JP2020016862A - Camera device, camera system, movable body, and method for manufacturing camera device - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve performance to clean a lens in a camera device, a camera system, and a movable body.SOLUTION: A camera device 10 comprises: an imaging unit 11 including a lens 13; and a nozzle 12 that supplies a cleaning fluid 16 to a first surface 13a that is a surface of the lens 13 closest to a subject. At least one of the first surface 13a and nozzle 12 is at least partially subjected to surface treatment for changing the contact characteristics with the cleaning fluid 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a camera device, a camera system, a moving object, and a method for manufacturing a camera device.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a camera has been attached to a vehicle, and is used for assisting a driver's vision in an area where visibility is difficult such as behind or detecting an obstacle on a road. Dirt such as mud may adhere to the camera mounted outside the vehicle compartment depending on the traveling environment. Dirt can obstruct the driver's view through the camera. Further, if dirt adheres, the object detection system may not be able to accurately detect obstacles and the like on the road.

  For this reason, it has been proposed to provide a camera with a cleaning device for removing dirt (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2). In a conventional cleaning apparatus, a cleaning liquid is sprayed onto a camera lens or a cover glass to wash away dirt.

JP-A-11-255018 JP-A-03-085070

  Conventionally, there is room for improvement in the cleaning performance of a camera device, a camera system, and a lens of a moving body.

  A camera device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an imaging unit including a lens, and a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies a cleaning liquid to a first surface of the lens, which is a surface closest to a subject. At least one of the first surface and the cleaning liquid supply section is at least partially subjected to a surface treatment for changing contact characteristics with the cleaning liquid.

  According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a camera system including an imaging unit including a lens, a cleaning liquid supply unit configured to supply a cleaning liquid to a first surface of the lens that is closest to a subject, and a control that controls the cleaning liquid supply unit. Unit. The first surface is subjected to a surface treatment for changing a contact characteristic with the cleaning liquid. The imaging unit has a housing that holds the lens. The cleaning liquid supply unit is configured to supply the cleaning liquid to a part on the outer periphery of the lens through a flow path formed inside the housing. The control unit controls a flow rate of the cleaning liquid.

  A moving body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an imaging unit including a lens, and a camera device including a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies a cleaning liquid to a first surface of the lens, which is a surface closest to a subject. At least one of the first surface and the cleaning liquid supply section is at least partially subjected to a surface treatment for changing contact characteristics with the cleaning liquid.

  A method for manufacturing a camera device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a camera device including an imaging unit including a lens and a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies a cleaning liquid to a first surface of the lens, which is a surface closest to a subject. is there. The method includes determining a cleaning solution to be used. In addition, the method may include, according to the determined cleaning liquid, at least one of the first surface of the lens and the cleaning liquid supply unit before assembly, the surface of which at least partially changes a contact characteristic with the cleaning liquid. Processing. Further, the method includes assembling the camera device including the imaging unit and the cleaning liquid supply unit.

  According to the camera device, the camera system, the moving object, and the method of manufacturing the camera device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the lens cleaning performance is improved, and the convenience is improved.

It is a figure showing the schematic structure of the camera device concerning a 1st embodiment, and the state at the time of washing. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of a camera device in simplified form. It is a figure showing the schematic structure of the camera device concerning a 2nd embodiment, and the state at the time of washing. FIG. 4 is a diagram in which a flow path of a residual cleaning liquid is provided in the camera device of FIG. 3. It is a figure showing the schematic structure of the camera device concerning a 3rd embodiment, and the state at the time of washing. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a channel of the camera device in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the flow path of the camera device in FIG. 5. It is a figure showing the schematic structure of the camera device concerning a 4th embodiment, and the state at the time of washing with raindrops. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a camera device in which a drainage member is added to the camera device of FIG. 8. It is a block diagram showing the schematic structure of the camera system concerning a 5th embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the imaging part of FIG. It is a figure which expands and shows the two-dot chain line part of FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a position of a cleaning liquid supply hole to the lens in FIG. 11. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing method of a camera device. It is a figure showing the example of the attachment position to the vehicle of the camera device. It is a figure explaining a contact angle. It is a figure explaining a sliding angle.

  When cleaning a lens of a camera device such as an in-vehicle camera with a cleaning liquid, it may not be possible to sufficiently clean dirt to which the cleaning liquid has adhered. Further, the nozzle for supplying the cleaning liquid is arranged on the side of the lens so as not to be reflected in the image of the camera device. However, since the surface of the lens has a curvature, if the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the side, the cleaning liquid does not directly come into contact with the lens surface, and there may be places where it is difficult to remove dirt. Further, when the nozzle is provided on the upper side of the lens, the cleaning liquid may remain at the tip of the nozzle after the cleaning liquid is sprayed. The cleaning liquid remaining on the tip may fall on the lens and degrade the performance of the camera device. Further, when the cleaning liquid dries at the tip of the nozzle and the components contained in the cleaning liquid adhere to the tip of the nozzle and solidify, the outflow of the cleaning liquid may be poor. Furthermore, in the wide-angle lens, in order to prevent the nozzle from being reflected in an image to be photographed, it may be necessary to provide a mechanism that advances the nozzle only during cleaning and retracts the nozzle when not in use. However, such a mechanism complicates the camera device. Furthermore, if dirt such as mud attached to the lens dries before cleaning with the cleaning liquid, the dirt may not be easily removed even when the cleaning liquid is sprayed.

  A camera device, a camera system, and a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure suitably set contact characteristics between a cleaning liquid and members constituting a lens, a nozzle, and the like. Contact properties include wettability and slippage. Thereby, the camera device, the camera system, and the vehicle according to the present disclosure can improve the performance of removing dirt attached to the lens of the camera device, and can improve the various problems of the camera device as described above.

  Before describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, wetting and slipping properties, which are the premise of the present disclosure, will be described.

  The wettability indicates the affinity between the solid surface and the liquid. When the liquid is water, the wettability is also called hydrophilic or hydrophobic. The wettability is generally evaluated by the contact angle θ. As shown in FIG. 16, the contact angle θ is an angle formed between the surface of the droplet 102 and the surface of the solid 101 when the droplet 102 is disposed on the surface of the solid 101. It is said that the smaller the contact angle θ, the better the wettability, and the larger the contact angle θ, the poorer the wettability. If the wettability is good, the droplet 102 spreads greatly on the surface of the solid 101. Generally, when the contact angle is smaller than 90 degrees, the wettability is considered to be good. If the contact angle θ is larger than 90 degrees, wettability is considered to be poor. In the present disclosure, the contact angle is measured by a measuring device such as a dynamic contact angle measuring device manufactured by First Ten Angstroms Inc. under the condition of dropping 5 μl of a liquid onto a solid surface. .

