JP2006327512A - Connector unit, vehicular digital camera, and door mirror having vehicular camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular camera of which the product life is greatly increased by adding a waterproofing function by a device in the structure. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicular camera (10) comprises: a camera unit (30) which photographs the surroundings of a vehicle (1); and a connector unit (60) which is connected with and fixed to the camera unit and supplies power. The camera unit (30) is equipped with: a camera board holding member (40) with which a wiring cord (66) extended from the connector unit (60) is connected; a camera board (31) which executes various kinds of processes for photographing data; and a camera main body (32) in which lens units (33 and 35) are fitted. The connector unit (60) approximately forms an inverted L shape of an upper surface member (61a) which covers the upper surface (30x) side of the camera unit (30), and a back surface member (61b) which covers the back surface (30y). In the upper surface member (61a), a receptacle (63) is fitted in order to perform the power source supply to the camera unit (30), the wiring cord (66) for connecting the receptacle (63) section with a camera surface (61f) is arranged and fixed, and the upper surface member (61a) is projected to the camera board holding member (40). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for an in-vehicle digital camera installed outside a vehicle, and more particularly to a technology for a connection structure of components constituting the in-vehicle digital camera.

  In July 2003, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism issued the immediately-preceding lateral driving visibility standard, which consists of two standards, the direct visibility standard and the indirect visibility standard, as the vehicle safety standard. The direct visibility standard is intended to prevent accidents by ensuring forward visibility for passenger cars and small trucks. Even when the vehicle height is changed, forward visibility is ensured while traveling. Need to be. The indirect visibility standard is for passenger cars, small trucks, and medium trucks, with the aim of preventing accidents when starting and parking, right before the car and on the left side (right side for left-hand drive cars). The field of view needs to be secured by using a mirror or the like.

Note that Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-62531 was extracted as a prior art related to the present application. This document describes the following techniques. In other words, an in-vehicle digital camera (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “in-vehicle camera”) that can move up and down and right and left on the back side of the mirror surface of the side mirror is installed in the range that becomes a blind spot that cannot be confirmed by the side mirror. Is. Thereby, the vision of the front wheel part of a vehicle and its periphery can be ensured.

JP 2000-62531 A

The image data captured by the in-vehicle camera is output to a display device such as a car navigation mounted in the vehicle for confirmation. In order to output imaging data from the in-vehicle camera to the display device, it is necessary to provide wiring between the display device in the vehicle and the in-vehicle camera.
However, such wiring connection work is troublesome because it is necessary to manually connect the wiring extended from the in-vehicle camera to the harness on the vehicle side one by one, leading to a reduction in work efficiency. It was.
In addition, in the technique of patent document 1, although the connection form of a door mirror and a camera apparatus is disclosed, the detail of the wiring structure with a vehicle side is not disclosed.

In addition, since the in-vehicle camera is installed exposed outside the vehicle, such as a side mirror, it is easily affected by changes in the external environment such as rainwater, and in some cases, rainwater or the like may be submerged in the in-vehicle camera. There was a risk of failure. As a general workaround against inundation, it may be possible to cover the side mirrors including on-board cameras with a waterproof sheet, etc., but the sheet must be covered each time depending on the weather. Is troublesome.
Moreover, the existing technique of solving with the wiring structure of a vehicle-mounted camera is not known.

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a technology related to an in-vehicle camera that can install a digital camera on a vehicle body with simple work and can secure waterproof performance without impairing workability of assembly. There is.
The object of the invention described in claims 1 to 3 is a connector for a digital camera that can be installed on a vehicle body by a simple assembling work and can secure a waterproof performance without impairing the assembling workability. To provide a unit.
Further, an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle digital camera that can be installed on a vehicle body by a simple assembling work and can secure waterproof performance without impairing the assembling workability. There is to do.
Furthermore, an object of the invention described in claims 7 to 10 is to provide an in-vehicle camera-equipped door mirror that can be installed on a vehicle body by a simple assembling work and can secure waterproof performance without impairing the assembling workability. It is to provide.

(Claim 1)
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector unit (60) which is connected and fixed to a camera unit (30) for imaging the periphery of a vehicle (1) to supply power and transmit / receive data.
The connector unit (60) includes an upper surface member (61a) that covers the upper surface (30x) side of the camera unit (30), and a rear member (30y) that covers the back surface (30y) opposite to the imaging surface of the camera unit (30). 61b) is generally inverted L-shaped. The upper surface member (61a) is formed so that a socket (63) for supplying power to the camera unit (30) and transmitting / receiving data can be housed. A wiring cord (66) for connecting the socket (63) portion when the socket (63) in the upper surface member (61a) is installed and the camera surface (61f) on the camera unit (30) side in the rear member (61b). ) Is fixed. The end of the wiring cord (66) protrudes in the direction from the camera surface (61f) of the back member (61b) toward the camera unit (30). The present invention relates to the connector unit as described above.

(Function)
For the camera unit (30), the upper surface member (61a) is on the upper surface (30x) side, and the rear surface (30y) on the opposite side to the imaging surface of the camera unit (30) is the rear member (61b). The connector unit (60) is connected and fixed to the camera unit (30) by covering.
The upper surface member (61a) is provided with a socket (63) for supplying power to the camera unit (30) and transmitting / receiving data. A wiring cord (66) is disposed and fixed on the socket (63) portion and the camera surface (61f) on the camera unit (30) side of the back member (61b). According to the arrangement of the wiring cord (66), even if rain or other liquid enters the gap between the upper surface (30x) of the camera unit (30) and the upper surface member (61a) of the connector unit (60), the liquid Has a very low probability of reaching the wiring cord (66). For this reason, troubles (such as a short circuit) due to liquid intrusion can be prevented as much as possible.
Since the end of the wiring cord (66) protrudes from the camera surface (61f) of the back member (61b) toward the camera unit (30), electrical connection work with the camera unit (30) is performed. Cheap.

