Automatic cleaning device and automatic cleaning method for protective lens of mining camera

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic cleaning device and an automatic cleaning method for dust and stains attached to a camera protection lens. The automatic cleaning device and the automatic cleaning method are used for protecting a video monitoring camera during mining production of a mine, especially a coal mine. The device is installed in a camera protection hood and is composed of a rotating protection lens, a lens driving motor, a motor control circuit, control software and the like, the motor is used for driving the lens to rotate at a high speed to generate centrifugal force, dust and stains are not prone to being attached to the lens, and the attached dust and stains are thrown away. Different from a traditional camera cleaning brush rotating method, the method for fixing the cleaning brush and rotating the protective lens has the advantages that high-speed rotating motion is generated through the motor, and dust is easily stripped and thrown away from the protective lens through generated centrifugal force; a cleaning brush can be additionally arranged to be matched with an ultrasonic vibration dust removal method, a hydrophobic film is pasted on the protective lens, stubborn stains on the lens are removed, and clear video image data are provided for mine intelligent safety production monitoring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of industrial safety production monitoring in mines, especially coal mines, and specifically relates to a device and method for automatically removing online dust and stains from the protective lens of a camera. Background Art

[0002] In the mine production environment, such as when coal mining machines and roadheaders in coal mines are operating, a large amount of coal and rock dust is generated due to the cutting of coal and rock, which will adhere to the protective casing of the mine camera, especially the protective lens window of the camera lens on the casing for image acquisition; further, due to the use of the spray method for dust reduction during mining production, if water mist and dust adhere to the protective surface at the same time and form stains, both will cause the image to be blurred or even completely blocked.

[0003] Currently, the cleaning method of the protective lens of coal mine cameras has started to adopt an automatic cleaning method. In the invention patent "A Coal Mine Underground Video Monitoring System with Automatic Charging and Mirror Cleaning and Its Application" (CN112738479B), "the brush is controlled by a brush motor to brush and remove dust on the outer surface within the video monitoring range", and it is the brush that rotates; in the utility model patent "A Mine Dust Reduction Image Monitoring and Camera Self-Cleaning System" (CN218550009U), "a camera self-cleaning system" is adopted, "which is set obliquely above the lens facing the camera and has an automatic lens water vapor cleaning structure. By spraying water first and then blowing air towards the lens, the surface of the lens is cleaned"; in the invention patent "A Self-Cleaning Protection Structure for a Spherical Infrared Camera for Coal Mine Image Monitoring" (CN118042251A), "a self-cleaning protection structure for a spherical infrared camera for coal mine image monitoring is invented, which discloses that through the cooperation of a driving gear and a driven gear, a rotating motor drives the cleaning brushes on the first brush rod and the second brush rod to automatically clean the protective shell of the spherical infrared camera", and it is the cleaning brushes that rotate; in the utility model patent "A Mine Camera with 5G and WIFI Signal Transmission Interfaces" (CN 220122975 U), "one end of the windshield wiper connected to the housing is connected to the output end of the motor, and the moving area of the windshield wiper covers the lens glass"; in the invention patent "An Imaging Device for Preventing Dust Interference" (CN 118338100 A), "the first motor controls the rotation of the scrubbing frame, and the output shaft of the second motor rotates to control the rotation of the rotating frame. The rotation of the rotating frame drives the air pump and the nozzle to align with the dust-proof cover"; in the utility model patent "Pan-Tilt Camera and Video System" (CN220823185U), a water spray pipe is used to clean the transparent cover of the pan-tilt camera, and the scraper rotates for further cleaning; in the invention patent "A Self-Cleaning System and Method for an Explosion-Proof Camera in Coal Mine" (CN 118218327A), "the cleaning process uses a film tearing method to remove contaminants in front of the explosion-proof camera lens"; in the invention patent "A Dust-Proof and Dust-Removing Camera for Coal Mining Face and Its Dust-Proof and Dust-Removing Method" (CN 115361491 A), "the dust-proof cover is spherical arc-shaped, and the dust-removing structure rotates with the dust-proof cover to wipe the dust on the surface of the camera protective cover".

