JP7345000B2 - Retention devices and vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a holding device and a vehicle.

An imaging device (camera) used for autonomous driving, advanced driving support, or drive recording is installed on the inside of a vehicle's front window. A camera installed inside the vehicle takes pictures of the front of the vehicle through the windshield.

Since the front window glass may become foggy due to temperature differences inside and outside the vehicle, it is necessary to suppress such fogging so as not to impede the imaging performance of the camera. Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which fogging is removed by heating an area of the front window glass within the photographing range of the camera with heat rays.

JP2017-213981A

However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, heat rays enter the field of view of the camera, so there is a risk that the imaging performance will deteriorate. Another problem is that it is difficult to remove fog in the area between the heat rays due to the low thermal conductivity of glass.

In contrast, a configuration can be considered in which a heater is placed on the bracket that supports the camera to warm the air between the bracket and the front window glass, without using a hot wire. For example, a heater is placed in a bracket portion that extends below the camera viewing space. When the air is heated by this heater, an upward air current is formed in the camera field of view, and the air current hits the front window glass, thereby making it possible to remove fogging.

However, in this type of configuration, the heater cannot be installed so as to cover the entire area of the front window glass within the field of view of the camera due to the limitations of the fixing structure of the bracket. Therefore, there is a region (particularly a region on the front side of the vehicle) where the windshield is not hit by the windshield within the field of view of the camera, and the defogging performance in this region may deteriorate.

The present invention provides an advantageous technique in terms of defogging performance of window members.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holding device for holding an in-vehicle camera, which is fixed to the inside surface of a window member constituting a front window of a vehicle, and photographs the front of the vehicle through the window member from inside the vehicle. a bracket for supporting the camera in a direction in which the camera is oriented; and a heater disposed on the bracket for heating a region of the window member within the field of view of the camera; and a bottom wall portion extending to the window member at a position lower than the optical axis of the lens on the front side of the vehicle, and the bottom wall portion has a first surface on the window member side and a side opposite to the first surface. and a second surface of the heater, the heater is attached to the second surface of the bottom wall, and the second surface of the bottom wall has a front end of the heater on the vehicle front side. A groove is formed so that a space is formed between the heater and the bottom wall , and an upper wall of the groove is inclined in a direction toward the optical axis toward the front of the vehicle. The holding device is characterized in that the bottom wall portion is formed with an opening that communicates the groove portion formed in the second surface with the first surface of the bottom wall portion.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique that is advantageous in terms of defogging performance of window members.

A left side view of the main parts of the vehicle. FIG. 3 is a left side view including a partial cross section around the camera, showing the configuration of the holding device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the camera and its surroundings, showing the configuration of a holding device. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the bracket that supports the camera, viewed from the front side. A plan view of the bracket that supports the camera, seen from the back side. A plan view seen from the back side of the bracket with the camera removed. A plan view of the bracket as seen from the back side with the dividing body removed. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the partial region of FIG. 2, showing an example of a bottom wall portion having a groove and an opening. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a partial region in FIG. 2, showing an example in which a heat conductive member is provided in a groove and an opening. The figure which shows the modification of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the claimed invention, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more features among the plurality of features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a left side view of the main parts of a vehicle 1 as a transportation device according to an embodiment. In the accompanying drawings, "FR" indicates the front of the vehicle 1, "LH" indicates the left side of the vehicle 1, and "UP" indicates the upper side of the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 is, for example, a four-wheeled vehicle, and has a front window 2 formed at the front of a vehicle interior CA (vehicle interior space). The front window 2 is composed of a front window glass 3 as a window member. The vehicle 1 also has a side window 4 formed on the side of the vehicle compartment CA. The side window 4 is constituted by a side window glass 5. The side window glass 5 can be supported retractably by the side door. The vehicle 1 further includes a roof 6 that forms the upper part of the vehicle interior CA.

