Self-cleaning lens and vehicle
By introducing a piezoelectric element into the vehicle lens to drive lens vibration, a self-cleaning design is achieved, which solves the problem of image quality degradation caused by the adhesion of environmental pollutants and realizes a low-cost, maintenance-free self-cleaning effect.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- JIANGXI JINGCHAO OPTICAL CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-16
Smart Images
Figure CN224366239U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of automotive lens technology, specifically to a self-cleaning lens and a vehicle. Background Technology
[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of autonomous driving technology and the widespread application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the market demand for automotive lenses has increased significantly, and their application scenarios have expanded from traditional imaging functions to fields such as environmental recognition. In driver assistance systems, automotive lenses, as the core optical components of the environmental recognition module, directly affect the accuracy of the vehicle's recognition of its surroundings, thus impacting driving safety. However, automotive lenses are susceptible to the adhesion of environmental contaminants such as rain, fog, and mud, causing their surfaces to become covered and partially or completely obstructing light transmission, ultimately reducing image quality.
[0003] Currently, cleaning solutions for automotive lenses mainly rely on external cleaning devices, such as water jets, airflow purging, or a combination of both. However, these devices are typically large in size, have high deployment costs, and require manual maintenance and replenishment of cleaning fluid, leading to a significant increase in operating costs. Utility Model Content
[0004] In view of the above, it is necessary to provide a self-cleaning lens and vehicle, so that the self-cleaning lens can realize the self-cleaning function and reduce the maintenance cost of the self-cleaning lens.
[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a self-cleaning lens, comprising: a lens barrel having a light-transmitting aperture, the light-transmitting aperture having a supporting portion; a lens having an object-side side and an image-side side disposed opposite to each other, the lens being disposed within the light-transmitting aperture, and a non-effective area of the image-side side abutting against the supporting portion; a locking attachment having a light-entry aperture, the locking attachment being connected to the outer side of the lens barrel and covering a portion of the non-effective area of the object-side side in the optical axis direction, the locking attachment and the non-effective area of the object-side side being separated by a gap in the optical axis direction; a sealing member abutting between the non-effective area of the object-side side and the locking attachment; a piezoelectric element connected to the non-effective area of the image-side side; and a driving unit electrically connected to the piezoelectric element and configured to drive the piezoelectric element to cause the lens to vibrate along the optical axis direction.
[0006] In the aforementioned self-cleaning lens, when environmental contaminants such as rainwater, fog, and mud adhere to the object-side surface of the lens, the drive unit drives the piezoelectric element. Driven by the drive unit, the piezoelectric element vibrates along the optical axis. The lens, driven by the piezoelectric element, vibrates along the optical axis, causing the contaminants adhering to the object-side surface to be dispersed by the vibration and fall off or be dislodged, thus achieving the self-cleaning function of the lens. The gap between the locking accessory and the non-effective area on the object-side surface along the optical axis provides space for the lens to move. This self-cleaning lens has low deployment costs and requires no manual maintenance, which helps reduce the operation and maintenance costs of the self-cleaning lens. Furthermore, the self-cleaning lens can be miniaturized, which improves its versatility. By providing a seal between the non-effective area on the object-side surface and the locking accessory, firstly, the elasticity of the seal fixes the lens, facilitating vibration of the lens along the optical axis; secondly, the seal provides a waterproof seal.
[0007] In one embodiment, the light-transmitting aperture further includes a support portion located on the side of the piezoelectric element away from the image side, with a gap between the support portion and the piezoelectric element, the gap ranging from 0.03 mm to 0.07 mm; and / or, a gap is provided between the piezoelectric element and the wall of the light-transmitting aperture, the gap ranging from 0.01 mm to 0.06 mm.
