Automated camera wash for vehicles
First Claim
1. An automatic spraying system for a vehicular camera comprising:
- a camera disposed on a vehicle and producing an image;
a pump delivering fluid from a washer system to spray the camera; and
a controller operatively associated with the camera and pump to evaluate relative motion in a reference area of the image and activate the pump if a percentage of the reference area of the image does not exhibit relative motion.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system to remove debris from a vehicle camera lens using washer fluid from the vehicle'"'"'s washer system is disclosed. The system analyzes a captured image and determines if the image is obstructed by debris. If the image is determined to be obstructed, the system automatically sprays the camera lens with fluid to remove the debris. The system includes a method of determining obstruction by comparing an image with a reference image. The system includes a method of determining obstruction by analyzing relative movement within a reference area of the image. The system also prevents the draining of the washer fluid due to a false obstruction reading or debris that does not come off after a few sprayings.
40 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An automatic spraying system for a vehicular camera comprising:
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a camera disposed on a vehicle and producing an image; a pump delivering fluid from a washer system to spray the camera; and a controller operatively associated with the camera and pump to evaluate relative motion in a reference area of the image and activate the pump if a percentage of the reference area of the image does not exhibit relative motion. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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2. An automatic spraying system for a vehicular camera comprising:
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a camera disposed on a vehicle and producing an image of a portion of an exterior vehicle component providing a reference line across at least a portion of the image; a pump delivering fluid from a washer system to spray the camera; and a controller operatively associated with the camera and pump to activate the pump if the controller determines that the reference line is compromised. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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10. A method for operating a processing unit to automatically spray a vehicle camera lens with a fluid comprising:
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receiving a camera image; performing digital analysis to compare relative motion in a reference area of the image with vehicle speed; and if a percentage of the reference area of the image does not show relative motion in relation to the vehicle speed, sending a signal to spray the vehicle camera. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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Specification