Drive recorder

Abstract

Provided is a drive recorder for which it is easy to adjust the angle of the body part and reduce man-hours required for angle adjustment.　A drive recorder (1) includes: a body part (5) having a built-in camera (21); a fixed bracket part (3) having a bottomed cylindrical body storage part (31) into which an insertion part (51) of the body part (5) can be inserted; a plurality of inner joined bodies (13a) attached to the inner cylinder side of the body storage part (31); and a plurality of body-side joined bodies (11a) attached to the body part (5) and joined corresponding to the plurality of inner joined bodies (13).

Description

Drive recorder

[0001] The present invention relates to a drive recorder.

[0002] A vehicle drive recorder is attached to a predetermined part of the vehicle, such as the windshield, etc. In such a drive recorder, when adjusting the angle of the camera body (main body), for example, as shown in Fig. 1 of Patent Document 1, a configuration is disclosed in which the main body is attached to a mounting bracket, the lens is directed in the direction of travel in which the image is captured, and a nut is tightened to fix the main body.

[0003] JP 2018-188005 A (see FIG. 1)

[0004] However, with the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, when adjusting the angle of the main body, it is necessary to loosen the nut, position the main body at the desired angle, and then rotate and tighten the nut again. This requires a configuration like this, which results in a problem of time and effort required for angle adjustment.

[0005] Furthermore, in order to tighten the nut, it is necessary to provide a location for forming a male screw on either the camera body or a dedicated holder. However, in terms of processing man-hours, it is preferable to have as few locations for forming male screws as possible.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a drive recorder in which the angle of the main body can be easily adjusted and the number of steps required for the angle adjustment can be reduced.

[0007] [1] In order to solve the above problem, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drive recorder to be mounted on a vehicle, characterized in that it has a main body portion having a built-in camera, a fixed bracket portion having a bottomed cylindrical main body storage portion into which the insertion portion of the main body portion can be inserted, a plurality of inner joints attached to the inner cylindrical side of the main body storage portion, and a plurality of main body side joints attached to the main body portion and joined to correspond to the plurality of inner joints.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a drive recorder in which the angle of the main body can be easily adjusted and the number of steps required for the angle adjustment can be reduced.

[0009] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a drive recorder according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the drive recorder according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an inner disk and a plurality of main body-side joints, and a main body-side disk and a plurality of fixing bracket-side joints, which are provided in the drive recorder according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a view showing a state in which the plurality of main body-side joints and the plurality of inner joints provided in the drive recorder according to an embodiment of the present invention are misaligned in the circumferential direction; FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the plurality of main body-side joints and the plurality of inner joints provided in the drive recorder according to an embodiment of the present invention are joined without being misaligned in the circumferential direction; and FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) are views showing other configuration examples of the main body storage section and the main body section for facilitating adjustment operations. and FIG. 6(c) are schematic cross-sectional views of a drive recorder according to a modified example of the present invention.

[0010] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are preferred specific examples of the present invention, and therefore various technically preferable limitations are applied. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these aspects unless otherwise specified in the following description to the effect that the present invention is specifically limited. Furthermore, in each drawing, similar components are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a drive recorder 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the drive recorder 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The drive recorder 1 has a fixing bracket portion 3, a main body portion 5, a joint body 7, and a connecting portion 9.

[0012] The fixing bracket 3 is a part that is attached to, for example, the windshield or rear window of a vehicle, and an adhesive layer is provided on the adhesive surface. The main body 5 has a built-in camera 21 that captures images of the environment around the vehicle. Note that the fixing position of the fixing bracket 3 inside the vehicle is not particularly limited, but is usually the windshield or rear window as described above.

[0013] In the drive recorder 1 in which the main body 5 mounted on the vehicle and the fixing bracket 3 are separate, the fixing bracket 3 is fixed to, for example, the interior side of the windshield or rear window of the vehicle.

[0014] As described above, by adopting a configuration in which the fixing bracket portion 3 is separated from the main body portion 5, it becomes possible to install the drive recorder 1 in the vehicle in various ways.

[0015] The fixed bracket 3 has a main body accommodating portion 31 that accommodates the main body 5. The main body accommodating portion 31 is a portion into which the cylindrical main body 5 can be rotatably inserted, and is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom.

