Camera device support

Abstract

Provided is an imaging device holder made of a resin containing reinforcing fibers, wherein deformation during molding can be suppressed. An imaging device holder (4), which is made of a resin containing reinforcing fibers, is provided with: a plate-shaped base section (11) that is disposed along the vehicle interior surface of a window panel (1); a lens shade portion (13) which is recessed from the base portion in a direction opposite to the window panel and forms a view space (12) with the window panel; and a lens hole (14) which is formed in the base part and communicates with the field of view space. A plurality of first protrusions (51) are provided on the inner surface of the lens shade facing the view space side. A plurality of second protrusions (52) are provided on an outer surface of the lens shade opposite to the inner surface. Alternatively, the lens hood portion may widen in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction in which the lens hole faces, and the plurality of first protrusions and the plurality of second protrusions extend in the second direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a camera device bracket for fixing a vehicle-mounted camera device on a vehicle window panel. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a camera unit provided on the inner side of the front windshield of a vehicle. The camera unit has a camera body and a camera bracket (camera housing) supporting the camera body. The camera bracket has a lens hood portion that forms a visual field space in front of the camera body. A reflected wave reduction structure that suppresses stray light is provided on the inner surface of the lens hood portion. The reflected wave reduction structure is formed by a plurality of convex portions.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent document 1: JP Patent No. 6076460 specification.

[0006] In order to remove the fog on the front windshield opposite to the field of view, a heater is sometimes provided on the camera bracket. In this case, in order to improve the heat resistance of the resin bracket, there is a demand to form the bracket using fiber-reinforced resin. However, if a lens hood having a concave and convex shape is molded by injection molding of fiber-reinforced resin, a problem of warping of the lens hood occurs. Summary of the invention

[0007] In view of the above background, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device holder made of a resin containing reinforcing fibers, which can suppress deformation during molding.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned problem, one form of the present invention is a camera device bracket (4) made of a resin containing reinforced fiber, wherein the camera device bracket comprises: a plate-shaped base (11) arranged along the inner side of a window panel (1); a lens hood portion (13) recessed from the base in a direction opposite to the window panel and forming a field of view space (12) between the lens hood portion and the window panel; a lens hole (14) formed in the base and connected to the field of view space; a plurality of first protrusions (51) are provided on the inner surface of the lens hood portion facing the field of view space, and a plurality of second protrusions (52) are provided on the outer surface of the lens hood portion opposite to the inner surface.

[0009] According to this form, in a camera bracket made of a resin containing reinforcing fibers, deformation during molding can be suppressed. When injection molding is performed using a resin containing reinforcing fibers, if there are irregularities on the surface of the molded object, the resin meanders at the irregularities, and the orientation of the reinforcing fibers becomes irregular. On the other hand, if the surface of the molded object is smooth, the resin flows in one direction, and the reinforcing fibers are arranged in one direction. In the case where there are structural differences between the surface and the back of such a molded object, the orientation of the reinforcing fibers differs. As a result, the resin is difficult to shrink in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing fibers, so the shrinkage amount on the surface and the back of the molded object differs, and the molded object deforms. In the above-mentioned form, since a plurality of first convex portions are formed on the inner surface of the lens hood portion and a plurality of second convex portions are formed on the outer surface, it is difficult for the orientation of the reinforcing fibers to differ between the inner surface and the outer surface. As a result, deformation of the camera bracket during molding is suppressed.

[0010] In the above form, the lens hood portion may gradually expand (become wider) in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction toward which the lens hole is directed, and a plurality of the first protrusions and a plurality of the second protrusions may extend along the second direction.

[0011] According to this aspect, the inner surface and the outer surface of the lens hood have similar shapes, and the orientation of the reinforcing fibers is unlikely to differ between the inner surface and the outer surface. This suppresses deformation during molding of the camera holder.

[0012] In the above form, it is also possible that when observed from the second direction, each of the first protrusions has a triangular cross-section, and has a first inclined surface (51A) arranged on the lens hole side and a second inclined surface (51B) arranged on the side opposite to the lens hole, and in the first direction, the first inclined surface is shorter than the second inclined surface.

[0013] According to this aspect, the plurality of first protrusions reflect stray light to the outside, and the stray light is unlikely to reach the lens.

[0014] In the above form, it is also possible that when observed from the second direction, each of the second protrusions has a triangular cross-section, and has a third inclined surface (52A) arranged on the lens hole side and a fourth inclined surface (52B) arranged on the side opposite to the lens hole, and in the first direction, the fourth inclined surface is shorter than the third inclined surface.