[0004] Most of the above-mentioned patents adopt a method similar to that of a car windshield wiper for the protective lens of mine cameras. Since the area of the protective lens of mine cameras is much smaller than that of a car front windshield, the speed of the motor driving the wiper to swing is slow, and the cleaning effect is not good; although the patent "A Dust-Proof and Dust-Removing Camera for Coal Mining Face and Its Dust-Proof and Dust-Removing Method" adopts a dust-proof cover rotation method, the dust-removing function still depends on the wiping of the dust-proof structure, and it is difficult to clean the already attached stains; these patents rely on the wiping of the cleaning brush, and there is also a problem of easily scratching the protective lens.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to develop an online cleaning equipment and method that can efficiently remove dust and stains and protect the protective lens from being scratched, which is of great significance for the video monitoring of mine safety production. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention proposes a method for online automatic cleaning of dust and stains attached to the protective lens of an external cover of a camera, and designs a cleaning device. The method includes the following steps:

[0007] Protective hood (1): Its main function is to provide protection and a fixed base for the mine camera (7) and auxiliary components. Together with the protective lens (2) and the cleaning brush (5), it has the functions of dust prevention, waterproofing, and anti - smashing. On the premise of meeting the visual transparency rate of the mine monitoring, it can resist the falling of coal, ore, and rock in the mine environment.

[0008] Protective lens (2): Open a window at the front end of the protective hood and install a protective lens (2) with tempered glass as the medium. The protective lens (2) is fixedly connected to the motor (4) through the rotating shaft (3), and the high - speed rotation of the protective lens (2) driven by the motor generates centrifugal force, making it difficult for dust and stains to adhere to the high - speed rotating protective lens (2).

[0009] Rotating shaft (3) and motor (4): Connect and drive the rotation of the protective lens (2). The motor (4) uses a brushless DC motor. Connect the center of the tempered lens to a DC brushless motor. When needed, it can control the motor to drive the tempered lens to rotate at high speed, providing sufficient centrifugal force for the protective lens (2) to rotate at high speed. This ensures that the dust, spray, and water spray generated during mining do not directly fall on the lens surface, basically keeping the lens surface clean.

[0010] Cleaning brush (5): Install a fixed cleaning brush device (5) outside the protective lens. When the lens rotates at high speed, it can further clean the attached dust and stains. Further, an ultrasonic generating device can be combined with the cleaning brush to generate high - frequency ultrasonic vibrations. The cavitation effect of ultrasonic waves is used to separate the dust and stain particles from the lens surface, and they accelerate and fall off with the rotation of the lens.

[0011] Control system (6) for driving the motor to rotate: According to the pollution condition of the protective lens, control the motor (4) to drive the protective lens to rotate to generate a strong centrifugal force, which can peel off the dust from the protective lens (2).

[0012] The present invention is different from the traditional method of cleaning the camera housing. The present invention uses the method of fixing the cleaning brush and rotating the protective lens (2). The advantage is that the protective lens (2) can generate a high-speed rotational motion through the brushless DC motor (4), so that the dust, spray and water spray generated during mining will not directly fall on the lens surface, basically ensuring the surface cleanliness of the lens; for the dust stains that have adhered to the lens, due to the centrifugal force brought by the high-speed rotating lens, most of the dust stains with weak adhesion are removed. Compared with the existing cleaning brush rotation method: rotating the lens is more effective, the cleaning is more thorough, and the maintenance cost is low.

[0013] The present invention adds a cleaning brush (5) and fixes it on the protective housing (1), and rotates the protective lens (2) to cooperate with the fixed cleaning brush (5) to automatically clean the dust and stains that have adhered to the protective lens (2) in a rotating state, and makes the cleaning area free of dead corners through rotation, improving the overall cleaning effect of the protective lens (2).

[0014] The cleaning brush (5) of the present invention can be combined with the ultrasonic vibration dust removal method to further remove relatively stubborn stains.

[0015] In order to reduce the adhesion of stains on the protective lens (2) of the present invention, a hydrophobic film can be pasted on the protective lens (2) to further improve the protection effect.

[0016] The cooperation between rotation and the cleaning brush: By coordinating the rotational motion of the protective lens and the cleaning brush, the cleaning area is expanded and the cleaning effect is improved.

[0017] Online cleaning: There is no need to disassemble the camera housing, and real-time and automatic cleaning of dust and stains can be achieved, significantly improving production efficiency.

[0018] Efficient cleaning: The cleaning can penetrate into the tiny gaps on the lens surface, effectively remove the dust particles and stubborn stains that adhere tightly, and the cleaning effect far exceeds the traditional method.

