Optical device for vehicle

Abstract

[Problem] To make it possible to control the cross-sectional shape of a conductive member that connects a heater and a terminal for supplying power to the heater and can be deformed when connected to the heater. [Solution] This optical device for a vehicle is provided with: an optical element; a bracket to which a terminal comprising a conductive material and the optical element are secured; a heater which is provided in the optical element, comprises a light transmissive material, and generates heat when power is supplied thereto; a conductive member for power supply which is connected to the terminal and the heater and can be deformed when connected to the heater; and a spacer which is provided on one of the bracket and the optical element, and can restrict the deformation of the conductive member when having come into contact with the other of the bracket and the optical element.

Description

Vehicle optical equipment

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an optical device for a vehicle.

[0002] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-32067 discloses a heating element in which a conductive thin film formed on the surface of a transparent substrate is connected to a pair of electrodes via a conductive adhesive. When power is supplied from the pair of electrodes to the conductive thin film via the conductive adhesive, the conductive thin film generates heat.

[0003] In this heating element, it is difficult to control the cross-sectional shape (width and thickness) of the conductive adhesive when it hardens. The electrical resistance of the conductive adhesive varies depending on the cross-sectional shape of the conductive adhesive. Therefore, if the cross-sectional shape of the conductive adhesive cannot be controlled, it is difficult to achieve the desired heat generation amount per unit time of the conductive thin film.

[0004] In consideration of the above, the present disclosure aims to provide an optical device for a vehicle that connects a heater to a terminal that supplies power to the heater and that can control the cross-sectional shape of a deformable conductive member when connected to the heater.

[0005] The vehicle optical device of the first aspect of the present disclosure comprises an optical element, a terminal made of a conductive material and a bracket to which the optical element is fixed, a heater made of a translucent material provided on the optical element and which generates heat when power is supplied, a conductive member for power supply that is connected to the terminal and the heater and is deformable when connected to the heater, and a spacer that is provided on one of the bracket and the optical element and is capable of restricting deformation of the conductive member when it comes into contact with the other of the bracket and the optical element.

[0006] A second aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle optical device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the optical element includes a lens supported by the bracket and positioned between a pair of the conductive members, and the spacer includes a first spacer positioned between the conductive members and the lens.

[0007] A vehicle optical device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the vehicle optical device according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the first spacer is an annular body.

[0008] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle optical device in which, in the vehicle optical device of any one of the first to third aspects of the present disclosure, the optical element includes a lens supported by the bracket and a cover glass supported by the bracket and positioned just before the lens, the space between the outer periphery of the cover glass and the bracket is sealed in a watertight manner by an annular sealing member, and the spacer includes a second spacer positioned between the conductive member and the sealing member.

[0009] In this specification, when a heater is provided on the outer periphery of the camera-side surface of the cover glass, the outer periphery of the cover glass, the outer periphery of the heater, and the outer periphery of the camera-side surface of the heater correspond to the "outer periphery of the cover glass." Also, in this specification, when a heater is not provided on the outer periphery of the camera-side surface of the cover glass, the outer periphery of the cover glass and the outer periphery of the camera-side surface of the cover glass correspond to the "outer periphery of the cover glass."

[0010] A vehicle optical device according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the vehicle optical device according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the second spacer is an annular body.

[0011] The vehicle optical device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a spacer provided on one of the bracket and the optical element, the spacer being capable of restricting deformation of the conductive member when the spacer comes into contact with the other of the bracket and the optical element, and therefore, when the conductive member connected to the heater and the terminal that supplies power to the heater is connected to the heater, the cross-sectional shape of the deformable conductive member can be controlled by the spacer.

[0012] In the vehicle optical device according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, the first spacer can prevent the conductive member from being deformed so as to come into contact with the lens.

[0013] In the vehicle optical device according to the third aspect of the present disclosure, the first spacer is an annular body located between the conductive member and the lens, and therefore prevents the conductive member from contacting the lens.

[0014] In the vehicle optical device of the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the gap between the outer periphery of the cover glass and the bracket is sealed in a watertight manner by an annular sealing member. Therefore, the vehicle optical device of the fourth aspect can reduce the risk of moisture such as rain passing through the gap between the bracket and the cover glass and contacting the conductive member. Furthermore, because the second spacer is located between the conductive member and the sealing member, the second spacer can prevent the conductive member from deforming and coming into contact with the sealing member.

