Camera support structure

Abstract

To provide a camera support structure which can inhibit damage to a lens in light collision.SOLUTION: A camera support structure which supports a camera 30 disposed adjacently to exterior members 10, 20 of a vehicle comprises: a cylinder 50 fixed to a vehicle body; a piston 40 which is inserted in a relatively displaceable state into the cylinder and holds the camera; an annular bag body 60 which is provided between a circumference part of a lens 32 disposed projecting from an end part of the cylinder and the end part of the cylinder, formed of a material having flexibility, and in which gas having a higher pressure than an atmospheric pressure is housed inside; and linkage members 70, 80 which are provided to connect an exterior member and the piston, and move the piston in a direction in which the lens is drawn into the cylinder according to displacement of the exterior member. The annular bag body is configured to cover at least a part of the surface of the lens according to the movement of the piston.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a camera support structure for supporting a camera provided in a vehicle such as an automobile. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes technology relating to a support structure for a camera mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, as a mounting structure for a vehicle camera that allows easy adjustment of the mounting angle and is aesthetically pleasing, in which a pin provided on the tip side of the mounting bracket is pivoted to a garnish fixed to the vehicle body, and the base end side of the mounting bracket is fixed to the garnish at least two different angles by bolts, not only making it easy to adjust the mounting angle of the camera, but also making it possible to obtain optimal images by simply adjusting the mounting angle of a common camera, even if the mounting height of the camera differs depending on the vehicle model. It is also described that a pin is provided at the tip of the mounting bracket, which reduces the amount by which the camera supported on the mounting bracket protrudes from the vehicle body, and also minimizes the amount of movement of the tip of the camera when adjusting the angle, improving the aesthetic appearance, and also protects the camera by the mounting bracket. Patent Document 2 describes a mounting structure for a vehicle's forward situation detection device that has a rear bracket attached to a front bulkhead located behind the front grille, and a front bracket extending forward from the rear bracket and supporting the forward situation detection device, so as to prevent the emblem formed on the front grille from becoming larger and to enable the forward situation detection device to function normally in its initial state for a long period of time even in the event of a minor frontal collision, and that the front bracket is connected to the front grille and is connected to the rear bracket so as to be displaceable rearward when it receives a load exceeding a predetermined value. Patent Document 3 describes that when an obstacle abuts against the camera housing, the housing swings about the support shaft in a direction approaching the rear of the vehicle against the biasing force of a first biasing member in order to prevent damage to the camera when the camera collides with the obstacle. It also describes that when an obstacle hits the bumper fascia, deforming the bumper fascia and abutting against an end (rear end) of the frame via the bumper fascia, the frame is guided by a guide to move linearly in a direction approaching the rear of the vehicle against the biasing force of a second biasing member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-80081 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-131152 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2019-171958 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is desirable for the front camera to reduce damage in the event of a minor collision. For example, in order to ensure the necessary angle of view to capture the road surface immediately in front, the current situation is that the lens closest to the object must be a convex lens that protrudes toward the front of the vehicle.With such a convex lens, even if the operation of the camera is not affected by a collision, it is inevitable that the lens will become scratched, and it may ultimately become necessary to replace it. In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a camera support structure that can suppress damage to the lens in the event of a minor collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a lens support structure according to one aspect of the present invention is a camera support structure that supports a camera arranged adjacent to an exterior member of a vehicle, the camera support structure comprising: a cylinder fixed to a vehicle body; a piston that is inserted into the cylinder in a state in which it can be relatively displaced along the axial direction of the cylinder and holds the camera; an annular bag body that is provided between the end of the cylinder and a peripheral portion of the lens of the camera arranged to protrude from the end of the cylinder and is formed of a flexible material and contains a gas with a higher pressure than atmospheric pressure inside; and an interlocking member that connects the exterior member and the piston and moves the piston in a direction in which the lens is drawn into the cylinder in response to the displacement of the exterior member, and the annular bag body covers at least a portion of a surface of the lens in response to the movement of the piston. With this, in the event of a minor collision, the camera is moved back relative to the cylinder together with the piston, and the surface of the lens is covered by the annular bag, thereby making it possible to suppress damage to the lens.

