Heater fixing structure for vehicle-mounted camera

Abstract

To secure a sufficient area for arranging a heater in a structure which fixes an on-vehicle camera to a motor vehicle.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle camara unit 10 includes: a hood base 22 which holds an on-vehicle camera 20; a food plate 24 which covers the upper side of the hood base 22; and a heater 16 provided between the hood base 22 and the hood plate 24. The hood base 22 and the hood plate 24 form a hood structure, through which a visual line of the on-vehicle camera 20 passes, with a windshield 14. A space 70 is formed between the hood base 22 and the hood plate 24. The heater 16 is fixed to a lower surface of the hood plate 24, and a gap is provided between the heater 16 and the hood base 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heater fixing structure for an on-vehicle camera, and more particularly to an improvement in a structure for fixing a heater to an on-vehicle glass. [Background technology]

[0002] Some automobiles are equipped with a camera mounted on the passenger compartment side of the windshield. The camera is used, for example, to perform automatic driving control. In this case, the camera captures a reference for the driving route, such as lanes drawn on the road, and transmits the video data to a driving control device. The driving control device performs automatic driving control based on the video data. Alternatively, the camera may be used in a drive recorder.

[0003] The following Patent Document 1 describes a technique for attaching a camera mounting structure to the window glass (front windshield glass) of an automobile. The camera mounting structure described in this document includes a hood member provided below the line of sight of the camera. The hood member is provided with a heater that prevents the window glass from fogging up. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-125088 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-131809 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the camera mounting structure, various structures are formed for mounting to the automobile. For example, in the camera mounting structure described in Patent Document 2, a leaf spring is provided in the hood member for mounting the in-vehicle camera device to the automobile while sliding in a specific direction. In the conventional technology, the area in which the heater is mounted may be limited depending on the position or shape of the structure for mounting the camera to the automobile. In addition, depending on the mounting position of the heater, it may have an optical effect on the camera. For example, if the heater is disposed on the window glass side of the hood member described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the quality of the captured image may be reduced due to diffuse reflection by the heater.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a structure for fixing an on-board camera to an automobile that provides a sufficient area for arranging a heater while suppressing the optical effect on the camera. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to A recessed area is provided on the vehicle interior side of the vehicle-mounted glass. Fixed to Thus, an enclosed space is formed between the recessed area and the vehicle glass. The food base and The enclosed space The food base Located on the side A food plate; and a heater provided between the food base and the food plate, The hood base has a camera hole, and the vehicle-mounted camera is disposed outside the enclosed space so as to view the outside of the vehicle cabin through the camera hole and the vehicle-mounted glass. It is characterized by the above. Desirably, the food plate includes a planar area.

[0008] In the related art of the present invention, A space is formed between the food base and the food plate.

[0009] Preferably, the heater is fixed to the underside of the hood plate, with a gap provided between the heater and the hood base.

[0010] In the related art of the present invention, The hood base forms a side wall and a rear wall of the hood structure, and the heater is at least partially enclosed by the side wall and the rear wall.

[0011] Preferably, the hood base holds the on-board camera.

[0012] Preferably, the hood base is provided with a bracket that is fixed to the automobile, the bracket being fixed to the automobile, and the bracket holding the on-board camera.

[0013] Preferably, the food plate is formed from a material that conducts heat more easily than the food base. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to ensure a sufficient area for arranging a heater while suppressing the optical effect on the camera. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an automobile equipped with an on-board camera unit. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted camera unit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle-mounted camera unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the hood plate with the heater fixed thereto. [Diagram 5] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the process of attaching the food plate to the food base. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted camera unit as viewed from the vehicle interior side. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross section of the vehicle-mounted camera unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a cross section of an in-vehicle camera unit according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a rear view of the vehicle-mounted camera unit according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] The embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The terms up, down, left, right, front, rear, and back in this specification indicate the directions as seen by the passengers of the vehicle. In addition, the same components shown in multiple drawings are given the same reference numerals to simplify the description.

