JP3412757B2 - Lens protection container - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lens protection container for protecting a lens for image pickup, and more specifically, it houses a lens for taking an image in outdoor shooting and the like, and protects an external object. The present invention relates to a lens protection container having a transparent window for the lens to take an image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a lens protection container for an image pickup lens, one shown in FIG. 12 is known. That is, the lens protection container 501 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped hollow box body 503 formed of metal or the like, and a transparent window portion 505 formed of glass or the like on one surface of the box body 503. An imaging lens (not shown) is arranged inside the box body 503, and the outside of the lens protection container 501 is imaged by the lens through the window 505.

[0003]

However, as shown in FIG.
When an image pickup lens is arranged inside the lens protection container 501 shown in FIG. 3 to take an image, a high-luminance object such as the sun may enter the image pickup field of the image pickup lens. In such cases,
If the diaphragm is narrowed down according to the high-brightness object, the part other than the high-brightness object may be dark and the image may not be captured properly. If a CCD camera is used for image capturing, a high-brightness object may form an image on the CCD, which may cause a smear phenomenon along the vertical transfer path of the CCD. There was also the problem of damaging parts.

Since the wide-angle lens has a large angle of view (photographing angle) and a single lens can photograph a wide range, it tends to be frequently used for monitoring surrounding conditions. For example, by arranging the fisheye lens having an angle of view (shooting angle) of approximately 180 degrees or more on the substantially ground surface so that the optical axis of the fisheye lens is directed vertically upward, the one fisheye lens surrounds the ground surface around the fisheye lens. You can shoot all of the above situations. Since such a wide-angle lens has a wide field of view, a high-luminance object such as the sun is often in the field of view. In addition, the lens protection container 5 shown in FIG.
When the wide-angle lens is arranged inside 01, the wide-angle lens has a narrow shooting range, and the wide-angle lens has a wide shooting range. That is, since the wide-angle lens arranged inside the lens protection container 501 can photograph only the photographing range through the window portion 505, even if the wide-angle lens itself can photograph a wide range, Since the window portion 505 is small, the wide-angle lens may sometimes be able to take an image only in the imaging range narrowly limited by the window portion 505. In particular, when a fisheye lens (having an angle of view (shooting angle) of approximately 180 degrees or more) is arranged inside the lens protection container 501 shown in FIG. 12, how to arrange the fisheye lens inside the lens protection container 501. However, it was not possible to shoot the entire wide shooting range that the fisheye lens originally had.

Therefore, according to the present invention, even if a high-brightness object such as the sun enters the image pickup field of the image pickup lens, the above-mentioned problem occurs (a part other than the high-brightness object becomes dark, or a smear phenomenon occurs. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lens protection container capable of capturing an image well without causing such problems), and to provide a lens protection container that does not narrow the photographing range of a wide-angle lens. The “wide-angle lens” referred to in this specification means that the angle of view (shooting angle) is 10 regardless of the projection method or the like.
A taking lens of 0 degrees or more is broadly defined. Therefore,
The "wide-angle lens" referred to in the present specification includes any of a so-called wide-angle lens, an ultra-wide-angle lens, and a fisheye lens having an angle of view (shooting angle) of 100 degrees or more.

[0006]

A lens protection container of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "main container") contains a lens for capturing an image inside, and the lens captures an external object. A lens protection container having a transparent window part for providing a movable cover for the window part that covers a part of the window part. Therefore, even if a high-brightness object such as the sun exists in a direction in which the imaging lens has an imaging field of view, by disposing the cover so that the cover covers the high-brightness object, the imaging lens has a high brightness. It is possible to avoid direct incidence of light from the target object, prevent the above-mentioned problems (such as darkening of parts other than the high-brightness target object, smear phenomenon, etc.) from occurring and capture images well. it can. The window being “transparent” means that the lens allows light rays to pass through to the extent that the external object can be imaged to a desired degree, and may be colored or colorless. The light rays are not limited to visible light, and may be any light as long as it can photograph an external object, for example, infrared rays or ultraviolet rays. Further, the "cover" referred to here may be any one as long as it attenuates a light beam for imaging when passing through the cover, and the cover exists by absorbing or reflecting the light beam. It suffices that it does not allow the light rays to pass therethrough, and includes those that do not allow the light rays to pass at all. The cover is "movable with respect to the window"
It does not require that any part of the window can be covered by moving the cover, and it is sufficient if at least two different parts of the window can be covered by moving the cover. The size of the cover with respect to the window can prevent a supposed ray of light from a high-brightness object from directly entering the imaging lens, and the imaging region other than the part covered by the cover can have a desired size. Anything can be secured.

The container comprises cover position determining means for determining a position where the cover is to be arranged, and cover driving means for driving the cover to the position determined by the cover position determining means. May be By doing so, the cover position determining means determines the position where the cover is to be arranged, and the cover driving means drives the cover to the position determined by the cover position determining means, so that the cover is automatically moved to the required position. Can be moved automatically. The cover position determining means may specify a direction in which the high-intensity object exists and determine a position at which the cover should be arranged so that the cover covers the direction in which the high-intensity object exists. By doing so, since the cover can surely cover the azimuth where the high-brightness object exists, it is possible to avoid that light from the high-brightness object directly enters the imaging lens, and thus the problem (A part other than the high-brightness object becomes dark, a smear phenomenon occurs, and the like) can be prevented from occurring and an image can be captured successfully. Further, the cover position determining means may be any method for identifying the direction in which the high-brightness object exists, for example, if the high-brightness object moves regularly like the sun. Alternatively, the regular moving route may be stored and the azimuth in which the current high-intensity target object is present may be specified. The cover position determining means may specify the azimuth in which the high-brightness target object exists from the image data captured by the lens. In this case, the azimuth in which the high-brightness object exists is directly determined. Since it is detected, the direction in which the high-intensity object is present can be reliably and accurately specified regardless of the movement of the high-intensity object.

The container may include a wiper which comes into contact with the outer surface of the window portion and slides to wipe the outer surface, and the wiper also serves as the cover. When this container is used outdoors, foreign matter such as rainwater or dust may adhere to the outer surface of the window, and it may not be possible to take an image of the outside of the container through the window. It is preferable to provide a wiper that moves to wipe off foreign matter attached to the outer surface (by wiping off the outer surface with the wiper,
The image taken through the window can be kept clear. ). Then, if the wiper has a portion that attenuates the light ray for imaging (it may be one that does not substantially transmit the light ray) when the light ray passes, the wiper also serves as the cover. You can By doing so, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the number of assembling steps and simplify the drive control, as compared with the case where the wiper and the cover are separately provided.

