Camera lens cleaning mechanism

Abstract

The invention discloses a camera lens cleaning mechanism which comprises a medium supply source used for supplying a medium for cleaning a lens to a medium output end; the medium output end is used for outputting the medium provided by the medium supply source to the lens through the first channel; the at least one first channel is arranged on the medium output end, and a medium outlet of the first channel faces the lens; an included angle a is formed between the extension line of the central axis of the first channel and the radius of the lens. The first through hole is an obliquely arranged hole, so that different from oblique incidence in the prior art, a cleaning medium oblique incidence mode is adopted, and the condition of medium overflow of a direct injection lens is avoided. By means of the inclined arrangement mode, an incident angle exists between a medium and the lens, no matter a jet flow or fan-shaped spraying mode is adopted, splashing of water spots can be effectively avoided, rotating water can be formed on the surface of the lens, and the scouring force is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cameras, and more particularly to a camera lens cleaning mechanism. Background Art

[0002] Cameras currently on the market, especially car cameras, are usually equipped with cleaning mechanisms to remove stains on the cameras. The most common cleaning mechanisms include water and steam cleaning mechanisms represented by CN202121758843.X and CN103043035B, air cleaning mechanisms represented by CN206436913U and CN220332638U, and physical cleaning mechanisms represented by CN111601024B and CN206868696U. In the above three types of cleaning, they are all committed to how to clean the lens by changing the materials used to clean the lens, such as water, air, brushes, etc. For example, the differences in different patents are mostly in the water temperature, gas pressure, vertical reciprocating or fan-shaped reciprocating brushing, etc. Therefore, how to improve the cleaning efficiency by optimizing the structure of the cleaning mechanism itself in the absence of a physical cleaning mechanism such as a brush, so that the lens can be effectively cleaned regardless of the water temperature or pressure is a technical problem to be solved by the present invention. Summary of the invention

[0003] A series of simplified concepts are introduced in the Summary of the Invention, which will be further described in detail in the Detailed Description of the Invention. The Summary of the Invention does not mean to attempt to define the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor does it mean to attempt to determine the scope of protection of the claimed technical solution.

[0004] In order to at least partially solve the above problems, the present invention provides a camera lens cleaning mechanism, comprising:

[0005] A medium supply source, used for supplying a medium for cleaning the lens to a medium output end;

[0006] The medium output terminal is used to output the medium provided by the medium supply source to the lens through the first channel;

[0007] at least one first channel, the first channel being arranged on the medium output end, and the medium outlet of the first channel facing the lens;

[0008] There is an angle a between the extension line of the central axis of the first channel and the radius of the lens.

[0009] Preferably, it further comprises a second channel, one end of which is connected to the medium supply source, and the other end of which is connected to the first channel through the medium output end.

[0010] Preferably, the opening area of ​​the medium inlet of the first channel is larger than the opening area of ​​the medium outlet.

[0011] Preferably, the first channel is an arc-shaped channel.

[0012] Preferably, the first channel is a channel that diverges outward in a spiral shape with the lens as the center.

[0013] Preferably, at least one third channel is provided on the medium output end, the first channel is communicated with the third channel, and the medium supply source is communicated with the first channel through the third channel.

[0014] Preferably, the medium output end is an annular structure, which is sleeved on the outside of the lens, the third channel is an annular channel, the first channel is arranged on the inner ring wall of the medium output end, and the medium inlet of the first channel is connected to the third channel.

[0015] Preferably, the number of the first channels is greater than one, and the intervals between two adjacent first channels are the same.

[0016] Preferably, the media output from two adjacent first channels do not have reverse contact during the process from being output from the media outlet to contacting the lens.