(Claim 2)
The invention according to claim 2 limits the connector unit according to claim 1.
The upper surface (30x) of the camera unit (30) is provided with a receiving member (30c) having a receiving hole (30d). The connector unit includes a protrusion (61g) that protrudes so as to be inserted into the receiving hole (30d) and fixed. When the protrusion (61g) is inserted into the receiving hole (30d) of the receiving member (30c), the upper surface member (61a) is formed so as to cover a part of the upper surface (30x) of the camera unit (30). ing.

(Function)
The protrusion (61g) provided on the upper surface member (61a) of the connector unit (60) is inserted and fixed in the receiving hole (30d) of the receiving member (30c) provided on the upper surface (30x) of the camera unit (30). Is done. At this time, the upper surface member (61a) covers a part of the upper surface (30x) of the camera unit (30). Such a fixing structure is preferable because the camera unit (30) and the connector unit (60) can be attached and detached without using connecting members such as bolts, and the work process can be simplified.

(Claim 3)
The invention according to claim 3 limits the connector unit according to claim 1 or claim 2.
That is, the wiring cord (66) is provided with a connecting cord (68) in which one end (66a) and the other end (66b) of the wiring cord (66) are connected in a substantially S-shaped crank shape in a side view. And the connecting cord (68) is disposed at a predetermined distance from the inner wall surface (62) of the connector unit.

(Function)
A connecting cord (68) that connects one end (66a) of the wiring cord (66) to the other end (66b) is spaced from the inner wall surface (62) of the connector unit by a predetermined distance to the socket (63) and the camera unit (30). Connected. By disposing in this way, the disposition of the wiring cord (66) can be facilitated, and whether or not it has been inserted can be easily confirmed. Further, even if liquid enters from a position where the camera unit (30) and the connector unit (60) are fixed, they do not reach the wiring cord (66), thereby preventing a failure. Further, the wiring cord (66) has a substantially S-shaped crank shape as a fixing structure for more securely connecting each end of the wiring cord (66) to the socket (63) and the camera unit (30). . Such a configuration is preferable because it is difficult to remove from the socket (63) and the camera unit (30), and the occurrence of problems such as poor contact is reduced.

(Claim 4)
The invention described in claim 4 includes a camera unit (30) for imaging the periphery of the vehicle (1), and a connector unit (60) connected and fixed to the camera unit (30) for power supply and data transmission / reception. In-vehicle digital camera (10) consisting of
The camera unit (30) is adjacent to the camera board holding member (40) to which the wiring cord (66) extended from the connector unit (60) is connected, and the camera board holding member (40) is imaged. A camera board (31) that executes various types of processing of imaging data, and a camera body (32) that is connected to the camera board (31) and has lens units (33, 35) attached thereto.
The connector unit (60) includes an upper surface member (61a) that covers the upper surface (30x) side of the camera unit (30), and a rear surface member that covers the rear surface (30y) opposite to the imaging surface of the camera unit (30). 61b) is generally inverted L-shaped.
The upper surface member (61a) is formed such that a socket (63) for supplying power to the camera unit (30) and transmitting / receiving data can be housed. A wiring cord (66) for connecting the socket (63) portion when the socket (63) in the upper surface member (61a) is installed and the camera surface (61f) on the camera unit (30) side in the rear member (61b). ) Is fixed. The end of the wiring cord (66) protrudes from the camera surface (61f) of the back member (61b) toward the camera substrate holding member (40) of the camera unit (30).
The invention according to claim 4 relates to the on-vehicle digital camera as described above.

(Function)
The in-vehicle digital camera is formed to be separable into a camera unit and a connector unit, and the in-vehicle digital camera is configured by connecting a wiring cord of the connector unit to the camera unit. Each module constituting the in-vehicle digital camera is a unit, and the power supply to the in-vehicle digital camera functions by connecting the socket of the connector unit to a vehicle harness or the like. For this reason, the complexity of the work of drawing the wiring into the vehicle can be solved.
Further, even if it is normally exposed to the outside of the vehicle, according to the arrangement of the wiring cord (66) of the present invention, the upper surface (30x) of the camera unit (30) and the upper surface member (61a) of the connector unit (60) Even if a liquid enters the gap, the probability that the liquid touches the wiring cord (66) becomes extremely small. Therefore, it is possible to provide a vehicle-mounted digital camera that can significantly reduce the failure due to the influence of the external environment due to inundation such as rainwater and can significantly improve the product life.

(Claim 5)
The invention according to claim 5 limits the in-vehicle digital camera according to claim 4.
The upper surface (30x) of the camera unit (30) is provided with a receiving member (30c) having a receiving hole (30d). The connector unit includes a protrusion (61g) that protrudes so as to be inserted into the receiving hole (30d) and fixed. When the protrusion (61g) is inserted into the receiving hole (30d) of the receiving member (30c), the upper surface member (61a) is formed so as to cover a part of the upper surface (30x) of the camera unit (30). ing.

(Function)
It is preferable because the camera unit (30) and the connector unit (60) can be attached and detached without using a connecting member such as a bolt, and the work process can be simplified.

(Claim 6)
The invention according to claim 6 limits the in-vehicle digital camera according to claim 4 or claim 5.
That is, the wiring cord (66) is provided with a connecting cord (68) in which one end (66a) and the other end (66b) of the wiring cord (66) are connected in a substantially S-shaped crank shape in a side view. And the connecting cord (68) is disposed at a predetermined distance from the inner wall surface (62) of the connector unit.

(Function)
This is preferable because it is difficult to come out of the socket (53) and the camera unit (30) and reduces problems such as poor contact.

