Air supply device for air wiper
The air wiper system for thermal cameras uses high-pressure air to maintain internal pressure and direct airflow to prevent foreign matter adhesion, ensuring reliable infrared detection in outdoor environments.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2025145227
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-02
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-26
AI Technical Summary
Thermal cameras installed outdoors are prone to lens contamination from foreign matter such as water droplets or dust, leading to inaccurate detection due to distorted images, as transparent covers interfere with infrared ray detection.
An air wiper system with an internal pressure forming casing and nozzles that supply high-pressure air to maintain internal pressure higher than external air, combined with nozzles to spray air directly onto the lens, effectively preventing foreign matter adhesion.
Prevents foreign matter from adhering to the thermal camera lens, ensuring accurate infrared detection even in adverse weather conditions by maintaining a clean optical path.
Smart Images

Figure 2025172894000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to an air wiper system for a thermal camera that can reliably detect infrared rays (far infrared rays) even when the thermal camera is used outdoors. [Background technology]
[0002] Conventionally, for example, at railroad crossings located on railway tracks, in order to prevent collisions between trains and people or vehicles that enter the crossing when the barriers are open, it is necessary to monitor people and vehicles passing through, and if a person or vehicle is left behind on the crossing when the barriers are open, it is necessary to quickly detect this and sound an alarm.For this reason, the installation of a railroad crossing monitoring system is desired.
[0003] In the above-mentioned railroad crossing monitoring system, one of the means for detecting people and vehicles is a thermal camera. A thermal camera is a camera that uses far-infrared rays to detect the difference in temperature between a person or vehicle and the ambient temperature. It can monitor a wide area within the railroad crossing and reliably detect whether a person or vehicle is present within the space, making it suitable for use in a railroad crossing monitoring system.
[0004] Thermal cameras are also used not only in railroad crossing monitoring systems, but also in various other monitoring systems (such as security and vehicle-mounted systems) and systems for measuring the body temperatures of people and animals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-38526 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0006] However, when thermal cameras used for the above-mentioned various applications are installed outdoors, there is a risk that foreign matter such as water droplets or dust caused by wind and rain will adhere to the lens (optical component), resulting in inaccurate detection data. A thermal camera system processes the images captured by the thermal camera to detect people, vehicles, etc., but if foreign matter such as water droplets or dust suddenly adheres to the thermal camera lens, the image may become distorted, resulting in false detection by the image processing device. Furthermore, even in systems that constantly monitor thermal camera images, if water droplets adhere to the lens, the thermal camera will sense the temperature of the water droplets until they dry, causing the image to become distorted.
[0007] With a normal visible light camera, the camera is installed in a rainproof housing, and the lens of the visible light camera is placed behind a transparent cover attached to the housing. Visible light is then introduced to the lens through the transparent cover, and measures such as attaching a wiper to the outer surface of the transparent cover can be taken. However, with a thermal camera, if a transparent cover is placed in front of the lens, the far-infrared rays emitted by the transparent cover itself will be detected, making it impossible to accurately detect the far-infrared rays of the object to be measured. For this reason, it is not possible to place a transparent cover or the like in front of the lens of a thermal camera.
[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and its purpose is to provide an air wiper system for a thermal camera that can reliably prevent foreign matter such as water droplets and dust from adhering to the optical components of the thermal camera. [Means for solving the problem]
[0009] The present invention provides an air wiper system for a thermal camera that prevents foreign matter from adhering to optical components installed at the tip of a thermal camera that detects infrared rays, and is characterized by comprising an air supply device, an internal pressure forming casing that surrounds the space around the optical components and has an opening in the direction in which the infrared rays are incident, and an internal pressure forming nozzle that supplies high-pressure air supplied from the air supply device into the internal pressure forming casing to create an internal pressure inside the internal pressure forming casing that is higher than the outside air. The infrared rays include far infrared rays. It is also preferable that the high-pressure air supplied from the internal pressure generating nozzle into the space is not directed directly toward the surface of the optical component. According to the present invention, the pressure inside the internal pressure forming casing is made higher than the outside air pressure, so that it is possible to prevent foreign matter such as water droplets, snow, and dust from entering through the opening of the internal pressure forming casing. This makes it possible to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the optical components, even if the thermal camera is installed outdoors.