[0015] In the vehicle optical device according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the second spacer is an annular body located between the conductive member and the sealing member, and therefore the second spacer prevents the conductive member from contacting the sealing member.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle camera device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle camera device. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the 3-3 arrow line of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 when the cover glass is attached to the bracket. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the 5-5 arrow line of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a front view of a vehicle camera device. FIG. 7 is a front view of a vehicle camera device according to a first modified example of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a front view of a vehicle camera device according to a second modified example of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a front view of a vehicle camera device according to a third modified example of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a front view of a vehicle camera device according to a fourth modified example of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a front view of a vehicle camera device according to a fifth modified example of the present disclosure.

[0017] A vehicle camera device (vehicle optical device) 10 (hereinafter referred to as camera device 10) according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. The camera device 10 according to this embodiment is installed in a vehicle. For example, the camera device 10 can be used as a component of a digital mirror for a vehicle. The camera device 10 can also be used as a device for capturing images of the interior or exterior of a vehicle. Note that, as shown in each figure, an arrow FR indicates the forward direction, an arrow UP indicates the upward direction, and an arrow LH indicates the leftward direction.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the camera device 10 includes a camera 15 and a cover glass unit 30 .

[0019] The camera 15 includes a first unit 16 and a second unit 20 .

[0020] The first unit 16 includes a support plate 18 and an imaging element 19 fixed to the front surface of the support plate 18 .

[0021] The second unit 20 has a bracket 21 , a first lens (lens) 25 , a second lens 26 , a third lens 27 and a fourth lens 28 .

[0022] The bracket 21, which is an integrally molded resin product, has a main body 22 and a lens holder 23. The main body 22 is generally rectangular parallelepiped in shape, and the rear surface of the main body 22 is open. The lens holder 23 penetrates the center of a front plate 22A of the main body 22 in the front-to-rear direction. In other words, the center of the lens holder 23 in the front-to-rear direction is supported by the front plate 22A. The lens holder 23 is a cylindrical member that is open on both the front and rear ends and is centered on a central axis 10X.

[0023] The first lens 25, the second lens 26, the third lens 27, and the fourth lens 28, which are made of a light-transmitting material, are rotationally symmetrical bodies centered on their own optical axes. The first lens 25, the second lens 26, the third lens 27, and the fourth lens 28 are inserted into the lens holder 23 in this order and fixed to the lens holder 23. When the first lens 25, the second lens 26, the third lens 27, and the fourth lens 28 are fixed to the lens holder 23, the optical axes of the first lens 25, the second lens 26, the third lens 27, and the fourth lens 28 coincide with the central axis 10X.

[0024] The cover glass unit 30 includes a bracket 32 ​​, an anode terminal (terminal) 48 , a cathode terminal (terminal) 55 , a cover glass 62 , a heater 66 , conductive adhesives (conductive members) 72 , 74 , and an adhesive (sealing member) 78 .

[0025] The bracket 32, which is made of an insulating resin material, is molded integrally with the anode terminal 48 and the cathode terminal 55. More specifically, the insulating resin material is injected into a molding die (not shown) with the anode terminal 48 and the cathode terminal 55 placed therein, and after the resin material has hardened, one side of the molding die is opened to obtain an integrally molded product of the bracket 32, the anode terminal 48, and the cathode terminal 55.

[0026] The bracket 32 ​​has a main body 33 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and a square-frame-shaped connector portion 34 provided on the left side surface of the main body 33. Furthermore, a cover storage recess (support hole) 36 having a substantially square front shape is provided on the front surface of the main body 33. A recess 38 having a substantially square front shape is provided on the rear surface of the main body 33. Furthermore, a through hole 40 is formed in the main body 33, connecting the cover storage recess 36 and the recess 38. The through hole 40 is a cylindrical hole, and the inner diameter of the through hole 40 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the lens holder 23.

[0027] The anode terminal 48 and the cathode terminal 55 are made of a conductive material. The anode terminal 48 and the cathode terminal 55 are manufactured, for example, by press-forming a metal plate. As shown in FIG. 2 , the anode terminal 48 includes a connection end portion 49, an intermediate portion 52, and a connection terminal 53 provided at the end of the intermediate portion 52 opposite the connection end portion 49. The cathode terminal 55 includes a connection end portion 56, an intermediate portion 59, and a connection terminal 60 provided at the end of the intermediate portion 59 opposite the connection end portion 56. As shown in FIG. 2 , the connection terminals 53 and 60 are exposed at the bottom surface 36A of the cover storage recess 36.