A camera 10 for photographing the front of the vehicle through the front window glass 3 from the vehicle interior C is installed on the inner surface 3a (see FIG. 2) side (vehicle interior CA side) at the upper and left and right center portions of the front window glass 3. In this embodiment, the window member constituting the front window 2 is the front window glass 3, but it may be a member other than glass as long as it has the property of transmitting light detected by the camera 10. The camera 10 is, for example, an imaging device including an imaging device such as a CCD or a CMOS. This camera 10 is a camera for photographing outside the vehicle, which is used for automatic driving, advanced driving support, drive recording, and the like. Note that the camera 10 is not limited to a camera that photographs visible light, but may also be a camera that photographs invisible light such as infrared light.

2 to 5 show configuration examples of a holding device 10A that holds the camera 10. 2 is a left side view including a partial cross section of the area around the camera 10 in the vehicle 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the area around the camera 10, showing the configuration of the holding device 10A, and FIG. 4 is a bracket 20 that supports the camera 10. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the bracket 20 that supports the camera 10 viewed from the back side (the bottom back surface 26b side of the bottom wall 26, which will be described later). This is a plan view. Note that covers that cover the area around the camera 10 from the vehicle interior side may also be attached, but illustration of such covers is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the camera 10 may include a camera body 11 and a lens unit 12 disposed above the rear of the camera body 11. The camera body 11 may include an image sensor, an A/D converter, an image processing section, a storage section, a system control section, and the like. The lens section 12 includes at least one lens, and is arranged so that the lens surface 12a faces the front of the vehicle, which is the imaging direction, and the optical axis CL1, which is the central axis of the lens, is substantially horizontal. Arrow F1 indicates an imaging direction along optical axis CL1. The camera 10 is configured to be approximately symmetrical in appearance with respect to the optical axis CL1.

A bracket 20 that supports a camera 10 is fixed to an inner surface 3a of a front window glass 3 that is tilted upward toward the rear. The bracket 20 has an attachment part 22 attached to the inner surface 3a of the front window glass 3. The bracket 20 supports the camera 10 in a direction for photographing the front of the vehicle through the front window glass 3 from inside the vehicle while being fixed to the inner surface 3a of the front window glass 3 by the attachment part 22. In one example, the bracket 20 is an injection molded product made of synthetic resin, and is attached to the inner surface 3a of the front window glass 3 with an adhesive or the like. The bracket 20 is provided along the slope of the front window glass 3, and the camera 10 is attached to the bracket 20 from the vehicle interior side. The surroundings of the bracket 20 and the camera 10 can be covered with a camera cover from the vehicle interior side.

The bracket 20 supports the camera 10, but can also function as a lens hood to prevent flare and ghosting. Therefore, the bracket 20 in this embodiment may further include a lens hood 21 that surrounds the imaging space K1 (field of view) extending in the imaging direction (that is, forward of the vehicle) with respect to the lens unit 12 of the camera 10. Lens hood 21 and sticking part 22 may be formed integrally. A lens opening 28 is formed approximately in the center of the bracket 20 to expose the lens portion 12 of the camera 10 into the lens hood 21 from the vehicle interior side. The optical axis CL1 of the lens section 12 passes through the imaging space K1 from the center of the lens section 12, and reaches the front window glass 3 that closes the opening 21b of the lens hood 21.

The lens hood 21 is formed so that the left and right width becomes wider toward the front from the lens opening 28 . The lens hood 21 includes a bottom wall portion 26 that faces the imaging space K1 from below, and a side wall portion 27 that forms side surfaces 27a that face the imaging space K1 from the left and right sides. The bottom wall portion 26 extends to the front window glass 3 at a position lower than the optical axis CL1 of the lens portion 12 on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the lens portion 12 of the camera 10. The bottom wall portion 26 is parallel to the vehicle width direction (vehicle left-right direction), and when viewed from the side, it is inclined forwardly and downwardly with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction and the optical axis CL1 (it is inclined in the direction away from the optical axis CL1 toward the front of the vehicle). ) plane. The bottom wall portion 26 has a bottom surface 26a, which is a first surface on the window member side (front window glass 3 side), and a bottom back surface 26b, which is a second surface on the opposite side to the bottom surface 26a.

