JP6774602B2 - Foreign matter removal device and camera device equipped with it - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a foreign matter removing device for a transparent window and a camera device provided with the foreign matter removing device, and particularly includes a foreign matter removing device and a foreign matter removing device for removing foreign matter adhering to the transparent window when an image is taken through the transparent window. Regarding the camera device.

There is known a foreign matter removing device that directly scrapes off foreign matter such as water droplets and dust adhering to the dome-shaped transparent window of a so-called dome camera or the transparent window on the front of the camera housing with a wiper. An example is described in Patent Document 1.

In addition, a nozzle is provided on the wiper arm that reciprocates along the surface of the transparent window, and a fluid such as air or water is injected at high pressure from the injection port of the nozzle to remove foreign matter adhering to the window surface. A foreign matter removing device is also known, and an example thereof is described in Patent Document 2. When removing foreign matter from a window by injecting a fluid such as water or air, it is common to provide a plurality of spouts in order to remove a wide range of foreign matter as described in Patent Document 2.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-160676 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-198602

In the case of a foreign matter removing device that injects a fluid such as water or air at high pressure to remove foreign matter adhering to the transparent window as described in Patent Document 2, a large compressor may be installed depending on the installation environment of the camera device. It can be difficult. That is, there may be a situation where the fluid cannot be supplied to the nozzle portion at a sufficiently high pressure.
In this case, if the nozzle portion has a plurality of ejection ports, the pressure of the fluid ejected from each ejection port is further reduced, so that there is a possibility that foreign matter cannot be removed satisfactorily.
Therefore, a foreign matter removing device that removes foreign matter from the transparent window of the camera device by ejecting fluid should be able to remove foreign matter as well as possible even if the fluid can be supplied only to the nozzle part with a limited pressure due to restrictions on the installation environment. Is desired.

Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a foreign matter removing device capable of satisfactorily removing foreign matter from the transparent window even when the fluid can be supplied to the nozzle portion only at a limited pressure, and a camera device provided with the foreign matter removing device. There is.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration.
1) A plurality of spouts that reciprocate within a predetermined angle range along a transparent window arranged in front of the camera lens and eject fluid toward the window at a predetermined spray angle rotate. A wiper arm portion radially arranged side by side from the rotation axis is provided on a plane orthogonal to the axis .
The foreign matter removing device is characterized in that one of the plurality of spouts passes through the position of the optical axis of the camera lens in rotation within the predetermined angle range.
2) The foreign matter removing device described in 1) and
A main body having the camera lens and the window,
With
The wiper arm portion is a camera device characterized in that, in the rotation, it moves in the longitudinal direction of a rectangular utilization region corresponding to an imaging angle of view of the main body portion in the window portion.

According to the present invention, foreign matter in the transparent window can be satisfactorily removed even when the fluid can be supplied to the nozzle portion only at a limited pressure.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a camera device 51 which is an example of the camera device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the camera device 51. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an installation example of the camera device 51. FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining the arm 12a of the foreign matter removing device 52 included in the camera device 51. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the arm 12a. FIG. 6 is a side view for explaining the relationship between the jet flow ejected from the arm 12a and the window portion 1d. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the relationship between the utilization region N in the window portion 1d and the rotary injection region FK.

The foreign matter removing device and the camera device provided with the foreign matter removing device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the foreign matter removing device 52 of the embodiment and the camera device 51 provided with the foreign matter removing device 52.
First, the configurations of the foreign matter removing device 52 and the camera device 51 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

In the following description, each direction of up, down, front, back, left and right is defined by the arrows shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The front is the direction in which the subject H imaged by the camera device 51 is located.
FIG. 1 is a top view of the camera device 51, and FIG. 2 is a front view. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an installation example of the camera device 51. FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining the arm 12a of the wiper arm portion 12 provided in the foreign matter removing device 52. FIG. 5 is a front view of the arm 12a.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the camera device 51 is arranged in front of and below the main body 1, the mounting base 2 for mounting and fixing the main body 1 and attaching it to the installation pillar 3. It has a foreign matter removing device 52 attached to the mounting table 2.
In FIG. 1, the main body 1 is arranged in front of a lens unit 1a as a camera lens arranged in front of the inside, an image sensor 1b and a signal processing unit 1c arranged behind the lens unit 1a, and a lens unit 1a. It has a window portion 1d which is a transparent member.
The window portion 1d is a transparent member formed in a size and shape including a utilization area N (see FIG. 7) corresponding to the imaging angle of view of the camera device 51, and protects the front lens of the lens portion 1a. It is placed in front of the front lens as much as possible.
The window portion 1d is formed of, for example, a transparent acrylic plate or glass plate.