[0028] 1 and 3, most of the anode terminal 48 and the cathode terminal 55 are located inside the bracket 32. A connection end 49 of the anode terminal 48 and a portion of the connection end 56 of the cathode terminal 55 are located in the internal space of the connector portion 34.

[0029] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, a first spacer (spacer) 42 and a second spacer (spacer) 44, each rib-shaped and protruding forward, are provided on the bottom surface 36A of the cover housing recess 36. The first spacer 42 is a circular portion in a front view located between the connection terminals 53 and 60 and the through-hole 40. The second spacer 44 is a rectangular portion in a front view located between the connection terminals 53 and 60 and the inner peripheral surface 36B of the cover housing recess 36. The second spacer 44 is located on the inner peripheral side of the inner peripheral surface 36B. The front surfaces of the first spacer 42 and the second spacer 44 are located rearward of the front surface of the bracket 32 ​​and are flat surfaces perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction.

[0030] The support plate 18 is fixed to the rear end surface of the main body 22. Therefore, the image sensor 19 is located immediately behind the fourth lens 28, and is located on the optical axis (central axis 10X) of the first lens 25, the second lens 26, the third lens 27, and the fourth lens 28.

[0031] The transparent cover glass 62 has a substantially square front shape that is slightly smaller than the front shape of the cover storage recess 36. The front and rear surfaces of the cover glass 62 are flat surfaces that are perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction.

[0032] A heater 66, which is a film-like member, is fixed to the entire rear surface of the cover glass 62. The heater 66 is formed, for example, from indium tin oxide (ITO), a compound obtained by adding tin to indium oxide. The heater 66 is colorless and transparent, and is formed by vapor deposition on the entire rear surface of the cover glass 62. However, the method for forming the heater 66 on the rear surface of the cover glass 62 may be other methods such as electron beam evaporation, physical vapor deposition, or sputtering evaporation. The front shape of the heater 66 is substantially the same as that of the cover glass 62.

[0033] The integrated cover glass 62 and heater 66 is mounted in the cover housing recess 36 from the front of the bracket 32. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, liquid conductive adhesives (conductive members) 72, 74 are applied to the rear surface of the heater 66 integrated with the cover glass 62 before it is attached to the bracket 32. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, a non-conductive liquid adhesive (sealing member) 78 is applied to the entire outer periphery of the rear surface of the heater 66.

[0034] When the integrated assembly of the cover glass 62, heater 66, conductive adhesives 72, 74, and adhesive 78 is inserted into the cover accommodating recess 36 from the front of the bracket 32, the rear surface of the heater 66 comes into contact with the front surfaces of the first spacer 42 and second spacer 44, as shown in FIG. 3 . Furthermore, the adhesive 78 comes into contact with the outer periphery of the bottom surface 36A of the cover accommodating recess 36 and the rear portion of the inner periphery 36B of the cover accommodating recess 36 in the annular space between the second spacer 44 and the inner periphery 36B. Furthermore, in the annular space between the first spacer 42 and the second spacer 44, the conductive adhesive 72 comes into contact with the connection terminal 53, and the conductive adhesive 74 comes into contact with the connection terminal 60. When the conductive adhesives 72, 74, and adhesive 78 solidify, the integrated assembly of the cover glass 62 and heater 66 is fixed to the bracket 32 ​​by the conductive adhesives 72, 74, and adhesive 78. At this time, the conductive adhesives 72 and 74 move away from the adhesive 78 toward the inner periphery, as shown in FIG. 3 . Furthermore, adhesive 78 provides a watertight seal between the entire rear portion of the inner circumferential surface 36B of the cover housing recess 36 and the entire outer circumferential portion of the rear surface of the heater 66. Furthermore, the front end of the first lens 25 is located immediately behind the center of the rear surface of the heater 66.

[0035] A connector (not shown) provided at one end of an electric cable (not shown) is mechanically connected to the connector portion 34. This allows power from an on-board battery (not shown) to which the other end of the electric cable is electrically connected to be supplied to the heater 66 via the electric cable, the anode terminal 48, the cathode terminal 55, and the conductive adhesives 72 and 74. When power from the on-board battery is supplied to the heater 66, the heater 66 generates heat.

