JP7610792B2 - sunshade - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sunshade that is attached to the front of an automobile windshield to block sunlight.

An example of a conventional sunshade is described in Non-Patent Document 1. The sunshade described in Non-Patent Document 1 is attached to cover the front of the windshield glass of an automobile, and has an opening with a canopy in a position corresponding to an on-board camera such as a drive recorder. This sunshade blocks sunlight to prevent the temperature inside the vehicle from rising, and also provides a crime prevention function by ensuring the field of view of the on-board camera through the opening.

https://item.rakuten.co.jp/kmmotors/p00000en/

However, conventional sunshades such as those described above have an opening with a visor, which means that the visor may be blown around by a strong wind, causing the sunshade to be incompletely attached. In addition, suspicious people who intrude into cars often behave near the front pillars, making it difficult to capture them in the field of view of the car-mounted camera. The challenge was to solve these problems.

The present invention was developed to address the above-mentioned problems with the conventional technology, and aims to provide a sunshade that can be kept in the correct position even in strong winds, and that can ensure visibility of the area near the front pillars using an onboard camera as a crime prevention measure.

The sunshade of the present invention is a so-called external type that is attached to the front of the windshield glass in an automobile in which an on-board camera is placed on the passenger compartment side of the windshield glass. This sunshade has an opening arranged in a position facing the on-board camera when attached to the front of the windshield glass, and an optical mechanism arranged on the outside of the opening. The sunshade is characterized in that the optical mechanism has a secondary shading section arranged on the outside that blocks sunlight, and a light guiding section arranged on the inside that reflects or refracts light from the side of the windshield glass in the direction of the opening.

The sunshade of the present invention has an optical mechanism on the outside of the opening and does not have a large protruding part like a canopy, so it is less susceptible to strong winds. In addition, the sunshade has an optical mechanism arranged on the outside of the opening and a secondary shading part arranged on the outside, so the sunshade body and the secondary shading part block sunlight and prevent the temperature inside the vehicle from rising. Furthermore, the sunshade has a light guide part arranged on the inside of the optical mechanism that reflects or refracts light from the side of the windshield glass toward the opening, and this is captured by the vehicle-mounted camera. In other words, since suspicious people in vehicles often act near the front pillars, the light guide part of the optical mechanism makes it possible to capture and record suspicious people near the front pillars in the field of view of the vehicle-mounted camera.

In this way, the sunshade of the present invention can maintain the correct installation even in strong winds, and the onboard camera can ensure a clear view of the area near the front pillar, improving crime prevention.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a sunshade according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached to an automobile; FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the sunshade shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the sunshade shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view illustrating a second embodiment of a sunshade according to the present invention. FIG. 11 is a horizontal cross-sectional view illustrating a third embodiment of a sunshade according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a horizontal cross-sectional view illustrating a fourth embodiment of the sunshade according to the present invention.

First Embodiment
1 is attached to cover the front of the windshield glass of an automobile V and is fixed to the vehicle body by a plurality of belts B that are fastened to a front pillar P or a front fender F, or by suction cups, magnets, or the like (not shown). As is well known, this sunshade 1 is used to block sunlight and prevent the temperature inside the vehicle from rising.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the sunshade 1 is suitable for an automobile V in which an on-board camera C such as a drive recorder is arranged on the passenger compartment side of the windshield glass W, and is attached to the front of the windshield glass W as shown in Figure 1. This sunshade 1 has an opening 2 arranged in a position facing the on-board camera C when attached to the front of the windshield glass W, and an optical mechanism 3 arranged on the outside of the opening 2.

The optical mechanism 3 is equipped with a secondary shading section 4 arranged on the outside to block sunlight L1, and a light guide section 5 arranged on the inside to reflect (L3) or refract light L2 from the side of the windshield glass W toward the opening 2. In other words, the optical mechanism 3 forms an optical path for capturing light L2 from the side of the windshield glass W, i.e., the vicinity of the front pillar P, with the vehicle-mounted camera C.

The optical mechanism 3 in this embodiment is held at a position separated from the windshield glass W. In this case, the optical mechanism 3 can be configured to include a holding member for maintaining its position. The holding member also maintains a gap for passing light L2 from the side of the windshield glass W. The optical mechanism 3 may be configured to be in contact with the windshield glass W, but if it is configured to be separated from the windshield glass W as in the illustrated example, a large field of view to the side of the windshield glass W can be ensured and it can also contribute to protecting the windshield glass W.

The secondary shading portion 4 is made of a material with a visible light transmittance of less than 30%, and more preferably, a material with a visible light transmittance of 0%. An example of a material with a visible light transmittance of less than 30% is mirror glass (sunglasses). In a more preferred embodiment, the secondary shading portion 4 can be made of the same material as the sunshade body, and more specifically, can be made of one of the following materials: resin, metal, or cloth.

