Drive recorder

Abstract

To provide a drive recorder capable of reducing working cost and weight regardless of a configuration in which an angle of a camera body is freely adjusted.SOLUTION: A drive recorder 1 includes: a vehicle joining part 20 in which a joining member 22 joined to a vehicle is attached to a vehicle attachment surface 21a and a flat joining member 23 is attached to a support surface 21b; and a camera body 100 which incorporates an imaging element. A spherical surface joining member 32 is pressed to the flat joining member 23, after an angle of the camera body 100 is adjusted, to maintain an attitude of the camera body 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drive recorder. [Background technology]

[0002] A drive recorder for a vehicle is attached to a predetermined part of the vehicle, such as the windshield, etc. In such a drive recorder, a configuration for adjusting the angle of the camera main body (main body) is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

[0003] The configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a spherical rotating body (113), a cylindrical fixed bracket (130) having an elastic piece (131) on its inner cylindrical side and a male thread on its outer periphery, and a nut (170) having a female thread that is screwed onto the male thread of the fixed bracket. With the spherical rotating body (113) placed in the inner cylindrical portion of the fixed bracket (130), the nut (170) is screwed into the fixed bracket (130), thereby fixing the spherical rotating body (113) to the fixed bracket (130). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7385073 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses a so-called ball joint system in which a spherical rotating body 113 is fastened and fixed. However, this type of ball joint system requires high costs for molds for each component, high machining precision for the components, and many man-hours for machining, resulting in a costly configuration.

[0006] Furthermore, the ball joint system disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the problem of being heavy in weight.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a drive recorder that has a configuration that allows the angle of the camera body to be freely adjusted, while also reducing processing costs and weight. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drive recorder to be mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a vehicle fixing member having a first joining member attached to one side thereof and a second joining member attached to the other side thereof; a camera body having an image pickup element built in; and a rotation support part having a third joining member attached to the surface thereof and joined to the second joining member by pressing the third joining member against the second joining member to maintain the posture of the camera body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a drive recorder that allows the angle of the camera body to be freely adjusted, while also reducing the manufacturing cost and weight. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a drive recorder according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram showing an image of adjusting the angle of the camera body in the drive recorder shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a drive recorder according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a drive recorder according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5]5 is a diagram showing a modified example of the rotation support part in the configuration shown in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a drive recorder according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are preferred specific examples of the present invention, and therefore various technically preferable limitations are applied. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these aspects unless otherwise specified in the following description to the effect that the present invention is specifically limited. Furthermore, in each drawing, similar components are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0012] (First embodiment) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a drive recorder 1 according to this embodiment. The drive recorder 1 has a support part 10 and a camera body 100. In Fig. 1, the imaging area of ​​the camera body 100 is indicated by area E.

[0013] The support part 10 is attached to, for example, the windshield or rear windshield of the vehicle and supports the camera body 100. In this embodiment, the drive recorder 1 will be described as being attached to the windshield F of the vehicle as shown in FIG.

[0014] The support part 10 includes a vehicle joint part 20, a rotation support part 30, and a connecting part 40. The vehicle joint part 20 includes, for example, a rectangular or circular plate-shaped member 21. Hereinafter, the surface of the plate-shaped member 21 that is attached to the vehicle windshield or rear window or the like will be referred to as the vehicle attachment surface 21a, and the surface opposite thereto that supports the rotation support part 30 will be referred to as the support surface 21b.

[0015] A joining member 22 made of a material such as an adhesive material like double-sided tape, an adhesive agent, or an adsorption material like a suction cup is arranged on the vehicle mounting surface 21a of the plate-shaped member 21, and the plate-shaped member 21 is joined to a fixed position inside the vehicle, such as the windshield or rear window, via this joining member 22.

[0016] Further, a flat joint member 23 is attached to the support surface 21b. The flat joint member 23 is made up of, for example, either the male or female side of a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0017] Furthermore, although the rotation support part 30 can be joined to the vehicle joint part 20, it is a part that can be completely separated from the vehicle joint part 20 when adjusting the angle of the camera body 100. However, the rotation support part 30 is fixed to the connecting part 40.

