CN217342437U - Cleaning device for on-vehicle vision sensor and car - Google Patents

Abstract

The application discloses on-vehicle vision sensor's cleaning device and car. The cleaning device includes: the transparent cover plate is arranged in front of the vision sensor; a wiper in front of and in sliding contact with the cover plate; the power assembly comprises a first magnetic piece and a second magnetic piece which is arranged at a distance from the first magnetic piece; the first magnetic part is arranged on the cover plate or the wiping part, and one magnetic pole of the first magnetic part is opposite to one magnetic pole of the second magnetic part; the first magnetic member and/or the second magnetic member is an electromagnet and the wiper and the lid are configured to be relatively reciprocated by a magnetic force between the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member to wipe the lid. In the cleaning device, the wiping part and the cover plate can reciprocate relatively through magnetic force, so that a motor and a corresponding transmission mechanism are omitted, the structure of the cleaning device is greatly simplified, and the manufacturing of the cleaning device is facilitated.

Description

Cleaning device for on-vehicle vision sensor and car

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of automobile parts, in particular to a cleaning device for a vehicle-mounted vision sensor. The application also relates to an automobile using the cleaning device of the vehicle-mounted vision sensor.

Background

With the development of the automobile industry, more and more visual sensors are mounted on automobiles, so that the automobiles are more and more intelligent. During the driving of the automobile, it is necessary to keep these vision sensors clean to avoid affecting their function.

In the prior art, a cleaning mechanism driven by a motor is generally used to scrape the visual sensor to keep the visual sensor clean. However, the cleaning mechanism using the motor has a complicated structure, which is not favorable for manufacturing.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the above technical problem, a first aspect of the present application provides a cleaning device for an in-vehicle vision sensor. The cleaning device of the vehicle-mounted vision sensor comprises: the transparent cover plate is arranged in front of the vision sensor; a wiper in front of and in sliding contact with the cover plate; and a power assembly including a first magnetic member and a second magnetic member disposed spaced apart from the first magnetic member; the first magnetic member is mounted on the cover plate or the wiper member and one magnetic pole of the first magnetic member is opposed to one magnetic pole of the second magnetic member. The first magnetic member and/or the second magnetic member is an electromagnet, and the wiper and the lid are configured to relatively reciprocate by a magnetic force between the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member to wipe the lid.

In one embodiment, the first magnetic member is disposed on the cap plate such that the cap plate reciprocates relative to the wiper member; the wiper is fixedly positioned and out of view of the visual sensor.

In one embodiment, the first magnetic member is a permanent magnet and the second magnetic member is an electromagnet.

In one embodiment, the first magnetic members are two in number and disposed at opposite ends of the cover plate, respectively, and the second magnetic members are two in number and disposed to correspond to the respective first magnetic members, respectively.

In one embodiment, the number of wipes is two; in the direction of movement of the cover plate, the two wipers are respectively outside the two sides of the field of view of the vision sensor.

In one embodiment, the cleaning device further comprises a carrier; the carrier comprises two spaced apart first edge strips extending in the direction of movement of the cover plate and two second edge strips connecting respective ends of the two first edge strips, respectively; at least one first edge strip is provided with a guide rail, and the first magnetic piece is slidably assembled in the guide rail so that the cover plate reciprocates along the first edge strip; the second magnetic part is fixedly arranged on any second edge strip.

In one embodiment, the cover plate is spaced apart from the first sidebar.

In one embodiment, the vehicle further comprises a trim panel, the trim panel being mounted on the carrier in covering relation to the rail; a window is formed in the trim panel to avoid a field of view of the vision sensor, and the wiper is fixedly disposed on the trim panel and within the window.

In one embodiment, the wiper includes a mounting frame and a flexible wiping strip; the wiping strip is detachably arranged on the mounting frame and is positioned in the range of the window.

In one embodiment, the mounting bracket comprises a connecting arm connected with the decorative plate and an anchor ear connected with the connecting arm, wherein the anchor ear is positioned in the range of the window and is provided with an opening facing the window; the scrubbing strip includes a mounting body secured by a hoop and a scraper attached to the mounting body, the scraper extending through the opening and in sliding contact with the cover plate.

In one embodiment, a recess is formed in the mounting body, into which recess at least part of the holding hoop engages.

A second aspect of the present application provides an automobile comprising: a vehicle body; the visual sensor is arranged on the vehicle body; and a cleaning device according to the above on-vehicle vision sensor, the cleaning device being mounted on the vehicle body in correspondence with the vision sensor.