[0008] The aforementioned self-cleaning lens, by incorporating a support within the light-transmitting aperture, enhances the structural strength of the lens barrel, thereby extending its lifespan. By limiting the gap between the support and the piezoelectric element to 0.03mm~0.07mm, two aspects are ensured: firstly, the vibration of the piezoelectric element is not interfered with by the support; secondly, the structural strength of the lens barrel is not affected, thus extending its lifespan. However, when the gap between the support and the piezoelectric element is less than 0.03mm, the gap is too small, and the support will interfere with the vibration of the piezoelectric element, affecting its vibration performance. When the gap is greater than 0.07mm, the gap is too large, and the support becomes relatively thinner, affecting its structural strength and thus the lifespan of the lens barrel. And / or, by limiting the gap between the piezoelectric element and the wall of the aperture to a range of 0.01 mm to 0.06 mm, firstly, it ensures that the vibration of the piezoelectric element is not disturbed by the aperture wall, and secondly, it ensures that the structural strength of the lens barrel is not affected, thus improving the service life of the lens barrel. However, when the gap between the piezoelectric element and the wall of the aperture is less than 0.01 mm, the gap is too small, and the aperture wall will interfere with the vibration of the piezoelectric element, affecting its vibration effect. When the gap between the piezoelectric element and the wall of the aperture is greater than 0.06 mm, the gap is too large, resulting in a relatively thinner lens barrel wall, weakened structural strength, and reduced service life of the lens barrel.
[0009] In one embodiment, the self-cleaning lens further includes a spacer connected to the lens barrel, the spacer being configured to support an ineffective area on the image side of the lens.
[0010] The aforementioned self-cleaning lens, by setting the aforementioned spacer, prevents the lens unit located on the image side of the lens from moving due to the influence of the lens when the lens vibrates along the optical axis, thus ensuring the stability of the lens unit and ensuring the stable imaging of the self-cleaning lens.
[0011] In one embodiment, the minimum gap between the lock attachment and the non-effective area on the side of the object is in the range of 0.01mm to 0.1mm.
[0012] The aforementioned self-cleaning lens, by limiting the minimum gap between the locking accessory and the non-effective area on the object's side to 0.01mm~0.1mm, serves two purposes: firstly, it ensures that the locking accessory does not interfere with the lens's vibration, thus ensuring the lens's vibration performance; secondly, it effectively prevents external dust and particles from entering the self-cleaning lens, improving its dustproof effect. However, when the minimum gap between the locking accessory and the non-effective area on the object's side is less than 0.01mm, the gap is too small, and the locking accessory will interfere with the lens's vibration, affecting its vibration performance. When the minimum gap between the locking accessory and the non-effective area on the object's side is greater than 0.1mm, external dust and particles can easily enter the self-cleaning lens, resulting in poor dustproof performance and affecting the lens's lifespan.
[0013] In one embodiment, the compression ratio of the seal is in the range of 25% to 35%.
[0014] The aforementioned self-cleaning lens, by limiting the compression ratio of the sealing element to a range of 25% to 35%, serves two purposes: firstly, it prevents the sealing element from interfering with the vibration of the lens, ensuring smooth vibration of the lens under the contact of the sealing element and guaranteeing the lens's vibration performance; secondly, it ensures the stability of the self-cleaning lens. However, when the compression ratio of the sealing element is less than 25%, the compression ratio is too small, allowing moisture to easily enter the interior of the self-cleaning lens and affecting its imaging function. When the compression ratio of the sealing element is greater than 35%, the compression ratio is too large, making the sealing element difficult to compress and interfering with the vibration of the lens, thus affecting the lens's vibration performance.
[0015] In one embodiment, the light-transmitting aperture also has a support portion located on the side of the piezoelectric element away from the image side. The lens barrel also has a wire hole extending from the outer side of the lens barrel to the support portion, and the wire hole is used to pass through a wire harness that is electrically connected between the piezoelectric element and the drive unit.
[0016] The aforementioned self-cleaning lens, by providing a support portion inside the light-transmitting hole, improves the structural strength of the lens barrel, which is beneficial to increasing the service life of the self-cleaning lens; by providing the aforementioned wire-passing hole, it is possible to pass a wire harness through the wire-passing hole, so that the piezoelectric element and the drive unit can be electrically connected through the wire harness.
[0017] In one embodiment, the locking accessory includes a connecting part and a pressing part. The connecting part is connected to the outer side of the lens barrel, and the pressing part is connected to the connecting part and located on the object side away from the image side. The pressing part has the light-entry hole.
[0018] The aforementioned self-cleaning lens, by providing the aforementioned connecting part, enables the locking accessory to connect with the lens barrel; by providing the aforementioned pressing part, it achieves coverage of some ineffective areas on the side of the object and pressing against the seal.
[0019] In one embodiment, the seal abuts between the lens barrel, the ineffective area of the object side, and the locking attachment.
