Imaging apparatus for vehicle

Abstract

Disclosed is an imaging apparatus for a vehicle, the imaging apparatus comprising: a camera installed in the vehicle to image surroundings of the vehicle; a reflective mirror installed in the vehicle to be movable between an imaging position located in front of the camera and a storage position located in a region other than a region in front of the camera; and a mirror driving unit for driving the reflective mirror between the imaging position and the storage position. Accordingly, blind spots of the vehicle can be easily checked without a significant increase in cost.

Description

Vehicle camera

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle imaging device, and more specifically, to a vehicle imaging device capable of effectively capturing blind spots of a camera installed in a vehicle.

[0002] Unless otherwise indicated in this specification, the contents described in this identification item are not prior art for the claims of this application, and are not recognized as prior art simply because they are described in this identification item.

[0003] Generally, vehicles are equipped with rear-view cameras to assist with rear parking or to check the rear situation while driving, or cameras to monitor various areas around the vehicle, and images acquired from these cameras are displayed on a digital center mirror (DCM) or a separate display device. Such camera systems typically have a field of view of about 120 to 135 degrees and are installed to monitor the front and rear range of the vehicle. However, this structure has the problem of blind spots occurring due to the limitations of the camera's mounting location and field of view.

[0004] To improve this, there are disclosed technologies that monitor the vehicle's blind spots by installing a separate camera on the side of the vehicle, or technologies that allow the driver to recognize the blind spots by using an additional side camera and displaying the acquired image on a display. However, since these technologies require installing multiple cameras on the exterior of the vehicle, there was a concern that installation and maintenance costs would increase and the vehicle's exterior design would be compromised.

[0005] In addition, conventional technology has been proposed to adjust the field of view by electrically rotating the camera angle; however, since this method provides a field of view at a specific angle within the rotatable range, it is difficult to check blind spots on the left and right simultaneously, and there is the inconvenience of the user having to manually adjust the angle.

[0006] The embodiment of the present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a vehicle imaging device that can easily check the blind spots of a vehicle without significantly increasing costs.

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle imaging device characterized by comprising: a camera installed in a vehicle to photograph the surroundings of the vehicle in order to solve the above-mentioned problem; a reflective mirror installed in the vehicle to be movable between a shooting position located on the front side of the camera and a storage position located in an area excluding the front of the camera; and a mirror driving unit that drives the reflective mirror between the shooting position and the storage position.

[0008] It is preferable that the above-mentioned reflective mirror be installed at an angle with respect to the shooting direction of the camera.

[0009] Preferably, the above-described reflective mirror comprises: a first mirror installed at an angle with respect to the shooting direction of the camera; and a second mirror coupled to the corner of the first mirror in a folding direction and installed at an angle with respect to the shooting direction of the camera.

[0010] It is effective for the first mirror and the second mirror to be arranged symmetrically around the camera.

[0011] It is preferable that the above-mentioned reflective mirror is formed to reflect the blind area of ​​the camera toward the camera at the above-mentioned shooting position.

[0012] It is effective for the angle between the mirror surfaces of the first mirror and the second mirror to be 180 degrees or more and 270 degrees or less.

[0013] The mirror driving unit preferably includes: a driving motor; a power transmission unit that drives the reflective mirror using the driving force of the driving motor; a shooting position stopper that supports the position of the reflective mirror at the shooting position; and a storage position stopper that supports the position of the reflective mirror at the storage position.

[0014] At the above storage location, it is effective for the reflective mirror to be located inside the vehicle.

[0015] It is preferable that the mirror driving unit further includes a display unit installed inside the vehicle and displaying an image captured by the camera; and an angle switching input unit installed inside the vehicle that a user can input, and the mirror driving unit further includes a control unit that drives the mirror driving unit according to the input of the angle switching input unit.

[0016] It is effective for the above display unit to be a digital rearview mirror installed in the interior of the vehicle.

[0017] According to the means for solving the problem of the present invention as described above, various effects including the following can be expected. However, the present invention is not required to exhibit all of the following effects to be valid.

[0018] According to the present invention, while using a single camera installed in a vehicle, the blind spot can be captured by moving the reflective mirror forward in the camera's shooting direction (optical axis direction) according to the user's selection, thereby providing the effect of simultaneously checking the blind spots on the left and right sides of the camera.

[0019] This solves the problem of having to install multiple cameras separately on both sides of the vehicle, thereby preventing increased costs and damage to the vehicle's exterior.

[0020] In addition, it can prevent accidents by improving the driver's ability to perceive blind spots during driving and parking, and its simple structure makes installation and maintenance easy. Furthermore, it offers high scalability and versatility as the same structure can be applied to various locations, such as the front or sides of the vehicle, rather than being limited to the rear.