The lens unit 1a of the camera device 51 forms an image of the subject H on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 1b from the light incident from the outside through the window unit 1d. The image sensor 1b photoelectrically converts the image of the subject H, and sends the output signal obtained by the photoelectric conversion toward the signal processing unit 1c.
The signal processing unit 1c processes the output signal input from the image sensor 1b and outputs the video signal SG1 (FIG. 3) to the outside.

On the other hand, the foreign matter removing device 52 includes a motor M, a box-shaped housing 11 that houses the motor M and is fixed to the mounting table 2, and a wiper arm that is fixed to the output shaft Ma of the motor M and rotates by the operation of the motor M. It has a part 12. A reduction mechanism may be interposed between the motor M and the output shaft Ma.

The housing 11 is arranged below the front of the main body 1. The motor M is housed and fixed inside the housing 11 in a posture in which the axis CLm of the output shaft Ma is parallel to the optical axis CL1 of the lens portion 1a below the optical axis CL1.

Next, the wiper arm portion 12 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
The wiper arm portion 12 is a holder that inserts and supports the pipe portion 121 and the arm 12a having the nozzle portion 122 connected to one end of the pipe portion 121 and the pipe portion 121 of the arm 12a and is connected to the output shaft Ma of the motor M. It has 12b and.
A hose 13 is attached to the other end of the pipe portion 121.

The nozzle portion 122 has a plurality of (three in this example) spouts 14a to 14c.
The spouts 14a to 14c are arranged side by side in the radial direction of rotation, which is the extending direction of the pipe portion 121, and eject the fluid in a direction substantially orthogonal to the extending direction (rearward in the camera device 51). Hereinafter, the spouts 14a to 14c are also collectively referred to as a spout group 14.

A through hole (not shown) penetrating the inside of the pipe portion 121 has one end connected to the hose 13 and the other end side branched into three inside the nozzle portion 122 and connected to the spouts 14a to 14c, respectively.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, assuming that the central axis in the width direction of the arm 12a is the axis CL12, the spouts 14a to 14c are arranged side by side on the axis CL12.

Further, for the following explanation, as shown in FIG. 5, the distance from the axis CLm to the central ejection port 14b in the state where the arm 12a is attached as the wiper arm portion 12 is defined as the distance L1, and the ejection port 14b is defined as the distance L1. The distances between the spout 14a and the spout 14c are defined as the distance Lab and the distance Lbc, respectively. The distance Lab and the distance Lbc are set to be equal, for example.

The wiper arm unit 12 reciprocates within a predetermined angle range θLR (see FIG. 7) by the operation of the motor M under the control of the control unit 53b described later. Further, it is stopped and maintained at another rotation position not included in the predetermined angle range θLR. Next, these will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wiper arm portion 12 has a left rotation position 12L rotated left (clockwise in FIG. 2) by an angle θL with respect to the upright position 12CT standing up and down, and a right side. It reciprocates between the right rotation position 12R, which is rotated by an angle θR (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2). That is, it reciprocates in the angle range θLR obtained by adding the angle θL and the angle θR.

Further, it is controlled so as to be maintained at a standby position 12W which is further rotated by an angle θW from the right rotation position 12R, for example, other than the rotation range between the left rotation position 12L and the right rotation position 12R. .. The standby position 12W is set to, for example, a position in which the wiper arm portion 12 is in a prone position in the left-right direction.
The angles θL, θR, and θW are set by, for example, the control unit 53b. This setting will be described later.