[0018] This rotation support part 30 includes a core member 31 having at least a portion thereof spherical. The rotation support part 30 also includes a spherical joint member 32 attached to the surface of the core member 31. Therefore, the appearance of the rotation support part 30 is at least partially spherical. Therefore, the appearance of the rotation support part 30 may be a complete sphere or a hemisphere.

[0019] Of these, the core member 31 is made of a material such as hard sponge, cloth, natural rubber, elastomer, etc., which has a softer surface than hard resins such as polycarbonate, metal, etc. Therefore, when the spherical joining member 32 is pressed against the flat joining member 23, it undergoes a predetermined elastic deformation, which increases the contact area between them.

[0020] The spherical joining member 32 is formed from, for example, either the male or female side of a hook-and-loop fastener. Therefore, by pressing the spherical joining member 32 against the planar joining member 23, the planar joining member 23 and the spherical joining member 32 can be joined together.

[0021] The connecting part 40 is a part that connects the rotation support part 30 and the camera body 100. In other words, the connecting part 40 is fixed to the rotation support part 30. The connecting part 40 is also fixed to the camera body 100 on the side opposite to the part that is fixed to the rotation support part 30. Therefore, the rotation support part 30, the connecting part 40, and the camera body 100 are provided integrally.

[0022] The camera body 100 includes a housing 101 that houses an imaging element, a control circuit, a memory, etc. (not shown), and a lens 102 that is supported by the housing 101. The camera body 100 is a component that captures images of the environment around the vehicle.

[0023] In the drive recorder 1 configured as described above, the camera body 100 and the rotation support unit 30 are integrally provided via the connecting unit 40. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 2, the user holds the camera body 100 or the rotation support unit 30 by hand and rotates it in the direction of the arrow AR1 or the arrow AR2. Note that Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an image of adjusting the angle of the camera body 100 in the drive recorder 1 shown in Fig. 1.

[0024] At this time, it is desirable to first lightly contact the rotation support part 30 with the vehicle joint part 20, then grasp the camera body 100 or the rotation support part 30 by hand and rotate it in the direction of the arrow AR1 or the arrow AR2. In this case, the angle adjustment of the camera body 100 can be performed more easily and accurately.

[0025] After such an operation, once the angular position of the camera body 100 has been determined, the user presses the rotation support part 30 with an appropriate force against the vehicle joint part 20. This allows the camera body 100 to maintain the appropriate posture.

[0026] (Second embodiment) A drive recorder 1B according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the drive recorder 1B according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that in this embodiment, the same components as those described in the first embodiment above will be described using the same reference numerals.

[0027] A drive recorder 1B according to the present embodiment includes the rotation support unit 30 and the connecting unit 40 according to the first embodiment. However, a vehicle connecting unit 20B is different from the vehicle connecting unit 20 according to the first embodiment. Note that in FIG. 3, the connecting unit 40 is shown to be narrower than the connecting unit 40 shown in FIG. 1 in order to prevent interference with a holding bracket 50B, which will be described later. However, the width of the connecting unit 40 may be the same as that of the connecting unit 40 shown in FIG. 1 as long as there is no interference with the holding bracket 50B.

[0028] In this embodiment, the vehicle joint portion 20B includes the above-described plate-like member 21 and a joint member 22. However, the planar joint member 23B is different from the planar joint member 23, which is composed of either the male or female side of a hook-and-loop fastener. Specifically, like the joint member 22, the planar joint member 23B can use, for example, an adhesive material such as double-sided tape, an adhesive agent, or an adsorption material such as a suction cup. This allows the planar joint member 23B to fix the holding bracket 50B in a planar manner.

[0029] As described above, the holding bracket 50B for holding the rotation support part 30 is fixed to the planar joint member 23B. The holding bracket 50B is a member that houses the rotation support part 30, at least a portion of which is spherical. Therefore, the holding bracket 50B has a spherical recess 51B that is recessed to form part of the spherical shape.