At least a portion of the lens hood surface 21a (bottom surface 26a and left and right side surfaces 27a) (bottom surface 26a in this embodiment) of the lens hood 21 facing the imaging space K1 contains stray light and reflected light that are incident on the lens section 12. A reflected wave reduction structure 25 that reduces (reflected waves) may be arranged. The reflected wave reduction structure 25 may be called a stray light shield (SLS). The reflected wave reduction structure 25 may be formed by, for example, a plurality of wave shapes extending in a triangular cross-section along the vehicle width direction and arranged in a plurality in the front-rear direction. The bottom surface 26a is formed wide in the vehicle width direction, and the reflected wave reduction structure 25 is also formed wide in the vehicle width direction accordingly. The bottom surface 26a has a shape in which the left and right width increases as the distance from the lens section 12 increases depending on the angle of view of the lens section 12. That is, the bottom surface 26a widens in the vehicle width direction as it gets farther from the lens portion 12 in the imaging direction F1. The shape of the bottom surface 26a may be a flat surface or a smooth curved surface. However, the bottom surface 26a may have irregularities for fixation and reinforcement.

When the lens hood 21 is provided with a reflected wave reducing structure 25 having a three-dimensional shape such as a wave shape, the bottom surface 26a becomes a reference plane (virtual plane) when forming the three-dimensional shape. A plurality of pattern shapes such as wave shapes of the reflected wave reducing structure 25 are arranged along the reference plane. The pattern shape may have a pattern with a constant period, or may have a non-uniform or random pattern. Furthermore, instead of being formed into a three-dimensional shape, a structure may be adopted in which surface treatment such as graining or painting is applied to reduce reflected waves. Note that the reflected wave reduction structure 25 may be provided on the side surface 27a of the lens hood 21.

The bottom surface 26a, and thus the bottom wall portion 26, is formed in a triangular shape with the left and right width increasing toward the front when viewed in plan from a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface 26a. Unless otherwise specified, a "plan view" in this embodiment refers to a view perpendicular to the bottom surface 26a, and a "plan view" in this embodiment refers to a view perpendicular to the bottom surface 26a unless otherwise specified. A plan view viewed from the direction.

The side surface 27a, and thus the side wall portion 27, is formed to bend upward and rearward from the left and right inclined sides on both rear sides of the bottom wall portion 26 and stand up. The side surfaces 27a are formed such that their vertical height gradually decreases from the left and right edges of the lens opening 28 toward both left and right ends of the front edge of the bottom wall 26. The vertical width of the side surface 27a is smaller than the horizontal width of the bottom surface 26a, and therefore the lens hood 21 and the imaging space K1 are formed in a flat shape with a suppressed vertical width.

The upper surface of the lens hood 21 forms an opening 21b located in the imaging direction of the camera 10. The opening 21b is surrounded by the upper edge of the lens opening 28, the upper edges of the left and right side walls 27, and the front edge of the bottom wall 26. The opening 21b is closed by the inner surface 3a of the front window glass 3 with the lens hood 21 and thus the bracket 20 fixed to the front window glass 3.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, a line CL2 indicates the center line of the bracket 20 in the vehicle width direction. The bracket 20 is configured to be generally symmetrical with respect to the center line CL2. In one example, the bracket 20 is arranged so that the center line CL2 coincides with the optical axis CL1 of the camera 10 in plan view, as shown in FIG. Further, the camera 10 may be arranged so that the optical axis CL1 coincides with the center line of the vehicle 1 in the vehicle width direction in a plan view. However, this is just an example, and the bracket 20 may be arranged such that the center line CL2 is offset from the center line in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1 in a plan view, and the camera 10 may be arranged such that the optical axis CL1 is deviated from the center line of the vehicle 1 in a plan view. It may be arranged so as to be shifted from the center line in the vehicle width direction.

