US 11,719,928 B2
Cleaning for rotating sensors
Seth Gilbertson, Dublin, CA (US); Min Wang, Los Altos Hills, CA (US); Mincheol Shin, Los Altos Hills, CA (US); Oliver Simon Matthews, Los Altos Hills, CA (US); and Steffen Walter, Los Altos Hills, CA (US)
Assigned to Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 28, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/34,597.
Prior Publication US 2022/0099964 A1, Mar. 31, 2022
Int. Cl. G02B 27/00 (2006.01); B60S 1/54 (2006.01); B08B 7/02 (2006.01); B60S 1/46 (2006.01); B60S 1/56 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 27/0006 (2013.01) [B08B 7/028 (2013.01); B60S 1/46 (2013.01); B60S 1/54 (2013.01); B60S 1/56 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for cleaning a rotating sensor, the sensor including a sensor housing with a sensor input surface, the method comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors of a controller, a first signal indicating that there is a contaminant on the sensor input surface; and
in response to receiving the first signal, sending, by the one or more processors of a controller, a second signal to one or more transducers in order to cause the one or more transducers to generate waves in order to attempt to remove the contaminant from the sensor input surface, wherein the first signal further indicates a type of the contaminant and wherein the one or more processors responsively control a ratio of standing waves to traveling waves generated by the one or more transducers based, on the indicated type of contaminant.