阅读说明：本技术 车灯清洁系统 (Car light cleaning system ) 是由 大卫·迈克尔·赫尔曼 阿什温·阿伦莫治 于 2020-02-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开提供了“车灯清洁系统”。一种系统包括：至少一个传感器；多个灯,所述多个灯相对于所述传感器是固定的；至少一个车辆部件,所述至少一个车辆部件附接到所述灯；以及计算机,所述计算机通信地联接到所述灯、所述至少一个传感器和所述至少一个车辆部件。所述计算机被编程为：按顺序启动所述灯；基于在所述灯的有序启动期间来自所述传感器的数据来确定所述灯中的至少一者的强度低于相应强度阈值；以及响应于所述强度中的一者低于所述相应强度阈值而致动所述至少一个车辆部件。(The present disclosure provides a "vehicle light cleaning system". A system comprising: at least one sensor; a plurality of lights that are fixed relative to the sensor; at least one vehicle component attached to the light; and a computer communicatively coupled to the light, the at least one sensor, and the at least one vehicle component. The computer is programmed to: sequentially activating the lamps; determining that an intensity of at least one of the lights is below a respective intensity threshold based on data from the sensors during the orderly startup of the lights; and actuating the at least one vehicle component in response to one of the intensities being below the respective intensity threshold.)

1. A method, the method comprising:

sequentially activating a plurality of lamps fixed relative to each other;

determining that an intensity of at least one of the lamps is below a respective intensity threshold based on data from a sensor during an orderly start of the lamps; and

actuating a vehicle component in response to one of the intensities being below the respective intensity threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein actuating the vehicle component is actuating at least one cleaning system to clean the light at an intensity below the respective intensity threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein actuating the vehicle component is increasing a voltage to the lights having intensities below the respective intensity thresholds.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a surface normal from the data from the sensor during the orderly start-up of the lamp; and determining a respective intensity of the lamp based on the surface normal and based on the data from the sensor during the ordered start of the lamp.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a location of an ambient light source from the data from the sensor during the orderly activation of the lamp; and determining respective intensities of the lamps based on the locations of the ambient light sources and based on the data from the sensors during the orderly activation of the lamps.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor data comprises data of a body panel during each activation of one of the lights, and determining a location of an ambient light source is based on the data of the body panel.

7. A computer comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to perform the method of one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A system, the system comprising:

a sensor;

a plurality of lights that are fixed relative to the sensor;

a vehicle component attached to the light; and

the computer of claim 7, communicatively coupled to the light, the sensor, and the vehicle component.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the vehicle component comprises at least one cleaning system positioned to clean the light.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein each lamp defines an illumination cone, and the sensor is outside the illumination cone.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle lights and, more particularly, to vehicle light cleaning systems.

Background

Vehicles include lights for illuminating the environment through which the vehicle is traveling and signaling other vehicles to turn, brake, etc. Types of lamps include Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), tungsten, halogen, High Intensity Discharge (HID), such as xenon, laser, etc.

During operation, the intensity of the lamp may decrease. Reasons for the reduced intensity may include the lamp becoming dirty or obscured. The reduced intensity may make the perception of the environment by sensors on the vehicle or by a human driver more difficult.

Disclosure of Invention

The system described below can keep the lights of the vehicle close to full intensity and can do so efficiently. The system may detect a decrease in intensity of a particular lamp and may compensate by increasing the power supplied to the lamp and by cleaning the lamp. It is an advantage to be able to detect which lamps have a reduced intensity compared to a system using the total or overall intensity of the scene, which may find it more difficult to distinguish the effect of different lamps. By cleaning only the reduced intensity lamps, the system can efficiently use the cleaning resources.

The system comprises: at least one sensor; a plurality of lights fixed relative to the sensor; at least one vehicle component attached to the lamp; and a computer communicatively coupled to the light, the at least one sensor, and the at least one vehicle component. The computer is programmed to activate the lights in a sequence, determine that an intensity of at least one of the lights is below a respective intensity threshold based on data from the sensors during the sequential activation of the lights, and actuate the at least one vehicle component in response to one of the intensities being below the respective intensity threshold.

