Sensor Housing Airflow Fins for Cooling and Window Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensing units in vehicles face challenges with heat dissipation, debris accumulation, and weather-related issues that impact performance, often requiring complex and difficult-to-integrate cooling and cleaning systems.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained system using a fan to provide airflow through contoured fins that both cool and clean the sensing units by dissipating heat and directing airflow onto windows, eliminating the need for additional parts or liquid cooling systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex cooling and cleaning systems are used for sensing units, then heat dissipation and debris removal effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines cooling and cleaning functions into a single integrated airflow system. A single fan directs airflow through contoured fins that simultaneously cool the sensor electronics and direct cleaned air onto the window to remove debris, eliminating the need for separate cooling and cleaning systems
Solution Approach 2:
The airflow system performs multiple functions: it cools the sensor electronics, cleans the window surface, and maintains proper temperature ranges. The contoured fins are designed to distribute airflow for both thermal management and debris removal, making the system multi-functional rather than requiring separate dedicated systems
2Temperature
If additional parts and liquid cooling systems are added to sensing units, then cooling performance is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges cooling and cleaning operations into one unified airflow path, using a single fan and contoured fin structure. This eliminates the need for additional parts such as separate cooling fans, liquid cooling channels, and associated mounting hardware, thereby simplifying the manufacturing and integration process
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses ambient air as the cooling medium, drawing air through the contoured fins which passively direct airflow over the sensor electronics and onto the window. This self-service approach eliminates the need for liquid cooling systems and complex thermal management components, making the system easier to manufacture and integrate
3Reliability
If separate cooling and cleaning systems are used for sensing units, then functional effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges cooling and cleaning functions into a single integrated airflow system. A single fan directs airflow through contoured fins that simultaneously cool the sensor electronics and direct cleaned air onto the window to remove debris, eliminating the need for separate cooling and cleaning 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 system effectively cools and cleans sensing units like LIDAR and camera assemblies, maintaining performance by using a single airflow for both functions without additional components.
Implementation Method 1
a fan arranged proximate to the housing and configured to provide airflow through the housing
Implementation Method 2
a conditioning element having a plurality of fins configured to receive the airflow generated by the fan to cool the sensor electronics
Implementation Method 3
airflow passing over the sensor electronics is directed onto the window to recycle the airflow used to cool the electronics to clean to the window
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle sensing system may include a housing for containing sensor electronics, the housing having at least one window being aligned with at least one of the sensor electronics within the housing, a fan arranged on the housing and configured to provide airflow through the housing, and a conditioning element having a plurality of fins forming configured to receive the airflow from the fan to cool the sensor electronics and to direct warmed air from the fins onto the window to provide the warmed air to the window.