JP2009083730A - Car camera - Google Patents

Abstract

An on-vehicle camera capable of maintaining the accuracy of blowing off water droplets and dust attached to a lens and a lens protection member is provided.
An image pickup device 11 for picking up an image around a vehicle 1, a lens 12 for condensing the image pickup device 11, and a housing 13 for fixing the image pickup device 11 and the lens 12 and housing the image pickup device 11 are provided. The in-vehicle camera 10 includes an injection unit 15 that injects air, and the housing 13 is provided with a through cylinder 14 that blows air injected by the injection unit 15 onto the lens 12 or a protection member for protecting the lens 12. It has a configuration.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle camera installed in a vehicle.

  In-vehicle cameras are used to check the back of the car and to confirm the situation of the blind spot that is not visible to the driver, but when it rains, water drops adhere to the lens and the protective glass that protects the lens. As a result, the image captured by the in-vehicle camera cannot be discriminated, and it is necessary to manually clean the lens and the protective glass.

Therefore, as a conventional in-vehicle camera, an in-vehicle camera unit having a camera, a compressed air generating unit that generates compressed air, and a tubular body that is attached so as to reach the front of the front glass of the in-vehicle camera unit from the compressed air generating unit. It is known that a compressed air generated by a compressed air generating unit is sprayed on a front glass of an in-vehicle camera unit through a nozzle by a driver's remote operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ). Therefore, the driver can clean the water droplets attached to the front glass without blowing off the vehicle.
JP 2001-171491 A

  However, in the conventional in-vehicle camera, since the nozzle is attached to the in-vehicle camera unit, the attachment position of the nozzle changes due to changes over time or the impact received by the vehicle, and it becomes impossible to blow off water droplets and dust. Or there was a possibility that the precision which blows off a water drop and dust might fall.

  An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vehicle camera capable of maintaining the accuracy of blowing off water droplets and dust attached to a lens and a protective member of the lens.

An in-vehicle camera of the present invention is an in-vehicle camera that captures an image of the surroundings of a vehicle including an image sensor, a lens that focuses the image sensor, and a housing that fixes the image sensor and the lens and houses the image sensor. And having an injection means for injecting air, and having a structure in which the through-cylinder for blowing the air injected by the injection means to the lens or a protective member for protecting the lens is provided in the casing. Yes.
With this configuration, since the through-cylinder that blows the injected air onto the lens or the protection member of the lens is provided in the housing, it is possible to maintain the accuracy of blowing off water droplets and dust attached to the lens and the protection member of the lens.

Moreover, the vehicle-mounted camera of this invention has the structure provided so that the said cylinder could not be imaged by the said image pick-up element.
With this configuration, the captured image can be provided to the user without a sense of incongruity.

Moreover, the vehicle-mounted camera of the present invention has a configuration in which the through cylinder has a shape in which the air injected by the injection unit is blown over the entire surface of the lens or the protection member.
With this configuration, it is possible to clean completely without leaving water droplets or dust adhering to the lens or the protection member of the lens.

In the vehicle-mounted camera of the present invention, a waterproof ventilation sheet is provided in the through-cylinder, and the waterproof ventilation sheet allows the air injected by the injection unit to pass in the direction of the lens or the protection member, and the injection unit It has a structure that prevents water droplets or dust coming to
With this configuration, the waterproof breathable sheet allows air to pass in the direction of the lens or protective member, but does not allow water or dust that enters from the outside to pass through the jetting means. Can be prevented, and failure of the injection means caused by the ingress of water or dust can be prevented.

The on-vehicle camera according to the present invention further includes a check valve in the through-cylinder, and the check valve passes air injected by the injection unit in the direction of the lens or the protection member. It has a configuration in which it is difficult to pass water drops or dust coming to
With this configuration, the check valve allows air to pass in the direction of the lens or protection member, but it is difficult to pass water and dust that has entered from the outside through the jetting means, so water and dust that has entered during car washing and rainfall are infiltrated. It is possible to prevent this, and it is possible to prevent failure of the injection means caused by the intrusion of water or dust.

  As described above, the present invention provides an in-vehicle camera that can maintain the accuracy of blowing off water droplets and dust attached to a lens and a protective member of the lens.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment of the present invention)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle-mounted camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle 1 is equipped with an in-vehicle camera 10 and a switch 9 connected to the in-vehicle camera 10.

