JP2008168715A - Waterproof mounting structure of camera for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waterproof mounting structure of a camera for a vehicle which can correspond to the camera for the vehicle having various kinds of design, has high waterproof performance, and can set a drain hole excellent in drain performance when the drain hole is provided on the mounting part. <P>SOLUTION: The waterproof mounting structure of the camera for the vehicle incorporated in an outer mirror 1 is composed of a camera body 5a having a lens 5b on the tip end surface, a mounting part 10 formed on an inner surface of a mirror housing 3, and packing 6 externally fitted to the external peripheral surface of the camera body 5a. The mounting part 10 is vertically provided on the inner surface of the mirror housing 3, and has a frame-like wall part 11 where the tip end side of the camera body 5a is inserted and a mounting bracket 12 which is covered at the base end side of the camera body 5a and closes the opening part of the wall part 11. The packing 6 is interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting part 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof mounting structure for a vehicle camera incorporated in an outer mirror attached to a side portion of a vehicle such as an automobile.

  With the outer mirror attached to the front side of the automobile, the road surface cannot be visually recognized over the range in the oblique front-rear direction from below. Therefore, the vehicle camera is built in the outer mirror, and the road surface image near the side of the vehicle photographed by the vehicle camera is displayed on the monitor in the cab, thereby reducing the range of blind spots from the cab. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in a conventional vehicle camera 50, a lens 50b projects from the front end surface of the camera body 50a. An attachment portion 100 is provided on the inner surface of the bottom portion 30a of the mirror housing 30, and the camera body 50a is attached to the attachment portion 100 with the lens 50b facing obliquely downward.

The mounting portion 100 includes a frame-shaped wall portion 110 standing on the inner surface of the mirror housing 30 and a mounting bracket 120 that covers the base end side of the camera body 50a. And the front end side of the camera main body 50a is inserted in the wall part 110, and the opening part of the wall part 110 is obstruct | occluded by the mounting bracket 120 covered on the base end side of the camera main body 50a.
Further, a viewing window 30b into which the lens 50b of the camera body 50a is inserted is formed on the bottom surface 130 of the mounting portion 100, and the outside of the viewing window 30b is covered with a transparent cover 30c.

  The mounting bracket 120 is formed with a harness mounting hole 120a for allowing the harness 50d drawn from the base end surface of the camera body 50a to pass therethrough. When water such as rainwater flows into the mounting portion 100 from between the harness mounting hole 120a and the drawer portion 50c of the harness 50d, and the water flows between the lens 50b and the transparent cover 30c, the vehicle The captured image of the camera 50 becomes unclear.

  Therefore, a rubber O-ring 60 is externally fitted to the lens 50b protruding from the front end surface of the camera body 50a, and the O-ring 60 is interposed between the front end surface of the camera main body 50a and the bottom surface 130 of the mounting portion 100. A waterproof mounting structure is used that seals between the front end surface of the camera body 50a and the bottom surface 130 of the mounting portion 100 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-44514 A (paragraph 0028, FIGS. 3 and 7)

  In the above-described conventional waterproof mounting structure, the O-ring 60 is externally fitted to the lens 50b that protrudes greatly from the front end surface of the camera body 50a, thereby positioning the O-ring 60, and the amount of protrusion of the lens 50b is small for vehicles. Since it cannot apply to the camera 50, there exists a problem that versatility is low.

  Further, when providing a drain hole for discharging water that has flowed into the mounting portion 100, water is not left inside the mounting portion 100 by providing a drain hole near the upper side of the O-ring 60. It is desirable. However, in the conventional waterproof mounting structure described above, the O-ring 60 is provided between the front end surface of the camera body 50 a and the bottom surface 130 of the mounting portion 100, and a drain hole is formed near the upper side of the O-ring 60. Since it is difficult to secure a space to do this, water tends to accumulate inside the mounting portion 100.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the above-described problems can be solved, and the camera for various designs can be dealt with, and it has high waterproof performance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a waterproof mounting structure for a vehicular camera capable of setting a drain hole having excellent properties.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a waterproof mounting structure for a vehicle camera built in an outer mirror attached to a side portion of a vehicle, a camera body having a lens provided on a front end surface, and a mirror housing A mounting portion formed on the inner surface of the camera body and a packing that is externally fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the camera body. The mounting portion is erected on the inner surface of the mirror housing and is inserted into the front end side of the camera body. And a mounting bracket that covers the base end side of the camera body and closes the opening of the wall part, and the packing is between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting part. It is characterized by being sandwiched between.