[0017] Preferably, the medium is a non-rigid substance.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0019] It can be seen that the first through hole is an inclined hole, which is different from the "oblique incidence" in the prior art. The present invention adopts the method of oblique incidence of the cleaning medium to avoid the overflow of the medium in the "direct spray" lens. Taking water as an example of the cleaning medium, in the prior art, the "direct spray" method will cause water to splash everywhere, and vertical incidence, whether it is a jet or a fan-shaped spray method, there will be a dead angle on the lens. In addition to splashing water, the splashed water will also be more likely to adhere to impurities or form water stains. This is why the prior art needs to set up a "water, steam" combination and a "water, physical cleaning" combination, just to remove the water stains splashed in the dead corners of the lens. Although the "air" blowing in the prior art can effectively remove the "solid" impurities in the dead corners, it cannot remove the stains formed by the residual liquid such as water stains. The present application adopts the method of oblique setting of the first through hole, so that the medium and the lens have an incident angle. Whether it is a jet or a fan-shaped spray method, it can effectively avoid splashing water points, and can also form "rotating water" on the surface of the lens to increase the flushing force. At the same time, the "oblique incidence" method can increase the flow rate of the liquid on the lens surface, thereby having a larger cleaning area and effectively avoiding cleaning dead corners. Because the increase in the cleaning area can reduce the number of first channels, a small number of first channels can be used to fully cover the lens, thereby reducing the production difficulty of the medium output end, indirectly optimizing the production process of the medium output end, and reducing production costs.

[0020] The camera lens cleaning mechanism described in the present invention, other advantages, objectives and features of the present invention will be reflected in part through the following description, and in part will be understood by technicians in this field through research and practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present invention, they are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0022] Figure 1 The figure is a schematic diagram of the camera lens cleaning mechanism of the present invention on the lens.

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Exploded diagram.

[0024] Figure 3 It is a partial cross-sectional view of the camera lens cleaning mechanism described in the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 The present invention is a schematic structural diagram of the medium output end of the camera lens cleaning mechanism.

[0026] Figure 5It is a cross-sectional view of the medium output end of the camera lens cleaning mechanism described in the present invention.

[0027] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the angle between the extension line of the central axis of the first channel and the lens radius.

[0028] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the media of two adjacent first channels without contact (A) and with contact (B).

[0029] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the adjusting nozzle of the camera lens cleaning mechanism described in the present invention.

[0030] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the diffusion assist device of the present invention in the first through hole.

[0031] Fig.10 Schematic diagram of the medium rotating after flowing through the diffusion assist device.

[0032] Fig.11 Schematic diagram of the diffusion assist device described in the present invention.

[0033] In the figure: 100 lens, 200 medium, 1 medium output end, 2 first channel, 21 medium inlet, 22 medium outlet, 3 second channel, 4 third channel, 5 regulating nozzle, 51 inlet end, 52 outlet end, 6 diffusion auxiliary device, 61 clamping section, 62 drainage section, 63 jet section, 64 jet hole, diverter slot 65. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments so that those skilled in the art can implement the invention with reference to the description.

[0035] It should be understood that the terms such as “having”, “including” and “comprising” used herein do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other elements or combinations thereof.

[0036] As shown in the figure, the present invention provides a camera lens cleaning mechanism, including: a medium supply source, used to supply a medium for cleaning the lens to the medium output terminal 1; the medium supply source includes a medium storage bin and a supply device, for example, the medium storage bin can be a water tank, the supply device can be a water pump, and the medium supply source mainly supplies the medium, so any commercially available product or prior art that can supply the cleaning medium to the medium output terminal 1 can be used as the medium supply source. The medium is a non-rigid substance, which can be a liquid (such as water, cleaning liquid, etc.), a gel-like liquid (such as a volatile, rinse-free gel-like liquid similar to a hand sanitizer), a high-temperature water vapor (such as water vapor, etc.), or a gas (such as compressed air or an inert gas, etc.). It should be noted that the non-rigid substance is a substance used to clean the lens that will not cause significant damage to the lens by only one cleaning.

