Vehicle camera unit

Abstract

To provide a vehicular camera unit that suppresses adhesion of dirt, such as rain drops, to a camera without installing a wiping mechanism or a movable mechanism, extends operation time of a drive support function and reduces cost of manufacturing a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicular camera unit 10 includes: a camera housing 13 installed on a lateral side of a vehicle 1; a front oblique camera 14 installed to the camera housing 13; and a rear oblique camera 15 installed to the camera housing and disposed forward and on an outside in a vehicle width direction relative to the front oblique camera 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle camera unit provided in a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in addition to cameras for capturing images of the forward driving environment, vehicles are also provided with cameras for capturing images of side areas, rear areas and the like. Such cameras capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle and provide the captured images to the driver. Furthermore, vehicles equipped with driving assistance devices that provide driving assistance using surrounding images captured by cameras have appeared.

[0003] In such cameras installed in vehicles, when dust, water droplets or the like adhere to the lens, the field of view is blocked. When the field of view of the camera deteriorates, the function of the driving assistance device is forcibly terminated. For this reason, various proposals have been made to maintain a good field of view for the camera.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a wind pressure generator for removing dust, water droplets and the like that block the field of view of a camera. In addition, Patent Document 2 proposes a vehicle-mounted imaging device that appropriately removes water droplets adhering to the lens of a camera.

[0005] These conventional wind pressure generators or vehicle-mounted imaging devices are technologies that generate wind pressure near the lens of the camera to reduce the adhesion of dirt to the lens. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-286216 Patent Document 2 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-222307 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] Incidentally, conventional wind pressure generators and in-vehicle imaging devices are mounted on the door mirrors, and the technology involves adding a wiping mechanism or movable mechanism to these door mirrors to improve the camera's field of view. However, adding a wiping mechanism or movable mechanism to the door mirrors makes the vehicle's structure more complex, increasing the number of man-hours on the production line and raising manufacturing costs.

[0008] Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, the object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle camera unit that can suppress the adhesion of dirt such as raindrops to the camera without providing a wiping mechanism, a movable mechanism, etc., thereby extending the operating time of the driving assistance function and reducing the manufacturing cost of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A vehicle camera unit according to one aspect of the present invention is mounted on the side of a vehicle. , protruding outward from the outer surface of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction Camera housing and The camera housing comprises a front side portion provided at the front end of the camera housing, which is the front end of the vehicle, and sloping outward toward the rear of the vehicle; a front upper portion provided above the front side portion of the front end of the camera housing, which sloping upward toward the rear; a rear surface provided behind the front side portion of the camera housing, which sloping inward in the vehicle width direction toward the rear of the vehicle; a side portion provided behind the rear of the rear of the camera housing, which connects to the rear and runs along the outer surface; an upper hood provided on the camera housing, which protrudes outward from the side portion above the rear and side portions and connects to the rear and side portions; a lower hood provided on the camera housing, which protrudes outward from the side portion below the rear and side portions and connects to the rear and side portions; and the side portion provided within a recess of the camera housing surrounded by the rear, side, lower surface of the upper hood, and upper surface of the lower hood, which is arranged on the side portion. An oblique camera and, Within the recess of the camera housing, arranged on the rear surface, Compared to the aforementioned forward oblique camera The aforementioned Forward and The aforementioned It includes a rear oblique camera positioned on the outside. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle camera unit that can suppress the adhesion of dirt such as raindrops to the camera without providing a wiping mechanism, a movable mechanism, etc., thereby extending the operating time of the driver assistance function and reducing the manufacturing cost of the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Side view showing the front of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle camera unit. [Figure 2] Top view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle camera unit. [Figure 3] Perspective view showing the configuration of a vehicle camera unit. [Figure 4] Side view showing the configuration of a vehicle camera unit. [Figure 5] Longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of a vehicle camera unit mounted on a front fender [Figure 6] Top view showing the configuration of a vehicle camera unit mounted on a front fender [Figure 7] Bottom view showing the configuration of a vehicle camera unit mounted on a front fender [Figure 8] Diagram explaining a state where a vehicle camera unit is attached to a front fender by a snap-fit mechanism [Figure 9] Diagram explaining a state where a vehicle camera unit is attached to a front fender by a snap-fit mechanism

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a vehicle 1 includes a forward camera device 11 and two front-rear oblique camera devices 12.

