Rear Imaging Device Drainer Pieces Water Droplet Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rear imaging devices face issues with water droplets adhering to the housing and being reflected in the image, as wind force causes scattering or adherence, depending on vehicle speed, leading to image distortion.
Innovation Solution
The rear imaging device features drainer pieces extending rearwardly from the housing, with narrower tip ends and continuous base portions, designed to merge water droplets and increase wind force for scattering, and a recessed portion for the transparent member to reduce adherence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the housing is designed without drainer pieces, then the structure is simple, but water droplets adhere to the transparent member and are reflected in the image
Solution Approach 1:
The rear end surface of the housing is segmented into multiple drainer pieces that extend rearwardly. Each drainer piece acts as an independent water guiding structure, collectively forming a water droplet management system that directs water away from the transparent member without requiring complex additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The drainer pieces extend in the rearward direction (longitudinal dimension) from the housing, creating a three-dimensional water guidance structure. This dimensional extension allows water droplets to be guided along the rearward path and scattered by wind force, effectively removing water from the critical area around the transparent member.
2Speed
If the moving speed is high, then water droplets are scattered by wind force, but at low speeds water droplets adhere to the housing and are reflected in the image
Solution Approach 1:
The drainer pieces are positioned to guide water droplets toward the rear end edge of the housing before the vehicle's wind force acts on them. This preliminary positioning ensures that even at low speeds, water droplets are already in a position where they can be effectively scattered by any available wind force, rather than adhering to the housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The design converts the potentially harmful effect of water droplet adherence into a beneficial scattering effect. By guiding water droplets to the rear end edge through drainer pieces, the system ensures that even weak wind force at low speeds can scatter the water, transforming the adherence problem into a scattering solution.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If drainer pieces are added to the housing, then water droplet scattering is improved, but the housing size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drainer pieces are localized to the rear end portion of the housing, specifically at the rear end surface where water droplets naturally accumulate. This localized placement provides effective water scattering functionality only where needed, without adding unnecessary volume to the main housing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The drainer pieces extend rearwardly to a degree that provides sufficient water scattering capability, but not excessively so. The extension length is optimized to achieve the water droplet scattering function while minimizing the additional volume occupied by the drainer structures.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple drainer pieces are formed with continuous base portions, then water droplet merging is enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Adjacent drainer pieces are connected by continuous base portions, merging them into a unified structural element. This merging allows water droplets to flow continuously across multiple drainer pieces and merge into larger droplets at the rear end edge, enhancing the scattering effect while simplifying the overall structure through integration.
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 design effectively reduces water droplet adherence to the transparent member, minimizing reflections in the image, even at slower speeds, and ensures safety and efficiency without increasing housing size.
Implementation Method 1
a force (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a 'wind force'), which is applied to water droplets adhering to the housing from wind caused by movement of the mobile object
Data Source
AI summary
A rear imaging device is provided. The rear imaging device is attached to a mobile object such as a vehicle, and is provided with an imaging device for imaging an area rearward of the mobile object, and a housing for housing the imaging device. At a rear end portion of the housing, drainer pieces are formed extending rearward. A plurality of the drainer pieces are formed in a circumferential direction of the housing. Tip end portions of the drainer pieces are formed narrower toward tip points thereof, with base portions of the adjacent drainer pieces being adjacent to each other.