A camera cleaning device, method, system and a vehicle

Abstract

The application provides a camera cleaning device, method and system, and a vehicle. The camera cleaning device comprises a shell, an opening mechanism and a cleaning mechanism. The shell is arranged close to the camera. The shell comprises a containing cavity and a cover. The containing cavity has an opening. The cover is arranged on the opening. The opening mechanism is arranged in the containing cavity and connected to the cover. The opening mechanism controls the cover to open or close the opening. The cleaning mechanism is arranged in the containing cavity or on the side of the cover facing the containing cavity. When the opening is in an open state, the cleaning mechanism can perform a cleaning operation on the camera. The camera cleaning device provided by the application can hide the cleaning mechanism in the shell when the cleaning operation is not needed to be performed on the camera. When the cleaning operation needs to be performed on the camera, the cover is opened by the opening mechanism to open the opening, and the cleaning mechanism performs the cleaning operation on the camera. The cleanliness of the camera can be ensured, and the service life of the camera can be prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of equipment cleaning technology, and in particular to a camera cleaning device, method, system, and vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, vehicle cameras have become increasingly widely used due to their ability to reduce blind spots and improve driving convenience. Vehicle cameras include blind spot cameras, reversing cameras, and cameras for streaming rearview mirror sensors, but these cameras are generally installed on the exterior of the vehicle. For example, streaming rearview mirror sensors are typically installed on the spoiler or in the center of the rear door; and the working environment contains a large amount of pollutants, such as rain, snow, dust, smog, and mud. These pollutants adhere to the camera surface, causing contamination and affecting the clarity of the image, thus endangering driving safety. Therefore, to ensure high-definition visibility, cameras need to be cleaned. However, traditional camera cleaning devices are easily damaged or contaminated. Using a contaminated camera cleaning device to clean a camera cannot guarantee its cleanliness and may even affect its lifespan.

[0003] Therefore, how to ensure the cleanliness of the camera cleaning device and extend the service life of the camera is a technical problem that needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a camera cleaning device, method, terminal equipment, system, and vehicle, which aims to ensure the cleanliness of the camera cleaned by the camera cleaning device and extend the service life of the camera.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a camera cleaning device, which includes a housing, an opening mechanism, and a cleaning mechanism; wherein,

[0006] The housing is positioned close to the camera, and the housing includes a receiving cavity and a cover. The receiving cavity has an opening, and the cover is placed over the opening.

[0007] The opening mechanism is disposed in the accommodating cavity and connected to the cover, and the opening mechanism controls the cover to open or close the opening;

[0008] The cleaning mechanism is disposed within the accommodating cavity or on the side of the cover facing the accommodating cavity; when the opening is open, the cleaning mechanism can perform a cleaning operation on the camera.

[0009] In one embodiment, the cleaning mechanism includes a telescopic component and a cleaning component; the fixed end of the telescopic component is disposed on the side of the cover facing the receiving cavity, and the cleaning component is fixedly disposed on the movable end of the telescopic component; the telescopic component controls the cleaning component to perform a cleaning operation on the camera through telescopic movement.

[0010] In one embodiment, the cleaning assembly includes a wiper arm, a wiper blade, a spray line, and a nozzle;

[0011] The nozzle and the wiper blade are mounted on the wiper arm;

[0012] The spray pipe is connected to the nozzle and is used to deliver cleaning fluid to the nozzle.

[0013] In one embodiment, the wiper brush is a water-absorbing wiper brush; a squeezing groove is provided on the side of the cover facing the receiving cavity; the wiper brush can be accommodated in the squeezing groove, and when the cover closes the opening, the cover and the receiving cavity squeeze the wiper brush.

[0014] In one embodiment, the opening mechanism includes a telescopic drive member, the telescopic end of which is fixedly connected to the cover.

[0015] Secondly, this application also provides a camera cleaning method, applied to the camera cleaning apparatus as described in any of the above claims, the camera cleaning method comprising:

[0016] Acquire the target image captured by the camera;

[0017] Determine the target pollution level corresponding to the captured image of the target;

[0018] Based on the correspondence between pollution levels and cleaning procedures, determine the target cleaning procedure corresponding to the target pollution level;

[0019] The camera cleaning device is controlled to perform a cleaning operation on the camera according to the target cleaning program.

[0020] In one embodiment, determining the target contamination level corresponding to the target captured image includes:

[0021] Determine the target sharpness of the captured image;

[0022] Based on the correspondence between the target sharpness and each sharpness interval, and the correspondence between each sharpness interval and the pollution level, the target pollution level corresponding to the target image is determined.

[0023] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0024] After performing a preset number of cleaning operations on the camera, the cleaning data of the preset number of operations is sent to the data processor so that the data processor can update the correspondence between the contamination level and the cleaning program; the cleaning data includes the target captured image and the target cleaning program corresponding to the target captured image.

[0025] Thirdly, this application also provides another camera cleaning device, the camera cleaning device comprising:

[0026] The acquisition module is used to acquire the target image captured by the camera;

[0027] The level determination module is used to determine the target pollution level corresponding to the target captured image;

[0028] The program determination module is used to determine the target cleaning program corresponding to the target pollution level based on the correspondence between the pollution level and the cleaning program.