In this embodiment, in order to improve the ease of access during maintenance, for example, the bottom wall portion 26 is configured to be divided into a fixed body 30 and a divided body 40 configured to be separable from the fixed body 30. . Here, the fixed body 30 is a part that includes a part of the reflected wave reduction structure 25 (fixed side structure part 25a) and is fixed to the vehicle body (front window glass 3), and the divided body 40 is a part of the reflected wave reduction structure 25. This part includes the remaining part 25 (divided side structure part 25b) and is configured to be separable from the fixed body 30.

The divided body 40 is provided in a generally rectangular range that overlaps the optical axis CL1 in a plan view. The fixed body 30 is provided with a fixed side opening 37 that forms a generally rectangular opening 37b for aligning the divided bodies 40. With the divided body 40 attached to the fixed side opening 37, the fixed body 30 and the divided body 40 are arranged so that the surfaces forming the bottom surface 26a are flush with or parallel to each other. When the side surface 27a of the lens hood 21 is provided with the reflected wave reduction structure 25, a divided body 40 including a part of the side wall portion 27 may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, the camera 10 is attached to the fixed body 30 side of the bottom wall portion 26 (bottom back surface 26b side). The camera 10 is attached to the fixed body 30 of the bracket 20 by engaging the locked parts (not shown) provided on the camera body 11 with the locking parts 35, 36, and 39 provided on the bottom wall part 26. . As shown in FIG. 5, the camera 10 attached to the fixed body 30 overlaps the divided body 40 in plan view.

6 is a plan view of FIG. 5 with the camera 10 removed, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. 6 with the divided body 40 removed. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a heater H for heating the area of the front window glass 3 within the field of view of the camera 10 is arranged on the bottom back surface 26b of (the divided body 40 of) the bottom wall portion 26. There is. The heater H is, for example, a planar heating element having a heating wire, and is attached to the bottom back surface 26b of the bottom wall portion 26. As the heater H generates heat, the imaging space K1 is heated via the bracket 20. As a result, an ascending air current is formed in the imaging space K1, and when the air current hits the front window glass 3, fogging is removed or prevented.

Note that the heater H may be arranged on the bottom surface 26a side of (the divided body 40 of) the bottom wall portion 26 to directly heat the imaging space K1 without using the bracket 20. However, in that case, the heater H will be visible through the front window glass 3 from outside the vehicle, so in this embodiment, the heater H is arranged on the bottom back surface 26b side of the bottom wall portion 26 from the viewpoint of improving the design. It is said that

FIG. 8 shows an enlarged view of the vicinity of the front end of the heater H in FIG. 2 on the vehicle front side. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a space is formed on the bottom back surface 26b (second surface) of the bottom wall section 26 between the front end of the heater H on the vehicle front side and the bottom wall section 26. A groove portion 52 is formed therein. As a result, the tip of the heater H is exposed, and the air within the groove 52 is directly heated by the heater H.

Further, an opening 51 is formed in the bottom wall portion 26, which communicates the groove portion 52 formed on the bottom back surface 26b with the bottom surface 26a (first surface) of the bottom wall portion 26. As a result, the air in the groove 52 heated by the heater H rises through the opening 51 and hits the portion of the front window glass 3 above it. Thereby, fogging of the relevant portion of the front window glass 3 is removed or prevented. In the conventional configuration without the opening 51, the air heated by the heater H does not reach the relevant portion of the front window glass 3, and fogging may not be removed. In this embodiment, by providing such an opening 51, the front window glass 3 can be defogged over a wider area more reliably.

The opening 51 is formed at a position further forward of the vehicle than the tip of the heater H on the vehicle front side. Thereby, the air warmed by the heater H can be reliably delivered to a region corresponding to the slope of the front window glass 3 (the slope decreases toward the front of the vehicle).

