Light guide holding device

Abstract

The objective is to facilitate the installation of a driver assistance device equipped with a light guide holder. [Solution] This light guide holder holds a light guide capable of reducing blind spots, and is a component of a driving assistance device that reduces blind spots and assists driving. This light guide holder generally has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes a light guide holder with multiple holes formed at its bottom. The light guide holder is attached to the vehicle by facing the bottom of the light guide holder toward the vehicle and inserting fastening members such as pins or clips into the multiple holes. Next, the light guide is held by the light guide holder. In this way, the driving assistance device is attached to the vehicle. Thus, the driving assistance device equipped with the light guide holder described in the present invention can be easily attached to a vehicle without using any tools.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a light guide holder device that holds a light guide capable of reducing a dead angle area formed by being blocked by a vehicle object provided on a vehicle and blocking the driver's field of view.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a blind spot assist device 100 as a driving assist device that reduces a blind spot area formed by being blocked by a front pillar 50 as a vehicle object and supports driving. The blind spot assist device 100 described in Patent Document 1 includes a light guide including a pair of mirrors 110 and a filling member 120 that fills between the pair of mirrors (

[0014] ,

[0018] ). The blind spot assist device 100 is disposed on the front pillar 50 via a holder member (

[0013] ). Further, in the blind spot assist device 100, a louver 140 as a light shielding portion is provided on the mirror 111, and it is made difficult for light in the vehicle interior to enter the mirror 111.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to facilitate the attachment of a driving assist device provided with a light guide holder device. Means, actions, and effects for solving the problems

[0005] The light guide holder described in the present invention holds a light guide capable of reducing blind spots, and is a component of a driver assistance device that reduces blind spots and assists driving. The light guide holder generally has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes a light guide holder with a plurality of holes formed at its bottom. The light guide holder is attached to the vehicle by facing the bottom of the light guide holder toward the vehicle and inserting pin-shaped members such as clips or pins into the plurality of holes. Next, the light guide is held by the light guide holder. In this way, the driver assistance device is attached to the vehicle. Thus, the driver assistance device equipped with the light guide holder described in the present invention can be easily attached to a vehicle without using any tools.

[0006] In contrast, Patent Document 1 does not contain any description regarding the attachment of the holder member to the front pillar 50. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This diagram schematically shows the overall configuration of a driver assistance device equipped with a light guide holder, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram conceptually shows the light guide holder of the light guide holder device for the above-mentioned driving assistance system. [Figure 3] This is a conceptual diagram showing the pillar garnish to which the above-mentioned driver assistance device will be installed. [Figure 4] This diagram conceptually shows the clip used when attaching the above-mentioned light guide holder to the pillar garnish. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view AA of the above-mentioned driver assistance device in Figure 1. [Figure 6] This diagram shows the light guide holder and fitting member described above. [Figure 7] (a) This is a diagram conceptually showing the main part of the fitting member described above. (b) This is a main part showing the state in which the fitting member is fitted into the light guide holder. [Figure 8] This diagram conceptually shows the fitted portion of the light guide holder corresponding to the fitted portion of the fitting member described above. [Figure 9](a) This figure shows the fitting member fitted into the light guide holder. (b) This figure shows the fitting member sliding relative to the light guide holder due to thermal expansion. Embodiments of the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, an operational support device equipped with a light guide holding device, which is one embodiment of the present invention, will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. [Examples]

[0009] As shown in Figure 1, the driver assistance device 10 is installed on the pillar garnish 12, which is a vehicle component. The pillar garnish 12 is located on both sides of the windshield 14, between the windshield 14 and the side windows 16. A steering control member 18, which can be operated by the driver, is provided behind the windshield 14. The driver is seated behind the steering control member 18 and drives the vehicle.

[0010] The pillar garnish 12 obstructs the driver's view, creating a blind spot where the outside scenery (objects outside the vehicle, etc.) cannot be seen. To address this, as shown in Figure 1, a driver assistance device 10 is attached to the pillar garnish 12 on the driver's side. The driver assistance device 10 assists in driving by helping the driver see the scenery outside their field of view.