[0020] The aforementioned self-cleaning lens improves the sealing and waterproofing performance of the seal by limiting the contact between the seal and the non-effective areas on the lens barrel, the object side, and the locking accessories.
[0021] In one embodiment, a sealing groove is provided on at least one of the non-effective area on the side of the object, the locking accessory, and the lens barrel, the sealing groove being used to accommodate a portion of the sealing element.
[0022] The aforementioned self-cleaning lens, by setting the aforementioned sealing groove, accommodates part of the sealing components, ensuring stable assembly of the sealing components, thereby ensuring the stable sealing and waterproofing of the self-cleaning lens.
[0023] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a vehicle including a self-cleaning lens as described in any of the preceding technical solutions.
[0024] In the aforementioned vehicle, when environmental pollutants such as rainwater, fog, and mud adhere to the object-side surface of the self-cleaning lens, the drive unit drives the piezoelectric element. Driven by the drive unit, the piezoelectric element vibrates along the optical axis. The lens, driven by the piezoelectric element, also vibrates along the optical axis. The pollutants adhering to the object-side surface are dispersed by the vibration and fall off or are shaken away, thus achieving the self-cleaning function of the lens. The gap between the locking accessory and the non-effective area on the object-side surface in the optical axis direction provides movement space for the lens. In this embodiment, the self-cleaning lens has low deployment costs and requires no manual maintenance, which helps reduce the operation and maintenance costs of the self-cleaning lens. Furthermore, the self-cleaning lens can be miniaturized, which improves its versatility. By providing a seal between the non-effective area on the object-side surface and the locking accessory, firstly, the elasticity of the seal fixes the lens, facilitating vibration of the lens along the optical axis; secondly, the seal provides a waterproof seal for the self-cleaning lens. Attached Figure Description
[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the self-cleaning lens provided in the embodiments of this application.
[0026] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The self-cleaning lens shown is a cross-sectional view along line II-II.
[0027] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 An enlarged schematic diagram of the self-cleaning lens III area shown.
[0028] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 An enlarged schematic diagram of another embodiment of the area shown.
[0029] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 An enlarged schematic diagram of another embodiment of the area shown.
[0030] Explanation of main component symbols: self-cleaning lens 100, lens barrel 10, light passage 11, support part 12, support part 13, hole wall 14, wire hole 15, sealing groove 16, end face 101, lens 20, object side 21, image side 22, locking accessory 30, light entrance hole 31, connecting part 32, pressing part 33, sealing element 40, piezoelectric element 50, drive unit 60, adhesive backing 70, drive power supply 80, spacer 90, wire harness 200, lens unit 300, contaminant 2, optical axis 3. Detailed Implementation
[0031] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.
[0032] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms indicating orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the stated features. In the description of this application, it should be noted that "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.
[0033] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the term "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between the two components; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication between two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.
[0034] The following will describe some embodiments of this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0035] Please see Figure 1 This application provides a self-cleaning lens 100. The self-cleaning lens 100 can be used as a vehicle-mounted lens (not shown) and has a self-cleaning function. It is understood that in other embodiments, the self-cleaning lens 100 can also be used as a lens for security monitoring equipment, AR devices, VR devices, vehicle recorders, mobile phones, tablets, smart glasses, robotic vacuum cleaners, humanoid robots, mimicry robots, etc., and this application does not specifically limit its use in this regard.
[0036] Please refer to the above. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The self-cleaning lens 100 includes a lens barrel 10, a lens element 20, a locking accessory 30, a sealing element 40, a piezoelectric element 50, and a drive unit 60.
[0037] The lens barrel 10 has a light-transmitting aperture 11, and a supporting portion 12 is provided within the light-transmitting aperture 11. The lens 20 has an object-side surface 21 and an image-side surface 22 disposed opposite to each other. In this embodiment, the object-side surface 21 is generally convex, and the image-side surface 22 is generally concave. The object-side surface 21 has an optically effective area and an optically ineffective area, and the image-side surface 22 also has an optically effective area and an optically ineffective area. The effective area can be understood as the area that transmits light and the light is used for imaging, and the ineffective area can be understood as the area that does not transmit light, does not need to transmit light, or transmits light but the light is not used for imaging. Alternatively, the effective area can be understood as the central area, and the ineffective area can be understood as the edge area. The lens 20 is disposed within the light-transmitting aperture 11, and the ineffective area of the image-side surface 22 abuts against the supporting portion 12. It is understood that in other embodiments, the surface shapes of the object-side surface 21 and the image-side surface 22 can also be set according to actual conditions, and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this.