[0010] In addition to the above features, the present invention is characterized in that it is equipped with a nozzle for preventing foreign matter from entering, which sprays high-pressure air supplied from the air supply device toward the front of the opening of the internal pressure forming casing. According to the present invention, the intrusion of foreign matter such as rain, snow, and dust into the opening of the internal pressure forming casing can be more effectively suppressed, and the effect of the internal pressure forming nozzle in preventing adhesion of foreign matter to optical components can be synergistically strengthened. That is, the internal pressure in the internal pressure forming casing is increased by the internal pressure forming nozzle, causing air to be discharged outward (forward) from the opening of the internal pressure forming casing, and the discharged air flow can be made into an even stronger, high-speed flow by the foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzle. As a result, the effects of both the internal pressure forming nozzle and the foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzle are synergistically exerted, making it possible to prevent adhesion of foreign matter to optical components even when the thermal camera is installed outdoors and in heavy rain, snow, or wind conditions. The injection of high-pressure air from the internal pressure generating nozzle and the injection of high-pressure air from the foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzle may be switched depending on the situation. For example, in the case of light rain or a weak wind, only the injection of high-pressure air from the internal pressure generating nozzle may be performed, and when the rain or wind becomes stronger, the injection of high-pressure air from the foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzle may also be performed in addition to the injection of high-pressure air from the internal pressure generating nozzle.
[0011] In addition to the above features, the present invention is characterized by further comprising an optical component surface spray nozzle that sprays high-pressure air supplied from the air supply device toward the surface of the optical component. According to the present invention, high-pressure air is sprayed directly onto the optical components of a thermal camera, so even if foreign matter such as water droplets, snow, or dust adheres to the surface of the optical components, it can be blown away or evaporated. This, combined with the effect of the internal pressure forming nozzle (and further the foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzle), makes it possible to more reliably maintain the surface of the optical component in a dry state and in a state where dust is prevented from adhering thereto. It is also possible to switch between spraying high-pressure air from the internal pressure creation nozzle (and further the foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzle) and spraying high-pressure air from the optical component surface spray nozzle depending on the situation. For example, in the case of light rain or a weak wind, only high-pressure air is sprayed from the internal pressure creation nozzle, and as the rain, snow, or wind gets stronger, high-pressure air is also sprayed from the foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzle, and as the rain, snow, or wind gets stronger still, high-pressure air is also sprayed from the optical component surface spray nozzle.
[0012] In addition to the above features, the present invention is characterized in that it further comprises a rain sensor for detecting rain or snow, and when the rain sensor detects rain, it activates the air supply device to supply high-pressure air. According to the present invention, high-pressure air is sprayed when it is raining or snowing, so that water droplets can be effectively prevented from adhering to optical components.
[0013] It is also preferable that the air supply device comprises an air compressor, an air distributor that branches the high-pressure air pressurized by the air compressor, distribution pipes that send the high-pressure air distributed by the air distributor to each of the nozzles, and a control unit that controls the supply and cut-off of high-pressure air from the air distributor to each of the distribution pipes. [Effects of the Invention]
[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably prevent foreign matter such as water droplets, snow, and dust from adhering to the optical components of a thermal camera. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a portion of the air wiper system 1 for a thermal camera on the thermal camera 10 side. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the air wiper system 1 for a thermal camera shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a view showing a part of the air wiper system 1 for a thermal camera on the side of the air supply device 100. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an operation flow diagram of the air supply device 100. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a partial operational flow diagram showing a modified example of the portion of steps 1-3 in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the portion of the air wiper system for thermal cameras 1 on the thermal camera 10 side according to one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a left side view of the air wiper system for thermal cameras 1 shown in Fig. 1 (viewed from the left in Fig. 1), and Fig. 3 is a view showing the portion of the air wiper system for thermal cameras 1 on the air supply device 100 side. In the following description, "upper" refers to the upper direction on the paper in Fig. 1, "lower" refers to the opposite direction, "front" refers to the left direction on the paper in Fig. 1, and "rear" refers to the opposite direction, but these are not intended to limit the direction when using the air wiper system for thermal cameras 1.