[0029] The control module is used to control any of the camera cleaning devices described above to perform a cleaning operation on the camera according to the target cleaning procedure.

[0030] Fourthly, this application also provides a terminal device. The terminal device includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the steps of the method described above.

[0031] Fifthly, this application also provides a camera cleaning system, which includes a camera, a terminal device, and a camera cleaning apparatus; wherein,

[0032] The camera is used to capture images of the target and send the captured images of the target to the terminal device;

[0033] The terminal device is used to acquire the target captured image; determine the target contamination level corresponding to the target captured image; determine the target cleaning procedure corresponding to the target contamination level according to the correspondence between the contamination level and the cleaning procedure; and control the camera cleaning device to perform a cleaning operation on the camera according to the target cleaning procedure.

[0034] The camera cleaning device is used to perform a cleaning operation on the camera.

[0035] Sixthly, this application also provides a vehicle, the vehicle including a vehicle body, and the vehicle further including the camera cleaning device described in any of the preceding claims.

[0036] This application provides a camera cleaning device. When cleaning is not required, the cleaning mechanism is concealed within a housing. When cleaning is needed, an opening mechanism opens the cover to allow the cleaning mechanism to perform the cleaning operation on the camera. Therefore, the camera cleaning device of this application can ensure the cleanliness of the cleaned camera and extend its service life.

[0037] It is understood that the camera cleaning method, terminal equipment, camera cleaning system and vehicle provided in the embodiments of this application have the same beneficial effects as the camera cleaning device described above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0038] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0039] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a camera cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning mechanism of a camera cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cleaning assembly provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the housing of a camera cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the water-squeezing tank of a camera cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a camera cleaning method provided in this application embodiment;

[0045] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating the correspondence between contamination level and cleaning degree provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating another camera cleaning method provided in this application embodiment;

[0047] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another camera cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a camera cleaning system provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0050] In the following description, specific details such as particular system architectures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will understand that this application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of this application with unnecessary detail.

[0051] It should be understood that, when used in this application specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or a collection thereof.

[0052] It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0053] As used in this application specification and the appended claims, the term "if" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "when," "once," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if detected [the described condition or event]" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as meaning "once determined," "in response to determination," "once detected [the described condition or event]," or "in response to detection [the described condition or event]."

[0054] Furthermore, in the description of this application and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0055] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. "A plurality" means "two or more."

[0056] The camera cleaning device provided in this application embodiment can be applied to vehicles for cleaning the camera of the vehicle's streaming media rearview mirror sensing component.

[0057] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a camera cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this application. The camera cleaning device provided in this embodiment includes a housing 10, an opening mechanism 20, and a cleaning mechanism 30;

[0058] The outer casing 10 is positioned close to the camera 40. The outer casing 10 includes a receiving cavity 11 and a cover 12. The receiving cavity 11 has an opening, and the cover 12 covers the opening (the front-facing side of the casing 10 in the figure is the opening).

[0059] An opening mechanism 20 is disposed in the receiving cavity 11 and connected to the cover 12. The opening mechanism 20 controls the cover 12 to open or close the opening.

[0060] The cleaning mechanism 30 is disposed inside the accommodating cavity 11 or on the side of the cover 12 facing the accommodating cavity 11; when the opening is open, the cleaning mechanism 30 can perform a cleaning operation on the camera 40.

[0061] The outer casing 10 is a component used to conceal and house the cleaning mechanism 30. The outer casing 10 can be made of metal, plastic, or other materials; this embodiment does not limit the type of outer casing 10. The outer casing 10 is positioned close to the camera 40, which also allows the cleaning mechanism 30 to be positioned close to the camera 40, facilitating the cleaning operation on the camera 40. Specifically, the position of the outer casing 10 relative to the camera 40 can be set according to the actual application scenario or actual setup requirements. For example, the outer casing 10 can be placed above, below, to the left, or to the right of the camera 40; this embodiment does not limit this. Furthermore, the outer casing 10 can be integrated with the camera surface decorative parts. In this embodiment, the outer casing 10 includes a receiving cavity 11 and a cover 12. The receiving cavity 11 has an opening, and the cover 12 covers the opening.

[0062] The opening mechanism 20 is disposed within the accommodating cavity 11 and connected to the cover 12. The opening mechanism 20 controls the opening or closing of the cover 12 by applying a force to it. In one implementation, there is no direct connection between the cover 12 and the opening of the accommodating cavity 11, and the cover 12 moves in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the cover 12 under the action of the opening mechanism 20. In another implementation, one side of the cover 12 is rotatably connected to the opening of the accommodating cavity 11, and the cover 12 flips around the rotatable connection under the action of the opening mechanism 20.

[0063] The cleaning mechanism 30 can be located inside the accommodating cavity 11. After the cover 12 opens, the cleaning mechanism 30 is moved out of the accommodating cavity 11 to perform a cleaning operation on the camera 40. Alternatively, the cleaning mechanism 30 can be located on the side of the cover 12 facing the accommodating cavity 11. When the cover 12 opens, the cleaning mechanism 30 is moved out simultaneously to perform a cleaning operation on the camera 40.