In this configuration, the packing is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the camera body, and even for a vehicle camera in which the lens does not protrude from the front end surface of the camera body, the packing can be attached to the camera body. Can be reliably sealed, so that it can be applied to various types of vehicle cameras.
In addition, since the packing is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion, it is in close contact with the camera main body and the mounting portion in a pressed state, so that it can exhibit high waterproof performance. it can. In addition, since the packing is in a pressed state, even when the packing contracts due to fluctuations in the outside air temperature, the close contact state between the packing, the camera body, and the mounting portion can be maintained.

  In the waterproof mounting structure for a vehicle camera described above, the mounting portion may be configured such that a drain hole is formed at a position closer to the base end side of the camera body than the packing.

  Here, in the present invention, since the packing is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the camera body, and the packing is disposed on the base end side with respect to the front end surface of the camera body, water is drained near the packing in the mounting portion. It becomes easy to form a hole, and it is possible to set a drain hole having excellent drainage.

  In the waterproof mounting structure for a vehicle camera described above, a flange portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the packing over the entire circumference, and the flange portion is between the opening edge of the wall portion and the opening edge of the mounting bracket. It can comprise so that it may be pinched | interposed into.

In this configuration, the gap between the opening edge of the wall portion and the opening edge of the mounting bracket is also sealed by the flange portion of the packing provided between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion. The waterproof performance of the waterproof mounting structure can be enhanced without increasing the number of parts.
Further, when the packing is assembled to the mounting portion, the flange portion abuts against the wall portion or the opening edge of the mounting bracket so that the packing is positioned, so that the assembly of the waterproof mounting structure can be simplified.

  In the above-described waterproof mounting structure for a vehicle camera, at least one of the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the packing is formed with a belt-like convex portion over the entire circumference, and the packing is deformed by pressing the convex portion. In this state, it can be configured to be sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion.

  In this configuration, the convexity of the packing sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion is pushed and deformed, thereby improving the adhesion of the packing to the camera body and the mounting portion. Since the pressing force of the packing against the camera body and the mounting portion is increased by the elastic force due to the deformation of the convex portion, the waterproof performance of the waterproof mounting structure can be enhanced.

According to the waterproof mounting structure for a camera for a vehicle of the present invention, even a camera for a vehicle in which a lens does not protrude from the front end surface of the camera body, the packing can be attached to the camera body. Since the space between the mounting portion and the inner peripheral surface can be surely sealed, it is possible to cope with various types of vehicle cameras and to improve versatility.
In addition, since the packing is in close contact with the camera body and the mounting portion in a pressed state, high waterproof performance can be exhibited. In addition, since the packing is in a pressed state, the contact state can be maintained even if the packing contracts due to fluctuations in the outside air temperature.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outer mirror using the waterproof mounting structure of the present embodiment as viewed from the front. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the waterproof mounting structure of the present embodiment as viewed from the rear. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the waterproof mounting structure of the present embodiment.
In this embodiment, the case where the waterproof mounting structure of the present invention is applied to a vehicle camera built in an outer mirror of an automobile will be described as an example. In the following description, the front-rear direction is determined corresponding to the traveling direction of the automobile.

[Outer mirror overall configuration]
An outer mirror 1 shown in FIG. 1 is attached to a front side of a driver's seat and a passenger's side of an automobile (not shown), and a stay 2 attached to a side of a vehicle body (not shown). The mirror housing 3 supported by the stay 2 and the mirror 4 (see FIG. 3) held by the mirror housing 3 are provided. A vehicle camera 5 is built in the mirror housing 3. Has been.

[Configuration of mirror housing]
As shown in FIG. 3, the mirror housing 3 is a hollow plastic member formed in a wide width, and the mirror 4 is held on the rear surface.
In addition, a circular viewing window 3 b is opened at the bottom 3 a of the mirror housing 3. Furthermore, the outer surface of the bottom 3a of the mirror housing 3 is covered with a transparent cover 3c, and a gap is formed between the viewing window 3b and the transparent cover 3c.

