Patent Application
20220371528
The present invention claims priority under 35 U.S.C. ยง 119 to Japanese Application No. 2021-086194, filed on May 21, 2021, the entire contents of which being incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a fixing structure of a heater for an onboard camera and, in particular, to improvement in a structure for fixing a heater for onboard glass.
There are automobiles in which a camera is mounted to a cabin side of a front windshield. The camera is used when automatic travel control is executed, for example. In this case, the camera captures a video image of an object, such as a lane painted on a road, as a criterion of a travel path and sends video data to a travel controller. The travel controller executes the automatic travel control on the basis of the video data. In addition to the above, there is a case where the camera is used as a dashboard camera.
A technique of attaching a camera mounting structure to windshield glass (front windshield glass) of the automobile is disclosed in the following PATENT LITERATURE 1. The camera mounting structure disclosed in PATENT LITERATURE 1 includes a hood member that is provided below a line of sight of the camera. The hood member is provided with a heater that prevents fogging of the windshield glass.
PATENT LITERATURE 1: JP 2020-125088 A
PATENT LITERATURE 2: JP 2020-131809 A
In the camera mounting structure, various structures are formed to be attached to the automobile. For example, in a camera mounting structure described in PATENT LITERATURE 2, a plate spring is provided to the hood member, and is used to attach an onboard camera device to the automobile while being slid in a particular direction. In the conventional technique, a heater attachment area may be limited depending on a position or a shape of the structure for attaching the camera to the automobile. In addition, depending on a heater attachment position, the heater may have an optical influence on the camera. For example, it is considered that when the heater is arranged on the windshield glass side of the hood member described in PATENT LITERATURE 1, 2, quality of the captured video image may be degraded by diffuse reflection caused by the heater.
The present disclosure has a purpose of securing a sufficient area for arranging a heater while suppressing an optical influence on a camera in a structure for fixing an onboard camera to an automobile.
The present disclosure includes: a hood base that is fixed to an automobile; a hood plate that covers the hood base from above; and a heater that is provided between the hood base and the hood plate. The hood base and the hood plate form a hood structure that allows a line of sight of an on-board camera to pass through an area between onboard glass and the hood structure.
In one embodiment, a space is provided between the hood base and the hood plate.
In one embodiment, the heater is fixed to a lower surface of the hood plate, and a clearance is provided between the heater and the hood base.
In one embodiment, the hood base forms a sidewall and a rear wall of the hood structure, and the heater is at least partially surrounded by the sidewall and the rear wall.
In one embodiment, the hood base holds the onboard camera.
In one embodiment, a bracket that is fixed to the automobile is provided, the hood base is fixed to the automobile via the bracket, and the bracket holds the onboard camera.
In one embodiment, the hood plate is formed of a material that conducts heat more easily than the hood base.
According to the present disclosure, it is possible to secure a sufficient area for arranging the heater while suppressing an optical influence on the camera.
Embodiment(s) of the present disclosure will be described based on the following figures, wherein:
FIG.1 is a view illustrating an automobile to which an onboard camera unit is mounted.
A description will hereinafter be given of embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. Terms such as up, down, right, left, front, and rear in the present specification each mean a direction that is as seen from an occupant of an automobile. The same component illustrated in plural drawings will be denoted by the same reference sign, and a description thereon will be simplified after the description thereon has been given once.
There is a case where moisture in the form of fog, frost, ice, or the like adheres to a surface of the front windshield 14. In the case where the moisture adheres to the front windshield 14, quality of the video image captured by a camera is possibly degraded. Thus, as will be described below, the onboard camera unit 10 includes a heater.