In this container, the outer surface of the window portion has a spherical crown shape, and the wiper is in contact with the outer surface of the window portion having the spherical crown shape, and the wiper has a first rotating shaft having a diameter of the spherical crown shape. A first wiper rotating means for rotating as a center,
The wiper may also serve as the cover, and the cover driving means may serve as the first wiper rotating means. As described above, when a wide-angle lens with a wide field of view is used to shoot through a flat window, the wide field of view of the wide-angle lens cannot be covered by the window, which narrows the shooting range. It was In order to avoid this problem, the outer surface of the window may have a spherical crown shape. Then, a wiper that comes into contact with the outer surface of the spherical crown-shaped window portion and a first wiper rotating means that rotates the wiper about a first rotating shaft having the spherical crown-shaped diameter are provided. By making the outer surface of the window portion spherical-crown-shaped, it is possible to avoid narrowing the field of view of the wide-angle lens described above, and foreign matter attached to the outer surface of the window portion can be wiped off with a wiper, so that an image is taken through the window portion. Image can be kept clear. Furthermore, if the wiper has a portion that attenuates the light ray for imaging (it may be a material that does not transmit the light ray at all) when the light ray for imaging passes, the wiper covers the cover. The cover driving means can also be used as the first wiper rotating means. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the number of assembling steps and simplify the drive control, as compared with the case where the wiper and the cover are separately provided. The term "sphere-crown-shaped diameter" as used herein refers to the diameter of a sphere of which the crown is a part. The first rotation axis may be substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens. By doing so, the wiper is rotated about the first rotation axis that is substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens, so that the wiper passes through the intersection of the outer surface of the window and the straight line including the optical axis. When the outer surface is divided into two regions by a plane perpendicular to the first rotation axis, one region and the other region of the two regions can be wiped almost in the same manner, and the two regions can be obtained through the one region. It is possible to reduce the influence of the difference in the degree of wiping between the image and the image obtained through the other area.

In the present container, the outer surface of the window portion has a spherical crown shape, and the wiper is in contact with the outer surface of the window portion having the spherical crown shape, and the wiper has a first rotating shaft having a diameter of the spherical crown shape. A first wiper rotating means for rotating as a center,
When the wiper is also used as the cover, and the cover driving means is also used as the first wiper rotating means, the first rotating means for rotating the wiper by the first wiper rotating means. A second wiper rotating means for rotating the wiper about a second rotating shaft intersecting with a shaft and the center of the spherical cap, and the cover driving means includes the second wiper rotating means. May be By doing so, the wiper as a cover, the first rotation axis,
A second rotation axis intersecting with the first rotation axis at the center of the spherical cap,
Since it can be freely rotated about two rotation axes different from each other, it can be arranged in a desired direction and position on the outer surface of the window portion. It is possible to prevent the light from from directly entering and to prevent the necessary image portion from being covered. The "center of the spherical crown" referred to here means the center of a sphere having the spherical crown as a part.

The first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft may be substantially orthogonal to each other. By doing so, the wiper can be freely positioned at a desired position on the spherical crown-shaped outer surface by the rotation about the first rotation axis and the rotation about the second rotation axis. In particular, since the two rotation axes are substantially orthogonal to each other, the wiper can be freely positioned at a desired position on the spherical crown-shaped outer surface without increasing the both rotation angles.

When the container further comprises the second wiper rotating means and the cover driving means includes the second wiper rotating means, the wiper has the first rotating shaft. When contacting the outer surface along a line of intersection of the plane to which it belongs and the outer surface, and when the high-intensity object is present in the peripheral portion of the field of view of the lens, the cover is one of the window portions corresponding to the peripheral portion. The cover driving means may drive the cover so as to cover only the portion. When the wiper contacts the outer surface along a line of intersection of the plane to which the first rotation axis belongs and the outer surface, the wiper is rotated about the first rotation axis. A wiper can wipe a wide area of the window. When the high-brightness object is present in the peripheral part of the field of view of the lens, the cover (the wiper also serves as the cover) covers the window part corresponding to the peripheral part. By making the (first wiper rotating means and the second wiper rotating means) drive the cover (the wiper), the cover (the wiper) is normally a central portion of the imaging field of view of the lens. It is preferable because the high-intensity object can be covered without covering the vicinity. In the case where the high-intensity object exists in the peripheral portion of the field of view of the lens, the cover driving means drives the cover so that the cover covers only a part of the window portion corresponding to the peripheral portion. It may be of any type and is not particularly limited. For example, consider a line segment that connects the center of the field of view of the lens and the high-intensity object, and set the height perpendicular to the line segment. The wiper (cover) is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the wiper is along a straight line passing through the brightness target and the central portion is located at the position of the high brightness target in the longitudinal direction of the wiper. The one wiper rotating means and the second wiper rotating means may be driven.

As described above, when a wide-angle lens having a wide field of view is used to photograph through a flat window, the window cannot cover the wide field of view of the wide-angle lens, which narrows the photographing range. There was a problem. In order to avoid this problem, the outer surface of the window may be formed into a spherical crown shape. In this case, the lens protection container houses a lens for capturing an image inside and the lens captures an external object. A lens protection container having a transparent window part for use in which at least a part of the outer surface of the window part has a spherical crown shape. Usually, a fish-eye lens has the widest field of view among those used as a wide-angle lens, and most of these fish-eye lenses usually have an angle of view (shooting angle) of around 180 degrees, which covers an angle of view of about 180 degrees. In order to achieve this, the spherical crown shape may be formed into a substantially hemispherical shape. The term "substantially hemisphere" used here means a spherical crown formed by cutting a spherical surface at a plane intersecting with the spherical surface,
Two points of intersection (point J and point K) between the diameter of a circle formed by the line of intersection between the spherical surface before cutting and the plane and the circumference of the circle.
And the center of the sphere (point L) are connected by a line segment to form a triangle (JKL), and the central angle JLK at this time
(That is, an angle formed by being sandwiched between the line segment JL and the line segment KL. This central angle is hereinafter simply referred to as "central angle".)
Is 100 degrees or more, preferably 110 degrees or more, more preferably 120 degrees or more, and most preferably 130 degrees or more (180 degrees or less). When this lens protection container is used outdoors, etc., foreign matter such as rainwater or dust may adhere to the outer surface of the window part, and it may not be possible to take a good picture of the outside of the container through the window part. It is preferable to include a wiper that comes into contact with and slides to wipe off foreign matter adhering to the outer surface (by wiping off the outer surface with the wiper,
The image taken through the window can be kept clear. ).

When the container is provided with a wiper for wiping the outer surface of the window of the container, when the wiper is driven, it is formed in a convex shape or a concave shape at a position where the tip of the wiper slides. It may be provided with a wiper cleaning means. Since the wiper wipes off foreign matter (for example, rainwater, dust, dust, etc.) attached to the outer surface of the window, the wiped foreign matter is attached to the tip of the wiper. Therefore, in order for the wiper to slide on the outer surface and clean the outer surface, it is preferable to remove foreign matter attached to the tip of the wiper. Any method may be used to remove foreign matter adhering to the tip of the wiper and is not particularly limited. For example, when the wiper is driven, a convex shape is formed at a position where the tip of the wiper slides. Alternatively, the wiper cleaning means formed in a concave shape may be provided, so that when the wiper is driven, foreign matter adhering to the tip of the wiper is removed by the wiper cleaning means formed in a convex shape or a concave shape. Since it is rubbed off from the tip, foreign matter attached to the tip of the wiper can be removed. The "tip portion of the wiper" referred to here is the portion of the wiper that comes into contact with the outer surface of the window portion and is wiped off. Further, since the wiper cleaning means is formed in a convex shape or a concave shape on the surface on which the tip portion of the wiper slides when the wiper is driven, the tip portion passes through the step formed by the convex shape or the concave shape. When doing so, the foreign matter attached to the tip is scraped off. In addition, "convex or concave" means
A portion of the plane to which the direction of the velocity vector of the tip portion when the tip portion passes the wiper cleaning means belongs, and a portion where the distance from the straight line to which the direction belongs changes in a cutting plane by the plane passing the wiper cleaning means. It means having.

