Taper Plate Automotive Camera Mounting for Vibration and View Obstruction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automotive camera mounting systems face challenges in providing a wide enough angle of view for road sign and traffic light detection while minimizing obstruction to the driver's field of view, maintaining vibration resistance, and avoiding increased weight and complexity.
Innovation Solution
An automotive camera mounting apparatus with a support plate fixed to both the windshield and a front rail, allowing the camera to be positioned at an intermediate point for optimal viewing and reduced obstruction, featuring a taper plate design that enhances stability and reduces weight by distributing the camera's weight more evenly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the camera is mounted on the front rail to ensure stable fastening and reliable screw attachment, then the mounting reliability is improved, but the camera protrudes downward and blocks the driver's field of view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mounting plate as an intermediary component between the front rail and the camera. The mounting plate is attached to the front rail and extends forward, allowing the camera to be mounted at a position that does not protrude downward and block the driver's view, while still maintaining secure fastening to the front rail structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of mounting the camera directly on the front rail in a vertical configuration, the patent uses a mounting plate that extends in a horizontal dimension forward from the front rail. This dimensional change allows the camera to be positioned in a location that avoids downward protrusion while maintaining stable attachment.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the camera is disposed anterior to the front rail to avoid blocking the driver's field of view, then the field of view obstruction is reduced, but the center of gravity becomes considerably anterior to the fixing point, reducing vibration resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting plate serves as a mediator that connects the camera (positioned anterior to avoid obstruction) to the front rail (providing stable support). The plate transmits and distributes forces, allowing the camera to be positioned forward without creating excessive leverage that would compromise vibration resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting plate is designed with a tapered shape that is thicker at the front (where the camera is mounted) and thinner at the rear (where it attaches to the front rail). This curved/tapered geometry provides structural strength at the camera mounting position while maintaining adequate support connection, balancing the need for forward positioning with vibration resistance.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a vibration-resistant structure is incorporated into the camera housing to compensate for anterior positioning, then the vibration resistance is improved, but the structure becomes complicated and weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting plate acts as an external vibration-resistant structure separate from the camera housing itself. By providing vibration resistance through the mounting plate rather than modifying the camera housing, the solution avoids complicating the camera structure while still achieving the required stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The vibration resistance function is segmented from the camera housing and placed in the mounting plate. This separation allows the camera housing to remain simple while the mounting plate provides the necessary structural reinforcement for vibration resistance.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If the camera is mounted on the windshield to avoid obstruction, then the field of view obstruction is reduced, but the mounting reliability decreases due to the windshield being between the front rail and camera
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting plate serves as an intermediary that is attached to the front rail and extends forward to provide a mounting surface for the camera. This eliminates the need to mount directly on the windshield, maintaining reliable mechanical attachment to the front rail structure while achieving the desired positioning that avoids driver view obstruction.
Data Source
AI summary
To provide an automotive camera mounting apparatus that has a simplified, lightweight configuration with a minimum increase in weight, is vibration-free during running, and can be steadily mounted on a vehicle body, an automotive camera mounting apparatus 10 for mounting on an inside of a windshield 3 of a vehicle 1 an automotive camera 6 that images a forward view of the vehicle 1 through the windshield 3 includes a taper plate 11 as a support plate disposed along the windshield 3. The taper plate 11 has a first fixing portion 12 on a first end thereof fixed to a front rail 2 disposed on a periphery of the windshield 3 and a second fixing portion 13 on a second end thereof fixed to the windshield 3 via a mirror base 4. The automotive camera 6 is supported by a stay 7 that has a fixing portion 8 fixedly disposed on a third fixing portion 14 formed at an intermediate portion of the taper plate 11.