In one embodiment, a sunroof is provided on the top of the vehicle body; the visual sensor is arranged on the frame of the skylight; the cleaning device is mounted on the frame of the sunroof corresponding to the vision sensor.

Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this application are as follows: in the cleaning device of the vehicle-mounted vision sensor, the wiping piece and the cover plate can move back and forth relatively through magnetic force, so that the wiping piece can wipe off pollutants on the cover plate. In this way, a motor and a corresponding transmission mechanism are omitted in the cleaning device, which greatly simplifies the structure and size of the cleaning device and facilitates the manufacture and application of the cleaning device in automobiles.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the application and together with the description serve to explain the application and not to limit the application. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 schematically shows an automobile according to one embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a cleaning device for an in-vehicle vision sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 schematically shows the internal structure of the cleaning device for the in-vehicle vision sensor.

Fig. 4 schematically shows the cover plate structure.

Fig. 5 schematically shows the structure of the loading ledges.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view a-a of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 schematically shows the structure of the plaque.

Fig. 8 schematically shows the structure of the mounting bracket.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a rub strip configuration.

Fig. 10 schematically shows an arrangement of the first and second magnetic members.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the technical solutions of the present application will be described in detail and completely with reference to the following specific embodiments of the present application and the accompanying drawings. It should be apparent that the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without making any creative effort belong to the protection scope of the present application.

In the present application, the directional term "forward" refers to a direction toward the outside environment, and "rearward" is a direction opposite to "forward"; the directional term "above" refers to the direction away from gravity.

Fig. 1 schematically shows a car 1 according to an embodiment of the application. As shown in FIG. 1, an automobile 1 includes a body 10, a vision sensor 30, and a cleaning device 40 of the vision sensor (hereinafter, simply referred to as a cleaning device 40. A sunroof 20 is provided on the top of the body 10, and a vision sensor 30 is provided on a frame 21 of the sunroof 20. the cleaning device 40 is mounted on the frame 21 of the sunroof 20 corresponding to the vision sensor 30. the cleaning device 40 is used to keep the visual field of the vision sensor 30 clean so that the vision sensor 30 can obtain a clear image. the vision sensor 30 may be a camera, which is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described herein.

It should be understood that the vision sensor 30 may be mounted at other locations on the vehicle body 10. In this case, the cleaning device 40 is also no longer mounted on the frame 21 of the sunroof 20, but is mounted corresponding to the vision sensor 30.

The cleaning device 40 will be described in detail below.

Fig. 2 and 3 show the structure of the cleaning device 40 as a whole. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the cleaning device 40 includes a transparent cover plate 401, a wiper 410, and a power assembly 430. The cover plate 401 is disposed in front of the vision sensor 30. The wiper 410 is in front of the cover 401 and is in sliding contact with the cover 401. The power assembly 430 includes a first magnetic member 431 and a second magnetic member 432 disposed spaced apart from the first magnetic member 431. The first magnetic member 431 is mounted on the cap plate 401 or the wiper 410, and one pole of the first magnetic member 431 is opposite to one pole of the second magnetic member 432. The first magnetic member 431 and/or the second magnetic member 432 are electromagnets, and the wiper 410 and the cap plate 401 are configured to relatively reciprocate by magnetic force between the first magnetic member 431 and the second magnetic member 432 to wipe the cap plate 401.

When the cleaning apparatus 40 according to the present application is used, by supplying power to the electromagnet, a magnetic force is generated between the first magnetic member 431 and the second magnetic member 432; by changing the direction of the current, the magnetic poles of the electromagnet are switched, so that the first magnetic member 431 and the second magnetic member 432 are attracted or repelled to each other, and the wiper 410 and the cover 401 are relatively reciprocated. The wiper 410 will correspondingly wipe contaminants off the cover 401. Thus, in the cleaning device 40 of the present application, the motor and the corresponding transmission mechanism are omitted, and only the first magnetic member, the second magnetic member and the corresponding wires need to be provided, which greatly simplifies the structure of the cleaning device 40 and reduces the size of the cleaning device 40, and facilitates the manufacture and application of the cleaning device 40 in a vehicle. In addition, the first and second magnetic members 431 and 432 are sold at a much lower price than the motor, thereby reducing the cost of the cleaning apparatus 40.

Optionally, the magnitude of the current may also be adjusted in real time while the cleaning device 40 is in use to control the relative movement speed of the wiper 410 and the cover 401. The magnitude of the current may be regulated by a control circuit, which is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail herein.

Alternatively, the cover plate 401 may be a glass plate, a transparent plastic plate (e.g., acryl), or the like. In addition, the cover 401 may be a flat plate or a curved surface, which may be determined according to the overall shape of the automobile and will not be described herein.

