JP7793590B2 - Vehicle interior structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle interior structure equipped with a camera that captures images of the interior of the vehicle.

In recent years, users have been demanding the ability to capture images of the interior of their vehicle with a camera and view or record the images on a monitor. One vehicle interior structure that meets this demand is one in which a camera is installed on the ceiling of the vehicle interior (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). In both of the interior structures described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the camera for capturing images of the interior is installed on a roof console located in the central region of the ceiling on the front seat side in the vehicle width direction.

In the interior structure described in Patent Document 1, a camera is installed on the flat surface of the console panel of the roof console facing the interior of the vehicle, with the imaging unit facing downward.

The interior structure described in Patent Document 2 has a bulging wall that bulges downward at the front end of the roof console, and a camera is installed on the bulging wall so that the imaging unit faces downward toward the rear of the vehicle interior.

JP 2012-126357 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-219899

However, in the interior structure described in Patent Document 1, the camera is installed on the underside of the console panel so that the imaging unit faces downward, making it difficult for the camera to reliably capture a wide area inside the vehicle cabin. In other words, in the interior structure described in Patent Document 1, the camera is installed in an upper position near the front seats, facing downward, making it difficult to reliably capture a wide area in the rear area inside the vehicle cabin.

In contrast, the interior structure described in Patent Document 2 has a camera mounted on a bulging wall at the front end of the roof console facing downward toward the rear of the vehicle interior, allowing the camera to capture images of a relatively wide area from the front to the rear of the vehicle interior. However, in the case of the interior structure described in Patent Document 2, a bulging wall that bulges downward is provided at the front end of the roof console, which can easily detract from the appearance from both inside and outside the vehicle.

Furthermore, in the interior structure described in Patent Document 2, the bulging wall on which the camera is installed is positioned below the general surface below the roof console, so in vehicles where it is difficult to ensure sufficient interior height, front seat occupants or seats (seatbacks) may get in the way, making it impossible to reliably capture images of the rear area inside the vehicle cabin.

The present invention therefore aims to provide a vehicle interior structure that allows a wide area inside the vehicle to be reliably imaged by a camera while maintaining a good appearance from both inside and outside the vehicle.

In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle interior structure according to the present invention employs the following configuration.
That is, the interior structure of a vehicle according to the present invention comprises a roof console (e.g., roof console 10 in the embodiments) arranged in the central region of the ceiling of the vehicle interior in the vehicle width direction, the roof console comprising a console main body (e.g., console main body 13 in the embodiments) that mounts an operating device for a map lamp (e.g., map lamp 12 in the embodiments) that illuminates the area near the front seats in the vehicle interior, and a console panel (e.g., console panel 14 in the embodiments) that covers the interior side of the console main body, the console panel being provided with a recessed portion (e.g., recessed portion 16 in the embodiments) that is recessed upward relative to the surface of the console panel on which the map lamp is arranged, and a camera (e.g., camera 30 in the embodiments) being arranged at a position on the front side of the vehicle within the recessed portion so that its imaging direction faces downward toward the rear side of the vehicle interior.

With the above configuration, the camera that captures images of the interior of the vehicle is positioned at the front of the vehicle in a recessed portion of the console panel above the surface where the map lamp is located. The camera positioned in the recessed portion is installed so that its imaging direction faces downward toward the rear of the vehicle interior. This allows the camera to capture images of the interior of the vehicle from a position that is higher and more forward than the surface where the map lamp is located. As a result, the camera can reliably capture images of a wide area of the interior of the vehicle. Furthermore, because the camera is positioned in a recessed portion in the console panel, the camera and its housing do not bulge downward from the console panel. This helps maintain a good appearance from both inside and outside the vehicle.

The camera may be configured to capture images of the interior of the vehicle cabin so that the left and right side walls of the recess (e.g., side wall 16s in the embodiment) are reflected in the four corners as vignetting (e.g., vignetting 55 in the embodiment).

In this case, although vignetting occurs at the four corners, which are least inconvenient for visually checking the interior of the vehicle, due to the left and right side walls of the recess, the camera can be installed higher up on the front side of the vehicle in the recess. This makes it possible to reliably capture images of a wider area of the interior of the vehicle from higher up on the vehicle.

The image captured by the camera may be corrected for distortion by an image correction unit (e.g., the image processing circuit 60 in the embodiment) so that the vignetting is eliminated or reduced.

In this case, the image captured by the camera can be corrected by the image correction unit to eliminate distortion and eliminate or reduce vignetting in the corners. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, it is possible to reduce the sense of incongruity in the image viewed through a monitor, etc.