[0017] 1 and 2, a thermal camera 10 is configured with a thermal camera body 11 and an optical component 13 installed at the tip (front end) of the thermal camera body 11. The air wiper system 1 for a thermal camera (hereinafter referred to as "air wiper system 1") is configured with a cylindrical internal pressure forming casing 15 attached to the outer periphery of the thermal camera body 11 so as to surround the space from the tip side of the thermal camera body 11 forward, and an internal pressure forming nozzle 17, an optical component surface spray nozzle 19, and a foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzle 21 attached to the internal pressure forming casing 15.
[0018] The thermal camera body 11 is configured to incorporate various optical and electronic components (not shown) within its casing, such as an infrared sensor that detects infrared rays (far infrared rays) from the optical component 13, a signal processing circuit that processes the detection signal of the infrared sensor, and image processing means for forming a thermal image from the output after processing by the signal processing circuit.
[0019] The optical component 13 is configured by a lens made of a material with high transmittance that transmits light in the infrared wavelength range, such as germanium.
[0020] The internal pressure generating casing 15 is formed in a cylindrical shape that surrounds the thermal camera body 11 from its front outer periphery to its forward portion, and an opening 23 is formed at its tip for infrared rays to enter. This internal pressure generating casing 15 forms a space A around the optical component 13. The tip of the internal pressure generating casing 15 forms a ring-shaped cover 25 that is bent radially inward to close off space A as much as possible without interfering with the infrared rays entering the optical component 13, thereby maintaining the internal pressure (and at the same time, to prevent rain, snow (hereinafter referred to as "rain, etc."), and dust from entering). The central portion surrounded by the cover 25 forms the opening 23. The internal pressure generating casing 15 has an attachment structure that allows it to be detachably attached to the thermal camera body 11.
[0021] The internal pressure forming nozzle 17, the optical component surface spray nozzle 19, and the foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzle 21 are each provided in pairs and attached to the internal pressure forming casing 15 by attachment means not shown.
[0022] The internal pressure forming nozzles 17 are inserted into the space A from the outer peripheral side wall of the internal pressure forming casing 15 and are attached to the internal pressure forming casing 15 so that their tips face approximately the center of the space A. The pair of internal pressure forming nozzles 17 are installed in symmetrical positions as shown in Fig. 2. The tips of the internal pressure forming nozzles 17 face in a direction other than the direction facing the surface of the optical component 13, thereby preventing the high-pressure air ejected from the internal pressure forming nozzles 17 from being sprayed directly onto the surface of the optical component 13.
[0023] The nozzle 19 for spraying onto the surface of an optical component is inserted into the space A from the outer peripheral side wall of the casing 15 for forming internal pressure, and is attached to the casing 15 for forming internal pressure so that its tip faces the surface of the optical component 13. The pair of nozzles 19 for spraying onto the surface of an optical component are installed at symmetrical positions as shown in FIG.
[0024] The foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzle 21 is attached to the internal pressure forming casing 15 so that its tip faces forward of the opening 23 from near the outer peripheral surface near the tip of the internal pressure forming casing 15. The pair of foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzles 21 are installed at symmetrical positions as shown in FIG.
[0025] The air supply device 100 shown in Figure 3 supplies high-pressure air to the nozzles 17, 19, and 21. Here, high-pressure air refers to air at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure (or the external pressure outside the internal pressure forming casing 15). As shown in the figure, the air supply device 100 is configured to include an air compressor 101, an air distributor 111 that branches the high-pressure air generated by the air compressor 101, distribution pipes 121-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 that send the high-pressure air distributed by the air distributor 111 to the nozzles 17, 19, and 21, a control unit 130 that controls the supply and cut-off of high-pressure air from the air distributor 111 to the distribution pipes 121-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, a rain sensor 140 that detects rain or the like around where the thermal camera 10 is installed, and, in some cases, a programmable timer 150 that presets the on / off times of the air supply device 100.
[0026] The air compressor 101 is a device that compresses outside air to generate high-pressure air, and at the same time, produces dust-free high-pressure air by passing the outside air used through a built-in filter. The air compressor 101 is driven by an AC power source or a DC power source.