  The in-vehicle camera 10 is fixed to the rear portion as shown in FIG. 1 in order to image the rear in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, for example. The in-vehicle camera 10 is not limited to the rear of the vehicle 1 but may be on the side, and is installed at a position that images a portion in the driver's blind spot.

  The switch 9 blows air to the in-vehicle camera 10 or stops blowing, and is provided at a position where the driver can operate. For example, the switch 9 blows air to the in-vehicle camera 10 by pressing a button. It may be something like starting. The switch 9 may be in a touch panel display for car navigation.

  FIG. 2 is a front view of the in-vehicle camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle camera 10 includes an image sensor 11 that is not shown in FIG. 2, a lens 12 that collects light on the image sensor 11, and a housing 13 that fixes the lens 12 and houses the image sensor 11.

  The in-vehicle camera 10 is provided with a through-cylinder 14 that vents air injected from the inside of the in-vehicle camera 10 fixed above the lens 12 and inside the housing 13. In FIG. 2, since the through-cylinder 14 cannot be seen from the front, the through-cylinder 14 is illustrated by a broken line. Near the lens 12, there is a vent 14 a that is an outlet of the through cylinder 14.

  In FIG. 2, a state in which water droplets and dust adhering to the lens 12 are dropped by the air blown over the entire surface of the lens 12 is illustrated by broken line arrows. The in-vehicle camera 10 is not limited to blowing air directly on the lens 12. For example, the in-vehicle camera 10 is not shown, but a transparent glass is provided as a protective member for protecting the lens 12 so as to cover the lens 12, and air may be blown over the entire surface of the glass. Not only transparent glass but any protective member that does not affect the captured image may be used.

  3 is a cross-sectional view of the in-vehicle camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. The housing 13 is configured by engaging a front case 13a and a rear case 13b, and is made of a material such as resin. The image sensor 11 is housed and fixed in the front case 13a, and is mounted on a PCB (Print Circuit Board). The image sensor 11 is configured by a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), or the like.

  The in-vehicle camera 10 further includes an ejection unit 15 that ejects air. The injection means 15 is composed of a compressor, a micro pump, a fan, or the like, and may be any device that injects air.

  The ejection means 15 is activated by operating the switch 9. For example, if the switch 9 is a button, the ejecting means 15 ejects air by pressing the button. Moreover, if the vehicle-mounted camera 10 can detect a water droplet by analyzing an image captured by the image sensor 11, the ejection unit 15 may eject air when the water droplet is detected.

  In FIG. 3, the injection means 15 is fixed to the rear case 13b by screws. A through cylinder 14 is formed inside the front case 13a and the rear case 13b. Thus, the in-vehicle camera 10 is configured by integrating the through cylinder 14 and the housing 13.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front case 13a is provided with a protruding portion 13c. The protrusion 13c forms a vent 14a at a position above the lens 12. Further, the protruding portion 13 c forms the vent hole 14 a at a position where the air discharged from the vent hole 14 a can be blown to the lens 12 from the upper side to the lower side of the lens 12. In addition, the ventilation hole 14a and the protrusion part 13c are formed so that the image pick-up element 11 may not image the ventilation hole 14a and the protrusion part 13c.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the through-cylinder 14 has a shape bent near the protruding portion 13c in order to release air from the vent hole 14a so as not to weaken the strength of the air flow through the through-cylinder 14. is doing. The vent hole 14 a has a shape for blowing the air jetted by the jetting unit 15 over the entire surface of the lens 12.

  The operation of the in-vehicle camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described. First, the injection means 15 is operated by operating the switch 9 such as a driver. The activated injection means 15 injects air into the cylinder 14 at a high pressure.

  The air that has passed through the through-cylinder 14 bends along the bending of the through-cylinder 14 and is discharged from the vent hole 14a. The discharged air is blown onto the lens 12 from the upper side to the lower side of the lens 12, and water droplets and dust are removed. Similar to FIG. 2, in FIG. 3, a state in which water droplets and dust attached to the lens 12 fall with air blown over the entire surface of the lens 12 is indicated by broken-line arrows.