[0006] In the present invention, a configuration may be provided in which an exhaust portion is provided for exhausting gas inside the annular bag body into the cylinder in response to the movement of the piston. According to this, by evacuating the gas inside the annular bag in response to the movement of the piston, the cylinder can be retracted relative to the piston, drawing the camera into the cylinder and protecting it. Also, the internal pressure of the annular bag can be reduced to soften the annular bag so that it can conform to the surface of the lens.

[0007] In the present invention, the piston may have a biasing portion that biases the piston in a direction in which the lens is extended from the cylinder. According to this, when there is no collision, the camera can be extended forward together with the piston, thereby obtaining an appropriate angle of view and imaging range.

[0008] In the present invention, the annular bag may be made of a rubber-based material having elasticity. This makes it possible to reliably obtain the above-mentioned effects.

[0009] In the present invention, a configuration may be provided in which a stroke restricting portion is provided that restricts a stroke of the piston relative to the cylinder so that the piston does not fall off from the cylinder. This makes it possible to prevent the piston and the camera from falling out of the cylinder in the event of a collision, thereby suppressing damage to the camera. Effect of the Invention

[0010] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a camera support structure that is capable of suppressing damage to the lens in the event of a minor collision. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a front structure of a vehicle having an embodiment of a camera support structure to which the present invention is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part II in FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating a state in the initial stage of a collision in the camera support structure according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a state of the camera support structure according to the embodiment after a collision; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a camera support structure to which the present invention is applied will be described. The camera support structure of the embodiment is provided at the front of a vehicle body of an automobile such as a passenger car, and supports a camera that captures an image of the area ahead of the vehicle using a wide-angle lens. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a front structure of a vehicle having a camera support structure according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part II in FIG. The vehicle 1 has a bumper face 10, a grill 20, a camera 30, a piston 40, a cylinder 50, an annular bag body 60, an upper interlocking member 70, a lower interlocking member 80, a spring 90, and the like.

[0013] The bumper face 10 is an exterior member made of resin and provided on the lower front side of the vehicle body. The bumper face 10 is disposed below the camera 30 . The front end of the bumper face 10 is disposed so as to protrude toward the front side of the vehicle relative to the lens 32 of the camera 30 and the grille 20 .

[0014] The grille 20 is an exterior member made of resin and provided at the front of the vehicle body. The grille 20 is formed in a lattice shape in order to guide air to a radiator core (not shown) disposed behind it. The grill 20 is disposed above the camera 30 . A camera 30 is disposed at the front end of the grill 20 so as to protrude toward the front of the vehicle relative to a lens 32 of the camera 30 .

[0015] The camera 30 is an imaging device that captures an image of the area ahead of the vehicle 1 . The camera 30 has a housing 31 and a lens 32 . The housing 31 is a case that houses a solid-state image pickup device such as a CCD or a CMOS, a drive device for the device, and the like. The housing 31 has an outer shape, for example, a cylindrical shape, and its central axis is disposed along the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The lens 32 is an optical element that forms an image of the area in front of the vehicle on the solid-state image sensor. The optical element of lens 32 closest to the object (the front side of the vehicle) is a convex lens that protrudes from the front end of housing 31 towards the front side of the vehicle.

[0016] The piston 40 is a portion formed to protrude outwardly from the outer circumferential surface of the housing 31 of the camera 30 in a flange-like shape. The piston 40 is provided in the middle of the housing 31 in the front-rear direction. The piston 40 is fixed to the housing 31. The piston 40 may be configured to be integrally formed with the housing 31 of the camera 30. The piston 40 is inserted into the inner diameter side of the cylinder 50 together with the housing 31 of the camera 30 . The outer peripheral edge of the piston 40 abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 50 . The cross-sectional shape of the outer circumferential edge of piston 40 when cut along a plane including the optical axis of camera 30 is formed in a circular arc shape with the outer diameter side being convex.