Further, the distance L1 is set so that, for example, the central ejection port 14b of the three nozzle portions 14a to 14c arranged side by side of the nozzle portion 122 is located on the optical axis CL1 at the standing position 12CT of the wiper arm portion 12. (See also FIG. 6).
That is, in the rotation of the wiper arm portion 12, the nozzle portion 122 has one ejection port that passes through the position of the optical axis CL1.
It is desirable that the spout passing through the position of the optical axis CL1 be the central spout if there are an odd number of spouts, and one of the two in the center if there are an even number of spouts.

Next, an installation example of the camera device 51 will be described with reference to FIG.
In this installation example, the camera device 51 is installed to photograph a competing vehicle running on a circuit course.
The camera device 51 provided with the foreign matter removing device 52 is attached to the upper part of the installation pillar 3 near the course.
The operation of the camera device 51, including the operation of the foreign matter removing device 52, is remotely controlled from the control room R several km away from the course via the control device 53 installed in the ground near the installation location.
The camera device 51 and the control room R are connected by cables 15 and 16 through the control device 53.

The control device 53 includes a transmission / reception unit 53a, a control unit 53b, and a relay circuit 53c.
Further, a compressor 54 whose operation is controlled by the control device 53 is arranged in the vicinity of the installation location. The compressor 54 may be included in the control device 53 and installed.

The video signal SG1 output from the signal processing unit 1c in the main body 1 of the camera device 51 passes through the cable 15 and is connected to the image display device 31 in the control room R via the transmission / reception unit 53a.
As a result, the image captured by the camera device 51 is displayed on the image display device 31.

Further, when the operator operates the switch 32 provided in the control room R, the switch signal SG2 is transmitted to the control unit 53b via the cable 16 and the transmission / reception unit 53a.
The control unit 53b controls the operation of the compressor 54 via the relay circuit 53c based on the ON or OFF instruction of the switch signal SG2, and sends out the motor control signal SG3 for the operation of the motor M of the foreign matter removing device 52. To control.

The compressor 54 boosts the air taken in from the air intake port AR and supplies it to the wiper arm portion 12 as high-pressure air through the hose 13. The high-pressure air supplied to the wiper arm portion 12 passes through the pipe portion 121 and is ejected from the ejection ports 14a to 14c of the nozzle portion 122.

Next, the operation of the wiper arm portion 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
FIG. 6 is a partial side view for explaining the jet flow of high-pressure air ejected from the nozzle portion 122, and is shown in a state where the wiper arm portion 12 is in the standing position 12CT. In this state, as described above, the ejection port 14b is on the optical axis CL1.

As shown in FIG. 6, the high-pressure air supplied by the compressor 54 is ejected as jets Fa to Fc from each of the jets 14a to 14c.
The jets Fa to Fc are ejected at a predetermined spray angle and spray pattern, and are jetted to the window portion 1d as injection regions Fa1 to Fc1. The spray pattern is, for example, circular, in which case the injection regions Fa1 to Fc1 are also circular regions.

The spray angle and the distance between the window portion 1d and the nozzle portion 122 in the front-rear direction are set so that adjacent injection regions in the three injection regions Fa1 to Fc1 are in contact with each other without a gap (FIG. 6) or partially overlap each other. You should do it.

Next, the relationship between the injection regions Fa1 to Fc1 in the window portion 1d and the utilization region N corresponding to the imaging angle of view will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the window portion 1d, and a region corresponding to an imaging angle of view when the lens portion 1a of the camera device 51 is a fixed focus lens is shown as a utilization region N. The used area N is, for example, a rectangular area having an aspect ratio of 9:16 having the left and right sides as long sides.
The sizes of the injection regions Fa1 to Fc1 in the window portion 1d and the angles θL and θR in the rotation of the wiper arm portion 12 may be set as follows, for example.
Here, the injection regions Fa1 to Fc1 are set to circular regions having the same diameter. That is, the spray angles of the spouts 14a to 14c are set to be the same.

First, the rotation position of the wiper arm portion 12 when the axis CL12 passes through the upper corner point N1 of the utilization area N is set to the corner position 12E.
The distance between the axis CLm, which is the center of rotation of the wiper arm portion 12, and the corner point N1 is obtained, and the position corresponding to the distance from the axis CLm at the standing position 12CT is set as the reference point N2.
Then, the value obtained by dividing the vertical distance Lh between the reference point N2 and the optical axis CL1 into three equal parts is set as the minimum value of the radius r1 commonly set for the injection regions Fa1 to Fc1.
That is, the distance Lh / 3 ≦ radius r1.

