Windshield Device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle windshield device capable of obtaining a heat insulating structure capable of coping with an increase in the amount of heat generated by a heater unit, thereby improving thermal efficiency and efficiently removing fogging, dew condensation, frost, ice, etc.SOLUTION: A windshield device for a vehicle includes a bracket 51 installed on the vehicle interior side of a windshield 59 for a vehicle, a heater unit 10 provided on the bracket 51, and a sensor unit 55 housed in the bracket 51. A heat insulation structure 31 is formed on the surface of the heater unit 10 opposite to the windshield 59. The heat insulation structure 31 has a space 33, and a gap holding portion 35 and a lid portion 37 are formed to maintain the space 33.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a windshield device equipped with a heater unit for removing condensation, ice, frost, and water droplets that have adhered to, for example, a camera unit, windshield, radar unit, etc. in a vehicle, and for preventing fogging, condensation, ice, and frost from adhering. [Background technology]

[0002] A vehicle windshield device is attached to the passenger compartment side of the windshield and is used to detect the presence or absence of other vehicles or obstacles in front of the vehicle. The vehicle windshield device includes a bracket fixed to the windshield and a camera unit or a radar unit supported by the bracket. The bracket includes a light-shielding hood that prevents external light such as sunlight from entering the camera unit. When the humidity inside the passenger compartment is high or the temperature outside the vehicle is low, fog, condensation, frost, ice, etc. adhere to the windshield, so the vehicle windshield device includes a heater unit for heating the light-shielding hood on the back side. The heat generated by the heater unit melts, evaporates, and removes fog, condensation, frost, ice, etc. that adhere to the windshield facing the light-shielding hood. This allows the camera unit to capture clear images. In addition, the radar from the radar unit is not attenuated, allowing accurate detection (see Patent Document 1, etc.).

[0003] As a heater unit, for example, one that is provided with a first linear heating element located on the periphery of a planar target area to be heated and a second linear heating element located inside the target area is known (see Patent Document 2, etc.). Various types of linear heating elements are also known (see Patent Document 3, etc.). Various types of heater units are also known (see Patent Documents 4 to 8, etc.). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP2017-185893A: Toyota Motor Corporation [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 1801190: Sanden [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 6320935: Kurabe [Patent Document 4] JP2019-93794A: Nifco [Patent Document 5] JP2019-104378A: Kojima Press Industry, et al. [Patent Document 6] JP2019-114330A: Nifco et al. [Patent Document 7] JP2019-119321A: Nifco et al. [Patent Document 8] Patent Publication 2021-44097: Kurabe Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] With the trend toward electric vehicles and energy conservation, there is a demand for high efficiency in heat generation in order to suppress power consumption. For example, the above-mentioned Patent Document 7 describes that by providing a heat insulating layer on the back surface of the heater unit, the heat from the heater unit is efficiently directed to the windshield. On the other hand, due to the recent trend toward autonomous driving, sensor units such as on-board camera units and radar units are becoming larger and more numerous. Accordingly, the area that needs to be removed from fog, condensation, frost, ice, etc. is also becoming wider, so the area heated by the heater unit is also increasing, and it has become necessary to increase the amount of heat generated by the heater unit and the heat generation temperature. As a result, there is a risk that the heat resistance of the conventional material for the heat insulating layer will be insufficient, so it is necessary to change to a material with high heat resistance, but since this will be an expensive material such as foamed fluororesin, a major problem will arise in terms of cost. In addition, adhesives and the like are used to install the heat insulating layer, but there is a risk that the thermal deterioration of this adhesive will also be accelerated.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such problems with the conventional technology, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle windshield device which has an insulating structure capable of coping with an increase in the amount of heat generated by the heater unit, thereby improving thermal efficiency and efficiently removing fogging, condensation, frost, ice, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle windshield device of the present invention comprises a bracket attached to the interior side of the vehicle windshield, a heater unit provided on the bracket, and a sensor unit housed in the bracket, wherein an insulating structure is formed on the surface of the heater unit opposite the windshield, the insulating structure having a space and being formed with a spacing retaining portion and a cover portion for maintaining the space. It is also possible that the space extends over the entire area where the heat generating area of ​​the heater unit is present, and the spacing portion is formed at a position that is outside the heat generating area of ​​the heater unit. The spacing portion may be formed as a honeycomb-shaped partition wall. Furthermore, regarding the heat generation distribution of the heater unit, it is considered that the area where the spacing portion exists per unit area is smaller in positions where strong heat generation is required than in other positions. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, the space is maintained by the spacing retainer and the lid, and this space provides thermal insulation, so the non-heated side of the heater unit can be insulated without the need for materials such as foam. This allows the heat of the heater unit to be efficiently transferred to the heated side, and fogging, condensation, frost, ice, etc. can be efficiently removed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle windshield device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a heater unit is attached to a bracket to form a heat insulating structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing the process of attaching a heater unit to a bracket and forming a heat insulating structure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing a part of a heat insulating structure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a part of a heat insulating structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a part of a heat insulating structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a part of a heat insulating structure according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle windshield device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THEINVENTION

