Vehicle Camera Lens Cleaning Timing Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional camera systems waste water by cleaning the lens regardless of the actual state of contamination, leading to unnecessary consumption during rainy weather when mud splashing is likely.
Innovation Solution
A system that controls the timing and amount of water used for lens cleaning based on the state of contamination, ensuring cleaning only when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If lens cleaning is executed during rainy weather when contamination is likely to occur, then the lens can be kept clean, but washing water is uselessly consumed when cleaning is not actually needed
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an image processing unit to continuously monitor the lens surface and detect contamination states. Based on this feedback information about actual lens condition, the control unit intelligently determines whether cleaning is necessary and activates the cleaning device only when contamination is detected, thereby avoiding unnecessary water consumption while maintaining lens cleanliness.
Solution Approach 2:
The lens cleaning system performs self-diagnosis by using the image processing unit to automatically detect its own contamination state. The system serves itself by making autonomous decisions about when cleaning is needed based on real-time monitoring, eliminating the need for manual intervention or fixed-schedule cleaning operations.
2Reliability
If lens cleaning is executed regardless of actual contamination state, then lens cleanliness is maintained, but cleaning operations are performed unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit receives real-time feedback from the image processing unit about the lens contamination state. This feedback mechanism enables the system to make informed decisions about cleaning timing, activating the cleaning device only when contamination is actually present rather than following a predetermined schedule, thus optimizing cleaning operation timing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of lens contamination using the image processing unit before initiating cleaning operations. By detecting contamination in advance and only then activating the cleaning device, the system avoids unnecessary cleaning operations while ensuring cleaning is performed promptly when needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach conserves water by executing the cleaning process at the appropriate time and with the appropriate amount of cleaning fluid, effectively addressing the issue of unnecessary water consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a camera device 1000 including an imaging unit that captures images through a lens
Implementation Method 2
a cleaning device 1001 that cleans the lens of the camera device 1000
Implementation Method 3
adhered contamination due to splashing mud and the like is removed by blowing high-pressure air and high-pressure water onto the glass
Data Source
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AI summary
Installed on a vehicle and provided with a camera 10 comprising a lens 11, a lens cleaning device 100 for cleaning the lens following a predetermined lens cleaning step, an adhesion state assessment unit 38 for assessing the adhesion state, including the adhesion degree of foreign matter adhered to the lens 11 based on the pixel values of pixels included in an obtained captured image, and a controller 101 for controlling the supply time of the cleaning fluid based on the assessed adhesion state of foreign matter, wherein the adhesion state assessment unit 38 assesses that the state of adhered lens contamination 11 is a first state when the adhesion degree of foreign matter is within a predetermined threshold value of equal to or greater than a first adhesion threshold and less than a second adhesion threshold, and conduct a control to cause the lens cleaning device 100 to delay the supply time of the cleaning fluid when the state of adhered lens contamination 11 is assessed as being the first state.