[0016] In this embodiment, the main body 5 has a cylindrical or columnar outer shape. The main body 5 houses the camera 21, as well as a control circuit, memory, and the like. The main body 5 has an insertion section 51, which is the section inserted into the main body storage section 31, and an exposed section 53, which is the section not inserted. The distinction between the insertion section 51 and the exposed section 53 may be clear from the outside, or may be indistinguishable from the outside.

[0017] Furthermore, the columnar or cylindrical main body 5 only needs to be columnar or cylindrical in shape for the length of the main body accommodating portion 31 of the fixed bracket portion 3. In other words, the other portions do not need to be columnar or cylindrical.

[0018] The connecting member 7 is a portion that is joined to a fixed position inside the vehicle via a connecting member such as an adhesive member like double-sided tape, an adhesive, or an adsorbent member like a suction cup. A portion of the connecting member 7 opposite to the portion that is joined to the fixed position is connected to the connecting portion 9. The connecting portion 9 is a portion that connects the connecting member 7 to the fixed bracket portion 3 (main body storage portion 31).

[0019] In the above description, the fixed bracket portion 3 does not include the joint 7 and the connecting portion 9, but the fixed bracket portion 3 may also include the joint 7 and the connecting portion 9.

[0020] Here, the installation procedure for the drive recorder 1 described above may involve positioning the main body 5 on the fixed bracket 3 and then adhering it to the windshield or rear window, or may involve first adhering the fixed bracket 3 to the windshield or rear window, and then inserting the main body 5 into the fixed bracket 3 and rotating it to position it.

[0021] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the inner disk 11 and the plurality of main body-side connectors 13a, and the main body-side disk 13 and the plurality of inner connectors 11a provided in the drive recorder 1 shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The inner disk 11 shown in Fig. 3 is attached to the bottom surface of the inner cylinder side of the cylindrical main body storage section 31. This inner disk 11 is a disk-shaped member, and inner connectors 11a, which will be described later, are attached to it.

[0022] 3 is attached to the end face of the main body 5 on the side that is inserted into the main body storage section 31. The main body side disk 13 is also a disk-shaped member, and has a main body side joint 13a (described later) attached to it.

[0023] The inner disk 11 can be attached to the bottom surface of the inner tube side of the main body storage section 31, and the main body side disk 13 can be attached to the above-mentioned end surface of the main body section 5 using, for example, double-sided tape or adhesive.

[0024] A plurality of inner connectors 11a are arranged on the inner disk 11. A plurality of main body connectors 13a are arranged on the main body disk 13 to be joined to the inner connectors 11a. The plurality of inner connectors 11a and the plurality of main body connectors 13a are provided at corresponding positions and can be joined to each other.

[0025] Here, the above correspondence means that they can be joined at the same position, and as long as the configuration includes things that can be joined at the same position, the number of inner joints 11a and main body side joints 13a arranged may be different.

[0026] 3, the multiple inner joint members 11a are provided in the circumferential direction on the surface of the inner disk 11, and the multiple body-side joint members 13a are also provided in the circumferential direction on the surface of the inner disk 11. However, the inner joint members 11a and the body-side joint members 13a may be provided at positions other than the circumferential direction, for example, by providing the inner joint members 11a at the radial center of the inner disk 11 and the body-side joint members 13a at the radial center of the body-side disk 13.

[0027] The inner connector 11a is provided so as to slightly protrude from the surface of the inner disk 11, but the inner connector 11a may be embedded in the inner disk 11 so as not to protrude from the inner disk 11. Similarly, the body-side connector 13a is provided so as to slightly protrude from the surface of the body-side disk 13, but the body-side connector 13a may be embedded in the body-side disk 13 so as not to protrude from the body-side disk 13.

[0028] Furthermore, when a combination of magnets or a magnet and a magnetic material is used as the inner connecting body 11a and the main body side connecting body 13a, the inner connecting body 11a may be embedded in the inner disk 11 and not exposed. Similarly, the main body side connecting body 13a may be embedded in the main body side disk 13 and not exposed.

[0029] 3, twelve inner joined bodies 11a are arranged at equal circumferential intervals on the inner disk 11, and twelve main body joined bodies 13a are also arranged at equal circumferential intervals on the main body disk 13. Therefore, even if the main body 5 is rotated by 30 degrees, which is 12 divisions of 360 degrees (one rotation), the inner joined bodies 11a and the main body joined bodies 13a are still in a positional relationship where they are joined to each other.

[0030] Alternatively, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which twelve inner joints 11a are provided on the inner disk 11 at regular intervals, and six main body side joints 13a are provided on the inner disk 11 at regular intervals.

