CAMERA WASHING DEVICE FOR CAMERA LENS

• US 20130092758A1
• Filed: 10/10/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: MATSUMOTO, Muneaki, MATSUKAWA, Norifumi, TANAKA, Hitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,180,840 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 239/284.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/485 including control systems responsive to external conditions, e.g. by detection of moisture, dirt or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/486 including control systems responsive to a vehicle driving condition, e.g. speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/52 Arrangement of nozzles; Liquid spreading meansnozzles per se B05B
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/54 using gas, e.g. hot air
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/56 specially adapted for cleaning other parts or devices than front windows or windscreens rear-view mirror arrangements mounted on vehicle exterior including cleaning devices B60R1/0602

Abstract

A camera washing device has an air pump, a wash water tank storing wash water, an injection nozzle with an injection part, a junction joint having a high-pressure air passage and a wash water passage, and an electromagnetic valve. The air pump generates and supplies high-pressure air to the high-pressure air passage. When the control part instructs the electromagnetic valve to be switched to an open state, the wash water and the high-pressure air are mixed in the junction joint to generate water particles. The generated water particles are supplied to the injection nozzle. When the electromagnetic valve is switched to the open state after injecting the high-pressure air only to a lens of a rear camera, the injection part injects the water particles to the lens of the camera.

Claims

1. A camera washing device comprising:

a high-pressure air generation part which generates high-pressure air;

an injection nozzle comprising an injection part to inject the high-pressure air generated by the high-pressure air generation part to a lens of a camera;

a wash water supply part which stores wash water;

a junction joint comprising a high-pressure air passage and a wash water passage, the high-pressure air passage configured to provide the high-pressure air generated by the high-pressure air generation part to the injection nozzle, the wash water passage configured to put the wash water to join to the high-pressure air passing in the high-pressure air passage;

an open-close part configured to be switched between open state and close state, and to allow or block a flow of the wash water to the high-pressure air passage; and

a control part which controls the open-close part to the open state in order to mix the high-pressure air and the wash water at the high-pressure air passage to generate water particles, wherein, the injection part injects the water particles to the lens.

2. The camera washing device according to claim 1, wherein the control part comprises:

a high-pressure air generation instruction part which instructs the high-pressure air generation part to generate the high-pressure air; and

an open state instruction part which instructs the open-close part to be switched to the open state in order to supply the wash water stored in the wash water supply part through the wash water pipe to the junction joint after the high-pressure air generation instruction part instructs the high-pressure air generation part to generate the high-pressure air.

3. The camera washing device according to claim 1, wherein the control part further comprises a high-pressure air generation stop part which instructs the high-pressure air generation part to stop the generation of high-pressure air after the completion of the operation of the open-close part instructed by the open state instruction part.

4. The camera washing device according to claim 1, wherein the open-close part is arranged at a position which is higher than the position of the junction joint,

when the open-close part opens the wash water pipe, the wash water stored in the wash water supply part flows into the high-pressure air passage through the wash water pipe and the wash water passage by gravity.

5. The camera washing device according to claim 1, further comprising an additional high-pressure air generation part to generate a high-pressure air in order to forcedly supply the wash water stored in the wash water supply part into the wash water pipe.

6. The camera washing device according to claim 1, further comprises a branch joint which branches the flow of high-pressure air supplied from the high-pressure air generation part to the high-pressure air passage, and

the wash water stored in the wash water supply part is forcedly supplied to the wash water passage by the high-pressure air branched by the branch joint.

7. The camera washing device according to claim 1, wherein the high-pressure air generation part is an air pump which compresses air by driving of an electric motor in order to generate the high-pressure air.

8. The camera washing device according to claim 1, wherein the high-pressure air generation part comprises:

an air pump which compresses air by driving of an electric motor in order to generate the high-pressure air; and

a high-pressure air storage tank which stores the high-pressure air generated by the air pump,

wherein the high pressure air stored in the high-pressure air storage tank is supplied into the high-pressure air passage.

9. The camera washing device according to claim 1, wherein the high-pressure air generation part is a high-pressure air cartridge in which high-pressure air is stored.

10. The camera washing device according to claim 1, wherein the wash water supply part is a replaceable wash water storage cartridge in which wash water is stored.