[0011] The driver assistance device 10 includes a light guide 20 and a light guide holder 22 that holds the light guide 20. As shown in Figure 5, the light guide 20 is made of a transparent resin such as polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, or acrylic, or glass, and includes a plurality of prisms 23. In the light guide 20, light incident from the rear incident surface 20R is reflected multiple times and emitted from the emission surface of the prisms 23. This makes it possible for the driver to see the scenery outside the blind spot. Details of the light guide 20, etc., are described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-127888, etc., so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0012] As shown in Figures 2 and 6, the light guide holder 22 includes a light guide holder 24 which is the main body, a louver 26 provided on the front of the light guide holder 24, a fitting member 28 that can be fitted into the light guide holder 24, and the like. The light guide 20 is held in the light guide holder 24 when the light guide 20 is inserted into the light guide holder 24 and the fitting member 28 is fitted into it.

[0013] The light guide holder 24 is generally rectangular in shape. The light guide holder 24 can be made of, for example, a light-shielding material. The bottom 30 of the light guide holder 24 has three through holes 32. In contrast, as shown in Figure 3, the pillar garnish 12 has holes 34 in the parts corresponding to the holes 32. With the bottom 30 of the light guide holder 24 facing the pillar garnish 12, the light guide holder 24 is attached to the pillar garnish 12 by inserting clips 36, which are pin-shaped members as shown in Figure 4, through the holes 32 and pushing them into the holes 34. The clips 36 are an example of fastening members.

[0014] The bottom portion 30 includes a bottom plate 31. The holes 32 can be formed in the bottom plate 31, or in a hole-forming member that protrudes from the bottom plate 31, etc. The three holes 32 may include some that are not formed on the same plane.

[0015] The tip of the clip 36 is provided with multiple notches 36c, allowing it to be reduced in diameter and expanded in diameter. By reducing the diameter of the tip of the clip 36, it becomes easier to insert it into the holes 32 and 34. Furthermore, when the clip 36 is inserted into the hole 34, the tip of the clip 36 is allowed to expand in diameter. This makes it difficult for the clip 36 to come off. In this way, the light guide holder 24 can be easily attached to the pillar garnish 12. In addition, since there are three or more attachment points, the light guide holder 24 can be stably attached to the pillar garnish 12. Furthermore, since the holes 32, etc. are formed in the bottom 30, the clip 36, etc. can be made less visible to the driver.

[0016] Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the bottom plate 31 of the light guide holder 24 is provided in a state of covering a part of the bottom surface of the light guide 20. A portion of the light guide 20 that is not covered by the bottom plate 31 is the incident surface 20R. The driving support device 10 is attached in a state where the incident surface 20R is separated from the pillar garnish 12. The incident surface 20R faces the windshield 14. External light (light in front of the windshield 14) enters the light guide 20 from the incident surface 20R.

[0017] The side portion 38 of the light guide holder 24 surrounds the side surface of the light guide 20. As shown in FIG. 6, an insertion portion 40 into which the light guide 20 can be inserted is provided in the side portion 38. For example, the side portion 38 can generally include a side plate having a U-shaped cross section.

[0018] A louver 26 is provided on the front portion of the light guide holder 24. The front portion is the portion on the driver side (the side facing the bottom portion 30), and is the portion facing the bottom portion 30. The louver 26 has a function of protecting the light guide 20 and making it difficult for vertical ribs (generally extending in the vertical direction) to be seen by the driver. When the vertical ribs are formed by the shape of the prism 23, light is reflected in the light guide 20. In some cases, when a part of the light is transmitted without being reflected, that part may look like a vertical rib-shaped shadow. Note that the louver 26 also has a function of making it difficult for light in the vehicle interior to enter the light guide 20, and such a function may also be provided in the light guide 20.