[0064] This application provides a camera cleaning device. When cleaning is not required, the cleaning mechanism is concealed within the housing. When cleaning is needed, the cover is opened via an opening mechanism, allowing the cleaning mechanism to perform the cleaning operation. Therefore, the camera cleaning device in this application can ensure the cleanliness of the cleaned camera and extend its service life.

[0065] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning mechanism of a camera cleaning device provided in this application embodiment. Based on the above embodiment, this embodiment further describes and optimizes the technical solution. Specifically, in this embodiment, the cleaning mechanism 30 includes a telescopic component 31 and a cleaning component 32; the fixed end of the telescopic component 31 is disposed on the side of the cover 12 facing the receiving cavity 11, and the cleaning component 32 is fixedly disposed on the movable end of the telescopic component 31; the telescopic component 31 controls the cleaning component 32 to perform a cleaning operation on the camera 40 through telescopic movement.

[0066] The telescopic component 31 can be a cylinder, an electric cylinder, or an electric push rod, etc., and this embodiment does not limit it.

[0067] Specifically, the fixed end of the telescopic component 31 is located on the side of the cover 12 facing the receiving cavity 11. The telescopic component 31 extends and retracts, driving the cleaning component 32, which is fixedly located at the movable end of the telescopic component 31, to reciprocate, thereby performing a cleaning operation on the camera 40. Specifically, the movement path of the telescopic component 31 is the cleaning path, and the movement speed of the telescopic component 31 is the program execution speed.

[0068] The camera cleaning device provided in this embodiment can move the cleaning mechanism while opening the cover, and the cleaning path can be controlled by the telescopic component, which can perform camera cleaning operations efficiently and conveniently.

[0069] In one specific embodiment, the cleaning assembly 32 includes a wiper arm 321, a wiper brush 322, a spray pipe 323, and a nozzle 324;

[0070] The nozzle 324 and the wiper 322 are mounted on the wiper arm 321;

[0071] The spray pipe 323 is connected to the nozzle 324 and is used to deliver cleaning fluid to the nozzle 324.

[0072] The wiper arm 321 serves as a carrier for the wiper brush 322, spray management, and nozzle 324. The axial direction of the wiper arm 321 can be perpendicular to the axial direction of the telescopic component 31, and the wiper arm 321 can be located at the end of the movable end of the telescopic component 31. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0073] The wiper 322 is used to wipe the surface of the camera 40; the spray pipe 323 is connected to the nozzle 324 for delivering cleaning fluid; the nozzle 324 is used to spray the cleaning fluid onto the surface of the camera 40. Specifically, the number of spray pipes 323 and nozzles 324 in the cleaning assembly 32 can be one or more, depending on actual needs, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0074] like Figure 2 As shown, the wiper arm 321 is a hollow component, and the spray pipe 323 is located inside the hollow area of ​​the wiper arm 321, conveying the cleaning fluid to the nozzle 324 along the axial direction of the wiper arm 321.

[0075] In one specific embodiment, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The camera cleaning device may also include a cleaning fluid storage tank 50 and a water pump 60; wherein the cleaning fluid storage tank 50 stores water, glass cleaner or other types of cleaning fluid; the water pump 60 provides power for the transportation of the cleaning fluid; the cleaning fluid storage tank 50 is connected to the inlet end of the water pump 60 through at least one spray pipe 323, and the outlet end of the water pump 60 is connected to the nozzle 324 through at least one spray pipe 323.

[0076] like Figure 3The diagram shows a structural schematic of a cleaning assembly. In this embodiment, the wiper brush 322 can be made of microfiber. The wiper brush 322 is evenly segmented and arranged on the surface of the wiper arm 321 in a covering manner. The wiper brush 322 is arranged at a preset angle (e.g., 45°) to the horizontal plane, with a coverage thickness of 2mm to 5mm and a segment spacing of no more than 2mm. The wiper brush 322 configured according to this embodiment can prevent wear on the camera surface and absorb water mist from the camera surface during the cleaning process, thus keeping the camera surface clean and tidy.

[0077] The camera cleaning device provided in this embodiment can improve the cleanliness of the camera surface.

[0078] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the housing of a camera cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the water-squeezing groove of a camera cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this application. Based on the above embodiment, this embodiment further explains and optimizes the technical solution. Specifically, in this embodiment, the wiper brush 322 is a water-absorbing wiper brush 322; a water-squeezing groove 121 is provided on the side of the cover 12 facing the receiving cavity 11; the wiper brush 322 can be accommodated in the water-squeezing groove 121, and when the cover 12 closes its opening, the cover 12 and the receiving cavity 11 squeeze the wiper brush 322.

[0079] In this embodiment, the wiper 322 is a water-absorbing wiper 322, that is, the wiper 322 is made of water-absorbing material; after the wiper 322 performs a wiping operation on the surface of the camera 40, it will absorb the water on the surface of the camera 40; therefore, in this embodiment, a water-squeezing groove 121 is further provided on the cover 12 to squeeze out the water absorbed by the wiper 322.