[0017] FIG. 1 shows an automobile 12 equipped with an on-board camera unit 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The on-board camera unit 10 is fixed to the upper part of the surface of a windshield 14 (on-board glass) facing the passenger compartment. The on-board camera unit 10 is used, for example, for performing automatic driving control. In this case, the on-board camera unit 10 captures an image of a reference for a driving route, such as a lane drawn on a road, and transmits the image data to a driving control device. The driving control device performs automatic driving control based on the image data. Alternatively, the on-board camera unit 10 may be used in a drive recorder.

[0018] Moisture may adhere to the surface of the windshield 14 when it is fogged, frosted, icy, etc. When moisture adheres to the windshield 14, the quality of the image captured by the camera may deteriorate. Therefore, as described below, the vehicle-mounted camera unit 10 is provided with a heater.

[0019] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted camera unit 10. The vehicle-mounted camera unit 10 includes a vehicle-mounted camera 20, a hood base 22, a hood plate 24, and a heater 16. The hood base 22 holds the vehicle-mounted camera 20 downward, and the hood plate 24 covers the bottom surface of the recessed area above the hood base 22. The hood base 22 and the hood plate 24 form a vehicle-mounted heater fixing structure, and as described below, the heater 16 is provided between the hood plate 24 and the hood base 22. The hood base 22 and the hood plate 24 form a hood structure 18 that is recessed downward, i.e., toward the passenger compartment. The hood structure 18 is deeply recessed at the rear and has a flared shape that becomes wider and shallower toward the front.

[0020] At the left, right and rear end of the hood structure 18, the side walls 25 and rear wall 26 are formed by the hood base 22, which are erected in the vertical direction. A plate-shaped rear area 28 extends from the upper end of the rear wall 26 to the rear. A camera hole 30 is formed in the rear wall 26 and the rear area 28. The hood base 22 holds the vehicle-mounted camera 20 below itself. The imaging unit 32 of the vehicle-mounted camera 20 is located behind the part of the camera hole 30 that is provided on the rear wall 26 and below the part of the camera hole 30 that is provided on the rear area 28, and the imaging unit 32 looks out ahead through the camera hole 30. The imaging unit 32 has an electronic device that converts light into an electrical signal. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the imaging unit 32 is located behind the part of the camera hole 30 that is provided on the rear wall 26 and below the part of the camera hole 30 that is provided on the rear area 28, but the imaging unit 32 may penetrate the camera hole 30 in the front-rear direction.

[0021] Flanges 64 for fixing the hood base 22 to an automobile extend rearward from the left and right side walls 25 of the hood base 22. The left and right flanges 64 are provided with fixing holes 66 for fixing the hood base 22 to the automobile.

[0022] The hood plate 24 is formed in a generally trapezoidal shape and forms the bottom surface of the hood structure 18. A heater 16 is provided on the underside of the hood plate 24. The windshield 14 is located in front of the imaging unit 32 and above the hood structure 18. The hood structure 18 formed by the hood base 22 and the hood plate 24 allows the imaging unit 32's line of sight to pass between the hood structure 18 and the windshield 14 in front of the imaging unit 32, and blocks unnecessary light from reaching the imaging unit 32.

[0023] 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the vehicle-mounted camera unit 10. The vehicle-mounted camera unit 10 includes a bracket 50 in addition to the vehicle-mounted camera 20, the hood base 22, the hood plate 24, and the heater 16. The vehicle-mounted camera 20 includes an L-shaped housing 34. The L-shaped housing 34 includes a base 36 and an erected portion 38 that protrudes upward from the rear of the base 36. The imaging unit 32 is fixed to the front surface of the erected portion 38.

[0024] Two cylindrical camera protrusions 40 are formed on each of the left and right side surfaces of the L-shaped housing 34. On each of the left and right side surfaces, the camera protrusions 40 are arranged in front and behind. Each camera protrusion 40 protrudes leftward from the left side surface of the L-shaped housing 34, and each camera protrusion 40 protrudes rightward from the right side surface. The camera protrusions 40 may be prismatic.

[0025] The hood base 22 has a shape that covers the upper surface of the base 36 of the L-shaped housing 34 and the front and upper surfaces of the standing portion 38. As described later, fitting grooves 42 into which the camera protrusions 40 are fitted are formed on the left and right sides of the hood base 22. The L-shaped housing 34 is fixed to the hood base 22 by fixing the camera protrusions 40 of the L-shaped housing 34 to the fitting grooves 42 of the hood base 22. That is, the vehicle-mounted camera 20 is fixed to the hood base 22 such that the upper surface of the base 36 and the front and upper surfaces of the standing portion 38 are covered by the hood base 22 and the imaging unit 32 looks forward through the camera hole 30.