As a result, when the wiper arm portion 12 is in the upright position 12CT, the vertical range of the utilization region N falls within the injection regions Fa1 to Fc1.

The left rotation angle θL and the right rotation angle θR of the wiper arm portion 12 are, for example, the angles until the axis CL12 passes through the lower left corner point NL and the lower right corner point NR of the utilization area N.
By rotating the angle range θLR obtained by adding the angle θL and the angle θR of the wiper arm portion 12, the passing region of the injection regions Fa1 to Fc1 in the window portion 1d is a wide arc-shaped rotary injection surrounded by a thick two-dot chain line. It becomes the area FK. The rotary injection region FK is a region including the utilization region N.

Since the size and aspect ratio of the used area N in the window portion 1d differ depending on the specifications of the image sensor 1b and the lens portion 1a, they are determined in advance in consideration of the installation location and usage of the camera device 51. Based on the determined content, for example, the radius r1 and the angles θL and θR are set by the above method.

Next, an example of the foreign matter removing operation of the camera device 51 performed by reciprocating the wiper arm portion 12 will be described. The wiper arm portion 12 is moved to the standby position 12W before the start of operation.

In FIG. 3, the operator of the control room R determines that foreign matter such as water droplets or dust is attached to the image captured by the camera device 51 displayed on the image display device 31 and needs to be removed, or the camera device. The switch 32 instructs the operation ON at a specific time such as after the 51 is stopped for a long time and before the start of use.
When the control unit 53b receives the switch signal SG2 from the switch 32 via the transmission / reception unit 53a, the control unit 53b operates the compressor 54 to eject high-pressure air from the ejection ports 14a to 14c of the nozzle unit 122.

The control unit 53b operates the motor M to rotate the wiper arm unit 12 from the standby position 12W in parallel with the ejection of the high-pressure air, and the angle range θLR between the left rotation position 12L and the right rotation position 12R. It is reciprocated a predetermined number of times preset in.
When the wiper arm portion 12 is reciprocated a predetermined number of times, the compressor 54 is stopped and the wiper arm portion 12 is moved to the standby position 12W to end the foreign matter removing operation.
The number of times the wiper arm portion 12 is reciprocated may be specified by the operator from the switch 32.

In the camera device 51 described in detail above, one of the plurality of ejection ports 14a to 14c passes through the position of the optical axis CL1 when the wiper arm portion 12 rotates.
As a result, foreign matter at least in the central portion of the captured image is preferentially and satisfactorily removed. Normally, since the target subject is positioned in the central portion of the image, the usefulness of the information obtained from the captured image is ensured.

Further, it is desirable that the spout passing through the position of the optical axis CL1 is the central spout when there are an odd number of spouts, and one of the two in the center when there are an even number of spouts.
As a result, the number of spouts responsible for removing foreign matter in the upper half and the lower half of the used image is the same or one different, so that the foreign matter removing effect is averaged and a good captured image can be obtained.

Further, the camera device 51 sets the position of the output shaft Ma, which is the rotation axis of the wiper arm portion 12, within the range between the short sides of the utilization region N corresponding to the imaging angle of view in the window portion 1d. It is set.
More specifically, it is set on a straight line (axis CL12a in FIG. 7) orthogonal to the long side of the utilization region N and intersecting the optical axis CL1.
As a result, the nozzle portion 122 moves along the longitudinal direction of the rectangular utilization region N by the rotation of the wiper arm portion 12.
Therefore, the axis CLm, which is the center of rotation of the wiper arm portion 12, is set along the wiper arm portion 12 of the rotation injection region FK as compared with the case where the axis CLm is set on a straight line orthogonal to the short side of the utilization region N and intersecting the optical axis CL1. Since the width in the direction can be reduced, the diameters of the injection regions Fa1 to Fc1 can be set small. That is, the spray angle can be made smaller.

As a result, the pressure applied by the jets Fa to Fc to the injection regions Fa1 to Fc1 of the window portion 1d can be increased, and as a result, the pressure applied to the rotary injection region FK can also be increased. Therefore, water droplets and dust adhering to the utilization area N of the window portion 1d can be satisfactorily removed by the pressure of the jet and the flow thereof.