[0013] The forward camera device 11 is an imaging means for recognizing the forward traveling environment. On the other hand, the two front-rear oblique camera devices 12 are imaging means for recognizing the left and right front oblique and rear oblique traveling environments.

[0014] The forward camera device 11 is fixed at an upper position close to the windshield 2 in the front part of the vehicle interior of the vehicle 1. The forward camera device 11 herein is, for example, a stereo camera device including two cameras. The forward camera device 11 acquires stereo images of a forward area FI of the vehicle 1. Note that the forward camera device 11 is not limited to a stereo camera, and may be configured as a monocular camera.

[0015] In the vehicle camera unit of the present embodiment, the two front and rear oblique camera devices 12 are provided so as to protrude from front fenders 3 arranged on the left and right sides of a vehicle 1. That is, the two front and rear oblique camera devices 12 are arranged on the left and right front fenders 3 so as to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1. The two front and rear oblique camera devices 12 are also installed on the front fender 3 above the wheel house 6 in which the front wheel 4 is housed and arranged.

[0016] The front and rear oblique camera device 12 provided on the right front fender 3 acquires images of a right front oblique region FRI and a right rear oblique region RRI of the vehicle 1. The front and rear oblique camera device 12 provided on the left front fender 3 acquires images of a left front oblique region FLI and a left rear oblique region RLI of the vehicle 1.

[0017] Here, the configuration of the front and rear oblique camera device 12 will be described in detail below. In the following description, only the configuration of the front and rear oblique camera device 12 provided on the left front fender 3 is exemplified. Further, since the front and rear oblique camera device 12 provided on the right front fender 3 has a configuration symmetrical to that of the left front and rear oblique camera device 12, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0018] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the front and rear oblique camera device 12 includes a camera housing 13 serving as an exterior component, a front oblique camera 14, and a rear oblique camera 15. That is, the front and rear oblique camera device 12 is a camera assembly that is a one-unit component in which two cameras 14 and 15 are provided in the camera housing 13.

[0019] The front oblique camera 14 is arranged further rearward of the vehicle 1 than the rear oblique camera 15. That is, the rear oblique camera 15 is arranged on the front side of the vehicle 1, and the front oblique camera 14 is arranged on the rear side of the vehicle 1, and both are sequentially provided in the camera housing 13.

[0020] The camera housing 13 has a front side portion 21, a front top portion 22, a rear top portion 23, and a bottom portion 24. The camera housing 13 also has a side portion 25 on which the front oblique camera 14 is positioned, and a rear portion 26 on which the rear oblique camera 15 is positioned.

[0021] The forward oblique camera 14 is positioned on the side 25 of the camera housing 13 such that its lens 14a slightly faces diagonally forward of the vehicle 1. This forward oblique camera 14 has a predetermined field of view and captures the left forward oblique area FLI. The forward oblique camera 14 may also be mounted on the camera housing 13 so as to face laterally along the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1.

[0022] The rear oblique camera 15 is mounted on the rear surface 26 of the camera housing 13 with its lens 15a pointed diagonally rearward from the vehicle 1. This rear oblique camera 15 has a predetermined field of view and captures images of the left rear oblique region RLI.

[0023] Incidentally, the camera housing 13 has a canopy-shaped upper hood 31 with a rear upper surface portion 23 facing upward and a canopy-shaped lower hood 32 with a lower surface portion 24 facing downward. These upper hood 31 and lower hood 32 extend outward in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1. Therefore, the camera housing 13 has a recess 33 formed by the side surface 25, rear surface 26, upper hood 31 and lower hood 32.

[0024] The camera housing 13 is then positioned so that the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15 fit within the recess 33. Specifically, the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15 are positioned in the recess 33 of the camera housing 13 such that their upper parts are covered by the upper hood 31 and their lower parts are covered by the lower hood 32.

[0025] Specifically, the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15 are positioned between the upper hood 31 and the lower hood 32 in the vertical direction. The upper hood 31 and the lower hood 32 are formed to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction so as to cover the lens 14a of the front oblique camera 14 and the lens 15a of the rear oblique camera 15.

