Movable Vehicle Camera Housing for Aerodynamic and Soiling Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing camera systems for vehicles face limitations in design and functionality, including restricted pivotability, inadequate closure against soiling, and vulnerability in use positions, which affect image quality, safety, and aerodynamics.
Innovation Solution
A camera system with a movable part that can adjust between a storage and use position, featuring a mechanical cleaning device and a power source for optimal positioning and visibility, allowing fold-in, fold-out, and fold-over capabilities, and integration with a vehicle body part for enhanced safety and reduced soiling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the camera housing is positioned directly beside the outer surface of the body part, then the camera can record images, but the freedom of design and pivotability is limited and closure against soiling is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The camera housing is made movable relative to the body part through a pivotable connection, allowing it to transition between different positions (retracted and extended). This dynamic configuration enables the housing to both record images effectively and achieve greater pivotability, resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability.
2Reliability
If the camera housing pivots further out of the body, then the image recording capability improves, but the safety of fellow road users is jeopardized
Solution Approach 1:
The camera housing is designed to be movable and pivotable rather than fixed, allowing it to be positioned optimally for image recording while maintaining safety margins. The dynamic positioning capability enables the system to achieve good imaging without permanently extending into zones that could harm road users.
3Reliability
If the camera housing is positioned outside the body, then the image recording capability improves, but the device becomes vulnerable to damage from obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The camera housing can be retracted into the body part when not in use or when potential damage is anticipated, and extended only when needed for image recording. This dynamic repositioning capability protects the housing from damage while maintaining image recording capability when required.
4Reliability
If the camera housing is positioned outside the body, then the image recording capability improves, but aerodynamic performance deteriorates and noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera housing is retracted into the body part during normal driving conditions to maintain good aerodynamic performance and minimize noise. It is extended only when image recording is required, thus achieving good imaging capability while minimizing aerodynamic penalties and noise generation.
5Reliability
If the camera housing is positioned outside the body, then the image recording capability improves, but the cavity becomes susceptible to soiling
Solution Approach 1:
The camera housing can be retracted into the body part when not in use, reducing exposure to external contaminants. This dynamic positioning minimizes the time the housing and surrounding cavity are exposed to soiling conditions while maintaining image recording capability when the housing is extended.
Data Source
AI summary
Image recording device provided with a fixed part for at least partial inclusion in and/or on the body of a motor vehicle, and a movable part which comprises at least one optical element, the optical element comprising at least one optical sensor and/or a lens unit, and an adjustment device provided with a power source, for adjusting the movable part between a first position and a second position, wherein during use in the first position the movable part is wholly or partly included in the body, and in the second position the movable part extends at an angle with respect to the body, such that at least the optical element carried by the movable part extends at least partly outside the body, wherein the movable part pivots from the second position about a, preferably substantially vertical, axis to the first position and vice versa.