[0030] A spherical connecting member 52B is attached to the surface of the spherical recess 51B. The spherical connecting member 52B is formed, for example, from either the male or female side of a hook-and-loop fastener. Therefore, the connection between the spherical connecting member 52B and the spherical connecting member 32 is wider than the connection between the flat connecting member 23 and the spherical connecting member 32 shown in FIG.

[0031] In the drive recorder 1B configured as above, the angle of the camera body 100 can be easily adjusted, just like in the drive recorder 1 described above.

[0032] Furthermore, as described above, the bonding between the spherical bonding member 52B and the spherical bonding member 32 is performed over a wide area, which increases the bonding strength between the spherical bonding member 52B and the spherical bonding member 32. Therefore, in the drive recorder 1B, it is possible to improve the stability of the attachment of the camera body 100.

[0033] (Third embodiment) A drive recorder 1C according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the drive recorder 1C according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the same components as those described in the first and second embodiments will be described using the same reference numerals.

[0034] The drive recorder 1C according to this embodiment has a similar configuration to the drive recorder 1B according to the second embodiment. However, the drive recorder 1C includes a holding bracket 50C that is different from the holding bracket 50B.

[0035] The holding bracket 50C is provided in a box shape or a cylindrical shape with a bottom. The holding bracket 50C may be in a rectangular box shape or a cylindrical shape.

[0036] An inner surface joining member 52C is attached to the bottom surface and inner wall surface of the inner cylindrical portion 51C of this retaining bracket 50C. The retaining bracket 50C is configured, for example, with either the male or female side of a hook-and-loop fastener. Therefore, the joining between the inner surface joining member 52C and the spherical joining member 32 is achieved at the bottom surface and the inner wall, compared to the joining between the flat joining member 23 and the spherical joining member 32 as shown in FIG. 1. In other words, the joining between the inner surface joining member 52C and the spherical joining member 32 is achieved at multiple locations.

[0037] In the drive recorder 1C configured as above, as in the drive recorder 1 described above, the angle of the camera body 100 can be easily adjusted.

[0038] Furthermore, the inner surface joining member 52C and the spherical joining member 32 are joined at multiple locations, which increases the joining strength between the inner surface joining member 52C and the spherical joining member 32. This improves the mounting stability of the camera body 100 in the drive recorder 1C.

[0039] In the drive recorder 1C described above, it is also possible to use a rotation support part 30C as shown in Fig. 5 instead of the rotation support part 30. The rotation support part 30C shown in Fig. 5 has a polyhedral shape, such as a regular dodecahedron or a regular icosahedron. That is, the rotation support part 30C shown in Fig. 5 includes a polygonal core member 31C and a number of planar joint members 32C instead of the spherical core member 31 and the spherical joint members 32 shown in Fig. 4.

[0040] This makes it possible to increase the bonding area by bonding the many planar bonding members 32C attached to the surface of the rotation support portion 30C with the inner bonding member 52C, thereby further increasing the attachment strength of the holding bracket 50C to the windshield F of the vehicle, and further improving the attachment stability of the camera body 100 in the drive recorder 1C.

[0041] Note that a polyhedron-shaped rotation support part 30C may be used instead of the rotation support part 30 in the first and second embodiments. Furthermore, the rotation support part 30C may be a complete polyhedron, or may have a shape in which at least a portion thereof is provided with a polyhedron shape.

[0042] (Fourth embodiment) A drive recorder 1D according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the drive recorder 1D according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Note that in this embodiment, the same components as those described in the first to third embodiments will be described using the same reference numerals.

[0043] The drive recorder 1D according to this embodiment has a configuration similar to that of the drive recorder 1B according to the second embodiment. That is, the drive recorder 1D includes a vehicle joint 20B, a coupling portion 40, and a camera body 100. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the drive recorder 1D includes a support bracket 50D in which the orientation of the support bracket 50B is changed.