The at least one vehicle component may be at least one cleaning system positioned to clean the light. The computer may be further programmed to actuate the at least one cleaning system to clean lights having intensities below the respective intensity thresholds.

Actuating the vehicle component may include increasing a voltage to the lamp having an intensity below the respective intensity threshold.

The system may also include a body panel secured in the field of view of the sensor.

Each lamp may define an illumination cone, and the sensor may be outside the illumination cone.

A computer includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to sequentially activate a plurality of lights fixed relative to each other, determine that an intensity of at least one of the lights is below a respective intensity threshold based on data from sensors during an orderly activation of the lights, and actuate a vehicle component in response to one of the intensities being below the respective intensity threshold.

Actuating the vehicle component may be actuating at least one cleaning system to clean lights having an intensity below the respective intensity threshold.

Actuating the vehicle component may be increasing a voltage to the lamp having an intensity below the respective intensity threshold.

The instructions may also include determining a surface normal from the data from the sensor during the orderly start-up of the lamp, and determining a respective intensity of the lamp based on the surface normal and based on the data from the sensor during the orderly start-up of the lamp.

The instructions may also include determining a location of an ambient light source from the data from the sensor during the orderly start of the lamp, and determining a respective intensity of the lamp based on the location of the ambient light source and based on the data from the sensor during the orderly start of the lamp. The sensor data may include data of a body panel during each activation of one of the lights, and determining a location of an ambient light source may be based on the data of the body panel.

One method comprises the following steps: the method includes sequentially activating a plurality of lights fixed relative to one another, determining, based on data from sensors during the sequential activation of the lights, that an intensity of at least one of the lights is below a respective intensity threshold, and actuating a vehicle component in response to one of the intensities being below the respective intensity threshold.

Actuating the vehicle component may be actuating at least one cleaning system to clean lights having an intensity below the respective intensity threshold.

Actuating the vehicle component may be increasing a voltage to the lamp having an intensity below the respective intensity threshold.

The method may further comprise determining a surface normal from the data from the sensor during the orderly start-up of the lamp, and determining a respective intensity of the lamp based on the surface normal and on the data from the sensor during the orderly start-up of the lamp.

The method may further comprise determining a position of an ambient light source from the data from the sensor during an orderly start of the lamp, and determining a respective intensity of the lamp based on the position of the ambient light source and based on the data from the sensor during an orderly start of the lamp. The sensor data may include data of a body panel during each activation of one of the lights, and determining a location of an ambient light source may be based on the data of the body panel.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sensor in a housing of a vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example cleaning system for a sensor.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram of an example control system for a lighting system.

Fig. 5 is a process flow diagram of an example process for controlling a lighting system.

Detailed Description

The system 32 for the vehicle 30 includes: at least one sensor 34; a plurality of lights 36 fixed relative to the sensor 34; at least one vehicle component 38 attached to the light 36; and a computer 40 communicatively coupled to the light 36, the at least one sensor 34, and the at least one vehicle component 38. The computer 40 is programmed to activate the lights 36 in a sequence, determine that an intensity of at least one of the lights 36 is below a respective intensity threshold based on data from the sensors 34 during the sequential activation of the lights 36, and actuate the at least one vehicle component 38 in response to one of the intensities being below the respective intensity threshold.

Referring to fig. 1, the vehicle 30 may be any passenger or commercial automobile, such as a car, truck, sport utility vehicle, cross-car, van, minivan, taxi, bus, or the like.

The vehicle 30 includes a body 42. The vehicle 30 may be of a one-piece construction in which the frame and body 42 of the vehicle 30 are a single component. Alternatively, the vehicle 30 may be a body-frame split configuration, wherein the frame supports the body 42, the body 42 being a separate component from the frame. The frame and body 42 may be formed from any suitable material, such as steel, aluminum, polymer matrix carbon fiber composite, magnesium, and the like. The body 42 includes body panels 44, 46, 48 that partially define the exterior of the vehicle 30. The body panels 44, 46, 48 may present a class a surface, for example, a finished surface that is exposed to the customer's line of sight and free of unsightly blemishes and defects. The body panels 44, 46, 48 include, for example, a roof 46, a hood 48, and the like.

