US 12,358,469 B2
Sensor assembly with cleaning
Venkatesh Krishnan, Canton, MI (US); Segundo Baldovino, Novi, MI (US); Michael Robertson, Jr., Garden City, MI (US); Fabio Ferreira, Hortolandia (BR); and Henrico Quinelato, Pituaçu (BR)
Assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on Feb. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/589,915.
Prior Publication US 2023/0242080 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
Int. Cl. B60W 60/00 (2020.01); B60S 1/04 (2006.01); B60S 1/52 (2006.01)
CPC B60S 1/52 (2013.01) [B60S 1/04 (2013.01); B60W 60/0051 (2020.02); B60W 2540/215 (2020.02)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle system, comprising:
a sensor;
a blower configured to direct air across the sensor;
a motor configured to move a wiper across a windshield;
a pump configured to direct fluid across the windshield and towards the sensor; and
a computer communicatively coupled to the sensor, the blower, the motor, and the pump, wherein the computer is programmed to:
upon determining to clean the windshield, actuate the motor in a first setting;
actuate the blower based on determining an autonomous mode of the vehicle is activated;
then, after expiration of a first timer, actuate the pump according to a pressure threshold that specifies a fluid pressure less than a maximum fluid pressure of the pump;
stop the pump after expiration of a second timer;
stop the blower after stopping the pump.