[0037] The medium output terminal 1 is used to output the medium provided by the medium supply source to the lens through the first channel 2;

[0038] At least one first channel 2, the first channel 2 is arranged on the medium output end 1, the first channel 2 can be a tube arranged on the medium output end 1, and can also be a hole arranged on the medium output end 1, the cleaning medium can be directly delivered to the first channel 2 by the medium supply source; or it can be first delivered to the medium output end 1 and then distributed to the first channel 2, and the specific setting method can be adaptively set according to the number of first channels 2 and the volume of the camera, and the medium outlet 22 of the first channel 2 faces the lens to ensure that the cleaning medium can fall on the lens after leaving the medium outlet 22;

[0039] There is an angle a between the extension line of the central axis of the first channel 2 and the radius of the lens. Figure 5 , 6As shown, it can be seen that the first through hole 2 is an inclined hole, thereby achieving a different "oblique incidence" from the prior art. The present invention adopts an oblique incidence method for the cleaning medium to avoid the situation where the medium overflows in the "direct spray" lens. Taking water as an example of the cleaning medium, in the prior art, the "direct spray" method will cause water to splash everywhere, and vertical incidence, whether it is a jet or a fan-shaped spray method, there will be a dead angle on the lens, and in addition to splashing water, the splashed water will also be more likely to adhere to impurities or form water stains. This is why the prior art needs to set up a "water, steam" combination and a "water, physical cleaning" combination, just to remove the water stains splashed in the dead corners of the lens. Although the "air" blowing in the prior art can effectively remove the "solid" impurities in the dead corners, it cannot remove the stains formed by the residual liquid such as water stains. The present application adopts the method of obliquely setting the first through hole 2, so that the medium and the lens have an incident angle. Whether it is a jet or a fan-shaped spray method, it can effectively avoid splashing water points, and can also form "rotating water" on the surface of the lens to increase the flushing force. At the same time, the "oblique incidence" method can increase the flow rate of the liquid on the lens surface, thereby having a larger cleaning area and effectively avoiding cleaning dead corners. Because the cleaning area increases, the number of first channels 2 can be reduced, and a small number of first channels 2 can be used to fully cover the lens, thereby reducing the production difficulty of the medium output end 1, indirectly optimizing the production process of the medium output end 1, and reducing production costs.

[0040] Furthermore, it also includes a second channel 3, one end of which is connected to the medium supply source, and the other end is connected to the first channel 2 through the medium output end 1. The second channel 3 can be a separate pipeline or a hole set on the camera. The second channel 3 is mainly responsible for the task of medium transportation. By setting the second channel 3, the medium supply source can be set separately from the medium output end 1. The opening area of ​​the medium inlet 21 of the first channel 2 is larger than the opening area of ​​the medium outlet 22. Figure 5 As shown, the first channel 2 can be a hole or a pipe with a gradually decreasing inner diameter. By reducing the inner diameter to increase the injection speed of the medium, the cleaning force of the medium on the lens is increased. It should be noted that the medium outlet 22 can be circular, such as Figure 1-5 As shown, it can also be a flat port. The shape of different medium outlets 22 determines whether the medium is fan-shaped or jet-shaped after being ejected. At least one third channel 4 is provided on the medium output end 1, the first channel 2 is connected to the third channel 4, and the medium supply source is connected to the first channel 2 through the third channel 4;

[0041] When the third channels 4 are provided in plurality, each first channel 2 is connected to the second channel 3 via one third channel 4. If there is a design requirement, a controller may be provided on the medium output end 1 or the medium supply source to realize the separate supply and control of the medium of each first channel 2.

[0042] When the third channel 4 is set as one, all the first channels 2 are usually connected to the third channel 4. Because the lens is spherical, the medium output end 1 is usually an annular structure, which is sleeved on the outside of the lens. The third channel 4 is an annular channel, and the first channel 2 is arranged on the inner ring wall of the medium output end 1 to ensure that the cleaning medium can be sprayed onto the lens. The medium inlet 21 of the first channel 2 is connected to the third channel 4. In order to match the annular third channel, the first channel 2 is usually an arc-shaped channel, and the bending direction is consistent with the flow direction of the medium in the third channel 4, both are clockwise or both are clockwise. Furthermore, the first channel 2 is a channel that spirally diverges outward with the lens as the center, so that it has sufficient length to change the aperture while ensuring that the first channel 2 is arc-shaped, and the direction of the medium outlet 22 can also be adjusted, such as Figure 5 As shown, the medium outlet 22 can be directed closer to the center of the annular third channel 4, so that the medium output end 1 can be used as a universal end, suitable for lenses of various sizes, and there will be no situation where the medium cannot be sprayed to the lens due to the small size of the lens. And when the number of first channels 2 is greater than one, the spacing between two adjacent first channels 2 is the same. In order to ensure the flushing force of the medium on the lens, it is necessary to ensure that the medium output from two adjacent first channels 2 has no reverse contact during the process from being output from the medium outlet 22 to contacting the lens. That is, the medium sprayed from two adjacent first channels 2 can only appear as follows Figure 7 The two situations shown in A and B are: Figure 7 A shows that the two media are not in contact, and B shows that the two media are in contact but not in reverse contact. In order to avoid the reaction force between the media sprayed onto the lens or the media in contact with each other, which affects the flushing effect, as long as there is no reverse contact, the rotating water formed by "oblique incidence" will make the media sprayed by the two adjacent first channels 2 form a mutually supporting water flow in the same direction, thereby improving the flushing effect on the lens.