It is desirable that the lower end of the camera's imaging unit be positioned higher than the lower end of the map lamp's light-emitting unit (e.g., light-emitting unit 12a in the embodiment).

In this case, the shadow of the camera itself, cast by the light emitted from the light-emitting unit, will not be reflected in the camera image. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, good images can be obtained without the shadow of the camera being reflected, even when light is being emitted by the map lamp.

The light-emitting portions of the map lamps may be disposed on one and the other sides of the recessed portion of the console panel in the vehicle width direction, and second cameras (e.g., TOF cameras 50 in the embodiment) for capturing images of the occupants in the corresponding left and right front seats may be disposed on the outer sides of each of the light-emitting portions on one and the other sides of the console panel in the vehicle width direction.

In this case, the second cameras capturing images of the driver's and passenger's seats can be positioned in a desirable location close to the occupants. Furthermore, with this configuration, each second camera is positioned further outward in the vehicle width direction than the light-emitting portion of the map lamp, so the installation location of the second camera will not be reflected in the image captured by the camera for capturing images of the interior of the vehicle. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the second camera can be positioned in a desirable location for capturing images of front seat occupants, and still capture good images of the interior of the vehicle.

The vehicle interior structure of the present invention has a camera positioned inside a recess in the console panel at the front of the vehicle, with the imaging direction facing downward toward the rear of the passenger compartment. Therefore, when the vehicle interior structure of the present invention is adopted, the camera can reliably capture images of a wide area inside the passenger compartment, while maintaining a good appearance from both inside and outside the vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle according to an embodiment. 1 is a perspective view showing an interior of a vehicle according to an embodiment; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a top view of the roof console according to the embodiment. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the roof console according to the embodiment, taken along the line V in FIG. 4 . FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the interior of a vehicle for explaining the installation position and imaging range of a camera according to the embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an indoor video display system according to an embodiment. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an image before and after correction processing of a camera according to an embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The drawings include an arrow FR pointing forward of the vehicle, an arrow UP pointing upward of the vehicle, and an arrow LH pointing to the left side of the vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ceiling of the interior of the vehicle 1 as viewed from the rear lower side.
In Fig. 1, reference numeral 2 denotes a roof panel of the vehicle 1, and reference numerals 3f and 3r denote front and rear seats installed in the interior of the vehicle 1. In Fig. 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a roof console located in the central region of the ceiling above the front seats in the vehicle width direction, and reference numeral 11 denotes a sun visor located above the front seats on the ceiling inside the interior.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a top view of the roof console 10. As shown in FIG.
As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the roof console 10 includes a console body 13 and a plate-shaped console panel 14 that covers the interior side of the vehicle cabin of the console body 13. The console body 13 is made of a resin or metal housing and is fitted with operating devices (switch mechanisms, operating circuits, etc.) for the map lamps 12 and emergency switch 15 (see Figures 2 and 3). The console panel 14 is made of a high-density hard resin.

As shown in Figure 4, the console panel 14 has a shape in top view that combines one side of a roughly square with a roughly semicircular shape. The roughly square portion of the console panel 14 is located on the front side of the vehicle, and the roughly semicircular portion is located on the rear side of the vehicle. For ease of explanation, the square portion in top view will be referred to as the "main region 14m," and the roughly semicircular portion in top view will be referred to as the "rear extension region 14r."

The console body 13 and console panel 14 are fixed to the roof panel 2 in the central region of the interior ceiling in the vehicle width direction by clips, bolts, etc. The roof panel 2 consists of an outer roof panel 2o and an inner roof panel 2i, which are joined together to form a closed cross-sectional structure. The console body 13 and console panel 14 are fixed to the inner roof panel 2i.

As shown in Figure 2, roof linings 4A and 4B (interior materials) made of urethane, foam resin, etc. are arranged around the console panel 14 in the ceiling. The underside of the console panel 14 is exposed to the interior through an opening 5 in the roof lining 4A.

A recess 16 is formed in the main region 14m of the console panel 14, with the central region recessed upward relative to the peripheral edge. The shape of the recess 16 when viewed from below is roughly similar to the outer shape of the console panel 14, but scaled down. In other words, the shape of the recess 16 when viewed from below is a shape in which a roughly semicircular portion is combined with the rear edge of a roughly square portion. The front edge of the roughly square portion of the recess 16 has an inclined surface that slopes upward from the front side of the vehicle to the rear side. An opening 17 (see Figure 3) is formed in this inclined surface, and a cover glass 32 (transparent resin panel) is attached to the opening 17 to cover the front (rear side of the vehicle) of the imaging unit 31 (lens) of the camera 30, which will be described later.

