US 12,441,275 B2
Cleaning for rotating sensors
Seth Gilbertson, Dublin, CA (US); Stephan Heinrich, Mountain View, CA (US); and Michael Hall-Snyder, Redwood City, CA (US)
Assigned to Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 18, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/950,968.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/071,629, filed on Aug. 28, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0063568 A1, Mar. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. B60S 1/56 (2006.01); B08B 3/10 (2006.01); B08B 5/02 (2006.01); B60S 1/52 (2006.01); B60S 1/54 (2006.01); G01S 7/40 (2006.01); G01S 13/931 (2020.01)
CPC B60S 1/56 (2013.01) [B08B 3/10 (2013.01); B08B 5/02 (2013.01); B60S 1/52 (2013.01); B60S 1/54 (2013.01); G01S 7/4004 (2013.01); G01S 13/931 (2013.01); G01S 7/4043 (2021.05); G01S 2013/93273 (2020.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for cleaning a sensor, the sensor including a rotating sensor housing with a sensor input surface, the system comprising:
a liquid nozzle configured to provide a spray of liquid;
an air nozzle configured to provide a puff of gas; and
one or more processors configured to:
receive a first signal from a position sensor indicating a current position of the rotating sensor housing;
receive a second signal to activate the liquid nozzle and the air nozzle to clean only a sub-portion of the sensor input surface;
determine when to activate the liquid nozzle in order to provide the spray of liquid on the sub-portion of the sensor input surface based on the current position of the rotating sensor housing and the second signal; and
determine when to activate the air nozzle in order to provide the puff of gas on the sensor input surface based on the current position of the rotating sensor housing and the second signal.