[0038] The locking accessory 30 has a light inlet 31 to avoid obstructing the light path of the lens 20. The locking accessory 30 is connected to the outer side of the lens barrel 10 and covers a portion of the non-effective area of the object side surface 21 along the optical axis 3. A gap is provided between the locking accessory 30 and the non-effective area of the object side surface 21 along the optical axis 3. A sealing member 40 abuts against the non-effective area of the object side surface 21 and the locking accessory 30. In this embodiment, the sealing member 40 abuts against the end face 101 of the lens barrel 10, the non-effective area of the object side surface 21, and the locking accessory 30. The sealing member 40 can be a rubber ring. A piezoelectric element 50 is connected to the non-effective area of the image side surface 22. A driving unit 60 is electrically connected to the piezoelectric element 50 and is configured to drive the piezoelectric element 50 to cause the lens 20 to vibrate along the optical axis 3. The gap between the locking accessory 30 and the non-effective area of the object side surface 21 along the optical axis 3 provides movement space for the lens 20. Other gaps may also exist between the locking accessory 30 and the lens 20. Specifically, in this embodiment, the lens 20, locking accessory 30, sealing element 40, and piezoelectric element 50 are all approximately annular structures. The piezoelectric element 50 has an inner diameter of approximately 15 mm, an outer diameter of approximately 21 mm, and a thickness of approximately 1 mm along the optical axis 3. It is understood that in other embodiments, the dimensions of the piezoelectric element 50 can be adapted, and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this.
[0039] In this embodiment, the driving unit 60 can be a resonant driving circuit. The resonant driving circuit is used to respond to the resonant signal to drive the piezoelectric element 50 to resonate. When the piezoelectric element 50 resonates, it generates high-frequency vibration through the piezoelectric effect, thereby driving the lens 20 to vibrate along the optical axis 3 to generate vibration. The self-cleaning lens 100 also includes a driving power supply 80, which is electrically connected to the driving unit 60 and is used to supply power to the driving unit 60. In this embodiment, the driving unit 60 is electrically connected to the piezoelectric element 50 through the wiring harness 200, and the driving unit 60 is electrically connected to the driving power supply 80 through the wiring harness 200.
[0040] In this embodiment, when environmental pollutants 2 such as rainwater, fog, and mud adhere to the object side 21 of the lens 20, the driving power supply 80 supplies power to the driving unit 60. The driving unit 60 drives the piezoelectric element 50, which vibrates along the optical axis 3 under the drive of the driving unit 60. The lens 20 vibrates along the optical axis 3 under the drive of the piezoelectric element 50. The pollutants 2 attached to the object side 21 are dispersed by the vibration and fall off or are blown away from the object side 21, thereby realizing the self-cleaning function of the lens 20.
[0041] The self-cleaning lens 100 of this embodiment has a lower deployment cost compared to external cleaning devices, requires no manual maintenance, and does not require consumables such as cleaning fluid, which helps reduce the operation and maintenance costs of the self-cleaning lens 100. In addition, the self-cleaning lens 100 can be miniaturized, which helps improve the versatility of the self-cleaning lens 100. By providing a sealing member 40 between the end face 101 of the lens barrel 10, the non-effective area of the object side 21, and the locking accessory 30, firstly, the elastic action of the sealing member 40 fixes the lens 20, which is beneficial for the lens 20 to vibrate along the optical axis 3 direction; secondly, the sealing member 40 makes the self-cleaning lens 100 waterproof.
[0042] In this embodiment, the piezoelectric element 50 is made of piezoelectric ceramic, specifically PZT4 piezoelectric ceramic. The piezoelectric element 50 is adhered to the non-effective area of the image-side surface 22 using adhesive 70. To ensure that the piezoelectric element 50 and the lens 20 do not separate during vibration, in this embodiment, the adhesive force F of the adhesive 70 is greater than m(amax + g), where m is the mass of the piezoelectric element 50, amax is the maximum acceleration of the contact surface between the adhesive 70 and the image-side surface 22, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and amax = (2πf)²y, where f is the vibration frequency of the piezoelectric element 50, and y is the amplitude of the piezoelectric element 50. Thus, by ensuring that the adhesive force of the adhesive 70 satisfies the above relationship, it is ensured that the piezoelectric element 50 and the lens 20 do not separate during vibration.
