FR2641241A1 - OPTICAL GROUP FOR VEHICLES WITH OPTICAL VISUALIZATION DEVICE INCORPORATED - Google Patents

Abstract

Optical unit 1 for road vehicles closed on the outside by a transparent body 3 and provided with an internal lamp-holder body 6 delimiting one or more reflective housings 11, inside each of which is housed a light source 14, and a second housing 21, 29 housing an optical viewing device constituted by at least one television camera 25 or, in any case, by the input optical sensor 27, 33 of said television camera 25, of which the objective lens 27, 34 is produced directly by stamping on a part 12a, 30 of the transparent body disposed in closure of the corresponding housing 21, 29. Application to motor vehicles.

Description

The present invention relates to an optical group for

  road vehicles, in particular motor vehicles.

  Statistics show that one of the first

  its many accidents as well as

  slow-moving maneuvers, eg parking maneuvers, lies in the presence, on the

  road vehicles, "blind spots", that is to say parts of

  of the surrounding area not visible to the user, either directly or indirectly by means of mirrors

  road vehicles are already normally provided.

  At the same time, statistics show that

  cause of accidents lies in the total darkening

  or partial, non-detectable continuously by the users

  traffic lights, darkening due to

dirt.

  In order to eliminate "blind spots" and

  put at least an indirect control of the level

  obscuring the traffic lights, it was

  to provide road vehicles with television

  can be arranged both on the part

  previous than on the rear part of said vehicles.

  A similar solution, however, has certain disadvantages, mainly due to the fact that the assembly of

  each of said television cameras comprises the realization

  a corresponding sealed housing within the

  hull, as well as that of a hole through this hull.

  In addition, since said blind spots are

  from one vehicle to another, the position of the said holes,

  as well as the amplitude of the optical angle of the ob-

  of the cameras used, are also variable from one vehicle to another, with the disadvantage that, on the one hand, it is sometimes necessary to make holes in points of the shell which are difficult to access and, on the other hand, that it is not possible to use a standard camera or for all vehicles or for all applications on the

same vehicle.

264124 1

  The purpose of the present invention is to equip, by means of

  simple and economical, road vehicles in general

  and motor vehicles in particular standard optical detection means, in this case television cameras, able to allow both the substantial elimination of "blind spots" and detection, "direct" and continuous , the level of "darkening" of

traffic lights.

  According to the present invention, an optical group for road vehicles, in particular motor vehicles, has been made comprising a substantially watertight envelope which, in turn, comprises a transparent body and an internal lamp-carrying body, the lamp-carrying body delimiting at minus a reflective housing arranged with its own concavity turned towards the transparent body and housing a light source, optical group characterized by the fact

  that the lamp-holder body has, in addition, at least one

  cond housing closed externally by the transparent body;

  at least one input sensor of at least one device for

  optical sualisation, constituted by a television camera, being housed inside said second housing, and said

  input sensor comprising an objective lens respectively

  ve, which has been made directly by stamping on a part of the transparent body disposed in closure of said

rear housing.

  The optical group described above allows the mounting of an optical display device, in particular a television camera, without the need to practice holes in the body and without incurring significant additional expenses. Indeed, an optical group already constituted in itself a sealed housing easily accessible to perform handling and replacement operations. In addition, road vehicles, and in particular motor vehicles, are already normally predisposed by the connection of optical groups.

  energy source or control panel, generally

  a dashboard; therefore, the connection of

  said optical display device is extremely simple and economical even in the case where said optical display device would be installed subsequently as

"optional" equipment.

  The installation of said display device op-

  above described inside an optical group allows not only the elimination of "blind spots" but

  o10 also a direct and continuous control by the user of the

  calf transparency of said outer transparent body.

  Finally, since each optical group of

  designation corresponds specifically to a given vehicle,

  it is possible to make by stamping, on the group op-

  tick himself, a specific objective lens arranged in a determined position and mount on the body

  lamp holder a standard television camera devoid of.

of such a lens.

  Preferably, in order to allow the user to detect the presence of another vehicle

  even in conditions of low visibility, the group op-

  The tick in question includes two other dwellings housing

  each at least the input sensor of the television camera

  corresponding one, preferably one of the cameras

an infrared camera.

  The invention is described below with reference to the

  attached figure, which shows schematically, in

  By way of nonlimiting example, a preferred form of

embodiment of this invention.

  In this figure attached, reference 1 designates,

  as a whole, a rear optical group for vehicles

  road vehicles, in particular motor vehicles.

  Although the following description only refers to one

  posterior optical group, it is clear that the

  of this group can be transferred by a man from

2 6 4 1 2 4 1

  trade, to an earlier optical group without any explanation

later.

  The optical group 1 comprises an envelope 2, which

  it in turn includes an outer body 3, generally

  made of a transparent plastic material of different colors, and has, in the example shown, a section

  plate 4 and a curved section 5 connected to each other.

  The envelope 2 further comprises a body carrying

  internal lamp 6 coupled substantially sealingly to the outer body 3. For this purpose, the inner body 6 has a peripheral groove 7, within which is

  fixed, using screws 8 and with the interposition

  9, a peripheral edge of the outer body 3.