  The sliding property indicates the performance of removing the droplet 102 on the surface of the solid 101. As shown in FIG. 17, the droplet 102 is attached to the surface of the horizontal solid 101, and when the surface of the solid 101 is gradually inclined, the droplet 102 is directed downward at a certain inclination angle. Start sliding. The inclination angle at this time is called a sliding angle α. When evaluating the removal performance of the droplet 102 using the sliding angle, it is necessary to set a predetermined condition for the liquid amount. In the present disclosure, the sliding angle is measured by a measuring device such as a dynamic contact angle measuring device manufactured by First Ten Angstroms Inc. under the condition that 5 to 20 μl of a liquid is dropped on a solid surface. It is.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings used in the following description are schematic. The dimensional ratios and the like in the drawings do not always match actual ones. In the following description, “upper side” means the side opposite to the side facing the ground in the vertical direction. "Lower side" means the side facing the ground in the vertical direction.

[First Embodiment]
A camera device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present disclosure, the camera device is not limited to a device that captures an image in the visible light region. The camera device includes an infrared camera. The camera device 10 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an imaging unit 11 and a nozzle 12 (a cleaning liquid supply unit). The imaging unit 11 includes a lens 13, a holder 14, and a lens barrel 15. Further, the camera device 10 includes an imaging circuit 17 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in simplified form in FIG. 2, the lens 13 includes a first surface 13a that is a surface on the subject side and a second surface 13b that is a surface on the image side. The lens 13 is not limited to one lens, and may be configured by a plurality of lenses. In this case, the surface of the plurality of lenses 13 closest to the subject is the first surface 13a. The most image-side surface of the plurality of lenses 13 is the second surface 13b. The lens 13 forms an image of a subject on an imaging element included in the imaging circuit 17.

  The holder 14 and the lens barrel 15 are included in a housing of the camera device 10. The holder 14 fixes and holds the lens 13 with respect to the lens barrel 15. The lens barrel 15 houses an imaging circuit 17 inside. An aperture, an infrared cut filter, and the like may be included inside the lens barrel 15. The housing including the holder 14 and the lens barrel 15 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is an example, and the mechanism for holding and housing the lens 13 is not limited to this. The lens 13 can be housed in a single lens barrel or housing.

  The imaging circuit 17 includes an imaging device. The image sensor has a plurality of pixels arranged two-dimensionally. The imaging device may include, for example, a charge coupled device (CCD) imaging device or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imaging device. The imaging circuit 17 captures a subject image formed on the imaging device to generate a captured image, and outputs the captured image to the outside of the imaging unit 11.

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional shape of the tip of the nozzle 12. The nozzle 12 shown in FIG. 1 is located with the injection port at the tip facing the lens 13. The nozzle 12 can be disposed above the lens 13, but is not limited thereto, and may be disposed on the side of the lens 13 or below the lens 13. Inside the nozzle 12, there is provided a conduit leading to a pump for supplying the cleaning liquid 16. The nozzle 12 sprays the cleaning liquid 16 on the first surface 13a of the lens 13. The nozzle 12 can further inject air to the first surface 13a to remove the cleaning liquid 16. The nozzle 12 is located at a position where the cleaning liquid 16 is sprayed from a shallow angle (that is, at a large incident angle) with respect to the first surface 13a of the lens 13 so that the nozzle 12 is not reflected in a captured image. The cleaning liquid 16 sprayed from the nozzle 12 directly hits the first region R ₁ (predetermined portion). On the other hand, since the lens 13 has a curvature, the cleaning liquid 16 ejected from the nozzle 12 does not directly hit the second region R ₂ (the portion other than the predetermined portion) other than the first region R ₁ .

  Various types of cleaning liquid 16 can be employed. For example, water may be used as the cleaning liquid 16. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid 16 may contain ethanol as a main component. The cleaning liquid 16 may include a liquid containing a surfactant.

  A part or all of the first surface 13a of the lens 13 can be subjected to various surface treatments for changing the contact characteristics between the cleaning liquid 16 and the first surface 13a and improving the performance of removing dirt. In the present application, the surface treatment includes surface coating and surface modification. The surface treatment can be formed on a coating such as an existing antireflection film. In the present application, being subjected to a surface treatment includes having a coating on a surface or having a surface modified layer. Hereinafter, the surface treatment performed on the first surface 13a and the second surface 13b will be described.

(Surface treatment 1 of the first surface)
The first surface 13a of the lens 13 has wettability such that the contact angle between the cleaning liquid 16 and the cleaning liquid 16 is smaller than the contact angle between the cleaning liquid 16 and the material immediately below the first surface 13a on which the surface treatment of the lens 13 has been performed. Can be applied to the entire surface or a part thereof. Here, the material immediately below the first surface 13a means a coating material such as an anti-reflection coating applied to the first surface 13a. That is, the first surface 13a is subjected to a surface treatment for improving wettability compared to the coating layer of the lens 13. By improving the wettability of the first surface 13a, the effect of the cleaning liquid 16 for removing dirt on the first surface 13a increases.

  The entire surface or a part of the first surface 13a of the lens 13 can be subjected to a surface treatment having particularly good wettability so that the contact angle with the cleaning liquid 16 is less than 5 degrees. It is known that if the contact angle of the solid with the cleaning liquid 16 is less than 5 degrees, the cleaning liquid 16 enters the interface between the solid and the dirt, thereby obtaining self-cleaning properties. Therefore, by setting the contact angle between the cleaning liquid 16 and the first surface 13a to less than 5 degrees, the cleanability of the first surface 13a is particularly improved. Further, a camera device for in-vehicle use is generally installed with an optical axis directed downward from a horizontal plane. For example, the front camera is often installed with a depression angle of 0 to 45 degrees. The rear camera is often installed with a depression angle of 30 to 60 degrees. The side camera is often installed at an angle of depression of 80 to 90 degrees and inclined backward by 10 to 20 degrees from the vehicle width direction. According to the inventor's intensive studies, when the contact angle between the cleaning liquid 16 and the first surface 13a of the lens 13 is set to less than 5 degrees, the used cleaning liquid 16 forms droplets below the first surface 13a. The video is not disturbed because it does not accumulate.