[0026] The front side portion 21, located on the side of the front of the camera housing 13, has a slope that inclines outward in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1 at a predetermined angle from the front to the rear of the vehicle 1.

[0027] The front upper surface portion 22, located above the front of the camera housing 13, has a slope that inclines upward towards the vehicle 1 at a predetermined angle from the front to the rear of the vehicle 1.

[0028] The rear upper surface portion 23, located above the middle to the rear of the camera housing 13, has a slope that inclines at a predetermined angle downwards toward the vehicle 1, from the front to the rear of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the slope of the rear upper surface portion 23 is inclined downward toward the outside in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1.

[0029] Specifically, the upper hood 31 has a rear upper surface portion 23 that slopes downward from the front to the rear of the vehicle 1 and outward in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1. The lower surface portion 24 of the camera housing 13 is a surface that is substantially parallel to the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle 1, from the front to the rear of the vehicle 1.

[0030] Incidentally, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the rear oblique camera 15 is positioned within the recess 33 of the camera housing 13 so as to be further outward in the vehicle width direction than the front oblique camera 14.

[0031] Specifically, the front oblique camera 14 is positioned such that the center (principal point) O1 of the lens 14a is located at a predetermined distance L1 away from the front fender 3 in the vehicle width direction. The rear oblique camera 15 is positioned such that the center (principal point) O2 of the lens 15a is located at a predetermined distance L2 away from the front fender 3 in the vehicle width direction.

[0032] In other words, the rear oblique camera 15 needs to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction from the surface of the front fender 3 in order to capture the area behind the vehicle on the opposite side (180°) relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 within its field of view. On the other hand, the front oblique camera 14 does not need to capture the area in front of the vehicle in the direction of travel (0°) within its field of view because of the presence of the front camera device 11, and therefore does not need to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction from the vehicle 1.

[0033] Incidentally, the front and rear oblique camera device 12 is fitted to the front fender 3 using a snap-fit ​​mechanism. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the front and rear oblique camera device 12 has a connector portion 16 that is attached to the camera housing 13. This connector portion 16 has terminals such as a coupler, a rigid claw 17 and a flexible claw 18.

[0034] First, the terminals of the connector portion 16 of the front and rear oblique camera device 12 are connected to terminals of the vehicle 1 (not shown), such as the power cable and imaging cable. Then, the connector portion 16 side of the front and rear oblique camera device 12 is inserted into the hole 8 formed in the front fender 3.

[0035] At this time, the front and rear oblique camera device 12 is tilted so that the rigid claws 17 of the connector portion 16 catch on the inner wall of the edge forming the hole portion 8 of the front fender 3, and is inserted into the hole portion 8 from the connector portion 16 side.

[0036] Then, when the front and rear oblique camera device 12 is pushed towards the front fender 3, the flexible claw 18 deforms as it passes through the hole 8 and bends towards the connector portion 16. The deformed flexible claw 18 passes through the hole 8 and fully enters the front fender 3, returning to its original state.

[0037] Then, the end of the flexible claw 18 comes into contact with the inner surface of the front fender 3, and the front and rear oblique camera device 12 is held and fixed to the front fender 3. In this way, the front and rear oblique camera device 12 is mounted on the front fender 3. The front and rear oblique camera device 12 is provided with a waterproof seal (not shown) or the like to maintain a watertight seal when mounted on the front fender 3.

[0038] The front and rear oblique camera system 12 described above consists of a front oblique camera 14 and a rear oblique camera 15 arranged as a single camera unit in a camera housing 13 and mounted on the front fender 3. The rear oblique camera 15 is positioned further forward than the front oblique camera 14 on the vehicle 1.

[0039] In this way, the front and rear oblique camera device 12 can reduce the number of man-hours on the assembly line of the vehicle 1 and the points of change to surrounding parts due to the addition of parts by integrating the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15 into a single camera unit.