The light guide section 5 is a pair of left and right mirrors 5A, 5B that reflect light L2 from both the left and right sides of the windshield glass W toward the opening 2 (reflected light L3). In this embodiment, the pair of left and right mirrors 5A, 5B are both flat mirrors. The two mirrors 5A, 5B are joined at approximately a right angle, and are arranged so that each is inclined at approximately 45 degrees with respect to the opening 2. In the illustrated example, the back surface of the mirrors 5A, 5B joined at approximately a right angle is the auxiliary light shielding section 4, but the auxiliary light shielding section 4 may be arranged so that it forms a triangular prism together with the two mirrors 5A, 5B.

The sunshade 1 is configured such that the projected area of the optical mechanism 3 is larger than the opening area of the opening 2 in the normal direction of the windshield glass W (the vertical direction in FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the optical mechanism 3 has a width dimension w2 and a height dimension h2 that are larger than the width dimension w1 and height dimension h1 of the opening 2 (w1<w2, h1<h2). Note that the height dimensions w1 and w2 are dimensions in the direction along the slope of the windshield glass W.

The sunshade 1 with the above configuration has an optical mechanism 3 on the outside of the opening 2, and has no large protruding parts like eaves, so it is less susceptible to the effects of strong winds. In addition, the sunshade 1 has an optical mechanism 3 arranged on the outside of the opening 2 and a secondary shading part 4 arranged on the outside of that, so the sunshade body and the secondary shading part 4 block sunlight L1, preventing the temperature inside the vehicle cabin from rising.

Furthermore, the sunshade 1 has an optical mechanism 3 that uses a light guide unit 5 disposed inside to reflect or refract light L2 from the side of the windshield glass W toward the opening 2, and the light L3 is captured by the vehicle-mounted camera C. In other words, since suspicious people approaching the vehicle V often behave near the front pillars P, the light guide unit 5 of the optical mechanism 3 makes it possible to capture and record suspicious people near the front pillars P in the field of view of the vehicle-mounted camera C.

In this way, the sunshade 1 can be kept correctly attached even in strong winds, and the onboard camera C can ensure a clear view of the area near the front pillar P, improving the crime prevention function (surveillance function).

The sunshade 1 also employs flat mirrors 5A and 5B as a pair of left and right mirrors that constitute the light guide section 5, which reflect light L2 from both the left and right sides of the windshield glass W toward the opening 2, and captures the reflected light L3 with the vehicle-mounted camera C. As a result, the sunshade 1 has a relatively simple structure, yet is able to simultaneously capture images of the vicinity of the left and right front pillars P with the vehicle-mounted camera C. In particular, the use of flat mirrors 5A and 5B allows the vehicle-mounted camera C to capture images that are undistorted and highly visible.

Furthermore, by forming the auxiliary shading portion 4 from a material that does not transmit visible light, the sunshade 1 can block visible light that enters from the normal direction of the windshield glass W, ensuring sufficient shading for the interior of the vehicle, while eliminating the effects of backlight on the vehicle-mounted camera C, allowing good images to be captured.

Furthermore, if the above sunshade 1 is configured to form the secondary shading section 4 from the same material as the sunshade body, for example, when the opening 2 is formed in the sunshade body, the cut-out scrap material can be used for the secondary shading section 4, improving material yield and reducing manufacturing costs. Also, the above sunshade 1 makes it easy to integrate the secondary shading section 4 with the sunshade body, which increases the sense of unity with the sunshade body and improves the external appearance.

Furthermore, the material of the secondary shading section 4 of the sunshade 1 can be any one of resin, metal, and cloth. When resin or metal is used, it is easy to process and has a high degree of freedom in shape. When cloth is used for the secondary shading section 4 of the sunshade 1, it is flexible, lightweight, and has a high degree of freedom in shape.

Furthermore, the sunshade 1 is configured so that the projected area of the optical mechanism 3 in the normal direction of the windshield glass W is larger than the opening area of the opening 2, thereby being able to sufficiently block visible light entering from the normal direction, and being able to sufficiently suppress loss of light blocking function despite the presence of the opening 2.

Figures 4 to 6 are diagrams illustrating second to fourth embodiments of the sunshade according to the present invention. In the following embodiments, the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations are omitted. The overall structure of the sunshade 1 is the same as the structure shown in Figure 1.

Second Embodiment
The sunshade 1 shown in Figure 4 has a pair of left and right mirrors that constitute the light-guiding section 5 of the optical mechanism 3, both of which are wide-angle mirrors 5C, 5D, which reflect light L2 from both the left and right sides of the windshield glass W at a wide angle and guide the reflected light L3 to the vehicle-mounted camera C.

This sunshade 1 can achieve the same effects and advantages as the first embodiment, and by using wide-angle mirrors 5C and 5D that make up the light guide section 5, the area imaged per unit area of the vehicle-mounted camera C is widened, improving crime prevention effects and allowing the light guide section 5 to be made more compact.