[0044] This retaining bracket 50D also has a spherical recess 51D similar to the spherical recess 51B, and further has a spherical connecting member 52D similar to the spherical connecting member 52B. However, as shown in Fig. 6, the spherical recess 51D is attached to the vehicle windshield F via the vehicle connecting part 20B with its opening on the upper side.

[0045] In the drive recorder 1D configured as above, as in the drive recorder 1 described above, the angle of the camera body 100 can be easily adjusted.

[0046] Furthermore, in the drive recorder 1D of this embodiment, even if the weight of the camera body 100 acts on the holding bracket 50D, the connection between the spherical joint member 52D and the spherical joint member 32 can be maintained in an unreleased state.

[0047] In the drive recorder 1D shown in Fig. 6(a), there is a possibility that the connecting portion 40 and the holding bracket 50D may interfere with each other. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 6(b), it is preferable to provide the holding bracket 50D with an insertion portion 53D for inserting the connecting portion 40. The insertion portion 53D may be a hole or a groove, or may be a gap formed when two or more divided holding brackets 50D are combined.

[0048] In any of the above embodiments, the joint member 22 corresponds to the first joint member, the vehicle mounting surface 21a corresponds to one side surface, the support surface 21b corresponds to the other side surface, the planar joint members 23 and 23B correspond to the second joint member, the vehicle joint portion 20 and the retaining bracket 50B correspond to the vehicle fixing member, and the spherical joint member 32 or the multiple planar joint members 32C correspond to the third joint member.

[0049] [Note] The contents of the above-described embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0050] (1) A drive recorder 1, 1B, 1C, 1D to be mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a vehicle joint 20 and a holding bracket 50B (vehicle fixing member) having a joint member 22 (first joint member) joined to the vehicle attached to a vehicle mounting surface 21a (one side surface) and a planar joint member 23, 23B (second joint member) attached to a support surface 21b (the other side surface); a camera body 100 incorporating an imaging element; and a rotation support portion 30, 30C having a spherical joint member 32 or a number of planar joint members 32C (third joint members) attached to the surface thereof and pressing the spherical joint member 32 or the number of planar joint members 32C (third joint members) against the planar joint member 23, 23B (second joint member) to maintain the posture of the camera body 100.

[0051] Therefore, by pressing the spherical joint member 32 or multiple flat joint members 32C (third joint members) against the flat joint members 23, 23B (second joint members) after adjusting the angle of the camera body 100, the posture of the camera body 100 can be maintained at a desired angle. Therefore, the angle of the camera body 100 can be freely adjusted.

[0052] Furthermore, since the flat joint members 23, 23B (second joint members) are joined to the spherical joint member 32 or multiple flat joint members 32C (third joint members), the structure can be relatively simple. Therefore, the drive recorders 1, 1B, 1C, 1D of the present embodiment can reduce the processing cost and the weight.

[0053] (2) In addition, in this embodiment, the planar joining members 23, 23B (second joining members), and the spherical joining member 32 or multiple planar joining members 32C (third joining members) may be joined by a combination of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners.

[0054] In this configuration, the joint between the planar joint members 23, 23B (second joint members) and the spherical joint member 32 or multiple planar joint members 32C (third joint members) is a joint between male and female hook-and-loop fasteners, so a good joint state can be obtained. Also, because the joint is a male and female hook-and-loop fastener joint as described above, when readjusting the angle of the camera body 100, the joint portion can be easily changed by rolling the rotation support members 30, 30C.

[0055] (3) In addition to at least one of (1) and (2) above, in this embodiment, the rotation support portions 30, 30C may be formed to have a shape having at least a portion of a spherical surface or at least a portion of a polyhedral shape.

[0056] Therefore, after adjusting the angle of the camera body 100, the spherical joint member 32 or multiple planar joint members 32C (third joint members) can be pressed against the planar joint members 23, 23B (second joint members) to maintain the posture of the camera body 100 at a desired angle. This allows for free angle adjustment of the camera body 100. Furthermore, since the spherical joint member 32 or multiple planar joint members 32C (third joint members) can be easily rolled relative to the planar joint members 23, 23B (second joint members), it becomes possible to position the camera body 100 at a desired angle.