(Claim 7)
The invention described in claim 7 includes a camera unit (30) for imaging the periphery of the vehicle (1), and a connector unit (60) connected and fixed to the camera unit (30) for power supply and data transmission / reception. There is provided a door mirror with a vehicle-mounted camera in which a vehicle-mounted digital camera (10) consisting of the above is embedded in a side mirror of the vehicle.
The camera unit (30) is adjacent to the camera board holding member (40) to which the wiring cord (66) extended from the connector unit (60) is connected, and the camera board holding member (40) is imaged. A camera board (31) for executing various processing of imaging data; and a camera body (32) connected to the camera board (31) and having a lens unit (33, 35) attached thereto, the connector unit (60 ) Is roughly composed of an upper surface member (61a) that covers the upper surface (30x) side of the camera unit (30) and a rear member (61b) that covers the rear surface (30y) opposite to the imaging surface of the camera unit (30). The upper surface member (61a) has an inverted L-shape, and is formed so that a socket (63) for supplying power to the camera unit (30) and transmitting / receiving data can be installed. The socket (63) portion when the socket (63) in 61a) is installed, and the camera in the rear member (61b) A wiring cord (66) that connects the camera surface (61f) on the knit (30) side is arranged and fixed, and the end of the wiring cord (66) extends from the camera surface (61f) of the back member (61b) to the camera. The unit (30) protrudes toward the camera board holding member (40), and the in-vehicle digital camera (10) is placed on the rear surface of the side mirror (5) located substantially diagonally from the driver seat of the vehicle (1). It relates to a door mirror with an in-vehicle camera embedded in the side (6).

(Function)
The in-vehicle digital camera is substantially diagonal from the driver's seat of the vehicle, that is, if it is a right-hand drive vehicle, it is embedded on the back side of the left side mirror. That is, the mirror surface of the side mirror displays the object behind the vehicle, whereas the in-vehicle digital camera displays the front of the vehicle and its peripheral part.
Thus, for example, if it is a right-hand drive vehicle, the vicinity of the left front wheel of the vehicle is displayed, which is preferable because it contributes to improving safety, such as safety confirmation at the time of transmission and prevention of entanglement accidents at the time of vehicle left turn.

(Claim 8)
The invention according to claim 8 limits the door mirror with the in-vehicle camera according to claim 7.
The upper surface (30x) of the camera unit (30) is provided with a receiving member (30c) having a receiving hole (30d). The connector unit includes a protrusion (61g) that protrudes so as to be inserted into the receiving hole (30d) and fixed. When the protrusion (61g) is inserted into the receiving hole (30d) of the receiving member (30c), the upper surface member (61a) is formed so as to cover a part of the upper surface (30x) of the camera unit (30). ing.

(Function)
It is preferable because the camera unit (30) and the connector unit (60) can be attached and detached without using a connecting member such as a bolt, and the work process can be simplified.

(Claim 9)
The invention according to claim 9 limits the door mirror with the on-vehicle camera according to claim 7 or claim 8.
The wiring cord (66) includes a connecting cord (68) for connecting one end (66a) and the other end (66b) of the wiring cord (66) in a substantially S-shaped crank shape in a side view, The connecting cord (68) is disposed at a predetermined interval from the inner wall surface (62) of the connector unit.

(Function)
This is preferable because it is difficult to come out of the socket (53) and the camera unit (30) and reduces problems such as poor contact.

(Claim 10)
Invention of Claim 10 limited the door mirror with the vehicle-mounted camera of Claim 7 to Claim 9,
The on-vehicle digital camera (10) is provided with a rotation mechanism that can be rotated vertically and horizontally while being embedded in the side mirror (5).
The turning mechanism is generally composed of a small motor or the like. It is desirable that the turning mechanism can be operated by the driver of the vehicle equipped with the door mirror according to the invention.

(Function)
According to the invention described in claim 10, the imaging range can be changed by providing the in-vehicle digital camera with the rotation mechanism.
When the rotation mechanism can be operated by the driver, the driver can view and view the desired imaging range on a display or the like, which can further improve safety during vehicle travel. it can.

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, there is provided a connector unit for a digital camera that can be installed on a vehicle body by a simple assembling work and can secure a waterproof performance without impairing the assembling workability. We were able to.
Further, according to the invention described in claims 4 to 6, there is provided an in-vehicle digital camera that can be installed on the vehicle body by a simple assembling work and can secure a waterproof performance without impairing the assembling workability. We were able to.
Furthermore, according to the invention described in claims 7 to 10, there is provided an in-vehicle camera-equipped door mirror that can be installed on a vehicle body by simple assembly work and can secure waterproof performance without impairing the workability of the assembly. Could be provided.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on embodiments and drawings. The drawings used here are FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG. 1 is a schematic view schematically showing a form in which a vehicle-mounted camera-equipped door mirror is installed in a vehicle, FIG. 2 is a view showing a vehicle-mounted camera body, (a) is a front view, and (b). Is a side sectional view, FIG. 3C is a rear view, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the form of a lens holder, and FIG. 4 is a view showing a form in which a packing is placed on the camera body. (A) is a front view, (b) is a partially enlarged view, FIG. 5 is a view showing a form of a camera substrate holding member, (a) is a front view, and (b) is a side sectional view. 6A and 6B are views showing the form of the shield plate, where FIG. 7A is a top view, FIG. 6B is a side view, FIG. 6C is a partially enlarged view, and FIG. 6D is a side view. These are the figures which showed the form of the connector unit, (a) is side sectional drawing, (b) is a rear view, (c) is connected to the camera unit 8 is a partially enlarged view of the wiring cord, FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the in-vehicle camera, and FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the mounting structure of the in-vehicle camera. is there.