Referring to fig. 2, the sensor 34 may be a camera and may detect electromagnetic radiation in certain wavelength ranges. For example, the sensor 34 may detect visible light, infrared radiation, ultraviolet light, or a range of wavelengths including visible light, infrared light, and/or ultraviolet light. As another example, the sensor 34 may be a time of flight (TOF) camera that includes a modulated light source for illuminating the environment and detects both reflected light from the modulated light source and ambient light to sense the reflectivity amplitude and distance to the scene.

The sensor 34 is mounted directly or indirectly on the vehicle 30. For example, the sensor 34 may be mounted on one of the body panels 44, 46, 48, such as on the roof 46. For another example, the sensor 34 may be mounted to the housing 50, e.g., mounted inside the housing 50, and the housing 50 may be mounted to one of the body panels 44, 46, 48, e.g., the roof 46, as shown in FIG. 1. The sensor 34 may be fixed such that at least one of the body panels 44, 46, 48 (e.g., the roof 46 or hood 48) is within the field of view of the sensor 34.

The lamp 36 may be any illumination device suitable for illuminating an environment, for example, a Light Emitting Diode (LED), tungsten, halogen, High Intensity Discharge (HID), such as xenon, laser, Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL), or the like. For example, the lamp 36 may be a Near Infrared (NIR) lamp located near the sensor 34 to illuminate the environment for the sensor 34 at night. For another example, the lamp 36 may be a front lamp, a tail lamp, or the like.

The lights 36 are fixed relative to the sensor 34 and relative to each other. Each lamp 36 defines an illumination cone and the sensor 34 is outside the illumination cone. In other words, the light 36 does not illuminate the sensor 34. In the example of an NIR lamp, the lamp 36 may be positioned to surround one of the sensors 34 and be directed in the same direction as that sensor 34. The cone of illumination of the lamp 36 may include one of the body panels 44, 46, 48 that is within the field of view of one of the sensors 34, such as the roof 46 or hood 48. Alternatively or additionally, the lights 36 (e.g., headlights, tail lights, etc.) may be arranged in a manner that does not shine on one of the body panels 44, 46, 48.

The lamps 36 are spaced apart from each other. The number of lamps 36 is at least three. The multiple lamps 36 above three allow for redundancy of photometric stereo calculations described below, which increases the robustness of those calculations.

Referring to FIG. 3, the vehicle component 38 may include a liquid cleaning system 52 and an air cleaning system 54, each positioned to clean the light 36.

The liquid cleaning system 52 of the vehicle 30 includes a reservoir 56, a pump 58, a liquid supply line 60, and a liquid spray nozzle 62. The reservoir 56, pump 58, and liquid nozzle 62 are fluidly connected to one another (i.e., fluid may flow from one to another). The liquid cleaning system 52 dispenses cleaning liquid stored in the reservoir 56 to the liquid nozzles 62. By "cleaning fluid" herein is meant any liquid stored in the reservoir 56 for cleaning. The cleaning solution may include solvents, detergents, surfactants, diluents (such as water), and the like.

The reservoir 56 may be a tank that may be filled with a liquid, such as a cleaning solution for window cleaning. The reservoir 56 may be disposed in a front portion of the vehicle 30, specifically, in an engine compartment forward of the passenger compartment. The reservoir 56 may store cleaning liquid for supply to the lamp 36 only, or also for other purposes, such as to the sensor 34 or windshield or as a coolant.

The pump 58 may force cleaning fluid through the fluid supply line 60 to the fluid nozzles 62 at a pressure sufficient to cause the cleaning fluid to be ejected from the fluid nozzles 62. A pump 58 is fluidly connected to the reservoir 56. The pump 58 may be attached to the reservoir 56 or disposed in the reservoir 56.

A liquid supply line 60 extends from the pump 58 to a liquid nozzle 62. The liquid supply line 60 may be, for example, a flexible tube.

The liquid nozzle 62 receives cleaning liquid from the liquid supply line 60. The liquid spray nozzles 62 are positioned to spray cleaning liquid at the lamps 36 or a subset of the lamps 36. The liquid spray nozzles 62 are configured to spray cleaning liquid at high pressure and high velocity.