[0036] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0037] When the imaging light beam that is reflected by an object (subject) located in front of the camera device 10 and passes through the cover glass 62, the light-transmitting heater 66, the first lens 25, the second lens 26, the third lens 27, and the fourth lens 28 is received by the imaging element 19, the imaging element 19 images (photographs) the object. Therefore, for example, when the camera device 10 is used as an exterior camera device for photographing an object located in front of a vehicle, the image generated by the camera device 10 (imaging element 19) is displayed on a display (not shown) provided inside the vehicle.

[0038] Furthermore, when power from the vehicle battery is supplied to the heater 66, the heater 66 generates heat due to its own electrical resistance. When the temperature of the heater 66 rises due to the heat generated by the heater 66, the heat from the heater 66 is transferred to the cover glass 62, causing the temperature of the cover glass 62 to rise. When the temperature of the cover glass 62 rises in this way, water droplets and frost adhering to the cover glass 62 evaporate, and the cover glass 62 is cleared of fogging. This allows the camera device 10 to capture clearer images than when the heater 66 is not generating heat.

[0039] When the cover crystal 62 of the camera device 10 is attached to the bracket 32 ​​(cover storage recess 36), the rear surface of the heater 66 comes into contact with the front surfaces of the first spacer 42 and the second spacer 44. Furthermore, in the annular space between the first spacer 42 and the second spacer 44, the conductive adhesive 72 comes into contact with the connection terminal 53, and the conductive adhesive 74 comes into contact with the connection terminal 60. Thus, the annular first spacer 42 is positioned between the conductive adhesives 72 and 74 and the first lens 25. Therefore, the first spacer 42 prevents the conductive adhesives 72 and 74 from contacting the first lens 25. Furthermore, in the annular space between the second spacer 44 and the inner peripheral surface 36B, the adhesive 78 comes into contact with the outer periphery of the bottom surface 36A of the cover storage recess 36 and the rear portion of the inner peripheral surface 36B of the cover storage recess 36. Thus, the annular second spacer 44 is positioned between the conductive adhesives 72 and 74. Therefore, the second spacer 44 prevents the conductive adhesive 72 and the conductive adhesive 74 from mixing with each other.

[0040] Furthermore, the first spacer 42 is positioned on the inner periphery of the conductive adhesives 72, 74, and the second spacer 44 is positioned on the outer periphery of the conductive adhesives 72, 74. That is, the first spacer 42 prevents the conductive adhesives 72, 74 from freely deforming inward before solidifying, and the second spacer 44 prevents the conductive adhesives 72, 74 from freely deforming outward before solidifying. Therefore, the first spacer 42 and the second spacer 44 can control the cross-sectional shape of the conductive adhesives 72, 74 when solidified. That is, the first spacer 42 and the second spacer 44 can control the cross-sectional shape of the conductive adhesives 72, 74 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The electrical resistance of the conductive adhesives 72, 74 varies depending on the cross-sectional shape of the conductive adhesives 72, 74. Therefore, if the cross-sectional shape of the conductive adhesives 72, 74 cannot be controlled, it is difficult to achieve the desired heat generation amount per unit time of the heater 66. In contrast to this, in this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the conductive adhesives 72, 74 when solidified can be controlled by the first spacer 42 and the second spacer 44, so it is easier to set the heat generation amount per unit time of the heater 66 to the desired value compared to when the first spacer 42 and the second spacer 44 are not provided.

[0041] Furthermore, the camera device 10 has adhesive 78 that provides a watertight seal between the outer periphery of the rear surface of the heater 66 and the inner periphery 36B of the cover housing recess 36 of the bracket 32. Therefore, the camera device 10 can reduce the risk of moisture such as rain passing through the gap between the bracket 32 ​​and the cover glass 62 and coming into contact with the anode terminal 48 and the cathode terminal 55.

[0042] Furthermore, in the camera device 10, the conductive adhesives 72, 74 used to secure the cover crystal 62 and heater 66 to the bracket 32 ​​can be used to supply power from the vehicle battery to the heater 66. That is, the conductive adhesives 72, 74 serve both as a conductive means for supplying power from the vehicle battery to the heater 66 and as a fixing means for fixing the cover crystal 62 and heater 66 to the bracket 32. Therefore, the cover crystal 62 and heater 66 can be fixed more firmly to the bracket 32 ​​than when the conductive adhesives 72, 74 do not function as fixing means.