[0015] According to this aspect, the inner surface and the outer surface of the lens hood have similar shapes, and the orientation of the reinforcing fibers is unlikely to differ between the inner surface and the outer surface. This suppresses deformation during molding of the camera holder.

[0016] In the above aspect, the third inclined surfaces may be formed to be parallel to the nearest second inclined surfaces, and the fourth inclined surfaces may be formed to be parallel to the nearest first inclined surfaces.

[0017] According to this aspect, the inner surface and the outer surface of the lens hood have similar shapes, and the orientation of the reinforcing fibers is unlikely to differ between the inner surface and the outer surface. This suppresses deformation during molding of the camera holder.

[0018] In the above-mentioned form, a first recess (55) may be formed between each pair of adjacent two first protrusions, and a second recess (56) may be formed between each pair of adjacent two second protrusions, and a first virtual line (57) connecting the bottoms of each of the first recesses and a second virtual line (58) connecting the bottoms of each of the second recesses may be separated from each other in the thickness direction of the lens hood.

[0019] According to this aspect, since the intermediate layer having a plate shape and a predetermined thickness is formed between the plurality of first protrusions and the plurality of second protrusions, the rigidity of the lens hood portion is increased, thereby suppressing deformation during molding of the imaging device holder.

[0020] In the above aspect, the reinforcing fiber may be glass fiber.

[0021] According to this aspect, the heat resistance of the imaging device holder can be improved.

[0022] In the above aspect, the base may be bonded to the window panel.

[0023] According to this aspect, since the deformation of the camera bracket during molding is small, the adhesion between the camera bracket and the window panel can be improved.

[0024] According to the above configuration, in the camera device holder made of a resin containing reinforcing fibers, deformation during molding can be suppressed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the vehicle-mounted camera unit according to the present embodiment as viewed from the outside of the vehicle.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a perspective view showing the vehicle-mounted camera unit according to the present embodiment as viewed from the vehicle interior.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a perspective view showing the vehicle-mounted camera unit as viewed from the vehicle interior side with the cover omitted.

[0028] Figure 4This is a perspective view showing the camera device bracket as viewed from the vehicle interior with the cover omitted.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a perspective view showing the cover body as viewed from the inside of the vehicle.

[0030] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the camera bracket ( Figure 1 VI-VI sectional view).

[0031] Description of Reference Numerals

[0032] 1 Window panel

[0033] 2 Car camera unit

[0034] 3 Camera device body

[0035] 4 Camera bracket

[0036] 5. Body

[0037] 11 Base

[0038] 12. Vision Space

[0039] 13 Lens hood

[0040] 14 lens holes

[0041] 35 lenses

[0042] 51 first convex part

[0043] 51A first inclined surface

[0044] 51B Second inclined surface

[0045] 52 second convex part

[0046] 52A Third inclined surface

[0047] 52B Fourth inclined surface

[0048] 55 first recess

[0049] 56 second recess

[0050] 57 First Virtual Line

[0051] 58 Second Virtual Line

[0052] 59 Middle Layer DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The following is an explanation of an embodiment of the camera device bracket of the present invention. The camera device bracket constitutes a part of a vehicle-mounted camera unit provided on the vehicle compartment side of a vehicle window panel. The vehicle window panel includes a front window panel defining the front of the vehicle compartment, a rear window panel defining the rear of the vehicle compartment, and a pair of side window panels defining the left and right side portions of the vehicle compartment.

[0054] In this embodiment, the window panel 1 is a front windshield. The window panel 1 is tilted upward and backward (see Figure 6 The vehicle-mounted camera unit 2 is disposed at the upper end of the vehicle interior side surface of the vehicle window panel 1 .

[0055] like Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 As shown, the vehicle-mounted camera unit 2 includes: a camera body 3; a camera bracket 4, which is installed on the inner side of the vehicle window panel 1 and supports the camera body 3; and a cover 5, which is arranged below the camera body 3 and the camera bracket 4.

[0056] The camera bracket 4 is made of a resin containing reinforcing fibers. The reinforcing fibers improve the heat resistance and rigidity of the camera bracket 4. The reinforcing fibers may be glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramid fibers, etc. The resin as a base material may be polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN), or a mixture thereof. The camera bracket 4 is molded by injection molding using a resin uniformly mixed with finely cut reinforcing fibers.