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a height P2 from the tip of the heater H at the tip of the upper wall 21c of the groove 52 connected to the opening 51 is higher than a height P1 from the tip of the heater H at the rear end of the upper wall 21c. . That is, the upper wall 21c is inclined in a direction closer to the optical axis CL1 toward the front of the vehicle. As a result, the air in the groove 52 is heated by the heater H, becomes an upward current, flows smoothly along the inclined upper wall 21c of the groove 52, and enters the opening 51. In this way, by giving the upper wall 21c of the groove 52 an inclination in the direction closer to the optical axis CL1 toward the front of the vehicle, the delivery performance of the air warmed by the heater H within the groove 52 can be improved. I can do it.

As shown in FIG. 7, the opening 51 can be an elongated opening that is long in the vehicle width direction. Further, a plurality of groove portions 52 may be formed across the vehicle width direction. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of openings 51 may be formed to correspond to the plurality of grooves 52. With these structures, the air warmed by the heater H can be evenly delivered to the entire area in the vehicle width direction.

FIG. 9 shows a modification to the configuration of FIG. 8. In FIG. 9 , a heat conductive member M is provided that is placed in contact with the heater H within the groove portion 52 and fills the opening 51 . The heat conductive member M is, for example, a metal member having higher thermal conductivity than the resin bracket (bottom wall portion). The bracket 20 and the heat conductive member M may be manufactured by two-color molding. According to this configuration, the heat conduction member M in the opening 51 is warmed by the heater H, thereby warming the air above the heat conduction member M, and the heated air prevents the front window glass 3 above from fogging. effectively removed.

In the above embodiment, a four-wheeled vehicle is illustrated as an example of a vehicle, but the present invention is also applicable to other types of vehicles such as two-wheeled vehicles. Further, although a vehicle is illustrated as an example of transportation equipment, the present invention is also applicable to other types of transportation equipment such as ships and aircraft.

<Summary of embodiments>
The above embodiments disclose at least the following embodiments of the holding device and vehicle.

1. The holding device (10A) for holding the in-vehicle camera of the above embodiment is as follows:
a bracket (20) fixed to the inside surface of a window member (3) constituting a front window (2) of the vehicle (1) and supporting the camera in a direction for photographing the front of the vehicle through the window member from inside the vehicle; ,
a heater (H) arranged on the bracket and for heating a region of the window member within the field of view of the camera;
has
The bracket has a bottom wall portion (26) that extends to the window member at a position lower than the optical axis (CL1) of the lens on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the lens (12) of the camera, and the bottom wall portion is , having a first surface (26a) on the window member side and a second surface (26b) on the opposite side to the first surface,
The heater is attached to the second surface of the bottom wall,
A groove (52) is formed in the second surface of the bottom wall so that a space is formed between the vehicle front end of the heater and the bottom wall;
An opening (51) is formed in the bottom wall to communicate the groove formed in the second surface with the first surface of the bottom wall.
According to this embodiment, fogging in the area of the window member within the field of view of the camera can be reliably removed.

2. In the above embodiment,
The opening is formed at a position further toward the front of the vehicle than the tip end of the heater.
According to this embodiment, air warmed by the heater can be reliably delivered to the region of the window member on the vehicle front side.

3. In the above embodiment,
The bottom wall portion is inclined in a direction away from the optical axis toward the front of the vehicle.
According to this embodiment, the bottom wall portion can also function as a lens hood.

4. In the above embodiment,
The upper wall of the groove is inclined toward the optical axis toward the front of the vehicle.
According to this embodiment, air within the groove can smoothly flow along the slope of the upper wall of the groove and enter the opening.

5. In the above embodiment,
The device further includes a member (M) having higher thermal conductivity than the bottom wall portion, which is disposed in the groove portion so as to be in contact with the heater and fill the opening.
According to this embodiment, the heat conduction member within the opening is heated by the heater, thereby warming the air above the heat conduction member, and the heated air effectively defogs the window member above it. be done.

6. In the above embodiment,
A plurality of the groove portions are formed across the vehicle width direction.
According to this embodiment, the air warmed by the heater can be evenly delivered to the entire area in the vehicle width direction.

7. In the above embodiment,
A plurality of openings are formed to correspond to the plurality of grooves.
According to this embodiment, the air warmed by the heater can be evenly delivered to the entire area in the vehicle width direction.