[0043] The camera device 10 according to the embodiment has been described above, but the design of the camera device 10 can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure.

[0044] For example, the present disclosure may be implemented in the form of a first modified example shown in FIG. 7 . The bottom surface 36A of the bracket 32 ​​of the camera device 10A of the first modified example does not include the first spacer 42 and the second spacer 44. Instead, a pair of left and right spacers 80 and 81 are provided on the bottom surface 36A. The spacers 80 and 81 are annular bodies having a substantially rectangular front shape and protrude forward from the bottom surface 36A. The front surfaces of the spacers 80 and 81 are located rearward of the front surface of the bracket 32 ​​and are flat surfaces perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction. When the cover crystal 62 of the camera device 10A is attached to the bracket 32 ​​(cover storage recess 36), the rear surface of the heater 66 (not shown in FIG. 7 ) provided on the rear surface of the cover crystal 62 contacts the front surfaces of the spacers 80 and 81. Furthermore, the conductive adhesive 72 contacts the connection terminal 53 in the inner space of the spacer 80, and the conductive adhesive 74 contacts the connection terminal 60 in the inner space of the spacer 81. In this way, the spacers 80 and 81, which are annular bodies, are positioned around the conductive adhesives 72 and 74. Therefore, the spacers 80 and 81 prevent the conductive adhesives 72 and 74 before they solidify from contacting the first lens 25 and the adhesive 78. Furthermore, the spacers 80 and 81 make it possible to control the cross-sectional shape of the conductive adhesives 72 and 74 when they solidify.

[0045] The present disclosure may be embodied in a second modified embodiment shown in FIG. 8 . The bottom surface 36A of the bracket 32 ​​of the camera device 10B of the second modified embodiment is provided with a first spacer 42, but not with a second spacer 44. Furthermore, a pair of left and right spacers 83, 84 are provided on the bottom surface 36A. The spacers 83, 84 have a generally U-shaped front view and protrude forward from the bottom surface 36A. Specifically, the spacer 83 includes a first component 83A located between the left edge of the conductive adhesive 72 and the left side of the adhesive 78 and extending in the vertical direction, and a pair of second component parts 83B extending to the right from both the top and bottom ends of the first component part 83A. Similarly, the spacer 84 includes a first component part 84A located between the right edge of the conductive adhesive 74 and the right side of the adhesive 78 and extending in the vertical direction, and a pair of second component parts 84B extending to the left from both the top and bottom ends of the first component part 84A. The front surfaces of the spacers 83 and 84 are located rearward of the front surface of the bracket 32 ​​and are planes perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction. When the cover crystal 62 of the camera device 10B is attached to the bracket 32 ​​(cover storage recess 36), the rear surface of the heater 66 (not shown in FIG. 8 ) provided on the rear surface of the cover crystal 62 comes into contact with the front surfaces of the spacers 83 and 84. Furthermore, the conductive adhesive 72 comes into contact with the connection terminal 53 (not shown in FIG. 7 ) in the inner space of the spacer 83, and the conductive adhesive 74 comes into contact with the connection terminal 60 in the inner space of the spacer 84. The conductive adhesives 72 and 74 before solidification are prevented from contacting the first lens 25 by the first spacer 42 located on the outer periphery of the first lens 25. Furthermore, the spacer 83 prevents the conductive adhesive 72 before solidification from contacting the left side, upper, and lower parts of the adhesive 78, and the spacer 84 prevents the conductive adhesive 74 before solidification from contacting the right side, upper, and lower parts of the adhesive 78. Furthermore, the spacers 83 and 84 can control the cross-sectional shape of the conductive adhesives 72 and 74 when they are solidified.

