Enhancing Automotive Safety: Introducing an Innovative Camera Cleaning Solution for ADAS/AD vehicles

A discussion with Dustin DeFrank, Business Development Engineer, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Dustin can you tell us about Murata’s new innovative integrated camera cleaning solution?

Murata is proud to introduce our new ultrasonic camera cleaning solution here at CES. It is designed exclusively for Autonomous Driving (AD)/Autonomous Driving Assistance System (ADAS) vehicles. This revolutionary product is set to transform the way the automotive industry maintains clear vision among camera lenses and sensors.

What does the new technology bring to the table?

Ultrasonic camera lens cleaning creates clearer vision which equals safer roads. AD/ADAS technologies have redefined safety on the roads, with features such as lane-keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, and collision avoidance systems with automatic brake systems. AD/ADAS vehicles rely on a combination of cameras and sensors to monitor traffic, pedestrians, and obstacles/interferences which they witness on the road daily. The performance of the cameras and sensors is impacted by obstacles. Murata’s cleaning device has been designed to effectively disperse water, mud, fog, and ice accumulation that may diminish the capabilities of automotive cameras.

Clean and clear camera lenses and sensors are essential for effectively functioning AD/ADAS systems. Clear cameras and sensors are imperative to keeping vehicles, pedestrians, and drivers safe.

How does this technology compare to traditional solutions?

This is a camera-integrated cleaning solution.

Compared to traditional washer and blower solutions, our camera cleaning solution is engineered to reduce the size and space requirements due to our miniaturized patented camera-integrated technology.

Murata's solution provides rapid operation, allowing for a fast response time of less than a second. Our solution achieves the removal function with under 1.2 Watts of power consumption by inserting a unique vibrator between the piezo element and the lens.

There is also a heater function which can be enabled by changing the driving mode from water droplet to de-ice/heat mode, this removes a thin layer of ice on the camera lens, ensuring the camera has clear visibility in foggy or icy weather conditions.

How does the ultrasonic cleaning device impact design?

The integrated-camera cleaning device allows for enhanced flexibility in design. The solution gives you the option to integrate traditional washers and blowers to improve removal performance on the camera lens. Vehicles are exposed to solid and liquid contaminants while driving in all-weather conditions which can’t be removed by one cleaning solution alone.

Traditional washers and blowers will complement our integrated camera solution to improve removal performance on the surface of the camera lens by ensuring AD/ADAS vehicles have a clear vision on the road, no matter the weather conditions or containments they are exposed to on the road.

Dustin, you seem excited about this new technology.

We are thrilled to introduce our innovative integrated camera cleaning solution for the first time at CES, designed exclusively for AD/ADAS-equipped vehicles. By maintaining pristine optical camera vision within AD/ADAS-equipped vehicles, we are contributing to safer roads with clearer vision in adverse weather conditions.

See a demonstration of this new product at Booth 6300 at #CES2024 in the West Hall of Vehicle & Advanced Mobility Pavilion.