How Self-Driving Cars Detect Dirty Lidar Sensors
Waymo's 2024 patent on a self-driving car system that uses two scans from a rotating Lidar sensor to spot dirt or obstructions on its lens.
Original patent title: “Methods and systems for detecting sensor occlusions”
Waymo's 2024 patent on a self-driving car system that uses two scans from a rotating Lidar sensor to spot dirt or obstructions on its lens. Granted to Waymo in 2024 with 21 claims and 1 forward citation, and it is expected to expire in 2041.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a method for a self-driving car's Lidar system to detect when its view is blocked. The Lidar sensor, which uses light to measure distances, has a housing that spins. As it spins, it sends out light pulses and measures how they bounce back, creating a 'scan' of its surroundings. This patent claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → a system that takes two separate scans of the same area. By comparing these two scans, the system can identify if a part of the view is consistently missing or distorted, indicating something is blocking the Lidar's optical window, like dirt or a sticker. For example, if the first scan shows a clear road but the second scan shows a blurry patch in the same spot, the system knows something is obstructing the sensor.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Lidar systems that do not rotate their sensor housing.
- Methods that only take a single scan of the environment.
- Detecting occlusions using sensors other than Lidar.
- Systems that do not compare multiple scans to identify blockages.
- Identifying occlusions that are not on the optical window of the Lidar.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
Instead of relying on external sensors to check for dirt, the system cleverly uses the Lidar's own scanning process. By comparing two scans taken from slightly different perspectives or at different times, it can infer an obstruction based on inconsistencies in the data itself.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Waymo self-driving vehicles
Lidar systems on autonomous vehicles
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Lidar is crucial for self-driving cars to 'see' their environment. If the Lidar's sensors are dirty or blocked, the car's perception system can be severely impaired, leading to unsafe driving. This patent addresses a fundamental challenge in maintaining the reliability of these critical sensors in real-world conditions.
Filed
March 10, 2021
Granted
October 29, 2024
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Waymo LLC, the assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, is a leader in autonomous vehicle technology and is actively deploying its Lidar systems. Other companies developing autonomous driving systems, such as Cruise and Aurora, likely face similar challenges and may develop comparable detection methods.
Market impact
As autonomous vehicle technology matures, the reliability of sensors like Lidar is paramount. Patents like this one help establish foundational technology for ensuring sensor integrity, which is critical for safety and regulatory approval. This could lead to more robust and dependable self-driving systems in the future.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a method for a self-driving car's Lidar system to detect when its view is blocked. The Lidar sensor, which uses light to measure distances, has a housing that spins. As it spins, it sends out light pulses and measures how they bounce back, creating a 'scan' of its surroundings. This patent claims a system that takes two separate scans of the same area. By comparing these two scans, the system can identify if a part of the view is consistently missing or distorted, indicating something is blocking the Lidar's optical window, like dirt or a sticker. For example, if the first scan shows a clear road but the second scan shows a blurry patch in the same spot, the system knows something is obstructing the sensor.
The clever bit
Instead of relying on external sensors to check for dirt, the system cleverly uses the Lidar's own scanning process. By comparing two scans taken from slightly different perspectives or at different times, it can infer an obstruction based on inconsistencies in the data itself.
What it does not cover
- Lidar systems that do not rotate their sensor housing.
- Methods that only take a single scan of the environment.
- Detecting occlusions using sensors other than Lidar.
- Systems that do not compare multiple scans to identify blockages.
- Identifying occlusions that are not on the optical window of the Lidar.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
6/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
14/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$88K – $281K
Midpoint $176K · 14.4 yr remaining · industry ×1.5
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
21 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Armstrong-Crews, N., Gassend, B., & McCloskey, S. (2024). How Self-Driving Cars Detect Dirty Lidar Sensors (U.S. Patent No. 12,130,389). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12130389/methods-and-systems-for-detecting-sensor-occlusions
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Self-Driving Cars Detect Dirty Lidar Sensors cover?
Waymo's 2024 patent on a self-driving car system that uses two scans from a rotating Lidar sensor to spot dirt or obstructions on its lens.
Who owns patent US 12130389?
Waymo owns this patent, granted in 2024.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on March 10, 2041, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 12130389 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Lidar is crucial for self-driving cars to 'see' their environment. If the Lidar's sensors are dirty or blocked, the car's perception system can be severely impaired, leading to unsafe driving. This patent addresses a fundamental challenge in maintaining the reliability of these critical sensors in real-world conditions.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Lidar systems that do not rotate their sensor housing.
Same assignee
More from Waymo
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