[0019] No need for water spraying and chemical cleaning agents: No water spraying device is required, and the use of chemical cleaning agents is completely avoided, reducing environmental pollution and the risk of damage to the camera, and being more environmentally friendly and safe.

[0020] Effect detection and feedback: The pollution degree of the protective lens is detected by a sensor, the cleaning device is automatically started, and the cleaning effect is monitored in real time through the sensor or camera to ensure that the dust and stains are completely removed. At the same time, the frequency and power of the ultrasonic wave are adjusted according to the monitoring results to achieve intelligent control and reach the goal of unattended automatic cleaning. Description of the Drawings

[0021] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the automatic cleaning device in the present invention.

[0022] Figure 1 The reference numerals are: (1) protective hood; (2) protective lens; (3) rotating shaft; (4) motor; (5) cleaning brush; (6) control system; (7) camera; (8) light source; (9) infrared / laser camera.

Claims

1. An automatic cleaning device for a protective lens of a camera, characterized in that, Comprising: The camera protection hood (1) provides a fixed base for the installation of video acquisition devices such as the camera (7), light source (8), infrared and laser (8), etc., and provides a visual window for the rotatable protection lens (2). The rotating shaft (3) is connected to the center of the protection lens (2) and is used to drive the protection lens to rotate at high speed; the DC brushless motor (4) drives the protection lens (2) to rotate at high speed through the rotating shaft (3); the cleaning brush device (5) is fixed on the housing (1), and when the protection lens (2) rotates, it can clean the attached dust and stains; the control system (6) is used to control the rotation of the motor (4) and the operation of the electric part of the cleaning brush device (5), detects the pollution degree and effect monitoring of the protection lens (2) by using the camera (7), automatically triggers the motor (4) and the cleaning brush device (5) by using a certain algorithm, and adjusts the cleaning parameters according to the monitoring results; the light source (8) and the infrared / laser camera (9) are placed inside the camera protection hood (1) to provide light source and position information for the camera (7).

2. The camera protection cover (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, It can provide waterproof, dustproof and anti-smashing functions for the camera (7). The protection lens (2) is a tempered lens and can resist the falling of coal blocks, ore and rocks in the mine environment.

3. The automatic cleaning device for a protective lens of a camera according to claim 1, characterized in that, The surface of the protection lens (2) is coated with a hydrophobic protection film to reduce the adhesion of dust and stains to the protection lens (2).

4. The DC brushless motor (4) according to claim 1 is connected to the center of the protection lens (2) through the rotating shaft (3) and is used to drive the high-speed rotation of the protection lens. The dust and stains are thrown out by the centrifugal force brought by the high-speed rotation.

5. The cleaning brush device (5) according to claim 1, characterized in that, A brush can be used, or the electric function can be increased, such as ultrasonic micro-vibration to separate the stains from the surface of the protection lens (2) to further clean the stubborn stains.

6. The automatic cleaning control system (6) of the protective lens of the camera according to claim 1, characterized in that, It can automatically start the cleaning device according to the detection result of pollution and adjust the cleaning parameters in real time to achieve intelligent control.

7. The camera (7) according to claim 1, characterized in that, Collect the images of dust and stains on the protection lens hood (2) and transmit them to the automatic cleaning control system (6) to provide pollution degree data for the execution decision of the control system (6).

8. The light source (8) according to claim 1, characterized in that It provides a light source for the normal operation of the camera (7) to collect target videos and images, and also provides a light source for collecting the pollution images of the protection lens (2).

9. The infrared / laser camera (9) according to claim 1, characterized in that It provides whether the pollution image collected by the camera (7) is caused by the dust and stains on the protection lens.

10. An automatic cleaning method for a protective lens of a camera, characterized in that, Including the following steps: Rotate the protection lens (2) at high speed. Drive the protection lens (2) to rotate at high speed through the DC brushless motor (4), and use the centrifugal force to remove the attached dust and stains; further clean the protection lens (2) through the cleaning brush device (5); ultrasonic vibration cleaning: generate high-frequency ultrasonic vibration through the cleaning brush device (5), and use the cavitation effect to separate the dust and stain particles from the lens surface; pollution detection and feedback: detect the pollution degree of the protection lens (2) through pollution detection, automatically start the motor (4), monitor the cleaning effect in real time, and adjust the frequency and power of the ultrasonic wave according to the monitoring results to achieve intelligent control.

Images