Mounting structure of camera

Abstract

A mounting structure (1A) for a camera (10) comprises: a lens portion (11); an imaging element portion (13); and an intermediate shaft portion (12) that connects the lens portion (11) and the imaging element portion (13). The camera (10) is inserted into a mounting hole (21) provided in a moving body. A protruding part (15) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the camera (10) enters a recessed part (23) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole (21). In this configuration, the angle of the optical axis of the camera (10) can be adjusted, and the camera (10) can be incorporated into a narrow space of the moving body in an unnoticeable way.

Description

Camera mounting structure

[0001] The present invention relates to a structure for mounting a camera on a moving object.

[0002] One structure for mounting a camera for capturing images of the front and rear of a vehicle on a moving object such as a vehicle is to house the camera body in a housing and fix a bracket that supports the housing so that it can tilt freely to the outer surface of the dashboard or the inner surface of a window glass (see, for example, Patent Document 1). With this type of mounting structure, the angle of the camera's optical axis can be adjusted.

[0003] JP 2012-226030 A

[0004] Saddle-type vehicles such as motorcycles, tricycles, and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) have small exterior surfaces, making it difficult to secure a location for mounting a camera bracket. Furthermore, the bracket and housing protrude significantly from the exterior of the vehicle, which can detract from the vehicle's exterior design.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a camera mounting structure that allows the angle of the optical axis of the camera to be adjusted and that allows the camera to be installed inconspicuously in a narrow space of a mobile body.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a camera mounting structure including a lens unit, an image sensor unit, and an intermediate shaft unit connecting the lens unit and the image sensor unit. The lens unit is disposed on the exterior side of a moving body, and the image sensor unit is disposed on the interior side of the moving body. The camera is inserted into a mounting hole provided in the moving body. A protrusion that protrudes outward is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the camera, and the protrusion fits into a recess formed on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole.

[0007] In the camera mounting structure of the present invention, the angle of the optical axis of the camera can be adjusted, and the camera is housed in a mounting hole on the mobile body, so the camera can be installed inconspicuously in a narrow space on the mobile body.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a front view showing the camera mounting structure according to the first embodiment; Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the camera mounting structure according to the first embodiment; Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the camera mounting structure according to the first embodiment; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 1 showing the camera mounting structure according to the first embodiment; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the camera mounting structure according to a second embodiment;

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of each embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0010] [First Embodiment] In the first embodiment, a camera mounting structure 1A applied to a motorcycle will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the mounting structure 1A of the first embodiment is a structure for mounting an on-board camera 10 for capturing images of the area ahead of a motorcycle 2 inside a front cowl 2a.

[0011] In the first embodiment, cameras 10, 10 are disposed on the left and right sides of the front surface of the front cowl 2a. The mounting structures 1A, 1A for the left and right cameras 10, 10 are symmetrical. The two left and right cameras 10, 10 form a stereo camera. The front cowl 2a of the first embodiment has two left and right openings 2d, 2d formed therein. The openings 2d, 2d are disposed above the headlights 2b, on both left and right sides of the screen 2c. An opening edge member 2e is provided on the outer surface of the front cowl 2a. The opening edge member 2e is a ring-shaped member and is disposed so as to surround the opening edge of the opening 2d. A camera 10 is disposed inside the opening 2d. The camera 10 can capture images of the area ahead of the vehicle from inside the front cowl 2a through the opening 2d.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting structure 1A of the first embodiment includes a camera 10, a cylindrical member 14 fitted onto the camera 10, and a bracket 20.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 3 , the camera 10 includes a lens unit 11, an image sensor unit 13, and an intermediate shaft unit 12 that connects the lens unit 11 and the image sensor unit 13. The tip of the intermediate shaft unit 12 is formed into a cylindrical shape, and the lens unit 11 is fitted into the tip. A box-shaped housing 13a is connected to the base end of the intermediate shaft unit 12. The housing 13a houses the image sensor unit 13. The image sensor unit 13 converts light that has passed through the lens unit 11 into image data. Power is supplied to the image sensor unit 13 from a battery via a power cord. The image sensor unit 13 also outputs image data to an image recording device or an image processing device via a connection cord.

