Systems and methods for perception surface cleaning, drying, and/or thermal management with fluid recirculation
First Claim
1. A system for cleaning a perception component of a vehicle, the system comprising:
- a manifold including a delivery valve and a return valve each movable between open and closed positions;
a pump configured to be actuated to provide a flow of fluid to the manifold;
a delivery conduit fluidly connected to the manifold via the delivery valve;
a holding chamber fluidly connected to the delivery conduit, wherein the holding chamber is configured to hold a volume of the fluid;
a one-way valve fluidly connected to the holding chamber, wherein the one-way valve is movable from a closed position to an open position when a pressure in the holding chamber exceeds a cracking-pressure of the one-way valve;
a delivery component fluidly connected to the holding chamber via the one-way valve, wherein the delivery component is configured to deliver the fluid to the perception component of the vehicle to clean the perception component; and
a return conduit fluidly connected to (a) the manifold via the return valve and (b) the holding chamber.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for cleaning, drying, and thermally managing vehicle components are described herein. In some embodiments, the vehicle components can include various sensors and, more particularly, the surfaces of cameras, LIDAR sensors, etc., that need to be clean to effectively perceive the environment around the vehicle. In one embodiment, a cleaning system includes a central delivery system configured to route fluid, such as washer fluid, along one or more delivery channels to remote holding chambers. The holding chambers can hold and/or heat the fluid before delivering the fluid to nozzles that spray the fluid on nearby vehicle components to clean the components.
35 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A system for cleaning a perception component of a vehicle, the system comprising:
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a manifold including a delivery valve and a return valve each movable between open and closed positions; a pump configured to be actuated to provide a flow of fluid to the manifold; a delivery conduit fluidly connected to the manifold via the delivery valve; a holding chamber fluidly connected to the delivery conduit, wherein the holding chamber is configured to hold a volume of the fluid; a one-way valve fluidly connected to the holding chamber, wherein the one-way valve is movable from a closed position to an open position when a pressure in the holding chamber exceeds a cracking-pressure of the one-way valve; a delivery component fluidly connected to the holding chamber via the one-way valve, wherein the delivery component is configured to deliver the fluid to the perception component of the vehicle to clean the perception component; and a return conduit fluidly connected to (a) the manifold via the return valve and (b) the holding chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system for cleaning a perception component of a vehicle, the system comprising:
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a manifold including a delivery valve and a return valve each movable between open and closed positions, wherein the manifold is configured to receive a flow of fluid; a delivery conduit fluidly connected to the manifold via the delivery valve; a holding chamber fluidly connected to the delivery conduit, wherein the holding chamber is configured to hold a volume of the fluid; a flow-control valve fluidly connected to the holding chamber, wherein the flow control valve is a one-way valve fluidly connected to the holding chamber, wherein the one-way valve is moveable from a closed position to an open position when a pressure in the holding chamber exceeds a cracking-pressure of the one-way valve; a delivery component fluidly connected to the holding chamber via the flow-control valve, wherein the delivery component is configured to deliver the fluid to the perception component of the vehicle to clean the perception component; and a return conduit fluidly connected to (a) the manifold via the return valve and (b) the holding chamber. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification