The invention relates to a device for cleaning a sensor (2) of an optical detection system for a motor vehicle, comprising a fluid distribution set (3) for distributing fluid onto said sensor under the control of operating instructions issued by a control module (6). According to the invention, the control module is configured to generate an information message (M1) about the need for the sensor to be cleaned and to receive a control instruction from a vehicle occupant authorizing the cleaning operation.

A method of assembling a vehicle cleaner nozzle provided in a vicinity of a leading end of a piston accommodated to be movable forward and backward with respect to a cylinder so as to inject a cleaning medium on an object to be cleaned which is mounted on a vehicle includes: assembling a nozzle chip to a housing along a first direction so as to form a feedback flow path for swinging and injecting the cleaning medium by accommodating the nozzle chip in an interior of the housing; and assembling the housing in a state where the housing accommodates the nozzle chip to a holder supported by the piston along the first direction.

A wiper is controlled to sweep a surface area, e.g., a portion of a windshield, in front of a camera, e.g., a camera mounted inside a vehicle. An image captured from the camera after the wiper completes, e.g., immediately completes, the sweep of the surface area in front of the camera is used in generating a depth map. In some embodiments a first wiper is controlled to clear a surface area in front of a first camera while a second wiper is controlled to clear a surface area in front of second camera at the same time, and the first and second cameras are synchronized to initiate image capture at the same time, capturing images through recently cleared area, and the captured images are used to generate a depth map. A vehicle control operation, e.g., a direction, braking or speed control operation is performed based on the depth map.

An image capturing unit captures a periphery of a moving body through a transmitting portion. A heater is capable of heating the transmitting portion. An air-conditioning unit switches an air-conditioning state in the moving body between an inside air circulation state and an outside air introduction state. A control unit controls the heater. The control unit can make the heater operate intermittently, and perform control so that an OFF time of the heater during an intermittent operation will be shorter in the case in which the air-conditioning state is set to the inside air circulation state than the case in which the air-conditioning state is set to the outside air introduction state.

A vehicle grille assembly includes a vehicle grille, a grille badge and a washer assembly. The grille has an interior side and an exterior side. The grille badge is supported on a surface of the exterior side of the grille. The washer assembly is disposed adjacent to the grille badge and has a nozzle being configured to move between a stowed position and an operating position. The nozzle is stowed on the interior side of the vehicle grille in the stowed position. The nozzle is on the exterior side of the vehicle grille in the operating position to dispense cleaning fluid toward the grille badge.

A sensor apparatus includes a cylindrical sensor window defining an axis and an air nozzle positioned at one end of the sensor window and shaped to direct airflow in a direction parallel to the axis across the sensor window. The air nozzle extends circumferentially relative to the axis around the sensor window. The nozzle is formed of an inner edge and an outer edge each extending circumferentially relative to the axis around the sensor window. The inner edge is circular with a radius at least as great as an outer radius of the sensor window. The outer edge includes a first portion with a semicircular shape with a radius smaller than the outer radius of the sensor window and a second portion that extends circumferentially relative to the axis around the sensor window from the first portion to the first portion at a constant radial distance from the inner edge.

Described herein are sensor assembly cleaning systems and apparatuses that are adapted to rotate a transparent surface of a sensor assembly independently of a housing of the sensor assembly in order to disperse water, moisture, debris, or the like from the surface. The transparent surface may be a glass window that provides a camera of the sensor assembly with a field-of-view of an external environment. Sensor data captured from various on-board vehicle sensors such as moisture data, image data, vehicle velocity data, or the like can be evaluated against various criteria to determine when and for how long to rotate the transparent surface. Sensor data can be evaluated over a period of time to identify patterns or trends relating to one or more vehicle parameters. An activation schedule for initiating and ceasing rotation of the transparent surface can be determined based on such patterns/trends.

A vehicle monitoring apparatus including: a camera disposed in a vehicle lamp; a guide duct configured to guide outside air introduced into the vehicle; and a nozzle connected to the guide duct and configured to discharge the air to a front side of the camera, thereby improving stability and reliability.

A Lidar system, a cleaning apparatus for the Lidar system and a method of operation. The cleaning apparatus cleans a surface of the Lidar system. The cleaning apparatus includes a nozzle and a processor. The nozzle discharges a gas at a surface of the Lidar system. The processor is configured to identify a type of debris on the surface, identify a cleaning mode for cleaning the surface based on the type of debris, select a nozzle velocity of the gas from the nozzle based on the cleaning mode, and operate the nozzle to discharge the gas at the nozzle velocity.

A vehicle control apparatus includes one or more electronic control units configured to execute autonomous traveling control of a vehicle based on detection results of a plurality of sensors, a cleaner configured to clean dirt off of at least one of the plurality of sensors. The one or more electronic control units are configured to determine, when cleaning of dirt of a first sensor is executed, whether or not execution of the autonomous traveling control can be continued based on a detection result of one or more remaining sensors among the plurality of sensors, control the vehicle such that a required detection range is narrowed in case it is determined that the execution of the autonomous traveling control cannot be continued, and control the cleaner such that the cleaner cleans dirt off of the first sensor while continuing the execution of the autonomous traveling control.