The operating part of the emergency switch 15 mentioned above is located on the upper wall 16u of the recess 16 (the wall that forms the bottom of the recess). The operating part of the emergency switch 15 is located through the upper wall 16u of the recess 16 and is capable of operating a switch main body (not shown) on the console main body 13. The emergency switch 15 is turned on by pushing the operating part upward. When the switch main body is turned on, the emergency switch 15 connects via communication to, for example, an emergency support center.

As shown in FIG. 2, the peripheral area of the recess 16 of the console panel 14 is a first base wall 18 that surrounds the recess 16 in a generally U-shape. The underside of the first base wall 18 is generally flat. A second base wall 19, whose lower surface is slightly higher than that of the first base wall 18, is disposed around the peripheral area of the first base wall 18. The second base wall 19 is formed to surround the outside of the first base wall 18 in a generally U-shape. A front base wall 20, whose lower surface is generally the same height as that of the first base wall 18, is disposed on the vehicle front side of the first base wall 18 and the second base wall 19.

As shown in FIG. 2, the light-emitting portions 12a of the map lamps 12 for the driver's seat and the passenger's seat are respectively disposed on the front-to-rear extending portions on one side and the other side of the generally U-shaped first base wall 18 in the vehicle width direction. Each light-emitting portion 12a is capable of emitting light downward on the driver's seat side and the passenger's seat side, respectively. In this embodiment, the lower surfaces of the left and right front-to-rear extending portions of the first base wall 18 serve as the placement surfaces for the light-emitting portions 12a of the map lamps 12. The recessed portions 16 of the console panel 14 are recessed upward relative to the placement surfaces for the light-emitting portions 12a.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a camera 30 for capturing images of the interior of the vehicle is located at the front end (front of the vehicle) within the recess 16 of the console panel 14. The camera 30 is fixed to the roof panel 2, console body 13, etc. via a bracket (not shown).

The imaging unit 31 of the camera 30 is disposed so that the imaging direction faces downward toward the rear of the vehicle interior through the opening 17 at the front of the recess 16 of the console panel 14. The camera 30 is disposed such that at least the center position on the front side of the imaging unit 31 (the center position of the front surface of the lens) is above the lower surface of the above-described first base wall 18 of the console panel 14. The center position on the front side of the imaging unit 31 of the camera 30 (the center position of the front surface of the lens) is disposed above the light-emitting unit 12a of the map lamp 12 disposed on the first base wall 18.
The lower end of the imaging section 31 of the camera 30 is positioned above the lower end of the light emitting section 12 a of the map lamp 12 .

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, an exciter 40 (sound exciter) is installed on the upper surface of the curved portion on the rear side of the approximately U-shaped first base wall 18. The exciter 40 is attached to the upper surface of the approximately semicircular rear extension region 14r of the console panel 14. The exciter 40 is equipped with a voice coil 41 that generates vibrations in response to an externally input audio signal, and a magnetic circuit (not shown). The vibrations generated by the exciter 40 cause the approximately flat portion of the console panel 14 (mainly the rear extension region 14r) to vibrate as a diaphragm. The vibrations generated in the approximately flat portion of the console panel 14 can then be directly transmitted as acoustic vibrations to the interior space.

Also, as shown in Figure 3, the signal wiring and other wiring 42a and 42b drawn from the voice coil 41 of the exciter 40 are fixed at their midpoints to the underside of the roof panel 2 (roof panel inner 2i) via fixing clips 43 or the like.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the roof console 10 corresponding to the V arrow view in FIG.
As shown in Figure 5, locking claws 21a, 21b protrude from the front surface and front side surface of the housing of the console body 13, respectively. Furthermore, engaging pieces 22a, 22b protrude from the main region 14m of the console panel 14 at positions corresponding to the locking claws 21a, 21b on the console body 13. Each of the engaging pieces 22a, 22b protrudes upward from the upper surface of the console panel 14, and an engaging hole 23 penetrating through the protruding portion in the thickness direction of the panel is formed. The locking claws 21a, 21b on the console body 13 engage with the engaging holes 23 of the corresponding engaging pieces 22a, 22b on the console panel 14. The front of the main region 14m of the console panel 14 is fixed to the console body 13 by the locking claws 21a, 21b engaging with the corresponding engaging holes 23.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, resin fixing clips 24 protrude from the left and right upper surfaces of the front side of the console body 13. These fixing clips 24 fit into fixing holes (not shown) formed in the roof panel 2 (inner roof panel 2i). This secures the front side of the console body 13 to the roof panel 2 (inner roof panel 2i).