[0026] A recessed area 44 is formed on the upper side of the hood base 22, and has a flared shape that becomes shallower toward the front. The hood plate 24 has a generally trapezoidal shape with a rear side shorter than the front side. The heater 16 also has a generally trapezoidal shape with a rear side shorter than the front side. The heater 16 is fixed to the lower surface of the hood plate 24 with the directions of each side of the hood plate 24 aligned with the directions of each side of the heater 16. The heater 16 may be a plate-shaped member with an electric heating wire embedded therein. The heater 16 may be fixed to the hood plate 24 with double-sided tape. The hood plate 24 may be made of a material that transmits heat more easily than the hood base 22. Thermal conductivity is a material constant that indicates the ease of heat transmission, and the hood plate 24 may be made of a material that has a higher thermal conductivity than the hood base 22. For example, the hood plate 24 may be made of metal, and the hood base 22 may be made of plastic resin.

[0027] Fixing protrusions 56 protrude forward from the left and right sides of the front edge of hood base 22, and a fixing claw 58 protrudes forward from the center. The left and right fixing protrusions 56 and fixing claws 58 engage with hood plate 24, and hood plate 24 is fixed to hood base 22 so as to cover the bottom surface of recessed area 44 of hood base 22, with heater 16 fixed to its underside.

[0028] The bracket 50 is a plate-like member in which a cutout region 48 is provided from front to rear to match the shape of the side and rear of the hood base 22. Hood base mounting protrusions 68 are formed on the undersides of the left and right regions sandwiching the cutout region 48. An enlarged view of the hood base mounting protrusions 68 is shown on the right side of FIG. 3. The hood base mounting protrusions 68 have a pair of claw-equipped protrusions 69. Each claw-equipped protrusion 69 protrudes downward, has a claw at its tip, and elastically bends left and right. The claws at the tip increase in thickness left and right from the bottom end toward the top, and then the thickness suddenly decreases in a wedge shape.

[0029] The bracket 50 may be fixed to the surface of the windshield 14 facing the passenger compartment before the hood base 22 is attached. The hood base 22 fits into the cutout area 48 of the bracket 50. The hood base attachment protrusions 68 are inserted into fixing holes 66 provided in the left and right flanges 64 of the hood base 22. This fixes the hood base 22 to the windshield 14 via the bracket 50, and fixes the vehicle-mounted camera unit 10 to the windshield 14. The bracket 50 may be fixed to the body of the automobile near the boundary with the windshield 14.

[0030] Fig. 4 shows food plate 24 with heater 16 fixed thereto. This figure shows food plate 24 and heater 16 viewed from diagonally below on the left side. Two fixing claws 52 protrude rearward from the rear edge of food plate 24. A fixing claw 52 protrudes rearward from each of the left and right edges of food plate 24. Fixing protrusion receiving structures 60 are formed on the left and right sides of the front edge of food plate 24, and a fixing claw receiving structure 62 is formed in the center. Each of fixing protrusion receiving structure 60 and fixing claw receiving structure 62 is formed in a U-shape and forms a hole together with the underside of food plate 24.

[0031] 5 shows the process of attaching the hood plate 24 to the hood base 22. The recessed area 44 in the hood base 22 is formed by a rear wall 26 erected at the rear of the hood base 22, side walls 25 erected on the left and right, and a bottom plate 27 forming the bottom surface. At the boundary between the rear wall 26 and the bottom plate 27 in the recessed area 44, a claw receiving structure 54 is formed to receive two claws 52 protruding from the rear edge of the hood plate 24. At the boundaries between the left and right side walls 25 and the bottom plate 27, a claw receiving structure 54 is formed to receive the claws 52 protruding from the left and right edges of the hood plate 24, respectively.