[0040] The front and rear oblique camera system 12 is mounted on the camera housing 13 such that the rear oblique camera 15 is located further outward in the vehicle width direction than the front oblique camera 14. That is, the center (principal point) O2 of the lens 15a through which the optical axis of the field of view of the rear oblique camera 15, which faces diagonally behind the vehicle 1, passes is located further outward in the vehicle width direction than the center (principal point) O1 of the lens 14a through which the optical axis of the field of view of the front oblique camera 14 passes.

[0041] Therefore, the front and rear oblique camera system 12 reduces the occurrence of raindrops (water droplets), dust, and other contaminants (see arrow D in Figures 4, 6, and 7), which cause poor visibility coming from the front of the vehicle 1, adhering to the lens 14a of the front oblique camera 14 and the lens 15a of the rear oblique camera 15. In this way, the front and rear oblique camera system 12 suppresses the adhesion of raindrops, dust, and other contaminants, which cause poor visibility, to the lenses 14a and 15a of the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15 by the arrangement of the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15.

[0042] Furthermore, the front and rear oblique camera device 12 is provided with a front side section 21 at the front of the camera housing 13, which has a slope that inclines outward in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1. As a result, raindrops, dust, and other dirt (arrow D) coming from the front of the vehicle 1 flow outward in the vehicle width direction along the surface of the front side section 21 of the front oblique camera device 12. This reduces the occurrence of raindrops, dust, and other dirt adhering to the lenses 14a and 15a of the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15, which can cause poor visibility.

[0043] Furthermore, the front and rear oblique camera device 12 is provided with a front upper surface portion 22 on the front of the camera housing 13, which has a slope that inclines upwards toward the vehicle 1. As a result, raindrops, dust, and other contaminants (arrow D) that cause poor visibility coming from the front of the vehicle 1 flow upward along the surface of the front upper surface portion 22 of the front and rear oblique camera device 12. This reduces the occurrence of raindrops, dust, and other contaminants that cause poor visibility adhering to the lenses 14a and 15a of the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15.

[0044] Furthermore, the front and rear oblique camera device 12 is provided with an upper hood 31 that has a rear upper surface portion 23 which slopes downward from the middle to the rear of the camera housing 13 and also slopes downward in the vehicle width direction. As a result, raindrops, dust, and other dirt coming from above the vehicle 1 (see arrow RD in Figures 4 to 7) flow along the surface of the rear upper surface portion 23 of the upper hood 31 toward the rear and outward in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1.

[0045] Furthermore, by tilting the rear upper surface portion 23, which forms the upper surface of the visor-shaped upper hood 31 on the top of the camera housing 13, toward the rear and outward of the vehicle 1, rainwater that runs down from the top of the front fender 3 also flows toward the rear and outward of the vehicle 1. As a result, the accumulation of dirt on the lenses 14a and 15a of the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15, which can cause poor visibility, is reduced.

[0046] Furthermore, the front and rear oblique camera device 12 is provided with a lower hood 32 having a lower surface portion 24 at the bottom of the camera housing 13. As a result, the front and rear oblique camera device 12 is shielded from rainwater, mud, and other dirt coming from below due to splashing and kicking up by the front wheels 4 of the vehicle 1 (see arrow SP in Figures 4 to 7) by the lower surface portion 24 of the lower hood 32. This reduces the likelihood of dirt adhering to the lenses 14a and 15a of the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15, which can cause poor visibility.

[0047] In this way, the front and rear oblique camera system 12 prevents dirt such as raindrops, dust, rainwater, and mud, which can cause poor visibility due to being kicked up and scattered by the front and top of the vehicle 1 and the front wheels 4, from adhering to the lenses 14a and 15a of the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15, through the shape of the camera housing 13. In other words, the front and rear oblique camera system 12 reduces the intrusion of dirt such as raindrops, dust, rainwater, and mud into the lenses 14a and 15a of the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15 through the shape of the camera housing 13.

[0048] From the above explanation, the front and rear oblique camera system 12 is configured in such a way that dirt that causes poor visibility does not easily adhere to the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15. Therefore, the vehicle 1 has the advantage that the driver assistance functions are less likely to be interrupted due to poor visibility of the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15 provided in the front and rear oblique camera system 12.