[0043] Furthermore, because the medium output end 1 is usually made in one piece, the position of the first channel 2 is also fixed, and the position of the medium outlet 22 is also fixed. That is to say, once the medium output end 1 is completed, the "incident angle" of the medium can no longer be adjusted. In order to further increase the versatility of the medium output end 1, an adjusting nozzle 5 is arranged inside the first channel 2. The adjusting nozzle 5 is a conical tubular structure, and the outer wall shape of the adjusting nozzle 5 is adapted to the inner wall shape of the first channel 2. The outer diameter of the inlet end 51 of the adjusting nozzle 5 is larger than the inner diameter of the medium outlet 22 of the first channel 2, and the outlet end 52 of the adjusting nozzle 5 is larger than the inner diameter of the medium outlet 22 of the first channel 2. The outer diameter of the adjusting nozzle 5 is smaller than the inner diameter of the medium outlet 22 of the first channel 2, so that the adjusting nozzle 5 can be manufactured separately as an accessory. When installing, it is only necessary to insert the adjusting nozzle 5 as a whole into the first channel 2. Because the shape of the outer wall of the adjusting nozzle 5 is adapted to the arc structure of the first channel 2, the adjusting nozzle 5 can smoothly expose the outlet end 52 from the medium outlet 22 of the first channel 2 after being inserted into the first channel 2. When the medium is sprayed, the medium can firmly press the adjusting nozzle 5 against the inner wall of the first channel 2. In order to increase the sealing performance of the adjusting nozzle 5, an annular groove is provided on the outer wall of the adjusting nozzle 5 and a sealing ring is sleeved. The through hole of the adjusting nozzle 5 is an arc hole, such as Figure 8 As shown, even if the first channel 2 is arranged along the diameter direction of the lens, the effect of "oblique incidence" can still be achieved by adjusting the nozzle 5. After the medium output end 1 is installed, the adjusting nozzle 5 can be manually rotated to change the "incident angle" of the medium so as to adapt to cameras of various shapes and sizes, thereby avoiding cleaning dead corners.

[0044] In the previous embodiment, we mentioned that the structure for auxiliary medium injection can be made in the form of accessories. Then, further, a diffusion auxiliary device 6 can be set in the first channel 2 as a substitute for the previous embodiment, and can also be used together with the regulating nozzle 5 in the previous embodiment. In this embodiment, the diffusion auxiliary device 6 is composed of a snap-on section 61, a drainage section 62 and a jet section 63. The outer diameter of the snap-on section 61 is larger than the outer diameter of the drainage section 62, the outer diameter of the drainage section 62 is larger than the outer diameter of the jet section 63, the outer diameter of the jet section 63 is not smaller than the inner diameter of the medium outlet 22, and the outer diameter of the snap-on section 61 is not larger than the inner diameter of the medium inlet 21. As a result, after being placed in the first channel 2, the diffusion auxiliary device 6 can be stuck inside the first channel 2 through the snap-on section 61 and will not protrude from the medium outlet 22. Fig. 9 As shown, the diffusion auxiliary device 6 does not increase the volume of the medium outlet 1 compared with the regulating nozzle 5.