[0032] 5, the fixed claws 58 and the left and right fixed protrusions 56 engage with the fixed claw receiving structure 62 and the left and right fixed protrusion receiving structures 60, respectively. That is, the fixed claws 58 are caught in the fixed claw receiving structure 62, and the fixed protrusions 56 are held in the left and right fixed protrusion receiving structures 60. Also, by moving the food plate 24 in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 5, each of the claws 52 of the food plate 24 is inserted into the corresponding claw receiving structure 54, and each claw 52 is fixed to the corresponding claw receiving structure 54. This fixes the food plate 24 to the hood base 22.

[0033] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted camera unit 10 viewed from diagonally below (from the vehicle interior side). From the lower surface of the hood base 22, a camera fixing wall 29 is erected along the side surface of the L-shaped housing 34 on each of the left and right sides of the vehicle-mounted camera 20. The camera fixing wall 29 is lower in height from the rear to the front in accordance with the shape of the side surface of the L-shaped housing 34. The lower edge of each camera fixing wall 29 is formed with a fitting groove 42 into which two camera protrusions 40 arranged at the front and rear are fitted. The vehicle-mounted camera 20 is fixed to the hood base 22 by fixing each camera protrusion 40 to the corresponding fitting groove 42. In this way, a camera holding structure that is composed of the camera fixing wall 29 and holds the vehicle-mounted camera 20 is formed on the vehicle interior side of the hood base 22.

[0034] FIG. 7 shows a cross section of the vehicle-mounted camera unit 10 cut along line AA in FIG. 6. However, for the vehicle-mounted camera 20, only the camera protrusion 40 is shown, and other parts are omitted. The bracket 50 is fixed to the windshield 14. The upper surface of the bracket 50 may contact the surface of the windshield 14 on the passenger compartment side. The hood base 22 is fixed to the bracket 50 and is fixed to the windshield 14 via the bracket 50. The hood plate 24 covers the bottom surface of the recessed area 44 of the hood base 22. A space 70 is provided between the hood plate 24 and the hood base 22. This space 70 is surrounded by the side wall 25 and the rear wall 26 of the hood base 22, and may be a sealed space into which air is difficult to enter from the outside. A heater 16 is fixed to the lower surface of the hood plate 24, and the heater 16 is provided in the space 70 formed between the hood plate 24 and the hood base 22. In addition, a gap is provided between the lower surface of the heater 16 and the hood base 22.

[0035] When power is supplied to the heater 16, the heater 16 generates heat, which is applied to the hood plate 24 and the space between the windshield 14 and the hood plate 24. This applies heat to the windshield 14, preventing moisture from adhering to the windshield 14. Furthermore, if moisture does adhere to the windshield 14, evaporation of the moisture is promoted.

[0036] In the vehicle-mounted camera unit 10 according to this embodiment, the bottom surface of the recessed area 44 of the hood base 22 is covered by the hood plate 24. This covers and conceals the bottom surface of the recessed area 44 of the hood base 22, improving the aesthetic appearance. In addition, since the heater 16 does not appear on the upper surface of the hood structure 18, the heater 16 is prevented from having an optical effect on the vehicle-mounted camera 20. In addition, the space 70 between the hood plate 24 and the hood base 22 is effectively used as a space for arranging the heater 16. Furthermore, since the heater 16 is fixed to the lower surface of the hood plate 24, it is easy to fix the heater 16 to the vehicle-mounted camera unit 10 even if the bottom surface of the recessed area 44 of the hood base 22 is uneven.

[0037] Also, while the heater 16 is in contact with the hood plate 24, there is a gap between the heater 16 and the hood base 22. At least a portion of the heater 16 is surrounded by the side wall 25 and the rear wall 26 of the hood base 22. This allows heat to be transferred more easily to the hood plate 24 than to the hood base 22, increasing the effect of heating the windshield 14. If the hood plate 24 is made of a material that transfers heat easily, or if the space 70 between the hood plate 24 and the hood base 22 is sealed, the heat generated by the heater 16 is transferred more easily to the hood plate 24, increasing the effect of heating the windshield 14. In other words, since the space 70 is covered by the hood plate 24 and the hood base 22, the heat of the space 70 heated by the heater 16 is not released to the outside of the hood base 22, increasing the thermal efficiency of the heater 16. In addition, since air has a heat insulating effect, heat is not easily transmitted to the space 70, and the heat from the heater 16 is efficiently transmitted to the hood plate 24, thereby reducing the power consumption of the heater 16.