  The inner body 6 comprises, in the example shown

  three parabolic reflectors 10, the number of which

  vary according to each case, each of which delimits a box-

  respective reflective element 11 disposed with its own concavity facing the outer body 3 and closed by the corresponding portion 12 of the outer body 3 provided with the set of respective prisms 13 corresponding and the appropriate color. Each housing 11 houses, in connection with its own home, a light source constituted by a lamp 14 whose base 15 is mounted, in known manner, in a socket 16 at the top of the reflector 10 corresponding with a fixing to bayonet, and is coupled to

  less an elastic electric contact 17 of known type.

  The housing 11 are delimited between two walls 18

  horizontals (only one of which is represented),

  flat and parallel to each other, by a plurality of

  vertical partitions 19, the free end of some of the

  which engage in a corresponding groove 20

  on the inner surface of the outer body 3.

  In particular, two neighboring partitions 19, designated by the reference 19a, delimit, between them, a first

  rear housing 21 formed by a practically open opening

2 6 4 1 2 4 1

  through the inner body 6 between the walls 18 and closed outwards by a respective smooth portion 12a,

  that is to say, devoid of prisms, of the external body 3.

  The two partitions 19a are positioned behind the vertices of the reflectors 10 to form two

  the elastics 22 provided with locking teeth by snap-fastening

  23 of a first axial end of the body 24 of a television camera 25 mounted inside the housing 21, while a second axial end is engaged against

  a blocking rib 26 disposed within said box

  21. On its second axial end, the video camera

  25 shows an optical input sensor 27 comprising a lens 28 made by stamping on the portion 12a and a tubular body or convector 27a solidaire

  of the body 24 of said television camera 25.

  At the end of the inner body 6 disposed opposite the curved section 5 of the outer body 3, an end wall 19 of said inner body 6 delimits another housing

  29, which is externally closed by a sensing portion

  smoothly, that is to say without prisms, the curved section 5 of the outer body 3 and is internally limited by a bottom wall 31 traversed by a substantially cylindrical tube 32, which extends parallel to the walls 18

  towards the part 30 of the curved section 5.

  Through the tube 32 is snap fit, and

  with the possibility of extracting it, a tubular body or convector

  33a associated with another optical input sensor 33, which is provided with a lens 34 made by stamping on the portion 30 facing an end of the tubular body

  33a, whose other end is connected to the body 24 of the body

  television mera 25 by means of an optical fiber bundle

35.

  According to a variant not shown, the tubular body

  re 27a is separated from the body 24 of the television camera 25 and is mounted inside the cavity 21 by means of a support device and with a snap fastener

  similar to that of tube 32. In this case, the tubular body

  re 24 of the television camera 25 is connected to the tubular body

  27a by means of a not shown optical fiber rear beam and is disposed outside the optical group.

than proper.

  With respect to the television camera 25, which is provided with a power cable 36 and a cable 37 for transmitting the image to a viewfinder (not shown), it is

  It should be noted that it consists of two

  meras or, according to a known technique, by a single camera with double lens capable of providing, on

  said viewfinder, two distinct images side by side.

  If two separate television cameras are used, one of them, and in particular the camera

  associated with the lens 28, may be a camera with radii

  frarouges According to another variant not shown, a

  of the two lenses 28 or 34 is missing from the corresponding camera.

  and, optionally, to the corresponding cavity 21 or 29.

Claims (6)

  1.Operating group (1) for road vehicles, in par-   particular motor vehicle, comprising a substantially watertight envelope (2), which in turn comprises an outer transparent body (3) and an inner lamp-holder body (6), the lamp-holder body (6) delimiting at least one reflecting housing (11) arranged with its own concavity turned towards the   transparent body (3) and housing a light source (14),   characterized in that said lamp holder body (6) has,   in addition, at least one second housing (21, 29) closed externally   by the transparent body (3); at least one sensor   input (27,33) of at least one visual display device   a tick consisting of a television camera (25) being housed inside said second housing (21, 29), and said input sensor (27, 33) including an objective lens (28, 34),   which was carried out directly by stamping on a   (12a, 30) of the transparent body (3) arranged in closure of said second cavity (21, 29).   2.An optical group according to claim 1, characterized   characterized in that said input sensor (27) further comprises an associated tubular body (27a) integral with a body (24) of said television camera (25); said second housing   (21) being delimited by a passing aperture practiced through   to the lamp holder body (6) and removable fixing means   (22, 23) being provided for fixing said television camera (25) inside said second housing (21) with   said tubular body (27a) facing said lens corresponds to (28, 34).   3.An optical group according to claim 1, characterized   characterized in that said input sensor (33) further comprises an associated tubular body (33a) which is separated from a body (24) of said television camera (25) and is optically coupled to said body (24) by means of an optical fiber bundle (35); detachable fastening means (32) being   provided to fix said input sensor (33) within the   said second housing (29) and facing said transparent body rent (3).   4.An optical group according to claim 1, characterized   rised by the fact that it comprises two second housings (21, 29) each housing at least the input sensor (27, 33) of said television camera (25).   5.An optical group according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises two television cameras (25)   coupled, each to an input sensor (27,33).   6.An optical group according to claim 5, characterized   rised by the fact that one of the said two television cameras   (25) is an infrared television camera.