(Door mirror with in-vehicle camera)
FIG. 1 is a view showing a vehicle-mounted camera-equipped door mirror 3 attached to a vehicle 1 and a left front door 2 of the vehicle 1 and capable of confirming the left side of the vehicle 1 (the side opposite to the driver's seat). The in-vehicle camera-equipped door mirror 3 is configured by embedding an in-vehicle camera 10 on the back side 6 of the side mirror 5 attached to the hinge portion 4 of the front left door 2. The side mirror 5 is provided with a mirror surface 7 on the opposite back side 6 where the rear and rear periphery of the vehicle 1 can be confirmed from the vehicle driver's seat.
Hereinafter, the detailed structure of the vehicle-mounted camera 10 mounted on the door mirror 3 with the vehicle-mounted camera will be described.

(In-vehicle camera)
As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle camera 10 is a camera device that is installed to be rotatable up and down and left and right with respect to the side mirror 5 of the front left door 2 so that the front wheels and the periphery of the front wheels of the vehicle 1 can be confirmed. Image data captured by the in-vehicle camera 10 is output to a liquid crystal panel (not shown) that is a display device of a car navigation system installed in the vicinity of the instrument panel in the vehicle 1, and is displayed by the driver on the left front wheel of the vehicle and its surroundings. Confirmation is made. The operation of turning the in-vehicle camera 10 allows the driver to substitute the input interface of the car navigation system. This is because it is difficult to assume that the car navigation and the image from the in-vehicle camera are simultaneously viewed.

(Camera unit)
The in-vehicle camera 10 includes a camera unit 30 having an imaging function for imaging the periphery of the vehicle 1 and a connector unit 60 that is connected and fixed to the camera unit 30 and performs power supply and data transmission / reception. Consists of units. The wiring cord 66 protruding from the connector unit 60 is connected to the camera unit 30 so that the functional operation of the in-vehicle camera 10 is realized.

The camera unit 30 includes a camera body 32 (camera body) to which a lens unit (lens 33, lens holder 35) and a lens protection unit (cover glass 36, cover glass pressing member 37, O-ring 38) are attached. Yes.
The camera unit 30 is connected to the connector unit 60 via the shield plate 50 and connected to the camera substrate holding member 40 to which the wiring cord 66 extended from the connector unit 60 is connected, and to the camera substrate holding member 40. . In addition, the camera substrate 31 that executes various processes of the captured image data is connected to the camera substrate 31.

(Camera body)
As shown in FIG. 2, the camera body 32 protrudes from the upper surface 30x of the substantially cubic camera body main body, and includes a receiving member 30c having a receiving hole 30d into which a protrusion 61g provided on the connector unit 60 is inserted, and a camera. And a flange 32c extending from both side surfaces 30z of the body body. A bolt hole 32e for attaching to the side mirror 5 is provided at a substantially central portion of the flange 32c.

The camera body 32 has a lens unit mounting portion 32a on the camera substrate 31 side and a lens protection unit mounting portion 32b on the opposite camera substrate 31 side. The lens unit mounting portion 32a holds a lens 33 made of a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) that can convert an incident optical image into an electrical signal, and the lens 33. A lens unit including a lens holder 35 is fixed via a packing 34. The lens 33 includes a mounting portion 33b formed in a spiral shape that can be mounted on the lens holder 35 (see FIG. 9).

(Lens holder)
As shown in FIG. 3, the lens holder 35 is in contact with the body side substrate 31a side, and is integrally integrated with a base end member 35a formed in a substantially square thin plate shape and an upper end surface of the base end member 35a. The cylindrical member 35d is formed, and the mounted portion 35c is formed so that the lens 33 can be held by fitting the mounting portion 33b of the lens 33 to the inner wall portion of the cylindrical member 35d. .
A substantially columnar connecting member 35e extending toward the body side substrate 31a is integrally formed with the base end member 35a. And the bolt hole 35b for fixing to the camera board | substrate holding member 40 using the volt | bolt 71 which is a connection member is provided in the approximate center part of the connection member 35e.

The mounting portion 33b of the lens 33 formed in a spiral shape is fitted and wound around the mounted portion 35c of the lens holder 35. The lens unit is configured as described above (see FIG. 8). The material of the lens holder 35 is preferably formed of a metal member (for example, aluminum alloy) having heat dissipation.

  In the present embodiment, since the lens holder 35 is formed of an aluminum alloy (heat radiating member), even if condensation is attached to the lens 33 when the temperature decreases in winter or the like, the heat transmitted to the lens holder 35 is increased. Is also effective in preventing condensation. Therefore, it can be suppressed, and for this reason, it is possible to suppress troubles such as a malfunction of an imaging function caused by condensation and a problem that condensed water enters the electric system.

The camera substrate holding member 40 generates heat from the image sensor 31c. Here, the “imaging device” refers to an IC chip or the like that can convert an optical image around the vehicle incident through the lens of the camera unit into an electrical signal and store the electrical signal in a storage unit such as a ROM or a RAM. That is. Therefore, if the lens holder 35 is fixed in contact with the body side substrate 31a, heat is transferred to the lens holder 35, which is more effective in preventing condensation.

The lens holder 35 includes a columnar member 35d having a spiral mounted portion 35c on which one side of the base end member 35a holds the lens 33, and the camera substrate holding member 40 on the other side of the base end member 35a. A connecting member 35e having a bolt hole 35b fixed by a bolt 71 is provided. If formed in this manner, the lens 33 can be mounted in a state of being fixed to the camera substrate holding member 40, so that the lens unit can be easily assembled. That is, if the assembly is easy, mistakes are reduced, and a highly accurate on-vehicle camera structure can be provided. Thereby, a dew condensation prevention function functions effectively and it contributes to the failure reduction of a vehicle-mounted camera.

