Tesla awarded patent for special lasers for cleaning in vehicles

Tesla awarded patent for special lasers for cleaning in vehicles

20. September 2021 0 Von Horst Buchwald

Tesla awarded patent for special lasers for cleaning in vehicles

San Francisco, 9/18/2021

Tesla received a USPTO patent for lasers used to clean vehicle glass and PV solar panels. The invention includes mechanisms for detecting contamination and calibrating the laser beam, as well as image processing.

(patent)

Potential use cases include cleaning cameras and dashboards because traditional cleaning methods such as chemical sprays could damage the devices. The Tesla patent mentions several glass surfaces, including headlights, rearview mirrors or glass roofs.

The invention includes a claim to a graphical user interface for control, adjustments and display of information.

The depth of the laser beam is calibrated by visual processing. It is then emitted with ultra-short pulses to irradiate a portion of the glass. In the case of use for windshields, the patent mentions the use of a laser beam coating.

The invention is expected to improve the efficiency of energy harvesting in solar cells.