JP7319419B2 - GAS EJECTING DEVICE AND GAS EJECTING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a gas ejection device and a gas ejection method.

Conventionally, there is a gas ejection device that ejects gas compressed by a pump. A gas ejection device, for example, ejects gas onto the lens of a camera installed outside a vehicle to remove deposits on the lens (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-220719 A

However, in the conventional technology, there are cases where the gas is ejected more times than necessary, which may accelerate wear of the gas ejection device and increase power consumption.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas ejection device and a gas ejection method capable of setting an appropriate number of times of ejection.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a gas ejection device according to an embodiment is a device for ejecting gas, and includes a detection section and a control section. The detection unit detects a signal related to the ejection target device. The control unit performs control so that the number of times the gas is ejected when the next signal is detected is greater than the number of times the gas is ejected when the signal is detected by the detection unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to set an appropriate number of jets.

FIG. 1 is a perspective perspective view of a gas ejection device. FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory diagram of the compression unit. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the drive unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the mounting position of the gas ejection device. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the camera. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the gas ejection device. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing control processing by the control unit. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of the number of ejections with elapsed time. FIG. 9 is a flowchart (Part 1) showing a processing procedure executed by the gas ejection device. FIG. 10 is a flowchart (part 2) showing a processing procedure executed by the gas ejection device.

Hereinafter, a gas ejection device and a gas ejection method according to embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by embodiment shown below.

First, the outline of the gas ejection device according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective perspective view of the gas ejection device 100. FIG. A case will be described below in which the gas ejection device 100 ejects gas toward the camera C to remove deposits such as raindrops adhering to the camera C, which is an ejection target device.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the gas ejection device 100 includes a control device 1 , an output section 5 , a compression section 10 and a drive section 13 . The control device 1 is a microcomputer that controls the drive unit 13 and includes a CPU, a storage unit, and the like, and controls the drive unit 13 to operate the compression unit 10 . Details of the control device 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

The compression unit 10 is a rotary air compression mechanism. The compression unit 10 operates according to the drive of the driving unit 13 to be described later, compresses the inhaled gas, and ejects it from the output unit 5 toward the camera C. As shown in FIG. Note that the air compression mechanism of the compression unit 10 will be described later with reference to FIG. 2 .

The drive unit 13 includes a drive source such as a motor, and drives the compression unit 10 under the control of the control device 1 . That is, the drive section 13 functions as a power source for the compression section 10 . Details of the driving unit 13 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3 .

Next, the compressing section 10 and the driving section 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the compression unit 10. As shown in FIG. 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the drive unit 13. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the compression section 10 has a cylinder 11, a cylinder wall 11a, and a rotor 12a. The cylinder 11 is, for example, cylindrical and has a cylinder wall 11a inside. The space inside the cylinder 11 is partitioned by the cylinder wall 11a.

The rotating body 12 a is formed in a flat plate shape and rotates inside the cylinder 11 . As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the rotor 12a rotates away from the cylinder wall 11a (counterclockwise in the figure) by the driving force of a motor 13a, which will be described later. As a result, a negative pressure is generated in the space between the cylinder wall 11a and the rotating body 12a, and gas is sucked into the cylinder 11 through an intake hole (not shown).

Then, when the rotating body 12a rotates to a predetermined position, the driving force of the motor 13a is released. Then, the rotating body 12a released from the driving force of the motor 13a rotates in a direction (clockwise in the drawing) in which the rotating body 12a approaches the cylinder wall 11a due to the spring force of the spring member 12e, which will be described later. As a result, the inhaled gas is compressed and discharged from the output section 5 (see FIG. 1).

Next, the driving section 13 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the drive unit 13 includes a motor 13a, a first gear 13b, a second gear 13c, a third gear 13d, and a front gear 13e. Further, the compressing portion 10 includes a rotating portion 12 in addition to the cylinder wall 11a.

The rotating portion 12 has a driven gear 12d and a spring member 12e. Further, the rotating portion 12 is provided with the rotating body 12a on the inner side of the compressing portion 10 . That is, by rotating the rotating body 12 a in conjunction with the rotating part 12 , the gas can be sucked in and exhausted by the compressing part 10 .

