Concealed Vehicle Interior Camera Using Angled Transparent Optics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle interior surveillance devices with RGB cameras are visibly installed, leading to discomfort among occupants due to the visibility of the camera lens, which affects acceptance.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle interior monitoring device with a transparent body having angled surfaces conceals the camera lens, allowing it to operate in the visible wavelength range while being hidden from view, using refraction to project images onto an image sensor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an RGB camera lens is installed inside the vehicle, then color images can be captured in the visible wavelength range, but the camera lens becomes visible to vehicle occupants and causes discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
A transparent body with angled surfaces is introduced as an intermediary element between the camera lens and the vehicle occupants. This body allows visible light to pass through while refracting it in such a way that the lens remains concealed from direct view, thus maintaining both image quality and occupant comfort
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent body is designed to be transparent to the visible wavelength range, allowing it to be invisible or effectively hidden from view while still functioning as an optical element. This transparency property enables the lens to remain concealed while capturing visible light
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a transparent body with angled surfaces is placed in front of the lens, then the lens is concealed from view, but the body must be transparent to visible light to maintain imaging capability
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent body serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a concealing element for the lens, functions as an optical element that refracts light, and maintains transparency to visible wavelengths. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components
Solution Approach 2:
The angled surfaces of the transparent body are designed with specific orientations to refract visible light in controlled ways. By changing the angular parameters of the surfaces, the system achieves both concealment and imaging functionality without requiring complex additional optics
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the transparent body has angled surfaces, then light is refracted to conceal the lens, but the body must maintain transparency to the visible wavelength range
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent body is designed with different surface properties in different locations. The angled surfaces are positioned and oriented to refract light in specific directions, creating zones of concealment while maintaining overall transparency. Each surface region is optimized for its specific function in the optical path
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The camera lens is concealed, enhancing acceptance by occupants while maintaining unrestricted viewing of the interior, and can be integrated as a design element, enabling simultaneous monitoring of multiple areas.
Implementation Method 1
light incident on the lens passes through a plurality of surfaces of the transparent body that are angled to one another. Incident light is thus refracted differently at the surfaces that are at an angle to each other
Data Source
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Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle interior monitoring device, a vehicle interior monitoring system, a display with a vehicle interior monitoring device, and a vehicle having such a vehicle interior monitoring device. The vehicle interior monitoring device (1) has a body (2) that is transparent to the visible wavelength range and has a plurality of surfaces and a plurality of edges. Adjacent surfaces of the body (2) are at an angle to one another. The vehicle interior monitoring device (1) further has a camera (3) that operates in the visible wavelength range. The camera (3) has a lens (4) and an image sensor, wherein the lens (4) is designed to project images onto the image sensor.The body (2) which is transparent for the visible wavelength range is arranged on the lens (4) and the body (2) and the lens (4) are designed and arranged relative to one another in such a way that light incident on the lens (4) passes through a plurality of the surfaces of the transparent body which are set at an angle to one another.