The wiper cleaning means may be any one as long as it is formed in a convex shape or a concave shape on the surface on which the tip of the wiper slides when the wiper is driven, and is not particularly limited. Although not limited to this, for example, it may be one of a convex sponge, rubber, and a brush. By using one of the sponge, rubber, and brush provided in a convex shape in this manner, the tip of the wiper is rubbed by the flexible sponge, rubber, and brush, so that the tip is effectively protected without being damaged. Foreign substances can be removed. Further, the wiper cleaning means may be a groove formed in a concave shape, so that the foreign matter adhering to the tip of the wiper is scraped off and the scraped foreign matter is accommodated inside the groove. It is possible to effectively prevent the scraped foreign matter from being scattered and redeposited on the outer surface of the window portion other than the wiper cleaning means.

The wiper cleaning means may be annularly provided on the outer surface of the window portion. By doing so, foreign matter adhering to the tip of the wiper is effectively prevented from entering the inside of the ring formed by the wiper cleaning means, and therefore, through the window portion corresponding to the inside of the ring formed by the wiper cleaning means. The image can be kept clear by capturing the image. When the wiper cleaning means is annularly provided on the outer surface of the window portion, the outer surface of the window portion has a spherical crown shape, and the wiper cleaning means is a plane substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens. It may be provided in an annular shape along a line of intersection with the outer surface. By doing so, the foreign matter attached to the tip of the wiper is scraped off by the wiper cleaning means annularly provided along the intersection line, so that the center portion of the imaging field of view (usually this The presence of foreign matter rubbed off in (the central part is often important) does not damage the important central part of the imaging field of view, which is preferable.

The wiper cleaning means may be one that does not enter the photographing field of view of the lens. The wiper cleaning means is formed in a convex shape or a concave shape, and if it is within the range of the photographing field of view of the lens, the image taken in the range in which the wiper cleaning means is affected, and a clear image can be obtained. You can't (you can't get the image at all). Therefore, it is preferable that the wiper cleaning means is formed at a position that does not fall within the imaging field of view of the imaging lens.

The wiper is interposed between the wiper body that contacts the outer surface of the window portion, the wiper frame that supports the wiper body, and the wiper frame that is interposed between the wiper frame and the wiper frame. A biasing means for biasing the main body to the outer surface may be included. By doing so, the wiper body is biased by the biasing means against the outer surface of the window portion with respect to the wiper frame, so that the wiper body abuts the outer surface of the window portion in a stable state. You can
The "biasing means" referred to here may be any as long as it is interposed between the wiper frame and the wiper body and can bias the wiper body against the outer surface of the window portion with respect to the wiper frame, and is not particularly limited. It is not something that is
For example, springs (including spiral springs and leaf springs) and elastic materials such as rubber may be used. Also, the wiper body is preferably formed of a flexible material so that it can be brought into good contact with the outer surface, for example, rubber,
It may be formed by a sponge, a brush or the like. The wiper frame may be any one as long as it can support the wiper body and the biasing means with sufficient strength, and is not particularly limited, but for example, the wiper body can be arranged along the wiper body. It may be formed of metal (steel material such as stainless steel or carbon steel, aluminum) or resin material so as to support.

The outer surface of the window may be subjected to water repellent treatment or photocatalytic coating treatment. When this container is used outdoors, rainwater or dust may be caught on the outer surface of the window because foreign matter such as rainwater or dust may adhere to the outer surface of the window and the outside of the container may not be captured properly through the window. It is preferable to prevent foreign matters such as In order to prevent moisture such as rainwater from adhering to the outer surface, the outer surface may be subjected to a water repellent treatment, and since the water repellent treatment is a known technique, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. It is possible to use a fluorine coating or the like such as that applied to glass. Further, in order to prevent dust and fine oil droplets from adhering to the outer surface, a photocatalyst coating treatment may be applied to the outer surface. The photocatalytic coating is a photocatalyst (eg,
It forms a thin film of a component containing titanium dioxide or zinc oxide) on the outer surface, and decomposes and removes organic substances attached to the thin film when irradiated with light (for example, sunlight). The photocatalyst is not particularly limited, but, for example, Hydrotect (trade name) manufactured by Totohki Co., Ltd. (TOTO) may be used.

