The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 21, 2023
Filed:
Feb. 10, 2021
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Plano, TX (US);
Paul D. Schmalenberg, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Sean P. Rodrigues, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Atsushi Iwai, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC., Plano, TX (US);
Abstract
A vehicle includes a cleanable surface disposed within its interior. The vehicle also includes a processor, a light source able to illuminate the surface, and a sensor configured to capture an image of the surface while the surface is illuminated by the light source. The vehicle also includes a passenger survey system for receiving input from a passenger regarding cleanliness of the surface. The processor is configured to adjust a detection threshold based on the input, and to detect foreign material on the surface based on the detection threshold and a comparison between the captured image and a stored image. After detecting the foreign material on the surface, the processor indicates that the vehicle needs to be cleaned, and may initiate an automatic cleaning procedure.