Further, in the camera device 51, the injection regions Fa1 to Fc1 are set to the same radius, and each radius is divided into three equal values of the distance Lh between the circle passing through the corner point N1 of the utilization region N and the optical axis CL1 or more. The radius r1 is set to a slightly larger value.
Therefore, the radius of the injection regions Fa1 to Fc1 can be set as small as possible while including the entire area of the utilization region N in the rotary injection region FK.
As a result, the pressure that can be applied to the injection regions Fa1 to Fc1 by the jets Fa to Fc can be made larger than the pressure of the high-pressure air supplied by the compressor 54 to the nozzle portion 122, and as a result, the rotary injection region. The pressure applied to the FK can also be increased. Therefore, water droplets and dust adhering to the utilization area N of the window portion 1d can be satisfactorily removed by the pressure of the jet and the flow thereof.

The examples described in detail above are not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be modified examples within a range that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

The fluid ejected from the nozzle portion 122 is not limited to a gas such as air, and may be a liquid such as water.
The axis CLm, which is the center of rotation of the wiper arm portion 12, may be set above the window portion 1d instead of below.

A valve portion that can open and close each of the plurality of spouts 14a to 14c independently may be provided, and the fluid may be ejected from any spout 14a to 14c under the control of the control unit 53b.
That is, the ejection port for ejecting the fluid may be changed one by one for each reciprocation of the wiper arm portion 12.
For example, when the nozzle unit 122 has n (n: an integer of 2 or more) spouts, the control unit 53b makes a k (1 ≦ k ≦ n) rotation reciprocation from only the kth spout. The valve is controlled so that the fluid is ejected.
As a result, the number of reciprocating rotations of the wiper arm portion 12 required to inject the fluid into the entire utilization region N increases, but the pressure of the fluid ejected from the jets Fa to Fc increases, so that foreign matter enters the window portion 1d. Even if it is difficult to remove from the water, it can be removed better.

The number of spouts 14a to 14c is not limited to three. It is good to have two or more.

The foreign matter removing device 52 is not limited to the one attached to the mounting table 2, and may be a separate body separated from the main body 1 and the mounting table 2.

1 Main body 1a Lens part, 1b Imaging element, 1c Signal processing part 1d Window part 2 Mounting stand 3 Installation pillar 11 Housing 12 Wiper arm part 12a Arm, 12b Holder 12CT Standing position, 12E Corner position, 12L Left rotation position 12R Right turn Dynamic position, 12W Standby position 13 Hose 14 Spout group, 14a to 14c Spout 15, 16 Cable 31 Image display device, 32 Switch 51 Camera device, 52 Foreign matter removal device 53 Control device 53a Transmission / reception unit, 53b Control unit, 53c Relay Circuit 54 Compressor 121 Pipe part, 122 Nozzle part AR Air intake CL1 Optical axis, CL12, CL12a, CLm Axis Fa to Fc Jet flow Fa1 to Fc1 Injection area, FK Rotational injection area H Subject L1, Lab, Lbc, Lh Distance M Motor, Ma Output shaft N Utilization area N1 Corner point, N2 Reference point R Control room r1 Radius SG1 Video signal, SG2 Switch signal, SG3 Motor control signal θL, θR angle, θLR angle range

Claims (4)

A plurality of spouts that reciprocate in a predetermined angle range along a transparent window arranged in front of the camera lens and eject a fluid at a predetermined spray angle toward the window are provided on the rotation axis. A wiper arm portion that is arranged radially from the rotation axis on an orthogonal plane is provided.
A foreign matter removing device, characterized in that one of the plurality of spouts passes through the position of the optical axis of the camera lens in rotation within the predetermined angle range. The foreign matter removing device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality is an odd number, and the one spout is a central spout. The foreign matter removing device according to claim 1 or 2,
A main body having the camera lens and the window,
With
The camera device is characterized in that, in the rotation, the wiper arm portion moves in the longitudinal direction of a rectangular utilization area corresponding to an imaging angle of view of the main body portion in the window portion. The camera device according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined angle range is set according to a distance in the longitudinal direction of the utilization area.

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