In FIG. 2 again, a transparent cover glass 36 for protecting the lens 33 and the cover glass 36 are fixed to the camera body 32 in the lens protection unit mounting portion 32b. Further, a cover glass pressing member 37 for protecting the lens 33 and the cover glass 36 from rain water or the like in an exposed state outside the vehicle is fixed. The cover glass 36 is provided with an O-ring 38 as an elastic member that is formed slightly larger than its diameter. Then, the camera body 32 in which the lens unit and the lens protection unit are mounted is fixed to the camera substrate 31.

(Packing)
FIG. 4 is a view showing a structure in which the packing 34 is attached to the camera body 32, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a portion D in FIG. 4A. The packing 34 is a member for adding waterproofness when fixed to the connector unit 60, and is made of an elastic member such as vinyl chloride, and includes recesses 34b at four corners thereof. The recess 34b is exposed so that the bolt hole 32d of the camera body 32 can be connected by a bolt 73, and is in contact with the end surface of the lens unit mounting portion 32a of the camera body 32.
That is, the packing 34 functions as a waterproof member that fills the gap between the camera body 32 and the connector unit 60 to prevent water from entering from the outside, and the bolt 34 is easily tightened by the shape of the recess 34b.

(Camera board)
As shown in FIG. 9, the camera substrate 31 is formed of two substrates, a body side substrate 31a fixed to the lens holder 35 side and a connector side substrate 31b fixed to the camera substrate holding member 40 side. That is, the camera substrate 31 is configured by combining these camera substrates 31a and 31b.
The body side substrate 31a includes an image pickup element 31c necessary for the image pickup function, such as an IC chip that enables various processing of image pickup data and a storage medium including a CCD that can store the image pickup data. The connector side substrate 31b includes slit fitting portions 31g that can be fitted to the slits 52b of the shield plate 50 on both side surfaces of the connector side substrate body.

(Camera board holding member)
As shown in FIG. 5, the camera substrate holding member 40 is die cast that allows the height of the lens 33 and the camera substrate 31 to be set. The positioning PIN opening 41 formed so that the wiring cord 66 of the connector unit 60 can be inserted into the camera substrate holding member main body, and the four corners on the camera substrate holding member main body are arranged diagonally, and connected to the lens holder 35 with bolts. The two lens holder bolt holes 40b formed in a cylindrical shape are opposed to the lens holder bolt holes 40b, and are connected and fixed to the bolt holes 50c of the shield plate 50 and the bolt holes 69 of the connector unit 60 with bolts. Two connector bolt holes 40c.

(Shield plate)
As shown in FIG. 6, the shield plate 50 is a reference portion on the electric circuit of the in-vehicle camera 10, and is a stainless steel leaf spring having a grounding function and a holding function for temporarily fixing the camera substrate 31. It is the member formed in.
The shield plate 50 further extends from a side end portion of the shield plate main body 51 from a side plate portion 52 extending in a substantially vertical direction with the shield plate main body 51 as a reference, and a base end portion 51 b of the side plate portion 52, and the camera body 32. And a hinge mechanism 53 that is grounded to the inner wall surface 32f. In addition, a slit 52b having an opening into which a slit fitting portion 31g provided on the side end of the connector-side substrate 31b can be fitted, and a positioning PIN for which a wiring cord 66 is formed on the shield plate body 51 so as to be able to pass therethrough. An opening 54 and a bolt hole 55 into which a bolt 72 is inserted and fixed from the camera substrate holding member 40 are provided.

  FIG. 6C is an enlarged view of the hinge mechanism 53. As shown in the figure, the hinge mechanism 53 extends from the shield plate main body 51 toward the camera substrate holding member 40 at a substantially right angle, and the tip thereof is outward from the shield plate main body 51 at a predetermined angle (see FIG. 15 °), and is provided with a grounding member 53b formed by bending a predetermined angle (120 ° in the figure) toward the inside of the shield plate main body 51 therefrom. The ground member 53b is grounded to the inner wall surface 32f of the camera body 32.

The grounding member 53b of the shield plate 50 is grounded to the inner wall surface 32f of the camera body 32, whereby the grounding can be achieved. By grounding, the potential of the camera body 32 is stabilized, so that the generation of noise in the entire in-vehicle camera is reduced. That is, by providing the shield plate 50 with a ground function, it is not necessary to separately provide a ground wire or the like for grounding. This contributes to a reduction in the number of parts of the in-vehicle camera structure.

  As shown in FIG. 6D, the slit 52b is sized so that the slit fitting portion 31g of the connector-side substrate 31b can be fitted in the vicinity of a substantially central portion spaced from the base end portion 51b of the side plate portion 52 by a predetermined distance. The opening is formed. By fitting the slit fitting portion 31g of the connector side substrate 31b into the slit 52b, the connector side substrate 31b can be temporarily fixed. A predetermined space is formed between the connector side substrate 31b and the shield plate 50 in a temporarily fixed state. For this reason, it is possible to adjust the height when another member is installed on the shield plate 50.

That is, as a configuration of the in-vehicle camera 10, a plurality of members are placed in the order of the camera substrate 31, the lens holder 35, the lens 33, and the camera body 32 on the shield plate 50, so that the height adjustment between the members can be adjusted. Necessary. Normally, it is necessary to adjust the height at the time of assembly, but by providing the slit 52b, such labor can be reduced. Thereby, the work efficiency of the worker when assembling the in-vehicle camera is improved.

  According to the shield plate 50 of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the complexity of the work process when assembling the in-vehicle camera, which has been a conventional problem. That is, the simple structure contributes to the improvement of assembly and adjustment work. Moreover, since the grounding function is used together with the shield plate 50, the number of parts is also reduced.