[0043] In this embodiment, the light-transmitting hole 11 also includes a support portion 13. The support portion 13 and the abutment portion 12 generally form a stepped structure. The support portion 13 is located on the side of the piezoelectric element 50 facing away from the image side 22. A gap is provided between the support portion 13 and the piezoelectric element 50, and the gap d1 between the support portion 13 and the piezoelectric element 50 ranges from 0.03mm to 0.07mm. For example, the gap d1 between the support portion 13 and the piezoelectric element 50 is 0.03mm, 0.035mm, 0.04mm, 0.045mm, 0.05mm, 0.055mm, 0.06mm, 0.065mm, 0.07mm, etc. Thus, by providing a support portion 13 within the light-transmitting hole 11, the wall thickness of the lens barrel 10 is increased, thereby improving the structural strength of the lens barrel 10 and extending the service life of the self-cleaning lens 100. By limiting the gap d1 between the support portion 13 and the piezoelectric element 50 to a range of 0.03mm to 0.07mm, firstly, it ensures that the vibration of the piezoelectric element 50 is not disturbed by the support portion 13, and secondly, it ensures that the structural strength of the lens barrel 10 is not affected, thus extending the service life of the lens barrel 10. However, when the gap d1 between the support portion 13 and the piezoelectric element 50 is less than 0.03mm, the gap d1 is too small, and the support portion 13 will interfere with the vibration of the piezoelectric element 50, affecting its vibration effect. When the gap d1 between the support part 13 and the piezoelectric element 50 is greater than 0.07mm, the gap d1 between the support part 13 and the piezoelectric element 50 is too large, the support part 13 will become relatively thin, which will affect the structural strength of the support part 13 and affect the service life of the lens barrel 10.
[0044] In this embodiment, the lens barrel 10 also has a wire hole 15 extending from the outer side of the lens barrel 10 to the support portion 13. The wire hole 15 is used to thread a wire harness 200 electrically connected between the piezoelectric element 50 and the drive unit 60. The wire hole 15 extends along the optical axis 3, and the cross-section of the wire hole 15 perpendicular to the optical axis 3 can be a circular hole, a strip-shaped hole, an elliptical hole, or other shaped hole structure. Thus, by providing the aforementioned wire hole 15, the wire harness 200 can be threaded within the wire hole 15, enabling an electrical connection between the piezoelectric element 50 and the drive unit 60 via the wire harness 200.
[0045] In this embodiment, a gap is provided between the piezoelectric element 50 and the hole wall 14 of the light-transmitting hole 11, and the gap d2 between the piezoelectric element 50 and the hole wall 14 of the light-transmitting hole 11 ranges from 0.01mm to 0.06mm. For example, the gap d2 between the piezoelectric element 50 and the hole wall 14 of the light-transmitting hole 11 can be 0.01mm, 0.015mm, 0.02mm, 0.025mm, 0.03mm, 0.035mm, 0.04mm, 0.045mm, 0.05mm, 0.055mm, 0.06mm, etc. Thus, by limiting the gap d2 between the piezoelectric element 50 and the hole wall 14 of the light-transmitting hole 11 to a range of 0.01mm to 0.06mm, firstly, it ensures that the vibration of the piezoelectric element 50 is not disturbed by the hole wall 14; secondly, it ensures that the structural strength of the lens barrel 10 is not affected, thereby improving the service life of the lens barrel 10. However, when the gap d2 between the piezoelectric element 50 and the hole wall 14 of the light-transmitting aperture 11 is less than 0.01 mm, the gap d2 is too small, and the hole wall 14 will interfere with the vibration of the piezoelectric element 50, affecting its vibration effect. When the gap d2 between the piezoelectric element 50 and the hole wall 14 of the light-transmitting aperture 11 is greater than 0.06 mm, the gap d2 is too large, resulting in a relatively thinner wall thickness of the lens barrel 10, weakening its structural strength and affecting its service life.
