement precision
If the window cover is cleaned continuously to remove contaminants, then the sensing performance is maintained, but the operation time of the lidar sensor is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous cleaning, the system uses periodic action by rotating the window cover to bring contaminated sections into the cleaning region at intervals. The rotator rotates the window cover step-by-step, allowing different sections to be cleaned periodically while other sections remain in the sensing region and continue operation. This periodic cleaning maintains performance while maximizing operation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning process is designed to maintain continuity of useful sensing action. While one section of the window cover is being cleaned, other sections continue to perform sensing functions. The rotator continuously rotates the window cover to ensure that clean sections are always available for sensing, preventing interruption of the lidar sensor's operation.
3Productivity
If the window cover is rotated to a cleaning region for removal of contaminant, then the contaminant removal efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotator serves multiple functions: it rotates the window cover to position contaminated sections in the cleaning region, it also positions clean sections into the sensing region, and it enables sequential cleaning of multiple sections. This multi-functionality improves contaminant removal efficiency without requiring separate mechanisms for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The contaminant detector, rotator, and cleaner are merged into an integrated cleaning system that operates automatically. The detector triggers the rotator, which positions the window cover for the cleaner to remove contaminants. This merging of functions into a single coordinated system improves removal efficiency while avoiding the complexity of separate independent systems.
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 solution effectively removes contaminants from the lidar sensor window cover, improving the sensor's operation time and preventing performance degradation, enabling continuous operation without stopping the lidar sensor.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid sprayer configured to spray a wash solution onto the window cover
Implementation Method 2
an air sprayer configured to spray air onto the window cover
Implementation Method 3
a heating dryer configured to dry the window cover by heating the window cover
Implementation Method 4
a wiper driver configured to drive a wiper to remove moisture on the window cover
Implementation Method 5
a rotator configured to rotate the window cover
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for cleaning a lidar sensor may include: a contaminant detector configured to detect a contaminant adhering to a window cover of the lidar sensor; a rotator configured to rotate the window cover; a cleaner configured to clean the window cover; and a controller configured to control the rotator to rotate the window cover to a cleaning region for removing the contaminant, and control the cleaner to remove the contaminant, when the contaminant is detected by the contaminant detector.