(Connector unit)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the connector unit 60 is made of synthetic resin or the like, and includes an upper surface member 61 a that covers the upper surface 30 x side of the camera unit 30, and a rear surface opposite to the imaging surface of the camera unit 30. The back member 61b covering 30y is generally inverted L-shaped. Further, the upper surface member 61a is formed so that a power socket 63 for supplying power to the camera unit 30 and transmitting / receiving data can be housed.

A wiring cord 66 that connects the power socket 63 portion in the case where the power socket 63 in the upper surface member 61a is housed and the camera surface 61f on the camera unit 30 side in the rear member 61b is disposed and fixed. The end of the wiring cord 66 protrudes from the camera surface 61f of the back member 61b toward the camera substrate holding member 40 of the camera unit 30. The power socket 63 is a socket having a so-called male side shape, and is fitted to the female side of the side mirror 5 to supply power.

The connector unit 60 includes a protrusion 61g that protrudes so as to be inserted into the receiving hole 30d and fixed. When the protrusion 61g is inserted into the receiving hole 30d of the receiving member 30c, the upper surface member 61a covers a part of the upper surface 30x of the camera unit 30.

For the camera unit 30, the upper surface member 61 a covers the upper surface 30 x side, and the rear surface member 61 b covers the rear surface 30 y opposite to the imaging surface of the camera unit 30, thereby connecting the connector unit 60 to the camera unit 30. Fixed.
The upper surface member 61a is internally provided with a power socket 63 for supplying power to the camera unit 30 and transmitting / receiving data. And the wiring cord 66 is arrange | positioned and fixed to the power socket 63 part and the camera surface 61f used as the camera unit 30 side in the back surface member 61b. According to the arrangement of the wiring cord 66, even when a liquid such as rainwater enters from the gap between the upper surface 30x of the camera unit 30 and the upper surface member 61a of the connector unit 60, the probability that the liquid touches the wiring cord 66 is extremely small. Become. Further, since the end 66b of the wiring cord 66 protrudes from the camera surface 61f of the back member 61b toward the camera unit 30, an electrical connection operation with the camera unit 30 can be easily performed.

Further, since the projection 61g is detachably formed in the receiving hole 30d, it is possible to easily attach and detach the camera unit 30 and the connector unit 60 without using a connecting member such as a bolt, thereby simplifying the work process. It is preferable because it can be realized.

(Wiring cord)
FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view showing a form in which the wiring cord 66 is disposed on the inner wall surface 62 of the connector unit 60. The wiring cord 66 has a power socket side end (one end) 66 a connected to the power socket 63 of the wiring cord 66 and a camera board holding member side end connected to the positioning PIN opening 41 of the camera board holding member 40. (Other end) 66b and a connecting cord 68 for connecting these end portions are provided.
The connecting cord 68 has four corners 67a, 67b, 67c, 67d and is formed in a substantially S-shaped crank shape in a side view. The material of the wiring cord 66 is formed of an insulator such as vinyl chloride. By making the wiring cord 66 in this way, the following effects can be obtained.

  A connecting cord 68 for connecting the power socket side end 66a of the wiring cord 66 to the camera board holding member side end 66b is connected to the power socket 63 and the camera unit 30 with a predetermined distance from the inner wall surface 62 of the connector unit. . By arranging in this way, the wiring cord can be easily inserted, and whether or not it has been inserted can be easily confirmed. Further, even if liquid enters from a location (the upper surface 30x or the like) where the camera unit 30 and the connector unit 60 are fixed, the wiring cord 66 is not reached, and a failure caused by the penetration of the liquid is prevented.

Further, as a fixing structure for connecting each end of the wiring cord 66 to the power socket 63 and the camera unit 30 more reliably, the wiring cord 66 has a substantially S-shaped crank shape. With such a configuration, it becomes difficult for the wiring cord 66 to come off from the power socket 63 and the camera unit 30, thereby reducing problems such as poor contact. As a result, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle camera that can significantly reduce the failure due to the influence of the external environment and significantly improve the product life.

(Assembly procedure)
With reference to FIG. 9, an example of the assembly procedure of the in-vehicle camera 10 will be described.
First, the shield plate 50 and the camera substrate holding member 40 are placed in this order on the camera surface 61 f of the connector unit 60, and are connected and fixed to the respective bolt holes 50 c and 40 c of the shield plate 50 and the camera substrate holding member 40 with bolts 72. At this time, the bolt 73 is fixed to the shield plate 50 from the back member 61b side of the connector unit 60 by welding or the like.

  Next, the connector side substrate 31b is placed on the camera substrate holding member 40. This is because the slit 52b provided in the side plate portion 52 of the shield plate 50 is connected to the slit fitting portion of the connector side substrate 31b. 31g is fitted and fixed. At this stage, the shield plate 50, the camera board holding member 40, and the connector side board 31b are fixed to the connector unit 60.

Next, the body side substrate 31a is placed on the connector side substrate 31b to form the camera substrate 31, the lens holder 35 is placed on the camera substrate 31, the bolt hole 35b of the lens holder 35 and the camera substrate. The connector bolt holes 40 c of the holding member 40 are connected and fixed by bolts 71.
At this time, the power socket side end 66 a of the wiring cord 66 extending from the power socket 63 is connected to the camera board from the positioning PIN opening 54 of the shield plate 50 and the positioning PIN opening 41 of the camera board holding member 40. The power is secured by being connected to 31 wiring connection portions (not shown).

Further, the lens unit is formed by attaching the mounting portion 33b of the lens 33 to the mounted portion 35c of the lens holder 35. If power is supplied in this state, imaging can be performed, but in order to add a waterproof function to the in-vehicle camera 10, the camera body 32 is attached to the connector unit 60 to which the lens unit is mounted.
For mounting the camera body 32, the packing 34 is brought into contact with the lens unit mounting portion 32a side of the camera body 32, and the protrusion 61g of the connector unit is fitted into the receiving hole 30d of the receiving member 30c of the camera unit 30. The

Further, an O-ring 38, a cover glass 36, and a cover glass pressing member 37 are placed in this order on the lens protection unit mounting portion 32b of the camera body 32, and bolts are inserted from the bolt holes 37b of the cover glass pressing member 37 located on the outermost side. 70 is connected and fixed to the camera body 32. By attaching a lens protection unit to the camera body 32, a waterproof function is added.