[0021] Furthermore, the reflective mirror is designed to remain inside the vehicle during normal operation, preserving the vehicle's exterior aesthetics, while moving forward in front of the camera only when necessary to check blind spots, providing both aesthetic and practical benefits.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a vehicle equipped with a vehicle imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a vehicle imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a perspective view in which the camera is in a shooting position.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the camera in the storage position.

[0025] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle equipped with a vehicle imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a vehicle imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the camera is in a shooting position, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the camera in a storage position.

[0027] As illustrated in these drawings, a vehicle imaging device (10) of one embodiment of the present invention comprises a camera (300) installed on a vehicle (1) to photograph the surroundings of the vehicle, a reflective mirror (100) installed on the vehicle to be movable between a shooting position (Fig. 2) located on the front side of the camera (300) and a storage position (Fig. 3) located in an area excluding the front of the camera (300), and a mirror driving unit (200) that drives the reflective mirror (100) between the shooting position and the storage position.

[0028] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a vehicle imaging device (10) is installed on the vehicle body and is installed in necessary locations such as the rear, front lower, and side of the vehicle, where it is difficult for the driver to see. FIG. 1 illustrates an example where the vehicle imaging device is installed at the rear of the vehicle. Typically, the field of view (11) of the camera (300) is about 120 to 135 degrees, so there is a blind spot (12) in the range outside this. Due to this blind spot, there is a problem in that the driver cannot easily identify obstacles located in the blind spot.

[0029] The camera (300) is installed inside the main body of the shooting device (600) so that the lens is exposed to the outside.

[0030] The main body of the imaging device (600) is formed as a housing, and a shooting opening is formed on one side so that a lens is exposed to the outside, and the main body of the imaging device (600) is built into the vehicle body.

[0031] The above-mentioned reflective mirror (100) is installed on a mirror frame (130). The reflective mirror (100) is installed at an angle with respect to the shooting direction of the camera (300). That is, the reflective mirror (100) includes a first mirror (110) installed at an angle with respect to the shooting direction of the camera (300), and a second mirror (120) which is connected to the corner of the first mirror (110) in a folding direction and installed at an angle with respect to the shooting direction of the camera (300). The first mirror (110) and the second mirror (120) are arranged symmetrically with respect to the camera (300). The reflective mirror (100) is formed to reflect the rectangular area of ​​the camera (300) toward the camera (300) at the shooting position.

[0032] That is, as illustrated in FIG. 2, at the shooting position, the mirror frame (130) is located on the upper front side of the camera (300), and the first mirror (110) and the second mirror (120) are fixed vertically to the mirror frame (130) and are formed to reflect a rectangular area on the side of the camera (300). It is preferable that the angle (θ) between the mirror surfaces of the first mirror (110) and the second mirror (120) be 180 degrees or more and 270 degrees or less. That is, if it is less than 180 degrees, the outer side of the reflected rectangular area is excessively reduced, and if it is 270 degrees or more, there is a problem that the rectangular area near the camera (300) is not captured.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the mirror frame (130) is located on the upper side of the main body of the shooting device (600) in the storage position, and the reflective mirror (100) is fixed to the upper side of the mirror frame (130). The mirror frame (130) rotates around the hinge axis (131). That is, it rotates around the hinge axis (131) from the storage position of FIG. 3 to the shooting position of FIG. 2, and the reflective mirror (100) is located on the lower side of the mirror frame (130) in the shooting position of FIG. 2, so that it faces the camera (300).

[0034] In the above storage location, it is more preferable for the reflective mirror (100) to be located inside the vehicle to protect the reflective mirror (100).

[0035] The mirror driving unit (200) comprises a driving motor (210), a power transmission unit (220) that drives the reflective mirror (100) using the driving force of the driving motor (210), a shooting position stopper (240) that supports the position of the reflective mirror (100) at the shooting position, and a storage position stopper (230) that supports the position of the reflective mirror (100) at the storage position.

[0036] The drive motor (210) is fixed inside the main body (600) of the imaging device, and while various motors may be used, it is preferable to implement it as a servo motor for precise control.

[0037] The power transmission unit (220) is a device that transmits power to drive the mirror frame (130) between the storage position and the shooting position using the power of the drive motor (210). If it is composed of multiple gear sets, it can be implemented as a spur gear set or a bevel gear set, etc., as needed.

[0038] The shooting position stopper (240) and the storage position stopper (230) may be formed integrally with the shooting device body (600) or formed on the vehicle body. Additionally, by supporting one side of the mirror frame (130), the reflective mirror (100) can be accurately positioned at the shooting position and the storage position.

[0039] Meanwhile, the vehicle imaging device of the present invention further includes a display unit (500) installed inside the vehicle and displaying an image captured by the camera (300), and an angle switching input unit (400) installed inside the vehicle that can be input by a user, and the mirror driving unit (200) further includes a control unit (250) that drives the mirror driving unit (200) according to the input of the angle switching input unit (400).