[Configuration of vehicle camera]
A vehicular camera 5 shown in FIG. 3 is a small CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera that photographs the road surface from the lower side of the outer mirror 1 in a diagonally front-rear direction.

The vehicular camera 5 is provided with a lens 5b on the front end surface of a rectangular parallelepiped camera body 5a. The camera body 5a is attached to the inner surface of the bottom 3a of the mirror housing 3 with the lens 5b facing directly downward. .
In the vehicle camera 5 of the present embodiment, the lens 5b slightly protrudes from the front end surface of the camera body 5a.

  A harness 5d pulled out from a drawer 5c projecting from the base end surface of the camera body 5a is connected to an image processing device (not shown) mounted on a vehicle body (not shown). Then, an image of the road surface in the vicinity of the side of the vehicle photographed by the vehicle camera 5 is displayed on a monitor (not shown) in the driver's cab via the image processing device, so that a range of blind spots from the driver's cab can be obtained. It is decreasing.

[Configuration of mounting part]
As shown in FIG. 2, an attachment portion 10 for attaching the vehicle camera 5 to the inside of the mirror housing 3 is provided on the inner surface of the bottom portion 3 a of the mirror housing 3.
The mounting portion 10 includes a frame-shaped wall portion 11 erected on the inner surface of the mirror housing 3 and a mounting bracket 12 that covers the base end side of the camera body 5a. Then, the distal end side of the camera body 5a is inserted into the wall portion 11, and the opening portion of the wall portion 11 is closed by the mounting bracket 12 that covers the proximal end side of the camera body 5a.

(Structure of the wall)
As shown in FIG. 2, the wall portion 11 is a frame-like wall body standing on the inner surface of the mirror housing 3 and around the viewing window 3b. The wall portion 11 is formed in a square shape in plan view, and the front end of the camera body 5a. The side can be inserted.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the distal end side of the camera body 5 a is inserted into the wall portion 11, a gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5 a and the inner peripheral surface of the wall portion 11. The lens 5b of the camera body 5a is disposed at a position facing the viewing window 3b.
In the following description, a region on the inner surface of the mirror housing 3 and inside the wall portion 11 is referred to as a bottom surface 13 of the mounting portion 10.

(Configuration of mounting bracket)
As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting bracket 12 is a plastic lid that covers the base end side of the camera body 5a (region on the base end face and the base end side of the outer peripheral surface), and is formed in a square shape in plan view. ing.
In a state where the mounting bracket 12 is covered with the base end side of the camera body 5 a, a gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface and the base end surface of the camera body 5 a and the inner surface of the mounting bracket 12.
In addition, a harness mounting hole 12a is formed at the center of the upper surface of the mounting bracket 12 so as to allow the drawer portion 5c protruding from the base end surface of the camera body 5a to pass therethrough.
Further, in the mounting bracket 12, drain holes 12 b and 12 b are opened at two corners facing each other.

  When the distal end side of the camera body 5a is inserted into the wall portion 11 with the mounting bracket 12 covered on the proximal end side of the camera body 5a, the opening edge of the mounting bracket 12 and the opening edge of the wall portion 11 are separated. The mounting bracket 12 closes the opening of the wall portion 11 by overlapping vertically via a flange portion 6b of the packing 6 described later.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, camera fixing holes 12c and 12c pass through the upper surface of the mounting bracket 12 at positions facing each other with the harness mounting hole 12a interposed therebetween.
When the mounting bracket 12 is put on the base end side of the camera body 5a, the bolts B1 and B1 respectively inserted into the camera fixing holes 12c and 12c are fixed screw holes formed on the base end surface of the camera body 5a. The camera body 5a is fixed to the mounting bracket 12 by being screwed to 5e and 5e.

Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12, projecting portions 12d and 12d are formed at positions facing each other across the harness mounting hole 12a. The projecting portions 12d and 12d have bracket fixing holes 12e and 12d, respectively. 12e penetrates in the vertical direction.
Then, when the distal end side of the camera body 5a is inserted into the wall 11 with the mounting bracket 12 covered on the base end side of the camera body 5a, the bolts inserted through the bracket fixing holes 12e and 12e, respectively. The mounting bracket 12 is fixed to the mirror housing 3 by screwing B2 and B2 into the screw holes formed in the fixing screw portions 3d and 3d provided upright on the bottom portion 3a of the mirror housing 3. It becomes.

[Structure of waterproof mounting structure]
Here, in the mounting portion 10 shown in FIG. 3, water such as rainwater flows into the mounting bracket 12 from the gap between the harness mounting hole 12a of the mounting bracket 12 and the drawer portion 5c of the camera body 5a. There is a case. When this water flows between the lens 5b and the transparent cover 3c, the photographed image of the vehicle camera 5 becomes unclear. Therefore, in this embodiment, a waterproof mounting structure that seals between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12 is configured.

  In the waterproof mounting structure of the present embodiment, the frame-shaped packing 6 that is externally fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5 a is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5 a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12. The space between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12 is sealed.

  The packing 6 is a rubber frame member, and includes a peripheral wall portion 6a that is externally fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5a, and a flange portion 6b that is formed at the lower opening edge of the peripheral wall portion 6a. Yes.

  The peripheral wall 6a is formed in a quadrangular shape so as to correspond to the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5a. The peripheral wall portion 6a has a thickness so as to be in close contact with the camera body 5a and the mounting bracket 12 in a pressed state when sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12. Is set.

  Moreover, the belt-like convex part 6c is formed in the inner peripheral surface of the surrounding wall part 6a over the perimeter. A plurality of the convex portions 6c are formed in the height direction. When the peripheral wall portion 6a is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12, each convex portion 6c is formed. It is configured to be deformed when pushed.

The flange portion 6b is a plate-like portion that is formed over the entire circumference of the lower opening edge of the peripheral wall portion 6a and protrudes outward from the opening edge.
This flange portion 6 b is formed between the opening edge of the wall portion 11 and the opening edge of the mounting bracket 12 when the packing 6 is mounted between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5 a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12. It is configured to be sandwiched between them.

When the packing 6 is mounted between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5 a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12, the drain holes 12 b and 12 b of the mounting bracket 12 are disposed in the vicinity of the upper side of the packing 6. As described above, the height of the peripheral wall portion 6a of the packing 6 is set.
In the present embodiment, the upper edge of the peripheral wall 6a of the packing 6 is disposed above the lowest point of the drain hole 12b, and the base end surface of the camera body 5a is lower than the lowest point of the drain hole 12b. Is also arranged on the upper side.

[Effects of waterproof mounting structure]
In the waterproof mounting structure of this embodiment, the packing 6 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the camera main body 5a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12, so that the outer peripheral surface of the camera main body 5a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12 are obtained. It is sealed between. Therefore, the water that flows into the mounting bracket 12 from the clearance between the harness mounting hole 12a of the mounting bracket 12 and the drawer portion 5c of the camera body 5a is blocked by the packing 6 inside the mounting bracket 12 and mounted. The water is discharged from the drain holes 12b and 12b formed in the bracket 12.
Further, the flange portion 6 b of the packing 6 is sandwiched between the opening edge of the wall portion 11 and the opening edge of the mounting bracket 12, so that the joint portion between the wall portion 11 and the mounting bracket 12 is sealed.

Further, in the waterproof mounting structure of the present embodiment, the packing 6 is pressed against the camera body 5 a and the mounting bracket 12 by being sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5 a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12. Since it adheres in a state, high waterproof performance can be demonstrated.
In addition, since the packing 6 is in a pressed state, the tight contact state can be maintained even when the packing 6 contracts due to fluctuations in the outside air temperature.

  Further, when the packing 6 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5 a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12, the belt-like convex portion 6 c formed on the inner peripheral surface of the packing 6 is pressed. By deforming, the adhesion of the packing 6 to the camera body 5a and the mounting bracket 12 is enhanced, and the pressing force of the packing 6 against the camera body 5a and the mounting bracket 12 is increased by the elastic force due to the deformation of the convex portion 6c. Performance can be increased.