It should be understood that both the first and second magnetic members 431 and 432 may be electromagnets; one of them may be an electromagnet and the other a permanent magnet.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, the first magnetic member 431 is provided on the cap plate 401. The wiper 410 is fixedly positioned and out of view of the vision sensor 30. Thus, during use of the cleaning device 40, the cover 401 reciprocates while the wiper 410 is stationary. This prevents the wiper 410 from entering the field of view of the vision sensor 30 and adversely affecting the image captured by the vision sensor 30.

Optionally, the first magnetic member 431 on the cover plate 401 is a permanent magnet; accordingly, the second magnetic member 432 is an electromagnet. In this way, there is no need to provide wires on or around the cover 401, the cover 401 is therefore more compact and the weight of the cover 401 is reduced, which makes the movement of the cover 401 more sensitive.

In an embodiment not shown, the first magnetic member 431 may also be disposed on the wiper 410 such that the wiper 410 may reciprocate while the cap 401 is fixed. And will not be described in detail herein.

As also shown in fig. 3 and 4, the first magnetic members 431 are two in number and disposed at opposite ends of the cap plate 401, respectively. The second magnetic members 432 are two in number and are respectively provided to correspond to the corresponding first magnetic members 431. Thus, when the cleaning device 40 is used, magnetic force in the same direction can be applied to both ends of the cover 401, and the cover 401 receives a large driving force, which facilitates the movement of the cover 401. It should be understood that, when the cleaning device 40 is used, the current direction of the second magnetic member 432 can be controlled so that both ends of the cover plate 401 are subjected to the same magnetic force. For example, as schematically shown in fig. 10, the S pole of the first magnetic member at the first end of the cover plate 401 faces the cover plate 401, and the N pole faces away from the cover plate 401; the S pole of the first magnetic member at the second end of the cap plate 401 is also directed toward the cap plate 401 and the N pole is directed away from the cap plate 401. Thus, when the S pole of the second magnetic member adjacent to the first end of the cap plate 401 faces the cap plate 401, the N pole faces away from the cap plate 401; when the N pole of the second magnetic member adjacent to the second end of the cap plate 401 faces the cap plate 401 and the S pole faces away from the cap plate 401, the first end of the cap plate 401 is attracted by the corresponding second magnetic member, and the second end is repelled by the corresponding second magnetic member, and the attraction and the repulsion are in the same direction, so that the cap plate 401 is driven to move in the direction toward the first end thereof. After the cover plate 401 has moved to the limit in the direction towards its first end, changing the direction of the current of the two second magnetic members causes the cover plate 401 to move in the direction towards its second end. Thus, by changing the current direction of the two second magnetic members a plurality of times, the cap plate 401 can be reciprocated a plurality of times until the wiper 410 completes the cleaning of the cap plate 401. Methods of changing the direction of the current are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail herein.

Returning to fig. 2, the number of wipers 410 is two. In the direction of movement of the cover 401, the two wipers 410 are respectively outside the two sides of the field of view of the vision sensor 30. Thus, when the cleaning apparatus 40 is used, the two wipers 410 wipe the cap plate 401 at the same time, which improves the cleaning efficiency of the cap plate 401. It should be understood that neither wiper 410 is within the range of the vision sensor 30 to avoid adversely affecting the image acquisition of the vision sensor 30.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 3, 5 and 6, the cleaning device 40 further comprises a carrier 50. The carrier 50 comprises two spaced apart first edge strips 501 extending in the direction of movement of the cover plate 401 and two second edge strips 502 connecting respective ends of the two first edge strips 501, respectively. The bezel 50 is generally rectangular in shape as a whole.

On the two first limbs 501, guide rails 503 are formed, the openings of the two guide rails 503 facing each other. The first magnetic member 431 is slidably fitted in the guide rail 503 so that the cover plate 401 reciprocates along the first edge bar 501. In this way, the guide rail 503 plays a role of guiding and limiting the first magnetic member 431, ensuring that the cover 401 moves in a predetermined manner, and ensuring the stability of the movement of the cover 401. The second magnetic member 432 is fixedly disposed on the second edge strip 502. In this structure, since the second edge bar 502 is connected to the end of the first edge bar 501, the second magnetic member 432 naturally faces the first magnetic member 431, which greatly simplifies the assembly of the cleaning apparatus 40. It should be understood that, in the case that there are two second magnetic members 432, the two second magnetic members 432 are respectively disposed on the two second edge bars 502 (as shown in fig. 3).