[0057] like Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 As shown, the camera device bracket 4 has: a plate-shaped base 11 arranged along the inner side of the vehicle window panel 1; a lens hood portion 13 that is recessed from the base 11 in the direction opposite to the vehicle window panel 1 and forms a visual field space 12 between the base 11 and the vehicle window panel 1; and a lens hole 14 formed in the base 11 and communicating with the visual field space 12. The base 11 is formed in a planar shape and has a front surface 16 along the inner side of the vehicle window panel 1 and a rear surface 17 opposite to the front surface 16. A first rearview mirror mounting hole 18 is formed at the rear of the base 11 and penetrates in the thickness direction.

[0058] The lens hood portion 13 is provided at the front portion of the base 11. The lens hood portion 13 is recessed relative to the front surface 16 and protrudes relative to the rear surface 17. That is, the lens hood portion 13 bulges from the base 11 toward the vehicle compartment side. The lens hood portion 13 has a bottom wall portion 21 and left and right side walls 22. The bottom wall portion 21 and the left and right side walls 22 are formed in a plate shape. When viewed from above, the bottom wall portion 21 has a front edge extending in the left-right direction and left and right side edges inclined toward the rear and toward the left and right inner sides, forming an isosceles triangle. The bottom wall portion 21 is connected to the base 11 at the front edge and is inclined downward relative to the base 11. That is, the rear end portion of the bottom wall portion 21 is arranged below the base 11. The left and right side walls 22 extend in the up-down direction and connect the left and right side edges of the bottom wall portion 21 to the base 11.

[0059] The lens hole 14 is defined by the rear end of the bottom wall portion 21, the rear ends of the left and right side wall portions 22, and the base portion 11. The lens hole 14 penetrates the camera device bracket 4 in the thickness direction. The lens hole 14 opens toward a first direction. In the present embodiment, the first direction is the front. The lens hood portion 13 gradually expands (gradually widens) in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction toward the first direction toward which the lens hole 14 is directed. In the present embodiment, the lens hood portion 13 expands (widens) in the left and right directions toward the front.

[0060] like Figure 1 As shown, the rear portion of the bottom wall 21 is formed by a detachable cover 25. Figure 1 as well as Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 2 , a working hole 26 as a through hole is formed at the rear portion of the bottom wall portion 21. Figure 1 as well as Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 2 , the cover 25 has a plate-shaped main body 25A that closes the working hole 26. The cover 25 is supported on the base 11 in a rotatable manner. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , a pair of left and right support shafts 28 extending in the left-right direction are provided on the lower surface of the base 11. Figure 5 As shown, at the rear of the main body 25A of the cover body 25, a shaft receiving portion 25C for receiving each support shaft 28 is provided. The cover body 25 rotates between a closed position for closing the operation hole 26 and an open position for opening the operation hole 26. When the cover body 25 is in the closed position, the cover body 25 becomes a part of the bottom wall 21. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , a pair of left and right locking claws 31 are provided on the lower surface of the base 11. Figure 5 As shown, a pair of left and right elastic claws 25D are provided at the front of the main body 25A of the cover body 25. The cover body 25 is maintained in the closed position by each elastic claw 25D being locked to the corresponding locking claw 31.

[0061] A plate-shaped heater 29 is provided on the outer surface of the cover 25 facing the vehicle interior. The heater 29 is a heater that generates heat by receiving power supply. The heater 29 may be, for example, a PTC heater or a heating wire.

[0062] like Figure 4 As shown, a pair of left and right front stoppers 33 and rear stoppers 34 for supporting the camera body 3 are provided on the rear surface 17 of the camera support 4. Each front stopper 33 protrudes downward from the lower surface of the bottom wall 21. Each front stopper 33 is arranged on the left and right sides of the operation hole 26. Each front stopper 33 is provided with an elastic stopper claw, and the front end of the camera body 3 is stopped by the stopper claw. The rear stopper 34 protrudes downward from the lower surface of the base 11. The rear stopper 34 is arranged behind the operation hole 26. A stopper claw is provided on the rear stopper 34, and the rear end of the camera body 3 is stopped by the stopper claw. The camera body 3 is supported on the camera support 4 by being stopped by the left and right front stoppers 33 and the rear stoppers 34. In a state where the camera body 3 is supported by the camera stand 4 , the lens 35 of the camera body 3 is disposed in the lens hole 14 and faces forward through the lens hole 14 .