[0046] In this embodiment, the locking accessory 30 includes a connecting portion 32 and a pressing portion 33. The connecting portion 32 is connected to the outer surface of the lens barrel 10, and the pressing portion 33 is connected to the connecting portion 32 and located on the object side 21 opposite to the image side 22. The pressing portion 33 has a light inlet hole 31. Specifically, the connecting portion 32 is threadedly connected to the outer surface of the lens barrel 10. Thus, by providing the connecting portion 32, the locking accessory 30 is connected to the lens barrel 10; by providing the pressing portion 33, partial non-effective areas of the object side 21 are covered, and the sealing member 40 is pressed.
[0047] In this embodiment, a gap is provided between the lock attachment 30 and the non-effective area of the object side 21. The gap between the lock attachment 30 and the non-effective area of the object side 21 is variable, and the minimum gap d3 between the lock attachment 30 and the non-effective area of the object side 21 ranges from 0.01mm to 0.1mm. That is, the minimum gap d3 between the pressing part 33 and the non-effective area of the object side 21 ranges from 0.01mm to 0.1mm. For example, the minimum gap d3 between the locking attachment 30 and the non-effective area of the object side 21 is 0.01mm, 0.015mm, 0.02mm, 0.025mm, 0.03mm, 0.035mm, 0.04mm, 0.045mm, 0.05mm, 0.055mm, 0.06mm, 0.065mm, 0.07mm, 0.075mm, 0.08mm, 0.085mm, 0.09mm, 0.095mm, 0.1mm, etc. Thus, by limiting the minimum gap d3 between the pressing part 33 of the locking attachment 30 and the non-effective area of the object side 21 to a range of 0.01mm to 0.1mm, firstly, it ensures that the locking attachment 30 does not interfere with the vibration of the lens 20, thus ensuring the vibration effect of the lens 20; secondly, it effectively prevents external dust and particles from entering the interior of the self-cleaning lens 100, improving the dustproof effect of the self-cleaning lens 100. However, when the minimum gap d3 between the pressing part 33 of the locking accessory 30 and the non-effective area of the object side 21 is less than 0.01 mm, the minimum gap d3 between the pressing part 33 of the locking accessory 30 and the non-effective area of the object side 21 is too small, and the pressing part 33 of the locking accessory 30 will interfere with the vibration of the lens 20, affecting the vibration effect of the lens 20. When the minimum gap d3 between the pressing part 33 of the locking accessory 30 and the non-effective area of the object side 21 is greater than 0.1 mm, external dust and particles can easily enter the interior of the self-cleaning lens 100, resulting in poor dustproof performance of the self-cleaning lens 100 and affecting its service life.
[0048] In this embodiment, the compression ratio of the seal 40 is in the range of 25% to 35%. By limiting the compression ratio of the seal 40 to 25% to 35%, firstly, it avoids interference with the vibration of the lens 20, ensuring that the lens 20 can vibrate smoothly under the contact of the seal 40, thus ensuring the vibration effect of the lens 20; secondly, it ensures the stability of the self-cleaning lens 100. However, when the compression ratio of the seal 40 is less than 25%, the compression ratio range is too small, and moisture can easily enter the interior of the self-cleaning lens 100, affecting its imaging function. When the compression ratio of the seal 40 is greater than 35%, the compression ratio range is too large, and the seal 40 is not easily compressed, causing interference with the vibration of the lens 20 and affecting its vibration effect.
[0049] In this embodiment, the self-cleaning lens 100 further includes a lens unit 300. The lens unit 300 is disposed within the light-transmitting aperture 11 and located on the image side of the lens 20. Understandably, the self-cleaning lens 100 may also include a photosensitive chip (not shown). The photosensitive chip is disposed in the lens barrel 10 and located on the image side of the lens unit 300. The photosensitive chip is used to receive light signals passing through the lens 20 and the lens unit 300 and convert them into electrical signals for imaging.
[0050] In this embodiment, the self-cleaning lens 100 also includes a spacer 90. The spacer 90 is connected to the lens barrel 10. Specifically, the spacer 90 can be fixed to the lens barrel 10 by means of threads, adhesive, welding, etc. The spacer 90 is configured to abut against the non-effective area of the image side 22 of the lens 20, and the spacer 90 abuts against the object side of the lens unit 200. In this way, by setting the spacer 90, when the lens 20 vibrates along the optical axis 3, the lens unit 300 located on the image side of the lens 20 inside the lens barrel 10 is prevented from moving due to the influence of the lens 20, ensuring that the lens unit 300 remains stable, thereby ensuring the imaging stability of the self-cleaning lens 100.