[0080] Specifically, a squeezing groove 121 is provided on the side of the cover 12 facing the receiving cavity 11, which can be provided at the end of the cover 12; the wiper 322 can be accommodated in the squeezing groove 121, and when the cover 12 closes its opening, the cover 12 and the receiving cavity 11 squeeze the wiper 322.

[0081] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the squeezing groove 121 is a trapezoidal groove. The width of the bottom of the trapezoidal groove matches the width of the wiper 322, so that the wiper 322 can be accommodated in the squeezing groove 121 and the wiper 322 can be subjected to the squeezing force of the two arms of the trapezoidal groove, so that the wiper 322 drains water under the pressure of the trapezoidal groove, and can fully drain the water absorbed by the wiper 322.

[0082] In another specific embodiment, a drain hole 122 is provided at the bottom of the squeezing trough 121. The specific shape of the drain hole 122 can be set according to actual needs. The setting position of the drain hole 122 can be flexibly set according to the setting method of the cleaning component 32. For example, it can be set at both ends or the middle of the squeezing trough 121. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0083] The camera cleaning device in this embodiment can squeeze out the water absorbed by the wiper blades in a timely and convenient manner, keeping the wiper blades dry, thereby ensuring the cleanliness when using the wiper blades to clean the camera.

[0084] Based on the above embodiments, this embodiment further explains and optimizes the technical solution. Specifically, in this embodiment, the opening mechanism includes a telescopic drive component, and the telescopic end of the telescopic drive component is fixedly connected to the cover.

[0085] The telescopic drive component can be a pneumatic cylinder, an electric cylinder, or an electric push rod; this embodiment does not limit the type of drive component.

[0086] In one specific embodiment, there is no direct connection between the cover and the opening of the accommodating cavity; the telescopic end of the telescopic drive is fixedly connected to the cover, and the fixed end of the telescopic drive is fixedly set at any position inside the accommodating cavity. The telescopic drive drives the cover to open or close the opening of the accommodating cavity through telescopic control; the cover moves in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the cover under the action of the telescopic drive.

[0087] Specifically, when the cover needs to be opened, the telescopic drive pushes the cover outward by a preset distance, which is the horizontal position between the wiper arm and the camera surface, so that the cleaning mechanism can clean the camera. After the cleaning operation is completed according to the target cleaning program, the telescopic component pulls the cover inward to control the cover to return to its original position, so that the cover is placed on the opening of the accommodating cavity, completing the opening closure and realizing the concealment of the cleaning mechanism.

[0088] The camera cleaning device provided in this embodiment can open the cover efficiently and conveniently, thus improving the convenience and efficiency of camera cleaning.

[0089] In another specific embodiment, one side of the cover is rotatably connected to the opening of the accommodating cavity, the telescopic end of the telescopic drive is movably connected to the cover, and the fixed end of the telescopic drive is fixedly set at any position inside the accommodating cavity. The telescopic drive drives the cover to open or close the opening of the accommodating cavity through telescopic control; the cover flips around the rotatable connection under the action of the telescopic drive.

[0090] The camera cleaning device provided in this embodiment can open the cover efficiently and conveniently, thus improving the convenience and efficiency of camera cleaning.

[0091] The camera cleaning method provided in this application embodiment can be executed by the processor of a terminal device when running a corresponding computer program. Figure 6 The flowchart illustrates a camera cleaning method provided in this embodiment. For ease of explanation, only the parts relevant to this embodiment are shown. The camera cleaning method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0092] S100: Acquire the target image captured by the camera.

[0093] The target image refers to the image captured by the camera. It can be a single frame image that is directly obtained as the target image, or a single frame image that is extracted from the video stream captured by the camera. This embodiment does not limit the method of obtaining the target image.

[0094] S200: Determine the target contamination level corresponding to the target image captured.

[0095] Here, the pollution level refers to the quantitative value of the degree of pollution of the captured image. In practice, the degree of pollution can be set to be positively correlated with the pollution level, that is, the more severe the pollution of the captured image, the higher the pollution level; or the degree of pollution can be set to be negatively correlated with the pollution level, that is, the more severe the pollution of the captured image, the lower the pollution level; this embodiment does not limit the specific setting method of the pollution level.

[0096] The target contamination level refers to the contamination level corresponding to the target captured image. Specifically, the target captured image can be analyzed, and the target contamination level corresponding to the target captured image can be determined according to pre-set judgment rules.

[0097] S300: Based on the correspondence between pollution level and cleaning procedure, determine the target cleaning procedure corresponding to the target pollution level.

[0098] The cleaning procedure refers to the steps performed when cleaning a camera. The cleaning procedure includes the procedure type, execution speed, and operation duration; the procedure type includes spraying and scraping. For example, one cleaning procedure might use a first preset speed to perform spraying followed by scraping, with spraying and scraping operating for a first operation duration and a second operation duration, respectively; another cleaning procedure might use a second preset speed to perform scraping for a third operation duration.