[0019] The louver 26 includes a plurality (three in this embodiment) of plate-like convex portions 42. The three plate-like convex portions 42 are provided parallel to each other in a state of generally extending in the vertical direction when the light guide holder 24 is attached to the pillar garnish 12. Further, each of the three plate-like convex portions 42 is inclined in a direction along the driver's line of sight.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 5, the tip 44 of each plate-shaped convex portion 42 has an R shape. In the present embodiment, the portion of the tip 44 on the opposite side of the insertion portion 40 has a smaller curvature than the portion on the insertion portion 40 side, forming an R shape. Since the portion of the tip 44 on the insertion portion 40 side is likely to receive an impact such as from a head form, by increasing the curvature, the plate-shaped convex portion 42 can be made less likely to break. The portion of the tip 44 on the opposite side of the insertion portion 40 enters the driver's line of sight, so by reducing the curvature, the area can be reduced and it can be made less obstructive. For example, the curvature on the insertion portion side can be set to R3.2 and the curvature on the opposite side can be set to R0.5.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 6, the fitting member 28 generally has an elongated shape and is made of a material having light-shielding properties. The fitting member 28 extends parallel to the plate-shaped convex portion 42, and in the present embodiment, one of the three plate-shaped convex portions 42 is provided on the fitting member 28. The fitting member 28 includes a main body portion 48, a plate-shaped convex portion 42, and a pair of fitting portions 50 provided at both longitudinal ends of the main body portion 48, etc.

[0022] The main body portion 48 is located in the insertion portion 40 of the light guide holder 24 and covers the side surface of the light guide 20 in a state where the light guide 20 is held by the light guide holder 24. Both longitudinal ends of the portion of the main body portion 48 on the side of the plate-shaped convex portion 42 protrude inward, and the protruding portions are the fitting portions 50.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 8(a), each of the pair of fitting portions 50 includes a claw portion 52 and a pressing portion 54 provided adjacent to each other. The claw portion 52 is located closer to the main body portion 48 than the pressing portion 54. The claw portion 52 has a shape with a thin base and a thick tip. Thereby, when a force is applied in the vertical direction, it is easily bent at the base.

[0024] In contrast, as shown in Figure 7, at both ends of the side portion 38 of the light guide holder 24 on the insertion portion 40 side, that is, at the generally vertically opposing portions of the side portion 38, a pair of fitted portions 60 are provided, corresponding to the fitting portion 50. Each fitted portion 60 includes a recess 62 corresponding to the claw portion 52 and a hole 64 corresponding to the retaining portion 54. The recess 62 has a shape that opens to the inside of the side plate. The hole 64 is provided in the middle of the thickness direction of the side plate.

[0025] With the fitting portion 50 and the fitted portion 60 facing each other, specifically with the claw portion 52 facing the recess 62 and the retaining portion 54 facing the hole portion 64, the fitting member 28 is pressed against the light guide holder 24 from the front. As a result, as shown in Figure 7(b), the fitting portion 50 is fitted into the fitted portion 60, and as shown in Figure 9(a), the fitting member 28 is fitted into the light guide holder 24. The fitting portion 50 and the fitted portion 60 are generally positioned overlapping in the vertical direction. In this way, the fitting member 28 can be easily fitted into the light guide holder 24 without using any tools, and the driving support device 10 can be easily assembled.

[0026] On the other hand, the fitting member 28 is designed to be slightly movable laterally relative to the light guide holder 24 within the range of the gap between the fitting portion 50 and the fitted portion 60. Therefore, if the light guide 20 expands due to heat or the like, and a large lateral force is applied to the fitting member 28, the fitting member 28 may be moved laterally relative to the light guide holder 24, as shown in Figure 9(b). However, even if the fitting member 28 moves laterally, the fitting portion 50 of the fitting member 28 and the fitted portion 60 of the light guide holder 24 generally overlap in the vertical direction, so the fitting portion 50 and the fitted portion 60 remain hidden, thus preventing a decrease in appearance.

[0027] As described above, in this embodiment, the driver assistance device 10 can be easily attached to the pillar garnish 12 without the use of tools. Furthermore, with the driver assistance device 10 attached to the pillar garnish 12, the plate-shaped protrusion 42 of the louver 26 extends toward the driver. As a result, the vertical lines of the light guide 20 are less visible to the driver. In addition, since the light guide holder 24, fitting member 28, etc. are manufactured from light-shielding materials, it is difficult for light to enter the light guide 20 from other parts of the incident surface 20R. As a result, the visibility of scenery outside the driver's field of view can be improved.