The lens contained in the container is not particularly limited, and may be any lens.
It may be a wide-angle lens. Note that, as described above, the "wide-angle lens" broadly refers to a taking lens having an angle of view (shooting angle) of 100 degrees or more regardless of the projection method or the like (of course, Angle is 360 degrees or less). Therefore, the "wide-angle lens" referred to in this specification is
It includes any of so-called wide-angle lenses, ultra-wide-angle lenses, and fish-eye lenses having an angle of view (shooting angle) of 100 degrees or more. The term "fisheye lens" as used in this specification broadly refers to a taking lens having an angle of view (shooting angle) of 180 degrees or more regardless of the projection method and the like. By using such a wide-angle lens having a wide angle of view (shooting angle), it is possible to widely capture the surrounding situation.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the main container 11 of one embodiment. The container 11 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The container 11 accommodates a lens (not shown) for capturing an image therein, and a colorless and transparent window portion 13 (formed by colorless and transparent glass for allowing the lens to capture an external object). Lens protection container having
The container 11 includes a container body 15 and a heat shield plate 17. The container body 15 has a box-shaped body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the window portion 13 is attached so as to project from one surface of the rectangular parallelepiped. The heat shield plate 17 functions as a so-called awning plate for preventing the heat received by the irradiation of sunlight when the container 11 is installed outdoors from being directly transmitted to the container body 15. In the present embodiment, the heat shield plate 17 is arranged along the three surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped, but the heat shield plate 17 may be appropriately arranged depending on the installation location and installation direction of the main container 11, Further, the heat shield plate 17 is not always essential.
The window portion 13 is arranged so as to protrude from one surface of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped formed by the container body 15. The outer surface of the window 13 has a central angle of 140 degrees, and thus has a substantially hemispherical shape.
3, all parts have a constant thickness from the outer surface,
The inside of the window 13 forms a part of the internal space of the sphere.
The outer surface of the window 13 is provided with a hydrocatalyst, TOTO TOKI CO., LTD. (TOTO) Hydrotect (trade name). The window portion 13 has a wiper 2 for wiping off the outer surface of the spherical crown-shaped contact surface which is slid against the outer surface.
1 is provided. The wiper 21 slides on the outer surface of the window 13 by being rotated by the first wiper rotating means about a first rotating shaft that is the diameter of the spherical crown formed by the outer surface of the window 13, as described later. Wipe off. In addition, in the present embodiment, the wiper 21 covers the window portion 13 that partially covers the window portion 13.
It works as a movable cover (the wiper 21 is also used as a cover). Further, a first wiper rotating means described later functions as a cover driving means (the first wiper rotating means also serves as the cover driving means). Furthermore, the wiper 21
As will be described later, the second wiper rotating means rotates about a second rotating shaft that intersects the first rotating shaft at the center of the spherical crown and is substantially orthogonal to the first rotating shaft. In this embodiment, the second wiper rotating means functions as a cover driving means (the cover driving means includes the second wiper rotating means). In addition, in the present embodiment, the straight line 31 including the optical axis of the lens housed inside the main container 11 includes the second rotation axis, and is located at the center of the spherical crown formed by the outer surface of the window 13. The container body 1 intersects with the first rotation axis so as to be substantially orthogonal to the first rotation axis.
It is in a relation substantially parallel to the four sides of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped formed by 5.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the movement of the wiper 21. The movement of the wiper 21 will be described with reference to FIG. The wiper 21 is rotated by the first wiper rotating means about the first rotating shaft that is the diameter of the spherical crown formed by the outer surface of the window 13 (the rotating angle is about 180 degrees). The outer surface is slid and wiped off. The rotation around this first rotation axis (hereinafter referred to as "first rotation") is indicated by an arrow A in FIG. On the other hand, the wiper 21 is rotated by the second wiper rotating means about a second rotating shaft that intersects the first rotating shaft at the center of the spherical crown and is substantially orthogonal to the first rotating shaft (rotation). The moved angle is about 180 degrees). The rotation around the second rotation axis (hereinafter referred to as "second rotation") is indicated by an arrow B in FIG. By these free first rotation and second rotation, the wiper 21 can be stopped in any direction within the image pickup range of the image pickup lens.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged right side view of the window portion 13 and the wiper 21 (when viewed from the direction of arrow C in FIG. 1), and FIG. 4 shows the wiper 21 at the position D in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE when arranged at 3 and 4
The window 13 and the wiper 21 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. An opening 43 formed in a box body 41 that is a part of the container body 15.
A fisheye lens 45 attached to a CCD camera (not shown) is provided so as to project from the. A mounting plate 47 is attached to the edge portion of the opening 43 by screwing (the mounting plate 47 is formed with an opening so that a CCD camera (not shown) and the fisheye lens 45 to which it is attached do not interfere with each other. .). Mounting plate 47
A rotary plate 49 is attached to the rotary shaft 49 about a second rotary shaft included in the straight line 31 including the optical axis of the fisheye lens 45. Here, the method of rotatably attaching the rotating plate 49 to the attaching plate 47 is performed by using the fixing screw 50. 13 is an end view showing the state of the mounting plate 47, the rotating plate 49, and the fixing screw 50 (the cutting plane is the same as FIG. 4), and FIG. 14 shows the mounting plate 47 as the rotating plate 49. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a part viewed from the side opposite to the surface (in the direction of arrow Z in FIG. 13). A state in which the rotating plate 49 is rotatably attached to the attaching plate 47 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. First, the fixing screw 50 is fixed to the rotating plate 49 by fitting the leg portion 50a of the fixing screw 50 into the rotating plate 49 (see FIG. 13). On the other hand, the mounting plate 47 is formed with a through groove 47b in which the leg portion 50a of the fixing screw 50 is loosely fitted but the head portion 50b of the fixing screw 50 cannot pass. The through groove 47b is provided along a circle having a constant radius centered on the second rotation axis included in the straight line 31, and in a cross section by a plane including the second rotation axis (that is, in FIG.
3) Narrow width narrow portion 47ba formed on the rotating plate 49 side
And a wide wide portion 4 formed on the opposite side of the rotating plate 49.
It consists of 7bb. The small width portion 47ba is formed in such a width that the leg portion 50a of the fixing screw 50 is loosely fitted but the head portion 50b of the fixing screw 50 cannot pass through. Large section 47b
The width b is formed so that the head 50b of the fixing screw 50 is loosely fitted therein. Therefore, the fixing screw 50 fixed to the rotating plate 49 can move along the through groove 47b in which the fixing screw 50 is loosely fitted. Here, four through grooves 47b are provided along the circle with the same length, and one fixing screw 50 (four screws in total) is provided in each through groove 47b. When one of the four fixing screws 50 is located at the center of the through groove 47b through which it penetrates, the other three screws are all located at the center of the through groove 47b through which it penetrates. Rotating plate 49 due to positional relationship
Has been inserted into. Therefore, as the fixing screw 50 loosely fitted therein moves along each through groove 47b, the rotating plate 49 moves within a predetermined angle range with respect to the mounting plate 47 (the length of the through groove 47b, that is, the through hole 47b). It is rotatably attached to the groove 47b depending on the central angle of the groove 47b. The method of rotatably attaching the rotating plate 49 to the attaching plate 47 is not limited to this, and various methods may be used. An O-ring 51 for sealing (waterproof O-ring for exercise) is arranged between the mounting plate 47 and the rotating plate 49 so that rainwater, dust and the like do not enter inside from between them. This allows the mounting plate 47
On the other hand, the rotating plate 49 is rotatable while being sealed.

A rotary plate drive motor 53 is attached to the mounting plate 47.
Is attached. The rotary plate drive motor 53 is composed of a servo motor having a speed reducer, and a pinion 55 is attached to its rotary shaft (which is arranged substantially parallel to the second rotary shaft included in the straight line 31). ing.
On the other hand, the rotating plate 49 is formed with an opening having an inner peripheral edge 49a having a constant radius from the second rotating shaft.
An internal helical gear that meshes with the pinion 55 is formed in the. The pinion 55 and the internal gear are in internal mesh. This state is shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows the pinion 55 and the inner peripheral edge 49a as seen from the direction of arrow F in FIG. Therefore, the rotary plate drive motor 5
By rotating 3 the rotating plate 49 can be freely rotated in both directions about the second rotation axis included in the straight line 31. That is, in the present embodiment, the rotary plate drive motor 5
3, the pinion 55, and the internal spiral gear formed on the inner peripheral edge 49a of the rotating plate 49 constitute a second wiper rotating means.

A wiper operation motor 61 is attached to the rotating plate 49. The wiper operation motor 61 is composed of a servomotor having a speed reducer, and a bevel gear 63 is attached to its rotation shaft (which is arranged substantially parallel to the second rotation shaft included in the straight line 31). There is.
On the other hand, the first rotation axis (dotted line G in FIG. 4) having the diameter of the spherical crown formed by the outer surface of the window portion 13 and intersecting the second rotation axis included in the straight line 31 at substantially the center of the spherical crown. (Shown by)), a wiper operation shaft 65 is rotatably supported by a rotating plate 49. At one end of the wiper operation shaft 65, a bevel gear 67 that meshes with the bevel gear 63.
Is attached, and the other end of the wiper operation shaft 65 is fixed to one end of a wiper frame 81 described later (note that rainwater, dust, etc. are present where the wiper operation shaft 65 penetrates the rotating plate 49). An O-ring 90 for sealing is provided to prevent foreign matter from entering.). Then, the leg portion of the bolt 69 fitted into the rotating plate 49 so that the first rotating shaft includes the shaft is loosely fitted into the through hole formed at the other end of the wiper frame 81, The wiper frame 81 can freely rotate about the first rotation shaft. Therefore, by rotating the wiper operation motor 61, the wiper frame 81 can be rotated about the first rotation axis from the bevel gear 63 via the bevel gear 67 and the wiper operation shaft 65. That is, in the present embodiment, the wiper operating motor 61, the bevel gear 63, the bevel gear 67, and the wiper operating shaft 65 constitute the first wiper rotating means.

