Vehicle exterior imaging apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9645392-B2
Application number	US-201414149480-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2014
Priority date	Jan 10, 2013
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle exterior imaging apparatus includes a photo-receiving element, a transparent member that is disposed on a front face of the photo-receiving element and introduces light into it, and a movable body movable between a covering position for covering part or all of a front face of the transparent member with the movable body being spaced apart from the transparent member, and an evacuated position evacuating from the front face of the transparent member with respect to the covering position. The movable body has a higher surface wettability in a portion opposing to the transparent member at the covering position than the one of the front face of the transparent member. The movable body evacuates water adhered to the surface of the transparent member in a moving direction of the movable body during the movement of the movable body from the covering position to the evacuated position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle exterior imaging apparatus, comprising:
a photo-receiving element;
a transparent member disposed on a front face of the photo-receiving element, the transparent member being configured to introduce light into the photo-receiving element;
a movable body comprising an upper movable body and a lower movable body which are formed in a curved shape having a substantially the same curvature as that of the transparent member and the upper movable body and the lower movable body are movable together between a covering position in which the movable body covers part or all of a front face of the transparent member in a state where the movable body is spaced apart from the transparent member with a gap with a predetermined distance, and an evacuated position in which the movable body is evacuated from the front face of the transparent member with respect to the covering position;

a controller configured to
perform a first determination of an adhered state as to whether any foreign substance including water on the front face is adhered to the front face of transparent member,
perform a removal operation to control the movable body to move from evacuated position to the covering position, and then move from the covering position to the evacuated position when the foreign substance is adhered to the front face of the transparent member, wherein the gap is maintained during the removal operation to avoid the movable body from contacting the transparent member, and
perform a second determination of an adhered state as to whether any foreign substance including water on the front face is adhered to the front face of transparent member after the removal operation; and

a washer is configured to discharge a washer liquid to the front face of the transparent member when a foreign substance is found after the second determination, wherein the movable body has a higher surface wettability at least in a portion thereof opposing to the transparent member at the covering position than the surface wettability of the front face of the transparent member,
wherein the movable body evacuates water adhered to the front face of the transparent member in a moving direction of the upper movable body or the lower movable body during the movement of the movable body from the covering position to the evacuated position, and
wherein the moving from the evacuated position to the covering position comprises the upper movable body and the lower movable body approaching each other, and the moving from the covering position to the evacuated position comprises the upper movable body and the lower movable body separating from each other.

2. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transparent member is a convex lens.

3. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is further configured to identify that the adhered foreign substance is water or dirt, and
wherein when the controller determines that the dirt is adhered to the transparent member, the washer discharges the washer fluid, and the controller controls the movable body to move from the evacuated position to the covering position and then move from the covering position to the evacuated position.

4. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the controller is further configured to identify that the adhered foreign substance is water or dirt, and
wherein when the controller determines that the dirt is adhered to the transparent member, the washer discharges the washer fluid, and the controller controls the movable body to move from the evacuated position to the covering position and then move from the covering position to the evacuated position.

5. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the controller determines the adhered state of any foreign substance based on sequentially-captured images, and identifies an adhered foreign substance to be water or dirt based on a brightness of an image area where the adhered state is determined.

6. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the controller determines the adhered state of any foreign substance based on sequentially-captured images image data captured sequentially, and identifies an adhered foreign substance to be water or dirt based on a brightness of an image area where the adhered state is determined.

7. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein when the washer fluid is discharged by the washer, the controller starts moving the movable body from the evacuated position to the covering position after the discharge of the washer fluid is started, and then moves the movable body from the covering position to the evacuated position after the discharge of the washer fluid is finished.

8. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 2 , wherein when the washer fluid is discharged by the washer, the controller starts moving the movable body from the evacuated position to the covering position after the discharge of the washer fluid is started, and then moves the movable body from the covering position to the evacuated position after the discharge of the washer fluid is finished.

9. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 3 , wherein when the washer fluid is discharged by the washer, the controller starts moving the movable body from the evacuated position to the covering position after the discharge of the washer fluid is started, and then moves the movable body from the covering position to the evacuated position after the discharge of the washer fluid is finished.

10. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 4 , wherein when the washer fluid is discharged by the washer, the controller starts moving the movable body from the evacuated position to the covering position after the discharge of the washer fluid is started, and then moves the movable body from the covering position to the evacuated position after the discharge of the washer fluid is finished.

11. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 5 , wherein when the washer fluid is discharged by the washer, the controller starts moving the movable body from the evacuated position to the covering position after the discharge of the washer fluid is started, and then moves the movable body from the covering position to the evacuated position after the discharge of the washer fluid is finished.

12. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 6 , wherein when the washer fluid is discharged by the washer, the controller starts moving the movable body from the evacuated position to the covering position after the discharge of the washer fluid is started, and then moves the movable body from the covering position to the evacuated position after the discharge of the washer fluid is finished.

13. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured, after the washer discharges the washer fluid, to control the movable body to move from evacuated position to the covering position, and then move from the covering position to the evacuated position when the foreign substance is adhered to the front face of the transparent member.

14. The vehicle exterior imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the movable body is configured to have no direct contact with the front face of the transparent member during the removal operation.

Assignees

• Fuji Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yoshimura Naohide

Classifications

• B60R11/04

  Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle · 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