Thus, since the compression unit 10 is of a rotary type, it can have a compact configuration that does not take up much space. In particular, as will be described later, the gas ejection device 100 is installed in a limited space such as the inside of the back door of the vehicle 50 (see FIG. 4), so the space occupied by the device 100 is required to be reduced in size.

It is assumed that the compression unit 10 compresses and exhausts gas using the reciprocating motion of the piston. In this case, when the compression unit 10 takes in air, the shaft portion that interlocks with the piston protrudes from the outer shape of the cylinder 11, so it is necessary to secure a working area around the cylinder, which increases the occupied space.

The driven gear 12d is arranged coaxially with the rotation axis axR, and the rotational force applied to the driven gear 12d rotates the rotating portion 12, thereby rotating the rotating body 12a. The spring member 12e is provided so as to bias the rotating portion 12 in a direction opposite to the direction in which the rotating portion 12 is rotated by the motor.

The motor 13 a is, for example, an electric motor, and is rotated/stopped by on/off control by the control device 1 . Further, the rotational driving force of the motor 13a is transmitted to the first gear 13b. Note that the motor 13a may be a hydraulic motor, or another power source may be used in place of the motor 13a.

The first gear 13b is connected to the second gear 13c. The second gear 13c is connected to the third gear 13d. A front stage gear 13e is arranged coaxially with the third gear 13d and is provided so as to mesh with the driven gear 12d of the rotating portion 12 . That is, the rotational driving force of the motor 13a is transmitted to the rotating portion 12 via the first gear 13b, the second gear 13c, the third gear 13d, and the front stage gear 13e.

By the way, as described above, the compression unit 10 takes in air by the rotational driving force of the motor 13a, and exhausts it by the spring force biasing in the direction opposite to the direction of intake. Therefore, the motor 13a can switch between intake and exhaust by rotating in one direction.

That is, in the gas ejection device 100, it is possible to fix the rotation direction of the motor 13a and to perform air intake/exhaust only by ON/OFF control. If intake/exhaust is switched by forward and reverse rotation of the motor 13a, complicated motor control may be required.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the rotation direction of the motor 13a is fixed to one direction to enable air intake/exhaust, so air intake/exhaust can be performed with simple control. The number of gears from the motor 13a to the rotating part 12 and the meshing method are not limited to the illustrated example.

Next, the mounting position of the gas ejection device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the mounting position of the gas ejection device 100. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the camera C. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the gas ejection device 100 and the camera C are arranged above the license plate 52 at the rear of the vehicle 50 and substantially at the center of the vehicle 50 in the left-right direction.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5 , the garnish 51 is attached to the vehicle back panel 53 , and the camera C is arranged in the space between the vehicle back panel 53 and the garnish 51 .

Further, the camera C is arranged so that the lens Cl portion is exposed to the outside through the opening 51 a provided in the garnish 51 . The gas compressed by the compression section 10 of the gas ejection device 100 is ejected from the nozzle 8 toward the center of the lens Cl of the camera C via the output section 5 .

Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the nozzle 8 is arranged above the lens Cl when the lens Cl is viewed from the front. In other words, the nozzle 8 is arranged outside the imaging range of the camera C. Thereby, the event that the nozzle 8 is reflected in the captured image captured by the camera C can be suppressed.

Next, a configuration example of the control device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the control device 1. As shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 6 also shows the driving unit 13, the camera C, the camera power supply 31, and the like.

The camera C is, for example, a back camera provided at the rear of the vehicle 50, as already explained with reference to FIG. The camera C is activated based on an activation signal supplied from the camera power source 31, for example, when the shift lever of the vehicle 50 is reversed.

When the shift lever is reversed, a reverse signal is input to a display (not shown) of vehicle 50 . As a result, the output source of the display unit is switched from AVN (Audio Visual Navigation (registered trademark)) such as a navigation device or an audio device to the camera C. FIG.