[0017] The cylinder 50 is a cylindrical member that accommodates a part of the camera 30 and the piston 40 on its inner diameter side. The central axis of the cylinder 50 is arranged along the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The camera 30 and the piston 40 are capable of being displaced in the front-rear direction of the vehicle relative to the cylinder 50 . The cylinder 50 is fixed to the vehicle body via a bracket (not shown).

[0018] The annular bag body 60 is a member that closes the space between the front part of the housing 31 of the camera 30 and the front part of the cylinder 50 . The annular bag 60 is made of a flexible material such as a rubber material and has an annular tubular shape that surrounds the periphery of the lens 32 . The inside of the annular bag 60 is filled with gas (typically compressed air) having a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure introduced from a high-pressure gas supply source (not shown). The high-pressure gas supply source may be configured to include, for example, a pump that performs a pumping operation in response to the suspension stroke of the vehicle 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, before the vehicle is in a collision state, the annular bag body 60 is disposed so as to protrude outward from the outer peripheral edge of the lens 32 so as not to interfere with the angle of view of the lens 32.

[0019] An exhaust portion 61 is provided at a location where the annular bag body 60 faces the front surface of the piston 40 . The exhaust section 61 is disposed between the outer peripheral surface of the housing 31 of the camera 30 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 50 . When the vehicle is not in a collision, the exhaust portion 61 is in contact with the front surface of the piston 40. In this state, the exhaust portion 61 seals the high-pressure gas inside the annular bag body 60. When the piston 40 retracts relative to the cylinder 50 during a vehicle collision, the exhaust portion 61 releases a portion of the high-pressure gas G inside the annular bag body 60 to the inner diameter side of the cylinder 50.

[0020] The upper interlocking member 70 is a member that connects the rear end of the housing 31 of the camera 30 and the lower part of the grill 20 . The upper connecting member 70 senses an external input to the grill 20 and transmits it to the housing 31 . When the grille 20 moves backward relative to the vehicle body due to a minor collision of the vehicle, the upper interlocking member 70 interlocks the housing 31 of the camera 30 so as to move backward relative to the cylinder 50.

[0021] The lower interlocking member 80 is a member that connects the rear end of the housing 31 of the camera 30 to the upper part of the bumper face 10 . The lower connecting member 80 detects an external input to the bumper face 10 and transmits it to the housing 31 . When the bumper face 10 moves backward relative to the vehicle body due to a minor collision of the vehicle, the lower interlocking member 80 interlocks the housing 31 of the camera 30 so as to move backward relative to the cylinder 50.

[0022] The spring 90 is a biasing member, such as a compression coil spring, provided between the panel P that constitutes a part of the vehicle body and the rear end portions of the upper interlocking member 70 and the lower interlocking member 80. The spring 90 biases the camera 30 in the forward direction relative to the vehicle body. The spring 90 functions as a stroke limiting portion that limits the range within which the piston 40 can stroke relative to the cylinder 50 .

[0023] Hereinafter, the behavior of the camera support structure of the embodiment when a minor collision occurs with the vehicle 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of the camera support structure according to the embodiment at the beginning of a collision. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the bumper face 10 is moved backward by an external input, and the lower interlocking member 80 is pushed rearward, so that the camera 30 moves backward relative to the cylinder 50 with the front side of the optical axis tilting downward. As the piston 40 retracts relative to the cylinder 50 , part of the high-pressure gas G in the annular bag 60 flows from the rear end of the annular bag 60 into the gap between the cylinder 50 and the housing 31 of the camera 30 .