[0049] Furthermore, the front and rear oblique camera system 12 can maintain good visibility for the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15 without the need for a conventional wiping mechanism or movable mechanism. In addition, because the front and rear oblique camera system 12 does not have a conventional wiping mechanism or movable mechanism, its structure is not complex, which suppresses an increase in man-hours on the production line of the vehicle 1 and also reduces the manufacturing cost of the vehicle 1.

[0050] Therefore, the front and rear oblique camera device 12, which is a vehicle camera unit in this embodiment, is configured to suppress the adhesion of dirt such as raindrops to the camera without providing a conventional wiping mechanism, movable mechanism, etc., thereby extending the operating time of the driving assistance function and reducing the manufacturing cost of the vehicle 1. The front and rear oblique camera device 12 of the vehicle 1 may be configured in which either an upper hood 31 or a lower hood 32 is formed on the housing 13. That is, the front oblique camera 14 and the rear oblique camera 15 may be configured in which either the upper or lower part is covered by the upper hood 31 or the lower hood 32.

[0051] The inventions described in the above embodiments are not limited to those forms, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the invention. Furthermore, each of the above embodiments includes inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriate combinations of the multiple constituent elements disclosed.

[0052] For example, if the problem described can be solved and the effects described can be obtained even if some of the constituent elements shown in each form are removed, then the configuration with the removed constituent elements can be extracted as an invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1. Vehicle 2. Windshield 3. Front fender 4. Front wheel 6. Wheelhouse 8...hole 11. Front camera device 12. Front and rear oblique camera system 13. Camera housing 14. Front oblique camera 14a, 15a... lenses 15. Rear oblique camera 16. Connector section 17. Rigid claws 18. Flexible nail 21···Front Side Section 22··· Upper front face 23··· Upper back face 24··· Lower part 25··· Side View 26...after 31···Upper part 32···Lower part 33···Concave part FI... Frontier Area FLI···Left Anterior Oblique Area FRI···Right Anterior Oblique Area RLI···Left rear diagonal area RRI···Right rear diagonal area L1, L2... distance O1, O2... Center

Claims

1. A camera housing mounted on the side of the vehicle and protruding outward from the outer surface of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction, The camera housing is provided at the front end, which is the front end of the vehicle, and has a front side portion that slopes outward toward the rear of the vehicle, The camera housing is provided above the front side portion of the front end, and has a front upper portion that slopes upward toward the rear, A rear surface provided on the rear of the front side portion of the camera housing, which is inclined inward in the vehicle width direction toward the rear of the vehicle, The rear surface of the camera housing is provided at the rear, connected to the rear surface, and has a side surface that runs along the outer surface, An upper hood provided on the camera housing, which is located above the rear surface and the side surface, protrudes outward from the side surface, and has a lower surface that connects to the rear surface and the side surface, A lower hood is provided on the camera housing, below the rear surface and the side surface, protruding outward from the side surface and having an upper surface that connects to the rear surface and the side surface, Within the recess of the camera housing, enclosed by the rear surface, the side surface, the lower surface of the upper hood, and the upper surface of the lower hood, a forward-angled camera is positioned on the side surface, Within the recess of the camera housing, a rear oblique camera is positioned on the rear surface and is positioned in front of and to the outside of the front oblique camera, A vehicle camera unit equipped with the following features.

2. The vehicle camera unit according to Claim 1, characterized in that the rear end of the front side portion is located laterally than the rear oblique camera.

3. The vehicle camera unit according to Claim 2, characterized in that the upper surface of the upper hood has a slope that inclines downward toward the rear and outward from a position in front of the principal point of the lens of the rear oblique camera to a position behind the principal point of the lens of the front oblique camera.

4. The vehicle camera unit according to claim 3, characterized in that the slope of the upper surface of the upper hood is connected to the front upper surface portion at the front end.

5. The vehicle camera unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the camera housing is attached to the front fender of the vehicle by a snap-fit ​​mechanism.

6. The principal point of the lens of the front oblique camera and the principal point of the lens of the rear oblique camera are located outside the outer surface, The vehicle camera unit according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the distance in the vehicle width direction between the principal point of the lens of the rear oblique camera and the outer surface is longer than the distance in the vehicle width direction between the principal point of the lens of the front oblique camera and the outer surface.

Images