[0046] The present disclosure may be embodied in a third modified example shown in FIG. 9 . The bottom surface 36A of the bracket 32 ​​of the camera device 10C of the third modified example does not include the first spacer 42 and the second spacer 44. Instead, a pair of left and right spacers 85, 86 is provided on the bottom surface 36A. The spacers 85, 86 have a generally U-shaped front view and protrude forward from the bottom surface 36A. Specifically, the spacer 85 includes a first component 85A located between the right edge of the conductive adhesive 72 and the first lens 25 and extending in the vertical direction, and a pair of second component parts 85B extending leftward from both upper and lower ends of the first component part 85A. Similarly, the spacer 86 includes a first component part 86A located between the left edge of the conductive adhesive 74 and the first lens 25 and extending in the vertical direction, and a pair of second component parts 86B extending rightward from both upper and lower ends of the first component part 86A. The front surfaces of the spacers 85 and 86 are located rearward of the front surface of the bracket 32 ​​and are flat surfaces perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction. When the cover crystal 62 of the camera device 10C is attached to the bracket 32 ​​(cover storage recess 36), the rear surface of the heater 66 (not shown in FIG. 9 ) provided on the rear surface of the cover crystal 62 contacts the front surfaces of the spacers 85 and 86. Furthermore, the conductive adhesive 72 contacts the connection terminal 53 in the space inside the spacer 85, and the conductive adhesive 74 contacts the connection terminal 60 in the space inside the spacer 86. In the third modification, the spacers 85 and 86 prevent the conductive adhesives 72 and 74 from contacting the first lens 25 before solidification. Furthermore, the spacers 85 and 86 can control the cross-sectional shape of the conductive adhesives 72 and 74 when solidified.

[0047] The present disclosure may be embodied in a fourth modified embodiment shown in FIG. 10 . A first spacer (spacer) 88 and a second spacer (spacer) 89 are provided on the bottom surface 36A of the bracket 32 ​​of the camera device 10D of the fourth modified embodiment, protruding forward from the bottom surface 36A. The first spacer 88 is positioned at the same position as the first spacer 42 on the bottom surface 36A, and the front shape of the first spacer 88 is substantially the same as the first spacer 42. The second spacer 89 is positioned at the same position as the second spacer 44 on the bottom surface 36A, and the front shape of the second spacer 89 is substantially the same as the second spacer 44. However, the first spacer 88 and the second spacer 89 are discontinuous annular bodies. That is, the first spacer 88 has a plurality of slits 88A, and the second spacer 89 has a plurality of slits 89A. However, the circumferential distance of the slits 88A in the first spacer 88 is short, and the circumferential distance of the slits 89A in the second spacer 89 is short. Therefore, there is little risk that the conductive adhesives 72, 74 before solidification will pass through the slit 88A and reach the first lens 25. Similarly, there is little risk that the conductive adhesives 72, 74 before solidification will pass through the slit 89A and reach the adhesive 78. Furthermore, the first spacer 88 and the second spacer 89 can control the cross-sectional shape of the conductive adhesives 72, 74 when solidified.

[0048] The present disclosure may be embodied in a fifth modified example shown in FIG. 11 . The bottom surface 36A of the bracket 32 ​​of the camera device 10E of the fifth modified example does not include a first spacer 42 or a second spacer 44. Instead, the bottom surface 36A includes multiple spacers 90 located on the outer periphery of the through-hole 40 (first lens 25). While four spacers 90 are depicted in FIG. 11 , any number of spacers 90 may be provided. The front surfaces of the spacers 90 are located rearward of the front surface of the bracket 32 ​​and are planes perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, in the camera device 10E, the conductive adhesives 72 and 74 are less likely to come into contact with the first lens 25 and adhesive 78 before solidification, compared to when no spacers are provided on the bottom surface 36A. Furthermore, the spacers 90 enable control of the cross-sectional shape of the conductive adhesives 72 and 74 upon solidification. In the fifth modified example, a spacer (e.g., a second spacer 44) located on the outer periphery of the conductive adhesives 72 and 74 may be provided on the bottom surface 36A of the bracket 32.

[0049] In the above embodiment and each modified example, a spacer that contacts the bottom surface 36A when the cover crystal 62 is attached to the bracket 32 ​​(cover storage recess 36) may be provided on the rear surface of the cover crystal 62. In this case, the spacer may or may not be provided on the bottom surface 36A. Furthermore, the spacer provided on the cover crystal 62 may have a shape corresponding to each spacer in the above embodiment and each modified example, for example.

[0050] A heater 66 may be provided on the front surface of the first lens 25 , and the conductive adhesive applied to the bottom surface 36A may be in contact with the rear surface of the heater 66 .