The window 13 is attached to the rotating plate 49. The window portion 13 is a colorless and transparent glass spherical crown-shaped object having an outer surface having a spherical crown shape and a substantially constant thickness. Window 13
Indicates that the center of the spherical crown formed by the outer surface thereof is the intersection (FIG. 4) of the first rotation axis (indicated by the dotted line G in FIG. 4) and the second rotation axis (included in the straight line 31). It is liquid-tightly attached to the rotating plate 49 so as to substantially coincide with the center point H). Therefore, the wiper frame 81 is rotated about both the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft that pass through the center of the spherical crown formed by the outer surface of the window 13 and are substantially perpendicular to each other. You can

In the present embodiment, the wiper 87 which comes into contact with the outer surface of the window portion 13 and slides to wipe the outer surface includes a wiper body 85 which comes into contact with the outer surface of the window portion 13 and a wiper frame which supports the wiper body 85. 81, and a leaf spring 83 which is interposed between the wiper frame 81 and the wiper body 85 and is a biasing means for biasing the wiper body 85 to the outer surface with respect to the wiper frame 81. The wiper body 85 is formed of an elongated flexible rubber plate member, and the window portion 1 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the plate member.
The wiper frame 81 is supported via a leaf spring 83 so as to be curved along the shape of the outer surface so as to come into contact with the outer surface. The leaf spring 83, which is a biasing means, has one end attached to the wiper frame 81 and the other end attached to the wiper body 85, and biases the wiper body 85 toward the outer surface of the wiper frame 81. Since the leaf spring 83 retains sufficient elasticity within a wide displacement range, even if the outer surface has a certain degree of unevenness or the first rotating shaft or the second rotating shaft is displaced to some extent, the wiper main body. 85 can be brought into close contact with the outer surface of the window portion 13, and the outer surface can be wiped evenly by the wiper body 85. The wiper frame 81 is made of stainless steel, and does not transmit visible light used by the fisheye lens 45 for imaging. And wiper 8
7 contacts the outer surface along a line of intersection between the plane to which the first rotation axis belongs and the outer surface of the window 13.

An annular and convex wiper cleaning means 93 is formed along a line of intersection between a plane substantially perpendicular to the straight line 31 including the optical axis of the fish-eye lens 45 and the outer surface of the window 13. In the present embodiment, the wiper cleaning means 93 is formed by adhering an elongated sponge (having a substantially circular cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) to the outer surface of the window portion 13, and cleaning the wiper from the outer surface. The protruding height of the means 93 (distance between the portion of the wiper cleaning means 93 farthest from the outer surface and the outer surface) is about 2 mm here, but is not limited to this. The convex wiper cleaning means 93 has a structure in which the wiper 8 is centered around the first rotation shaft.
Since the distal end portion of the wiper 87 (the distal end portion of the wiper body 85) slides when the 7 is rotated, the wiper 87 is rotated about the first rotation axis. When wiping, the tip of the wiper 87 (the wiper body 85
The tip end portion of the wiper gets over the wiper cleaning means 93, and at that time, the foreign matter attached to the tip end portion of the wiper 87 is scraped off by the wiper cleaning means 93. In addition,
The wiper cleaning means 93 is formed at a position that does not fall within the field of view of the fisheye lens 45.

The main container 11 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 can be operated at a place apart from the place where the main container 11 is arranged. That is, the main container 11 is controlled by the control device 101 as shown in FIG. 6, and the main container 11 and the control device 101 are connected by a cable so that data can be exchanged. Therefore, the control device 101 is arranged at a place apart from the place where the main container 11 is arranged.
The container 11 can be operated via the. The control device 101 includes a cover position determining unit 103 that is a cover position determining unit.
The rotation command unit 105, the predetermined position input unit 107, the rotation selection unit 109, the first rotation control unit 111, and the second rotation control unit 113. And the cover position determination unit 10
3 is a high-brightness object orientation specifying unit 115 and a coordinate conversion unit 1.
17 and a rotation angle determination unit 119. The rotation selection unit 109, the first rotation control unit 111, and the second rotation control unit 113 work as a part of the cover drive unit, and the first rotation control unit 111 is the first wiper rotation unit. The second rotation control unit 113 constitutes a part of the second wiper rotation means.

The image picked up by the fisheye lens 45, which is a kind of wide-angle lens, is converted into an electric signal by the conversion unit 45a for converting an optical signal into an electric signal by using a CCD or the like, and then output. The output electric signal is branched into two, and one is used for recording an image, displaying on a screen, etc. (the one described as "image signal output" in FIG. 6), and the other one. Is input to the high-intensity object orientation specifying unit 115 that constitutes the cover position determining unit 103. Then, a command to rotate the wiper 87 is input to the rotation command unit 105 via a keyboard or the like attached to the control device 101. This rotation command is an operation of wiping the entire outer surface of the window 13 by the wiper 87 (hereinafter referred to as "wiping operation") or an operation of changing the stop position of the wiper 87 (hereinafter referred to as "position changing operation"). ), And whether the last stop position of the wiper 87 is the position determined by the cover position determination unit 103 described later or the position input to the predetermined position input unit 107 described later is input. (That is, one of four types of selections, that is, two types of operations and two types of final stop positions, is commanded). Further, a predetermined position as a position where the wiper 87 is finally stopped is input to the predetermined position input unit 107 via a keyboard or the like attached to the control device 101. Note that here, the command for rotating the wiper 87 and the predetermined position as the position where the wiper 87 is finally stopped are input via the keyboard or the like attached to the control device 101. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that the input may be made via a communication line from a computer arranged remotely. Then, in the case of inputting the command or the predetermined position by the computer arranged remotely, the wiper 87 is automatically operated so as to issue the command every predetermined time. Alternatively, each time a person may instruct the remotely located computer to operate the wiper 87. Whenever a person commands the remote computer to operate the wiper 87 each time, the position of the wiper 87 before the wiper 87 is operated is stored and a predetermined wiper is stored. After the operation of 87 is completed, the operation of returning to the stored position of the wiper 87 may be performed.

The first rotation control unit 111 controls the rotation angle of the wiper operation motor 61 of the main container 11, and the second rotation control unit 113 controls the rotation angle of the rotary plate drive motor 53 of the main container 11. To control. Since the wiper operation motor 61 and the rotary plate drive motor 53 are rotated by the servo motor as described above, the rotation angle can be freely set.

