Dual-mode standing wave ultrasonic lens cleaning technology: providing clear vision for autonomous vehicle vision systems

Among the many sensors in self-driving cars, cameras play a vital role. They are the "eyes" of the vehicle to observe the surrounding environment, but these "eyes" are often affected by pollutants such as dirt, rain, and insect residues. In order to ensure that the camera can provide clear and accurate images under various environmental conditions, ultrasonic lens cleaning technology has come into being. Among them, dual-mode cleaning technology has become an effective means to ensure a clear field of view for the visual system of self-driving cars with its high efficiency and comprehensiveness.

What is dual-mode cleaning technology?

Dual-mode cleaning technology is an advanced Ultrasonic Lens Cleaning (ULC) method. It uses two different standing waves to clean the camera lens in a continuous cleaning cycle. The advantage of this technology is that it can eliminate the blind spots that may exist in single-mode cleaning, ensuring that every corner of the lens can be effectively cleaned.

The principle of dual-mode cleaning technology

Ultrasonic vibration:
Piezoelectric transducers are used to generate ultrasonic vibrations, which propagate through the lens material, producing tiny displacements.

Resonance:
The lens resonates at one of its natural frequencies, and this resonance can amplify tiny vibrations into a force powerful enough to dislodge dirt.

Dual-mode strategy:
Two different standing waves are used alternately during the cleaning cycle to cover all areas of the lens surface, ensuring that no blind spots are cleaned.

Advantages of dual-mode cleaning technology

Comprehensive coverage:
By using two different standing waves, Dual Mode Cleaning Technology can clean every corner of the lens, including those hard-to-reach places.

High efficiency:
Compared with single-mode cleaning, dual-mode cleaning can clean a larger area in the same amount of time, improving cleaning efficiency.

Highly adaptable:
It can adapt to lenses of different sizes and shapes, providing customized cleaning solutions for various cameras.

Core technology analysis

Piezoelectric transducer:
As the core component that generates ultrasonic vibrations, the piezoelectric transducer needs to be able to generate vibrations strong enough to remove stubborn dirt.

Control algorithm:
Through precise control algorithms, precise control of the piezoelectric transducer can be achieved to generate the two required standing waves.

Temperature Management:
Since piezoelectric materials lose their resonant properties above the Curie temperature, effective temperature monitoring and management mechanisms are required.

Application Scenario

Dual-mode cleaning technology is not only suitable for front-view cameras in autonomous vehicles, but can also be used in other applications where lenses need to be kept clean, such as:

- Traffic Monitoring Cameras: maintain a clear view in adverse weather conditions
- Industrial vision systems: keep lenses clean in dusty or oily environments
- Medical endoscopes: prevent dirt accumulation during prolonged use

As autonomous driving technology continues to advance, the performance requirements for cameras and other sensors are also increasing. As an important means to improve camera reliability, dual-mode cleaning technology provides an effective cleaning solution for the visual system of autonomous vehicles . By precisely controlling ultrasonic vibrations, it can ensure that the camera can provide clear and accurate images under various environmental conditions, thereby improving the safety and reliability of autonomous vehicles. As technology continues to develop, we have reason to believe that this technology will play a greater role in the future.