Maintaining a clear view through windshields and ensuring the full functionality of optical sensors are critical for the safety and efficiency of automated driving systems. Continental Washer Systems provides innovative cleaning solutions with modular products tailored for both car and truck markets.
Ensuring Clear Vision and Sensor Availability for Automated Driving Systems
Cleaning & Clearing Systems for Optical Sensors
Drivers often encounter notifications indicating that cameras are unavailable and require cleaning, especially under adverse weather conditions. Continental Washer Systems offers customized cleaning and clearing solutions, utilizing air and liquid, heated and unheated options, and draining functions. These systems effectively combat environmental challenges such as dust, rain, snow, and insects, thereby enhancing the reliability and availability of optical sensors.
Windshield Cleaning System
Washer Systems offers his expertise on windshield cleaning systems with advanced nozzle technologies, promising a safe journey for passengers.
Distribution Components
Reservoirs
Continental offers modular products and solutions with intelligent applications that increase the safety of drivers by clean windshields and cameras/sensors in any weather conditions. The Continental washer fluid reservoir is available in two technologies: injection or blow molded.
Technical Description
- Blow-molded reservoirs: PE HD material
- Injection-molded reservoirs: PP material
- Reservoir volume for windshield cleaning: 2.5L to 4.0L
- Level sensors in different technologies: Reed-Switch or 2-Pin-Sensor
- Filler neck: Blow molded, injection molded or corrugated
Advantages
- Scalability: Various reservoir volumes
- Reduction of tooling costs by using a common tooling half
- Reduction of logistic cost due to local production partners
- Environmentally friendly: Weight reduction by thin-walled design
- Reduction of components with reservoir pump integration
Distribution Components
Pumps
Soiled windshields and/or cameras/sensors are a risk to any driver. Continental offers modular products and solutions to increase the safety of drivers by clean windshields and cameras/sensors in any weather conditions. Continental is the largest European pump distributer and supplies pumps for various applications.
Technical Description
- Single or double outlet pump
- EMC protection according to customer requirements
- Pump pressure from 2,0 up to 4,0 bar
- Bottom or side water inlet
- Customer specific electric interfaces, e.g. AMP, K-jetronic, etc.
Advantages
- Wide-spread portfolio of different pump sizes
- Customer specific water inlets: Bottom & side inlet
- Environmentally friendly by weight reduction e.g. Mini HLC pump
- Customer specific electric interface
- Various applications covered by various pump pressures
Distribution Components
Hose lines
air & liquid
Soiled windshields or/and cameras/sensors are a risk to any driver. Continental offers modular products and solutions with intelligent applications that increase the safety of drivers by clean windshields cameras/sensors in any weather conditions.
Technical Description
- Corrugated materials: PA (Polyamide), PP (Polypropylene), PA/PP
- Rubber materials: EPDM and TPV
- Hoses with various diameters; bigger hose for less pressure lost
- Connector clip in different colors to distinguish front and rear hose
- 2nd Generation Connector: High temperature tolerance, easy mounting and dismounting with acoustic click-fastening
- 3rd Generation Connector: High temperature tolerance, direct connection to the corrugated hose
- Hose lines, separately for air and liquid routing
Advantages
- Flexible pipe lengths
- Easy connection and release of hoses
- Reduced connecting forces
- Simultaneous lens cleaning operation
- Meets highest temperature & pressure specifications
- Cost saving combination of different connector generations
- Laser welding - carbon footprint reduction
Nozzle Solutions
Lidar Nozzle
air & liquid
Soiled sensors are a risk to any driver. Continental offers modular products and solutions with intelligent applications that increase the safety of drivers by cleaning flat and round lidars in any weather conditions.
Technical Description
- Cleaning of lidome with pressurized liquid using coanda effect
- Removing of water droplets with pressurized air to ensure the lidar availability and sensitivity even at adverse environment conditions
- Using air only to remove dust - saves liquid
- Draining function
Advantages
- Long experience with heated nozzles and systems
- Nozzle with heating harmonized with camera
- Standardized and customized parts
- Minimized designed space
Nozzle Solutions
Camera Nozzle
air & liquid
Soiled cameras are a risk to any driver. Continental offers modular products and solutions with intelligent applications that increase the safety of drivers by cleaning the cameras in any weather conditions.
Technical Description
- Cleaning of lens with pressurized liquid using coanda effect
- Removing of water droplets with pressurized air to ensure the camera availability and sensitivity even at adverse environment conditions
- Using air only to remove dust - saves liquid
- Draining function
Advantages
- Long experience with heated nozzles and systems
- Nozzle with heating harmonized with camera
- Standardized and customized parts
- Minimized designed space
Nozzle Solutions
Wet arm system
Wet arm system
liquid
The Continental windscreen washer nozzles are part of the reliable washer system that increases driver’s safety by clean windows in any weather conditions. Windscreen cleaning nozzles can be provided in different technologies: Front nozzle, Rear window nozzle, heated / unheated technology.
Technical Description
- Nozzle technologies: Ball, fluidic, multi-spray and laser-drilled nozzle
- Water consumption reduction of max 40% with fluidic versus ball nozzle
- Same housing design for different equipped models (with or without heater or check valve)
- Integrated check valve for short response time
- Self-regulating heater with Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC)
- Fluidic nozzles with different spray patterns due to geometry change of fluidic insert
- Nozzles combinable with different sealing
Advantages
- Customized nozzle housing
- Efficient cleaning by optimized fluidic spray
- Low water consumption by fluidic technology
- Easy variation of spray pattern with single or double spray chip
- Good cleaning performance at cold temperatures by heating option
- Design advantage by adjustable nozzles under the bonnet
Nozzle Solutions
Wet arm System
liquid
The wiper arm cleaning nozzle system from Continental enables to supply the cleaning liquid directly in front of the wiper blade during the wipe cycle. This measure allows the best utilization of cleaning liquid and can reduce the water consumption compared to conventional nozzles up to 50 percent with better cleaning results and no visual disturbing of the driver while spraying.
Technical Description
- Nozzle technologies: Ball Joint nozzle (adjustable jet) / Fluidic insert
- Heated with heater wire incl. check valve and hose system or unheated
- Nozzles positioned behind wiper blade in slipstream
- Jet is independent of airflow or speed
- High flexible resistance wire to cope with bending cycl
- Integrated check valve for short response time
- Combined connector for electrical and hydraulic interface
Advantages
- Efficient cleaning, nearly invisible cleaning due to spray directly along the wiper blade
- No disturbing of sight during cleaning process
- Easy to adapt on different wiper arms
- Reduced assembly time at OEM
- No hose routing along the bonnet over the hinge necessary
- Spray time can be adjusted acc. to wipe angle
- Less overspray over the top of the windscreen
More Information
Continental has the product portfolio for all Cleaning and Clearing Systems for Autonomous Driving.
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