A pair of support protrusions 25 protrude upward from the top surface of the console panel 14 at spaced-apart positions on the left and right of the rear of the main region 14m of the console panel 14. A resin fixing clip portion 26 protrudes from the top of each support protrusion 25. These fixing clip portions 26 fit into fixing holes (not shown) formed in the roof panel 2 (inner roof panel 2i). This secures the left and right rear portions of the main region 14m of the console panel 14 to the roof panel 2 (inner roof panel 2i).

As described above, the front and rear of the main region 14m of the console panel 14 are fixed to the console body 13 and the roof panel 2 (inner roof panel 2i), respectively. However, the rear extension region 14r, which is approximately semicircular in top view, is not fixed to the console body 13 or the roof panel 2. In other words, the rear extension region 14r, to which the exciter 40 is attached, is a free end that is not constrained by the console body 13 or the roof panel 2.

Additionally, time-of-flight (TOF) cameras 50 for acquiring distance information to a subject are disposed on both the left and right sides of the console body 13 fixed to the upper surface of the main region 14m of the console panel 14. The TOF cameras 50 can recognize the shape and behavior of a subject by irradiating the subject with infrared light and calculating the time it takes for the infrared light to return. The TOF cameras 50 disposed on both the left and right sides of the console body 13 are installed so as to be able to identify the faces, behavior, etc. of the occupant seated in the driver's seat and the occupant seated in the passenger seat, respectively. In this embodiment, the TOF cameras 50 constitute second cameras for capturing images of the occupants in the corresponding left and right front seats.
2 denotes an infrared light inlet/outlet window provided on the console panel 14 at a position on the vehicle width outer side of the light-emitting portions 12a of the left and right map lamps 12. A cover that allows infrared light to pass through is attached to the inlet/outlet window 51.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the interior of a vehicle for explaining the installation position and imaging range (angle of view) of the camera 30.
The installation position and imaging range of the camera 30 disposed in the front part of the roof console 10 are set so as to satisfy the following conditions (a) to (d).
(a) At least the top of the head of a large occupant PL seated in the front seat is included in the image captured by the camera 30 (see the line L1 in FIG. 6).
(b) At least the nose of a small-sized occupant PS seated in the front seat is included in the image captured by the camera 30 (see the line L2 in FIG. 6).
(c) The camera 30 and its installation portion do not obstruct the rear view that the driver can see through the rearview mirror 53 (see the line L3 in FIG. 6).
(d) The face of the rear seat passenger appears in the image captured by the camera 30 through the seat back of the front seat 3f.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an indoor video display system 100 using a camera 30 for indoor imaging.
The in-cabin video display system 100 includes a camera 30, an image processing circuit 60 (image correction unit) that corrects an image captured by the camera 30, and a display 61 that displays the image corrected by the image processing circuit 60. The display 61 is installed, for example, on an instrument panel in front of the front seats.

8 shows an image (upper image) of the interior of the vehicle captured by the camera 30 and an image (lower image) after the captured image has been corrected by the image processing circuit 60. The symbol P in FIG. 8 indicates passengers seated in the front seat 3f and the rear seat 3r in the vehicle interior.
As described above, the camera 30 is installed at the front position within the recess 16 of the console panel 14. The camera 30 captures an image using a wide-angle lens so that the left and right side walls 16s (see FIG. 2) of the recess 16 are visible in the four corners of the image as vignetting 55 (see the upper diagram in FIG. 8). As a result, although the captured image has vignetting 55 in the four corners, a wide area of the interior, both front and rear, is captured within the angle of view.

The image captured in this manner is then subjected to correction processing by the image processing circuit 60. The correction processing by the image processing circuit 60 corrects distortion within the image and eliminates or reduces vignetting 55 at the corners of the image. When the image is processed in this manner, distortion within the image is reduced and vignetting 55 at the corners is eliminated or reduced, resulting in a good image that does not look strange to the eye.