[0031] The inner connecting body 11a and the main body connecting body 13a can be made of various combinations of members that can be joined together. Typical examples of such combinations of members that can be joined together include a combination of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners, a combination of magnets that can be attracted to each other by magnetic force, or a combination of a magnet and a magnetic material.

[0032] 4 shows a state in which the main body-side joints 13a and the inner joints 11a are misaligned in the circumferential direction. When the main body 5 is inserted into the main body storage section 31 of the fixed bracket 3, the main body-side joints 13a and the inserted inner joints 11a are not overlapping (not corresponding) in the circumferential direction.

[0033] Normally, when a user inserts the insertion portion 51 of the main body 5 into the main body storage portion 31, the user cannot visually determine the relative positions of the inner connector 11a and the main body-side connector 13a, resulting in a state as shown in Figure 4. The user then determines whether the inner connector 11a and the main body-side connector 13a are properly joined by applying force in the direction of pulling the main body 5 out of the main body storage portion 31 or by applying force in the direction of rotation. If the user determines that the two are not sufficiently joined, the user slightly moves the main body 5 out of the main body storage portion 31 in the direction of pulling it out. At this time, it is preferable that the main body 5 is recessed into the main body storage portion 31.

[0034] Then, the main body 5 is rotated by a small angle relative to the main body storage section 31, and the insertion section 51 of the main body 5 is again inserted all the way into the main body storage section 31 to try joining the inner joint body 11a and the main body side joint body 13a. This adjustment operation is repeated until a good joining state is achieved between the two.

[0035] In order to improve the visibility of the positional relationship between the inner joint body 11a and the main body side joint body 13a, the bottom surface of the main body storage section 31 and the inner disk 11 may be made of a transparent resin.

[0036] In Fig. 4, the angle A between adjacent inner joint bodies 11a is 30 degrees. Therefore, in the example shown in Fig. 4, the inner joint body 11a and the main body-side joint body 13a can be joined by rotating the main body 5 clockwise or counterclockwise by approximately 15 degrees relative to the main body storage section 31. The angle between the multiple inner joint bodies 11a is a multiple of 30 degrees, which is close to the angle of inclination of the windshield. Therefore, when mounting the drive recorder 1 on the interior side of the windshield, it is relatively easy to adjust the angle of the main body 5.

[0037] 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the plurality of body-side joined bodies 13a and the plurality of inner joined bodies 11a are joined together without any misalignment in the circumferential direction. When the inner joined bodies 11a and the body-side joined bodies 13a are in a positional relationship in which they can be joined together, such as by performing the adjustment operation described above or by the initial insertion state being in the correct position, the joined state between the inner joined bodies 11a and the body-side joined bodies 13a is as shown in FIG.

[0038] 6( a) and 6(b) are diagrams showing another example configuration of the main body storage section 31 and the main body section 5 for facilitating the adjustment operation. In this example configuration, as shown in FIG. 6(a), an alignment groove 11b is formed in the main body storage section 31 that stores the main body section 5. As shown in FIG. 6(b), an alignment protrusion 13b is formed in at least the insertion section 51 of the cylindrical main body section 5. Therefore, when the insertion section 51 of the main body section 5 is inserted into the main body storage section 31, the alignment protrusion 13b fits into the alignment groove 11b. In another embodiment, the alignment groove 11b and the alignment protrusion 13b may be configured as grooves or protrusions with unevenness that suppresses unnecessary rotation of the main body section 5.

[0039] When the inner joint body 11a and the main body side joint body 13a are fitted together, the inner joint body 11a and the main body side joint body 13a are in a positional relationship where they are joined together, so that the main body portion 5 and the main body storage portion 31 can be easily positioned in the circumferential direction.

[0040] The insertion portion 51 of the main body 5 may be attached to the main body storage portion 31 by press-fitting. In this case, the insertion portion 51 may be tapered so that the diameter increases as it moves away from the tip, making the press-fitting easier. Also, by making the main body storage portion 31 tapered as described above, the press-fitting of the insertion portion 51 may be made easier.