  It is known that when the solid surface has a fine uneven structure, a surface having good wettability has better wettability. Also, it is known that when the solid surface has a fine uneven structure, the surface with poor wettability becomes worse. For this reason, a surface having particularly good wettability can be formed by performing surface modification on the material having good wettability to generate a fine uneven structure. Methods for generating a fine uneven structure include a method of forming a fractal structure surface by self-organization, a method of laser ablation, a method of microwave plasma CVD, and a method of etching using a corrosive fluid. Are known. When the cleaning liquid 16 is water, such a property of a solid surface having particularly good wettability is called superhydrophilicity. As a material having good wettability with water and the like, a titanium oxide film coating agent, a silicone resin in which silanol groups are oriented, and the like can be used. Further, a glass material can be used as a material having high wettability. The wettability of a cleaning liquid other than water can be controlled by a known method.

  In the camera device 10 of the present disclosure, the cleaning liquid 16 is contaminated with the first surface 13a by subjecting the first surface 13a of the lens 13 to a particularly wettable surface treatment that makes the contact angle with the cleaning liquid 16 less than 5 degrees. Into the interface with the surface, and the performance of removing dirt is further improved. Further, on a general lens surface, droplets may adhere to a part of the lens and remain. When the droplets adhere to the lens, the path of light passing through the droplets may be distorted, which may disturb the image. In the camera device 10 of the present disclosure, the cleaning liquid 16 attached to the first surface 13a spreads thinly on the surface of the lens 13 and makes it difficult to form droplets. Thus, it is possible to prevent a droplet from adhering to a part of the first surface 13a and hindering an image.

Further, the first surface 13a of the lens 13, particularly good wettability surface treatment is less than 5 degrees and the contact angle between the cleaning liquid 16, is subjected to a portion including the second region R ₂ that cleaning liquid 16 is not exposed to direct Good. By doing so, the second region R ₂ that cleaning performance of more first region R ₁ can not be obtained because the cleaning liquid 16 is not directly exposed, the cleaning liquid 16 along the upper first surface 13a, the first surface of the lens 13 The cleaning liquid 16 easily permeates between 13a and dirt. As a result, the performance of removing dirt can be improved.

(First surface treatment 2)
The first surface of the lens 13 can be entirely or partially subjected to a surface treatment with particularly poor wettability to make the contact angle with water a value exceeding 105 degrees. Particularly, the surface treatment having poor wettability means a surface treatment having super water repellency. By setting the contact angle of the first surface 13a of the lens 13 to water to a value exceeding 105 degrees, it becomes difficult for dirt containing water to adhere to the first surface 13a. As described above, a surface having a particularly poor wettability can be formed by subjecting a material having poor wettability to surface modification for generating a fine uneven structure. As a material having poor wettability with water or the like, a fluorine compound having a trifluoromethyl group, a silicone resin having a hydrophobic methyl group oriented, or the like can be used.

Further, the first surface 13a of the lens 13, the contact angle with water, particularly wettable bad surface treatment to higher than 105 degrees, facilities in the portion including the second region R ₂ that cleaning liquid 16 is not exposed to direct May be. Thereby, the cleaning liquid 16 for the second region R ₂ that cleaning performance is not obtained enough first region R ₁ for that is shaded from direct, difficult to adhere stains containing moisture.

(Surface treatment 3 on the first surface)
The entire surface or a part of the first surface 13a of the lens 13 can be subjected to a surface treatment for improving the sliding property of the cleaning liquid 16 so that the sliding angle of the cleaning liquid 16 is less than 10 degrees. Surface treatment includes surface modification. It is known that when a solid surface has a structure of a predetermined shape, the sliding property of the solid surface becomes high. Therefore, as a process for adjusting the sliding angle with the cleaning liquid 16, a surface modification for forming a structure having a predetermined shape on the first surface 13a of the lens 13 can be performed. By setting the sliding angle of the cleaning liquid 16 to less than 10 degrees, the cleaning liquid 16 slides vigorously on the first surface 13a of the lens 13, so that an effect is obtained in which dirt can be involved and run off to be removed.

  By performing a surface treatment on the first surface 13a of the lens 13 so that the sliding angle of the cleaning liquid 16 is less than 10 degrees, the droplets of the cleaning liquid 16 adhering to the surface of the first surface 13a can be easily removed from the first surface 13a. It is slid off and removed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the droplet of the cleaning liquid from remaining on a part of the first surface 13a and hindering the image.

  The surface treatment for improving the sliding property of the cleaning liquid 16 so that the sliding angle is less than 10 degrees can be provided on the outer peripheral portion of the first surface 13 a of the lens 13. The outer peripheral portion of the first surface 13a of the lens 13 is a portion close to the boundary between the first surface and the holder 14, and is an area through which image light of an image to be captured does not pass. Conventionally, water droplets tend to accumulate below the outer peripheral portion of a lens of a camera device. If water drops accumulate below the lens 13, the lower side of the image captured by the camera device is distorted, making it difficult to see. By making the outer peripheral portion of the first surface 13a of the lens 13 a highly slippery surface having a slip angle of less than 10 degrees, the cleaning liquid 16 slides off the lens 13 and is removed. Thereby, a good image can be obtained.

Further, the first surface 13a of the lens 13, a surface treatment for increasing the sliding resistance of the sliding angle of the cleaning liquid 16 and less than 10 degrees, may be applied to the portion including the second region R ₂ that cleaning liquid 16 is not exposed to direct . By doing so, the second region R ₂ of the first region R ₁ as the cleaning performance can not be obtained because the cleaning liquid 16 is not directly exposed, it is easy to drop flowing dirt by cleaning liquid 16 flows through the surface.

(Combination of surface treatment of the first surface)
The first region R ₁ and the second region R ₂ can be a combination of various surface treatments. For example, the first region R ₁ is subjected to a surface treatment with particularly good wettability with a contact angle with the cleaning liquid 16 of less than 5 degrees, and the second region R ₂ has a sliding angle of the cleaning liquid 16 of less than 10 degrees. Surface treatment with high slipperiness may be performed. Alternatively, the first region R ₁ is subjected to a high-slipping surface treatment in which the sliding angle of the cleaning liquid 16 is less than 10 degrees, and the second region R ₂ has a contact angle with the cleaning liquid 16 of less than 5 degrees. A particularly good wettability surface treatment may be applied.

  Further, the first surface 13a of the lens 13 may be divided into a central portion including a region through which the image light of the captured image passes, and an outer peripheral portion through which the image light does not pass, and may be subjected to different surface treatments. For example, the central portion is subjected to a surface treatment having a high sliding property to make the cleaning liquid 16 have a sliding angle of less than 10 degrees, and the outer peripheral part is made to have a particularly good wettability to make the contact angle with the cleaning liquid 16 less than 5 degrees. May be applied. Alternatively, the central portion is subjected to a surface treatment having particularly good wettability so that the contact angle with the cleaning liquid 16 is less than 5 degrees, and the outer peripheral portion is provided with a surface treatment having a high sliding property such that the sliding angle of the cleaning liquid 16 is less than 10 degrees. May be applied.