[0051] When the cover glass 62 is attached to the bracket 32 ​​(cover storage recess 36), the conductive adhesives (conductive members) 72, 74 may come into contact with the spacers. In this case, the cross-sectional shapes of the conductive adhesives 72, 74 when solidified can be controlled with higher precision.

[0052] The camera device may include a deformable conductive member instead of a conductive adhesive. For example, a conductive member made of an elastic material corresponding to the conductive adhesive 72 and a conductive member made of an elastic material corresponding to the conductive adhesive 74 may be provided between the bottom surface 36A and the heater 66. In this case, when the cover crystal 62 is attached to the bracket 32 ​​(cover storage recess 36), these conductive members are sandwiched between the bottom surface 36A (connection terminals 53, 60) and the heater 66, causing elastic deformation. In this case, the cross-sectional shape of the conductive members when the camera device is completed can also be controlled by using spacers.

[0053] The spacers in the above-described embodiment and modified examples may be block-shaped rather than rib-shaped.

[0054] The adhesive 78 in the above embodiment and each modified example may contact the outer peripheral surfaces of the heater 66 and the cover glass 62 and the inner peripheral surface 36B of the cover housing recess 36. When the adhesive 78 is provided in the cover housing recess 36 in this manner, the adhesive 78 fills an annular gap formed between the outer peripheral surfaces of the cover glass 62 and the heater 66 and the inner peripheral surface 36B, which are used to assemble the cover glass 62 and the heater 66 to the cover housing recess 36. Therefore, after the adhesive 78 hardens, the cover glass 62 is prevented from moving in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction relative to the cover housing recess 36.

[0055] Furthermore, the adhesive 78 in the above embodiment and each modified example does not need to come into contact with the inner circumferential surface 36B.

[0056] In addition, in the above embodiment and each modified example, a ring-shaped gasket made of an elastic material may be provided in place of adhesive 78 in the ring-shaped gap formed between the outer surfaces of the cover glass 62 and heater 66 and the inner surface 36B.

[0057] The present disclosure may be applied to vehicle optical devices other than vehicle camera devices. Such vehicle optical devices include, for example, sensors equipped with optical elements and projection devices equipped with optical elements. The sensors include, for example, radar sensors. The projection devices include, for example, projection devices that form letters or images on the floor surface inside the vehicle.

[0058] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-142451, filed on September 1, 2023, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All documents, patent applications, and technical standards mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

[0059] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E... Vehicle camera device (vehicle optical device), 15... Camera, 25... First lens (lens) (optical element), 32... Bracket, 42... First spacer (spacer), 44... Second spacer (spacer), 48... Anode terminal (terminal), 55... Cathode terminal (terminal), 62... Cover glass (optical element), 66... ​​Heater, 72, 74... Conductive adhesive (conductive member), 78... Adhesive (sealing member), 80, 81... Spacer, 83, 84... Spacer, 85, 86... Spacer, 88... First spacer (spacer), 89... Second spacer (spacer), 90... Spacer

Claims

1. An optical device for a vehicle comprising: an optical element; a terminal made of a conductive material and a bracket to which the optical element is fixed; a heater made of a light-transmitting material and provided on the optical element, which generates heat when power is supplied; a conductive member for power supply connected to the terminal and the heater and deformable when connected to the heater; and a spacer provided on one of the bracket and the optical element and capable of restricting deformation of the conductive member when it comes into contact with the other of the bracket and the optical element.

2. The vehicle optical device according to claim 1, wherein the optical element includes a lens supported by the bracket and positioned between a pair of the conductive members, and the spacer includes a first spacer positioned between the conductive members and the lens.

3. An optical device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said first spacer is an annular body.

4. A vehicle optical device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the optical element includes a lens supported by the bracket and a cover glass supported by the bracket and positioned just in front of the lens, the space between the outer periphery of the cover glass and the bracket is sealed in a watertight manner by an annular sealing member, and the spacer includes a second spacer positioned between the conductive member and the sealing member.

5. An optical device for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein said second spacer is an annular body.

6. The vehicle optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the spacer is annular, and the conductive member is located in an inner peripheral space of the spacer.

7. An optical device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the spacer is rib-shaped.

8. The vehicle optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the conductive member is an adhesive.

9. An optical device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the conductive member is made of an elastic material.

10. An optical device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the spacer is provided on the bracket.

Images