JP-7857148-B2 - Vehicle external imaging device

JP7857148B2JP 7857148 B2JP7857148 B2JP 7857148B2JP-7857148-B2

Inventors

金森聖斗

Assignees

株式会社SUBARU

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220427

Claims (6)

An external vehicle camera that is installed inside a vehicle and photographs the outside of the vehicle through the vehicle's glass, A light-receiving unit that receives light transmitted through the glass, The light receiving portion is provided on the light incident side and includes a front portion that shields the reflected light that is reflected by the inner surface of the glass and incident on the light receiving portion, and also forms an airflow channel between itself and the inner surface of the glass, The vehicle exterior imaging device is characterized in that the front portion has a continuous curved surface that bulges toward the inner surface of the glass, comprising a curved surface that gradually moves away from the glass as it moves away from the glass at the rear of the portion closest to the glass, and a curved surface at the inlet that gradually moves away from the glass as it moves away from the portion closest to the glass, and the longitudinal cross-section of the tip surface, which is the tip of the front portion, has a curved surface that bulges forward along the surface of the glass .
The vehicle exterior imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the front portion is located on the side of the airflow vent of the light-shielding member, which is provided facing the inner surface of the glass on the light-incident side of the light-receiving portion.
The vehicle external imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the front portion is located on the side of the airflow vent of the mounting member that supports the light-receiving portion and attaches to the glass or the member that fixes the glass.
The vehicle external imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the front portion is located on the side of the airflow vent of the cover member covering the light-receiving portion.
The vehicle exterior imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the front portion has a separate airflow channel from the one between it and the inner surface of the glass.
The vehicle external imaging device according to claim 5, characterized in that the aforementioned separate airflow channel is substantially S-shaped when viewed from a lateral cross-section.

Description

This invention relates to a vehicle exterior imaging device that is installed inside a vehicle and captures images of the outside of the vehicle through the vehicle's glass. Vehicle external imaging devices equipped with onboard cameras and installed inside the vehicle's glass are known. These devices can record images for use as a drive recorder, or capture external information from the images for use in vehicle control, such as controlling the steering wheel, brakes, and accelerator. Patent Document 1 describes a system where a fan-shaped field of view restriction section is provided around the front of the camera to prevent reflected light from the glass from appearing on the lens. Furthermore, defroster air is drawn in through vents to prevent condensation and fogging on the inner surface of the glass and the lens. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-37948 Side view of a vehicle equipped with an external camera.Front top view of a vehicle equipped with an external camera.Underside view of the vehicle's external imaging device.A top-angle view of a conventional light-shielding component.Cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a conventional light-shielding member.A side view of the vicinity of a conventional light-shielding member.A top oblique view of a light-shielding member in an embodiment of the present invention.A cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the light-shielding member in an embodiment of the present invention.A side view of the vicinity of the light-shielding member in an embodiment of the present invention.A top oblique view of the light-shielding member in modified example 1 of the present invention.A cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the light-shielding member in modified example 1 of the present invention.A cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the light-shielding member in a modified example 2 of the present invention. In this embodiment, an external vehicle imaging device for capturing images of the vehicle's exterior for use in a driver assistance system will be described. Figure 1 is a side view of the vehicle 1 and shows the mounting position of the external vehicle imaging device 2. In Figure 1, the white arrow indicates the front of the vehicle 1. The external vehicle imaging device 2 of this embodiment is installed inside the windshield 11, which is the glass of the vehicle 1, in front of the rearview mirror 12. From the driver's perspective, the external vehicle imaging device 2 is located behind the rearview mirror 12. The external vehicle imaging device 2 is attached to the windshield 11 at the upper center of the windshield 11. In the top view of Figure 2, the external vehicle imaging device 2 is equipped with cameras 21 behind the two camera front spaces S on the left and right sides in the direction of travel of the vehicle 1. In Figure 2, the white arrow also indicates the front. The cameras 21 form light-receiving parts that receive light transmitted through the windshield 11. The top surface of the external vehicle imaging device 2 is shielded from light from the outside by the light-shielding part of the windshield 11, except for the portion of the camera front space S. Camera 21 is located below the light-shielding section and is not shown in Figure 2. Figure 3 is a view from below of the vehicle exterior imaging device 2 attached to the windshield 11 of vehicle 1, with the cover member removed. The white arrow indicates the front. The mounting member 22 of the steel plate has its upper surface, which corresponds to the back side in Figure 3, attached to the windshield 11 by adhesive. Other components of the vehicle exterior imaging device 2 are connected to the mounting member 22. The circuit section 23 is equipped with an ECU such as a recognition device that recognizes the captured image, and is covered by a cover for the circuit section. Two cameras 21 are connected to the circuit section 23. In front of each camera 21, a light-shielding member 25 is provided in the conventional example, and a light-shielding member 26 is provided in the embodiment. When viewed from below, the light-shielding members are almost the same in both the conventional example and the embodiment, so the light-shielding members 25 and 26 are shown together in Figure 3. The light-shielding members 25 and 26 are provided facing the inner surface of the windshield 11 and are located below the cameras 21 to block light from inside the vehicle. There is a gap G between the camera 21 and the light-shielding members 25 and 26, and airflow flows downward from the top of the light-shielding members 25 and 26 through the gap G. The vehicle exterior imaging device 2 is installed inside the vehicle 1, and the camera 21 photographs the outside of the vehicle through the glass of the vehicle 1. Figure 4 shows a conventional light-shielding member 25 viewed from an oblique angle above. The white arrow indicates the front. Figure 4 is a view from the side of the windshield 11 and corresponds