[0024] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state of the camera support structure of the embodiment after a collision. In the state shown in FIG. 4, the spring 90 is fully compressed to the extent that wire contact occurs, and the piston 40 is retracted to the maximum allowable stroke relative to the cylinder 50. The high pressure gas G inside the annular bag body 60 is exhausted from the exhaust portion 61 into the cylinder 50, and the internal pressure of the annular bag body 60 decreases. The high pressure gas G introduced into the cylinder 50 causes the piston 40 to move backward relative to the cylinder 50 against the reaction force of the spring 90 . A part of the annular bag 60 softens as the internal pressure drops, and moves around to the front side of the lens 32, covering the surface of the lens 32 and protecting the lens 32. This reduces damage to the lens 32 and improves the likelihood that the camera 30 can be reused if the vehicle is repaired. At this time, the front end of the annular bag body 60 is disposed so as to protrude toward the front side of the vehicle relative to the front end of the lens 32 .

[0025] According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained. (1) In the event of a minor collision, the camera 30 is moved back relative to the cylinder 50 together with the piston 40, and the surface of the lens 32 is covered by the annular bag body 60, thereby preventing damage to the lens 32. (2) By providing the exhaust section 60 that discharges the high-pressure gas in the annular bag body 60 into the interior of the cylinder 50 in response to the movement of the piston 40 relative to the cylinder 50, the cylinder 40 can be retracted relative to the piston 50 to pull the camera 30 into the cylinder 50 for protection. Furthermore, the internal pressure of the annular bag 60 can be reduced, causing the annular bag 60 to soften and conform to the surface of the lens 32 . (3) By providing the spring 90 that biases the piston 40 in the direction in which the lens 32 is extended from the cylinder 50, the camera 30 can be extended forward together with the piston 40 in the absence of a collision, thereby obtaining an appropriate angle of view and imaging range. (4) The annular bag body 60 is made of a rubber-based material having elasticity, so that the above-mentioned effects can be obtained reliably. (5) By providing a spring 90 that functions as a stroke regulating portion that regulates the stroke of the piston 40 relative to the cylinder 50 so that the piston 40 does not fall off from the cylinder 50, it is possible to prevent the piston 40 and the camera 30 from falling off from the cylinder in the event of a collision, and to suppress damage to the camera 30.

[0026] (Modification) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible, which are also within the technical scope of the present invention. (1) The shape, structure, material, manufacturing method, arrangement, quantity, etc. of each component constituting the vehicle and camera support structure are not limited to the above-described embodiment and may be modified as appropriate. (2) The method of supplying high-pressure gas into the annular bag is not limited to the method described in the embodiment, and may be modified as appropriate. For example, compressed air may be stored inside an energy-absorbing foam placed on the inside of the bumper face, and the foam may be crushed during a collision to supply the stored compressed air into the cylinder. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1 Vehicle 10 Bumper Face 20 Grill 30 Camera 31 Housing 32 Lens 40 piston 50 cylinder 60 Annular bag body 61 Exhaust section 70 Upper interlocking member 80 Lower interlocking member 90 Spring P Panel

Claims

1. A camera support structure for supporting a camera disposed adjacent to an exterior member of a vehicle, A cylinder fixed to the vehicle body; a piston that is inserted into the cylinder in a state in which it can be relatively displaced along an axial direction of the cylinder and that holds the camera; an annular bag provided between a peripheral portion of the camera lens arranged to protrude from an end of the cylinder and the end of the cylinder, the annular bag being made of a flexible material and containing a gas having a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure therein; a linking member that is provided to connect the exterior member and the piston and moves the piston in a direction in which the lens is drawn into the cylinder in response to displacement of the exterior member; Equipped with The annular bladder covers at least a portion of a surface of the lens in response to the movement of the piston. A camera support structure comprising:

2. The piston has a discharge port that discharges gas from the inside of the annular bag into the inside of the cylinder in response to the movement of the piston.

2. The camera support structure according to claim 1,

3. The piston has a biasing portion that biases the piston in a direction in which the lens is extended from the cylinder.

3. The camera support structure according to claim 1, wherein:

4. The annular bag is made of an elastic rubber material.

3. The camera support structure according to claim 1, wherein:

5. A stroke limiting portion is provided for limiting the stroke of the piston relative to the cylinder so that the piston does not fall out of the cylinder.

3. The camera support structure according to claim 1, wherein:

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