Water drop removing apparatus for camera lens assembly

• US 5,708,859 A
• Filed: 02/19/1997
• Issued: 01/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co. Ltd (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation), Nippon Hoso Kyokai
• Original Assignee: Nippon Hoso Kyokai
• Inventors: Tajima, Fujio, Hatazawa, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): BLANKENSHIP, HOWARD BENNETT
• Application Number:
  US08/802,574
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• Field of Search: 396/25-29, 396/429, 396/534, 396/544, 348/61, 348/81, 348/82, 348/83, 348/84, 348/85, 352/131, 352/132, 359/507, 359/508-515
• US Class Current: 396/25
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 17/02 Preventing deposition of fouling or of dust
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0006 with means to keep optical surfaces clean, e.g. by preventing or removing dirt, stains, contamination, condensation G02B1/18 takes precedence; cleaning in general B08B
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings

Abstract

The water drop removing apparatus for a camera lens assembly is arranged to automatically wipe off water drops or the like attached on the front face of the lens assembly to make field shooting in rainy or snowy weather easy. Injection nozzles consisting of a soft tube in the number of three, for example, are disposed on the top edge and each side edge in such a manner that they are mounted to be rocked around a rocking shaft by a motor or an air rocking mechanism. Each of the injection nozzles are connected with an electromagnetic valve, an air pump, or the like. The three injection valves are rocked fanwise in an order to inject air onto the face of the shooting window through the injection nozzles during the forward period of this rocking. The nozzles on each side is rocked from top to bottom. This causes the water drops attached on the front face of the shooting window to be automatically removed, so that there is no need to wipe off water drops with cloth or the like. In addition, the injection nozzles may be automatically operated at rainfall by using a rainfall sensor.

Claims

1. A water drop removing apparatus for a camera lens assembly comprising:

an injection nozzle for injecting air along the front face of the camera lens assembly;

air supply means for supplying air to said injection nozzle; and

rock driving means for rocking said injection nozzle around a rocking shaft, and causing injected air to spread over a wide extent of the front face of said camera lens assembly.

2. The water drop removing apparatus for a camera lens assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein an air pump, a compression tank and an electromagnetic valve are displaced as said air supply means.

3. The water drop removing apparatus for a camera lens assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein a motor driven in forward and reverse directions is used as the rock driving means.

4. The water drop removing apparatus for a camera lens assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein a plurality of said injection nozzles are disposed on the outer periphery of said camera lens assembly, these injection nozzles being interlocked to rock in a predetermined order, the injection nozzles disposed on each side being driven to rock from top to bottom.

5. The water drop removing apparatus for a camera lens assembly as set forth in claim 1, said injection nozzle is controlled to inject air in only either one of forward and backward paths of rocking.

6. The water drop removing apparatus for a camera lens assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said injection nozzle is controlled to inject air in both forward and backward paths of rocking.

7. The water drop removing apparatus for a camera lens assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein an air rocking mechanism rocked by a supply of air is provided as said rock driving means, air from said air supply means being supplied and controlled for said air rocking mechanism to rock said injection nozzle.

8. The water drop removing apparatus for a camera lens assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein a rainfall sensor is provided on said camera lens assembly, said air supply means and said injection nozzle being automatically driven based on the output of said rainfall sensor.