11. The camera washing device according to claim 1, wherein the injection part of the injection nozzle injects the high pressure air to the lens of the camera mounted to an exterior part of a motor vehicle.

12. The camera washing device according to claim 11, further comprising an object detection part which detects an object around the motor vehicle, wherein

the control part further comprises a stop part which instructs the open-close part to close the wash water pipe when the object detection part detects the presence of an object around the motor vehicle.

13. The camera washing device according to claim 11, further comprising a wash water freezing detection part which detects whether or not there is a possibility that the wash water being frozen,

wherein the control part further comprising a high-pressure air flow speed adjusting part for decreasing a flow speed of the high-pressure air supplied from the high-pressure air generation part when the wash water freezing detection part detects a possibility that the wash water being frozen.

14. The camera washing device according to claim 11, wherein the camera is mounted to the motor vehicle to photograph a rear side view of the motor vehicle and used in an electric mirror system to recognize the rear side view of the motor vehicle, wherein

the control part further comprises:

a direction instruction determining part which detects whether or not a directional indicator of the motor vehicle is blinked on the basis of an operation to a directional indicator lever; and

a first timing adjusting part which instructs the open-close part to decrease a period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the direction instruction determining part detects that the directional indicator of the motor vehicle is blinked, when compared with a period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the direction instruction determining part detects the directional indicator of the motor vehicle is not blinked.

15. The camera washing device according to claim 11, wherein the control part further comprises:

a vehicle reversing detection part which detects whether or not the motor vehicle is reversing on the basis of information regarding a current gear position of a shift knob of the motor vehicle; and

a second-timing adjusting part which instructs the open-close part to increase a period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the vehicle reversing detection part detects that the motor vehicle is reversing, when compared with the period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the vehicle reversing detection part detects the motor vehicle is not reversing.

16. The camera washing device according to claim 11, wherein the control part further comprises:

a vehicle speed detecting part which detects whether or not a current vehicle speed of the motor vehicle is not less than a predetermined threshold value on the basis of received information to specify a vehicle speed of the motor vehicle; and

a second timing adjusting part which instructs the open-close part to increase a period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the vehicle speed detecting part detects that the current vehicle speed of the motor vehicle is less than the predetermined threshold value, when compared with the period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the vehicle speed detecting part detects that the current vehicle speed of the motor vehicle is less than the predetermined threshold value.

17. The camera washing device according to claim 11, wherein the control part further comprises:

a wiper operation state detecting part which detects whether or not a wiper of the motor vehicle is currently working; and

a second timing adjusting part which instructs the open-close part to increase a period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the wiper operation state detecting part detects that the wiper of the motor vehicle is currently working, when compared with the period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the wiper operation state detecting part detects that the wiper of the motor vehicle is not working.

18. The camera washing device according to claim 11, wherein the control part further comprises:

a cold region detecting part which detects whether or not a current position of the motor vehicle is within a cold region on the basis of a received position detection signal to specify the current position of the motor vehicle; and

a second timing adjusting part which instructs the open-close part to increase a period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the cold region detecting part detects that the current position of the motor vehicle is within the cold region, when compared with the period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the cold region detecting part detects that the current position of the motor vehicle is not within the cold region.

19. The camera washing device according to claim 11, wherein the control part further comprises:

a dust amount detecting part which detects whether or not a dust amount of the lens of the camera is not less than a predetermined reference value; and

a third timing adjusting part which instructs the open-close part to increase a period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the dust amount detecting part detects that the dust amount of the lens of the camera is not less than the predetermined reference value, when compared with the period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the dust amount detecting part detects that the dust amount of the lens of the camera is less than the predetermined reference value.

20. The camera washing device according to claim 11, wherein the control part further comprises:

a dust type detecting part which detects a type of dust adhered on the lens of the camera is one of mud or antifreeze agent; and

a third timing adjusting part which instructs the open-close part to increase a period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the dust type detecting part detects that the type of dust adhered on the lens of the camera is one of mud or antifreeze agent, when compared with the period of time required to open the wash water pipe when the dust type detecting part detects that the type of dust adhered on the lens of the camera is other than mud or antifreeze agent.