In right, left, and rearmost portions of the hood structure 18, sidewalls 25 and a rear wall 26, each of which extends in an up-down direction, are respectively formed by the hood base 22. A plate-shaped rear area 28 stretches rearward from an upper end of the rear wall 26. A camera hole 30 is formed in the rear wall 26 and the rear area 28. The hood base 22 holds the onboard camera 20 at a position below the hood base 22. An imaging section 32 of the onboard camera 20 is located at a position that is behind a portion of the camera hole 30 provided in the rear wall 26 and that is below a portion of the camera hole 30 provided in the rear area 28. The imaging section 32 looks forward via the camera hole 30. The imaging section 32 has an electronic device that converts light into an electrical signal. In
From each of the right and left sidewalls 25 in the hood base 22, a flange 64 that is used to fix the hood base 22 to the automobile stretches rearward. Each of the right and left flanges 64 is provided with a fixing hole 66 that is used to fix the hood base 22 to the automobile.
The hood plate 24 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape and forms a bottom surface of the hood structure 18. The heater 16 is provided on a lower surface of the hood plate 24. The front windshield 14 is located in front of the imaging section 32 and above the hood structure 18. The hood structure 18 formed by the hood base 22 and the hood plate 24 allows a line of sight of the imaging section 32 to pass through an area between the front windshield 14, which is located in front of the imaging section 32, and the imaging section 32 while blocking unnecessary light for the imaging section 32.
Two columnar camera projections 40 are formed on each of right and left surfaces of the L-shaped casing 34. On each of the right and left surfaces, the camera projections 40 are arranged in the front-rear direction. Each of the camera projections 40 is projected to the left from the left surface of the L-shaped casing 34, and each of the camera projections 40 is projected to the right from the right surface thereof. Each of the camera projections 40 may have a shape of a polygonal column.
The hood base 22 has a shape that covers an upper surface of the base section 36 and the front and upper surfaces of the vertical section 38 in the L-shaped casing 34. As will be described below, a fitting groove 42 is formed on each of right and left sides of the hood base 22, and each of the camera projections 40 is fitted into the respective fitting groove 42. When each of the camera projections 40 in the L-shaped casing 34 is fixed to the respective fitting groove 42 of the hood base 22, the L-shaped casing 34 is fixed to the hood base 22. In other words, the onboard camera 20 is fixed to the hood base 22 such that the upper surface of the base section 36 and the front and upper surfaces of the vertical section 38 are covered with the hood base 22 and such that the imaging section 32 looks forward from the camera hole 30.
On an upper side of the hood base 22, a recessed area 44 in a folding-fan shape that is wider and shallower to the front is formed. The hood plate 24 has a substantially trapezoidal shape in which a rear lateral side is shorter than a front lateral side. The heater 16 also has a substantially trapezoidal shape in which a rear lateral side is shorter than a front lateral side. The heater 16 is fixed to the lower surface of the hood plate 24 such that a direction of each of the sides of the hood plate 24 matches a direction of a respective one of the sides of the heater 16. In the heater 16, electric heating wires may be embedded in a plate-shaped member. The heater 16 may be fixed to the hood plate 24 by a double-sided tape. The hood plate 24 may be formed of a material that conducts heat more easily than the hood base 22. A material constant that indicates ease of heat transfer is thermal conductivity, and the hood plate 24 may be formed of a material with higher thermal conductivity than the hood base 22. For example, the hood plate 24 may be formed of metal, and the hood base 22 may be formed of a plastic resin.
A fixing projection 56 is projected forward from each of right and left portions of a front edge of the hood base 22, and a fixing claw 58 is projected forward from a center portion thereof. The right and left fixing projections 56 and the fixing claw 58 are engaged with the hood plate 24. In a state where the heater 16 is fixed to the lower surface of the hood plate 24, the hood plate 24 is fixed to the hood base 22 in a manner to cover a bottom surface of the recessed area 44 in the hood base 22.
The bracket 50 is a plate-shaped member that is provided with a notched area 48 from the front to the rear in a manner to correspond to shapes of side surfaces and a back surface of the hood base 22. A hood base attachment projection section 68 is formed on a lower surface of each of right and left areas that sandwich the notched area 48. On the right side of
Before the hood base 22 is attached to the bracket 50, the bracket 50 may be fixed to the cabin-side surface of the front windshield 14. The hood base 22 enters the notched area 48 of the bracket 50. Then, the hood base attachment projection section 68 is inserted into the fixing hole 66 that is provided to each of the right and left flanges 64 of the hood base 22. As a result, the hood base 22 is fixed to the front windshield 14 via the bracket 50, and the onboard camera unit 10 is fixed to the front windshield 14. The bracket 50 may be fixed to a position near a boundary between the front windshield 14 and a body of the automobile.