[0027] The air distributor 111 is configured by branching the compressed air supply pipe 113 from the air compressor 101 into multiple (six in this example) distribution pipes 115-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, installing electromagnetic opening / closing valves 117-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 at the tip of each distribution pipe 115-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and further connecting distribution pipes 121-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 to each opening / closing valve 117-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
[0028] The opening and closing of each of the on-off valves 117-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 is independently controlled by a valve opening and closing signal from the control unit 130. The control unit 130 may be configured to be able to adjust the opening degree of each of the on-off valves 117-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
[0029] The distribution pipes 121-1 and 121-2 are connected to the pair of internal pressure forming nozzles 17. The distribution pipes 121-3 and 121-4 are connected to the pair of optical component surface spray nozzles 19. The distribution pipes 121-5 and 121-6 are connected to the pair of foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzles 21.
[0030] The control unit 130 is a computer that controls the on / off of the air compressor 101 and the opening and closing of each of the on-off valves 117-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the air distributor 111 in response to a rain detection signal from a rain sensor 140 that detects rain, and an on-off signal at a preset time from a programmable timer 150.
[0031] The rain sensor 140 is installed near the location monitored by the thermal camera 10, and detects whether rain is falling, and measures the amount of rainfall per unit time. The rain sensor 140 transmits a rain detection signal indicating the presence or absence of rainfall and the amount of rainfall to the control unit 130.
[0032] The thermal camera 10 is installed outdoors, for example, at a railroad crossing, but the air compressor 101 and air distributor 111 may be installed in a place protected from rain, and the control unit 130 may be installed in a remote management building or the like.
[0033] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the air supply device 100 performed using the control unit 130. An example of the operation of the air wiper system 1 will be described below mainly with reference to FIG.
[0034] First, when rain or the like starts to fall near the location where the thermal camera 10 is installed, the rain sensor 140 detects that rain has started ("Y" in step 1-1) and sends a rain or the like detection signal to the control unit 130.
[0035] As a result, the control unit 130 outputs an ON signal to the air compressor 101, turning it ON and causing it to start operating (step 1-2). At the same time, it sends an open signal to all the on-off valves 117-1 to 117-6, opening them (step 1-3).
[0036] 1 and 2. Specifically, the high-pressure air sprayed from the pair of internal pressure forming nozzles 17 maintains the internal pressure in space A of internal pressure forming casing 15 at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, thereby discharging air outward from opening 23, preventing outside air from entering opening 23 and preventing rain and the like from entering through opening 23. At this time, the tip of internal pressure forming nozzle 17 is not facing the optical component 13, so there is no risk of rain and the like that may have entered space A being sprayed onto optical component 13.
[0037] Furthermore, the high-pressure air sprayed from the pair of foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzles 21 can make the air released outward (forward) from the opening 23 of the internal pressure formation casing 15 by the internal pressure formation nozzle 17 into an even stronger, high-speed flow, and pushes rain, etc. that are trying to enter the opening 23 of the internal pressure formation casing 15 in a direction (forward) away from the opening 23. In other words, the effect of the foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzle 21, combined with the effect of the internal pressure formation nozzle 17, is synergistically exerted, so that even in conditions of strong rain, etc. or wind, it is possible to effectively prevent rain and wind from invading space A and prevent rain, etc. from adhering to the optical component 13.
[0038] Furthermore, the high-pressure air jetted from the pair of optical component surface jetting nozzles 19 is jetted directly onto the surface of the optical component 13. This allows rain or the like that has entered the internal pressure forming casing 15 and adhered to the optical component 13 even after the internal pressure forming nozzle 17 and the foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzle 21 are activated to be blown away or evaporated and removed.
[0039] As described above, the synergistic effect of the different actions of the nozzles 17, 19, and 21 can effectively prevent rain and the like from adhering to the optical component 13.
[0040] Next, in step 1-4, when the opening / closing valves 117-1 to 117-6 have been open for a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes), the process returns to step 1-1 to again detect whether the rain sensor 140 has detected rain or the like, and if it is still raining, the above steps 1-2 to 1-4 are repeated.
