JP2011020669A - Vehicle-mounted camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle-mounted camera capable of capturing a plurality of imaging objects and simplifying the waterproofing measures. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicle-mounted camera A1 includes a camera unit 1 mounted on a vehicle Cr, and further includes a mirror 2 occupying at least a part of an imaging range of the camera unit 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle such as a passenger car.

  An in-vehicle camera using a camera unit installed in a vehicle is widely used for the purpose of recording the traveling state of the vehicle or assisting the traveling of the vehicle. The in-vehicle camera X shown in FIG. 19 is used as a so-called drive recorder (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The in-vehicle camera X photographs the front in the vehicle traveling direction by a camera unit attached to the front window or the rear mirror of the vehicle Cr. The video from the in-vehicle camera X is recorded for a predetermined time from a few seconds or minutes before the time when a vehicle accident occurs, or is always recorded. On the other hand, the vehicle-mounted camera Y shown in FIG. 19 is used as a so-called back view monitor (for example, Patent Document 2). The in-vehicle camera Y is attached, for example, in the vicinity of a license plate (not shown) of the vehicle Cr, and photographs an area immediately after the vehicle Cr. The video from the in-vehicle camera Y is displayed on, for example, a monitor arranged on the instrument panel. The driver checks the presence or absence of an obstacle while viewing the image on the monitor when the vehicle Cr is moved backward.

  However, in-vehicle camera X used as a drive recorder has a strong demand for photographing the inside of vehicle Cr in addition to the situation in front of vehicle Cr. For example, when an illegal act is performed by a passenger in a taxi car, it is desired to take a picture of the situation. In order to meet such a demand, in addition to the in-vehicle camera X that images the front of the vehicle, it is necessary to provide another in-vehicle camera that images the interior of the vehicle.

  In addition, the vehicle-mounted camera Y must be installed outside the vehicle to capture a portion that is difficult to see from the driver. For this reason, the vehicle-mounted camera Y is always exposed to wind and rain. Therefore, it is compelling to take sufficient waterproof measures for the in-vehicle camera Y. Furthermore, a cable (not shown) for power feeding and image transmission is connected to the in-vehicle camera Y. This cable needs to be routed from the outside of the vehicle where the in-vehicle camera Y is installed to the inside of the vehicle where the monitor and the battery are arranged. Laying the cable between the outside of the vehicle and the inside of the vehicle takes time and is not easy.

JP 2000-6854 A JP 2007-62670 A

  The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances described above, and is intended to provide an in-vehicle camera that can shoot a plurality of imaging targets or that can simplify waterproofing measures. Let it be an issue.

