Vehicle Camera Casing With Sliding Screen For Continuous Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current outside viewing devices for vehicles, such as backup and panoramic cameras, are compromised during cleaning, leading to temporary camera shutdowns, which is unsafe for 'rearview' purposes.
Innovation Solution
A sealed casing with a movable transparent screen that slides between positions to maintain camera functionality and cleanliness without interrupting image transmission, using wiper seals, motorized assemblies, and sensors for cleaning and ambient light adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the camera and cleaning head are movable between cleaning position and active imaging position, then the camera can be cleaned, but the camera is put out of action during cleaning which compromises safety for rearview purposes
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional zones: a cleaning zone with the cleaning head and a sealed imaging zone with the camera. The internal partition separates these zones, allowing the cleaning head to access the screen for cleaning while the camera remains in the sealed zone, eliminating the need to shut down the camera during cleaning operations.
Solution Approach 2:
A movable transparent screen acts as an intermediary element between the cleaning zone and the sealed imaging zone. The screen can be positioned to allow cleaning head access while maintaining the seal, or positioned to cover the imaging window when cleaning is not needed, thus mediating between the conflicting requirements of cleaning access and sealed protection.
2Reliability
If the camera is housed in a sealed casing to maintain image clarity, then the imaging window can be kept clean, but the camera cannot be accessed for cleaning without breaking the seal
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent screen is made movable between different positions: a first position where it allows the cleaning head to access the imaging window for cleaning, and a second position where it seals the imaging window to protect the camera and maintain image clarity. This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction between sealed protection and cleaning accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The casing is segmented into a sealed imaging zone containing the camera and a cleaning zone containing the cleaning head. The internal partition creates this separation, allowing the imaging window to be cleaned through the partition opening while the camera remains protected in the sealed zone.
3Reliability
If the screen moves between imaging positions to maintain cleanliness, then continuous clear images can be transmitted, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A transparent screen (thin film) is used instead of a rigid cover, allowing it to be moved easily between positions. The screen can be slid along guides to transition between the cleaning position and sealed position, providing the necessary flexibility with minimal mechanical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning head is designed to automatically clean the imaging window when the screen is in the cleaning position, without requiring complex external intervention. The system performs its own maintenance function, reducing the need for additional complex cleaning mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An outside viewing device for a vehicle, having a camera that is housed in a casing having a frontal wall through which there passes an imaging window, and an internal partition which is parallel to the frontal wall and through which there passes an opening next to the imaging window. In addition, two peripheral wiper seals, disposed at the periphery of the window and the opening, delimit a guide in which a transparent screen slides, in a sealed manner, between at least two imaging positions, in each of which different surface portions of the screen are positioned next to the imaging window. Finally, a device for moving the screen is designed to slide the latter between its different positions.