[0041] On the other hand, if the rain sensor 140 no longer detects rainwater, the process proceeds to step 1-5, where the air compressor 101 is turned off and stopped, and at the same time, all the on-off valves 117-1 to 117-6 are closed (step 1-6). This completes the series of operations, and the operation of the air compressor 101 and other components is stopped until it starts raining again.
[0042] In the above example of operation, when it starts to rain, high-pressure air is sprayed from all of the nozzles 17, 19, 21, but it may also be configured so that the nozzles 17, 19, 21 to be used are prioritized according to the severity of the rain, etc. Figure 5 is a partial operational flow diagram showing a modification of steps 1-3 in Figure 4.
[0043] 4, when rain or the like is detected and the air compressor 101 is driven (step 1-2), and if the amount of rain or the like detected by the rain sensor 140 is equal to or less than a preset medium level ("light" in step 1-3A), only the on-off valves 117-1 and 117-2 out of the on-off valves 117-1 to 117-6 are opened (step 1-3B). As a result, high-pressure air is ejected only from the pair of internal pressure generation nozzles 17 and 17.
[0044] This increases the internal pressure within the internal pressure forming casing 15, causing air to be released outward from the opening 23 of the internal pressure forming casing 15, thereby preventing rain and the like from entering the opening 23. When there is little rainfall (and when the wind is weak), simply supplying high-pressure air from the internal pressure forming nozzles 17, 17 is sufficient to prevent water droplets from adhering to the optical component 13.
[0045] Next, if the amount of rainfall detected by the rain sensor 140 is a preset medium amount of rainfall ("medium" in step 1-3A), among the on-off valves 117-1 to 117-6, on-off valves 117-1, 117-2 and on-off valves 117-5, 117-6 are opened (step 1-3D). As a result, high-pressure air is ejected from the pair of internal pressure generating nozzles 17, 17 and the pair of foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzles 21, 21.
[0046] This increases the internal pressure within the internal pressure forming casing 15, and at the same time, by making the air released outward (forward) from the opening 23 of the internal pressure forming casing 15 a powerful, high-speed flow, rain or the like that tries to enter the opening 23 of the internal pressure forming casing 15 is strongly pushed away from the opening 23. This effectively prevents rain and wind from entering the space A, even in moderately strong rain or wind conditions, and prevents rain and the like from adhering to the optical component 13.
[0047] Furthermore, if the amount of rainfall detected by the rain sensor 140 is equal to or greater than the preset medium level ("heavy" in step 1-3A), all of the on-off valves 117-1 to 117-6 are opened (step 1-3C). This causes high-pressure air to be sprayed from all of the nozzles 17, 19, and 21, effectively preventing the intrusion of rain and wind into space A, and still removing water droplets adhering to the surfaces of the optical components 13, as explained in step 1-3 of FIG. 4 above.
[0048] As described above, by selectively controlling which nozzles 17, 19, and 21 to use depending on the level of rain, the air supply device 100 can be operated efficiently.
[0049] To achieve even more efficient operation, it is possible to add a case where only one of the two nozzles is used, or a case where the opening degree of each of the on-off valves 117-1 to 117-6 is adjusted. Also, the number of nozzles in each pair may be increased to three or more, and operation may be performed by selecting the use of each nozzle.
[0050] In the above operational example, the rain sensor 140 was used to control the operation of the high-pressure air sprayed from each nozzle 17, 19, 21, but instead (or in addition) an air volume sensor may be installed to perform control according to the air volume (or both the air volume and rainfall volume). That is, when the air volume is low (or when there is little wind and rain), only the high-pressure air from the internal pressure creation nozzles 17, 17 is used; when the air volume is moderately high (or when there is moderately high either wind or rain), high-pressure air from the internal pressure creation nozzles 17, 17 and the foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzles 21, 21 is used; and when the air volume is high (or when there is high either wind or rain), all of the high-pressure air from the internal pressure creation nozzles 17, 17, the foreign matter intrusion prevention nozzles 21, 21, and the optical component surface spray nozzles 19, 19 is used.
[0051] Furthermore, instead of using rain sensor 140 to control the on / off state of air supply device 100, programmable timer 150 may be used to keep the device on for a preset period of time (for example, a period during which monitoring is required). Air supply device 100 may also be configured to operate 24 hours a day. In this case, rain sensor 140 need not be installed.