Air cleaning system 54 includes a compressor 64, a filter 66, an air supply line 68, and an air nozzle 70. The compressor 64, filter 66, and air nozzle 70 are in turn fluidly connected to one another (i.e., fluid may flow from one to another) by an air supply line 68.

The compressor 64 increases the gas pressure by forcing additional gas from a lower pressure region to a higher pressure region. The compressor 64 may be any suitable type of compressor, for example, a positive displacement compressor, such as a reciprocating compressor, an ionic liquid piston compressor, a rotary screw compressor, a rotary vane compressor, a rolling piston compressor, a scroll compressor, or a diaphragm compressor; a dynamic compressor, such as a bubble compressor, a centrifugal compressor, a diagonal flow compressor, a mixed flow compressor, or an axial flow compressor; or any other suitable type.

The filter 66 removes solid particles, such as dust, pollen, mold, dust, and bacteria, from the air flowing through the filter 66. The filter 66 may be any suitable type of filter, such as paper, foam, cotton, stainless steel, oil bath, and the like.

An air supply line 68 extends from the compressor 64 to the filter 66, and from the filter 66 to an air nozzle 70. The air supply line 68 may be, for example, a flexible tube.

The air nozzle 70 receives air from the air supply line 68. The air jets 70 are positioned to eject air at the lamps 36 or a subset of the lamps 36. The air nozzle 70 is shaped to spray air at high pressure and high velocity.

Referring to fig. 4, the vehicle 30 may be an autonomous vehicle. The vehicle computer 72 may be programmed to operate the vehicle 30 entirely or to a lesser extent independently of human driver intervention. The vehicle computer 72 may be programmed to operate propulsion, braking systems, steering, and/or other vehicle systems based on data received from, for example, the sensors 34. For purposes of this disclosure, autonomous operation means that the vehicle computer 72 controls propulsion, braking systems, and steering without human driver input; semi-autonomous operation means that the vehicle computer 72 controls one or both of propulsion, braking systems, and steering, while the human driver controls the rest; and non-autonomous operation means that the human driver controls propulsion, braking systems and steering.

The vehicle computer 72 is a microprocessor-based computer. The vehicle computer 72 includes a processor, memory, and the like. The memory of the vehicle computer 72 includes memory for storing instructions executable by the processor and for electronically storing data and/or databases.

Computer 40 is one or more microprocessor-based computers. The computer 40 includes a memory, at least one processor, and the like. The memory of the computer 40 includes memory for storing instructions executable by the processor and for electronically storing data and/or databases. The computer 40 may be the same computer as the vehicle computer 72, or the computer 40 may be one or more separate computers in communication with the vehicle computer 72 via the communication network 74, or the computer 40 may comprise a plurality of computers, including the vehicle computer 72. As a separate computer, the computer 40 may be or include, for example, one or more electronic control units or modules (ECUs or ECMs).

The computer 40 may transmit and receive data through the communication network 74, which may be a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, ethernet, WiFi, Local Interconnect Network (LIN), on-board diagnostics connector (OBD-II), and/or through any other wired or wireless communication network. Computer 40 may be communicatively coupled to vehicle computer 72, sensors 34, lights 36, vehicle components 38, and other components via a communication network 74.

The vehicle component 38 may include a power source 76 electrically coupled to the light 36. The power source 76 may be any type of power source suitable for providing high voltage power for operating the vehicle 30, such as a battery, such as lithium ion, lead acid, or the like; a capacitor; and the like. The power supply 76 may supply a selectable voltage to a load such as the corresponding lamp 36. A selectable voltage may be supplied to each lamp 36 individually.

Fig. 5 is a process flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process 500 for controlling the intensity of the lamp 36. The memory of the computer 40 stores executable instructions for performing the steps of the process 500. As a general overview of the process 500, in response to a trigger, the computer 40 activates the lights 36 in sequence, determines the respective intensities of the lights 36 from photometric stereo analysis, and actuates the vehicle component 38 in response to one of the intensities being below the respective intensity threshold of the respective lights 36. Depending on the cleaning conditions, the computer 40 actuated vehicle component 38 may be the power supply 76 for the lights 36 and/or the liquid cleaning system 52 and the air cleaning system 54.

