US Patent 11479213 Sensor obstruction detection and mitigation

A system may be configured to detect an obstruction on sensor at least partially obstructing or distorting a portion of the field of view of the sensor. The system may also be configured to mitigate the effects of the obstruction or at least partially remove the obstruction from the sensor. The system may be configured to receive one or more signals from a sensor configured to generate signals indicative of an environment, which may include one or more objects, in which the sensor is present. The system may be configured to determine, for example, classify, based at least in part on the one or more signals, an obstruction or distortion on a surface of the sensor, and initiate a response, based at least in part on the determination, to mitigate effects of the obstruction and/or at least partially remove the obstruction.