(Surface treatment of second surface 1)
The surface treatment can be performed on the second surface 13b in combination with each surface treatment on the first surface 13a. When the cleaning liquid 16 hits the first surface 13a of the lens 13, the lens 13 is cooled. On the other hand, the temperature inside the lens barrel 15 of the camera device 10 may be high due to heat generated by the imaging circuit 17. For this reason, due to the temperature difference between the lens barrel 15 and the lens 13, moisture contained in the lens barrel 15 may condense, and fogging may occur on the second surface 13 b of the lens 13. For this reason, the second surface 13b of the lens 13 can be subjected to a surface treatment with particularly good wettability to make the contact angle with water less than 5 degrees. A surface having particularly good wettability with water can be said to be a superhydrophilic surface.

  If the contact angle between water and a solid such as glass is less than 5 degrees, water droplets spread thinly on the surface of the solid, so that clouding is less likely to occur. By making the second surface 13b of the lens 13 a superhydrophilic surface, fine water droplets adhering to the second surface 13b spread on the second surface 13b. Therefore, since the second surface 13b does not become cloudy, it is possible to prevent the image of the camera device 10 from being disturbed.

(Surface treatment 2 of the second surface)
In addition, the second surface 13b of the lens 13 can be subjected to a surface treatment having a high sliding property to make the sliding angle of water less than 10 degrees. By setting the sliding angle of water to less than 10 degrees, water droplets adhering to the second surface 13b flow down and are eliminated from the optically used area of the lens 13. Therefore, since the second surface 13b does not become cloudy, it is possible to prevent the image of the camera device 10 from being disturbed.

  When the lens 13 is composed of a plurality of lenses, fogging may occur on the surfaces of the lenses other than the lens closest to the subject. In order to reduce the occurrence of such fogging, the surface of the lens other than the surface of the lens closest to the subject has a particularly good wettability having a contact angle with water of less than 5 degrees as described above, or A surface treatment having a high sliding property to make the sliding angle of water less than 10 degrees may be performed.

  As described above, the camera device 10 of the present embodiment performs at least one or more of the surface treatment for improving the wettability, the surface treatment for particularly reducing the wettability, and the surface treatment for enhancing the slipperiness. By performing various surface treatments on the first surface 13a and the second surface 13b of the lens 13 of the camera device 10, the cleaning performance of the dirt with the cleaning liquid 16 can be improved. Further, according to the camera device 10 of the present disclosure, even when the nozzle 12 for supplying the cleaning liquid 16 is arranged on the side of the lens 13 so as not to be reflected in the image of the camera device 10, if the cleaning liquid 16 directly hits, It is possible to improve the performance of removing dirt in places where it is difficult to remove dirt.

[Second embodiment]
The camera device 20 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3 includes an imaging unit 21 and a nozzle 22 (cleaning liquid supply unit). The imaging unit 21 includes a lens 23, a holder 24, and a lens barrel 25. The configurations of the lens 23, the holder 24, and the lens barrel 25 are the same as those of the lens 13, the holder 14, and the lens barrel 15 of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional shape of the nozzle 22. The nozzle 22 is located with the injection port at the tip facing the side surface of the lens 23. Inside the nozzle, there is provided a pipeline leading to a pump for supplying the cleaning liquid 26. The nozzle 22 sprays the cleaning liquid 26 on the first surface 23a of the lens 23. The tip portion of the nozzle 22 surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. 3 is shown enlarged on the right side of FIG. The vicinity 22a of the tip of the nozzle 22 is subjected to a surface treatment that makes the nozzle 22 less wettable with the cleaning liquid 26. The contact angle between the cleaning liquid 26 and the surface of the surface-treated nozzle 22 is larger than the contact angle between the cleaning liquid 26 and the base material of the nozzle 22.

  Therefore, the cleaning liquid 26 does not easily adhere to the vicinity 22a of the tip of the nozzle 22. Further, after the cleaning liquid 26 is injected from the nozzle 22 to the lens 23, a pool of the cleaning liquid 26 remaining without being injected to the lens 23 is unlikely to be generated in the vicinity 22 a of the tip of the nozzle 22. In addition, it is possible to suppress the generation of foreign matter attached due to drying of the cleaning liquid 26.

  The surface 22a of the vicinity of the tip of the nozzle 22 may be subjected to a surface treatment for enhancing the sliding property of the cleaning liquid 26 on the nozzle 22 instead of the surface treatment for decreasing the wettability to the cleaning liquid 26. By increasing the sliding property, the cleaning liquid 26 remaining in the vicinity 22a of the tip of the nozzle 22 can be easily slipped off from the nozzle 22.

  In the camera device 20, as shown in FIG. 4, a flow path 27 for guiding droplets of the cleaning liquid 26 remaining after the injection of the cleaning liquid 26 to positions other than the lens 23 may be provided at the tip of the nozzle 22. In FIG. 4, the flow path 27 may be a slope of a plate-like member connected to a lower part of the tip of the nozzle 22. The flow path 27 extends obliquely downward from the tip of the nozzle 22. In the example of FIG. 4, the plate-like member in which the flow path 27 is formed may be a plate-like member having a thickness smaller than the diameter of the nozzle 22 in the depth direction of FIG.

  In this case, only the inner portion 22 b of the nozzle 22 in the vicinity of the tip of the nozzle 22 is subjected to a surface treatment that makes the cleaning liquid 26 less wettable. The outer portion 22c at the tip of the nozzle 22 is subjected to a surface treatment for improving the wettability to the cleaning liquid 26 more than the inner portion 22b. In this way, when there is the cleaning liquid 26 remaining in the nozzle 22, the cleaning liquid 26 is drawn out to the outer portion 22c near the tip of the nozzle 22.

  Further, the contact angle between the cleaning liquid 26 and the flow path 27 is set smaller than the contact angle between the cleaning liquid 26 and the outer portion 22 c of the tip of the nozzle 22. Therefore, the flow path 27 has better wettability to the cleaning liquid 26 than the outer portion 22 c of the nozzle 22. Therefore, even when the cleaning liquid 26 remains at the tip of the nozzle 22, the cleaning liquid 26 is discharged from the tip of the nozzle 22 along the flow path 27.

  This reduces the possibility that the cleaning liquid 26 remaining at the tip of the nozzle 22 falls on the lens 23 and lowers the visibility of the camera device 20. Further, the cleaning liquid 26 is dried at the tip of the nozzle 22, and the components contained in the cleaning liquid 26 adhere to the tip of the nozzle 22 and solidify, thereby reducing the possibility that the cleaning liquid 26 is not well discharged.