8. In the above embodiment,
The opening is an elongated opening that is long in the vehicle width direction.
According to this embodiment, the air warmed by the heater can be evenly delivered to the entire area in the vehicle width direction.

9. The vehicle (1) of the above embodiment is
a window member (3) constituting a front window (2);
A camera for taking pictures outside the vehicle (10),
a bracket (20) fixed to a surface of the window member on the inside of the vehicle and supporting the camera in a direction for photographing the front of the vehicle through the window member from inside the vehicle;
a heater (H) arranged on the bracket and for heating a region of the window member within the field of view of the camera;
has
The bracket has a bottom wall portion (26) that extends to the window member at a position lower than the optical axis of the lens on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the lens (12) of the camera, and the bottom wall portion extends to the window member. It has a first surface (26a) on the member side and a second surface (26b) on the opposite side to the first surface,
The heater is attached to the second surface of the bottom wall,
A groove (52) is formed in the second surface of the bottom wall so that a space is formed between the vehicle front end of the heater and the bottom wall;
An opening (51) is formed in the bottom wall to communicate the groove formed in the second surface with the first surface of the bottom wall.
According to this embodiment, fogging in the area of the window member within the field of view of the camera can be reliably removed.

Although the embodiments of the invention have been described above, the invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the invention.

H: heater, 3: front window glass, 10: camera, 10A: holding device, 20: bracket, 21: lens hood, 26: bottom wall, 51: opening, 52: groove

Claims (8)

A holding device for holding an in-vehicle camera,
a bracket that is fixed to a vehicle-inside surface of a window member that constitutes a front window of a vehicle, and supports the camera in a direction for photographing the front of the vehicle through the window member from inside the vehicle;
a heater disposed on the bracket for heating a region of the window member within the field of view of the camera;
has
The bracket has a bottom wall portion extending to the window member at a position lower than the optical axis of the lens on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the lens of the camera, and the bottom wall portion has a first surface on the side of the window member. and a second surface opposite to the first surface,
The heater is attached to the second surface of the bottom wall,
A groove is formed in the second surface of the bottom wall so that a space is formed between the heater and the bottom wall at the front end of the heater on the vehicle front side . The upper wall of the groove portion is inclined in a direction approaching the optical axis toward the front of the vehicle,
The bottom wall portion is formed with an opening that communicates the groove portion formed in the second surface with the first surface of the bottom wall portion.
A holding device characterized by: The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the opening is formed at a position further forward of the vehicle than the tip end of the heater. 3. The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the bottom wall portion is inclined in a direction away from the optical axis toward the front of the vehicle. 4. Any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a member having higher thermal conductivity than the bottom wall portion, the member being in contact with the heater within the groove portion and disposed to fill the opening. Retaining device as described in Section. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein a plurality of the groove portions are formed across the vehicle width direction. The holding device according to claim 5 , wherein a plurality of the openings are formed to correspond to the plurality of grooves. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the opening is an elongated opening that is elongated in the vehicle width direction. A window member that constitutes a front window;
A camera for taking pictures outside the vehicle,
a bracket that is fixed to a surface of the window member on the inside of the vehicle and supports the camera in a direction for photographing the front of the vehicle through the window member from inside the vehicle;
a heater disposed on the bracket for heating a region of the window member within the field of view of the camera;
has
The bracket has a bottom wall portion extending to the window member at a position lower than the optical axis of the lens on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the lens of the camera, and the bottom wall portion has a first surface on the side of the window member. and a second surface opposite to the first surface,
The heater is attached to the second surface of the bottom wall,
A groove is formed in the second surface of the bottom wall so that a space is formed between the heater and the bottom wall at the front end of the heater on the vehicle front side . The upper wall of the groove portion is inclined in a direction approaching the optical axis toward the front of the vehicle,
The bottom wall portion is formed with an opening that communicates the groove portion formed in the second surface with the first surface of the bottom wall portion.
A vehicle characterized by:

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