Patent attributes
A clearing system removes water and other obstructions from an external-mounted rear-view camera of a vehicle. The system includes an air line connected to a compressed-air source and routed to the camera, and a control valve operable to selectively release compressed air from the air source through the air line. A discharge nozzle of the air line is positioned adjacent a lens cover of the camera to deliver an air blast across the lens cover to remove adhered water. The nozzle is positioned outside of the field of view of the camera so that it does not obstruct the view of the camera. In various embodiments, the compressed-air source and the camera are preexisting and the clearing system is retrofit onto the vehicle, the compressed-air source and/or the camera are provided with the clearing system as a kit, and/or the clearing system is installed as original equipment on the vehicle.