First, the image signal imaged by the fisheye lens 45 and converted into an electric signal by the conversion unit 45a is always input to the high-luminance object orientation specifying unit 115 which constitutes the cover position determining unit 103. High brightness object orientation specifying unit 1
In 15, it is determined whether or not there is an object (high-brightness object) having a brightness higher than the brightness set in advance in the received image signal, and if there is, the orientation of the object is specified as the position in the image. To do. The data related to the specified position is transmitted from the high-luminance object orientation specifying unit 115 to the coordinate conversion unit 117. The coordinate conversion unit 117, which has received the data regarding the specified position, stores a characteristic expression of the fish-eye lens 45 stored in advance (for example, if the image height h, the half angle of view x, and the focal length f, h = f · x, etc.). The specified position is converted into polar coordinates with the center (point H in FIG. 4) of the spherical cap formed by the outer surface of the window 13 as the origin. Note that a technique for performing coordinate conversion of a predetermined position of a circular image captured by a fisheye lens by using a characteristic expression of the fisheye lens is publicly known as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-501585 and will not be described here. The obtained position indicated by polar coordinates is transmitted from the coordinate conversion unit 117 to the rotation angle determination unit 119. The rotation angle determining unit 119 determines a rotation angle around the first rotation axis and a rotation angle around the second rotation axis so that the received position can be covered with the wiper 87. . Rotation angle determination unit 1
Reference numeral 19 denotes a range in which the image is picked up by the fisheye lens 45, a range in which the wiper 87 is picked up in accordance with a rotation angle around the first rotation axis and a rotation angle around the second rotation axis. A range in which the wiper 87 is imaged can be calculated by changing the rotation angle around the first rotation axis and the rotation angle around the second rotation axis. Evaluate the range that covers. This is evaluated according to the following evaluation conditions. That is, (1) all of the high-intensity target object is covered, (2) when the high-intensity target object exists in the peripheral part of the field of view of the fisheye lens, the wiper 87 covers only the part corresponding to the peripheral part, (3) The evaluation condition of 3 is to reduce the covering range, and (1) and (2)
It is evaluated in the priority order of (3). Rotation angle determination unit 119
Determines the rotation angle around the first rotation axis and the rotation angle around the second rotation axis that best satisfy these evaluation conditions, and outputs them to the rotation selection unit 109. In addition,
Among the evaluation conditions, (2) the method of determining whether or not the high-brightness object exists in the peripheral portion of the visual field of the fisheye lens is, for example, whether the high-brightness object exists within the range of a predetermined number of pixels from the periphery of the visual field. It is possible to judge whether or not the high-intensity object exists within the range of 150 pixels from the edge of the visual field. The evaluation condition (3) may be determined by trial and error by changing both rotation angles. For example, when the field of view of the lens is circular, the center of the field of view and the high-luminance object are connected. Considering the line segment to be performed, the longitudinal direction of the wiper 87 is along a straight line which is perpendicular to the line segment and passes through the high brightness object, and the central portion is located at the position of the high brightness object in the longitudinal direction of the wiper 87. It is also possible to determine both rotation angles as described above.
As described above, the high-brightness object orientation specifying unit 115, the coordinate converting unit 117, and the turning angle determining unit 119 form a cover position determining unit 103 that is a cover position determining unit that determines a position at which the wiper 87 as a cover should be arranged. It is configured.

On the other hand, the position where the wiper 87 is stopped is input to the predetermined position input section 107 as a rotation angle around the first rotation shaft and a rotation angle around the second rotation shaft. As will be described later, it is possible to select the stop position of the wiper 87 from the position determined by the cover position determination unit 103 or the position input from the predetermined position input unit 107, and from the predetermined position input unit 107. The stop position of the wiper 87 when the input position is selected is determined. Here, both rotation angles are input to the predetermined position input unit 107 via a keyboard or the like attached to the control device 101, and the both input rotation angles are input to the predetermined position input unit 1.
In addition to being stored in 07, the stored both rotation angles are constantly transmitted to the rotation selection unit 109. When both rotation angles are newly input to the predetermined position input unit 107, both rotation angles stored in the predetermined position input unit 107 are rewritten. As described above, it goes without saying that the position where the wiper 87 is stopped may be input from a computer arranged remotely via a communication line.

A command to rotate the wiper 87 is input to the rotation command section 105 via a keyboard or the like attached to the control device 101. As described above, the command for this rotation is either the wiping operation or the position changing operation, and the position at which the wiper 87 stops after the operation ends is the covering position determination unit 10.
The position determined by 3 or the predetermined position input unit 10
The position to be input to 7 is input. When the rotation command unit 105 receives this input, the rotation command unit 105 immediately transmits the received content to the rotation selection unit 109.
For example, in the case where the rain comes out and the sun comes out to enter the imaging range, after the wiping operation, if input is made to stop the wiper 87 at the position determined by the cover position determination unit 103, the window can be displayed. The wiper 87 is stopped so as to wipe off and remove the rainwater adhering to the part and cover the sun. As described above, it goes without saying that the command for rotating the wiper 87 may be input from a computer arranged remotely via a communication line.

The rotation selection unit 109 commands the first rotation control unit 111 and the second rotation control unit 113 according to the signal received from the rotation command unit 105. That is, the rotation selection unit 109
Determines whether the operation is the wiping operation or the position changing operation. In the case of the wiping operation, the first rotation control unit 111 performs a predetermined wiping operation (so that the wiper 87 performs forward and backward reciprocating wiping motions several times). The rotation selection unit 109 stores it in advance)
Send a signal to When the rotation selection unit 109 determines that it is the position changing operation, no signal for this wiping operation is sent. After that, the rotation selection unit 109 determines whether the stop position of the wiper 87 after the operation is designated by the cover position determination unit 103 or the position input to the predetermined position input unit 107. To do. When it is determined that the position determined by the cover position determination unit 103 is designated, the rotation angle around the first rotation axis and the rotation angle around the second rotation shaft received from the cover position determination unit 103 are received. The rotation selection unit 109 instructs the first rotation control unit 111 and the second rotation control unit 113 according to the rotation angle to rotate the wiper operation motor 61 and the rotary plate drive motor 53. When it is determined that the position determined by the cover position determination unit 103 is not designated, the rotation angle around the first rotation shaft and the rotation angle around the second rotation shaft received from the predetermined position input unit 107 are determined. The rotation selection unit 109 instructs the first rotation control unit 111 and the second rotation control unit 113 according to the rotation angle to rotate the wiper operation motor 61 and the rotary plate drive motor 53.

First rotation control section 111 and second rotation control section 1
Reference numeral 13 causes the wiper operation motor 61 and the rotary plate drive motor 53 to rotate in response to a command from the rotation selection unit 109. Since the wiper operation motor 61 and the rotary plate drive motor 53 both use servo motors,
It is possible to accurately rotate to a rotation position according to a command from the rotation selection unit 109. In the present embodiment, the control device 101 is installed at a place apart from the main container 11, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The control device 101 may be installed at a position adjacent to the main container 11, or the control device 101 may be installed inside the main container 11.

Next, the operation of the container 11 having the above structure will be described. FIG. 7 shows a flowchart showing the operation of the container 11. The rotation angle determination unit 11
It is assumed that initial values of the rotation angle around the first rotation axis and the rotation angle around the second rotation axis are input to the 9 and the predetermined position input unit 107.

First, the image signal picked up by the fisheye lens 45 and converted into an electric signal by the conversion unit 45a is input to the high-luminance object orientation specifying unit 115 (s301).
The high-brightness object orientation specifying unit 115 determines whether or not there is an object (high-brightness object) having a brightness higher than the brightness set in advance in the received image signal (s302),
When it exists (YES), the high-intensity object is specified as the position in the image (s303), and the data related to the specified position is transmitted from the high-intensity object orientation specifying unit 115 to the coordinate conversion unit 117. Further, when the high-brightness object orientation specifying unit 115 determines that there is no object (high-brightness object) having higher brightness than the brightness set in advance in the received image signal (NO), it will be described later. S306
Go to The coordinate conversion unit 117, which has received the data regarding the specified position, compares the specified position with the window 13 based on the characteristic formula of the fisheye lens 45 stored in advance.
It is converted into polar coordinates with the center of the spherical cap formed by the outer surface of as the origin (s304). The position indicated by the polar coordinates obtained by the conversion is transmitted from the coordinate conversion unit 117 to the rotation angle determination unit 119. The rotation angle determining unit 119 determines a rotation angle around the first rotation axis and a rotation angle around the second rotation axis so that the received position can be covered with the wiper 87. (S305). Rotation angle determination unit 119
Outputs the determined rotation angle around the first rotation axis and the determined rotation angle around the second rotation axis to the rotation selection unit 109.

