JP7692033B2 - Vehicle information acquisition device cover - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cover for an in-vehicle information acquisition device.

Generally, when an onboard camera is installed on a four-wheeled vehicle, the onboard camera housing is attached inside the vehicle cabin behind the windshield. However, when the onboard camera is installed outside the vehicle, it becomes necessary to cover the camera housing and electronic components with a seamless cover in order to waterproof the camera. For example, Patent Document 1 states that "of the case body that houses and arranges the optical element and imaging unit, a cover body is placed over the optical element housing portion that protrudes outside the front bumper" (summary).

JP 2004-203187 A

In recent years, there has been a trend towards adopting advanced driving assistance systems using on-board information acquisition devices such as on-board cameras and millimeter-wave radar in saddle-type vehicles. When installing an on-board information acquisition device in a saddle-type vehicle, the cover must be lightweight and have a shape that matches the vehicle's design, so it is common to use plastic materials. However, since saddle-type vehicles have a relatively low vehicle height, there are many opportunities for collisions with flying objects such as stones and sand, which is a harsh environment for plastic materials that are weaker than windshields. Some plastic materials are relatively resistant to impacts and deterioration due to sunlight, but covering the entire on-board information acquisition device with such plastic materials to waterproof it would result in a significant increase in costs.

The object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle information acquisition device cover that provides protection for an in-vehicle information acquisition device at low cost.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an in-vehicle information acquisition device cover for housing an in-vehicle information acquisition device therein, the in-vehicle information acquisition device cover having a window portion to which a first resin member that transmits electromagnetic waves from the outside so that information can be acquired by the in-vehicle information acquisition device is fixed, and a second resin member that is separate from the first resin member and is installed in front of the window portion, and that transmits electromagnetic waves from the outside so that information can be acquired by the in-vehicle information acquisition device.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cover for an in-vehicle information acquisition device that provides protection for the in-vehicle information acquisition device at low cost. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear from the description of the embodiments below.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the in-vehicle information acquisition device cover according to the first embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 . FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a cover of an in-vehicle information acquisition device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle-mounted information acquisition device cover according to a modified example of the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a front perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a cover of an in-vehicle information acquisition device according to a third embodiment. BB cross-sectional view of FIG. 5. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle-mounted information acquisition device cover according to a modified example of the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a cover of an in-vehicle information acquisition device according to a fourth embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention is explained using drawings.

The in-vehicle information acquisition device cover according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a front perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the in-vehicle information acquisition device cover according to the first embodiment, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the direction in which the vehicle travels is defined as the forward direction. Note that the in-vehicle information acquisition device may be, for example, a camera that captures an image in front of the vehicle, but may also be another device such as a millimeter wave radar.

The cover body 1 has a box-shaped container shape that covers the periphery of the in-vehicle information acquisition device 2, and is continuously and integrally formed from the first resin member of the same material, so that moisture can be prevented from entering from the outside of the cover body 1. The cover body 1 does not necessarily have to be formed only from the first resin member, and does not prevent the use of other members in parts unrelated to waterproofing. In addition, a transparent material that transmits electromagnetic waves from the outside of the cover body 1 is used for the first resin member, so that the in-vehicle information acquisition device 2 can acquire information in front of the vehicle. However, in the first resin member, the area outside the window portion 1a that includes the field of view of the in-vehicle information acquisition device 2 is painted on the outer surface side of the first resin member so that the inside of the cover body 1 cannot be seen through. An example of a specific material for the first resin member is polycarbonate, but is not limited to this.

In particular, the vehicle-mounted information acquisition device cover mounted on a saddle-type vehicle as in this embodiment has a low vehicle height, so there are many opportunities for contact with flying objects, while it is difficult to use expensive materials such as windshields, so the cover body 1 is formed of resin as described above. Therefore, in this embodiment, a second resin member 3 is disposed in front of the cover body 1 so as to cover at least the front of the field of view of the vehicle-mounted information acquisition device 2, to prevent damage and deterioration of the cover body 1, particularly the first resin member in the window portion 1a. This second resin member 3 is fixed to the front side of the cover body 1 using adhesive 5, but it is preferable to provide the adhesive 5 outside the field of view of the vehicle-mounted information acquisition device 2 (information acquisition area 4 shown in FIG. 2) so as not to affect information acquisition.

Here, since the waterproofing of the in-vehicle information acquisition device 2 is guaranteed by the cover body 1, it is not necessary to consider the waterproofing when fixing the second resin member 3 to the cover body 1. For this reason, in this embodiment, the fixing points of the second resin member 3 to the cover body 1 are limited to two points, the top and the bottom, rather than the entire circumference. Therefore, if the second resin member 3 is damaged, the second resin member 3 can be removed while maintaining the waterproofing of the in-vehicle information acquisition device 2. The material of the second resin member 3 may be a material (e.g., ceramic or glass) that is stronger than the first resin member, but if it is a separate member from the first resin member, even if it is made of the same material as the first resin member, it is expected to have an effect of protecting the first resin member. In addition, although the resin member may deteriorate due to irradiation with sunlight, the deterioration of the first resin member is suppressed by the second resin member 3 being located on the outside.

The in-vehicle information acquisition device cover according to the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the in-vehicle information acquisition device cover according to the second embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 2 of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, a gap is formed between the cover body 1 and the second resin member 3 at least within the field of view of the in-vehicle information acquisition device 2. Therefore, even if a mechanical impact is applied to the second resin member 3, the first resin member can be prevented from being scratched. Furthermore, as in this embodiment, the presence of the gap can also suppress moire of visible light.