[0057] (4) Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to at least one of (1) to (3) above, the vehicle fixing member may include a vehicle joint 20, 20B that is joined to the vehicle, and the planar joint member 23, 23B (second joint member) may be provided on the support surface 21b (the other surface) of the vehicle joint member 20, 20B.

[0058] Such a configuration can simplify the configuration, reduce the processing cost of the drive recorders 1, 1B, 1C, and 1D, and also reduce their weight. The weight reduction can be said to have the effect of preventing the drive recorders 1, 1B, 1C, and 1D from falling off after installation.

[0059] (5) In addition to at least one of (1) to (4) above, in this embodiment, the rotation support portion 30 may be formed in a shape having at least a portion thereof spherical, and the vehicle mounting member may include a vehicle joint portion 20, 20B joined to the vehicle and a retaining bracket 50B, 50D fixed to the vehicle joint portion 20, 20B, and the retaining bracket 50B, 50D may have a spherical recess 51B, 51D recessed to form a portion of a spherical shape, and a spherical joint member 52B, 52D attached to the surface of the spherical recess 51B, 51D and corresponding to the second joint member.

[0060] In this configuration, the bonding between the spherical bonding members 52B, 52D and the spherical bonding member 32 (third bonding member) is performed over a wide area, which increases the bonding strength. Therefore, in the drive recorders 1B, 1D, the stability of the attachment of the camera body 100 can be improved.

[0061] (6) In addition to the above (5), in this embodiment, the spherical recess 51D is arranged to open upward. Therefore, even if the weight of the camera body 100 acts on the holding bracket 50D, the connection between the spherical connecting member 52D and the spherical connecting member 32 (third connecting member) can be maintained.

[0062] As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1B, 1C, 1D...Dash camera, 10...Support portion, 20, 20B...Vehicle joint portion, 21...Plate-shaped member, 21a...Vehicle mounting surface, 21b...Support surface, 22...Joint member, 23, 23B...Flat joint member, 30, 30C...Rotation support portion, 31, 31C...Core member, 32...Spherical joint member, 32C...Flat joint member, 40...Coupling portion, 50B, 50C, 50D...Retaining bracket, 51B, 51D...Spherical recess, 52B, 52D...Spherical joint member, 52C...Inner joint member, 53D...Insertion portion, 100...Camera body, 101...Housing, 102...Lens, F...Windshield

Claims

1. A drive recorder mounted on a vehicle, a vehicle fixing member having a first joining member attached to one side surface thereof and a second joining member attached to the other side surface thereof; a camera body having a built-in imaging element; a rotation support part having a third joining member attached to a surface thereof to be joined to the second joining member, the rotation support part maintaining the orientation of the camera body by pressing the third joining member against the second joining member; A drive recorder comprising:

2. 2. The drive recorder according to claim 1, the second joining member and the third joining member are joined by a combination of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners; A drive recorder characterized by the above.

3. 2. The drive recorder according to claim 1, The rotation support portion is provided in a shape having at least a part of a spherical surface or in a shape having at least a part of a polyhedron. A drive recorder characterized by the above.

4. 2. The drive recorder according to claim 1, the vehicle fixing member includes a vehicle joint portion that is joined to the vehicle, The second joint member is provided on the other surface of the vehicle joint portion. A drive recorder characterized by:

5. 2. The drive recorder according to claim 1, The rotation support portion is provided in a shape having at least a partial spherical surface, the vehicle fixing member includes a vehicle joint portion joined to the vehicle and a retaining bracket fixed to the vehicle joint portion, The holding bracket has a spherical recess that is recessed to form a part of a spherical surface, and a spherical joint member that is attached to a surface of the spherical recess and corresponds to the second joint member. A drive recorder characterized by:

Images