The camera C captures an image of the area behind the vehicle 50 while the activation signal is being supplied, and outputs the captured image to the display unit. Thereby, the driver of the vehicle 50 can check the image behind the vehicle 50 when the vehicle 50 is driven backward.

Further, power is supplied from the battery of the vehicle 50 to the camera power supply 31 in conjunction with the ACC power supply of the vehicle 50 . For example, when the ACC power supply is turned on, the AVN of the vehicle 50 is activated, the activation signal is input from the camera power supply 31 to the camera C, and the operation of the camera C is checked.

At this time, the control device 1 can detect that the ACC power source of the vehicle 50 is turned on by detecting such an activation signal. That is, the control device 1 can detect that the ACC power source of the vehicle 50 is turned on based on the initial activation signal. It should be noted that a signal indicating ON/OFF of the ACC power supply may be separately input to the control device 1 instead of the activation signal.

The wiper switch 32 is a switch that switches the wiper W of the vehicle 50 on/off. When the driver turns on the wiper switch 32, an operation signal for operating the wiper W is output to the wiper W.

The wiper W receives, for example, the operation signal described above and removes water droplets and the like adhering to the rear window. Also, the wiper W is operated by electric power supplied from the wiper power source We. For example, the wiper power source We supplies power to the wiper W in conjunction with turning on/off the IG power source of the vehicle 50 .

Here, the gas ejection device 100 is attached to the vehicle 50 as an option, for example. Therefore, the gas ejection device 100 is required to have versatility for various vehicles and to be easy to install.

Therefore, the gas ejection device 100 can operate using the wiring arranged in the back door to which the camera C is attached at the manufacturing stage of the vehicle 50 . In other words, the gas ejection device 100 does not require new wiring work at the time of installation.

Specifically, the gas ejection device 100 can be operated by electric power supplied from the wiper power source We via the branch power line Le2 branched from the power line Le. That is, the gas ejection device 100 is switched on/off in conjunction with the IG power supply. The other branched power supply line Le1 branched from the power supply line Le is used to supply electric power to the wiper W from the wiper power supply We.

Further, the gas ejection device 100 is connected to the camera power supply 31, the wiper switch 32, the camera wiring Ls provided inside the back door, the branch camera wiring Ls2 branched from the wiper wiring Lw, and the branch wiper wiring Lw2. Then, the gas ejection device 100 can eject the gas by using a signal flowing through the branched camera wiring Ls2 or the branched wiper wiring Lw2 as a trigger.

The other branch camera wiring Ls1 branched from the camera wiring Ls is used to transmit a start signal from the camera power supply 31 to the camera C. FIG. The other branched wiper wiring Lw1 to which the wiper wiring Lw branches is used to transmit an operation signal from the wiper switch 32 to the wiper W. As shown in FIG.

Here, the power supply wiring Le, the camera wiring Ls, and the wiper wiring Lw are all wiring arranged inside the back door at the manufacturing stage of the vehicle 50 . Therefore, the gas ejection device 100 can be attached by branching each of these wires and connecting them to the gas ejection device 100 .

In other words, since the gas ejection device 100 operates using the wiring routed in advance inside the back door, it is not necessary to install new wiring. This facilitates the installation of the gas ejection device 100 and reduces the installation cost.

The control device 1 includes a detection unit 110 , a control unit 120 and a storage unit 130 . The detection unit 110 detects an activation signal related to the camera C, which is the ejection target device of the compression unit 10 . In this embodiment, the detection unit 110 can detect the activation signal flowing through the branched camera line Ls2.

The activation signal is a signal that flows when the shift lever is reversed, that is, when the vehicle 50 moves backward. The start signal also flows when the AVN checks the operation of the camera C when the ACC power is turned on and the AVN is restarted. That is, the start signal that flows first after the ACC power supply is turned on is a signal that flows when the shift lever is not reversed.

Further, when the wiper switch 32 is turned on, the detection unit 110 detects the operation signal of the wiper W flowing through the branch wiper line Lw2. The detection unit 110 notifies the control unit 120 of the detected signal.

