Plastic support for attaching a vehicle camera

Abstract

A support (1) is described, comprising a quadrangular shaped body (10) having a frontal projection (11), said support (1) comprising two pairs of couplings (18; 20, 21), each coupling pair being symmetrically arranged in relation to the perpendicular bisector of the support (1) and each said pair defining an upper coupling and a lower coupling. Each of the pairs of symmetrically opposed couplings of the upper coupling and the lower coupling comprises an elastically deformable structure capable of elastically counterposing the support (1) in relation to the housing (3) of the camera (2), without the inclusion of additional metal elements. The support (1) is preferably composed of Polyamide 66 having a fiberglass filler or a similar fiber.

Description

Plastic support for attaching a vehicle camera

[0001] The present invention relates to a plastic support for attaching a vehicle camera. More particularly, the invention relates to a single piece plastic support, provided with self-adjustable fastening clips with elastic effect action.State of Art

[0002] The use of cameras in vehicles has been constantly increasing. Although they were initially planned for the rear of a vehicle, as a means of assisting parking maneuvers, cameras are currently taking on new functions and being multiplied to various positions in the vehicle. Front cameras have become active means in systems for detecting the proximity of the vehicle traveling ahead on a road, eventually automatically activating the brake or alerting the driver to a dangerous approaching vehicle ahead. The cameras also help assisted driving systems, in which the vehicle identifies deviations from the lane and alerts the driver. Finally, the set of cameras allows the implementation of modern autonomous driving systems, identifying the trajectory and any obstacles to be overcome or avoided by the vehicle during autonomous driving.

[0003] In order for these cameras to operate efficiently, it is imperative that they are installed on their respective supports in a steady, secure manner and with low transmission of vehicle vibrations. Furthermore, the installation of the cameras on a vehicle assembly line must be simple, quick and ergonomically adjusted, in order to satisfy the specific requirements of the assemblers workers in the sector. Finally, the cameras and their respective supports must also satisfy the basic criteria of low production cost and low weight, so as not to impact, or impact as little as possible, on the vehicle's fuel consumption and pollutant emissions.

[0004] A solution currently used by vehicle assemblers combines reciprocal fixing elements between the camera housing and a support fixed to the vehicle, said fixing elements incorporating thin metal blades which act as laminar springs. Although the use of laminar springs results in an effective and damped relative fixation, their assemblybecomes more complex, reduces ergonomics for installers on the assembly line, and increases the cost of the final product due to the greater number of parts and diversity of materials.

[0005] Document EP 3787932 Bl describes a support for fixing a front camera in order to keep the camera in a raised position (close to the vehicle roof) behind the front windshield. This support is capable of receiving two fixing fins (ref: 22) of the camera in their respective seats (ref: 124) and two tenons (ref: 21) associated with specific clips (ref: 121).

[0006] Thus, there remains a need for a support for a vehicle camera, particularly a front camera, capable of fixing and supporting the camera, dampening quickly and ergonomically the transmission of vibrations, even considering a heavier camera.Summary of the Invention

[0007] The invention comprises a plastic support for attaching a vehicle camera, wherein the support comprises a quadrangular shaped body having a front projection, said support comprising two coupling pairs, each coupling pair being symmetrically arranged in relation to the perpendicular bisector of the support, each said pair defining an upper coupling and a lower coupling, and each of the symmetrically opposed coupling pairs of the upper and lower couplings comprising an elastically deformable structure capable of elastically counterposing the support in relation to the camera housing, wherein the support is composed of a malleable plastic material.

[0008] In one embodiment, the support is composed of Polyamide 66 having a fiberglass filler, or a similar fiber, preferably Polyamide 66 having 30% by weight of fiberglass.

[0009] In one embodiment of the support, said upper coupling comprises a gripper opposed to an elastically deformable tower, and each of said opposing gripper / tower sets is able to receive and maintain in position, in a self-adjustable manner, a tenon of the camera housing. More specifically, the gripper comprises an internal face defining a vertex, and ribs parallel to each other and transverse in relation to said front face. Inaddition, the gripper comprises three ribs, each rib comprising a projecting end defining a rounded top and defining a surface inclined towards the tower.

[0010] In one embodiment of the support, the tower is a monoblock structure and comprises a proximal sector, a distal sector and an end, wherein the region between the proximal and distal sectors defines an internal angle, and the end extends in a direction opposite to the direction of development of the distal sector.[Oil] In one embodiment, the support comprises a mouthpiece provided with convergent boundary walls in the region between the gripper and the tower, said mouthpiece being defined by the tower end and the inclined surface of each of the gripper's ribs.

