Right door pillar camera blocked or blinded

[GalacticHero]

I started getting this recently as well. It happens in the morning when the sun is blasting straight at the camera in question. Could be a recent software update, but it could also be we're now at the right time of the year for this to happen (i.e. the angle is right to cause the problem during people's likely commute time.)

 

[drtimhill]

This is happening every day lately and seems related to sun blinding left or right cameras. This and the bad weather detected. Makes you wander how will this car ever self drive when a little sun, a little rain, a little tight curve are throwing it off its game.... lack of radar and lidar might have been a fatal call!!!

But even if it had Lidar, blocked cameras would still defeat self-driving. Lidar gives, range, but nothing much else .. its up to the cameras and AI to figure out WHAT the object is at that location.

And the car already has Radar.

 

[drtimhill]

I started getting this recently as well. It happens in the morning when the sun is blasting straight at the camera in question. Could be a recent software update, but it could also be we're now at the right time of the year for this to happen (i.e. the angle is right to cause the problem during people's likely commute time.)

Probably a bit of both. Tesla certainly added these warnings (and the checks behind them) with a recent software update. There have been a lot of people complaining about them on various threads, which puzzles me somewhat. Would they rather NOT know that the camera was blocked? Would they rather AP carried on driving and hoped for the best?

 

[GalacticHero]

Probably a bit of both. Tesla certainly added these warnings (and the checks behind them) with a recent software update. There have been a lot of people complaining about them on various threads, which puzzles me somewhat. Would they rather NOT know that the camera was blocked? Would they rather AP carried on driving and hoped for the best?

Agreed. The detection part is possibly not even new, they could have just decided to reveal -why- Autosteer is temporarily unavailable. I like knowing, but Tesla risks opening up the can of worms you mentioned where the conversation can go down an unlimited number of rabbit holes.

 

[ilyak]

Agreed. The detection part is possibly not even new, they could have just decided to reveal -why- Autosteer is temporarily unavailable. I like knowing, but Tesla risks opening up the can of worms you mentioned where the conversation can go down an unlimited number of rabbit holes.

Indeed, it’s not new - NoA/auto lane change unavailable message started appearing a couple of updates before the camera blinded message came to be.

 

[Chuck305]

Well the weather is cooling on SoFla again and the side of the car that gets blinded is fogged. I simply wipe it with a microfiber cloth before leaving home.

 

[ilyak]

Well the weather is cooling on SoFla again and the side of the car that gets blinded is fogged. I simply wipe it with a microfiber cloth before leaving home.

The fogging discussed on this thread is on the interior surface of the camera cover. It cannot be wiped off without removing and disassembling the b-pillar appliques.

 

[Chuck305]

The fogging discussed on this thread is on the interior surface of the camera cover. It cannot be wiped off without removing and disassembling the b-pillar appliques.

Yes apparently there are many ways to blind the pillar cam. The blinding I experienced is caused by fogging/condensation on the outside.. wiping off with a microfiber cloth solves the issue for me. It's not cold here often and maybe not cold enough to cause fog on the inside.