The control unit 120 controls the number of jets of the compression unit 10 . Specifically, the control unit 120 controls the compression unit 10 so that the number of ejections changes according to the elapsed time from the detection of the activation signal by the detection unit 110 to the detection of the next activation signal. The control unit 120 can control the ejection operation of the compression unit 10 by rotating the motor 13 a of the drive unit 13 .

Here, as described above, the activation signal is a signal that flows when the shift lever is reversed, that is, when the vehicle 50 moves backward. Therefore, the controller 120 ejects gas from the compression unit 10 based on the activation signal, thereby removing the deposits on the camera C at the timing when the camera C is activated.

This makes it possible to provide the user with an image from which the adhering matter has been removed. In addition, since the control unit 120 removes the deposits on the camera C in accordance with the timing at which the camera C is activated, the user can omit additional operations such as operating switches.

The controller 120 can also cause the compressor 10 to eject gas based on the operation signal of the wiper W detected by the detector 110 . Details of the processing of the control unit 120 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG.

The storage unit 130 is, for example, a volatile memory, and stores the number of times the compression unit 10 has actually ejected. Further, since the storage unit 130 is a volatile memory, the stored contents are lost when the power supply from the wiper power supply We is stopped.

As described above, the wiper power supply We supplies electric power to the wiper W and the gas ejection device 100 in conjunction with turning on/off the IG power supply. Therefore, when the IG power supply is turned on from off, the total number of ejection times stored in storage unit 130 becomes zero.

In other words, when the total number stored in the storage unit 130 is zero, the control unit 120 can recognize that the compression unit 10 has not yet ejected after the gas ejection device 100 started the IG power supply.

Next, control processing for the compression section 10 by the control section 120 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing control processing by the control unit 120. As shown in FIG. ACC indicated by A in the figure indicates ON/OFF of the ACC power supply, and IG indicated by B in the same figure indicates ON/OFF of the IG power supply.

Also, the reverse gear indicated by C in the figure indicates whether or not the shift lever is in reverse. A start signal indicated by D in the same figure indicates whether or not the start signal is output from the camera power source 31, and an operation signal indicated by E in the same figure indicates whether or not the wiper switch 32 is outputting an operation signal. or

The ejection indicated by F in the figure indicates the timing of ejecting gas from the compression unit 10 and the number of times of ejection. Here, it is assumed that one rise indicated by F in FIG.

When the ACC is turned on (time t1) as indicated by A in the figure, the activation signal is also turned on as indicated by D in the figure. As described above, the activation signal is a signal that the AVN activates and flows for the AVN to confirm the operation of the camera C, and for example, continues to flow for a predetermined time (time t1 to t5).

After that, when the IG is turned on (time t2), the gas ejection device 100 starts to be supplied with electric power as indicated by B in FIG.

At this time, when the gas ejection device 100 is activated, the control unit 120 causes the compression unit 10 to eject the gas at the initial number of ejections if the activation signal is ON as shown in FIG. In the example shown in the figure, the initial number of times is one, but it is not limited to this, and the initial number of times may be two or more.

Here, as described above, the total number of times of ejection stored in the storage unit 130 is zero at the time t2 when the gas ejection device 100 is activated. When the total number is zero and the start signal is detected, the control unit 120 sets the ejection count of the compression unit 10 to the initial count.

Further, as described above, when the ACC is turned on, the activation signal is turned on for a predetermined time (time t1 to t5) even if the reverse gear is off. Therefore, even if the reverse gear is turned on during this predetermined period (time t3), the controller 120 detects an activation signal based on the turn-on of the reverse gear, as indicated by C in FIG. I can't.

Therefore, as indicated by the dashed line at F in the figure, at time t3, even if the reverse gear is turned on, the gas cannot be ejected. In other words, the activation signal based on the ON state of the reverse gear is disabled for a predetermined period after the ACC is turned ON. For this reason, the control unit 120 ejects the gas after activation if the activation signal is on.

As a result, even when the reverse gear is turned on and the image captured by the camera C is displayed on the display unit during the period in which the activation signal based on the turn-on of the reverse gear is invalid, the image from which the deposits have been removed can be displayed. can be provided to the user.