[0041] [Modifications] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0042] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration is described in which the alignment groove 11b is formed in the main body storage section 31 and the alignment protrusion 13b is formed in at least the insertion section 51 of the main body section 5. However, instead of this configuration, a configuration may be adopted in which the alignment protrusion is formed in the main body storage section 31 and the alignment groove is formed in at least the insertion section 51 of the main body section 5.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, the outer shape of the main body 5 is described as being columnar or cylindrical, but instead of this configuration, the outer shape may be polygonal. In this case, if the number of corners is determined according to the number of inner joints 11a provided on the inner disk 11 (for example, if there are 12 inner joints, a dodecagonal prism is used), when the main body 5 is rotated relative to the fixed bracket 3, the corners of the fixed bracket 3 and the corners of the main body 5 can be aligned at the fixed position.

[0044] In the above-described embodiment, the inner connector 11a is provided on the inner disk 11 attached to the bottom surface of the inner cylinder side of the main body storage section 31. The main body side connector 13a is provided on the main body side disk 13 attached to the end surface of the main body 5 that is inserted into the main body storage section 31. However, the inner connector 11a and the main body side connector 13a are not limited to being provided in these locations.

[0045] 7, a ring-shaped inner cylinder 110 may be attached to the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder side of the main body storage section 31, and an inner joint body 111 may be provided on this inner cylinder 110. Alternatively, a ring-shaped main body side cylinder 130 may be attached to the outer peripheral surface of the main body section 5, and a main body side joint body 131 may be provided on this main body side cylinder 130.

[0046] In this case, it is preferable that the number and arrangement pitch of the inner joint members 111 and the main body side joint members 131 are such that the angle of the main body 5 can be sufficiently adjusted. Note that various modifications of the above embodiment can also be applied to the inner cylinder 110 (inner joint members 111) and the main body side cylinder 130 (main body side joint members 131) to the extent that they do not interfere with application.

[0047] [Additional Notes] The contents of the above-described embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0048] (1) A drive recorder 1 to be mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a main body portion 5 incorporating a camera 21 and having a cylindrical or columnar outer shape; a fixed bracket portion 3 having a bottomed, tubular main body storage portion 31 into which the insertion portion 51 of the main body portion 5 can be inserted; a plurality of inner connectors 11a attached to the inner tube side of the main body storage portion 31; and a plurality of main body side connectors 13a attached to the main body portion 5 and joined to correspond to the plurality of inner connectors 11a.

[0049] Therefore, when the main body 5 is positioned at a desired angle and inserted into the main body storage section 31, the main body side connector 13a can be joined to the inner connector 11a, thereby attaching the main body 5 to the fixed bracket 3.

[0050] That is, by simply inserting the main body 5 into the main body storage section 31 with the main body 5 positioned at a desired angle, the main body 5 and the fixed bracket section 3 are fixed, making it easy to adjust the angle of the main body 5. Furthermore, the number of steps required to adjust the angle of the main body 5 can be reduced.

[0051] (2) In this embodiment, in the above (1), the inner joint 11a may be attached to the bottom surface of the inner tube side of the main body storage section 31, and the main body side joint 13a may be attached to the end surface of the main body section 5.

[0052] When configured in this manner, the inner joint 11a and the main body side joint 13a are joined at the bottom surface of the inner tube side of the main body storage section 31, making it possible to prevent the radial dimension of the main body section 5 from becoming larger.

[0053] (3) In this embodiment, in the above (1), the inner joint 111 may be attached to the inner surface of the inner tube side of the main body storage section 31, and the main body side joint 131 may be attached to the outer surface of the main body section 5.

[0054] When configured in this manner, the inner joint 111 and the main body side joint 131 are joined closer to the center of the longitudinal direction of the main body 5 than to one end side such as the end face of the main body 5, resulting in good holding balance of the main body 5.

[0055] (4) In addition to the above (2), in this embodiment, the inner joint 11a may be provided on the inner disk 11 attached to the bottom surface of the inner tube side of the main body storage section 31, and the main body side joint 13a may be provided on the main body side disk 13 attached to the end surface of the main body section 5.

[0056] In this configuration, the inner connector 11a may be provided on the inner disk 11, and the main body connector 13a may be provided on the main body disk 13. This makes it easy to attach the inner connector 11a to the main body storage section 31 and the main body connector 13a to the main body 5.

[0057] (5) In addition to any of the above (1) to (4) or any combination thereof within the scope of possible combinations, the plurality of main body-side connecting members 13a and the plurality of inner connecting members 11a may be a combination of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners. The plurality of main body-side connecting members 13a and the plurality of inner connecting members 11a may also be composed of a single continuous annular male and female hook-and-loop fastener whose size is equal to or smaller than the outer dimensions of the main body-side disk 11 or the inner disk 11.