[0012] Furthermore, the lower coupling comprises a window whose perimeter is defined by an edge, wherein from an opposite edge, opposite to the front projection of the body, a tab having a curvature projects into the open area of the edge window. A central window is capable of allowing the camera lens to project beyond the external face of the body. Moreover, the front region of the body presents a divergent and stepped geometry.Brief Description of the Figures

[0013] The object of the present invention may be better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, made with the help of the attached figures, just for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, in which:- Figure 1 is an elevation view of the internal face of a support for a camera, having an enlarged detail illustrating a section at 90° of the upper coupling of the support;- Figure 2 is a perspective view of the upper coupling of Figure 1;- Figure 3 is an elevation view of the external face of the support for a camera, having an enlarged detail illustrating a section at 90° of the lower coupling of the support;- Figure 4 is a perspective view of the lower coupling of Figure 3; and- Figures 5A-5E are sequential schematic diagrams of steps for inserting the camera housing tenon into the upper coupling of the support of the invention.Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

[0014] In accordance with the attached figures, the numeral 1 indicates as a whole a support capable of receiving a camera 2 partially accommodated in a housing 3, said camera having its lens fully or partially exposed and its reception and processing circuits enclosed within the housing 3. Said housing 3 is defined by a base 4 (partially visible in the detail of figure 1) which is mechanically fixed to the internal face of the support 1, on which a cover 5 is fixed by means of screws 6 or other similar fixing elements.

[0015] From the base 4 of the housing 3, fastening means are projected, capable of engaging or coupling with respective complementary structures of the support 1. In particular, a pair of cylindrical tenons 7 projects laterally from the housing 3 and defines an edge 8. Said pair of lateral tenons 7 is capable of acting in the so-called upper coupling, as will be described below. On the other hand, a pair of seats 9 (see figure 3 and respective detail) are defined on the lower surface of the base 4, said seats 9 being capable of acting on the so-called lower coupling, as will also be described below.

[0016] It is imperative to emphasize that the coupling structures of the housing 3, namely tenons 7 and seats 9, are advantageously not altered in relation to the respective coupling structures of a housing according to the known state of art.

[0017] As regards the support 1, according to the present invention, it is defined by a basically flat and laminar body 10 having a quadrangular shape and a frontal projection 11, that is, towards the front of the vehicle, in a condition where said support 1 is installed. In particular, the support 1 is injected as a single piece of relatively malleable plastic material. Preferably, the support 1 is composed of Polyamide 66 having a fiberglass filler, or a similar fiber. Even more preferably, the support 1 is composed of Polyamide 66 having 30% by weight of fiberglass.

[0018] As regards the shape of the support 1, the body 10 comprises a central window 12 capable of allowing the lens of the camera 2 to project beyond the external face of the body 2, from the internal face to which the camera housing 3 is fixed. The front region 13, in relation to said camera lens 2, has a divergent and stepped geometry soas not to compromise or obstruct the capture of images in front of the vehicle, when camera 2 is in operation and managed by any of the vehicle systems.

[0019] In order for said camera 2 to be properly attached to support 1, in an ergonomic and fast manner for the assemblers workers, safely and with low transmission of vibrations from the vehicle, at least two pairs of coupling devices are used, namely an upper coupling (figures 1 and 2) and a lower coupling (figures 3 and 4).

[0020] In particular, each of the two pairs of coupling devices is defined by couplings symmetrically opposed to the perpendicular bisector of the support 1, that is, in relation to the central axis of the support, such perpendicular bisector intersecting the body 10 as well as its frontal projection 11, in addition to the lens of the camera 2 when the latter is mounted on said support 1.

[0021] Each of the symmetrically opposed couplings of the upper coupling and the lower coupling comprises an elastically deformable structure capable of elastically counterposing the support 1 in relation to the housing 3 of the camera 2.

[0022] In particular, the lower coupling (see figures 3 and 4) comprises an edge window 15 whose perimeter is defined by an edge 16, which projects from said internal face and towards the interior of the support 1. Furthermore, from the opposite edge 17, opposite to the frontal projection 11 of the body 10, a tab 18 projects into the open area of the edge window 15, such tab 18 having an extension where a curvature 19 is defined.

[0023] As stated, and in a condition where the camera 2 is mounted on the support 1, the tab 18 acts as an elastic clip against the housing 3 of the camera 2, replacing a shaped elastic blade (according to the known state of art) and acting to support and maintain the camera 2 in position, in relation to the support 1, against the seat 9 of the housing 3.

[0024] The upper coupling comprises in turn (see figures 1 and 2) a gripper 20 which is opposed to an elastically deformable tower 21, said gripper / tower set being able to maintain in position, in a self-adjustable manner, a tenon 7 of the housing 3 of the camera 2.

[0025] More specifically, from said internal face of the support 1 projects a grippershaped structure 20 which is defined by a front face (not visible), frontal in relation to the position of the tower 21, wherein said front face is continuous and shaped as an inverted "L", so as to define a vertex 22 whose angle is equal to, or slightly greater than, the angle of the edge 8 of the tenon 7, thus allowing said tenon, when in a coupled position (see preferably the enlarged detail of figure 1), to remain fixed and coupled in relation to the gripper 20.

[0026] The rear face of the gripper 20 comprises ribs 29, which project from said front face in the opposite direction of the tower 21, thus increasing the structural rigidity of the gripper 20. Preferably, the gripper 20 comprises three ribs 29 parallel to each other and transverse in relation to said front face. Moreover, each projecting end 23 of each rib 29 has a rounded top and a surface 25 inclined towards the tower 21.