(Mounting to the side mirror)
Next, as shown in FIG. 1, an example of an attachment structure when the in-vehicle camera 10 is attached to the side mirror 5 will be described with reference to FIG. 10.
As shown in FIG. 10, the in-vehicle camera 10 is based on a mirror unit 80 formed of a synthetic resin such as PP, PE, PS, ABS, AES, or a metal chassis. The mirror unit 80 has a partition plate 81 in the middle thereof, and the mirror unit 80 is formed by being divided into two small rooms.

  A small room 82 to which an illumination device 88 such as an LED lamp is attached is formed on the left side of the mirror unit 80, and a small room 83 to which the in-vehicle camera 10 is attached is formed on the right side. The small room 83 of the mirror unit 80 includes a camera fitting portion 84 into which the in-vehicle camera 10 can be fitted. When mounting the in-vehicle camera 10, the in-vehicle camera 10 is fitted into the camera fitting portion 84 and connected and fixed to the bolt hole 32 e of the flange 32 c using the bolt 74. In addition, when attaching the vehicle-mounted camera 10 to the mirror unit 80, you may use a sealing material and a tape in order to improve familiarity.

When the vehicle-mounted camera 10 is attached to the mirror unit 80, the mirror unit 80 is fitted and installed from the opening 5b provided on the back side 6 of the side mirror 5. In the installed state of the mirror unit 80, the power socket 63 of the connector unit 60 of the in-vehicle camera 10 is exposed to the harness opening 5c, connected to the harness, and supplied with power. That is, since each unit is configured as a unit, the vehicle-mounted camera 10 can be installed on the side mirror 5 with a simple operation.

  A mirror cover 90 for protecting the in-vehicle camera 10 and the illumination device 88 is put on the side opposite to the side where the mirror unit 80 is attached to the side mirror 5. In many cases, the illumination device 88 employs infrared illumination of a certain band in order to enable night photography by the in-vehicle camera 10. Corresponding to this, an in-vehicle camera 10 that can shoot in both the visible light region and the infrared region is often employed. In this case, a visible light filter material generally called a smoke material is applied or attached to the inside of the mirror cover 90. As a result, infrared rays pass through and the night photographing function is ensured, while internal devices and circuits cannot be seen from the outside.

In the past, the mirror unit 80 and the like were assembled only on the lower surface of the side mirror, looking good and taking care of beauty. However, the provision of the visible light filter material makes it impossible to see the LED housed in the mirror unit 80, its substrate, and the wiring. In this case, the mirror unit 80 can be incorporated into the upper surface modeling surface, and the degree of freedom in light source layout and light distribution design is increased.
Note that the visible light filter material includes gray, black, and iridescent colors, and can be coordinated according to the coloring of the side mirror itself without impairing the beauty.

In the above-described embodiments, the description has been made on the assumption that the vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle. However, in the case of a left-hand drive vehicle, the installation location of the door mirror with the in-vehicle camera can be dealt with by installing it in the opposite direction. That is, in order to make the imaging range of the in-vehicle camera correspond to the blind spot portion from the driver's seat side, if it is a right-hand drive vehicle, it is diagonally from the driver seat to the left door mirror on the diagonal line, and if it is a left-hand drive vehicle, it is diagonally from the driver seat. Located on the right door mirror.

Further, the display device of the present embodiment is a liquid crystal panel of a car navigation system, but other forms may be used. For example, it may be a display device that does not have the function of a car navigation system and can output only imaging data, or may employ a CRT in addition to a liquid crystal panel, and is limited to display means. There is nothing.

  The present invention can be used in the field of electronic parts, the field of digital cameras using the electronic parts, and the field of mobile vehicles equipped with digital cameras.

It is the schematic which showed roughly the form by which the door mirror with a vehicle-mounted camera was installed in the vehicle. It is the figure which showed the vehicle-mounted camera main body, (a) is a front view, (b) is side sectional drawing, (c) is a rear view. It is the perspective view which showed the form of the lens holder. It is the figure which showed the form which mounted packing on the camera body, (a) is a front view, (b) is the elements on larger scale. It is the figure which showed the form of the camera board | substrate holding member, (a) is a front view, (b) is side sectional drawing. It is the figure which showed the form of the shield board, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, (c) is the elements on larger scale. It is the figure which showed the form of the connector unit, (a) is side sectional drawing, (b) is a rear view, (c) is side sectional drawing of the state connected to the camera unit. It is the elements on larger scale of a wiring cord. It is a disassembled perspective view of a vehicle-mounted camera. It is the disassembled perspective view which showed the attachment structure of the vehicle-mounted camera.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Front left door 3 Door mirror with vehicle-mounted camera 4 Hinge part 5 Side mirror 5b Opening part 5c Harness opening part 6 Back side 7 Mirror surface 10 Car-mounted camera 30 Camera unit 30b Upper end surface 30c Receiving member 30d Receiving hole 30x Upper surface 30y Rear surface 30z Horizontal Surface 31 Camera substrate 31a Body side substrate 31b Connector side substrate 31c Image sensor 31g Slit fitting portion 32 Camera body 32a Lens unit mounting portion 32b Lens protection unit mounting portion 32c Flange 32d, 32e Bolt hole 32f Inner wall surface 33 Lens 33b mounting portion 34 Packing 34b Recess 35 Lens holder 35a Base end member 35b Bolt hole 35c Mounted part 35d Column member 35e Connecting member 36 Cover glass 37 Cover glass pressing member 37b Bolt hole 40 Camera board holding member 40b Lens holder bolt hole 40c Connector bolt hole 41 Positioning PIN opening 50 Shield plate 51 Shield plate body 51b Base end portion 52 Side plate portion 52b Slit 53 Hinge mechanism 53b Grounding member 54 Positioning PIN opening 55 Bolt hole
60 Connector unit 61a Upper surface member 61b Rear surface member 61f Camera surface 61g Projection portion 62 Inner wall surface 63 Power supply socket 66 Wiring cord 66a Power supply socket side end portion 66b Camera board holding member side end portion 67a to 67d Corner portion 68 Connection cord 69 Bolt hole 70 ~ 74 Volts 80 Mirror unit 81 Partition plate 82, 83 Small room 84 Camera fitting part 88 Illumination device 90 Mirror cover