[0014] The tubular member 14 is a cylindrical member. As shown in Fig. 4, the tubular member 14 is fitted onto the intermediate shaft 12 of the camera 10. The rear end of the tubular member 14 is fixed to the rear end of the intermediate shaft 12. As shown in Fig. 3, a protrusion 15 that protrudes radially outward of the tubular member 14 is formed around the entire outer periphery of the front outer periphery of the tubular member 14. The outer surface of the protrusion 15 is formed into a curved surface obtained by cutting out a portion of a spherical surface in an annular shape (see Fig. 4).

[0015] The bracket 20 is a cylindrical member with a mounting hole 21 passing therethrough. The front side of the bracket 20 is formed to fit the outer surface shape of the front cowl 2a. In this embodiment, the peripheral wall portion of the bracket 20 is shaped so that its axial length increases from the outer side of the vehicle toward the center of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 4, the bracket 20 is attached to the inner surface of the front cowl 2a. The mounting hole 21 is a hole with a circular cross section through which the camera 10 is inserted (see FIG. 2).

[0016] 3, the bracket 20 has a slit 22 formed in a straight line from one end to the other in the axial direction of the bracket 20 (axial direction of the mounting hole 21), penetrating from the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole 21 to the outer peripheral surface of the bracket 20. As a result, the axial cross section of the bracket 20 is formed in a C-shape. In this embodiment, the slit 22 is formed at a position on the peripheral wall of the bracket 20 where the axial length is shortest.

[0017] A plurality of fixing portions 24 protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the bracket 20. The bracket 20 can be fixed to the inner surface of the front cowl 2a by inserting bolts through holes in the fixing portions 24 shown in Figure 4 and threading them into threaded holes formed in the inner surface of the front cowl 2a. When the bracket 20 is fixed to the inner surface of the front cowl 2a, the front ends of the mounting holes 21 communicate with the opening 2d of the front cowl 2a.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 3, a recessed recess 23 is formed around the entire periphery of the rear portion of the inner circumferential surface of the mounting hole 21. The inner surface of the recess 23 is formed into a curved surface obtained by cutting out a portion of a sphere in an annular shape (see Fig. 4).

[0019] 4, the camera 10 is inserted into the mounting hole 21. In this embodiment, the lens unit 11 of the camera 10 is disposed on the exterior side (front) of the motorcycle 2, and the image sensor unit 13 is disposed on the interior side (rear) of the motorcycle 2. The intermediate shaft 12 and the tubular member 14 are inserted into the mounting hole 21.

[0020] The protrusion 15 of the cylindrical member 14 fits into the recess 23 of the mounting hole 21, and the outer surface of the protrusion 15 fits into the inner surface of the recess 23. This allows the camera 10 to be tilted in all directions relative to the mounting hole 21. In this way, the camera 10 is mounted inside the front cowl 2a with the angle of its optical axis adjustable in all directions relative to the central axis of the mounting hole 21.

[0021] In the above-described mounting structure 1A, as shown in FIG. 1, the camera 10 is mounted inside the front cowl 2a in a state in which the angle of the optical axis is adjustable, and therefore the angle of view of the camera 10 can be easily and accurately adjusted after the motorcycle 2 is assembled.

[0022] In the mounting structure 1A of the first embodiment, the camera 10 is housed within the front cowl 2a, so that the camera 10 can be installed inconspicuously in a small space even on a motorcycle 2 (saddle-ride vehicle) with a small exterior surface area. That is, in the mounting structure 1A, the lens portion 11 of the camera 10 is disposed on the interior surface of the front cowl 2a, and the bracket 20 does not protrude significantly from the exterior surface of the front cowl 2a (the design surface of the motorcycle 2).

[0023] In the mounting structure 1A of the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the camera 10 is supported by a bracket 20 attached to the inside of the front cowl 2a. With this configuration, the camera 10 can be attached to the front cowl 2a in a tiltable manner even if the front cowl 2a has a small thickness.

[0024] In the first embodiment of the mounting structure 1A, the curved outer surface of the protrusion 15 of the camera 10 fits into the curved inner surface of the recess 23 of the mounting hole 21 of the bracket 20, allowing the camera 10 to be tilted smoothly relative to the bracket 20.

