A vehicle sensor cleaning system that includes one or more vehicle sensors and a cleaning device. The system determines parameters for a cleaning event based on sensed information, operating parameters of the vehicle, or environmental information. The system cleans the one or more sensors to allow for safe operation of the vehicle.

The present disclosure provides an optical sensor having constant sensitivity regardless of changes in temperature. The optical sensor may include a light emitting device configured to emit light; a light receiving device configured to receive the light emitted from the light emitting device, and to output current based on an intensity of the light; a temperature sensor coupled with the light emitting device, and having electrical resistance varying with temperature; and a microcontroller including a first channel for supplying first current directly to the light emitting device, a second channel for supplying second current to the light emitting device via the temperature sensor, and a third channel for receiving the current output from the light receiving device.

Systems and methods associated with an electric vehicle are provided. The electric vehicle includes a sensor system, a communications system and a snow clearing system. The systems and methods detect, based on data from the sensor system, snow that may accumulate on a window of the electric vehicle. When snow is detected, a notification is provided, via the communications system, to a remote user device. The notification requests user acceptance of use of charge of a battery of the electric vehicle to operate the snow clearing system of the electric vehicle. The systems and methods receive, by the communications system, a response to the notification from the user device, and when the response indicates acceptance of the use of charge of the battery, the snow clearing system is activated. The snow clearing system is powered by the battery.

An automatic rain response system includes microphones of a vehicle, windshield wipers, and a controller. The microphones generate acoustic signals in response to rain. The controller is configured to receive a local weather condition, extract acoustic features from the acoustic signals, form feature vectors in response to the acoustic features and the local weather condition, classify the feature vectors to determine a current class among multiple classes, activate the windshield the wipers at a high speed in response to the current class being a heavy rain on a windshield class, activate the windshield wipers at a medium speed in response to the current class being a freezing rain on the windshield class, activate the windshield wipers at a low speed in response to the current class being a light rain on the windshield class, and deactivate the windshield wipers in response to the current class being a no rain class.

The invention relates to a method for controlling a wiper device (10) by means of a control and/or regulating unit (12). At least one operating parameter is set dependent on at least one parameter which differs from a vehicle window coverage parameter.

A method to reduce refreezing of meltable snow includes configuring a wiper arm to wipe the meltable snow from an ambient-facing surface of a window positioned on a vehicle. The method also includes configuring a sensor coupled to the wiper arm to gather and transmit a parameter on the vehicle and environment. The method also includes configuring a processor to receive the parameter, determine refreezability of the meltable snow based on the parameter, and define an action to be performed by the wiper arm.

A method, a device, and an apparatus are provided for controlling a windscreen wiper. The apparatus may be a vehicle. The method may include: acquiring environmental information at a vehicle location of the vehicle, the environmental information at the vehicle location of the vehicle including environmental temperature; determining whether the vehicle is in a service state or an out-of-service state; determining whether the environmental temperature is less than or equal to a preset temperature value according to the environmental temperature; and when the vehicle is in the out-of-service state and the environmental temperature is less than or equal to the preset temperature value, controlling the windscreen wiper of the vehicle to be raised in a direction away from a windscreen of the vehicle.

A temperature sensor device for sensing a temperature of a windshield of a vehicle includes a single printed circuit board having a circuitry, a temperature sensor mounted on the printed circuit board, and a thermally conductive pad attached to the temperature sensor. The thermally conductive pad is arranged to thermally and mechanically directly contact the windshield.

A method of preventing a windshield wiper from freezing to a windshield of a vehicle is provided. The method broadly includes the steps of: (a) receiving information relating to an ambient condition of the vehicle; (b) switching power to a motor for driving the windshield wiper in a first direction if the received information indicates an adverse ambient condition of the vehicle; (c) sensing current drawn by the motor; (d) comparing an initial sensed current drawn by the motor when power is initially switched to the motor to a subsequent sensed current drawn by the motor a period after power is initially switched to the motor; and (e) periodically reversing the motor for driving the windshield wiper in a second direction or the first direction until the subsequent sensed current is less than the initial sensed current.

A wiper device includes: a wiper motor including an output shaft configured to be forward-and-reverse rotated and causing to-and-fro operation of a wiper blade, the wiper blade being connected to the wiper motor via a wiper arm; an acquisition section that acquires positioning data or ambient temperature data; and a controller that controls the wiper motor such that the output shaft forward-and-reverse rotates within a first rotation angle to stop or return the wiper blade at or to a first lower position where the wiper blade is hidden by a rear end of an engine hood of the vehicle, and such that the output shaft forward-and-reverse rotates within a second rotation angle to stop or return the wiper blade at or to a second lower position above the first lower position where the wiper blade is not hidden by the rear end of the engine hood in a cold environment.