The process 500 begins in block 505, where the computer 40 receives data from the sensors 34 over the communications network 74. The data is a series of image frames of the field of view of the respective sensor 34. Each image frame is a two-dimensional matrix of pixels. The brightness or color of each pixel is represented as one or more numerical values, for example, scalar unitless values of photometric intensity between 0 (black) and 1 (white), or values for each of red, green, and blue, for example, each on an 8-bit scale (0 to 255) or a 12-bit or 16-bit scale. A pixel may be a mixture of multiple representations, for example, a repeating pattern of scalar values of intensities of three pixels and a fourth pixel having three numerical color values, or some other pattern. The location in the image frame, i.e., the location in the field of view of the sensor 34 at the time the image frame was recorded, may be specified in pixel size or coordinates, e.g., an ordered pair of pixel distances, such as a number of pixels from the top edge of the field of view and a number of pixels from the left edge of the field of view.

Next, in decision block 510, computer 40 determines whether a trigger has occurred to perform the remainder of process 500. The trigger may indicate that the intensity of at least one of the lights 36 may be reduced. For example, the computer 40 may determine that one of the sensors 34 is covered based on data from that sensor 34, indicating that the light 36 may also be covered, for example, if an NIR light is located near the sensor 34. Computer 40 may determine, for example, according to known image analysis techniques, that the set of pixels in the image data received from sensor 34 does not change over time as compared to other pixels in the image data, indicating that a portion of the field of view of sensor 34 has been covered. As another example, computer 40 may determine whether the decrease in average intensity of the image from sensor 34 over a period of time is greater than a threshold. The threshold and time period may be selected to indicate that blocking has occurred and that no change has occurred, for example, from sunny to cloudy. As another example, the computer 40 may receive a weather forecast or an instruction based on the weather forecast from, for example, the vehicle computer 72. The weather forecast may be the type of weather that may block the lights 36, such as rain or snow. Alternatively or additionally, the triggering may indicate the evaluation light 36, i.e., the opportunity that the evaluation light 36 will not interfere with other operations of the vehicle 30. For example, the computer 40 may determine that a minimum period of time or miles has elapsed since the last evaluation of the light 36, and that the vehicle 30 is at a red light or is stuck and will continue to stop for at least a time sufficient to complete the remainder of the process 500. The minimum time period or mileage may be selected based on experiments that determine the frequency at which the lamp 36 becomes blocked. If a trigger has not occurred, process 500 returns to block 505 to continue monitoring for triggers. If a trigger has occurred, process 500 proceeds to block 515.

In block 515, the computer 40 activates the lights 36 in sequence. The computer 40 activates one lamp 36 or a subset of lamps 36 while the remaining lamps 36 are deactivated, then deactivates that lamp 36 or subset of lamps 36 and activates a different lamp 36 or subset of lamps 36, and so on until all lamps 36 have been activated once. The number of starts is the total number of starts from two to the lamp 36.

Next, in block 520, the computer 40 receives data generated by the sensor 34 during the startup of the lamp 36. The data includes at least one image captured during each activation of one or a subset of the lights 36. If the sensor 34 is mounted in a roof 46 of the vehicle 30, the image data may include body panels 44, 46, 48 in the field of view of the sensor 34, such as the roof 46 or hood 48.

Next, in block 525, the computer 40 receives data from the sensor 34 providing the three-dimensional map of the external environment over the communication network 74. For example, the data may be generated by sensor fusion of data from lidar and/or radar sensors. Where, for example, NIR lamps are positioned around one of the sensors 34, data may be generated by the other of the sensors 34.