Further, during the invalid period, when the operation signal is turned on as indicated by E in FIG. Let

The example shown in the figure shows the case where the number of times set based on the operation signal is one. As described above, the operation signal is a signal output by the user's operation of the wiper switch 32 (see FIG. 6).

Therefore, when the user wants to remove the adhering matter after confirming the image captured by the camera C, it is possible to perform an additional removal operation by operating the wiper switch 32 .

After that, as indicated by D in the figure, the start signal is turned off from on at time t5. Based on this turning off, the control unit 120 can detect that the operation check of the camera C by the AVN has ended.

Thereby, the control unit 120 shifts from the initial control to the normal control to control the compression unit 10 . After that, when the reverse gear is turned on (time t6) as indicated by C in the same figure, the start signal is also turned on as indicated by D in the same figure.

At this time, the control unit 120 causes the compression unit 10 to eject the gas at the set number of ejection times based on the activation signal. The example shown in the figure shows a case where the number of times set based on the activation signal is two.

Here, the purpose of the ejection at time t2 is to remove deposits that have adhered to the camera C while the vehicle 50 is parked. for the purpose of removing

When the vehicle 50 is running, mud or the like is likely to be stirred up as the vehicle 50 is running, and deposits are more likely to adhere to the camera C than when the vehicle is parked. For this reason, the control unit 120 sets the number of ejections based on the activation signal detected for the second and subsequent times to be greater than the number of ejections based on the activation signal detected for the first time.

This makes it possible to more reliably remove deposits that have adhered during running. Further, as indicated by E in the figure, when the operation signal is turned on while the activation signal is off (time t7), the control section 120 does not cause the gas to be ejected.

This is because an image picked up by the camera C is not displayed on the display during a period in which the camera C is not activated even if the gas is blown out. That is, by validating only the detected operation signal while the camera C is activated, unnecessary removal operation can be suppressed.

In addition, if the elapsed time from the detection of the signal related to the camera C, which is the ejection target device, to the detection of the next activation signal is equal to or less than a predetermined time, the control unit 120 determines that the current ejection frequency is higher than the previous ejection count. The compression unit 10 is controlled by reducing the number of times.

This point will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of the number of ejections with elapsed time. As indicated by A in the figure, the ACC may be turned off during a period (time t2 to t3) in which the starter motor for starting the engine of the vehicle 50 is activated after the ACC is turned on.

During this period, if the remaining battery level of vehicle 50 is not sufficient, power supply from the battery to the ACC is stopped. When the engine starts, the starter motor is stopped and power is restored to the ACC, thus turning the ACC on again.

During this period (time t0 to t3), as indicated by D in the figure, the activation signal is switched on/off in conjunction with the on/off of the ACC. Here, all of the activation signals during this period are signals associated with activation of the AVN.

Also, the period from time t2 to time t3 in which the ACC is turned off is about 3 seconds. For this reason, when the liquid is jetted once at time t1 and then jetted twice at time t3, a total of three jets will be jetted in a short period of time.

Therefore, the control unit 120 sets a timer at time t1 at which the initial number of ejections (one) is performed, and the activation signal detected within the first time T1 (for example, 10 seconds) is ejected more than the initial number of times. Set a low number of bursts.

In this embodiment, since the initial number of times is 1, the number of ejections for the activation signal detected at time t3 within the first time period T1 is 0. That is, the control unit 120 does not eject the gas from the compression unit 10 at time t3.

Thereby, the control unit 120 can suppress unnecessary ejection by the compression unit 10 . In other words, it is possible to set an appropriate ejection frequency.

After that, when the reverse gear is turned on (time t5) as indicated by C in the same figure, the start signal is turned on as indicated by D in the same figure. Such an activation signal is a signal indicating that the vehicle 50 is to be reversed.

Therefore, as indicated by F in the figure, at time t5, the gas is ejected from the compression section 10 a set number of times (twice) based on the activation signal. At this time, the control unit 120 sets a timer, and controls the compression unit 10 with a smaller number of ejections than the previous number of ejections for the activation signal detected within the second time T2.