In one specific embodiment, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the guide rail 503 is a V-shaped groove, and the mating end of the first magnetic member 431 is also configured with a V-shaped protrusion 441 that is adapted to the guide rail. In other embodiments, the guiding rail 503 may also be a square groove, an arc groove, or the like, and the mating end of the first magnetic member 431 is configured to have a corresponding shape.

Alternatively, the guide rail 503 may be formed only on one first edge 501. In this case, only one mating end of the first magnetic member 431 is configured in a shape to match the rail 503.

Optionally, the cover 401 is spaced apart from the first sidebar 501, i.e., not in contact therewith. For example, the height H of the cover 401 is less than the distance between the two first side bars 501; or the cover plate 401 is in front of or behind the two first edge strips 501 and there is a gap between the two first edge strips 501. Thus, the cover 401 is not in contact with the two first side strips 501, and the friction resistance of the cover 401 during movement is reduced, so that the movement of the cover 401 is smoother.

As also shown in fig. 2 and 7, the cleaning device 40 further includes a fascia 60. Fascia 60 is mounted over carriage 50 and offset from rail 503. A window 601 is formed in the trim panel 60 to avoid the field of view of the vision sensor 30, and the wiper 410 is fixedly arranged on the trim panel 60 within the area of the window 601. Thus, trim panel 60 covers carrier 50 and components mounted to carrier 50, providing protection to carrier 50 and components mounted to carrier 50. In addition, by providing the trim panel 60, the cleaning device 40 is more compatible with the overall shape of the vehicle.

As shown in fig. 2, 8 and 9, the wiper 410 includes a mounting frame 412 and a flexible wiper strip 413. The wiping strip 413 is removably mounted to the mounting bracket 412 and within the confines of the window 601. In this way, the wiping strip 413 can be replaced as required to ensure good wiping performance. Optionally, the rubbing strip 413 is a rubber member, and may also be a rubber member with a rigid support, which is not described in detail herein.

As also shown in FIG. 8, mount 412 includes an attachment arm 414 attached to fascia 60 and an anchor ear 415 attached to attachment arm 414. The anchor ear 415 is located within the window 601 and an opening 416 is opened on the anchor ear 415 toward the window 601. The rub strip 413 includes a mounting body 417 and a squeegee 418 coupled to the mounting body 417, the mounting body 417 being secured by the hoop 415, the squeegee 418 extending through the opening 416 and into sliding contact with the cover 401. In this configuration, by adjusting the length of the link arm 414, the position of the anchor ear 415 (and the wiping strip 413 mounted on the anchor ear 415) within the window 601 can be adjusted to ensure that the anchor ear 415 and the wiping strip 413 are outside the field of view of the visual sensor 30.

Optionally, a recess 419 is formed in the mounting body 417, and at least a portion of the anchor ear 415 is embedded in the recess 419. For example, a recess 419 is formed on each side of the mounting body 417, and the two edges 420, 421 of the opening 416 of the hoop 415 are inserted into the corresponding recesses 419, so that the mounting stability of the wiping strip 413 on the mounting frame 412 is improved.

As also shown in fig. 2, the cleaning device 40 includes a cleaning liquid nozzle 70. The cleaning liquid nozzle 70 is installed on the sheathing board 60 above the wiper 410. Thus, a cleaning liquid may be dropped onto the cover plate 401 when the cleaning device 40 is used. The cleaning liquid dripped on the cover plate 401 can be immediately spread over the cover plate 401 along with the wiping of the wiping member 410, so that the bad influence of the dripping or streaming cleaning liquid on the imaging of the vision sensor 30 can be avoided, and the cover plate 401 can be cleaned more cleanly; the presence of cleaning fluid between wiper 410 and cover 401 also makes the movement of wiper 410 smoother. In addition, in the case of drop-wise cleaning onto the cover plate 401, the solution of the present application uses the wiper 410 to wipe the cover plate 401, which facilitates rapid drying of the cover plate 401, compared to the prior art in which the cover plate is merely air-dried.

Alternatively, the cleaning liquid nozzles 70 are two or more in number and are disposed at intervals in the reciprocating direction of the cover plate 401. Thus, the cleaning liquid can be uniformly dropped on the cap plate 401.

It will be appreciated that a tank containing cleaning liquid and a line connecting the tank to the cleaning liquid nozzle 70 are also installed in the vehicle 1. These are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail herein. As also described above, since the cleaning apparatus 40 of the present application uses the wiper 410 to wipe the cap plate 401, it is not necessary to spray a large amount of cleaning liquid onto the cap plate 401 at high pressure as in the related art, but only a small amount of cleaning liquid is dropped to achieve good cleaning of the cap plate 401. Thereby, the size of the reservoir can be reduced, and the waste of the cleaning liquid is reduced.