[Third embodiment]
The camera device 30 according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 5 includes an imaging unit 31 and a nozzle 32 (cleaning liquid supply unit). The nozzle 32 is arranged to supply the cleaning liquid 36 to the side surface of the lens barrel 35. That is, the nozzle 32 is disposed on the opposite side of the lens 33 from the subject side. The imaging unit 31 includes a lens 33 and a lens barrel 35 (housing).

  The lens 33 is subjected to a particularly good wettability surface treatment that makes the contact angle with the cleaning liquid 36 less than 5 degrees. The lens 33 may be at least partially subjected to a surface treatment having a high sliding property to make the cleaning liquid 36 have a sliding angle of less than 10 degrees on an outer peripheral portion or the like. In addition, the surface of the lens 33 may have particularly good wettability and high slip-off properties.

  The lens barrel 35 holds the lens 33 on the front surface and houses an imaging circuit and the like inside. The lens barrel 35 is provided with a flow path 37 for the cleaning liquid 36 on the upper surface. For this reason, the lens barrel 35 has a flat surface on which the flow path 37 is formed. With the camera device 30 attached to a vehicle or the like, this flat surface is inclined obliquely with the lens side facing downward. The flow path 37 extends from the position where the nozzle 32 supplies the cleaning liquid 36 to a part on the outer periphery of the lens 33.

  FIG. 6 is a view of the lens barrel 35 viewed from the lens 33 side. The flow path 37 as an example is a first region 37a that extends in one direction and extends in the direction along the optical axis of the lens 33 along the upper surface of the lens barrel 35. The first region 37a is sandwiched between two second regions 38. The contact angle between the cleaning liquid 36 and the first area 37a is smaller than the contact angle between the cleaning liquid 36 and the second area 38. That is, the first region 37a has better wettability to the cleaning liquid 36 than the second region 38. For this reason, the cleaning liquid 36 supplied on the first region 37 a is carried to the outer peripheral portion of the lens 33 along the first region 37 a without passing through the second region 38 having poor wettability.

  The first region 37a can be generated by coating the lens barrel 35 with a highly hydrophilic coating material. As the coating material having high hydrophilicity, for example, a hydrophilic polymer having a hydroxyl group or an ion can be used. The second region 38 can be generated by coating the lens barrel 35 with a coating material having high water repellency. As the coating material having high water repellency, a water repellent polymer such as a silicone polymer or a fluorine polymer can be employed. The hydrophilic and water-repellent coating materials are not limited to those described above, and various materials can be adopted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the flow path 37 as another example is a groove 37 b formed on the upper surface of the lens barrel 35 in a direction along the optical axis of the lens 33. As shown in FIG. 7, the groove 37b can be a groove having a V-shaped cross section on a plane orthogonal to the direction in which the groove 37b extends. The cross-sectional shape of the groove 37b is not limited to this, and various shapes such as a U-shape are possible. The cleaning liquid 36 supplied onto the groove 37b is carried to the outer periphery of the lens 33 through the groove 37b.

  The nozzle 32 can continuously supply a small amount of the cleaning liquid 36 to the flow path 37. The cleaning liquid 36 supplied to the flow path 37 is supplied to the lens 33 from the outer periphery of the lens 33. Since the surface of the lens 33 has particularly good wettability with the cleaning liquid 36, the cleaning liquid 36 supplied to the lens 33 spreads over the entire surface of the lens 33. Further, the cleaning liquid 36 can enter the interface between the surface of the lens 33 and the dirt D to remove dirt.

  According to the camera device 30 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to remove dirt on the surface of the lens 33 by performing surface treatment with particularly good wettability on the surface of the lens 33 and supplying the cleaning liquid 36 from the flow path 37. Will be possible. In addition, by making at least a part of the surface of the lens 33 more slippery, dirt can be vigorously removed. Further, the camera device 30 can prevent the nozzle 32 from being reflected in the image of the camera device 30 by positioning the nozzle 32 on the opposite side of the lens 33 from the subject side. Further, the camera device 30 does not require a mechanism for moving the nozzle 32 forward and backward.

[Fourth embodiment]
The camera device 40 according to the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. In the camera device 40, rainwater 46 is collected in place of the cleaning liquid when it rains and used for cleaning the lens 43. The imaging unit 41 includes a lens 43 and a lens barrel 45 (housing). Since the lens 43 and the lens barrel 45 are similar to the lens 33 and the lens barrel 35 of the third embodiment, only different points will be described. The lens 43 is subjected to a particularly good wettability surface treatment that makes the contact angle with water less than 5 degrees. The lens 43 may be at least partially subjected to a surface treatment having a high sliding property to reduce the sliding angle of the cleaning liquid to less than 10 degrees in the vicinity of the outer periphery or the like. In addition, the surface treatment of the lens 43 may have characteristics that the wettability is particularly good and the sliding property is high.

  The lens barrel 45 (housing) is provided with a flow path 47 (cleaning liquid supply unit) for rainwater 46 on the upper surface. The flow path 47 collects rainwater attached to the surface of the lens barrel 45 and supplies the rainwater to a part of the outer periphery of the lens 33. The channel 47 may be configured similarly to the channel 37 shown in FIGS. The camera device 40 further includes a bracket 48 for fixing the camera device 40 to the outside of a vehicle or the like. The bracket 48 fixes the camera device 40 so that the optical axis of the lens 43 is directed slightly downward. A channel 47 is also formed on the surface of the bracket 48 so as to collect rainwater 46. The channel 47 may be formed as a groove that narrows toward the subject in order to collect water droplets on the surface of the bracket 48.

  According to the camera device 40 of the present embodiment, the rainwater 46 attached to the surfaces of the lens barrel 45 and the bracket 48 is collected by the flow path 47 and supplied to a part of the outer periphery of the lens 43. Since the wettability of the surface of the lens 43 with respect to the rainwater 46 is particularly good, the rainwater 46 supplied to the lens 43 spreads over the entire surface of the lens 43 and enters the interface between the surface of the lens 43 and dirt to remove dirt. be able to. Further, according to the camera device 40, since the rainwater 46 is used as the cleaning liquid, a nozzle and a pump for supplying the cleaning liquid are not required.

  FIG. 9 shows a camera device 40A as another example of the camera device according to the fourth embodiment. The camera device 40A is provided with a plate-shaped drain member 49 for removing rainwater 46 remaining at the lowermost portion of the camera device 40. The drainage member 49 can be configured as a plate-shaped member having a flow path 49 a formed of a slope subjected to hydrophilic treatment and in contact with the lowermost side of the inclined lens 43 of the camera device 40. The drainage member 49 is not limited to a plate shape, and may have a thickness that changes in the depth direction in FIG. The flow path 49a extends obliquely downward from the lowermost part of the camera device 40. The channel 49a can be subjected to a surface treatment having a smaller contact angle than the outer peripheral portion of the first surface 43a of the lens 43. By providing the drainage member 49, the camera device 40A can efficiently drain the rainwater 46 that accumulates below the lens 43 of the camera device 40A through the flow path 49a, and can capture an image without distortion.