[0052] In the above example, the control unit 130 controls the opening and closing of the air compressor 101 and each of the on-off valves 117-1 to 117-6, but the control unit 130 may be omitted, the air compressor 101 may be directly controlled to turn on and off using the time set by the programmable timer 150, and each of the on-off valves 117-1 to 117-6 may be manually opened and closed as necessary. Furthermore, opening adjustment valves may be installed in each of the distribution pipes 121-1 to 121-6, in addition to each of the on-off valves 117-1 to 117-6, to adjust the discharge rate of high-pressure air. Furthermore, the on-off valves 117-1 to 117-6 may be omitted, and the supply and stop of high-pressure air may be controlled solely by the air compressor 101.
[0053] The air wiper system 1 can be used both outdoors and indoors. Of course, the effects of the present invention can be more effectively utilized when the system is used outdoors where it is exposed to wind and rain.
[0054] As explained in the prior art section above, the air wiper system 1 may be installed, for example, at a railroad crossing on a railway line to monitor people and vehicles passing through the crossing. In this case, the air wiper system 1 serves as an air wiper system for a thermal camera used to monitor railroad crossings. That is, to prevent collisions between trains and people or vehicles entering a railroad crossing with the barriers open, it is necessary to monitor people and vehicles passing through the crossing and quickly detect and issue an alarm if a person or vehicle is left behind on the crossing with the barriers open. The air wiper system 1 according to the present invention can be used as a railroad crossing monitoring system, i.e., an air wiper system for a thermal camera that detects infrared rays emitted by people or vehicles present on the crossing through optical components.
[0055] Of course, the air wiper system 1 of the present invention can be used not only in air wiper systems for thermal cameras used to monitor railroad crossings, but also in any system that uses a thermal camera, such as air wiper systems for thermal cameras used for various other types of monitoring (such as security and vehicle-mounted cameras) and air wiper systems for thermal cameras used in body temperature measurement systems for people and animals.
[0056] Although the present invention has been described above as an embodiment, it is not limited to the above embodiment and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims and the technical concept described in the specification and drawings. Furthermore, any shape, structure, or material not directly described in the specification and drawings is within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention as long as it achieves the functions and effects of the present invention. Furthermore, the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings can be combined with each other as long as there is no contradiction in their purpose, configuration, etc. Furthermore, even a portion of the contents described above and shown in the drawings can be considered as independent embodiments, and the present invention is not limited to a single embodiment combining the above description and drawings. [Explanation of symbols]
[0057] 1 Air wiper system for thermal cameras 10. Thermal Camera 13 Optical Components 15 Internal pressure forming casing 17 Internal pressure forming nozzle 19 Optical component surface spray nozzle 21 Nozzle for preventing foreign matter from entering 23 Opening 100 Air supply device 101 Air Compressor 111 Air distributor 121-1,2,3,4,5,6 Distribution piping 130 control section 140 Rain sensor 150 Programmable Timer
Claims
1. This air wiper system for thermal cameras prevents foreign matter from adhering to the optical components installed at the tip of the thermal camera that detects infrared rays. an air supply device; a casing for forming internal pressure that surrounds the space around the optical component and has an opening in the direction in which the infrared rays are incident; an internal pressure forming nozzle that supplies high-pressure air supplied from the air supply device into the internal pressure forming casing to make the internal pressure inside the internal pressure forming casing higher than the outside air; An air wiper system for a thermal camera, comprising:
2. 2. The air wiper system for a thermal camera according to claim 1, An air wiper system for a thermal camera, characterized in that it is equipped with a nozzle for preventing foreign matter from entering, which sprays high-pressure air supplied from the air supply device toward the front of the opening of the internal pressure forming casing.
3. 3. The air wiper system for a thermal camera according to claim 1 or 2, An air wiper system for a thermal camera, comprising an optical component surface spray nozzle that sprays high-pressure air supplied from the air supply device toward the surface of the optical component.
4. 4. The air wiper system for a thermal camera according to claim 1, 2 or 3, Equipped with a rain sensor that detects rain or snow, An air wiper system for a thermal camera, characterized in that when the rain sensor detects rain, the air supply device is activated to supply high-pressure air.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Crossing monitoring system
JP2019038526A