[0025] 3, in the mounting structure 1A of the first embodiment, a slit 22 is formed from one end to the other end of the annular bracket 20. In this configuration, when the protruding portion 15 of the camera 10 is pressed into the mounting hole 21 of the bracket 20, the slit 22 opens and the diameter of the mounting hole 21 is enlarged, making it easier to mount the camera 10 on the bracket 20.

[0026] While the first embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the first embodiment and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In the mounting structure 1A of the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the mounting holes 21 are formed in the brackets 20 attached to the inner surface of the front cowl 2a, but the mounting holes 21 may also be formed in the front cowl 2a itself or in the body of the motorcycle 2 itself.

[0027] In the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, mounting structures 1A, 1A are provided at two locations, left and right, on the front surface of the front cowl 2a of the motorcycle 2, but the number and arrangement of mounting structures provided on the moving body are not limited. For example, a rearward-view camera may be attached to the rear cowl of the motorcycle 2 using the mounting structure of the present invention.

[0028] In the first embodiment, the mounting structure 1A for the motorcycle 2 is described, but the vehicles to which the mounting structure of the present invention can be applied are not limited. For example, the mounting structure can be applied to various types of moving bodies such as straddle-type vehicles such as three-wheeled motor vehicles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and four-wheeled automobiles.

[0029] Second Embodiment Next, a camera mounting structure according to a second embodiment will be described. The mounting structure 1B according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5 has a configuration substantially similar to the mounting structure 1A according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 4). In the mounting structure 1B according to the second embodiment, a protrusion 15 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate shaft 12 of the camera 10. That is, in the second embodiment, the camera 10 is mounted directly to the mounting hole 21. This configuration allows the number of parts in the mounting structure 1B to be reduced, simplifying the process of assembling the camera 10 to the vehicle.

[0030] The above describes the second embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the second embodiment, and similar to the first embodiment, it can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the spirit thereof.

[0031] 1A Mounting structure (first embodiment) 1B Mounting structure (second embodiment) 2 Motorcycle 2a Front cowl 2b Headlight 2c Screen 2d Opening 2e Opening edge member 10 Camera 11 Lens portion 12 Intermediate shaft portion 13 Imaging element portion 13a Housing 14 Cylindrical member 15 Protrusion 20 Bracket 21 Mounting hole 22 Slit 23 Recessed portion 24 Fixing portion

Claims

1. A mounting structure for a camera comprising a lens section, an image sensor section, and an intermediate shaft section connecting the lens section and the image sensor section, wherein the lens section is arranged on the exterior side of a moving body and the image sensor section is arranged on the interior side of the moving body, the intermediate shaft section is inserted into a mounting hole provided in the moving body, a cylindrical member is fitted onto the exterior of the intermediate shaft section, and a protrusion that protrudes outward is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member, and the protrusion fits into a recess formed on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole.

2. A camera mounting structure comprising a lens section, an image sensor section, and an intermediate shaft section connecting the lens section and the image sensor section, wherein the lens section is arranged on the exterior side of a moving body and the image sensor section is arranged on the interior side of the moving body, the intermediate shaft section is inserted into a mounting hole provided in the moving body, a protrusion that protrudes outward is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate shaft section, and the protrusion is fitted into a recess formed on the inner circumferential surface of the mounting hole.

3. A camera mounting structure as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the protrusion is formed in a ring shape around the entire outer circumferential surface of the intermediate shaft, the outer surface of the protrusion being a part of a sphere, and the recess is formed in a ring shape around the entire inner circumferential surface of the mounting hole, the inner surface of the recess being a part of a sphere, and the outer surface of the protrusion is fitted into the inner surface of the recess.

4. A camera mounting structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the mounting hole is formed in a bracket attached to the moving body.

5. A camera mounting structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bracket is an annular member with the mounting hole passing through it, and a slit is formed from the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole to the outer peripheral surface of the bracket, extending from one end of the bracket to the other.

6. A camera mounting structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the mounting hole is formed in the moving body.

7. A camera mounting structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the moving body is a saddle-type vehicle.

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