The above description is only an example of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims (13)

1. A cleaning device for an on-vehicle vision sensor, comprising:

a transparent cover plate (401), the cover plate (401) being disposed in front of the vision sensor (30);

a wiper (410), the wiper (410) being in front of the cover plate (401) and in sliding contact with the cover plate (401); and

a power assembly (430), the power assembly (430) comprising a first magnetic member (431) and a second magnetic member (432) disposed spaced apart from the first magnetic member (431); the first magnetic member (431) is installed on the cover plate (401) or the wiper (410), and a magnetic pole of the first magnetic member (431) is opposite to a magnetic pole of the second magnetic member (432);

the first magnetic member (431) and/or the second magnetic member (432) are electromagnets, and the wiper (410) and the cap plate (401) are configured to be relatively reciprocated by a magnetic force between the first magnetic member (431) and the second magnetic member (432) to wipe the cap plate (401).

2. The vehicle-mounted vision sensor cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the first magnetic member (431) is provided on the cap plate (401) such that the cap plate (401) reciprocates relative to the wiper (410); the wiper (410) is fixedly disposed and outside the field of view of the vision sensor (30).

3. The vehicle-mounted vision sensor cleaning device as recited in claim 2, wherein the first magnetic member (431) is a permanent magnet and the second magnetic member (432) is an electromagnet.

4. The vehicle-mounted vision sensor cleaning device as defined in claim 2 or 3, wherein the first magnetic members (431) are two in number and respectively provided at opposite ends of the cover plate (401), and the second magnetic members (432) are two in number and respectively provided to correspond to the respective first magnetic members (431).

5. The cleaning device of an on-vehicle vision sensor according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the number of said wipers (410) is two; in the direction of movement of the cover plate (401), the two wipers (410) are each outside the two sides of the field of view of the vision sensor (30).

6. The vehicle vision sensor cleaning device according to claim 2, further comprising a carrier (50); the carrier (50) comprises two spaced apart first side bars (501) extending in the direction of movement of the cover plate (401) and two second side bars (502) connecting respective ends of the two first side bars (501), respectively; at least one first side bar (501) is provided with a guide rail (503), and the first magnetic piece (431) is slidably assembled in the guide rail (503) so that the cover plate (401) reciprocates along the first side bar (501); the second magnetic part (432) is fixedly arranged on any second edge strip (502).

7. The vehicle vision sensor cleaning device according to claim 6, wherein the cover plate (401) is spaced apart from the first side bar (501).

8. The vehicle vision sensor cleaning device according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising a decorative plate (60), wherein the decorative plate (60) is mounted on the carrier (50) in a covering manner and is offset from the guide rail (503);

a window (601) is formed on the decorative plate (60) to avoid the visual field of the visual sensor (30), and the wiper (410) is fixedly arranged on the decorative plate (60) and is positioned in the range of the window (601).

9. The vehicle vision sensor cleaning device of claim 8, wherein the wiper (410) comprises a mounting frame (412) and a flexible wiper strip (413); the wiping strip (413) is detachably mounted on the mounting frame (412) and is positioned in the range of the window (601).

10. The vehicle vision sensor cleaning apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the mounting bracket (412) comprises a link arm (414) connected to the fascia (60) and a hoop (415) connected to the link arm (414), the hoop (415) being within the window (601) and opening an opening (416) on the hoop (415) toward the window (601);

the scrubbing strip (413) includes a mounting body (417) and a scraper (418) connected to the mounting body (417), the mounting body (417) being secured by the hoop (415), the scraper (418) extending through the opening (416) and being in sliding contact with the cover plate (401).

11. The vehicle vision sensor cleaning device according to claim 10, wherein a groove (419) is configured on the mounting body (417), and at least a portion of the anchor ear (415) is embedded in the groove (419).

12. An automobile, comprising:

a vehicle body (10);

a vision sensor (30), the vision sensor (30) being provided on the vehicle body (10); and

a cleaning device (40) for an on-vehicle vision sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 11, said cleaning device (40) being mounted on said vehicle body (10) in correspondence with said vision sensor (30).

13. The motor vehicle according to claim 12, characterized in that a sunroof (20) is provided on top of the vehicle body (10); the vision sensor (30) is arranged on a frame (21) of the skylight (20); the cleaning device (40) is mounted on a frame (21) of the sunroof (20) in correspondence with the vision sensor (30).

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