[0028] Furthermore, the light guide 20 is not limited to a prism; it may also include a mirror, and the present invention can be implemented in various modified and improved forms based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0029] 10: Driving support device 20: Light guide 22: Light guide holding device 24: Light guide holder 26: Louver 28: Fitting member 30: Bottom 32: Hole 34: Hole 36: Clip 38: Side 42: Plate-shaped protrusion 44: Tip 50: Fitting part 60: Fitted part Patentable invention

[0030] (1) A light guide holder device that is attached to a vehicle object which is an object provided on a vehicle and holds a light guide capable of reducing the blind spot area of ​​the driver that is formed by being obstructed by the vehicle object, It generally has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and comprises a light guide holder having multiple holes formed at its bottom, The light guide holder is a light guide holder that can be attached to the vehicle by inserting a pin-shaped member through each of the plurality of holes.

[0031] It is desirable to form three or more holes in the bottom. A pin-shaped member is a fastening member that can be inserted into a hole, and includes clips and the like. The vehicle part can be, for example, a pillar garnish. For example, the light guide holder can be attached to the vehicle part when the light guide is not being held.

[0032] (2) The light guide holder according to item (1), wherein the light guide holder includes a plurality of plate-shaped protrusions provided on the front surface.

[0033] The front part of the light guide holder is the part opposite the bottom of the light guide holder, facing the rear of the vehicle and opposite the driver.

[0034] (3) The light guide holding device according to item (2), wherein the tip of each of the plurality of plate-shaped protrusions is R-shaped.

[0035] (4) The light guide holding device according to item (2) or (3), wherein the plurality of plate-shaped protrusions are provided parallel to the driver's line of sight.

[0036] When the light guide includes a prism, it is desirable to provide multiple plate-like protrusions so that the vertical stripes generated in the prism are less visible to the driver.

[0037] (5) The light guide holder according to any one of items (1) to (4), wherein the light guide holder is made of a light-shielding material.

[0038] (6) The light guide holder according to any one of items (1) to (5), wherein an insertion portion into which the light guide can be inserted is provided on the side of the light guide holder.

[0039] For example, the side of the light guide holder can generally include a side plate that forms a U-shape.

[0040] (7) The light guide holder according to item (6), wherein the light guide holder includes a fitting member that can be fitted onto the light guide holder in a manner that covers the insertion portion.

[0041] The fitting member may be made of a light-shielding material.

[0042] (8) The fitting member generally has an elongated shape and is provided with a pair of fitting portions at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the fitting member that can be fitted into the light guide holder, The light guide holder device according to item (7), wherein each of the pair of fitting portions includes a claw portion and a retaining portion, respectively.

[0043] (9) The light guide holder is provided on the side and includes a pair of fitted portions that can be fitted into each of the pair of fitting portions, The light guide holding device according to item (8), wherein each of the pair of fitted portions includes a recess corresponding to the claw portion and a hole corresponding to the retaining portion.

[0044] (10) The light guide holder device according to item (9), wherein the pair of fitting portions provided on the fitting member and the pair of fitted portions provided on the light guide holder are generally positioned to overlap in the vertical direction.

[0045] (11) The light guide holder according to any one of items (1) to (10), wherein the light guide is made of a transparent resin and includes a plurality of prisms.

[0046] (12) A light guide capable of reducing the driver's blind spot area formed by being obstructed by a vehicle object installed on the vehicle, The light guide holder described in any one of the above items (1) to (11) and Driving assistance devices including

[0047] (13) A method for assembling a driver assistance device that provides driver assistance by reducing the blind spot area, comprising a light guide capable of reducing the blind spot area formed by being obstructed by a vehicle object installed on the vehicle, A mounting step of attaching a light guide holder capable of holding the light guide to the vehicle object, The insertion step involves inserting the light guide into the light guide holder attached to the vehicle, A fitting step involves fitting a fitting member into the light guide holder into which the light guide is inserted, thereby holding the light guide. A method for assembling a driver assistance device, including the device itself.

[0048] The light guides, light guide holders, etc. described in this section may adopt any of the technical features described in sections (1) through (12).

Claims

1. A light guide holding device that is attached to a vehicle object, which is an object provided on a vehicle, and holds a light guide capable of reducing the driver's blind spot area formed by being obstructed by the vehicle object, It generally has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and comprises a light guide holder having multiple holes formed at its bottom, A light guide holder that can be attached to the vehicle by inserting a pin-shaped member through each of the plurality of holes.

2. The light guide holder is provided with an insertion portion for the light guide, The light guide holder according to claim 1, wherein the light guide holder includes a fitting member that can be fitted onto the light guide holder in a manner that covers the insertion portion.

Images