On-board optical sensor cover and on-board optical sensor apparatus
AssigneeDenso Corporation
InventorsToshihiro Hattori, Manabu Ono
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An on-board optical sensor apparatus includes an optical sensor, an optical sensor cover, and a controller. The optical sensor has a lens. The optical sensor cover includes a holder and a washer nozzle. The holder holds the optical sensor. The washer nozzle performs a washing operation to wash a lens surface of the lens of the optical sensor or a glass surface of a cover glass located facing the lens by spraying a washer fluid, supplied from a washer fluid tank, onto the lens surface or the glass surface. The controller controls the washing operation of the washer nozzle.
Claims51
An on-board optical sensor cover comprising:
- a holder for holding an optical sensor having a lens;
- a washer nozzle for performing a washing operation to wash a lens surface of the lens of the optical sensor held in the holder or a glass surface of a cover glass located facing the lens by spraying a washer fluid, supplied from a washer fluid tank, onto the lens surface or the glass surface, and
- an air spraying device for performing a spraying operation to spray air onto the lens surface of the lens of the optical sensor or the glass surface of the cover glass,
- wherein
- the washer nozzle performs the washing operation,
- the air spraying device performs the spraying operation to spray the air onto the lens surface of the lens of the optical sensor or the glass surface of the cover glass while the washer nozzle performs the washing operation,
- the washer fluid and the air are sprayed from the same direction onto the lens surface or the glass surface, and
- the washer nozzle is located closer to the lens surface than an air nozzle of the air spraying device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.