METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING CONTAMINANT ON WINDOW SURFACE OF VIEWING SYSTEM UTILIZING LIGHT

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and apparatus for detecting contaminants on a window surface of a viewing system utilizing light.

SOLUTION: This method comprises steps of reflecting light off from contaminants on the window surface; capturing the reflected light in an image; converting the image into image data; and processing the image data to detect the contaminants on the window surface. The apparatus for detecting contaminants on an external surface of a window of a viewing system comprises: at least one light source for reflecting light from contaminants on the external surface; an imager for capturing an image of the reflected light and converting the image into image data; and a processor for processing the image data to detect the contaminants on the external surface.

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