[0063] A plurality of cover body locking portions 36 are provided on the lower surface of the camera support 4. The cover body 5 is locked by the plurality of cover body locking portions 36 and is arranged below the camera support 4. The cover body 5 covers the camera support 4 and the lower part of the camera body 3. Figure 2 As shown, a plurality of ventilation holes 38 and second rearview mirror mounting holes 39 are formed on the cover body 5 .

[0064] like Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 As shown, a rearview mirror holder 41 for mounting an interior rearview mirror is bonded to the window panel 1, extends downward through the first rearview mirror mounting hole 18 and the second rearview mirror mounting hole 39, and protrudes downward from the cover body 5. The interior rearview mirror is coupled to the lower end of the rearview mirror holder 41.

[0065] The following describes the detailed structure of the camera bracket 4. Figure 1 as well as Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , a plurality of first protrusions 51 are provided on the inner surface of the lens hood portion 13 facing the visual field space 12. Figure 4 as well as Figure 6As shown, a plurality of second protrusions 52 are provided on the outer surface opposite to the inner surface of the lens hood portion 13. The plurality of first protrusions 51 function as a reflected wave reduction structure for suppressing stray light. That is, the plurality of first protrusions 51 reflect stray light toward the outside of the vehicle, suppressing the stray light from reaching the lens 35. The plurality of second protrusions 52 function to suppress deformation of the camera device holder 4 during molding.

[0066] like Figure 1 As shown, a plurality of first protrusions 51 are provided on the inner surface of the bottom wall portion 21 facing the visual field space 12, and a plurality of second protrusions 52 are provided on the outer surface of the bottom wall portion 21 facing the vehicle compartment. The plurality of first protrusions 51 are also provided on the inner surface of the main body portion 25A of the cover body 25. The plurality of second protrusions 52 are not provided on the outer surface of the cover body 25. In addition, in other embodiments, the plurality of second protrusions 52 may also be provided on the outer surface of the cover body 25.

[0067] like Figure 1 as well as Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the plurality of first protrusions 51 and the plurality of second protrusions 52 extend along the left-right direction (second direction). Figure 6 As shown, when viewed from the left and right directions, each first convex portion 51 has a triangular cross section, and has a first inclined surface 51A provided on the side of the lens hole 14 and a second inclined surface 51B provided on the side opposite to the lens hole 14. In the front-back direction, the first inclined surface 51A is shorter than the second inclined surface 51B. When viewed from the left and right directions, each second convex portion 52 has a triangular cross section, and has a third inclined surface 52A provided on the side of the lens hole 14 and a fourth inclined surface 52B provided on the side opposite to the lens hole 14. In the first direction, the fourth inclined surface 52B is shorter than the third inclined surface 52A.

[0068] The first protrusions 51 may have the same cross-sectional shape as each other. The second protrusions 52 may have the same cross-sectional shape as each other. In addition, the first protrusions 51 and the second protrusions 52 may have the same cross-sectional shape as each other.

[0069] Each third inclined surface 52A may be formed to be parallel to the nearest second inclined surface 51B. In addition, each fourth inclined surface 52B may be formed to be parallel to the nearest first inclined surface 51A.

[0070] A first concave portion 55 is formed between two adjacent first convex portions 51. A second concave portion 56 is formed between two adjacent second convex portions 52. A first virtual line 57 connecting the bottoms of the first concave portions 55 and a second virtual line 58 connecting the bottoms of the second concave portions 56 are separated from each other in the thickness direction of the lens hood portion 13. That is, the bottom wall portion 21 has a flat intermediate layer 59 defined by the first virtual line 57 and the second virtual line 58. The plurality of first convex portions 51 and the plurality of second convex portions 52 protrude outward from the surface of the intermediate layer 59.

[0071] The effects of the camera holder 4 of the present embodiment will be described. In the camera holder 4 made of a resin containing reinforcing fibers, since a plurality of second protrusions 52 are provided on the outer surface of the bottom wall 21, deformation during molding can be suppressed. When injection molding is performed using a resin containing reinforcing fibers, if there are irregularities on the surface of the molded object, the resin meanders at the irregularities, and the orientation of the reinforcing fibers becomes irregular. On the other hand, if the surface of the molded object is smooth, the resin flows in one direction, and the reinforcing fibers are arranged in one direction. In the case where the surface and back of such a molded object have structural differences, the orientation of the reinforcing fibers differs. As a result, the resin is difficult to shrink in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing fibers, and the shrinkage amount on the surface and back of the molded object differs, causing deformation of the molded object. In the above-mentioned embodiment, since a plurality of first protrusions 51 are formed on the inner surface of the bottom wall 21 of the lens hood portion 13, and a plurality of second protrusions 52 are formed on the outer surface, it is difficult for the orientation of the reinforcing fibers to differ on the inner surface and the outer surface during injection molding. This suppresses deformation of the imaging device holder 4 during molding.