Next, in block 530, the computer 40 determines the location of the ambient light source from data from the sensor 34 (e.g., data of the body panels 44, 46, 48 in the field of view) during the sequenced activation of the lights 36. The position of the ambient light source may be represented as a spatial vector defining the direction of light from the ambient light source located at infinity. For example, the computer 40 may resolve the location of the ambient light source reflected from the body panels 44, 46, 48 based on the known geometry of the body panels 44, 46, 48. The geometry may be stored in the memory of the computer 40 as a surface normal map, e.g., as a unit vector stored for each pixel in the field of view of one of the sensors 34, with each unit vector oriented normal (i.e., orthogonal) to the surface. The computer 40 may identify the reflected ambient light source by finding bright spots (i.e., local areas with intensities above a threshold selected based on the corresponding light source) in the data of the body panels 44, 46, 48, and then checking which bright spots remain during all activation of the lamps 36 (i.e., reflect from the body panels 44, 46, 48 regardless of which lamps 36 are activated). The computer 40 determines the angle at the hot spot between the surface normal at the hot spot and the vector directed at the sensor 34, and then the computer 40 determines the vector at the angle away from the sensor from the hot spot and the ambient light source is located on the vector.

Next, in block 535, the computer 40 determines a surface normal map based on the location of the ambient light source and based on data generated by the sensor 34 during the orderly activation of the lamp 36. The surface normal map is a vector map normal to the surface of the object (e.g., the surface of the body panels 44, 46, 48 or the surface of the object in the environment) as viewed by the sensor 34. Each vector is a three-dimensional spatial vector normal (i.e., orthogonal or perpendicular) to a small portion of the surface of the object in the environment, and the vectors thus define the orientation of the surface. The vector may be a unitless unit vector. The vector is mapped to a location in the image of the field of view of one of the sensors 34. As is well known, the computer 40 uses photometric stereo techniques to generate the surface normal map. Photometric stereo techniques require images of an object under different lighting conditions. The different lighting conditions are provided by sequentially activating the lamps 36 from different positions.

Next, in block 540, the computer 40 determines the respective intensities of the lamps 36 based on the data generated by the sensors 34 during the orderly startup of the lamps 36, including, for example, based on the location of the ambient light source and based on the surface normal. For example, the computer 40 uses photometric stereo techniques to infer the intensity of the lights 36 from surface normals and from the intensities of those surfaces in the image in which a particular light 36 is on or off.

Alternatively, for blocks 530, 535, and 540, computer 40 may determine the respective intensities of lights 36 by using a convolutional neural network. The input to the convolutional neural network is the data generated by the sensor 34 during the orderly actuation of the lamp 36. The convolutional neural network comprises a series of layers, each of which uses the previous layer as an input. Each layer contains a plurality of neurons that receive as input data generated by a subset of the neurons of the previous layers and generate outputs that are sent to the neurons in the next layer. The types of layers include: a convolution layer that calculates a dot product of the weight and a smaller area of the input data; a pooling layer that performs downsampling operations along a spatial dimension; and a fully connected layer, which is generated based on the outputs of all neurons of the previous layer. As described above, as an intermediate or other step in identifying the type of blockage, the computer 40 may generate and then use the position and surface normal maps of the ambient light source. For example, the position and/or surface normal map of the ambient light source may be a layer in a convolutional neural network.

Next, in decision block 545, the computer 40 determines whether any of the intensities of the lamps 36 are below the respective threshold for that lamp 36. An intensity threshold may be selected for each of the lights 36 based on the full intensity of that light 36 and a percentage of that full intensity below which the resolution of the sensor 34 drops below a minimum resolution for operating the vehicle 30 with a given accuracy. If none of the lights 36 are below the respective intensity thresholds, the process 500 ends. If at least one light 36 is below the respective intensity threshold, the process 500 proceeds to decision block 550.

Block 550 may be performed after decision block 545 or block 550 may be performed after block 555 if at least one lamp 36 is below the respective intensity threshold. In block 550, the computer 40 determines whether the current situation, i.e., the position and/or operating state of the vehicle 30, is favorable for cleaning the lights 36. For example, the computer 40 determines whether the vehicle 30 is at a red light or is stuck and will continue to stop for at least a time sufficient to complete the cleaning step. If the condition of the vehicle 30 is not favorable for cleaning, the process 500 proceeds to block 555. If the condition of the vehicle 30 is favorable for cleaning, the process 500 proceeds to block 560.