[0099] It should be noted that the relationship between the pollution level and the cleaning procedure can be one-to-one or many-to-one; this embodiment does not limit this.

[0100] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram illustrating the correspondence between contamination level and cleaning degree, provided as an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 As shown, this embodiment sets 5 pollution levels, and the higher the pollution level, the more severe the pollution: Pollution Level 1: No pollution, clear image; Pollution Level 2: Light pollution, relatively clear image; Pollution Level 3: Slight pollution, unclear image; Pollution Level 4: Moderate pollution, image visible but blurry; Pollution Level 5: Heavy pollution, blurry image. This embodiment sets 3 cleaning programs. The higher the cleaning program level, the stronger the cleaning ability. Level 1: Scraping only without spraying and the scraper runs at a slow speed; Level 2: Spraying starts first and the scraping speed is moderate; Level 3: Spraying starts first and the scraping speed is fast. In this embodiment, pollution levels 1 and 2 take into account that the camera surface is relatively clean during vehicle operation, but due to driving environment or air turbulence caused by vehicle movement, the surface may only be covered with a small amount of water mist, or the camera surface may be covered with water mist due to rain. Therefore, pollution levels 1 and 2 implement mode 1: only scraping is performed without spraying and the operation speed is relatively slow. For pollution levels 4 and 5, the main purpose is to ensure that calculations and judgments do not lead to errors, so mode 3 is activated: spraying is activated first and the scraping speed is fast. In addition, in this embodiment, pollution levels 1 and 2 correspond to the cleaning procedure of mode 1, so that the user can trigger the cleaning operation during driving initialization, and use the camera cleaning device to perform a cleaning operation on the camera to avoid generating error messages.

[0101] The target contamination level refers to the cleaning procedure that uniquely corresponds to the contamination level, determined based on the correspondence between contamination levels and cleaning procedures. In practice, the target cleaning procedure corresponding to the target contamination level can be determined by looking up a table, or a correspondence model can be pre-set. This model pre-defines the correspondence between each contamination level and cleaning procedure. The target contamination level is input into the model, and the model outputs the target cleaning procedure corresponding to the target contamination level.

[0102] S400: Controls the camera cleaning device to perform cleaning operations on the camera according to the target cleaning procedure.

[0103] Specifically, after determining the target cleaning procedure, the camera cleaning device is controlled to perform corresponding operations based on the target cleaning procedure. In a specific embodiment, assuming the target cleaning procedure is a level 1 cleaning procedure, the camera cleaning device is controlled to perform the corresponding operations according to the level 1 cleaning procedure.

[0104] The camera cleaning method provided in this application determines the corresponding target cleaning program based on the target contamination level of the target image captured by the camera, and automatically controls the camera cleaning device to perform cleaning operations on the camera according to the target cleaning program, which can achieve camera cleaning efficiently and conveniently.

[0105] Based on the above embodiments, this embodiment further explains and optimizes the technical solution. Specifically, in this embodiment, determining the target pollution level corresponding to the target captured image includes:

[0106] Determine the target's sharpness in the captured image;

[0107] Based on the correspondence between target sharpness and sharpness intervals, as well as the correspondence between sharpness intervals and pollution levels, the target pollution level corresponding to the captured image is determined.

[0108] Sharpness refers to the clarity of details and boundaries in the captured image. In practice, factors that contaminate cameras include rain, fog, snow, dust, and mud, all of which reduce the sharpness of the images captured by the camera.

[0109] It should be noted that the target sharpness corresponding to the target image can be determined by the Tenengrad gradient function, Laplacian gradient function, SMD (gray-level variance) function, SMD2 (gray-level variance product) function, Brenner gradient function, variance function, energy gradient function, Vollath function, and entropy function. This embodiment does not limit the specific method used.

[0110] In one specific implementation, a database of camera surface contamination can be pre-determined, and the resolution of each contaminated image in the database can be determined. Resolution intervals are then divided based on each resolution, with each resolution interval corresponding to a contamination level.

[0111] After determining the target sharpness corresponding to the target image, the target sharpness is compared with each sharpness interval. For each sharpness interval, it is determined whether the target sharpness belongs to that interval. If it does, it means that the sharpness interval is the interval corresponding to the target sharpness. The sharpness interval is then determined as the target sharpness interval, and the pollution level corresponding to the target sharpness interval is determined as the target pollution level.

[0112] According to the method of this embodiment, the target pollution level corresponding to the target captured image can be determined efficiently and conveniently, thereby enabling efficient and convenient camera cleaning operations.

[0113] Based on the above embodiments, this embodiment further explains and optimizes the technical solution. Specifically, in this embodiment, a camera cleaning method further includes:

[0114] After performing a preset number of cleaning operations on the camera, the cleaning data for the preset number of operations is sent to the data processor so that the data processor can update the correspondence between the contamination level and the cleaning program; the cleaning data includes the target captured image and the target cleaning program corresponding to the target captured image.