In the present embodiment, the packing 6 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12, and the packing 6 is disposed on the proximal end side with respect to the distal end surface of the camera body 5a. Therefore, the drainage holes 12b and 12b can be easily formed near the upper side of the packing 6 in the mounting portion 10, and the drainage holes 12b and 12b having excellent drainage can be set.
Further, by providing the drain holes 12b and 12b at two places on the mounting portion 10, water can be easily discharged, so that drainage can be improved.

  Further, the packing 6 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5a, and the packing 6 is attached to the camera body 5a even in the case of the vehicle camera 5 in which the lens 5b does not protrude from the front end surface of the camera body 5a. The space between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12 can be sealed. Therefore, the waterproof mounting structure of the present embodiment can be applied to various types of vehicle cameras, and versatility can be improved.

  Further, the gap between the opening edge of the wall portion 11 and the opening edge of the mounting bracket 12 is also sealed by the flange portion 6 b of the packing 6 provided between the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5 a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12. Therefore, waterproof performance can be improved without increasing the number of parts.

  Further, when the packing 6 is assembled to the mounting bracket 12, the packing 6 is positioned by the flange portion 6 b coming into contact with the opening edge of the mounting bracket 12, so that the assembly of the waterproof mounting structure can be simplified.

[Other Embodiments]
The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the packing 6 seals between the outer peripheral surface of the camera main body 5a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting bracket 12, but the packing 6 is used for the camera main body 5a. You may comprise so that between the outer peripheral surface of this and the inner peripheral surface of the wall part 11 may be sealed. Further, the packing 6 may be disposed over both the mounting bracket 12 and the wall portion 11.
In addition, when the packing 6 is mounted on the wall 11 side, a drain hole can be provided at a position near the upper portion of the packing 6 in the wall 11.

  Further, when the gap between the opening edge of the wall portion 11 and the opening edge of the mounting bracket 12 is liquid-tight, it is not necessary to provide the flange portion 6 b on the packing 6.

  Further, although the belt-like convex portion 6 c is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the packing 6, the convex portion 6 c may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the packing 6, or the convex portion may be provided on the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the packing 6. 6c may be provided. Further, the number of the convex portions 6 c is not limited, and is appropriately set so that the packing 6 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the camera body 5 a and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion 10. It is.

It is the perspective view which looked at the outer mirror using the waterproof attachment structure of this embodiment from the front. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the waterproof mounting structure of this embodiment from back. It is the sectional side view which showed the waterproof mounting structure of this embodiment. It is the sectional side view which showed the conventional waterproof mounting structure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Outer mirror 3 Mirror housing 3a Bottom part 3b Viewing window 3c Transparent cover 4 Mirror 5 Vehicle camera 5a Camera body 5b Lens 6 Packing 6a Perimeter wall part 6b Flange part 6c Convex part 10 Mounting part 11 Wall part 12 Mounting bracket 12a Harness mounting hole 12b Drain hole 13 Bottom

Claims (4)

A waterproof mounting structure for a vehicle camera built in an outer mirror attached to a side portion of the vehicle,
A camera body with a lens on the tip surface;
A mounting portion formed on the inner surface of the mirror housing;
A packing that is fitted onto the outer peripheral surface of the camera body,
The mounting portion is erected on the inner surface of the mirror housing, covers a frame-like wall portion into which a distal end side of the camera body is inserted, and covers a base end side of the camera body, and covers an opening portion of the wall portion. A mounting bracket for closing,
The waterproof mounting structure for a vehicle camera, wherein the packing is sandwiched between an outer peripheral surface of the camera body and an inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion.   The waterproof mounting structure for a vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein a drainage hole is formed in the mounting portion at a position closer to the base end side of the camera body than the packing. On the outer peripheral surface of the packing, a flange portion is formed over the entire circumference,
The waterproof mounting structure for a vehicle camera according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flange portion is sandwiched between an opening edge of the wall portion and an opening edge of the mounting bracket. At least one of the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the packing is formed with a belt-like convex portion over the entire circumference,
The said packing is inserted | pinched between the outer peripheral surface of the said camera main body, and the inner peripheral surface of the said attaching part in the state which the said convex part was pushed and deform | transformed. The waterproof mounting structure for a vehicle camera according to claim 3.

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