[0045] The end of the diffusion auxiliary device 6 is provided with a jet hole 64 that penetrates the clamping section 61, the drainage section 62 and the jet section 63. The side wall of the diffusion auxiliary device 6 is provided with at least three diversion grooves 65 that extend from the clamping section 61, through the drainage section 62 to the jet section 63. The diversion grooves 65 are spirally arranged on the outer wall of the diffusion auxiliary device 6. The connection between the outer wall of the clamping section 61 and the outer wall of the drainage section 62 is provided with a first inclined surface for abutting against the inner wall of the first channel 2. When the diffusion auxiliary device 6 is located in the first channel 2, it abuts against the inner wall of the first channel 2 through the first inclined surface. The outer wall of the jet section 63 is provided with a second inclined surface. When the first inclined surface cannot abut against the inner wall of the first channel 2, the second inclined surface can abut against the inner wall of the first channel 2. At the same time, the second inclined surface also provides a space for the medium flowing in from the diverter groove 65 to form a rotating medium. In addition to reaching the medium outlet 22 through the jet hole 64, the medium in the first channel 2 can also reach the medium outlet 22 through the diverter groove 65. Because the diverter groove 65 is spirally arranged on the outer wall of the diffusion auxiliary device 6, the medium flowing out through the diverter groove 65 will rotate, such as Fig.10 As shown, the rotating medium will be radiated to the lens in an umbrella shape after being ejected through the medium outlet 22, and the medium flowing out of the jet hole 64 can accelerate the rotating medium and make up for the problem of insufficient flushing force of the "umbrella" center caused by the umbrella-shaped radiation, thereby increasing the speed of the medium ejecting from the medium outlet 22 and increasing the flushing force. By setting the diffusion auxiliary device 6, the sheet-shaped and fan-shaped injection surface can be transformed into a three-dimensional umbrella-shaped injection surface, thereby greatly increasing the flushing area of ​​the medium.

[0046] In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “lateral”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “up”, “down”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, “outside”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise”, “axial”, “radial”, “circumferential”, etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0047] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or communication with each other; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0048] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed as above, they are not limited to the applications listed in the specification and the implementation methods. They can be fully applied to various fields suitable for the present invention. For those familiar with the art, additional modifications can be easily implemented. Therefore, without departing from the general concept defined by the claims and the scope of equivalents, the present invention is not limited to the specific details and the illustrations shown and described herein.

Claims

1. A camera lens cleaning mechanism, characterized in that: include: A medium supply source, used for supplying a medium for cleaning the lens to a medium output end (1); A medium output end (1) is used to output the medium provided by the medium supply source to the lens through the first channel (2); At least one first channel (2), the first channel (2) being arranged on the medium output end (1), and the medium outlet (22) of the first channel (2) facing the lens; There is an angle a between the extension line of the central axis of the first channel (2) and the radius of the lens.

2. The camera lens cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises a second channel (3), one end of which is connected to the medium supply source, and the other end of which is connected to the first channel (2) through the medium output end (1).

3. The camera lens cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The opening area of ​​the medium inlet (21) of the first channel (2) is larger than the opening area of ​​the medium outlet (22).

4. The camera lens cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first channel (2) is an arc-shaped channel.

5. The camera lens cleaning mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first channel (2) is a channel that diverges outward in a spiral shape with the lens as the center.

6. The camera lens cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one third channel (4) is provided on the medium output end (1), the first channel (2) is connected to the third channel (4), and the medium supply source is connected to the first channel (2) through the third channel (4).

7. The camera lens cleaning mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The medium output end (1) is an annular structure and is sleeved on the outside of the lens. The third channel (4) is an annular channel. The first channel (2) is arranged on the inner annular wall of the medium output end (1). The medium inlet (21) of the first channel (2) is connected to the third channel (4).

8. The camera lens cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the first channels (2) is greater than one, and the distances between two adjacent first channels (2) are the same.

9. The camera lens cleaning mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The medium output from two adjacent first channels (2) has no reverse contact during the process from being output from the medium outlet (22) to contacting the lens.

10. The camera lens cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The medium is a non-rigid substance.

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