Patent Application
20230303001
This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. DE 10 2022 107 023,9, filed on Mar. 24, 2022, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a rear-view camera assembly adapted for use with external rear vision mirrors of motor vehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a viewing and detection system of external rear vision mirrors and/or cameras for motor vehicles in form of a rear-view assembly for a vehicle.
Generally, motor vehicles have a pair of external rear vision mirrors placed at either side of the vehicle such that to obtain a clear sight of the rear end of the vehicle. The mirrors are typically an assembly of combination of mechanical or electro-mechanical components. Typically, the assembly is inclusive of a mirror head that is designed to rotate, in either forward or rearward directions, about a substantially vertical pivot axis. The mirror head is the component which is adjusted with respect to the driving position such that a rear-view of the vehicle is obtained.
There are numerous external rear view mirror assemblies equipped with various manual or motorized or electronic aligning mechanisms that allow the operator or driver to change the angel of the mirror such that to obtain a desired field of view.
Further, in view of several homologation requirements, there exist need to incorporate multiple mirror heads with various class of mirrors having different field of views. In an example scenario, there may be homologation requirements wherein two field of views may be required including a class 2 field of view and a class 4 field of view.
Further, it is observed in various developments that mirrors have been replaced by or incorporated with cameras mounted in the mirror housing to capture a specific field of view and the same is displayed to the driver of the vehicle in a display unit mounted within the cabin of the vehicle. In one example, the camera may be a part of an obstacle detection system, a collision-avoidance system and/or an assisted driving system such as an autopilot feature.
Furthermore, mirrors have been incorporated with cameras to identify the field of view behind and beside the car to alert the driver of other vehicles on the road and potential hazards. The plurality of images or video stream captured by camera devices are transferred to an electronic control unit (ECU). One problem encountered with this type of camera is image stability. As the car travels and experiences vibrations, both from the surface of the road as well as wind, the camera can produce an image with diminished clarity. Additionally, the weight of the camera itself needs to be properly supported to increase stability and improve image quality.
In view of the aforementioned drawbacks and other inherent in the existing state of the art, there is a desire to have a rear-view assembly that can support the weight of the camera as well as improve camera image quality by minimizing vibrations and increasing stability.
Thus, it an the object of the present disclosure to provide a rear-view assembly for a vehicle overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art.
This object may be achieved by the features of claim 1. Embodiments of the rear-view assembly of the present disclosure are described in claims 2 to 10.
Various embodiments of the disclosure describe a rear-view assembly for a vehicle comprising: a frame secured to the vehicle and a housing secured to the frame, with at least one camera secured to the frame, wherein the at least one camera comprises at least one lens and wherein the lens is pointing in a rearwardly facing direction. Further, the rearview assembly comprises a bezel secured to the frame wherein the bezel comprises an aperture configured for the lens to view the rearwardly facing direction.
In one example, the frame comprises at least one cavity to house at least one camera.
In one example, a first camera comprises a first lens and a second camera comprises a second lens, both the first and second cameras are secured to the frame.
In one example, the frame comprises a first cavity and a second cavity and the first cavity houses the first camera, and the second cavity houses the second camera.
In one example, the first lens is pointing in the rearwardly facing direction, and the second lens is pointing in an outwardly facing direction.
In one example, the housing comprises a housing aperture configured for the second lens of the second camera to view the outwardly facing direction.
In one example, the at least one camera is secured in the at least one cavity of the frame with a cap having a void configured for the at least one lens to view the rearward direction.
In one example, the at least one camera is secured in the at least one cavity of the frame via a fastener. The fastener may be a screw and/or a snap-fit connection.
In one example, the frame further comprises an actuator, wherein a reflective element is secured to the actuator.
In one example, the rear-view assembly the bezel is housed in the housing and the bezel has a bezel aperture and is configured for the at least one camera to be positioned to view the rearward direction.
Further, a method to operate the rear-view assembly described in any of the examples above comprising at least one camera, is provided in line with claims 11 and 12. The method comprises the following steps: recording a field of view in a rearwardly facing direction by the at least one camera, providing at least part of the recorded field of view in the rearwardly facing direction to an electronic control unit (ECU), the ECU providing at least a part of the recorded field of view in the rearwardly facing direction to a driver of the vehicle. The recorded field of view may also be transmitted to the ECU and used in a part of an obstacle detection and/or a collision-avoidance system that may alert the driver of potential danger or hazards. The method may further provide the steps of the first camera recording the field of view in the rearwardly facing direction to the ECU, the second camera providing a field of view in the outwardly facing direction to the ECU, the ECU providing at least a part of the recorded field of view in the rearwardly facing direction and the outwardly facing direction to the driver of the vehicle.
Still further, a vehicle is provided in line with claim 13, with the vehicle comprising at least one rear-view assembly as described in any of the preceding examples and a field of view as a prominent part of the vehicle to provide a driver with at least a part of the field of view in the rearwardly and outwardly facing direction.
The disclosure itself, together with further features and attended advantages, will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure is now described, by way of example only wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:
The term “comprises”, “comprising”, “including”, “having”, “consist of” or any other variations indicate non-exclusive inclusion in order to cover a setup, structure or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or structure or method. Meaning thereby, one or more elements in an apparatus proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the assembly or apparatus.
For increasing the intelligibility of this assembly, references are made to the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying Figures and description herein below, further, in the following Figures, the same reference numerals are used to identify the same components in alternative views.
