Camera washing system

A roadway monitoring system comprising:

• a plurality of roadway monitoring cameras for capturing images, each camera disposed to capture the images through a viewing surface exposed to outdoor environmental conditions;
• a gantry extending across a roadway, each of the roadway monitoring cameras mounted on the gantry;
• a pressurized wash fluid source;
• a conduit having an upstream end selectively connected to the wash fluid source through a supply valve and a downstream end connected to a delivery tube manifold;
• a plurality of delivery tubes, each delivery tube having an supply end in fluid connection with the manifold via a delivery tube valve and a delivery end disposed to be proximate to the viewing surface of a respective one of the cameras, such that a wash fluid exiting the downstream end of the conduit will impinge on the viewing surface;
• and
• a controller.

A method for monitoring a roadway comprising the steps of

• disposing a plurality of cameras in different positions on a gantry over a roadway, each of the plurality of cameras having a viewing surface;
• providing at least one delivery tube for each of the plurality of cameras;
• providing a nozzle disposed on a downstream end of each of the delivery tubes, the nozzle being in close proximity to the respective viewing surface;
• providing a wash fluid source selectively connected to an upstream end of each of the delivery tubes;
• providing a compressed gas source selectively connected to an upstream end of each of the delivery tubes;
• using a controller to actuate the flow of a wash fluid from the wash fluid source through the nozzle of the delivery tubes;
• responsive to said step of using the controller to actuate the flow of the wash fluid, impinging the wash fluid on the viewing surface;
• using the controller to actuate the flow of a compressed gas from the compressed gas source through the nozzle of the delivery tubes;
• and
• responsive to said step of using the controller to actuate the flow of the compressed gas, impinging the gas on the viewing surface.