In block 555, the computer 40 actuates the power supplies 76 of the lamps 36 having intensities below their respective intensity thresholds to increase the voltage to those lamps 36. the increase in voltage may be accomplished by continuously increasing or changing the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) parameters governing the power supplies the amount of voltage that is increased to the lamps 36 may be selected to offset the decrease in intensity, for example, if the intensity of the lamps 36 is 75% of the default intensity, the power supplies 76 may supply a voltage that is 133% of the typical voltage, thus having an intensity of approximately 0.75 × 1.33 × I_{By default}＝I_{By default}In which I_{By default}Is the default intensity, e.g., in lumens, of the lamp 36. After block 555, the process 500 returns to decision block 550 to continue monitoring whether the condition of the vehicle 30 is favorable for cleaning the lights 36.

After decision block 550, if the condition of the vehicle 30 is favorable for cleaning, block 560 is performed. In block 560, the computer 40 activates the power supplies for the lamps 36 to set the voltages of those lamps to typical voltages.

Next, in block 565, computer 40 actuates liquid cleaning system 52 and/or air cleaning system 54 to clean lights 36 having intensities below respective intensity thresholds. The computer 40 may select a cleaning level, e.g., pressure of cleaning fluid or air, based on the decrease in intensity. For example, computer 40 may instruct liquid cleaning system 52 to spray cleaning liquid at a higher pressure for an intensity of 75% of the full intensity of light 36 than for an intensity of 50% of the full intensity of light 36. The computer 40 may select the pressure of the cleaning fluid as a mathematical formula for the intensity reduction, e.g., where P is the pressure of the cleaning fluid, k is a constant, and Δ I is the change in intensity. After block 560, the process 500 ends.

In general, the described computing systems and/or devices may employ any of a variety of computer operating systems, including, but in no way limited to, the following versions and/or classes: fordAn application program; application linking/Smart Device linking (AppLink/Smart Device Link) middleware; microsoft WindowsAn operating system; microsoft WindowsAn operating system; unix operating system (e.g., distributed by Oracle corporation of the Redwood coast, Calif.)An operating system); the AIX UNIX operating system, distributed by International Business Machines, Armonk, N.Y.; a Linux operating system; the Mac OSX and iOS operating systems, distributed by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.; a Blackberry operating system issued by Blackberry, ltd, ludisia, canada; and the android operating system developed by Google, inc. and the open mobile alliance; or provided by QNXSsoft SystemsCAR infotainment platform. Examples of computing devices include, but are not limited toIn an on-board computer, a computer workstation, a server, a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a laptop computer, or a handheld computer, or some other computing system and/or device.

Computing devices typically include computer-executable instructions that may be executed by one or more computing devices, such as those listed above. The computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted from a computer program created using a variety of programming languages and/or techniques, including but not limited to Java alone or in combination^TMC, C + +, Matlab, Simulink, Stateflow, Visual Basic, Java Script, Python, Perl, HTML, and the like. Some of these applications may be compiled and executed on a virtual machine (such as a Java virtual machine, a Dalvik virtual machine, etc.). In general, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions, e.g., from a memory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executes the instructions, thereby performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein. Such instructions and other data may be stored and transmitted using a variety of computer-readable media. A file in a computing device is typically a collection of data stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a storage medium, random access memory, or the like.

A computer-readable medium (also referred to as a processor-readable medium) includes any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) medium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions) that may be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media may include, for example, Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), which typically constitutes a main memory. Such instructions may be transmitted by one or more transmission media, including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a system bus coupled to the processor of the ECU. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a flash EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

A database, data store, or other data storage device described herein may include various mechanisms for storing, accessing, and retrieving various data, including a hierarchical database, a set of files in a file system, an application database in a proprietary format, a relational database management system (RDBMS), a non-relational database (NoSQL), a Graphic Database (GDB), and so forth. Each such data storage device is typically included within a computing device employing a computer operating system, such as one of those mentioned above, and is accessed via a network in any one or more of a variety of ways. The file system may be accessed from a computer operating system and may include files stored in various formats. RDBMS typically employ the Structured Query Language (SQL) in addition to the language used to create, store, edit and execute stored programs, such as the PL/SQL language described above.