[0051] Please see Figure 4 In another embodiment, a sealing groove 16 is provided on the end face 101 of the lens barrel 10. The sealing groove 16 is used to accommodate a portion of the sealing member 40. In this way, by providing the sealing groove 16, a portion of the sealing member 40 is accommodated, ensuring the stable assembly of the sealing member 40, thereby ensuring the stable sealing of the self-cleaning lens 100.
[0052] Understandably, in other embodiments, the sealing groove 16 may also be formed in one of the ineffective areas of the object side 21 or the locking attachment 30; or, the sealing groove 16 may be formed on any two of the ineffective areas of the object side 21, the locking attachment 30, and the end face 101 of the lens barrel 10; or, the sealing groove 16 may be formed on all of the ineffective areas of the object side 21, the locking attachment 30, and the end face 101 of the lens barrel 10. This application does not specifically limit this aspect.
[0053] Please see Figure 5 In another embodiment, the seal 40 abuts between the ineffective area of the object side 21 and the locking attachment 40. It is understood that a sealing groove 16 may also be formed on at least one of the ineffective area of the object side 21 and the locking attachment 40. This application does not specifically limit this aspect.
[0054] This application embodiment also provides a vehicle. The vehicle includes the self-cleaning lens 100 as described above. It is understood that, compared to deploying external cleaning devices on the vehicle, the deployment cost of the self-cleaning lens 100 in a vehicle is low, it does not require manual maintenance, and it does not require the use of consumables such as cleaning fluid, which helps to reduce the operation and maintenance cost of the self-cleaning lens 100.
[0055] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this application is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that this application can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of this application. Therefore, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of this application is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be embraced within this application.
[0056] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of this application.
Claims
1. A self-cleaning lens, characterized in that, include: The lens barrel has a light-transmitting hole, and a support portion is provided inside the light-transmitting hole; The lens has an object side and an image side arranged opposite to each other. The lens is disposed within the light-transmitting aperture, and the non-effective area of the image side abuts against the supporting part. A locking accessory has a light inlet hole. The locking accessory is connected to the outer side of the lens barrel and covers a portion of the non-effective area of the object side in the optical axis direction. A gap is provided between the locking accessory and the non-effective area of the object side in the optical axis direction. A sealing element abuts against a non-effective area on the side of the object and between the locking accessory; A piezoelectric element is connected to the ineffective region of the image-side surface; and A drive unit, electrically connected to the piezoelectric element, is configured to drive the piezoelectric element to cause the lens to vibrate along the optical axis.
2. The self-cleaning lens as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The light-transmitting aperture also includes a support portion located on the side of the piezoelectric element away from the image-side surface. A gap is formed between the support portion and the piezoelectric element, with the gap ranging from 0.03 mm to 0.07 mm; and / or, The piezoelectric element is spaced apart from the wall of the light-transmitting hole, and the gap between the piezoelectric element and the wall of the light-transmitting hole ranges from 0.01 mm to 0.06 mm.
3. The self-cleaning lens as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The self-cleaning lens also includes a spacer ring connected to the lens barrel, the spacer ring being configured to support the ineffective area of the image side of the lens.
4. The self-cleaning lens as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The minimum gap between the lock attachment and the non-effective area on the side of the object is 0.01mm to 0.1mm.
5. The self-cleaning lens as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The compression ratio of the seal is in the range of 25% to 35%.
6. The self-cleaning lens as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The light-transmitting hole also has a support portion located on the side of the piezoelectric element away from the image side. The lens barrel also has a wire hole extending from the outer side of the lens barrel to the support portion, and the wire hole is used to pass through the wire harness that is electrically connected between the piezoelectric element and the drive unit.
7. The self-cleaning lens as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The locking accessory includes a connecting part and a pressing part. The connecting part is connected to the outer side of the lens barrel, and the pressing part is connected to the connecting part and located on the side of the object side away from the image side. The pressing part has the light-entry hole.
8. The self-cleaning lens as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The seal abuts against the lens barrel, the non-effective area on the side of the object, and the locking accessory.
9. The self-cleaning lens as described in claim 8, characterized in that, A sealing groove is provided on at least one of the non-effective area on the side of the object, the locking accessory, and the lens barrel, and the sealing groove is used to accommodate part of the sealing element.
10. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the self-cleaning lens as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.