Third Embodiment
The sunshade 1 shown in Figure 5 has a pair of left and right mirrors that constitute the light-guiding section 5 of the optical mechanism 3, each of which is a combination of a flat mirror 5A and a wide-angle mirror 5C, and is configured to reflect light L2 from both the left and right sides of the windshield glass W by the flat mirror 5A, and to reflect the other light L2 at a wide angle by the wide-angle mirror 5C, and guide it to the vehicle-mounted camera C.

In the above sunshade 1, it is desirable to determine the arrangement of the flat mirror 5A and the wide-angle mirror 5C depending on the mounting position of the vehicle-mounted camera C, for example. That is, if the vehicle-mounted camera C is placed to the left in the vehicle cabin, the left side will be the flat mirror 5A and the right side will be the wide-angle mirror 5B, and if the vehicle-mounted camera C is placed to the right in the vehicle cabin, the left side will be the wide-angle mirror 5C and the right side will be the flat mirror 5A.

In other words, the sunshade 1 has the mirror closer to the front pillar P as the flat mirror 5A and the mirror farther away as the wide-angle mirror 5C, depending on the mounting position of the vehicle-mounted camera C. This allows the sunshade 1 to reflect the vicinity of the nearby front pillar P with the flat mirror 5A, allowing the vehicle-mounted camera C to capture a good, distortion-free image, and the wide-angle mirror 5C to widen the distant field of view, allowing the vehicle-mounted camera C to capture a wide range.

In this way, the sunshade 1 described above can achieve the same effects and advantages as the first embodiment, and by combining the light guide 5 with a flat mirror 5A and a wide-angle mirror 5C, it achieves a reflection function according to the position of the vehicle-mounted camera C, making it possible to capture good images.

Fourth Embodiment
6, the sunshade 1 has a light guide section 5 of an optical mechanism 3 equipped with a magnifying lens 6 disposed at an opening 2, and light 2 from the side of a windshield glass W is reflected by a pair of left and right flat mirrors 5A, 5B constituting the light guide section 5, and the reflected light L3 is refracted by the magnifying lens 6 and guided to an in-vehicle camera C. At least one of the pair of flat mirrors 5A, 5B may be a wide-angle mirror 5C.

The sunshade 1 described above can achieve the same effects and advantages as the first embodiment, and also increases the area captured by the vehicle-mounted camera C per unit area, improving crime prevention.

The configuration of the sunshade according to the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and it is possible to modify it as appropriate or combine the configurations of the various embodiments without departing from the gist of the present invention.

The sunshade of the present invention covers the front surface of the windshield glass in an automobile equipped with an on-board camera facing the front of the vehicle body. However, the sunshade of the present invention can also be applied to cover the outer surface of the rear glass in an automobile equipped with an on-board camera facing the rear of the vehicle body. In this case, the vehicle-mounted camera can capture images of the vicinity of the rear pillar or rear fender, simply by reversing the front-to-rear relationship of the vehicle body from each embodiment.

C: on-vehicle camera V: automobile W: windshield glass 1: sunshade 2: opening 3: optical mechanism 4: auxiliary light-shielding section 5: light-guiding section 5A, 5B: flat mirror 5C, 5D: magnifying mirror 6: magnifying lens

Claims (10)

A sunshade attached to a front surface of a windshield glass in a vehicle having an on-board camera disposed on the passenger compartment side of the windshield glass,
an opening portion disposed in a position facing the vehicle-mounted camera when the vehicle-mounted camera is attached to the front surface of the windshield glass; and an optical mechanism disposed outside the opening portion,
A sunshade characterized in that the optical mechanism comprises a secondary shading section arranged on the outside to block sunlight, and a light guiding section arranged on the inside to reflect or refract light from the side of the windshield glass toward the opening. The sunshade according to claim 1, characterized in that the light guide is a pair of mirrors that reflect light from both the left and right sides of the windshield glass toward the opening. The sunshade according to claim 1, characterized in that the pair of left and right mirrors that make up the light guide section are both flat mirrors. The sunshade according to claim 1, characterized in that the pair of left and right mirrors that make up the light guide section are both wide-angle mirrors. 2. The sunshade according to claim 1, wherein the pair of left and right mirrors constituting the light guide portion is a combination of a flat mirror and a wide-angle mirror. The sunshade according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the light guide of the optical mechanism includes a magnifying lens disposed in the opening. The sunshade according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the secondary shading portion is made of a material that does not transmit visible light. The sunshade according to claim 7, characterized in that the auxiliary shading portion is made of the same material as the sunshade body. The sunshade according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the material of the secondary shading part is one of resin, metal, and cloth. The sunshade according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the projected area of the optical mechanism in the normal direction of the windshield glass is larger than the opening area of the opening.

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