By moving the hood plate 24 in a direction indicated by arrows in
When electric power is supplied to the heater 16, the heater 16 generates heat and provides the heat to the hood plate 24, and the heat is provided to a space between the front windshield 14 and the hood plate 24. In this way, the heat is provided to the front windshield 14 and prevents the moisture from adhering to the front windshield 14. In addition, in the case where the moisture adheres to the front windshield 14, evaporation of the moisture is promoted.
In the onboard camera unit 10 according to this embodiment, the bottom surface of the recessed area 44 in the hood base 22 is covered with the hood plate 24. In this way, the bottom surface of the recessed area 44 in the hood base 22 is covered, and aesthetic appearance is improved. In addition, since the heater 16 does not appear on an upper surface of the hood structure 18, the heater 16 is prevented from having an optical influence on the onboard camera 20. Furthermore, the space 70 between the hood plate 24 and the hood base 22 is effectively used as a space for arranging the heater 16. Moreover, the heater 16 is fixed to the lower surface of the hood plate 24. Accordingly, even when the bottom surface of the recessed area 44 in the hood base 22 is uneven, the heater 16 can easily be fixed to the onboard camera unit 10.
While the heater 16 is in contact with the hood plate 24, there is the clearance between the heater 16 and the hood base 22. The heater 16 is at least partially surrounded by the sidewalls 25 and the rear wall 26 of the hood base 22. As a result, the heat is more likely to be conducted to the hood plate 24 side than the hood base 22, and thus an effect of heating the front windshield 14 is enhanced. In the case where the hood plate 24 is formed of the material that easily conducts heat, or in the case where the space 70 between the hood plate 24 and the hood base 22 is sealed, the heat generated by the heater 16 is easily conducted to the hood plate 24, and thus the effect of heating the front windshield 14 is enhanced. In other words, since the space 70 is covered with the hood plate 24 and the hood base 22, the heat in the space 70, which is heated by the heater 16, is not released to the outside of the hood base 22, and thus thermal efficiency of the heater 16 is improved. In addition, since the air has an adiabatic effect, the heat is less likely to be conducted to the space 70 while the heat generated by the heater 16 is efficiently conducted to the hood plate 24. Thus, electric power consumption of the heater 16 is reduced.
In the onboard camera unit 10 according to this embodiment, in the state where the onboard camera 20 is attached to the hood base 22, the hood base 22 can freely be attached to/detached from the bracket 50. Accordingly, when the heater 16 fails, the heater 16 can be exchanged in the state where the onboard camera 20 is attached to the hood base 22.
On a lower surface of the bracket 51, a U-shaped camera holding section 72 is formed behind the right and left hood base attachment projection sections 68. The paired camera holding sections 72 are arranged in the right-left direction while being separated from each other by a width of the onboard camera 20. The onboard camera 20 is positioned between the paired camera holding sections 72. The camera projection 40, which is projected to the left of the onboard camera 20, is inserted into a hole formed by the left camera holding section 72 and the lower surface of the bracket 51. Similarly, the camera projection 40, which is projected to the right of the onboard camera 20, is inserted into a hole formed between the right camera holding section 72 and the bracket 51. In this way, the onboard camera 20 is held by the bracket 51.
In the onboard camera unit 11 according to this embodiment, in the state where the onboard camera 20 is attached to the bracket 51, the hood base 22 can freely be attached to/detached from the bracket 51. Accordingly, when the heater 16 fails, the heater 16 can be exchanged in the state where the onboard camera 20 is attached to the bracket 51.
The above description has been given of the embodiment in which the onboard camera unit 10 is used for the front windshield 14 of the automobile. However, the onboard camera unit 10 according to the present disclosure may be used for other onboard glass of the automobile.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-086194 | May 2021 | JP | national |