[0010] (Embodiment 1) First, a vehicle windshield device according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 4. In this embodiment, a camera is used as a sensor unit, and the vehicle windshield device having a photographing function is used as a part of a vehicle collision prevention system.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1 as a cross-sectional view and an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part, a vehicle windshield device to be attached to a windshield 59 includes a bracket 51, a sensor unit 55, and a cover 57. A light-shielding hood 53 is formed on the bracket 51 to determine the range of light received by the light receiving portion of the sensor unit 55. The sensor unit 55 is fixedly held on the bracket 51, and a heater unit 10 is installed at the position of the light-shielding hood 53 of the bracket 51. The heater unit 10 is installed on the surface of the bracket 51 opposite to the windshield 59 at the position of the light-shielding hood 53. The bracket 51 is a series of parts for attaching the sensor unit 55 and the heater unit 10, and may be configured by assembling a plurality of parts. The cover 57 is a resin member having a bowl shape, and is fitted into the bracket 51 so as to cover the light-shielding hood 53 and the sensor unit 55. An adhesive is formed on the peripheral portion of the bracket 51, and the bracket 51 is attached to the passenger compartment side of the windshield 59. 1 is the front of the vehicle, and the windshield 59 is generally referred to as a front glass, a side glass, or a rear glass. In addition to a camera unit, a radar unit or the like may be considered as the sensor unit 55. The light receiving portion of the sensor unit 55 faces the windshield 59, and generally, no other member is placed between the light receiving portion of the sensor unit 55 and the windshield 59.

[0012] FIG. 2 shows the surface of the bracket 51 opposite to the windshield 59. The heat insulating structure 31 is formed on the surface of the heater unit 10 opposite to the windshield 59. The heat insulating structure 31 is composed of a space 33, a spacing portion 35, and a lid portion 37. As shown in FIG. 4, the spacing portion 35 and the lid portion 37 are configured as a heat insulating plate 39 that is a separate member. The heat insulating plate 39 that constitutes the spacing portion 35 and the lid portion 37 is installed at the position of the light shielding hood 53 on the bracket 51, that is, at a position that overlaps with the heater unit 10, and is fixed by caulking. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state before the heat insulating plate 39 in FIG. 2 is installed. Various methods may be used to fix the heat insulating plate 39. In addition to the above-mentioned caulking, for example, slide lock, snap fit, runner lock pin, screw, hook-and-loop fastener, welding, adhesive, etc. can be used, but it is preferable to use a mechanical fixing method that is resistant to thermal deterioration. In the first embodiment, a spacing portion 35 is formed around the periphery of the heat insulating plate 39, and the portion surrounded by this spacing portion 35 is hollowed out by 0.5 mm, the bottom of which serves as the lid portion 37. By fixing the heat insulating plate 39 to the bracket 51, the portion surrounded by the spacing portion 35, the lid portion 37, and the heater unit 10, i.e., the portion hollowed out by 0.5 mm, serves as the space 33.