As described above, in the vehicle interior structure of this embodiment, the camera 30 for capturing images of the interior is disposed at a position on the front side of the vehicle in the recess 16 above the surface of the console panel 14 where the map lamps 12 are disposed, and the image capturing direction of the camera 30 is directed downward and rearward inside the vehicle interior. Therefore, the camera 30 can capture images of a wide range of the interior of the vehicle interior at a position higher and forward than the surface where the map lamps 12 are disposed.
Furthermore, in the case of the vehicle interior structure of this embodiment, the camera 30 is disposed in the recess 16 of the console panel 14, so the camera 30 and its housing do not bulge downward from the console panel 14. This makes it possible to maintain a good appearance from both inside and outside the vehicle.
Therefore, when the vehicle interior structure of this embodiment is adopted, a wide range of the vehicle interior can be reliably captured by the camera 30, and the appearance from inside and outside the vehicle can be maintained good. Furthermore, in the case of the vehicle interior structure of this embodiment, the camera 30 and its housing do not bulge below the console panel 14, so good forward visibility from the front seats can be ensured.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the interior of the vehicle cabin is imaged by the camera 30 using a wide-angle lens so that the left and right side walls 16s of the recessed portion 16 are reflected as vignetting 55 in the four corners of the image. In this case, although vignetting 55 caused by the left and right side walls 16s of the recessed portion 16 occurs in the four corners of the image, which does not cause much inconvenience in visually checking the interior of the vehicle, the camera 30 can be installed at a higher position on the vehicle front side of the recessed portion 16. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, it is possible to reliably image a wide range of the interior of the vehicle cabin from a higher position on the vehicle.
In this embodiment, the camera 30 captures an image of the interior of the vehicle using a wide-angle lens, but the lens does not necessarily have to be a wide-angle lens.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the image processing circuit 60 (image correction unit) performs distortion correction on the image captured by the camera 30 so that vignetting 55 is eliminated or reduced. As a result, it is possible to eliminate distortion in the image captured by the camera 30 and eliminate or reduce vignetting 55 at the four corners of the image. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, it is possible to further reduce the sense of incongruity of the image viewed through a monitor, etc.

Furthermore, in the vehicle interior structure of this embodiment, the camera 30 is installed so that the lower end of the imaging unit 31 is higher than the light-emitting unit 12a of the map lamp 12 on the console panel 14. As a result, the shadow of the camera 30 itself, cast by the light emitted by the light-emitting unit 12a, is not reflected in the image taken by the camera 30. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, good images can be obtained without the shadow of the camera 30 being reflected, even when light is being emitted by the map lamp 12.

Furthermore, in the vehicle interior structure of this embodiment, TOF cameras 50 that capture images of front seat occupants and their surrounding areas are located on the outer side of the light-emitting portions 12a of the left and right map lamps 12 on the console panel 14 in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the TOF cameras 50 that primarily capture images of the occupants sitting in the driver's seat and passenger seat can be located in desirable positions close to the occupants. Furthermore, in this configuration, because each TOF camera 50 is located outward of the light-emitting portions 12a of the map lamps 12 in the vehicle width direction, the installation portion of the TOF camera 50 is not reflected in the image taken by the interior imaging camera 30. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, even if the TOF cameras 50 are located in desirable positions for capturing images of the front seat occupants, the interior imaging camera 30 can capture good images of the vehicle interior.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, TOF cameras 50 are disposed on the outer sides of the left and right map lamps 12 in the vehicle width direction as second cameras for capturing images of the occupants in the corresponding left and right front seats, but the second cameras are not limited to TOF cameras 50. The second cameras may be, for example, regular cameras similar to the camera 30 that captures images of the interior of the vehicle. Furthermore, the provision of a second camera is not essential.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 10 Roof console 12 Map lamp 12a Light-emitting portion 13 Console body 14 Console panel 16 Recessed portion 16s Side wall 30 Camera 50 TOF camera (second camera)
55... Vignetting 60... Image processing circuit (image correction unit)

Claims (5)

A roof console is provided in the center region of the ceiling of the vehicle interior in the width direction of the vehicle,
The roof console is
a console body that implements an operating device for a map lamp that illuminates the area near the front seats in the vehicle interior;
a console panel that covers the interior side of the console body,
The console panel is provided with a recessed portion recessed upward relative to a surface of the console panel on which the map lamp is disposed,
A vehicle interior structure characterized in that a camera is disposed in a front position of the vehicle within the recess so that the imaging direction faces downward toward the rear of the vehicle interior. The vehicle interior structure described in claim 1, characterized in that the camera captures images of the interior of the vehicle cabin so that the left and right side walls of the recessed portion are reflected in the four corners as vignetting. The vehicle interior structure described in claim 2, characterized in that the image captured by the camera is corrected for distortion by an image correction unit so that the vignetting is eliminated or reduced. The vehicle interior structure described in claim 1, characterized in that the lower end of the camera's imaging section is positioned higher than the lower end of the map lamp's light-emitting section. The map lamps are provided on one and the other sides of the recessed portion of the console panel in the vehicle width direction, respectively.
2. The vehicle interior structure according to claim 1, wherein a second camera for capturing images of occupants in the corresponding left and right front seats is disposed on the outer side of each of the light-emitting portions on one side and the other side of the console panel in the vehicle width direction.