[0115] Specifically, after each cleaning operation, the execution count is updated, and after the execution count reaches a preset number, the target images corresponding to each cleaning operation of the preset number are determined, and the cleaning data is determined and sent to the data processor; wherein, the cleaning data includes the target images and the target cleaning program corresponding to the target images; this embodiment does not limit the specific value of the preset number, for example, it can be 15 times.

[0116] The data processor can be an embedded data processor in the terminal device or a cloud server; the specific type of data processor in this embodiment is not limited. Specifically, after acquiring the cleaning data corresponding to a preset number of times, the data processor updates the camera surface contamination database using the captured images of each target, and compares and analyzes the target cleaning program corresponding to the captured image to determine whether the target cleaning program corresponding to the captured image is executed accurately. It identifies the programs that execute accurately and the programs that execute incorrectly among the target cleaning programs, and updates the correspondence between contamination level and cleaning program.

[0117] In one specific implementation, if the data processor is a cloud server, the pre-stored correspondence in the terminal device can be updated through Over-the-Air Technology (OTA) to iteratively update the correspondence between the contamination level and the cleaning procedure.

[0118] As can be seen, the method according to this embodiment can update the correspondence between the contamination level and the cleaning procedure based on the actual execution of the camera cleaning operation, and can continuously improve the accuracy of the determined target cleaning procedure, thereby achieving efficient and accurate camera cleaning operation.

[0119] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to practical application scenarios. For example... Figure 8 A flowchart of another camera cleaning method provided in this application embodiment is shown. In this application embodiment, the vehicle intelligent cleaning system ECU (Electronic Control Unit) is used as the terminal device, and the system development end is used as the data processor for the description. The specific steps executed by the vehicle intelligent cleaning system ECU are as follows:

[0120] Step A1: Obtain the camera surface contamination database; the camera surface contamination database includes camera contamination images obtained when the vehicle is started or powered on, camera contamination images obtained when the camera cleaning operation is executed according to voice information control, and camera contamination images obtained when the camera cleaning operation is automatically executed according to the captured image during vehicle operation;

[0121] Step A2: Obtain the correspondence between the resolution range and the pollution level;

[0122] Step A3: Acquire the target image captured by the camera;

[0123] Step A4: Determine the target sharpness in the captured image;

[0124] Step A5: Determine the target pollution level corresponding to the target image based on the correspondence between the target sharpness and each sharpness interval, as well as the correspondence between each sharpness interval and the pollution level.

[0125] Step A6: Based on the correspondence between contamination levels and cleaning procedures, determine the target cleaning procedure corresponding to the target contamination level;

[0126] Step A7: Control the camera cleaning device to perform the cleaning operation on the camera according to the target cleaning program;

[0127] Step A8: After performing a preset number of cleaning operations on the camera, send the cleaning data of the preset number of operations to the system development end; the cleaning data includes the target captured image and the target cleaning program corresponding to the target captured image.

[0128] The steps executed on the system development side are as follows:

[0129] Step B1: Receive cleaning data for a preset number of cycles;

[0130] Step B2: Update the correspondence between contamination level and cleaning procedure based on the cleaning data from the preset number of cleaning cycles;

[0131] Step B3: Update the camera surface contamination database using the target images captured by the preset number of cleaning operations; that is, store the target images in the camera surface contamination database as camera contamination images.

[0132] Step B4: Send the updated mapping and the updated camera surface contamination database to the vehicle intelligent cleaning system ECU via Over-the-Air Technology (OTA).

[0133] This application provides a camera cleaning method that determines a corresponding target cleaning procedure based on the target contamination level of the target image captured by the camera. The method automatically controls the camera cleaning device to perform cleaning operations on the camera according to the target cleaning procedure, which can efficiently and conveniently achieve camera cleaning. Furthermore, it can continuously improve the accuracy of the determined target cleaning procedure, thereby achieving efficient and accurate camera cleaning operations.

[0134] It should be understood that the sequence number of each step in the above embodiments does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0135] Figure 9 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of another camera cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 As shown, the camera cleaning device of this embodiment includes an acquisition module 910, a grade determination module 920, a program determination module 930, and a control module 940; wherein,

[0136] The acquisition module 910 is used to acquire the target image captured by the camera.

[0137] The level determination module 920 is used to determine the target pollution level corresponding to the target captured image;

[0138] The program determination module 930 is used to determine the target cleaning procedure corresponding to the target pollution level based on the correspondence between pollution level and cleaning procedure;

[0139] The control module 940 is used to control the camera cleaning device to perform cleaning operations on the camera according to the target cleaning program.

[0140] The camera cleaning apparatus provided in this application embodiment has the same beneficial effects as the camera cleaning method described above.

[0141] In one embodiment, the level determination module 920 includes:

[0142] The sharpness determination submodule is used to determine the sharpness of the target image captured;

[0143] The pollution level determination submodule is used to determine the target pollution level corresponding to the target image based on the target sharpness and the correspondence between each sharpness range and the correspondence between each sharpness range and the pollution level.

