Transparent Protective Cap for Vehicle Camera Lens
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional protective mechanisms for vehicle cameras, such as moving covers and active cleaning systems, are structurally complex, costly, and maintenance-intensive, failing to effectively protect the optics from dirt and environmental influences that disrupt the field of view.
Innovation Solution
A protective cap made of optically transparent material, such as glass or Plexiglas, is designed to surround the camera lens, extending downwards to shield it from dirt and water while maintaining an unobstructed view by being open at the bottom, and is positioned to prevent water droplets from collecting on the lens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional protective mechanisms (moving covers, active cleaning systems) are used to protect the camera lens, then the protection effect is improved, but the device complexity increases and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the protective function from complex mechanical systems (moving covers, cleaning mechanisms) and implements it through a simple static cap structure. The cap is a fixed, non-moving component that provides protection without requiring actuators, motors, or control systems, thereby eliminating the complexity associated with active protective mechanisms while maintaining effective lens protection from dirt and water.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap is designed as a simple, inexpensive, static protective component that can be easily manufactured and replaced if needed. Unlike complex mechanical protective systems that require maintenance of moving parts, the cap represents a simple protective element that minimizes maintenance requirements while providing effective protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a protective cover is added to shield the lens, then the protection from contamination is improved, but the field of view may be obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is designed with spatially varying properties: it provides full coverage and protection in areas where contamination risk is highest (front and sides of the lens), while maintaining transparency and openness in areas where the field of view is required. The cap material is optically transparent in the regions that would otherwise obstruct the view, allowing light to pass through while still providing physical protection from contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap acts as an intermediary element between the lens and the external environment. It provides physical protection from dirt and water while being optically transparent, allowing the field of view to pass through unaffected. The cap mediates between the need for protection and the need for optical access, resolving the contradiction by providing both functions simultaneously.
3Area of stationary object
If the camera is mounted at the front of the vehicle for optimal field of view, then the field of view is improved, but the exposure to water and dirt increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cap provides preliminary protection against water and dirt before they can reach and contaminate the lens. By positioning the cap as the first line of defense in front of the lens, it intercepts contaminants carried by airflow and precipitation, preventing them from contacting the optical surface. This preliminary protective action allows the camera to be mounted in optimal positions without sacrificing protection.
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 solution provides a cost-efficient and low-maintenance protection for vehicle cameras, ensuring the optics remain clear without impairing the field of view, even at higher speeds, by using an optically permeable cap that extends downwards to prevent contamination and directs water droplets away from the lens.
Implementation Method 1
A protective device is proposed in which a cap, which is open at the bottom, surrounds the outwardly facing surface of the optics in an area located in front of the optics when viewed in the forward direction of travel of the vehicle
Implementation Method 2
The cap is open at the bottom and extends downwards further than the outwardly facing surface of the optics in an area located in front of the optics
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle (100) comprising a camera (120) arranged on an exterior surface of the vehicle, wherein the camera comprises: an optic (112) attached to a housing (110) of the camera (120) for detecting the vehicle's surroundings, preferably by means of a downwardly or obliquely downwardly directed field of view (111) of the optic, wherein the optic (112) comprises an outwardly facing surface (112a) and a protective device for reducing contamination and/or environmental influences that may interfere with the optic's field of view. According to the invention, the protective device is designed as a cap (114) made of an optically transparent material, which is open downwards and surrounds the outwardly facing surface (112a) of the optic (112) in a region (114a) that lies in front of the optic (112) when viewed in the forward direction (F) of the vehicle, and extends downwards further than the surface (112a).The camera is preferably designed as a front camera. The vehicle can be a commercial vehicle or a passenger car.