[0027] The tower 21 in turn is defined by a monoblock structure comprising a proximal sector 26 and a distal sector 27, with the region between the proximal sector 26 and the distal sector J defining an internal angle. Due to said internal angle, the proximal sector 26 is disposed further away from the gripper 20 compared to the distal sector 27. Furthermore, the end 28 of the tower 21 extends in a direction opposite to the direction of development of the distal sector 27, thus allowing that, together with the inclined surface 25 of each rib 29 of the gripper 20, a mouthpiece is defined having convergent boundary walls from the outside to the inside, considering that the "inside" is defined as the region between the gripper 20 and the tower 21.

[0028] Figures 5A-5E are schematic and sequential views of representative steps of insertion of the tenon 7 in the upper coupling of the support 1. In the first step (figure 5A), the housing 3 of the camera 2 is brought closer to the support 1 in the coupling position, whereby each of the tenons 7 comes into contact with the upper coupling, that is, with each respective set of gripper 20 and tower 21. In Figure 5A, a tenon 7 is located exactly on the mouthpiece defined by the grippers 20 and tower 21.

[0029] As the assembler worker applies a force to the housing 3, the tower 21 is elastically displaced to the "left" (according to the position illustrated in Figures 5A-5E),while the clamp 20 remains in position and immobile, due to the presence of the ribs 29 and the uniformity of the material that composes it as a single piece together in the entire support 1.

[0030] At the moment in which each tenon 7 approaches the final penetration inside the respective region delimited by the gripper 20 and the tower 21 (Figure 5C), the tab 18, due to its curvature 19, begins to interact mechanically with the housing 3 of the camera 2, in opposition to the coupling movement performed by the assembler worker. In this way, once the housing 3 is in its final position (Figure 5E), fully coupled, the tab 18 acts to elastically force the tenon 7 against the vertex 22 of the gripper 20, as well as the tower 21 (whose final position in Figure 5E is slightly deflected in relation to the rest position shown in Figure 5A). In this way each tenon 7, after the final coupling, remains in position by the combination of the elastic forces resulting from the deflection of the tab 18 and the tower 21.

[0031] In this way, and even if the vehicle during its movement experiences some jolts due to irregularities in the road, the camera 2 remains in position or eventually returns quickly and automatically to its operating position.

[0032] On the other hand, since the support 1 is a monoblock piece formed exclusively by a single injected material, the assembly of the camera 2 is easier and more ergonomically acceptable for the assembler worker, since it is no longer necessary to use shaped metal elements to generate the elastic forces to maintain the camera 2 in operational position.

Claims

Claims1. A plastic support for attaching a vehicle camera, said support (1) comprising a quadrangular shaped body (10) having a front projection (11); the support (1) comprises two pairs of couplings (18; 20, 21), each pair of couplings being symmetrically arranged in relation to the perpendicular bisector of the support (1), and each said pair defining an upper coupling and a lower coupling, the support (1) being characterized in that each of the pairs of symmetrically opposed couplings of the upper coupling and lower coupling comprises an elastically deformable structure capable of elastically counterposing the support (1) in relation to the housing (3) of the camera (2), said support (1) being composed of a malleable plastic material.

2. A support (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said support (1) is composed of Polyamide 66 having a fiberglass filler, or a similar fiber, preferably Polyamide 66 having 30% by weight of fiberglass.

3. A support (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said upper coupling comprises a gripper (20) opposed to an elastically deformable tower (21), and each of said opposing gripper / tower sets is able to receive and maintain in position, in a self-adjustable manner, a tenon (7) of the housing (3) of the camera (2).

4. A support (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that each gripper (20) comprises an internal face defining a vertex (22), and ribs (29) parallel to each other and transverse in relation to said front face.

5. A support (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that each gripper (20) comprises three ribs (29), and each rib (29) comprises a projecting end (23) defining a rounded top and a surface (25) inclined towards the tower (21).

6. A support (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the tower (21) is a monoblock structure and comprises a proximal sector (26), a distal sector (27) and an end (28), wherein the region between the proximal (26) and distal (27) sectors defines an internal angle, and the end (28) extends in a direction opposite to the direction of development of the distal sector (27).

7. A support (1) according to claims 1, 4 or 6, characterized in that the support (1) comprises a mouthpiece having convergent boundary walls in the region between the gripper (20) and the tower (21), said mouthpiece being defined by the end (28) of the tower (21) and by the inclined surface (25) of each of the ribs (29) of the gripper (20).

8. A support (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower coupling comprises an edge window (15) whose perimeter is defined by an edge (16), wherein a tab (18) having a curvature (19) projects, from a opposite edge (17) opposite to the frontal projection (11) of the body (10), into the open area of the edge window (15).

9. A support (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the support (1) comprises a central window (12) capable of allowing the camera lens (2) to project beyond the external face of the body (10).

10. A support (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the front region

Images