As shown in C and D in the figure, when the reverse gear and the start signal are turned on at time t6 within the second time period T2, the control unit 120 turns on 0 times, which is less than the set number of times (2 times). , that is, the case where no ejection occurs at time t6.

An example of such a case is a reverse parking in which the vehicle 50 repeats forward and reverse. In such a reverse parking, since the traveling distance of the vehicle 50 is also relatively short, the possibility that the camera C will newly adhere to the deposits is low.

Therefore, if the vehicle is ejected at time t5 when parking is started, even if the subsequent ejection based on the activation signal is omitted, there is a possibility that the image captured by the camera C will be a clear image from which the deposits have been removed. expensive.

In this way, the control unit 120 controls the number of ejections according to the elapsed time from the detection of the activation signal to the detection of the next activation signal, thereby controlling the number of ejections appropriately as necessary. becomes possible.

Note that even within the first time T1 and the second time T2, if an operation signal is detected while an activation signal is being detected, the control unit 120 outputs a signal from the compression unit 10 based on the operation signal. Gas may be ejected.

Next, a processing procedure executed by the control device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing processing procedures executed by the control device 1. FIG.

First, a processing procedure when the camera C is activated will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, first, the detection unit 110 determines whether or not the initial activation signal input when the camera C is activated is detected (step S101).

When the detection unit 110 detects the initial activation signal (step S101, Yes), the control unit 120 controls the ejection count of the compression unit 10 with the initial count and sets a timer (step S102).

On the other hand, when the initial activation signal is not detected (step S101, No), the detection unit 110 continues the process of step S101 until the initial activation signal is detected.

Subsequently, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the first time T1 has passed (step S103). Here, as described above, since the initial number of times is 1, the activation signal detected within the first time T1 is invalid.

If the first time T1 has not elapsed (step S103, No), the control unit 120 continues the process of step S103 until the first time T1 has elapsed.

On the other hand, when the first time T1 has passed (step S103, Yes), the control unit 120 shifts to normal control (step S104) and ends the process. Details of the normal control will be described with reference to FIG. 10 .

Next, a processing procedure of the control device 1 during normal control after the completion of activation of the camera C will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the processing described below corresponds to step S104 in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, during normal control, the detection unit 110 first determines whether or not an activation signal is detected (step S201). Here, if the controller 1 does not detect the activation signal (step S201, No), the process ends.

On the other hand, when the detection unit 110 detects the activation signal (step S201, Yes), the control unit 120 controls the compression unit 10 with the set number of times based on the activation signal, and sets the timer (step S202). Subsequently, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the detection unit 110 has detected the activation signal (step S203).

Here, when the detection unit 110 detects the activation signal (step S203, Yes), the control unit 120 controls the compression unit 10 so that the ejection count is smaller than the set count (step S204).

Subsequently, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the second time T2 has passed (step S205). If the second time T2 has passed (step S205, Yes), the control unit 120 ends the process.

On the other hand, when the second time T2 has not elapsed (step S205, No), the control unit 120 continues the processing after step S203. Further, in the process of step S203, when the activation signal is not detected (step S203, No), the control unit 120 omits the process of step S204 and proceeds to the process of step S205.

As described above, the gas ejection device 100 according to the embodiment is a device that ejects gas using the compression section 10 that compresses gas, and includes the detection section 110 and the control section 120 . The detection unit 110 detects a signal related to camera C (an example of an ejection target device). The control unit 120 controls the compression unit 10 so that the number of ejections changes according to the elapsed time from the detection of the signal by the detection unit 110 to the detection of the next signal. Therefore, according to the gas ejection device 100 according to the embodiment, it is possible to set an appropriate ejection frequency.

By the way, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the activation signal of the camera C is detected as the signal related to the ejection target device has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, such a signal may be a signal indicating that the image picked up by the camera C is displayed on the display unit.

