A unitary or one-piece integral image sensor and washing nozzle assembly or module 100, 300, 400 is configured to enclose, protect, and aim multiple image sensors and effectively clean multiple lenses (e.g., 102, 104) simultaneously while using only one nozzle head (e.g., 120, 320 or 420) with at least one optimized spray pattern (e.g., 122). The module includes a housing with a cover or bezel (e.g., 106) that supports and orients the lenses and the nozzle head aims spray at the lenses along a spray axis, with the relative heights and spacings of the nozzle's outlet orifice (e.g., 174) and the surfaces of the lenses (e.g., 102, 104) selected so that a particular spray either glances across and washes a nearest lens (e.g., 102) or impacts and washes over a farthest lens (e.g., 104).

A system includes a dome, a wiper assembly, a position sensor and a control device. The wiper assembly includes a wiper blade configured to rotate around the dome. The position sensor may be configured to send a signal to a control device when a wiper blade passes the position sensor. The control device may include one or more processors configured to receive the signal from the position sensor and determine a location of the wiper blade relative to the dome based on the received signal.

An optical detection system (100) for a vehicle (1) comprises at least one sensor (4) and a spraying device (5) for spraying a cleaning product onto the glazed surface (21) of this sensor. The sensor (4) is electrically connected to a power-supply and control network (11). According to the invention, the sensor (4) and the spraying device (5) are electrically connected to each other in the aim of controlling the spraying device (5).

A vehicle includes at least one camera configured to photograph an image around the vehicle, a memory configured to store image data input from the at least one camera, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine that a foreign material is present on the at least one camera and to output a warning message to a user when a brightness change rate of at least one pixel among each pixel of an image frame included in the image data is less than or equal to a reference value and is lower than an average brightness of other pixels except for the at least one pixel.

A windshield heating device includes: a heating wire that heats a first part of a windshield of a vehicle, the first part being located in front of a camera; a glass heating apparatus that heats a second part of the windshield, the second part including the first part; and a control unit that controls energization to the heating wire and the glass heating apparatus. The control unit is configured: to determine whether energization to the glass heating apparatus is performed when heating of the first part is requested; to control so that energization to the heating wire is performed when it is determined that the energization to glass heating apparatus is not performed; and to control energization to the heating wire so that an amount of energization to the heating wire is reduced when it is determined that energization to the glass heating apparatus is performed.

A vehicle camera washing system includes a controller configured to control a pump and valve according to a selected mode of operation and a detected blockage of the lens. The selected mode of operation tailors operation of the camera washing system to current vehicle operating conditions to conserve washing fluid.

A heater system for clearing moisture (frozen and liquid) from a windshield (14) around a through-windshield vehicle sensor (18) provides a chamber between the sensor and the windshield containing air that may be heated by a chamber supported heating element (30, 51). The warm air within the chamber applies heat over the windshield in the critical viewing area (26) without obstructing the sensor (18).

A camera device includes image capturing device, a lens cleaning device, an adhesion state assessment unit and a controller. The image capturing device is installed on a vehicle and has a lens for forming an image of the vehicle surroundings. The lens cleaning device cleans the lens by spraying a cleaning fluid on the lens in accordance with a predetermined lens cleaning step, in which at least a supply time for supplying cleaning fluid to the lens surface is predetermined. The adhesion state assessment unit is programmed to assess an adhesion state of contamination from a distribution of pixels corresponding to foreign matter adhered to the lens based on a captured image. The controller is programmed to extend the time until a time to start supplying the cleaning fluid in the lens cleaning step as the number of pixels corresponding to foreign matter adhered to the lens increases.

A vehicle includes a vehicle frame and an optical device mounted on the vehicle frame. A first temperature sensor senses ambient air temperature surrounding the vehicle frame, a second temperature sensor senses a temperature of a lens of the optical device, and a humidity sensor senses moisture content of air proximal to the lens. An exhaust directs gas at the lens in response to the sensed ambient air temperature, the sensed lens temperature, and the sensed moisture content.

An air passage and two lines of cleaning liquid paths are provided in a nozzle, and the air passage is bifurcated into two lines of distal end portions. Then, a distal end portion of the cleaning liquid path and the distal end portion of the air passage are merged. Thus, if the compressed air is supplied to the air passage, the resulting air flow causes a negative pressure on the downstream side. This enables making a cleaning liquid into the form of a mist and suctioning it, and to mix the cleaning liquid in the form of a mist with the compressed air, whereby it is possible to clean the lens surface and to reduce the amount of the cleaning liquid used.