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:
Mar. 04, 2025
Filed:
May. 28, 2021
Zoox, Inc., Foster City, CA (US);
Nehemia Girma Terefe, Santa Barbara, CA (US);
Zoox, Inc., Foster City, CA (US);
Abstract
Techniques for identifying when a sensor of a vehicle is obstructed. For instance, the sensor may include a light source (e.g., a light-emitting diode), a main sensor, a lens, a window, and/or a light sensor. The light source of the sensor may emit light, where the main sensor and/or the light sensor generate sensor data representing at least a portion of the light that is reflected. The vehicle may then determine a characteristic associated with the at least the portion of the light, such as an area of illumination or an intensity of the at least the portion of the light. Next, the vehicle may compare the characteristic to a threshold in order to determine whether the characteristic satisfies the threshold. Based on the determination, the vehicle may determine whether the sensor is obstructed, such as by a substance being located on the lens and/or the window.