[0058] In this configuration, the connection between the main body-side connecting member 13a and the inner connecting member 11a is made by a male and female hook-and-loop fastener, and a good connection can be obtained. Furthermore, because the connection is made by a male and female hook-and-loop fastener as described above, when readjusting the angle of the main body 5, the connection between the main body-side connecting member 13a and the inner connecting member 11a can be easily released by applying a force to the main body 5 in the direction of pulling it out of the main body storage section 31.

[0059] (6) In addition to any of the above (1) to (5) or a combination thereof within the range of possible combinations, the plurality of main body side connecting bodies 13a and the plurality of inner connecting bodies 11a may be a combination of magnets that can be magnetically attracted to each other or a combination of a magnet and a magnetic material.

[0060] In this configuration, the connection between the main body-side connecting body 13a and the inner connecting body 11a is achieved by magnetic force, and a good connection state can be obtained. Furthermore, since the connection is achieved by magnetic force as described above, when the angle of the main body 5 needs to be readjusted, the connection between the main body-side connecting body 13a and the inner connecting body 11a can be easily released by applying force to the main body 5 in the direction of pulling it out of the main body storage section 31.

[0061] (7) In addition to any of the above (1) to (6) or a combination thereof within the range of possible combinations, the present embodiment may also be configured such that an alignment protrusion 13b is formed on the main body portion 5 and an alignment groove 11b is formed on the main body storage portion 31, and the main body portion 5 and the main body storage portion 31 are positioned by fitting the alignment protrusion 13b into the alignment groove 11b, and at the same time, the multiple main body side joints 13a and the multiple inner joints 11a are aligned.

[0062] With this configuration, when the insertion portion 51 of the main body 5 is inserted into the main body storage portion 31, the alignment protrusion 13b fits into the alignment groove 11b. This fit facilitates circumferential positioning between the main body 5 and the main body storage portion 31, aligning the inner joined body 11a and the main body-side joined body 13a. This prevents misalignment between the inner joined body 11a and the main body-side joined body 13a. Furthermore, this fit prevents rotation of the main body 5 against an external force, for example, in the rotational direction, acting on the main body 5.

[0063] (8) In addition to any of the above (1) to (7) or a combination thereof within a possible range, the present embodiment may also employ a press-fit method to fix the insertion portion 51 of the main body 5 to the main body storage portion 31. This also makes it possible to easily and reliably attach the main body 5 to the main body storage portion 31.

[0064] 1...Drive recorder, 3...Fixing bracket portion, 5...Main body portion, 7...Connecting body, 9...Coupling portion, 11...Inner disc, 11a...Inner connecting body, 11b...Alignment groove, 13...Main body side disc, 13a...Main body side connecting body, 13b...Alignment protrusion, 21...Camera, 31...Main body storage portion, 51...Insertion portion, 53...Exposed portion, 110...Inner cylinder, 111...Inner connecting body, 130...Main body side cylinder, 131...Main body side connecting body

Claims

1. A drive recorder to be mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a main body having a built-in camera; a fixed bracket having a cylindrical main body storage section with a bottom into which the insertion section of the main body can be inserted; an inner joint attached to the inner cylindrical side of the main body storage section; and a main body side joint attached to the main body and joined to correspond to the inner joint.

2. A drive recorder according to claim 1, wherein the inner joint is attached to the bottom surface of the inner cylinder side of the main body storage section, and the main body side joint is attached to the end surface of the main body section.

3. A drive recorder according to claim 1, wherein the inner joint body is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder side of the main body storage section, and the main body side joint body is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the main body section.

4. A drive recorder according to claim 2, wherein the inner joint is provided on an inner disk attached to the bottom surface of the inner cylinder side of the main body storage section, and the main body side joint is provided on a main body side disk attached to the end surface of the main body section.

5. A drive recorder according to claim 1, wherein the main body-side connecting member and the inner connecting member are a combination of male and female hook-and-loop fasteners.

6. A drive recorder according to claim 1, wherein the main body-side joining body and the inner joining body are a combination of magnets that can be magnetically attracted to each other or a combination of a magnet and a magnetic material.

7. A drive recorder according to claim 1, wherein an alignment protrusion is formed on the main body portion, an alignment groove is formed on the main body storage portion, and the main body portion and the main body storage portion are positioned by fitting the alignment protrusion into the alignment groove, and at the same time, the main body side joint and the inner joint are aligned.

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