[0038] In the vehicle-mounted camera unit 10 according to this embodiment, with the vehicle-mounted camera 20 attached to the hood base 22, the hood base 22 is detachable from the bracket 50. Therefore, when the heater 16 breaks down, it is possible to replace the heater 16 with the vehicle-mounted camera 20 attached to the hood base 22.

[0039] Fig. 8 shows a cross section of the vehicle-mounted camera unit 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 shows the vehicle-mounted camera unit 11 as viewed from the back. In the vehicle-mounted camera unit 11, the vehicle-mounted camera 20 is held by a bracket 51, not by a hood base 23. The hood base 23 has a structure in which the camera fixing wall 29 has been removed from the hood base 22 shown in Fig. 7.

[0040] A U-shaped camera holding portion 72 is formed on the underside of the bracket 51 behind the left and right hood base mounting protrusions 68. A pair of camera holding portions 72 are arranged side by side, separated by the width of the vehicle-mounted camera 20. The vehicle-mounted camera 20 is positioned between the pair of camera holding portions 72. The camera protrusion 40 protruding on the left side of the vehicle-mounted camera 20 is inserted into a hole formed by the left camera holding portion 72 and the underside of the bracket 51. Similarly, the camera protrusion 40 protruding on the right side of the vehicle-mounted camera 20 is inserted into a hole formed between the right camera holding portion 72 and the bracket 51. In this way, the vehicle-mounted camera 20 is held by the bracket 51.

[0041] In the vehicle-mounted camera unit 11 according to this embodiment, with the vehicle-mounted camera 20 attached to the bracket 51, the hood base 22 is detachable from the bracket 51. Therefore, when the heater 16 breaks down, it is possible to replace the heater 16 with the vehicle-mounted camera 20 attached to the bracket 51.

[0042] In the above, an embodiment has been shown in which the vehicle-mounted camera unit 10 is used for the windshield 14 of an automobile. The vehicle-mounted camera unit 10 according to the present invention may be used for other vehicle-mounted glasses of an automobile. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10,11 vehicle-mounted camera unit, 12 automobile, 14 windshield (vehicle-mounted glass), 16 heater, 18 hood structure, 20 vehicle-mounted camera, 22,23 hood base, 24 hood plate, 25 side wall, 26 rear wall, 27 bottom plate, 28 rear area, 29 camera fixing wall, 30 camera hole, 32 imaging unit, 34 L-shaped housing, 36 base, 38 standing portion, 40 camera protrusion, 42 fitting groove, 44 recessed area, 48 notch area, 50,51 bracket, 52 claw, 54 claw receiving structure, 56 fixing protrusion, 58 fixing claw, 60 fixing protrusion receiving structure, 62 fixing claw receiving structure, 64 flange, 66 fixing hole, 68 hood base mounting protrusion, 69 protrusion with claw, 70 space, 72 Camera holder.

Claims

1. A hood base having a recessed area and fixed to a vehicle interior side of a vehicle glass to form an enclosed space surrounded by the recessed area and the vehicle glass; A food plate provided on the food base side of the enclosed space; A heater is provided between the food base and the food plate, The hood base has a camera hole, A heater fixing structure for an on-board camera, characterized in that the on-board camera is arranged outside the enclosed space so as to view the outside of the vehicle cabin through the camera hole, the enclosed space, and the on-board glass.

2. The heater fixing structure for an in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, The heater fixing structure for an in-vehicle camera, wherein the hood plate includes a planar area.

3. The heater fixing structure for an in-vehicle camera according to claim 1 or 2, The heater is fixed to the lower surface of the hood plate, 13. A heater fixing structure for an in-vehicle camera, comprising: a gap provided between the heater and the hood base.

4. The heater fixing structure for an in-vehicle camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The heater fixing structure for an in-vehicle camera, wherein the hood base holds the in-vehicle camera.

5. The heater fixing structure for an in-vehicle camera according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a bracket fixed to the vehicle; The hood base is fixed to the automobile via the bracket, The heater fixing structure for an in-vehicle camera, wherein the bracket holds the in-vehicle camera.

6. The heater fixing structure for an in-vehicle camera according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A heater fixing structure for an in-vehicle camera, wherein the hood plate is formed of a material that transmits heat more easily than the hood base.

Images