[0144] In one embodiment, a camera cleaning device further includes:

[0145] The data update module is used to send the cleaning data of the preset number of times to the data processor after performing a preset number of cleaning operations on the camera, so that the data processor can update the correspondence between the contamination level and the cleaning program; the cleaning data includes the target captured image and the target cleaning program corresponding to the target captured image.

[0146] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the above-mentioned devices / units are based on the same concept as the method embodiments of this application. For details on their specific functions and technical effects, please refer to the method embodiments section, and they will not be repeated here.

[0147] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is merely an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. Furthermore, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above system can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0148] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 10 As shown, the terminal device 1000 of this embodiment includes a memory 1001, a processor 1002, and a computer program 1003 stored in the memory 1001 and executable on the processor 1002; when the processor 1002 executes the computer program 1003, it implements the steps in the above-described camera cleaning method embodiments; or when the processor 1002 executes the computer program 1003, it implements the functions of each module / unit in the above-described device embodiments.

[0149] For example, computer program 1003 can be divided into one or more modules / units, and one or more modules / units are stored in memory 1001 and executed by processor 1002 to implement the method of the embodiments of this application. One or more modules / units can be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of performing specific functions, which describe the execution process of computer program 1003 in terminal device 1000. For example, computer program 1003 can be divided into an acquisition module, a level determination module, a program determination module, and a control module, with the specific functions of each module as follows:

[0150] The acquisition module is used to acquire the target image captured by the camera;

[0151] The level determination module is used to determine the target pollution level corresponding to the target captured image;

[0152] The program determination module is used to determine the target cleaning procedure corresponding to the target pollution level based on the correspondence between pollution level and cleaning procedure.

[0153] The control module is used to control the camera cleaning device to perform cleaning operations on the camera according to the target cleaning program.

[0154] In applications, terminal device 1000 can be a desktop computer, laptop, handheld computer, cloud server, or ECU of a vehicle intelligent cleaning system, etc. Terminal device 1000 may include, but is not limited to, memory 1001 and processor 1002. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 10 This is merely an example of a terminal device and does not constitute a limitation on the terminal device. It may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or use different components.

[0155] For example, the terminal device 1000 may also include an OTA component 1004, which is used to receive the updated correspondence between the contamination level and the cleaning program sent by the data processor, so as to update the correspondence between the contamination level and the cleaning program stored in the terminal device 1000 in advance, that is, to realize the software upgrade.

[0156] Terminal device 1000 may also include communication component 1005, which is used to communicate wirelessly with external devices, such as communicating with a vehicle, to realize vehicle-mounted system communication.

[0157] Terminal device 1000 may also include power supply component 1006, which may be a vehicle power system that provides power to terminal device 1000;

[0158] The terminal device 1000 may also include an input / output interface 1007, which serves as an interface for each control component.

[0159] In applications, the processor can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0160] In applications, memory can be an internal storage unit of a terminal device, such as its hard drive or RAM; it can also be an external storage device, such as a plug-in hard drive, Smart Media Card (SMC), Secure Digital (SD) card, or Flash Card; or it can include both internal and external storage units. Memory is used to store operating systems, applications, boot loaders, data, and other programs, such as computer program code. Memory can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0161] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a camera cleaning system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 11 As shown, an embodiment of this application provides a camera cleaning system 1100 including a camera 1110, a terminal device 1120, and a camera cleaning apparatus 1130; wherein,

[0162] Camera 1110 is used to capture the target image and send the target image to terminal device 1120;

[0163] Terminal device 1120 is used to acquire the target image; determine the target contamination level corresponding to the target image; determine the target cleaning procedure corresponding to the target contamination level according to the correspondence between the contamination level and the cleaning procedure; and control camera cleaning device 1130 to perform cleaning operation on camera 1110 according to the target cleaning procedure.

[0164] The camera cleaning device 1130 is used to perform a cleaning operation on the camera 1110.

[0165] This application provides a camera cleaning system. The camera cleaning device can ensure the cleanliness of the cleaned camera and extend its service life. The terminal device can determine the corresponding target cleaning program according to the target pollution level of the target image captured by the camera, and automatically control the camera cleaning device to perform cleaning operations on the camera according to the target cleaning program, which can achieve camera cleaning efficiently and conveniently.

[0166] In one specific embodiment, the camera cleaning system 1100 further includes a voice control component 1140, which is communicatively connected to the terminal device 1120.

[0167] The voice control component 1140 is used to acquire voice information, determine the corresponding cleaning instruction based on the voice information, and send the cleaning instruction to the terminal device 1120.

[0168] Terminal device 1120 is also used to control camera cleaning device 1130 to perform corresponding cleaning operations according to cleaning instructions.

[0169] As can be seen, the camera cleaning system in this embodiment can utilize a voice control component to achieve human-computer interaction, directly controlling the camera cleaning device to perform corresponding cleaning operations based on the user's voice information.

[0170] The camera cleaning system provided in this embodiment can perform camera cleaning operations directly based on voice information, making the camera cleaning operation more convenient.