[0013] In the first embodiment, the spacing portion 35 is formed at a position that is outside the heat generation area of ​​the heater unit 10, so that the space 33 covers the entire area where the heat generation area of ​​the heater unit 10 exists. In the enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part in Fig. 1, the portion indicated by the dotted arrow H is the heat generation area of ​​the heater unit 10. With this configuration, the heat from the heater unit 10 is not directly conducted and transferred to the spacing portion 35, so that the heat insulating effect of the heat insulating member can be improved.

[0014] In the first embodiment, a film heater is used as the heater unit 10. The film heater is formed by forming a 30 μm thick conductor on a 28 μm thick polyamideimide film by etching a stainless steel (SUS304) foil, and then covering the 28 μm thick polyamideimide film. Two ends of the conductor of the film heater are exposed and connected to lead wires, and a connector is connected to the other end of the lead wire. A thermostat, a temperature fuse, or the like may be connected to the middle of the lead wire. In this manner, the heater unit 10 is configured. For example, the above-mentioned patent documents can be referred to as the configuration of the heater unit 10, but of course, various heaters made of other materials and with other configurations may be used.

[0015] It is preferable that a stray light prevention material is formed on the surface of the light-shielding hood 53 facing the windshield 59. This makes it possible to prevent external light from entering from outside the light-receiving range. The stray light prevention material is sometimes called an anti-reflective material, and examples of the material include non-woven fabric and sheets with a surface treatment such as pear finish, grain finish, matte finish, and flocking finish. Another possible way to form the stray light prevention material is to apply a matte paint.

[0016] When the humidity in the vehicle interior is high or the temperature outside the vehicle is low, fog, dew, frost, ice, etc. may adhere to the windshield 59. The fog, dew, frost, ice, etc. may scatter light, hindering clear photography by the sensor unit 55. This is also true when a radar unit is used instead of a camera unit. For this reason, the heater unit 10 according to the present invention is used as the light-shielding hood 53, and the fog, dew, frost, and ice are removed by heating the windshield 59 with the heat emitted from the heater unit 10. In addition, the air near the windshield 59 is heated by the heat from the heater unit 10, which reduces the humidity inside the bracket 51, thereby removing the dew.

[0017] (Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The basic configuration is similar to that of the first embodiment, but the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in terms of the heat insulating structure 31.

[0018] In the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, the spacing portion 35 formed in the heat insulating plate 39 is formed as a honeycomb-shaped partition wall, and the portion surrounded by this spacing portion 35 is hollowed out by 0.5 mm, the bottom of which serves as the lid portion 37. By fixing the heat insulating plate 39 to the bracket 51, the portion surrounded by the spacing portion 35, the lid portion 37, and the heater unit 10, i.e., the portion hollowed out by 0.5 mm, becomes a plurality of spaces 33. In the second embodiment, the plurality of spaces 33 are independent of each other, but the spaces 33 may be continuous, for example, by cutting out a part of the spacing portion 35.

[0019] In this embodiment 2, the spacing retaining portion 35 is formed as a honeycomb-shaped partition wall, which increases the rigidity of the insulating plate 39 and prevents the lid portion 37 from approaching the heater unit 10, making the space 33 less likely to collapse.

[0020] (Embodiment 3) Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The basic configuration is similar to that of the first embodiment, but the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in terms of the heat insulating structure 31.

[0021] 6, the spacing retaining portions 35 formed on the insulating plate 39 are formed on the periphery of the insulating plate 39 and are formed as a plurality of pillars, and the portions around the spacing retaining portions 35 formed as pillars are hollowed out by 0.5 mm, the bottoms of which serve as lid portions 37. By fixing the insulating plate 39 to the bracket 51, the portion surrounded by the spacing retaining portions 35, the lid portions 37 and the heater units 10 formed on the periphery of the insulating plate 39, i.e., the portions hollowed out by 0.5 mm, serve as the space 33.