In some examples, system elements may be implemented as computer-readable instructions (e.g., software) on one or more computing devices (e.g., servers, personal computers, etc.) stored on computer-readable media (e.g., disks, memory, etc.) associated therewith. The computer program product may include such instructions stored on a computer-readable medium for performing the functions described herein.

In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements. In addition, some or all of these elements may be changed. With respect to the media, processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes could be practiced with the steps described as occurring in a different order than that described herein. It is also understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneously, that other steps may be added, or that certain steps described herein may be omitted. In other words, the description of processes herein is provided for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments and should not be construed as limiting the claims in any way.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the above description. The scope of the invention should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that the technology discussed herein will advance in the future and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should be understood that the invention is capable of modification and variation and is limited only by the following claims.

Unless expressly indicated to the contrary herein, all terms used in the claims are intended to be given their ordinary and customary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art. In particular, use of the singular articles such as "a," "the," "said," etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary.

The disclosure has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings, and the disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

According to the present invention, there is provided a system having: at least one sensor; a plurality of lights fixed relative to the sensor; at least one vehicle component attached to the lamp; and a computer communicatively coupled to the light, the at least one sensor, and the at least one vehicle component; wherein the computer is programmed to activate the lights in a sequence, determine that an intensity of at least one of the lights is below a respective intensity threshold based on data from the sensors during the sequential activation of the lights, and actuate the at least one vehicle component in response to one of the intensities being below the respective intensity threshold.

According to one embodiment, the at least one vehicle component is at least one cleaning system positioned to clean the light.

According to one embodiment, the computer is further programmed to actuate the at least one cleaning system to clean lamps having an intensity below the respective intensity threshold.

According to one embodiment, actuating the vehicle component comprises increasing the voltage to the lamp having an intensity below the respective intensity threshold.

According to one embodiment, the invention also features a body panel secured in the field of view of the sensor.

According to one embodiment, each lamp defines an illumination cone, and the sensor is outside the illumination cone.

According to the invention, there is provided a computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to: sequentially activating a plurality of lamps fixed relative to each other; determining that an intensity of at least one of the lamps is below a respective intensity threshold based on data from a sensor during an orderly start of the lamps; and actuating a vehicle component in response to one of the intensities being below the respective intensity threshold.

According to one embodiment, actuating the vehicle component is actuating at least one cleaning system to clean lights having an intensity below the respective intensity threshold.

According to one embodiment, actuating the vehicle component is increasing the voltage to the lamp having an intensity below the respective intensity threshold.

According to an embodiment, the instructions further comprise determining a surface normal from the data from the sensor during an ordered start of the lamp, and determining the respective intensity based on the surface normal and on the data from the sensor during an ordered start of the lamp.

According to one embodiment, the instructions further comprise determining a position of an ambient light source from the data from the sensor during an orderly start of the lamp, and determining a respective intensity of the lamp based on the position of the ambient light source and based on the data from the sensor during an orderly start of the lamp.

According to one embodiment, the sensor data comprises data of a body panel during each activation of one of the lamps, and determining a position of an ambient light source is based on the data of the body panel.

According to the invention, a method is provided, having: sequentially activating a plurality of lamps fixed relative to each other; determining that an intensity of at least one of the lamps is below a respective intensity threshold based on data from a sensor during an orderly start of the lamps; and actuating a vehicle component in response to one of the intensities being below the respective intensity threshold.

According to one embodiment, actuating the vehicle component is actuating at least one cleaning system to clean lights having an intensity below the respective intensity threshold.

According to one embodiment, actuating the vehicle component is increasing the voltage to the lamp having an intensity below the respective intensity threshold.

According to an embodiment the invention is further characterized by determining a surface normal from said data from said sensor during an ordered start of said lamp, and determining a respective intensity of said lamp based on said surface normal and on said data from said sensor during an ordered start of said lamp.

According to an embodiment, the invention is further characterized by determining a position of an ambient light source from the data from the sensor during an orderly start-up of the lamp, and determining a respective intensity of the lamp based on the position of the ambient light source and based on the data from the sensor during an orderly start-up of the lamp.

According to one embodiment, the sensor data comprises data of a body panel during each activation of one of the lamps, and determining a position of an ambient light source is based on the data of the body panel.