Electrostatic lens cleaning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10511748-B2
Application number	US-201615547029-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2016
Priority date	Jan 30, 2015
Publication date	Dec 17, 2019
Grant date	Dec 17, 2019

Abstract

An automotive camera including a camera lens with one or more conductive accumulators and a method of cleaning the camera lens using the conductive accumulators. The automotive camera includes a lens bezel coupled to the camera lens. The lens bezel may be coupled to the conductive accumulators. The conductive accumulators receive electric charge from a power supply of a vehicle and concentrate the electric charge on pointed ends of the conductive accumulators. The charged, pointed ends attract water particles away from the camera lens. The water particles accumulate at the conductive accumulators until gaining sufficient mass. When sufficient mass is gained, the water particles flow across the lens bezel and away from the camera lens.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An automotive camera with automatic lens cleaning, the automotive camera comprising:
a camera housing;
a lens bezel coupled to the camera housing;
a camera lens having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the camera lens coupled to the lens bezel;
a conductive path; and
a conductive accumulator having a pointed end and a base electrically connected to the conductive path, the conductive accumulator configured to
receive an electric charge from the conductive path,
concentrate the electric charge at the pointed end, and
attract water particles to the pointed end based on an amount of the electric charge concentrated at the pointed end.

2. The automotive camera with automatic lens cleaning of claim 1 , wherein the camera housing includes an electrical connector configured to electrically couple to a power supply line that is electrically coupled to a power supply of a vehicle.

3. The automotive camera with automatic lens cleaning of claim 1 , where the lens bezel includes channels to divert the water particles away from the camera lens.

4. The automotive camera with automatic lens cleaning of claim 3 , wherein the channels are radially-orientated grooves positioned through the lens bezel.

5. The automotive camera with automatic lens cleaning of claim 1 , wherein the lens bezel is configured to receive the electric charge from the conductive path and transfer the electric charge to the conductive accumulator.

6. The automotive camera with automatic lens cleaning of claim 5 , wherein the lens bezel includes heating elements that increase in temperature when the lens bezel receives the electric charge.

7. The automotive camera with automatic lens cleaning of claim 5 , wherein the conductive path is electrically coupled to an electrical socket coupled to the camera housing.

8. The automotive camera with automatic lens cleaning of claim 5 , wherein the conductive accumulator is spaced apart and juxtaposed from the exterior surface of the camera lens with a gap between the conductive accumulator and the exterior surface of the camera lens.

9. The automotive camera with automatic lens cleaning of claim 1 , wherein the pointed end of the conductive accumulator is pointed approximately radially-inward toward a center of the camera lens.

10. The automotive camera with automatic lens cleaning of claim 1 , wherein the conductive accumulator includes a nonconductive coating covering a surface of the conductive accumulator.

11. The automotive camera with automatic lens cleaning of claim 10 , wherein the conductive accumulator is adjacent to the exterior surface and wherein the nonconductive coating electrically insulates the conductive accumulator from the camera lens.

12. A method of cleaning an automotive camera lens, the method comprising:
providing a conductive accumulator having a base and a pointed end;
positioning the conductive accumulator juxtaposed and spaced apart from an exterior surface of a camera lens;
electrically connecting the conductive accumulator to a conductive path;
electrically connecting the conductive path to a power supply; and
supplying the conductive accumulator with an electric charge.

13. The method of cleaning an automotive camera lens of claim 12 , the method comprising:
electrically coupling an electrical connector to a power supply line that is electrically coupled to a power supply of a vehicle.

14. The method of cleaning an automotive camera lens of claim 12 , the method comprising:
diverting water particles away from the camera lens using channels in a lens bezel.

15. The method of cleaning an automotive camera lens of claim 12 , the method comprising:
charging a lens bezel with the electric charge from the conductive path; and
routing the electric charge to the conductive accumulator.

16. The method of cleaning an automotive camera lens of claim 12 , the method comprising:
heating a lens bezel with the electric charge.

17. The method of cleaning an automotive camera lens of claim 12 , the method comprising:
spacing the conductive accumulator apart from the exterior surface of the camera lens with a gap between the conductive accumulator and the exterior surface of the camera lens; and
orientating the conductive accumulator approximately radially-inward toward a center of the camera lens.

18. The method of cleaning an automotive camera lens of claim 12 , the method comprising:
coating a surface of the conductive accumulator with a nonconductive coating, and
wherein supplying the conductive accumulator with an electric charge includes supplying the conductive accumulator with the electric charge via control switching electrically coupled to the conductive path.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Barton Matthew

Classifications

• B08B6/00 Primary

  Cleaning by electrostatic means · CPC title

• B08B17/02

  Preventing deposition of fouling or of dust · CPC title

• B60S1/56

  specially adapted for cleaning other parts or devices than front windows or windscreens {(rear-view mirror arrangements mounted on vehicle exterior including cleaning devices B60R1/0602)} · CPC title

• G02B27/0006 Primary

  with means to keep optical surfaces clean, e.g. by preventing or removing dirt, stains, contamination, condensation (G02B1/18 takes precedence; cleaning in general B08B) · CPC title

• H04N5/2251 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic