JPH0827879B2 - Optical vehicle detector cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is an optical device installed on the upper part of a road, irradiating a light beam on the road surface, detecting reflected light, and detecting the presence or absence of a vehicle traveling on the road based on the light amount level of the reflected light. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cleaning device associated with a vehicle detector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent traffic control systems, it is necessary to transmit position information for a navigation system to a traveling vehicle and receive vehicle number information for measuring traveling time of the traveling vehicle from the traveling vehicle. Is occurring. Therefore, communication between the road and the traveling vehicle is required, and for the communication, a traveling vehicle detector that is installed on the road and detects whether or not there is a traveling vehicle on the road is required. The installation situation of such a traveling vehicle detector will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows the installation situation of the optical vehicle detector. The optical vehicle detector 21 is installed on the upper part of the road, irradiates the road surface with light rays, detects the reflected light from the road surface or the traveling vehicle, and detects the presence or absence of the traveling vehicle on the road based on the level of the reflected light. The transmitted light beam 22 is transmitted from the optical vehicle detector 21. Reference numeral 23 denotes reflected light from a road surface or a traveling vehicle, 24 a road surface, and 25 a passing traveling vehicle.

FIG. 3 shows an optical system of the optical vehicle detector 21. Reference numeral 31 is a glass on the front surface which is a window of the optical vehicle detector 21, 32 is a light projecting portion for irradiating the road surface 24 with light rays, and 3
Reference numeral 3 denotes a light receiving unit that detects the reflected light 23 from the road surface or the traveling vehicle. Here, the dirt of the optical vehicle detector 21 means dirt such as dust adhering to the glass 31.

When such dirt on the glass surface is left,
The level of the reflected light 23 received through the glass surface lowers, and finally approaches the noise level that is constantly present, making it impossible to detect the reflected light 23. Therefore, in order for the optical vehicle detector 21 to function normally, it is necessary to manage the glass surface cleanly so that the level of the reflected light 21 is higher than a certain multiple of the noise level under any circumstances. is there. Therefore, conventionally, the traffic on the road is regulated, and the glass surface is regularly cleaned manually by using a bucket truck.

[0006]

However, in such a conventional technique, the traffic of the road is regulated in order to clean the optical vehicle detector, and then the bucket vehicle is used to manually operate the vehicle. It had to be cleaned, and there were the following problems.

That is, since the road traffic must be regulated in order to clean the optical vehicle detector, the cleaning cannot be performed at an arbitrary time, and when the cleaning is performed, the traveling vehicle is subject to the traffic regulation. Traffic jams and economic activity is hindered. In addition, cleaning the optical vehicle detector requires a large number of workers such as a person who cleans the bucket, a driver of the bucket truck, and a person who controls traffic, which is a large labor cost. Further, the work on the bucket is a work at a high place, which is dangerous for the worker.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the problems of the prior art as described above, and one worker performs all the work on the ground without traffic regulation at any time. An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device for an optical vehicle sensor that can be used.

[0009]

The gist of the present invention for achieving the above object is to be installed on an upper part of a road, irradiate a light beam on the road surface, detect reflected light, and detect the amount of the reflected light. In a cleaning device associated with an optical vehicle detector that detects the presence or absence of a vehicle traveling on a road depending on the level, a compressor (4), a water supply valve (5), a cleaning liquid tank (3)
A mobile trolley (6) equipped with and a joint (7),
The mobile trolley (6) comprises a pressure hose (2) and a nozzle row (1), and the mobile trolley (6) contains a compressor (4), a water supply valve (5) and a cleaning liquid tank (3), and the cleaning liquid tank (3).
Is a container equipped with a water outlet and a pressurizing port, which stores the cleaning solution and pumps the cleaning solution from the water outlet to the water supply valve by compressed air supplied from the compressor (4). The compressor (4) is connected to the compressor (4) via the pressure port and to the joint (7) via the water outlet, and the compressor (4) pressurizes the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid tank (3). It is for supplying the cleaning liquid to a high level of the nozzle row (1), and is provided in a state of being connected to the cleaning liquid tank (3) through the pressurizing port, and the water supply valve (5) is Controlling the start and end of the supply of the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid tank (3) is provided in a state of being connected through the water outlet, and the joint (7) is provided with the pressure hose and the movable carriage (6). ) Also for joining The pressure hose (2) is provided in a state of being connected to a water supply valve (5) and the pressure hose, and the pressure hose (2) is for supplying the cleaning liquid from the road to the nozzle row (1). The joint (7) and the nozzle row (1) are provided with the pressure hose and the nozzle row (1) in a state of being connected to the nozzle row (1), and the nozzle row (1) is pressure-fed through the pressure hose (2). A method for cleaning a window by spraying a cleaning liquid, the optical vehicle sensor being provided with a light beam irradiating portion and a portion for detecting the reflected light, near the window, facing the direction of the window. The cleaning device for an optical vehicle detector is characterized in that the cleaning device is provided in a state of being installed.

[0010]

The mobile trolley (6) houses the compressor (4), the water supply valve (5) and the cleaning liquid tank (3). The cleaning liquid tank (3) is a container provided with a water outlet and a pressure port, stores the cleaning solution, and sends the cleaning solution under pressure from the water outlet to the water supply valve by the compressed air supplied from the compressor (4). The compressor (4) pressurizes the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid tank (3) and supplies the cleaning liquid to the altitude of the nozzle row (1). The water supply valve (5) controls the start and end of the supply of the cleaning liquid. A joint (7) connects the pressure hose and the mobile carriage (6). The pressure hose (2) supplies the cleaning liquid from the road to the nozzle row (1). The nozzle row (1) cleans the window by injecting the cleaning liquid pumped through the pressure hose (2).

When cleaning the optical vehicle detector,
Move the mobile trolley (6) of the device of the present invention to near the joint (7) that you want to wash and press the pressure hose (2).
And the mobile carriage (6). After that, when the water supply valve (5) is opened after pressurizing the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid tank (3) with the compressor (4), the cleaning liquid passes through the pressure hose (2) and from the nozzle row (1) to the optical vehicle detector. It is sprayed on the glass surface of and the dirt is removed.

As described above, according to the apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to perform the cleaning at any time without traffic regulation.
Traffic restrictions will not cause traffic jams for traveling vehicles.
In addition, one worker can do all the work on the ground, and the labor cost is low and the worker's risk is low.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the construction of a cleaning device for an optical vehicle detector according to the present invention. Reference numeral 21 is an optical vehicle detector that detects the presence or absence of a traveling vehicle on the road. Reference numeral 31 is a glass on the front surface which is a window of the optical vehicle detector, and a light projecting portion and a light receiving portion are provided therein. Reference numeral 1 denotes a nozzle row for spraying a cleaning liquid having a constant pressure or a sprayed cleaning liquid onto the glass 31 on the front surface for cleaning. Reference numeral 2 is a pressure hose connected to supply the cleaning liquid to the nozzle row. The other end of the pressure hose 2 leads to a joint 7 installed near the road surface. Reference numeral 6 denotes a movable carriage, which is connected to the pressure hose 2 by a joint 7. The movable carriage 6 includes a cleaning liquid tank 3 for storing a cleaning liquid, a compressor 4 attached to the cleaning liquid tank for pressurizing the liquid surface to supply the cleaning liquid up to the height of the nozzle row, and the cleaning liquid tank. And a water supply valve 5 for controlling the start and end of the supply of the cleaning liquid, which is installed downstream of the. Further, although not shown in the figure, a pump for supplying the cleaning liquid up to the altitude of the nozzle row may be attached downstream of the cleaning liquid tank instead of the compressor.

FIG. 4 shows the installation of the cleaning device for the optical vehicle detector. The optical vehicle detector 21 is installed at a height of 5.5 meters on the road. The pressure hose 2 that supplies the cleaning liquid to the nozzle row 1 is incorporated in the signal cable 42 together with the signal line 41 of the optical vehicle detector 21, is piped through the arm, and the other end of the pressure hose is , To the joint 7 of the controller 43 installed near the road surface. Next, the operation will be described. In FIG. 4, when cleaning is performed, the movable carriage 6 is arranged near the controller 43. Next, the hose of the truck is connected to the joint 7 provided in the controller. Furthermore, after pressurizing the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank with the compressor 4, if the water supply valve 5 is opened, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the nozzle row 1 through the pressure hose 2, and cleaning is performed. When the cleaning is completed, the supply of the cleaning liquid is stopped by closing the water supply valve 5. After that, the hose of the movable carriage 6 is removed from the joint 7 and the carriage is moved to the position of the optical vehicle detector to be washed next.

Here, the discharge amount and discharge speed of the cleaning liquid important for cleaning and the output of the compressor electric motor required therefor will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the external pressure applied to the cleaning liquid tank 3 and the discharge speed of the cleaning liquid at the tip of the pressure hose 2.

From the Bernoulli's theorem, the relationship between the pressure head, the position head, and the velocity head that can be placed on the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid tank 3 and the tip of the pressure hose 2 is expressed by the following equation 1.

[0018]

[Equation 1]

From the continuity theorem, the relationship of the speed of the cleaning liquid is expressed by the following equations 2 and 3.

[0020]

[Equation 2]

[0021]

(Equation 3)

The discharge rate v2 of the cleaning liquid at the tip of the pressure hose is expressed by equations (4) and (5) from equations (1) and (3).