This disclosure encompasses a rear-view assembly 100 for a vehicle (not shown) according to an embodiments, with the rear-view assembly 100 comprising a frame 104 secured to the vehicle and a housing 102 secured to the frame 104. The rear-view assembly 100 further comprising at least one camera 106 secured to the frame 104 and wherein the at least one camera 106 comprises at least one lens 108 and wherein the lens 108 is pointing in a rearwardly facing direction with respect to the vehicle. The rear-view assembly 100 further comprises a bezel 110 secured to the frame 104 wherein the bezel 110 comprises a bezel aperture 112 configured for the at least one camera 106 lens 108 to view the rearwardly facing direction with respect to the vehicle.
In some examples, the reflective element 124 is pivotally mounted on the frame 104 such that an orientation of the reflective element 124 may be adjusted with respect to the housing 102. In some examples, the frame 104 may include any suitable actuator 122 (shown in
As shown in
The cavity 114 of the frame 104 is configured to house a camera 106. The camera 106 may be secured within the cavity 114 by a cap 116. The cap 116 may close the open end of the cavity 114. The cap 116 comprises a void 118 to allow the lens 108 of the camera 106 to view the rearwardly or outwardly facing direction with respect to the vehicle.
In one example, the first camera 106a is housed in the first cavity 114a and may be secured in place by the first cap 116a. The first cap 116a may have a first void 118a to allow the first lens 108a of the first camera 106a to view the rearward direction with respect to the vehicle. Furthermore, the second camera 106b is housed in the second cavity 114b and may be secured in place by the second cap 116b. The second cap 116bmay have a second void 118b to allow the second lens 108b of the second camera 106b to view the outward direction with respect to the vehicle and/or to view the downward direction with respect to the housing 102.
The cap 116 is secured to the cavity 114 of the frame 104 with a fastener 120. The fastener 120 may be any type that is known in the art. For example, the cap 116 could have a snap-fit connector that interlocks with the cavity 114, as shown in
In some examples, the rear-view assembly 100 may also be provided with additional functionality, such as an automatic dimming reflective element, a reflective element defogging/defrosting/de-icing element, a camera 106 lens 108 defogging/defrosting/de-icing element and/or coating, turn indicators, area lights, powered extension, power folding, spotlights, and/or the like.
It should be understood that the camera 106 may be of any type of a digital or analog camera including, but not limited to, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor, a CCD camera (charge couple device imaging means), a night vision camera (e.g., an infrared camera), or the like for imaging a still image or a motion picture image. In some examples, the camera 106 may be a part of a night vision system that provides the driver with enhanced viewing of the surrounding environment through a wider field of vision as well as improved visibility when it is dark. In some examples, the camera 106 may be a part of an obstacle detection and/or a collision-avoidance system.
A method to operate the rear-view assembly for a vehicle as discussed in the examples above comprising at least one camera 106 having the following steps: recording the field of view in the rearward direction, with respect to the vehicle, by the at least one camera 106. Providing at least part of the recorded field of view in the rearwardly facing direction to an electronic control unit (ECU) 130. The ECU 130 provides at least a part of the recorded field of view in the rearwardly facing direction to the driver or user of the vehicle.
The method may further comprise the steps of the first camera 106a recording the field of view in the rearwardly facing direction to the ECU 130, and the second camera 106b recording the field of in the outwardly and/or downwardly facing direction to the ECU 130. The ECU 130 providing at least a part of the recorded field of view in the rearwardly facing directions and the outwardly and/or downwardly facing direction to the driver through a display 132.
The ECU 130 and the display 132 may be located inside of the vehicle. Furthermore, the ECU 130 and the display 132 are communicably coupled to each other so that the ECU 130 may perform suitable adjustment to the images received from the at least one camera 106 (e.g., image cropping, resizing, rotation, etc.) for optimal viewing on the display 132.
In some embodiments, the ECU 130 may be embodied in a number of different ways. For example, the ECU 130 may be embodied as various processing means, such as one or more of a microprocessor or other processing elements, a coprocessor, or various other computing or processing devices, including integrated circuits, such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or any other suitable device for receiving, processing, storing, and communicating data. In some embodiments, the ECU 130 may be configured to execute instructions stored in a memory provided with the ECU 130 or otherwise accessible to the ECU 130.
As such, whether configured by hardware or by a combination of hardware and software, the ECU 130 may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry—in the form of processing circuitry) capable of performing operations according to some embodiments while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when the ECU 130 is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA, or the like, the ECU 130 may have specifically configured hardware for conducting the operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example, when the ECU 130 is embodied as an executor of software instructions, the instructions may specifically configure the ECU 130 to perform the operations described herein.
In short, the ECU 130 may include any suitable combination of software, firmware, and hardware. Further, the ECU 130 may include a logic and any appropriate interface for receiving inputs and providing outputs. The logic may include any information, application, rule, and/or instruction stored or executed by the ECU 130. The ECU 130 may additionally include (or be communicatively coupled to) one or more memory modules. The memory modules may be non-transitory and may include any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, including, without limitation, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), removable media, an optical storage device, or any other suitable local or remote memory component. The display 132 is configured to receive signals from the ECU 130 for displaying one or more images or a series of images. In some instances, the display 132 may be configured to receive a video generated by the camera 106. In some examples, the display 132 may be any type of display, including, but not limited to, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light-emitting diode (LED) displays, organic LED (OLED) displays, digital light processing (DLP) displays, electroluminescent (ELD) displays, plasma display panels (PDPs), and/or the like.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing feature sizes, amounts, and physical properties used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified by the term “about”. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the foregoing specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by those skilled in the art utilizing the teachings disclosed herein.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations can be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is intended that this disclosure be limited by the claims and the equivalents thereof.
Furthermore, the features of the disclosure disclosed in this specification, the claims and the drawings may be employed both individually and in any possible combination for practicing the disclosure in its various exemplary embodiments. In particular, all claim feature combinations, irrespective of the claim dependencies, are covered with this application.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2022 107 023.9 | Mar 2022 | DE | national |