Claims (10)

A connector unit that is connected and fixed to a camera unit for imaging the periphery of a vehicle and performs power supply and data transmission / reception,
The connector unit has a generally inverted L shape with an upper surface member covering the upper surface side of the camera unit and a back surface member covering the back surface opposite to the imaging surface of the camera unit,
The upper surface member is formed so that a socket for performing power supply and data transmission / reception to the camera unit can be incorporated,
A wiring cord that connects the socket part when the socket in the upper surface member is internally installed and the camera surface on the camera unit side in the rear member is arranged and fixed,
An end portion of the wiring cord protrudes from the camera surface of the back member toward the camera unit. Protruding from the upper surface of the camera unit, comprising a receiving member having a receiving hole into which the protrusion of the upper surface member provided so as to be fixed to the camera unit can be inserted,
2. The connector unit according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface member is formed so as to cover a part of the upper surface of the camera unit when the protrusion is inserted into the receiving hole of the receiving member. The wiring cord has a substantially S-shaped crank shape in a side view with one end of the wiring cord connected to the socket side, the other end of the wiring cord connected to the camera unit side, and one end and the other end. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connection cord is arranged at a predetermined interval from the inner wall surface of the connector unit. unit. An in-vehicle digital camera comprising a camera unit for imaging a vehicle periphery and a connector unit connected and fixed to the camera unit for power supply and data transmission / reception,
The camera unit includes a camera board holding member to which a wiring cord extended from the connector unit is connected, a camera board that is adjacent to the camera board holding member and executes various processes of the captured image data, and the camera board. And a camera body with a lens unit attached thereto,
The connector unit is generally in an inverted L shape with an upper surface member covering the upper surface side of the camera unit and a back surface member covering the back surface opposite to the imaging surface of the camera unit,
The upper surface member is formed so that a socket for performing power supply and data transmission / reception to the camera unit can be incorporated,
A wiring cord that connects the socket part when the socket in the upper surface member is internally installed and the camera surface on the camera unit side in the rear member is arranged and fixed,
An in-vehicle digital camera characterized in that an end portion of the wiring cord protrudes from the camera surface of the back member toward the camera substrate holding member of the camera unit. The connector unit includes a receiving member that protrudes from the upper surface of the camera unit and has a receiving hole into which the protruding portion of the upper surface member provided to be fixed to the camera unit can be inserted.
5. The on-vehicle digital camera according to claim 4, wherein the upper surface member covers a part of the upper surface of the camera unit when the protrusion is inserted into the receiving hole of the receiving member. The wiring cord has a substantially S-shaped crank shape in a side view with one end of the wiring cord connected to the socket side, the other end of the wiring cord connected to the camera unit side, and one end and the other end. 6. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 4, wherein the connection cord is arranged at a predetermined interval from the inner wall surface of the connector unit. Digital camera. An in-vehicle camera in which an in-vehicle digital camera comprising a camera unit for imaging a vehicle periphery and a connector unit connected to and fixed to the camera unit for power supply and data transmission / reception is embedded in a side mirror of the vehicle Door mirror with
The camera unit includes a camera board holding member to which a wiring cord extended from the connector unit is connected, a camera board that is adjacent to the camera board holding member and executes various processes of the captured image data, and the camera board. And a camera body with a lens unit attached thereto,
The connector unit is generally in an inverted L shape with an upper surface member covering the upper surface side of the camera unit and a back surface member covering the back surface opposite to the imaging surface of the camera unit,
The upper surface member is formed so that a socket for performing power supply and data transmission / reception to the camera unit can be incorporated,
A wiring cord that connects the socket part when the socket in the upper surface member is internally installed and the camera surface on the camera unit side in the rear member is arranged and fixed,
The end of the wiring cord is projected from the camera surface of the back member toward the camera substrate holding member of the camera unit,
A door mirror with a vehicle-mounted camera, wherein the vehicle-mounted digital camera is embedded on the back side of a side mirror positioned substantially diagonally from the driver's seat of the vehicle. The connector unit includes a receiving member that protrudes from the upper surface of the camera unit and has a receiving hole into which the protruding portion of the upper surface member provided to be fixed to the camera unit can be inserted.
8. The door mirror with an in-vehicle camera according to claim 7, wherein the upper surface member is formed so as to cover a part of the upper surface of the camera unit when the protrusion is inserted into the receiving hole of the receiving member. The wiring cord has a substantially S-shaped crank shape in a side view with one end of the wiring cord connected to the socket side, the other end of the wiring cord connected to the camera unit side, and one end and the other end. The vehicle-mounted vehicle according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the connection cord is arranged at a predetermined interval from the inner wall surface of the connector unit. Door mirror with camera. The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the vehicle-mounted digital camera includes a rotation mechanism that can be rotated vertically and horizontally while being embedded in the side mirror. door mirror.

Images