[0171] In one specific embodiment, the camera cleaning system 1100 further includes a self-cleaning component 1150, which is communicatively connected to the terminal device 1120;

[0172] When the self-cleaning component 1150 detects that the vehicle is in power-on mode, it generates a trigger command and sends the trigger command to the terminal device 1120;

[0173] Terminal device 1120 is also used to control camera cleaning device 1130 to perform corresponding cleaning operations according to trigger instructions.

[0174] The camera cleaning system provided in this embodiment can automatically trigger the camera cleaning operation when the vehicle is detected to be powered on before the user is about to drive the vehicle, in cases where the vehicle has been parked for a long time or the camera is free from contaminants such as water mist, rain, snow or mud, ensuring the cleanliness of the camera surface during vehicle operation.

[0175] In one specific embodiment, the camera cleaning system 1100 further includes a streaming media component 1160, which is installed in the driver's cabin of the vehicle and is used to display the target image captured by the camera 1110 to provide the driver with assisted driving information.

[0176] This application also provides a vehicle, which includes a vehicle body and a camera cleaning device as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0177] The vehicle provided in this application includes a camera cleaning device, and therefore the vehicle provided in this application has the same beneficial effects as the camera cleaning device described above.

[0178] This application implements all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments, which can be accomplished by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed by a processor, it can implement the steps of the various method embodiments described above. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable file, or some intermediate form. The computer-readable medium can include at least: any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code to a terminal device, a recording medium, a computer memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an electrical carrier signal, a telecommunication signal, and a software distribution medium, such as a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0179] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0180] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the device and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0181] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interface, or the device may be indirectly coupled or communicated, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0182] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A camera cleaning device, characterized in that, The camera cleaning device includes a housing, an opening mechanism, and a cleaning mechanism; wherein... The housing is positioned close to the camera, and the housing includes a receiving cavity and a cover. The receiving cavity has an opening, and the cover is placed over the opening. The opening mechanism is disposed in the accommodating cavity and connected to the cover, and the opening mechanism controls the cover to open or close the opening; The cleaning mechanism is disposed within the accommodating cavity or on the side of the cover facing the accommodating cavity; when the opening is open, the cleaning mechanism can perform a cleaning operation on the camera. The cleaning mechanism includes a cleaning component, which includes a wiper brush, and the wiper brush is a water-absorbing wiper brush. The cover has a squeezing groove on the side facing the receiving cavity, and the bottom of the squeezing groove has a drainage hole. The wiper brush can be accommodated in the squeezing groove. When the cover closes the opening, the cover and the receiving cavity squeeze the wiper brush. The squeezing groove is a trapezoidal groove, and the width of the bottom of the trapezoidal groove matches the width of the wiper brush so that the wiper brush can be accommodated in the squeezing groove and the wiper brush can be squeezed by the two arms of the trapezoidal groove, thereby making the wiper brush drain water under the pressure of the trapezoidal groove.

2. The camera cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning mechanism also includes a telescopic component; the fixed end of the telescopic component is located on the side of the cover facing the accommodating cavity, and the cleaning component is fixedly located on the movable end of the telescopic component; the telescopic component controls the cleaning component to perform a cleaning operation on the camera through telescopic movement.

3. The camera cleaning device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cleaning assembly also includes wiper arms, spray lines, and nozzles; The nozzle and the wiper brush are disposed on the wiper arm; The spray pipe is connected to the nozzle and is used to deliver cleaning fluid to the nozzle.

4. The camera cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The opening mechanism includes a telescopic drive component, the telescopic end of which is fixedly connected to the cover.

5. A method for cleaning a camera, characterized in that, The camera cleaning method, applied to the camera cleaning apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, comprises: Acquire the target image captured by the camera; Determine the target pollution level corresponding to the captured image of the target; Based on the correspondence between pollution levels and cleaning procedures, determine the target cleaning procedure corresponding to the target pollution level; The camera cleaning device is controlled to perform a cleaning operation on the camera according to the target cleaning program.

6. The camera cleaning method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Determining the target contamination level corresponding to the target captured image includes: Determine the target sharpness of the captured image; Based on the correspondence between the target sharpness and each sharpness interval, and the correspondence between each sharpness interval and the pollution level, the target pollution level corresponding to the target image is determined.

7. The camera cleaning method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: After performing a preset number of cleaning operations on the camera, the cleaning data of the preset number of operations is sent to the data processor so that the data processor can update the correspondence between the contamination level and the cleaning program; the cleaning data includes the target captured image and the target cleaning program corresponding to the target captured image.

8. A camera cleaning system, characterized in that, The camera cleaning system includes a camera, a terminal device, and the camera cleaning apparatus as described in claim 1; wherein... The camera is used to capture images of the target and send the captured images of the target to the terminal device; The terminal device is used to acquire the target captured image; determine the target contamination level corresponding to the target captured image; determine the target cleaning procedure corresponding to the target contamination level according to the correspondence between the contamination level and the cleaning procedure; and control the camera cleaning device to perform a cleaning operation on the camera according to the target cleaning procedure. The camera cleaning device is used to perform a cleaning operation on the camera.

9. A vehicle, said vehicle comprising a vehicle body, characterized in that, The vehicle also includes a camera cleaning device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

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