[Fifth Embodiment]
A camera system 50 according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 10, the camera system 50 includes an imaging unit 51, a cleaning liquid pump 52 (cleaning liquid supply unit), and a control unit 53.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the imaging unit 51 includes a lens 54, an imaging circuit 55, a housing 56, and a temperature sensor 57.

  The lens 54 includes a first surface 54a that is a surface on the subject side. The lens 54 is not limited to one lens, and may be configured by a plurality of lenses. In this case, the surface closest to the subject of the plurality of lenses 54 is the first surface 54a.

  The lens 54 forms an image of a subject on an image sensor included in the imaging circuit 55. The first surface 54a of the lens 54 is subjected to a surface treatment that makes the contact angle with the cleaning liquid smaller than the contact angle between the cleaning liquid 59 and the material immediately below the surface of the lens 54 on which the surface treatment has been performed. The first surface 54a of the lens 54 can be subjected to a surface treatment with particularly good wettability to make the contact angle with the cleaning liquid 59 less than 5 degrees. The lens 54 may be subjected to a surface treatment having a high sliding property to make the sliding angle of the cleaning liquid 59 less than 10 degrees at least partially around the outer periphery of the first surface 54a. In addition, the surface treatment of the lens 54 may have particularly good wettability and high slipperiness.

  The imaging circuit 55 includes an imaging device. The imaging circuit 55 captures a subject image formed on the imaging element to generate a captured image, and outputs the captured image to the outside of the imaging unit 51. The imaging circuit 55 may further incorporate a temperature sensor 57. The temperature sensor 57 detects the temperature of the imaging unit 51. The temperature sensor 57 can monitor the heating state of the image sensor. The temperature sensor 57 may be arranged inside the housing 56 instead of the imaging circuit 55.

  The housing 56 includes an inner case 56a and an outer case 56b. The inner case 56a has a space for housing the imaging circuit 55 inside. The outer case 56b is located outside the inner case 56a. Between the inner case 56a and the outer case 56b, a cleaning liquid flow path 56c as a space for flowing the cleaning liquid 59 over the entire circumference is formed. The cleaning liquid channel 56c is connected to the cleaning liquid pump 52 by a pipe. The inner case 56a and the outer case 56b are partially connected. Therefore, the mutual positional relationship between the inner case 56a and the outer case 56b is fixed. The inner case 56a and the outer case 56b have openings in which the lenses 54 are arranged.

  As shown in an enlarged view of a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 11, the inner case 56 a and the outer case 56 b support a part of the outer surface 54 b of the lens 54. The inner case 56a and the outer case 56b have at least one cleaning liquid supply hole 58 for supplying the cleaning liquid 59 to the outer surface 54b of the lens 54. A gap is formed between the outer surface 54b of the lens 54 and a surface along the outer surface 54b of the outer case 56b. The cleaning liquid 59 is supplied to the first surface 54a of the lens 54 through the gap. Between the outer surface 54b of the lens 54 and the surface along the outer surface 54b of the outer case 56b, a surface treatment with good wettability to the cleaning liquid 59 is performed. As a result, the cleaning liquid 59 supplied to the outer surface 54b of the lens 54 is drawn out from the cleaning liquid supply hole 58, passes through the gap between the outer surface 54b of the lens 54 and the outer case 56b, and passes through the surface on the outer periphery of the lens 54. Supplied to 11 and 12, the layer of the cleaning liquid 59 supplied to the outer surface 54b of the lens 54 is indicated by a broken line. A plurality of cleaning liquid supply holes 58 can be arranged along the outer surface 54b of the lens 54. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of cleaning liquid supply holes 58 can be distributed along the outer circumference of the lens 54. The diameter of the cleaning liquid supply hole 58 may be increased upward from the left and right in consideration of gravity. The diameter of the cleaning liquid supply hole 58 is designed so that the evaporation of the cleaning liquid 59 can be compensated and the cleaning liquid 59 capable of removing dirt can always be supplied. The cleaning liquid supply hole 58 can be omitted on the lower side of the lens 54 because clogging due to dirt may occur.

  The cleaning liquid pump 52 supplies the cleaning liquid 59 to the cleaning liquid channel 56c under the control of the control unit 53. The cleaning liquid pump 52 can adjust the amount of the cleaning liquid 59.

  The control unit 53 includes at least one processor. In one embodiment, a processor includes one or more circuits or units configured to perform one or more data calculation procedures or processes, for example, by executing instructions stored in an associated memory. In other embodiments, the processor may be firmware (eg, a discrete logic component) configured to perform one or more data calculation procedures or processes. According to various embodiments, the control unit 53 includes one or more processors, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), It includes a programmable logic device (PLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or any combination of these devices or configurations, or a combination of other known devices or configurations. The control unit 53 may include a memory built in the processor or a memory independent of the processor. The control unit 53 can execute a program that defines a control procedure. The control unit 53 may be configured to read a program recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium into a memory and implement the program.

  The control unit 53 controls the imaging unit 51 and the cleaning liquid pump 52. The control unit 53 can change the supply amount of the cleaning liquid 59 of the cleaning pump in response to the output signal of at least one of the imaging circuit 55 and the temperature sensor 57 of the imaging unit 51.

  Dirt on the surface of the lens 54 is removed by supplying the cleaning liquid 59 from the cleaning liquid supply hole 58. Since the surface of the lens 54 has been subjected to a particularly good wettability surface treatment, the cleaning liquid 59 supplied from the cleaning liquid supply hole 58 can cover the entire first surface 54 a of the lens 54. The camera system 50 always cleans the dirt on the surface of the lens 54 by always covering the first surface 54a of the lens 54 with the cleaning liquid 59. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the dirt from being attached to the first surface 54a of the lens 54 and being dried to make it difficult to remove the dirt.

  The control unit 53 may receive an image signal output from the imaging circuit 55, analyze the captured image, and monitor the state of dirt on the lens 54. When the control unit 53 determines that the lens 54 has a large amount of dirt, the control unit 53 controls the cleaning liquid pump 52 to increase the supply pressure of the cleaning liquid 59 and increase the flow rate of the cleaning liquid 59 supplied to the cleaning liquid flow path 56c to remove the dirt. Efficiency can be increased. Further, the control unit 53 detects raindrops from the captured image, and when it is determined that the supply of the cleaning liquid 59 is unnecessary, the supply of the cleaning liquid 59 can be stopped. Note that the raindrop information may be obtained from another system mounted on a vehicle or the like.