The predetermined position input unit 107 determines whether or not the rotation angle around the first rotation axis and the rotation angle around the second rotation axis as the position for stopping the wiper 87 have been input. Yes (s306). When it is determined that both rotation angles have been input (YES), the both rotation angles that have been input are stored in the predetermined position input unit 107 (s307). If it is not determined that both rotation angles have been input (NO), the process proceeds to s308 described below.

The rotation selection unit 109 determines whether or not the rotation instruction is received from the rotation instruction unit 105 (s308), and when it is determined that the rotation instruction is received (YES), the s described below is performed.
If it is determined that the rotation command is not received (NO), the process proceeds to s314 described below. In s309, the received rotation command is "wiping operation" and "position change operation".
If it is determined to be the "wiping operation" (YES), a signal is sent to the first rotation control unit 111 to perform the predetermined wiping operation (s310). ). When it is not determined that the operation is the "wiping operation" in s309 (NO), the process proceeds to s311 described below.

Then, in s308, the rotation command unit 10
It is determined whether or not the rotation command determined to have been received from step 5 specifies the position determined by the covering position determination unit 103 as the stop position of the wiper 87 after the operation is completed (s
311). When the position determined by the cover position determination unit 103 is designated as the stop position of the wiper 87 after the operation is finished (YES), the rotation selection unit 109 receives the first rotation axis from the cover position determination unit 103. The rotation selection unit 109 includes a first rotation control unit 111 and a second rotation control unit 11 according to a rotation angle around the second rotation axis and a rotation angle around the second rotation axis.
3 (s312), the wiper operation motor 61 and the rotary plate drive motor 53 are rotated, and the process proceeds to s314 described later. When it is determined that the position determined by the cover position determination unit 103 is not designated as the stop position of the wiper 87 after the operation is completed (NO), the position around the first rotation axis received from the predetermined position input unit 107 is determined. The rotation selection unit 109 commands the first rotation control unit 111 and the second rotation control unit 113 according to the rotation angle and the rotation angle around the second rotation axis (s313) wiper operation. The motor 61 and the rotary plate drive motor 53 are rotated, and the process proceeds to s314 described below. Finally, it is judged whether or not the work is completed (s314), and the work is completed (YES).
If so, end (END), if not finished (N
O) Go to s301.

FIG. 8 schematically shows an example of an image picked up using the main container 11 as described above. The image captured by the fisheye lens 45 has a circular shape. In FIG. 8, (1)
When the both rotation angles such that the wiper 87 does not exist in the image are input to the predetermined position input unit 107 and the position input to the predetermined position input unit 107 as the stop position of the wiper 87 after the operation is input. It is the image obtained in. That is,
FIG. 8A shows the case where the wiper 87 does not cover the image at all. A road 203 extends toward the horizon 201, and above the horizon 201, the sun 2 which is a high-intensity object.
05 exists. Although not shown here, the aperture is set according to the brightness of the sun 205, so the image part other than the sun 205 is dark in the actual image, and it is difficult to grasp the situation sufficiently. It has become. Next, FIG. 8B shows an image obtained when a rotation command is given by designating the position determined by the cover position determination unit 103 as the stop position of the wiper 87 after the operation is completed. The sun 205 existing in FIG. 8 (1) is the shadow area 20 of the wiper 87 shown as the hatched area in FIG. 8 (2).
8 (2), the strong light rays from the sun 205 do not directly enter the fisheye lens 45 in FIG. 8 (2). Therefore, it is not necessary to set the aperture according to the brightness of the sun 205, and the aperture is set according to the brightness other than the sun 205. Therefore, in FIG.
In contrast, the image portion other than the sun 205 is clearly photographed with sufficient brightness, and the situation can be sufficiently grasped.

Another example of an image picked up using the container 11 is schematically shown in FIG. The image captured by the fisheye lens 45 has a circular shape, and FIG.
It was obtained in the same manner as in (1), and the wiper 87 did not cover the image at all. Road 2 towards the horizon 201
03 extends, and the sun 205, which is a high-brightness object, exists above the horizon 201. FIG. 9 (1) corresponds to FIG.
The position of the sun 205 is different from (1) (the sun 205 is
In FIG. 8 (1), it is located above the central horizon 201, and in FIG. 9 (1), it is located above the generally rightmost horizon 201. ). Since the aperture is set according to the brightness of the sun 205 as in FIG.
The image parts other than 05 are dark and it is difficult to grasp the situation sufficiently. Then, FIG. 9 (2) shows
It is obtained in the same manner as in FIG. 8 (2). The sun 205 existing in FIG. 9 (1) is covered by the shadow area 207 of the wiper 87 shown as a hatched area in FIG. 9 (2), and in FIG. 9 (2), the strong light rays from the sun 205 are fisheye lens 45. It is designed not to be directly incident on. Therefore, it is not necessary to set the aperture according to the brightness of the sun 205, and the aperture is set according to the brightness other than the sun 205. Therefore, in FIG. 9 (2), as compared with FIG. 20
The image portions other than 5 are clearly photographed with sufficient brightness, and the situation can be sufficiently grasped.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the rotation angle determination unit 119 covers the entire high-intensity object and the high-intensity object exists in the peripheral portion of the visual field of the fisheye lens (FIG. 8). 9 and the sun 205 in FIG. 9 is in the peripheral portion of the field of view), so that the wiper 87 covers only the portion corresponding to the peripheral portion and the rotation angle around the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis. The rotation angle around the rotation axis is determined.
That is, in the container 11, the wiper 87 covers only the portion corresponding to the peripheral portion, so that the shadow area 207 of the wiper 87 covers the central portion of the image or the image is divided. This prevents problems such as the loss of important image information.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged right side view (viewed from the same position as FIG. 3) showing the wiper cleaning means 92 of another embodiment. The wiper cleaning means 92 of another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A plane substantially perpendicular to the straight line 31 including the optical axis of the fisheye lens 45, and the window 1
An annular groove 92, which is an annular and concave shape, is formed along the line of intersection with the outer surface of 3 as a wiper cleaning means. In the present embodiment, the wiper cleaning means has a cross-sectional shape (fisheye lens 4
The cross section of the plane including the straight line 31 including the optical axis 5 is formed by the rectangular groove 92. The annular groove 92, which is a wiper cleaning means, continuously circulates the window 13 along the intersection line. Here, the depth of the annular groove 92 is about 2 m.
However, it is not particularly limited to this. Similar to the main container 11 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, when the wiper 87 is rotated about the first rotation axis, the tip of the wiper 87 (the tip of the wiper body 85) slides. Since the annular groove 92, which is a concave wiper cleaning means, is formed annularly at the position, the tip of the wiper 87 (the tip of the wiper body 85) is rotated when the wiper 87 is rotated about the first rotation axis. ) Passes through the annular groove 92, and foreign matter attached to the tip of the wiper 87 at that time is scraped off by the annular groove 92. The annular groove 92, which is a wiper cleaning means, is formed at a position that does not enter the photographing field of view of the fisheye lens 45.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view for explaining the function of the annular groove 92 which is the wiper cleaning means shown in FIG. With reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 in FIG. 11, the annular groove 9
The function 2 will be described. For ease of illustration and understanding, in FIG. 11, the wiper frame 81 and the leaf spring 83 of the wiper body 85, the wiper frame 81, and the leaf spring 83 that form the wiper 87 are omitted. The wiper body 85 is shown by being cut along a plane including the straight line 31 and parallel to the drawing. Then, a case where the straight line 31 in FIG. 10 faces the horizontal direction will be described as an example. First, when the foreign body 99 such as rainwater or dust adheres to the window 13 when the wiper main body 85 is located at the upper portion as shown in FIG. 11A, the wiper is moved around the first rotating shaft. By rotating it approximately 180 degrees
Set to the state of (2). 11 (1) to 11
The window 13 is wiped off by the wiper main body 85 in the process of (2). As shown in FIG. 11B, the foreign matter 99 is scraped off from the tip of the wiper by the annular groove 92. Then, as shown in FIG. 11C, the wiper body 85
When the foreign matter 99 adheres to the window portion 13 when the wiper is located at the lower portion, a wiper is provided around the first rotating shaft in an approximately 18
It is rotated by 0 ° and brought into the state of FIG. 11 (4). This FIG.
The window 13 is wiped off by the wiper main body 85 in the process from (3) to FIG. 11 (4). The foreign matter 99 falls into the annular groove 92 as shown in FIG. The foreign matter 99 that has fallen into the annular groove 92 falls along the annular groove 92 as shown in FIG. 11 (5), and finally falls from the lowermost portion of the annular groove 92 downward. As described above, the foreign matter 99 wiped from the window portion 13 by the wiper body 85 is removed from the wiper body 85 by the annular groove 92, so that the foreign matter 99 attached to the wiper body 85 is again attached to the window portion 13. Can be prevented. Although the case where the annular groove 92 is used as the wiper cleaning means has been described here, the wiper cleaning means 93 formed of an elongated sponge also functions similarly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the movement of the wiper.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged right side view of a window portion and a wiper.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE when the wiper is arranged at the position D in FIG.