In addition, a transparent medium 6 different from the first resin member and the second resin member 3 is present in the gap. When the medium 6 is air, it is desirable that the size of the gap, i.e., the distance between the first resin member and the second resin member 3, is a predetermined size that does not contact the first resin member even when the second resin member 3 is elastically deformed to its limit. Here, when the medium 6 is air, condensation may occur on the inner surface of the second resin member 3. However, since the second resin member 3 is fixed to the first resin member with adhesive 5 only in the upper and lower regions of the window portion 1a, the condensed water that occurs can escape from the left and right sides of the window portion 1a. In addition, since the distance between the first resin member and the second resin member 3 is secured to a predetermined size as described above, it is possible to prevent the condensed water from forming a film due to surface tension, and to suppress the influence on the information acquisition accuracy by the in-vehicle information acquisition device 2.

On the other hand, when a gel or liquid is used as the medium 6, condensation can be prevented from occurring in the gap. In this case, the second resin member 3 needs to be fixed to the first resin member all around to seal the gap. When a solid is used as the medium 6, for example, an elastic body with a smaller Young's modulus than the first resin member and the second resin member 3 is desirable.

In this embodiment, a convex portion protruding forward is formed at least in the upper and lower regions of the window portion 1a of the cover body 1, and the rear surface of the second resin member 3 and the first resin member are fixed by adhesive 5 applied to the front surface of the convex portion. In this way, the presence of the convex portion makes it possible to ensure the above-mentioned gap to a predetermined size. In addition, instead of providing a convex portion on the front side of the cover body 1, a similar gap may be formed by providing a concave portion within the field of view of the in-vehicle information acquisition device 2 (information acquisition area 4 shown in FIG. 3). Note that by providing the convex portion and the concave portion on the cover body 1 rather than the second resin member 3, the handling after installation on the vehicle, including the replacement work of the second resin member 3, is improved.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an in-vehicle information acquisition device cover according to a modified example of the second embodiment. In this modified example, a convex portion protruding rearward is formed in the upper and lower regions of the second resin member 3, and the rear surface of this convex portion and the first resin member of the cover body 1 are fixed by adhesive 5. Instead of providing a convex portion, the rear side of the second resin member 3 may be provided with a concave portion within the field of view of the in-vehicle information acquisition device 2 (information acquisition area 4 shown in Figure 4) to form a gap. According to this modified example, since it is only necessary to process the second resin member 3, which is a smaller part than the cover body 1, there is an advantage that the in-vehicle information acquisition device cover as a whole is easy to manufacture. In addition, a configuration in which the above-mentioned gap is formed by providing a convex portion or a concave portion on both the second resin member 3 and the cover body 1 may be used.

The in-vehicle information acquisition device cover according to the third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 5 is a front perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the in-vehicle information acquisition device cover according to the third embodiment, and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of Fig. 5. In this embodiment, unlike in the first and second embodiments, the second resin member 3 is fixed to the cover body 1 by a rivet 7. In this embodiment, the second resin member 3 is fixed to the first resin member only at one point above the field of view of the in-vehicle information acquisition device 2 (information acquisition area 4 shown in Fig. 6), so that not only is it easy to fix the second resin member 3, but it is also easy to replace the second resin member 3 if it is damaged. In addition, the rivet 7 penetrates the first resin member at a point that does not face the installation space of the in-vehicle information acquisition device 2, so that the waterproofing of the cover body 1 against the in-vehicle information acquisition device 2 is maintained.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of an in-vehicle information acquisition device cover according to a modified example of the third embodiment. In this modified example, the second resin member 3 is fixed to the cover body 1 using a screw 8 instead of a rivet 7. According to this modified example, if the second resin member 3 is damaged, it is easier to replace it than in the third embodiment.

The in-vehicle information acquisition device cover according to Example 4 will be specifically described with reference to Figure 8. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the in-vehicle information acquisition device cover according to Example 4, and corresponds to Figure 2 of Example 1. In this example, the second resin member 3 is directly fixed with a rivet 7 to the vehicle support body 9, which is a structural body of the saddle-type vehicle. According to this example, the hole through which the rivet 7 penetrates is not formed in the first resin member, so that the waterproofness of the cover body 1 is maintained and the manufacturability of the in-vehicle information acquisition device cover is also improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. The above-described embodiments are provided as examples to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described. It is also possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. It is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

1...Cover body, 2...In-vehicle information acquisition device, 3...Second resin member, 4...Information acquisition area, 5...Adhesive, 6...Medium, 7...Rivet, 8...Screw, 9...Vehicle support

Claims (2)

A vehicle-mounted information acquisition device cover for housing an in-vehicle information acquisition device therein,
The vehicle-mounted information acquisition device cover is
a window portion to which a first resin member is fixed, the first resin member being transparent to electromagnetic waves from the outside so that information can be acquired by the in-vehicle information acquisition device;
a second resin member that is separate from the first resin member and is disposed in front of the window portion, and transmits electromagnetic waves from the outside so that information can be acquired by the in-vehicle information acquisition device;
having
the second resin member is fixed to the first resin member or to a structural body of a saddle-ride type vehicle only at an upper region and a lower region of the periphery thereof,
A cover for an in-vehicle information acquisition device, characterized in that air is present between the first resin member and the second resin member at least in the entire area within a field of view of the in-vehicle information acquisition device. 2. The in-vehicle information acquisition device cover according to claim 1,
The vehicle-mounted information acquisition device cover is characterized in that the second resin member is removably fixed.

Images