[0040] The display unit (500) is preferably a digital rearview mirror installed in the interior of the vehicle. Alternatively, it may be implemented on the vehicle's instrument panel or another display.

[0041] The square switching input section (400) can be implemented as a separate switch or as a touch-based input on the display section (500).

[0042] Hereinafter, the operation of a vehicle imaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 3, when the driver wants to check the blind spot from the storage position, the blind spot switching input unit (400) is used to switch to the blind spot shooting mode. As a result, the control unit (250) controls the mirror driving unit (200) to drive the reflective mirror (100) to the shooting position.

[0044] At this time, the mirror frame (130) comes into contact with the shooting position stopper (240), so that the reflective mirror (100) is positioned at an accurate location to capture a square.

[0045] A reflective mirror (100) located at the shooting position reflects the blind spot image to the camera (300), and the blind spot captured by the camera (300) is displayed on the display unit (500), allowing the driver to easily check the blind spot.

[0046] Next, when the driver switches from the blind spot shooting mode to the normal mode using the blind spot switching input unit (400), the control unit (250) controls the mirror driving unit (200) to drive the reflective mirror (100) to the storage position.

[0047] As described above, one embodiment of the present invention utilizes a single camera installed in a vehicle, and by moving a reflective mirror forward in the camera's shooting direction (optical axis direction) according to the user's selection to photograph the blind spot, it has the effect of simultaneously checking the blind spots on the left and right sides of the camera.

[0048] This solves the problem of having to install multiple cameras separately on both sides of the vehicle, thereby preventing increased costs and damage to the vehicle's exterior.

[0049] In addition, it can prevent accidents by improving the driver's ability to perceive blind spots during driving and parking, and its simple structure makes installation and maintenance easy. Furthermore, it offers high scalability and versatility as the same structure can be applied to various locations, such as the front or sides of the vehicle, rather than being limited to the rear.

[0050] Furthermore, the reflective mirror is designed to remain inside the vehicle under normal circumstances, preserving the vehicle's exterior aesthetics, while moving forward in front of the camera only when necessary to check blind spots, providing both aesthetic and practical benefits.

[0051] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described illustratively above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments and can be appropriately modified within the scope described in the claims.

Claims

1. A camera (300) installed on a vehicle to photograph the surroundings of the vehicle; A reflective mirror (100) installed on the vehicle to be movable between a shooting position located on the front side of the camera (300) and a storage position located in an area excluding the front of the camera (300); and A mirror driving unit (200) that drives the above-mentioned reflective mirror (100) between the shooting position and the storage position; A vehicle imaging device characterized by including 2. In Paragraph 1, A vehicle imaging device characterized in that the above-mentioned reflective mirror (100) is installed at an angle with respect to the shooting direction of the above-mentioned camera (300).

3. In Paragraph 2, The above-mentioned reflective mirror (100) is, A first mirror (110) installed to be inclined with respect to the shooting direction of the camera (300); and A second mirror (120) that is connected to the corner of the first mirror (110) in a folding direction and installed to be inclined with respect to the shooting direction of the camera (300); A vehicle imaging device characterized by including 4. In Paragraph 3, A vehicle imaging device characterized in that the first mirror (110) and the second mirror (120) are symmetrically arranged around the camera (300).

5. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned reflective mirror (100) is, A vehicle imaging device characterized by being formed to reflect a rectangular area of ​​the camera (300) toward the camera (300) at the above shooting position.

6. In Paragraph 3, A vehicle imaging device characterized in that the angle between the mirror surfaces of the first mirror (110) and the second mirror (120) is 180 degrees or more and 270 degrees or less.

7. In Paragraph 1, The above mirror driving unit (200) is, Drive motor (210); A power transmission unit (220) that drives the reflective mirror (100) using the driving force of the driving motor (210); A shooting position stopper (240) that supports the position of the reflective mirror (100) at the above shooting position; and A storage position stopper (230) that supports the position of the reflective mirror (100) at the storage position; A vehicle imaging device characterized by including 8. In Paragraph 1, A vehicle imaging device characterized in that the reflective mirror (100) is located inside the vehicle at the storage position.

9. In Paragraph 1, A display unit (500) installed inside the vehicle and displaying an image captured by the camera (300); and A square switching input unit (400) installed inside the vehicle, which can be input by a user; Includes, The above mirror driving unit (200) is, A control unit (250) that drives the mirror driving unit (200) according to the input of the angle switching input unit (400); A vehicle imaging device characterized by further including 10. In Paragraph 9, The above display unit (500) is, A vehicle imaging device characterized by being a digital rearview mirror installed in the interior of the vehicle.

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