5 is a partially enlarged view of the pinion and the inner peripheral edge in the direction of arrow F in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a control device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the container.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image captured using the present container.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing another example of an image captured using the present container.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged right side view showing a wiper cleaning means of another embodiment.

11 is a schematic view illustrating the function of the annular groove that is the wiper cleaning means shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 shows a conventional lens protection container for an imaging lens.

FIG. 13 is an end view showing a state of a mounting plate, a rotating plate, and a fixing screw.

FIG. 14 is a view showing the mounting plate viewed from the side opposite to the surface facing the rotating plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 bottles 13 windows 15 Container body 17 Heat shield 21 wiper 31 straight line 41 Box 43 openings 45 fisheye lens 45a converter 47 mounting plate 47b through groove 47ba narrow width part 47bb large section 49 Rotating plate 49a inner peripheral edge 50 fixing screw 50a fixing screw leg 50b fixing screw head 51 O-ring 53 motor 55 Pinion 61 Wiper operation motor 63, 67 bevel gears 65 wiper operating shaft 69 volts 81 wiper frame 83 leaf spring 85 Wiper body 87 wiper 90 O-ring 92 annular groove 93 Wiper cleaning means 99 foreign material 101 control device 103 Cover Position Determining Section 105 rotation command section 107 Predetermined position input section 109 Rotation selection section 111 First rotation control unit 113 Second rotation control unit 115 High-brightness object orientation specifying unit 117 Coordinate converter 119 Rotation angle determination unit 201 horizon 203 road 205 Sun (high brightness object) 207 Shadow area 501 lens protection container 503 box 505 window

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65D 85/38 H04N 5/225 H04N 5/238

Claims (17)

(57) [Claims] 1. A transparent window portion for accommodating an image capturing lens to capture an image of an external object, and a window portion covering a part of the window portion. With a movable cover,
A lens protection container comprising: a cover position determining means for determining a position where the cover is to be arranged; and a cover driving means for driving the cover to the position determined by the cover position determining means, The outer surface of the portion has a spherical crown shape, and a wiper that abuts the outer surface of the window portion having the spherical crown shape, and a first wiper rotation for rotating the wiper about a first rotation shaft having a diameter of the spherical crown shape. A lens protection container, wherein the wiper is also used as the cover, and the cover driving means is also used as the first wiper rotating unit. 2. The lens protection container according to claim 1, wherein the first rotation axis is substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens. 3. A second wiper rotation that rotates the wiper about a second rotation axis that intersects the first rotation axis that rotates the wiper by the first wiper rotation means and the center of the crown. The lens protection container according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit, wherein the cover driving unit includes the second wiper rotating unit. 4. The lens protection container according to claim 3, wherein the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis are substantially orthogonal to each other. 5. The cover position determining means specifies a direction in which the high-intensity object exists, and determines a position at which the cover is arranged so that the cover covers the direction in which the high-intensity object exists. If the wiper is in contact with the outer surface along a line of intersection of the plane to which the first rotation axis belongs and the outer surface, and the high-intensity object exists in a peripheral portion of the field of view of the lens, the cover The lens protection container according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the cover driving means drives the cover so as to cover only a part of the window portion corresponding to the peripheral portion. 6. The lens protection container according to claim 5, wherein the cover position determining means specifies a direction in which the high-intensity object exists from image data captured by the lens. 7. The cover position determining means specifies a direction in which the high-intensity object exists, and determines a position at which the cover is arranged so that the cover covers the direction in which the high-intensity object exists. The lens protection container according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 8. The lens protection container according to claim 7, wherein the cover position determining means specifies a direction in which the high-intensity object is present from image data captured by the lens. 9. A wiper cleaning means formed in a convex shape or a concave shape at a position where a tip portion of the wiper slides when the wiper is driven.
The lens protection container according to any one of 1. 10. The lens protection container according to claim 9, wherein the wiper cleaning means is provided annularly on the outer surface of the window portion. 11. The lens protection container according to claim 10, wherein the wiper cleaning means is provided in an annular shape along a line of intersection between a plane substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens and the outer surface. 12. The lens protection container according to claim 9, wherein the wiper cleaning means does not enter the photographing field of view of the lens. 13. The lens protection container according to claim 9, wherein the wiper cleaning means is one of a convex sponge, rubber, and a brush. 14. The lens protection container according to claim 9, wherein the wiper cleaning means is a groove formed in a concave shape. 15. The wiper main body, wherein the wiper contacts the outer surface of the window portion, a wiper frame supporting the wiper main body, and the wiper frame interposed between the wiper frame and the wiper main body. The lens protection container according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising a biasing unit that biases the wiper body toward the outer surface. 16. The lens protection container according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the window is subjected to a water repellent treatment or a photocatalytic coating treatment. 17. The lens protection container according to claim 1, wherein the lens is a wide-angle lens.