Further, when the image captured by the camera C is used for sensing such as white line detection and obstacle detection of the vehicle 50, such a signal may be a signal indicating the start of white line detection or obstacle detection. Further, such a signal may be a signal indicating that the lens Cl of the camera C has adhered matter such as water droplets or mud.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the control unit 120 reduces the number of jets or does not jet according to the elapsed time has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the controller 120 can also increase the number of jets as the elapsed time increases.

In other words, when the elapsed time is long and there is a high possibility that a substance has adhered to the camera C, the control unit 120 increases the number of ejection times, so that a clear image can be provided more reliably.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the ejection target device is the camera C mounted on the vehicle 50 has been described, but the ejection target device is not limited to the camera C. FIG. That is, the ejection target device may be, for example, another device such as a security camera installed on the street.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which gas is ejected from the compression section 10 based on the activation signal input to the camera C in conjunction with the reverse gear, but the present invention is not limited to this.

That is, the gas ejection device 100 can also control the compression section 10 based on a signal regarding the backward movement of the vehicle 50 . Such a signal may be, for example, a reverse signal indicating that the vehicle 50 is moving backward, or any other signal that indicates that the vehicle 50 is moving backward.

That is, the gas ejection device 100 can eject the gas from the compression unit 10 regardless of the signal regarding the camera C when the vehicle 50 moves backward. In such a case, it is possible to limit the ejection of gas from the compression unit 10 when the vehicle 50 is intermittently reversing within a predetermined time.

That is, when the signal regarding the backward movement of the vehicle 50 is intermittently detected, the gas ejection device 100 determines that the vehicle 50 is parked in a reverse direction, and restricts the ejection of the gas from the compression unit 10 . Thereby, unnecessary ejection of the compression part 10 can be restricted.

Also, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the control device 1 is mounted in the gas ejection device 100 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the control device 1 may be provided outside the gas ejection device 100 . That is, the control device 1 may be provided near the driver's seat or the like.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the compression unit 10 is a rotary air compression mechanism has been described, but it may be a cylinder type air compression mechanism. In the above-described embodiment, the control device 1 directly detects the activation signal of the ejection target device, but it may indirectly detect the signal indicating that the ejection target device has been activated. .

Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the broader aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments so shown and described. Accordingly, various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 control device 10 compression section 13 drive section 13a motor 31 camera power supply 32 wiper switch 100 gas ejection device 110 detection section 120 control section C camera (an example of ejection target equipment)
SW Switch W Wiper We Wiper power supply

Claims (7)

A gas ejection device for ejecting gas,
a detection unit that detects a signal related to the ejection target device;
When the signal is detected by the detection unit, the number of times the gas is ejected is greater than the number of times the gas is ejected when the next signal is detected , and the signal is detected. and a control unit that does not eject gas when the next signal is detected within a first time elapsed after the gas is ejected. The control unit
The gas is ejected once when the signal is detected by the detection unit, and the gas is ejected twice or more when the next signal is detected. The gas ejection device according to claim 1. A gas ejection device for ejecting gas,
A control unit that controls to eject gas when the power is turned on and when there is an ejection instruction during the power-on period,
The control unit
Control is performed so that the number of gas ejections when the ejection instruction is given during the period when the power is on is greater than the number of times the gas is ejected when the power is turned on, and when the power is turned on, the gas is ejected. A gas ejection device characterized in that, when the ejection instruction is given within a first time period after the ejection of the gas, the gas is not ejected. If the next jetting instruction is given within a second period of time after the jetting instruction is given and the gas is jetted, the gas is not jetted.
The gas ejection device according to claim 3, characterized by: The ejection instruction is
5. The gas ejection device according to claim 3 or 4, which is output when the shift lever is reversed. The ejection instruction is
5. The gas ejection device according to claim 3 or 4, which is output when the camera is activated. A gas ejection method for ejecting gas,
A control step of controlling to eject gas when the power is turned on and when there is an ejection instruction while the power is on,
The control step includes
Control is performed so that the number of gas ejections when the ejection instruction is given during the period when the power is on is greater than the number of times the gas is ejected when the power is turned on, and when the power is turned on, the gas is ejected. wherein the gas is not jetted if the jetting instruction is given within a first period of time after jetting out the gas.

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