Regenerative compressor control

Abstract

An apparatus on a vehicle comprises one or more sensors, one or more nozzles that output fluid to clean the respective one or more sensors, and a compressor that generates fluid such as compressed air. The compressor is in fluid communication with the one or more nozzles. The apparatus further comprises one or more processors, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to predict a trajectory of the vehicle and control an operation of the compressor based on the predicted trajectory of the vehicle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 one or more sensors;   one or more nozzles configured to output fluid to clean the respective one or more sensors;   a compressor configured to generate the fluid, the compressor being in fluid communication with the one or more nozzles and configured to transfer the fluid to the one or more nozzles; and   a computing system comprising:
 one or more processors; and 
 a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform:
 predicting a weather or an air quality in a region within a threshold radius of the one or more sensors; and 
 controlling an operation of the compressor based on the predicted weather or the predicted air quality in the region within the threshold radius of the one or more sensors. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to perform:
 determining an amount of noise, independent from the compressor, in the region; and   controlling the operation of the compressor based on the determined amount of noise, independent from the compressor.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a reservoir disposed between the compressor and a respective nozzle of the one or more nozzles, the reservoir configured to store an amount of the fluid;   a pressure sensor configured to determine a fluid pressure inside the reservoir; and   the instructions further cause the system to perform:
 determining whether a sensor of the one or more sensors is to be cleaned; and 
 in response to determining that the sensor is to be cleaned, and in response to the fluid pressure inside the reservoir satisfying a threshold pressure, expelling a portion of the fluid from a respective nozzle of the nozzles towards the sensor. 
   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the determining whether the sensor is to be cleaned further comprises:
 determining whether a concentration of one or more foreign substances on the sensor or within the threshold radius of the sensor satisfies a threshold concentration; and   in response to determining that the concentration of the one or more foreign substances on the sensor or within the threshold radius of the sensor satisfies the threshold concentration, determining that the sensor is to be cleaned.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the determining whether the sensor is to be cleaned comprises:
 in response to determining that the concentration of the one or more foreign substances fails to satisfy the threshold concentration, determining that the sensor is not to be cleaned; and   the instructions further cause the system to perform:
 in response to determining that the sensor is not to be cleaned, shutting off a flow of the fluid from the nozzle. 
   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the determining whether the sensor is to be cleaned is based on an average particle size of one or more foreign substances. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the determining whether the sensor is to be cleaned is based on a distribution of particle sizes of the one or more foreign substances. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the controlling the operation of the compressor comprises determining an operating pressure range of the compressor based on an extent of cleaning of the one or more sensors. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising a reservoir disposed between the compressor and a respective nozzle of the one or more nozzles, the reservoir configured to store an amount of the fluid; and wherein the operating pressure range of the compressor comprises a range of pressures inside the reservoir during which the compressor is generating compressed fluid to be diverted to the reservoir. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising reservoirs disposed between the compressor and the nozzles, each of the reservoirs configured to store an amount of the fluid, and an exit pressure or a quality of the fluid is different in at least one of the nozzles. 
     
     
         11 . A method, comprising:
 generating, by a compressor, a fluid;   predicting, by one or more processors of a computing system, a weather or an air quality in a region within a threshold radius of one or more sensors; and   controlling, by the one or more processors, an operation of the compressor based on the predicted weather or the predicted air quality in the region within the threshold radius of the one or more sensors, wherein the compressor selectively transfers the fluid to one or more nozzles that output fluid to clean the respective one or more sensors.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 determining an amount of noise, independent from the compressor, in the region; and   controlling the operation of the compressor based on the determined amount of noise, independent from the compressor.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 storing, in a reservoir disposed between the compressor and a respective nozzle of the one or more nozzles, an amount of the fluid;   determining, by a pressure sensor, a fluid pressure inside the reservoir;   determining, by the one or more processors, whether a sensor of the one or more sensors is to be cleaned; and   in response to determining that the sensor is to be cleaned, and in response to the fluid pressure inside the reservoir satisfying a threshold pressure, expelling, from a respective nozzle of the nozzles, a portion of the fluid towards the sensor.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the determining whether the sensor is to be cleaned further comprises:
 determining whether a concentration of one or more foreign substances on the sensor or within the threshold radius of the sensor satisfies a threshold concentration; and   in response to determining that the concentration of the one or more foreign substances on the sensor or within the threshold radius of the sensor satisfies the threshold concentration, determining that the sensor is to be cleaned.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the determining whether the sensor is to be cleaned comprises:
 in response to determining that the concentration of the one or more foreign substances fails to satisfy the threshold concentration, determining that the sensor is not to be cleaned; and   in response to determining that the sensor is not to be cleaned, shutting off a flow of the fluid from the nozzle.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the determining whether the sensor is to be cleaned is based on an average particle size of one or more foreign substances. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the determining whether the sensor is to be cleaned is based on a distribution of particle sizes of the one or more foreign substances. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the controlling the operation of the compressor comprises determining an operating pressure range of the compressor based on an extent of cleaning of the one or more sensors. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 storing, by a reservoir disposed between the compressor and a respective nozzle of the one or more nozzles, an amount of the fluid, wherein the operating pressure range of the compressor comprises a range of pressures inside the reservoir during which the compressor is generating compressed fluid to be diverted to the reservoir.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 storing, in each of reservoirs disposed between the compressor and the nozzles, an amount of the fluid, wherein an exit pressure or a quality of the fluid is different in at least one of the nozzles.