  The cleaning liquid 59 supplied to the cleaning liquid channel 56c may also function as cooling water for cooling the imaging unit 51. The imaging circuit 55 can generate heat to perform complicated image processing. The control unit 53 acquires the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 57, and supplies the cleaning liquid 59 so that the operation of the imaging circuit 55 does not generate a problem due to heat generation when the temperature is rising to a predetermined value or more. The imaging unit 51 may be cooled by increasing the pressure or the flow rate.

  As described above, according to the camera system 50 according to the fifth embodiment, the dirt on the first surface 54a of the lens 54 can be constantly removed with the cleaning liquid 59. Further, the state of the first surface 54a of the lens 54 can be monitored, and an appropriate amount of the cleaning liquid 59 can be supplied. Further, when the temperature of the imaging unit 51 increases, the imaging unit 51 can be cooled using the same cleaning liquid 59. Further, since the camera system 50 does not require a nozzle for supplying the cleaning liquid 59, the nozzle does not appear in the image captured by the camera system 50.

[Manufacturing method of camera device]
The camera devices 10, 20, 30 and the camera system 50 of each of the above embodiments can be manufactured by the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. First, in the design stage of the camera devices 10, 20, 30 and the camera system 50, the specifications and the like of the cleaning liquid to be used are determined from the use conditions (step S101). For example, if a countermeasure for use at a low temperature is necessary, the cleaning liquid does not freeze and may be a specification containing a large amount of alcohol components. For example, when it is desired to make the lens after cleaning have water repellency, an additive for that purpose is added to the cleaning liquid.

  Next, in accordance with the determined cleaning liquid, a surface treatment for at least partially changing the contact characteristics of the cleaning liquid is performed on either the first surface of the lens before assembly or the cleaning liquid supply unit (step S102). The surface treatment for changing the contact characteristics includes the surface treatment described in the first to third embodiments and the fifth embodiment, such as improving the wettability, reducing the wettability, or increasing the slipperiness. . Surface treatments include those that improve wettability and at the same time increase slipperiness, and those that reduce wettability and at the same time increase slipperiness.

  Thereafter, the camera devices 10, 20, 30 or the camera system 50 in which the imaging unit including the lens and the cleaning liquid supply unit are assembled are assembled (Step S103). The above assembling method is only an outline description, and each of the camera devices 10, 20, and 30 and the camera system 50 have a more specific method for realizing the specific features described in each embodiment. Manufactured in.

[Mobile]
The camera devices 10, 20, 30, 40 and the camera system 50 of the present disclosure may be provided on a moving object. The “moving object” in the present disclosure may include, for example, a vehicle, a ship, and an aircraft. The “vehicle” in the present disclosure includes, but is not limited to, automobiles, track vehicles, industrial vehicles, and domestic vehicles. For example, a vehicle may include an airplane traveling on a runway. Automobiles include, but are not limited to, passenger cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, trolleybuses, and the like, and may include other vehicles traveling on roads. Tracked vehicles include, but are not limited to, locomotives, wagons, passenger cars, trams, guided track railroads, ropeways, cable cars, linear motor cars, and monorails, and may include other vehicles traveling along a track. Industrial vehicles include industrial vehicles for agriculture and construction. Industrial vehicles include, but are not limited to, forklifts and golf carts. Industrial vehicles for agriculture include, but are not limited to, tractors, tillers, transplanters, binders, combines, and lawnmowers. Industrial vehicles for construction include, but are not limited to, bulldozers, scrapers, excavators, crane trucks, dump trucks, and road rollers. Living vehicles include, but are not limited to, bicycles, wheelchairs, baby carriages, wheelbarrows, and electric standing two-wheeled vehicles. Vehicle power engines include, but are not limited to, internal combustion engines including diesel engines, gasoline engines, and hydrogen engines, and electric engines including motors. Vehicles include those that run manually. The classification of the vehicle is not limited to the above. For example, an automobile may include an industrial vehicle that can travel on a road, and a plurality of classifications may include the same vehicle.

  FIG. 15 shows positions where the camera devices 10, 20, 30, 40 mounted on the moving body 60, which is an automobile, and the imaging unit 51 of the camera system 50 are installed. The camera devices 10, 20, 30, 40 and the imaging unit 51 can be installed at any one or more positions including a vehicle rear part 61, a vehicle front part 62, and a vehicle side part 63. The vehicle rear portion 61 is, for example, near the rear bumper. The vehicle front portion 62 is, for example, near a front grill and a front bumper. The vehicle side portion 63 is, for example, near the side mirror. The camera devices 10, 20, 30, 40 and the imaging unit 51 arranged at these positions can be called a rear camera, a front camera, and a side camera, respectively. The rear camera, the front camera, and the side camera can capture images of the rear, front, and side regions, respectively. In many cases, the camera devices 10, 20, 30, 40 and the imaging unit 51 are arranged with the optical axis inclined more toward the road than in the horizontal direction. The camera devices 10, 20, 30, 40 and the imaging unit 51 each enable wide-angle shooting, and photograph the entire periphery of the vehicle by combining the camera devices 10, 20, 30, 40, and the imaging unit 51 arranged at a plurality of positions. Can be possible.

  Although the embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various changes or modifications based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these variations or modifications are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, functions included in each component or each step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and a plurality of components or steps can be combined into one or divided. It is. Although the embodiment according to the present disclosure has been mainly described with respect to the device, the embodiment according to the present disclosure can also be realized as a method including steps executed by each component of the device. Embodiments according to the present disclosure can be realized as a method, a program, or a storage medium on which the program is executed by a processor included in the device. It should be understood that these are also included in the scope of the present disclosure.