[0022] In the third embodiment, since a plurality of columnar spacing parts 35 are formed, the lid part 37 is prevented from approaching the heater unit 10, and the space 33 is less likely to collapse. Also, since the size of the columnar spacing parts 35 decreases toward the top in Fig. 6, the heat from the heater unit 10 is less likely to be conducted to the spacing parts 35 toward the top in Fig. 6. By adopting such a method, it becomes possible to partially change the heat flowing from the heater unit 10 toward the windshield 59.

[0023] (Embodiment 4) Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The basic configuration is similar to that of the first embodiment, but the fourth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in terms of the heat insulating structure 31.

[0024] 7, the spacing retaining portions 35 formed on the heat insulating plate 39 are formed on the periphery of the heat insulating plate 39 and are formed in the shape of multiple horizontal lines, and the portions between the spacing retaining portions 35 formed in the horizontal lines are hollowed out by 0.5 mm, and their bottoms serve as lid portions 37. By fixing the heat insulating plate 39 to the bracket 51, the portion surrounded by the spacing retaining portions 35, the lid portions 37 and the heater units 10 formed on the periphery of the heat insulating plate 39, i.e., the portions hollowed out by 0.5 mm, serve as the space 33.

[0025] In the third embodiment, since a plurality of horizontal linear spacing retaining portions 35 are formed, the lid portion 37 is prevented from approaching the heater unit 10, and the space 33 is less likely to collapse. Also, since the spacing between the horizontal linear spacing retaining portions 35 becomes larger toward the bottom in Fig. 7, the heat from the heater unit 10 is more easily conducted to the spacing retaining portions 35 toward the top in Fig. 7. By employing such a method, it becomes possible to vary the heat directed from the heater unit 10 toward the windshield 59 for each portion.

[0026] (Embodiment 5) Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the fifth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the location where the heater unit 10 is installed and the location where the heat insulating structure 31 is formed.

[0027] In the fifth embodiment, as shown in the cross-sectional view and the enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part in FIG. 8, the heater unit 10 is installed on the surface of the bracket 51 on the windshield 59 side at the position of the light-shielding hood 53. The spacing portion 35 is formed on the bracket 51, and the bracket 51 also functions as the lid portion 37. That is, in the light-shielding hood 53 of the bracket 51, the position where the heater unit 10 is installed is hollowed out by 0.5 mm in an arbitrary shape, the bottom portion becomes the lid portion 37, and the remaining portion becomes the spacing portion 35. The portion surrounded by the spacing portion 35, the lid portion 37, and the heater unit 10, that is, the portion hollowed out by 0.5 mm, becomes the space 33. In the enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part in FIG. 8, the portion indicated by the dotted arrow H is the heat generating area of ​​the heater unit 10.

[0028] In the fifth embodiment, the spacing portion 35 and the lid portion 37 may be formed in any shape, etc. For example, the spacing portion 35 and the lid portion 37 as shown in Fig. 5 to Fig. 7 may be formed on the bracket 51, or may be formed in another shape, etc.

[0029] With the configuration of the fifth embodiment, the non-heated surface side of the heater unit 10 can be insulated similarly, even without the insulating plate 39 as in the first to fourth embodiments. This allows the heat of the heater unit 10 to be efficiently transferred to the heated surface side, and allows fogging, condensation, frost, ice, and the like to be efficiently removed.

