The imaging apparatus 10 includes the lens 11, the image sensor 12 and the controller 14. A light receiving surface of the image sensor 12 is disposed on a focused position of an object by the lens 11, the object being located at a specific object distance. The controller 14 generates one or more second images from a first image obtained from the image sensor 12, the focus position of the second images being changed to an object distance different from a specific object distance, and determines the presence of foreign matters adhered to the surface on the object side of the lens, on the basis of the focused state of the second image.

External sensors of a vehicle are individually set with sensing regions through external surfaces. Cleaning nozzles of the vehicle inject cleaning fluid to individually clean the external surfaces of the external sensors. An injection control unit performs classification of the cleaning nozzles, which correspond to the external surfaces whose sensing regions of the external sensors overlap with each other, into an injected nozzle, which performs injection of cleaning fluid and a stopped nozzle, which stops injection of cleaning fluid, and controls the classification according to a stain state of the external surface. A priority control unit controls a priority of cleaned sensor data, which is acquired through the external sensor whose external surface corresponds to the injected nozzle, to be lower than a priority of non-cleaned sensor data, which is acquired through the external sensor whose external surface corresponds to the stopped nozzle.

Provided are embodiments for a system having an avionics system that is configured to dynamically communicate one or more configurable parameters of a wiper and wash system based at least in part on a selected mode, and an avionics bus that is configured to communicate dynamic parameters from the avionics system. The system also includes a wash system having a fluid reservoir and fluid level sensor, and a wiper system including a control unit (ECU) that is configured to operate the system based at least in part on the one or more configurable parameters, wherein the wiper system is coupled to the wash system and supplies the wash fluid to the wiper system. Also provided are embodiments of a method for performing dynamic control of the aircraft windscreen wiper and wash system configuration parameters.

A method for optimizing a resource requirement for a cleaning process of a surface of a motor vehicle. Moreover, the method further relates to a cleaning method, a use of a control quantity, a cleaning system, and a motor vehicle.

Various embodiments relate to sensing defects associated with a window. Furthermore, various embodiments relate to performing image processing to produce a corrected image of a scene based at least partly on data corresponding to the detected defects. In some examples, one or more lighting modules may be used to illuminate the window to facilitate detection of the defects by one or more sensor devices.

A system for cleaning sensors of a vehicle includes at least one cleaning apparatus which is configured to clean a number of sensors of a vehicle and a control apparatus which is configured to control the at least one cleaning apparatus. The control apparatus is also configured so as, on the basis of at least one situation parameter, to select a plurality of sensors which are intended to be cleaned from the number of sensors and to determine the order in which the selected plurality of sensors are intended to be cleaned.

Provided are embodiments for a system having an avionics system that is configured to dynamically communicate one or more configurable parameters of a wiper and wash system based at least in part on a selected mode, and an avionics bus that is configured to communicate dynamic parameters from the avionics system. The system also includes a wash system having a fluid reservoir and fluid level sensor, and a wiper system including a control unit (ECU) that is configured to operate the system based at least in part on the one or more configurable parameters, wherein the wiper system is coupled to the wash system and supplies the wash fluid to the wiper system. Also provided are embodiments of a method for performing dynamic control of the aircraft windscreen wiper and wash system configuration parameters.

A washer control device includes a computer configured to: monitor a motor current value that is a value of electric current supplied to a washer motor; acquire an energization time for which the electric current is supplied to the washer motor; and calculate a usage amount of a washer fluid from the motor current value and the energization time, and calculate, as a margin of the washer fluid, a remaining amount of the washer fluid in a washer tank based on the usage amount.

A vehicle and/or a method for detecting contaminants on an optical surface are provided. The vehicle includes at least one light source adjacent the optical surface and at least one light detector at an edge of the optical surface. A controller is configured to introduce light from at least one light source into the optical surface, and to measure light at the edge of the optical surface with at least one detector. The controller compares the measured light to a threshold, and, if the measured light crosses the threshold, triggers or implements a response action.

A view support system at a vehicle for supporting a vehicle occupant to see the surroundings of the vehicle includes: a first camera configured to obtain an image of the surroundings in a first direction of the vehicle; a display configured to display the image of the surroundings in the first direction of the vehicle; a processing circuitry operatively connected to the first camera and the display, the processing circuitry is configured to: detect a signal indicative of an impaired visibility of the surroundings in a first direction through a vehicle window for the vehicle occupant of the vehicle; and display the image of the surroundings in the first direction of the vehicle, obtained by the first camera at the display, to the vehicle occupant.