[0072] Since the first convex portions 51 and the second convex portions 52 have the same shape, the inner and outer surfaces of the bottom wall portion 21 have similar shapes, and the orientation of the reinforcing fibers is unlikely to differ between the inner and outer surfaces. This suppresses deformation of the camera holder 4 during molding.

[0073] Since the intermediate layer 59 in the form of a flat plate defined by the first virtual line 57 and the second virtual line 58 is formed between the plurality of first convex portions 51 and the plurality of second convex portions 52, the rigidity of the lens hood portion 13 is improved. Thus, deformation during molding of the camera device holder 4 is suppressed. In addition, during injection molding, the resin can flow smoothly through the intermediate layer 59.

[0074] The injection port of the resin during injection molding is set at the front end or rear end of the camera holder 4. The resin can flow in the front-back direction from the injection port. Since the plurality of first protrusions 51 and the plurality of second protrusions 52 extend in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the resin flow, the flow of the resin is disturbed at the plurality of first protrusions 51 and the plurality of second protrusions 52, and the orientation of the reinforcing fibers is dispersed.

[0075] Since the cover 25 is relatively small, deformation during injection molding is small even if the second convex portion 52 is omitted. Alternatively, a plurality of second convex portions 52 may be formed on the rear surface of the main body 25A of the cover 25.

[0076] The above is a description of a specific embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be widely modified. For example, the operation hole 26 and the cover 25 can be omitted in the camera bracket 4. In this case, the bottom wall 21 can be formed by a continuous member. In addition, the second convex portion 52 can be arranged in the entire range of the rear surface of the bottom wall 21 corresponding to the plurality of first convex portions 51.

[0077] The plurality of first protrusions 51 may be in various shapes. For example, each first protrusion 51 may be in the shape of a hemisphere, a cylinder, a square cylinder, a cone, a triangular pyramid, a quadrangular pyramid, etc., and may be dispersed or densely arranged on the bottom wall 21. The plurality of second protrusions 52 may be formed in the same or similar shape as the plurality of first protrusions 51.

Claims

1. A camera device bracket, which is made of a resin containing reinforced fibers, wherein: have: A plate-shaped base portion disposed along the inboard side of the window panel; a lens hood portion, which is recessed from the base portion in a direction opposite to the vehicle window panel and forms a visual field space with the vehicle window panel; A lens hole formed in the base and communicating with the visual field space; A plurality of first convex portions are provided on the inner surface of the lens hood portion facing the visual field space. A plurality of second protrusions are provided on an outer surface of the lens hood portion opposite to the inner surface.

2. The camera device bracket according to claim 1, wherein: The lens hood portion widens in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction toward which the lens hole is directed, The plurality of first protrusions and the plurality of second protrusions extend in the second direction.

3. The camera device support according to claim 2, wherein: When viewed from the second direction, each of the first protrusions has a triangular cross-section and has a first inclined surface provided on the lens hole side and a second inclined surface provided on the side opposite to the lens hole. In the first direction, the first inclined surface is shorter than the second inclined surface.

4. The camera device support according to claim 3, wherein: When viewed from the second direction, each of the second protrusions has a triangular cross-section and has a third inclined surface provided on the lens hole side and a fourth inclined surface provided on the side opposite to the lens hole. In the first direction, the fourth inclined surface is shorter than the third inclined surface.

5. The camera support according to claim 4, wherein: The third inclined surfaces are respectively formed to be parallel to the nearest second inclined surfaces, The fourth inclined surfaces are respectively formed to be parallel to the first inclined surfaces that are closest to them.

6. The camera device support according to claim 1, wherein: A first concave portion is formed between two adjacent first convex portions, respectively. A second concave portion is formed between two adjacent second convex portions, respectively. A first virtual line connecting bottoms of the first recessed portions and a second virtual line connecting bottoms of the second recessed portions are separated from each other in the thickness direction of the lens hood portion.

7. The camera device support according to claim 1, wherein: The reinforcing fibers are glass fibers.

8. The camera device holder according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The base is bonded to the window panel.

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