JP2008135894A - Visual sensor device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a visual sensor device suitable to be placed on a front bumper of a vehicle and having a higher salability. <P>SOLUTION: An optical component 21 is made of light transparent material, and comprises an incident plane 26a where peripheral light L of a predetermined perspective range S enters. A reflective component 25 is provided in a fashion integral with the optical component 21, and reflects the peripheral light L. An imaging means 23 photographs the peripheral light L reflected by the reflective component 25. A light-emitting element 30 is placed out of the predetermined visual field range S. A lid 32 is made of light transparent material, and covers the light-emitting element 30. A dielectric film 29 is formed on the incident plane 26a of the optical component 21. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

In the present invention, a wide range of ambient light is reflected by a reflecting member, and a CCD (Charge
The present invention relates to a visual sensor device that takes an image by an imaging means such as a coupled device.

  Conventionally, various omnidirectional vision sensors have been proposed, and for example, disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. Such an omnidirectional visual sensor 1 reflects ambient light with a hyperboloidal reflecting mirror 2 and images the surroundings with an imaging device 3 such as a CCD (see FIG. 4).

  The image sensor 3 is mounted on the circuit board 4, and the circuit board 4 on which the image sensor 3 is mounted is disposed on the bottom wall portion 5 a of the case body 5. A cylindrical tube 6 made of a translucent material is provided on the side wall 5 b of the case body 5, and the reflection mirror 2 is disposed inside the tube 6. A lid body 7 is disposed in the upper opening 6 a of the cylindrical body 6, and the reflection mirror 2 is fixed to the lid body 7. The reflection mirror 2 has a hyperboloid shape, and is disposed so as to hang from the lid body 7 with the apex of the hyperboloid shape facing downward.

However, the omnidirectional visual sensor 1 has a problem that it cannot be provided at low cost because of the large number of parts. That is, the cylindrical body 6 made of a light-transmitting material has no optical effect, so if the cylindrical body 6 can be eliminated, the number of parts can be reduced. Therefore, the applicant of the present application has proposed a visual sensor 10 that has a small number of parts and can be manufactured at low cost (see Patent Document 3).
JP-A-10-160463 JP 2000-128031 A JP 2005-109786 A

  Such a visual sensor 10 includes an optical member 11, a case body 12, an image sensor 13, a circuit board 14, and a reflective layer 15 (see FIG. 5). Ambient light L enters the light incident portion 16 from the incident surface 16 a, is reflected by the reflective layer 15, and is guided to the image sensor 13 by the light guide portion 17. The ambient light L reflected downward by the reflective layer 15 exits from the emission surface 17b and is imaged by the imaging element 13.

  The present invention further improves the above-described visual sensor, and provides a visual sensor device with high merchantability. In particular, the present invention provides a visual sensor that is preferably disposed on a front bumper of a vehicle.

  As described in claim 1, the present invention is provided integrally with the optical member 21 made of a translucent material having an incident surface 26 a on which ambient light L in a predetermined visual field range S is incident. A reflection member 25 that reflects the ambient light L; an imaging unit 23 that captures the ambient light L reflected by the reflection member 25; and a light emitting element 30 disposed outside the predetermined visual field range S. Is.

  In addition, the present invention includes a lid 32 that is made of a translucent material and covers the light emitting element 30 as described in claim 2.

  In the present invention, a dielectric film 29 is formed on the incident surface 26 a of the optical member 21 as described in claim 3.

  Productivity is improved by providing the light-emitting element in the visual sensor device, and there is no possibility that light emitted from the light-emitting element is incident on the imaging means by arranging the light-emitting element outside the predetermined visual field range.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The visual sensor device 20 includes an optical member 21, a case body 22, an image sensor 23 (imaging means), a circuit board 24, and a reflective layer 25 (reflective member).
The optical member 21 is made of a solid translucent resin (for example, polycarbonate) and has a light incident portion 26 and a light guide portion 27. The light incident portion 26 of the optical member 21 includes an incident surface 26a on which the ambient light L is incident and a hyperboloid-shaped concave portion 26b.

  A dielectric film 29 is formed on the incident surface 26 a of the optical member 21. The dielectric film 29 has wavelength selectivity and transmits only visible light without transmitting infrared light. A reflective layer 25 made of aluminum (Al) is formed in the recess 26 b of the optical member 21. The reflective layer 25 is formed by coating the recess 26b by a method such as vapor deposition.

  The light guide portion 27 of the optical member 21 guides the ambient light L reflected by the reflective layer 25 to the image sensor 23, and has a substantially cylindrical shape. The light guide unit 27 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 27 a and an output surface 27 b that faces the image sensor 23. The visual sensor device 20 has a visual field range S, and ambient light L in the visual field range S enters the light incident part 26 from the incident surface 26 a, is reflected by the reflective layer 25, and is reflected by the light guide part 27. Guided to the image sensor 23.

The case body 22 includes a bottom wall portion 22a and a cylindrical side wall portion 22b, and the optical member 21 is fixed to the side wall portion 22b. The image sensor 23 is mounted on the circuit board 24 and fixed to the bottom wall portion 22 b of the case body 22.
A circuit board 31 on which a light emitting diode 30 (light emitting element) is mounted is disposed on the upper surface of the optical member 21, and the light emitting diode 30 and the circuit board 31 are covered with a lid 32. The lid 32 is made of a translucent resin (for example, polycarbonate), and transmits light emitted from the light emitting diode 30.

  The visual sensor device 20 is attached to the front bumper 34 of the vehicle V via the support member 33, and is used for recognition of obstacles around the vehicle (see FIG. 3). The light emitted from the light emitting diode 30 serves as an index indicating the position of the front bumper 34 of the vehicle V.

  The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, the dielectric film 29 may be formed not on the entrance surface 26a but on the exit surface 27b. Further, although the reflecting member is the reflecting layer 25 coated on the recess 26b, a reflecting member made of a metal thin plate may be insert-molded on the optical member 21. The reflective layer 25 is not limited to a hyperboloid shape, and may be, for example, a conical shape. The image pickup means is the image pickup element 23 such as a CCD, but may be a CMOS camera, for example.

Sectional drawing which shows embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows embodiment same as the above. The general-view figure which shows embodiment same as the above. Sectional drawing which shows a prior art example. Sectional drawing which shows another prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

21 Optical member 23 Imaging device (imaging means)
25 Reflective layer (reflective member)
26a Incident surface 29 Dielectric film 30 Light emitting diode (light emitting element)
32 Lid S Field of view L Ambient light

Claims (3)

  An optical member made of a translucent material having an incident surface on which ambient light in a predetermined visual field range is incident, a reflective member that is provided integrally with the optical member and reflects the ambient light, and the reflective member that is reflected by the reflective member A visual sensor device comprising: imaging means for imaging ambient light; and a light emitting element disposed outside the predetermined visual field range.   The visual sensor device according to claim 1, further comprising a lid made of a translucent material and covering the light emitting element.   The visual sensor device according to claim 1, wherein a dielectric film is formed on the incident surface of the optical member.

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