[0030] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The spacing portion in the heat insulating structure is a portion that supports the lid portion to maintain the space, and various shapes are conceivable. For example, it is assumed that the spacing portion and the lid portion cannot be clearly distinguished, such as when the space is spherical. However, as long as the substantial functions of spacing and lid are fulfilled, the configuration of the present invention is satisfied, and they can be separated at any location and referred to as the spacing portion and the lid portion, respectively. In addition, the spacing portion and the lid portion may be separate parts, or may be further disassembled into multiple parts. In addition, it is also conceivable to hollow mold the light shielding hood portion of the bracket. In this case, the hollow portion becomes the space, the surface approximately parallel to the light shielding hood main surface in the hollow becomes the lid portion, and the surface approximately perpendicular to the light shielding hood main surface in the hollow becomes the spacing portion.

[0031] There is no particular limitation on the material that constitutes the heat insulating plate and bracket, but it is preferable that they have heat resistance that can withstand the heat from the heater unit. In addition, since they are also inner layer materials for automobiles, it is preferable that they have heat resistance. In addition, it is preferable that they are hard resins that have a certain degree of rigidity. For example, various materials such as ABS, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide, polyester, etc. are considered.

[0032] It should be noted that the present invention does not restrict the installation of other heat insulating materials apart from the heat insulating structure. For example, it is also possible to further layer and attach a foamed resin or the like. However, the heat insulating structure according to the present invention is different from a so-called porous body such as a foamed resin, although it is also possible for the space to be divided into multiple parts as in the above-mentioned second embodiment. The size of the space should be at least as large as it can be mechanically formed, and is approximately 1 mm. 3 It is also preferable that the spaces do not overlap in the direction of heat conduction from the heater unit, and the length of the spaces in that direction, i.e., the height of the spacing portion, is preferably about 0.2 to 1.0 mm.

[0033] The warm air heated by the heater unit and held in the space 33 may be kept in the space 33 as is, or may be led out as appropriate. For example, if a predetermined through hole is formed in the bracket 51 or the heater unit 10 and the warm air is led out from there to the vicinity of the windshield 59, the windshield 59 is also heated by the warm air, so that the effect of removing condensation, ice, frost, and water droplets can be improved. In addition, if the structure allows the warm air to be led out, the pressure due to the thermal expansion of the air can be released. However, since many sensor units 55 are relatively sensitive to heat, it is better to avoid leading the warm air directly to the sensor unit 55. [Industrial Applicability]

[0034] As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a windshield device equipped with a heater unit for removing condensation, ice, frost, and water droplets adhering to a camera unit, windshield, radar unit, etc. in a vehicle, and for preventing fogging, condensation, ice, and frost from adhering. The present invention can be applied not only to vehicle windshield devices, but also to applications of the thermal insulation structure, such as home heating appliances, heating devices for automobile interiors, industrial heating devices, various snow removal and defrosting devices, anti-fogging devices, cooking appliances, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10 Heater unit 31 Thermal insulation structure 33 Space 35 Spacing holding part 37 Lid 39 Insulation board 53 Shading hood 55 Sensor unit 59 Windshield

Claims

1. The vehicle windshield comprises a bracket attached to an interior side of the vehicle windshield, a heater unit provided on the bracket, and a sensor unit accommodated in the bracket, The heater unit is composed of a metal foil and a film. the metal foil is covered with the film except for the edges, a heat insulating structure is formed on a surface of the heater unit opposite to the windshield, The heat insulating structure has a space, and a spacing retaining portion and a lid portion are formed to maintain the space, The insulating plate has the spacing portion and the lid portion formed on the insulating plate. Alternatively, a part of the bracket serves as both the spacing retaining portion and the lid portion. A windshield device for a vehicle.

2. 2. A windshield apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the space extends over the entire area where the heat generating area of ​​the heater unit is present, and the spacing portion is formed at a position corresponding to the outside of the heat generating area of ​​the heater unit.

3. 2. The windshield apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said spacing portion is formed as a honeycomb-shaped partition wall.

4. 2. The vehicle windshield apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heater unit has a heat generation distribution in which the area per unit area of ​​the spacing portion is smaller at locations where strong heat generation is required than at other locations.

Images