Vehicle Camera Arrangement With Opposing Pivot Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing camera arrangements for vehicles require a large amount of construction space due to their design, which limits their compactness and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A camera arrangement featuring a pivot mechanism with two rotatably coupled pivot arms that pivot in opposite directions, allowing for space-saving kinematics and a compact construction, along with a peripheral seal and a dual-function pivot arm that supports and seals the camera unit, enabling greater freedom of movement and protection from external influences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional camera arrangement is used, then the camera can be protected in a chamber, but the construction space required is large
Solution Approach 1:
The camera unit is nested within the chamber housing, allowing it to be retracted into a protected position when not in use. The pivot arms enable the camera to be stored compactly within the housing volume, effectively nesting the movable camera unit within the stationary chamber structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera unit is made dynamically movable via the pivot mechanism, transitioning between a retracted protected position and an extended active position. This dynamic configuration allows the same space to serve both protection and operational functions, reducing the overall construction space required compared to a permanently extended design.
2Ease of operation
If additional guide mechanisms are added to support the camera unit, then the camera can be properly guided, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot arms serve multiple functions simultaneously: they support the camera unit, guide its pivoting motion, provide structural connection between the camera and housing, and enable the pivoting action itself. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate guide mechanisms, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining proper camera guidance.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the pivot arms are made longer to increase freedom of movement, then the camera can move more freely, but the construction space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot arms are configured with asymmetric geometry and positioning, allowing optimized movement ranges that provide sufficient freedom of operation for the camera while maintaining a compact overall construction. The asymmetric design enables the camera to achieve necessary viewing angles without requiring symmetrically large clearance in all directions.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a camera arrangement for a vehicle having a camera unit and a pivot mechanism for the pivoting of the camera unit into an active position and into a position of rest. The camera unit is accommodated in a chamber in an inaccessible manner from the outside in the position of rest and is pivoted out of the chamber in the active position for the optical detection of a surrounding zone. The pivot mechanism comprises two pivot arms which are rotatably coupled to the camera unit at oppositely disposed sides thereof and which pivot in opposite directions during the pivoting of the camera unit.