10, 20, 30, 40, 40A Camera device 11, 21, 31, 41, 51 Imaging unit 12, 22, 32 Nozzle (cleaning liquid supply unit)
13, 23, 33, 43, 54 Lens 13a, 23a, 33a, 43a, 54a First surface 13b Second surface 14, 24, Holder (housing)
15, 25, 35, 45, lens barrel (housing)
16, 26, 36 Cleaning liquid 17 Imaging circuit 22a Near tip end 27 Flow path 37 Flow path (Cleaning liquid supply unit)
37a Hydrophilic coat 37b Notch (groove)
38 water-repellent coat 46 rainwater 47 channel (cleaning liquid supply unit)
48 Bracket 49 Drainage member 49a Flow path 50 Camera system 52 Cleaning liquid pump (Cleaning liquid supply unit)
53 control unit 54b outer side surface 55 imaging circuit 56 housing 56a inner case 56b outer case 56c cleaning liquid flow path 57 temperature sensor 58 cleaning liquid supply hole 59 cleaning liquid 60 vehicle (moving body)
61 vehicle rear 62 vehicle front 63 vehicle side R ₁ first region (predetermined portion)
R ₂ second area (part other than predetermined part)
D dirt

Claims (33)

An imaging unit including a lens;
A cleaning liquid supply unit for supplying a cleaning liquid to a first surface of the lens closest to the subject, wherein at least one of the first surface and the cleaning liquid supply unit is at least partially in contact with the cleaning liquid Camera device that has been subjected to a surface treatment that changes   The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the lens has at least a part of the first surface that has been subjected to the surface treatment that changes contact characteristics with the cleaning liquid.   3. The camera according to claim 2, wherein a contact angle between the cleaning liquid and the surface-treated surface is smaller than a contact angle between the cleaning liquid and a material directly below the surface-treated surface of the lens. apparatus.   4. The camera device according to claim 2, wherein a contact angle between the cleaning liquid and the surface subjected to the surface treatment is less than 5 degrees. 5.   5. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supply unit includes a nozzle that sprays a cleaning liquid or a cleaning liquid and air on the first surface. 6.   The camera device according to claim 5, wherein at least a part of the first surface of the lens has been subjected to a surface treatment for reducing a sliding angle of the cleaning liquid to less than 5 degrees.   The nozzle sprays the cleaning liquid onto a predetermined portion of the first surface, and a portion other than the predetermined portion of the first surface is subjected to a surface treatment to have a contact angle with the cleaning liquid of less than 5 degrees. The camera device according to claim 5, wherein:   The nozzle sprays the cleaning liquid onto a predetermined portion of the first surface, and the surface of the first surface other than the predetermined portion has a contact angle with water of more than 105 degrees. The camera device according to claim 5, wherein the camera device is provided.   The nozzle sprays the cleaning liquid on a predetermined portion of the first surface, and a portion of the first surface other than the predetermined portion is subjected to a surface treatment to reduce a sliding angle of the cleaning liquid to less than 10 degrees. The camera device according to claim 5, wherein   The camera device according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein at least a part of the second surface on the image side of the lens has been subjected to a surface treatment to have a contact angle with water of less than 5 degrees.   The camera device according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein at least a part of the second surface on the image side of the lens has been subjected to a surface treatment so that a sliding angle with water is less than 10 degrees.   The cleaning liquid supply unit includes a nozzle that injects a cleaning liquid onto the first surface, and the vicinity of the tip of the nozzle is subjected to the surface treatment, and the contact angle between the cleaning liquid and the surface that has been subjected to the surface treatment is the contact angle. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the camera device has a contact angle larger than a contact angle between a cleaning liquid and a substrate of the nozzle.   At the tip of the nozzle, a flow path for guiding the cleaning liquid remaining after the injection of the cleaning liquid to a position other than the lens is provided, and a contact angle between the cleaning liquid and the flow path is defined by the cleaning liquid and the nozzle. 13. The camera device according to claim 12, wherein the camera device is smaller than a contact angle with the tip.   5. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supply unit supplies a cleaning liquid to a part on an outer circumference of the lens. 6.   The imaging unit has a housing that holds the lens, the cleaning liquid supply unit includes a flow path formed on a surface of the housing that supplies the cleaning liquid to a part of the outer periphery of the lens. The camera device according to claim 14.   The camera device according to claim 15, wherein the flow path includes a groove provided on a surface of the housing.   The flow path is a first area extending along the surface of the housing, wherein the first area is sandwiched by a second area, and a contact angle between the cleaning liquid and the first area is 16. The camera device according to claim 15, wherein a contact angle between the cleaning liquid and the second region is smaller.   The camera device according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the cleaning liquid is rainwater, and the flow path is configured to collect rainwater attached to the housing.   19. The camera device according to claim 18, further comprising a bracket for fixing to the outside, wherein the flow path is configured to collect the rainwater attached to a surface of the bracket.   The camera device according to claim 15, further comprising a nozzle configured to supply a cleaning liquid to the flow path.   The camera device according to claim 14, wherein the imaging unit has a housing that holds the lens, and the cleaning liquid is supplied onto the outer periphery of the lens through a flow path formed inside the housing. .   The flow path has at least one cleaning liquid supply hole for supplying the cleaning liquid to the outer peripheral side surface of the lens, and the outer peripheral side surface of the lens to which the cleaning liquid is supplied has a contact angle with the cleaning liquid of 5 mm. 22. The camera device according to claim 21, wherein a surface treatment for reducing the degree is performed.   The camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the cleaning liquid is water.   23. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid contains ethanol as a main component. An imaging unit including a lens;
A cleaning liquid supply unit for supplying a cleaning liquid to a first surface of the lens, which is a surface closest to the subject;
A control unit that controls the cleaning liquid supply unit, wherein the first surface is subjected to a surface treatment that changes contact characteristics with the cleaning liquid,
The imaging unit has a housing that holds the lens,
The cleaning liquid supply unit is configured to supply the cleaning liquid to a part on the outer periphery of the lens through a flow path formed inside the housing,
The control unit controls a flow rate of the cleaning liquid,
Camera system.   26. The camera system according to claim 25, wherein the first surface has a contact angle with the cleaning liquid smaller than a contact angle between the cleaning liquid and a material immediately below the surface of the lens on which the surface treatment has been performed.   27. The camera system according to claim 26, wherein a contact angle between the cleaning liquid and the first surface is less than 5 degrees.   The camera system according to any one of claims 25 to 27, wherein the control unit controls a flow rate of the cleaning liquid based on an image output by the imaging unit.   26. The camera system according to claim 25, further comprising a temperature sensor, wherein the camera system controls a flow rate of the cleaning liquid based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor.   30. The camera system according to any one of claims 25 to 29, wherein the cleaning liquid is water.   30. The camera system according to claim 25, wherein the cleaning liquid mainly contains ethanol.   An imaging unit including a lens, and a camera device including a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies a cleaning liquid to a first surface of the lens that is closest to the subject, wherein at least one of the first surface and the cleaning liquid supply unit A moving body which is at least partially subjected to a surface treatment for changing a contact characteristic with the cleaning liquid; A method for manufacturing a camera apparatus, comprising: an imaging unit including a lens;
Determine the cleaning solution to be used,
According to the determined cleaning liquid, at least one of the first surface of the lens and the cleaning liquid supply unit before assembly is subjected to a surface treatment that at least partially changes contact characteristics of the cleaning liquid,
Assembling the camera device including the imaging unit and the cleaning liquid supply unit,
Method.

Images