  As described above, conventionally, since the nozzle that allows air to pass is attached to the outside of the in-vehicle camera unit, the mounting position of the nozzle may change due to changes over time or the impact received by the vehicle. In the vehicle-mounted camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the through cylinder 14 is provided in the housing 13 so that the through cylinder 14 and the housing 13 are integrated, and the installation position of the through cylinder 14 does not change. The accuracy of blowing off water droplets and dust attached to the lens 12 and the protective member of the lens 12 can be maintained.

  In addition, since the in-vehicle camera 10 is configured by integrating the through cylinder 14 and the housing 13, there is no nozzle that has been conventionally attached to the outside, so that the size can be reduced and the number of parts can be reduced. can do.

(Second embodiment of the present invention)
In the second embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted camera is mounted and the front view of the vehicle-mounted camera are the same as those of the vehicle-mounted camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Of the constituent elements constituting the in-vehicle camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the same constituent elements as those constituting the in-vehicle camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention are the same. Reference numerals are assigned and explanations thereof are omitted.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the in-vehicle camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle camera 20 is provided with a valve body 26 fixed in the through-cylinder 14 in addition to the image sensor 11, the lens 12, the housing 13, the through-cylinder 14, and the injection unit 15.

  The valve body 26 is made of a waterproof ventilation sheet such as Gore-Tex, for example, and is provided so as to close the through-cylinder 14. The valve body 26 allows the air injected from the injection unit 15 to pass through the ventilation port 14 a, but does not allow water or dust that has entered from the ventilation port 14 a to pass through the injection unit 15.

  As described above, in the in-vehicle camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the fixed valve body 26 allows the air injected from the injection means 15 to pass through the air vent 14a, but from the air vent 14a. Since the incoming water and dust are not passed through the injection means 15, it is possible to prevent the water and dust that has entered during car washing and raining from entering, and failure of the injection means 15 caused by the ingress of water and dust. Can be prevented.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the valve body 26 constituting the in-vehicle camera 20 may be replaced with a check valve 27. The check valve 27 is made of a material such as rubber so that the check valve 27 can be manufactured at a low cost. The check valve 27 is tilted and fixed without blocking the interior of the through-cylinder 14. The check valve 27 inclined and fixed partially opens the air jetted from the jetting means 15 so as to easily pass through the vent hole 14a, and jets water and dust that has entered through the vent hole 14a. 15 is partially closed so that it is difficult to pass through 15.

  As described above, the present invention has an effect that it is possible to maintain the accuracy of blowing off water droplets and dust attached to the lens and the protection member of the lens, and is useful as an in-vehicle camera installed in a vehicle.

The figure which showed the structure of the vehicle carrying the vehicle-mounted camera which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The front view of the vehicle-mounted camera which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention Sectional drawing of the vehicle-mounted camera which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention Sectional drawing of the vehicle-mounted camera which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention Sectional drawing of the vehicle-mounted camera which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 9 Switch 10, 20 Car-mounted camera 11 Image pick-up element 12 Lens 13 Housing 13a Front case 13b Rear case 13c Protrusion part 14 Cylinder 14a Vent 15 Injection means 26 Valve body 27 Check valve 27

Claims (5)

An image sensor;
A lens for condensing the image sensor;
An in-vehicle camera that images the periphery of a vehicle including the imaging element and the lens, and a housing that houses the imaging element.
Having injection means for injecting air;
An in-vehicle camera, wherein a through-cylinder for blowing air injected by the injection unit to the lens or a protective member for protecting the lens is provided in the casing.   The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein the through cylinder is provided so as not to be imaged by the imaging device.   The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein the through-cylinder has a shape in which air injected by the injection unit is blown onto the entire surface of the lens or the protection member. A waterproof ventilation sheet is provided in the cylinder,
2. The waterproof breathable sheet according to claim 1, wherein the air jetted by the jetting unit passes the air in the direction of the lens or the protective member, and does not pass water droplets or dust that have come toward the jetting unit. The vehicle-mounted camera in any one of 3. A check valve is provided in the cylinder,
2. The check valve according to claim 1, wherein the check valve allows air injected by the injection unit to pass in the direction of the lens or the protection member, and makes it difficult for water droplets or dust flowing toward the injection unit to pass through. The vehicle-mounted camera in any one of 3.

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