[0023]

[Equation 4]

[0024]

(Equation 5)

The discharge amount Q of the cleaning liquid is expressed by equation 6.

[0026]

(Equation 6)

Next, a cleaning solution of Q [m3 / s] per second is used for h.
The output P of the compressor electric motor for raising the height to [m] is expressed by Equation 7. Here, K1 represents the loss factor of the conduit and η1 represents the efficiency.

[0028]

(Equation 7)

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the glass surface (41)
The force F applied to the glass for cleaning glass is expressed by Equation 8.

[0030]

(Equation 8)

An example of specific numbers according to the above relational expressions is as follows. S1 Cleaning liquid tank cross-sectional area 0.5 m2 S2 Pressure hose outlet cross-sectional area 0.0001 m2 p1 External pressure 55150 N / m2 ρ Specific gravity of cleaning liquid 1000 kg / m3 v2 Cleaning liquid release rate 5 m / s Q Cleaning liquid discharge amount 0.0005 m3 / s h Difference between nozzle row height and cleaning liquid level 5.5 m F Glass cleaning power 2.5 N K1 Pipe loss factor 1.3 η1 Efficiency 0.8 P Electric motor output 43.8 W

[0032]

According to the optical vehicle detector cleaning device of the present invention, the movable carriage is moved to the position of the optical vehicle detector to be cleaned, and the hose is connected to the joint for cleaning. Therefore, washing can be performed at any time, and traffic congestion does not cause congestion of traveling vehicles. In addition, one worker can do all the work on the ground, and the labor cost is low and the worker's risk is low.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a cleaning device for an optical vehicle detector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an installation situation of an optical vehicle detector.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing an optical system of an optical vehicle detector.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an appearance of a cleaning device for an optical vehicle detector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the principle of a cleaning device for an optical vehicle detector according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing how a jet flow collides with a glass surface in the optical vehicle detector cleaning device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Nozzle row 2 ... Pressure hose 3 ... Cleaning liquid tank 4 ... Compressor 5 ... Water supply valve 6 ... Mobile trolley 7 ... Joint 8 ... Pressurization port 9 ... Outlet port 21 ... Optical vehicle detector 22 ... Transmission light beam 23 ... Reflected light 24 ... Road surface 25 ... Passing vehicle 31 ... Glass 32 ... Light emitting part 33 ... Light receiving part 41 ... Signal line 42 ... Cable 43 ... Controller p0 ... Atmospheric pressure h1 ... Liquid level of cleaning liquid tank S1 ... Cleaning liquid Cross-sectional area of tank p1… External pressure ρ… Specific gravity of cleaning liquid v1… Variation speed of liquid surface position of cleaning liquid tank v2… Discharge speed of cleaning liquid S2… Cross-sectional area of outlet of pressure hose h2… Height of outlet of pressure hose Q… Amount of cleaning liquid released F ... Power to clean glass

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Hideto Nakajima 1-29-2, Heian-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 1 Kyosan Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An optical vehicle detector installed on an upper part of a road, which irradiates a light beam on a road surface, detects reflected light, and detects the presence or absence of a vehicle traveling on the road based on the light amount level of the reflected light. In the cleaning device, a mobile trolley equipped with a compressor, a water supply valve, and a cleaning liquid tank, and a joint, a pressure hose, and a nozzle row are provided, and the mobile trolley contains the compressor, the water supply valve, and the cleaning liquid tank. The cleaning liquid tank is a container equipped with a water outlet and a pressure port, stores the cleaning solution, and pumps the cleaning solution from the water outlet to the water supply valve by compressed air supplied from the compressor. It is provided with being connected to the compressor via a pressurizing port and to the joint via the water outlet, respectively, and the compressor is The cleaning liquid tank is for pressurizing the surface of the cleaning liquid tank to supply the cleaning liquid to the height of the nozzle row, and is provided in a state of being connected to the cleaning liquid tank through the pressurizing port. The valve is for controlling the start and end of the supply of the cleaning liquid, and is provided in a state of being connected via the water outlet of the cleaning liquid tank, and the joint includes the pressure hose and the movable carriage. Which is provided in a state of being connected to the water supply valve and the pressure hose, wherein the pressure hose is for supplying the cleaning liquid from the road to the nozzle row, The joint hose and the nozzle row are provided with the pressure hose and the nozzle row in a state of being connected to the nozzle row, and the nozzle row receives the cleaning liquid pumped through the pressure hose. A window for cleaning by jetting, which is provided adjacent to a window of a portion of the optical vehicle detector, which irradiates a light ray and a portion of which the reflected light is detected, facing the window. A cleaning device for an optical vehicle detector, which is provided in a state.