  The vehicle-mounted camera provided by the present invention is a vehicle-mounted camera including an imaging unit attached to a vehicle, and further includes a reflection unit that occupies at least a part of an imaging range of the imaging unit.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the imaging means and the reflecting means are both disposed in the vehicle.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the imaging means faces forward in the vehicle traveling direction, and the reflecting means occupies the top and bottom of the imaging range of the imaging means.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a light shielding means is further provided in the imaging range of the imaging means, which is adjacent to the reflection area on the heaven region improvement side.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle rearward direction area outside the vehicle is reflected in the reflecting means.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to photograph, for example, the front situation of the vehicle, the in-vehicle situation and the rear situation of the vehicle at the same time, despite the configuration including the one imaging unit. Therefore, the on-vehicle camera can be used, for example, as a drive recorder for self-analysis purposes that records the situation in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle at the time of the vehicle accident, and further, for example, as a crime prevention drive recorder that records the situation of taxi passengers. be able to. Further, by providing the light shielding means, for example, there is little risk of erroneously recognizing the boundary between the front situation reflected on the upper side and the rear situation reflected on the lower side. Further, when processing the image of the in-vehicle camera, it is possible to automatically distinguish, for example, an upper portion and a lower portion of the image by recognizing the portion where the shielding means is reflected.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a passenger seated in a rear seat in the vehicle is reflected in the reflecting means.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reflecting means bulges rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in the vertical direction.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reflecting means bulges rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in the horizontal direction.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further includes a transparent bracket that is disposed forward of the image pickup means in the vehicle traveling direction and directly faces the image pickup means, and the reflection means is attached to the transparent bracket. ing.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transparent bracket is a facing portion that faces the imaging means in front of the vehicle direction, and the vehicle direction from the front of the imaging direction to the imaging means via the heaven region improvement side A detour portion that extends to the rear, and a rear portion that is positioned rearward in the vehicle direction with respect to the imaging unit and that supports the imaging unit.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transparent bracket is provided with the light shielding means adjacent to the celestial region improving side of the reflecting means.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transparent bracket is formed with a concave lens portion for focusing on the imaging means.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reflecting means takes an attitude that occupies the top and bottom of the imaging range of the imaging means and an attitude retracted from the imaging means.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the imaging means is disposed inside the vehicle, and the reflecting means is disposed outside the vehicle.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the imaging means is arranged inside the window glass of the vehicle in such a posture that the outside of the vehicle is photographed through the window glass, and the reflecting means sandwiches the window glass. It arrange | positions in the position facing the said imaging means.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a lower portion of the vehicle and a road are reflected on the reflecting means.

  According to such a configuration, for example, the situation in the area immediately after the vehicle that is likely to become a driver's blind spot can be properly grasped from the video of the in-vehicle camera. Since the imaging means is installed in the vehicle, there is almost no risk of being exposed to wind and rain. Accordingly, it is possible to simplify the waterproofing measures applied to the imaging means.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the imaging means is a mobile phone having an imaging function.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the image pickup means is disposed at a position spaced forward from the window glass at the rearmost part of the vehicle in the vehicle traveling direction, and the reflection means is attached outside the window glass. It has been.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is the whole block diagram and sectional drawing which show the vehicle-mounted camera based on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the vehicle-mounted camera based on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the vehicle-mounted camera based on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the image | video by the vehicle-mounted camera based on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the vehicle-mounted camera based on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the whole block diagram and side view which show the vehicle-mounted camera based on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the whole block diagram and side view which show the vehicle-mounted camera based on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is the whole block diagram and side view which show the vehicle-mounted camera based on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a whole block diagram which shows the vehicle-mounted camera based on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is the whole block diagram and side view which show the vehicle-mounted camera based on 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a whole block diagram which shows the vehicle-mounted camera based on 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is the whole block diagram and sectional drawing which show the vehicle-mounted camera based on 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the vehicle-mounted camera based on 7th Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part top view which shows the vehicle-mounted camera based on 7th Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the vehicle-mounted camera based on 8th Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the vehicle-mounted camera based on 9th Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the vehicle-mounted camera based on 10th Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the vehicle-mounted camera based on 10th Embodiment of this invention. It is a whole block diagram which shows the example of the vehicle-mounted camera by a prior art.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 3 show an in-vehicle camera based on the first embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle camera A1 of the present embodiment includes a camera unit 1, a mirror 2, and a transparent bracket 4. The in-vehicle camera A1 is configured as a so-called drive recorder, and can record the situation ahead of the traveling direction of the vehicle Cr and the situation inside the vehicle at the same time.

  The camera unit 1 is an example of an imaging unit referred to in the present invention, and includes a case 11, a lens unit 12, and an imaging element 13 as shown in FIG. The case 11 accommodates the lens unit 12 and the image sensor 13 and is made of, for example, black plastic. The lens unit 12 has a configuration in which a plurality of lenses are overlapped and forms an image of light from a relatively wide field of view on the image sensor 13. The image sensor 13 is composed of a CCD element, for example, and has a photoelectric conversion function for converting light received on a light receiving surface (not shown) into electricity. An imaging signal is transmitted from the imaging element 13 to a video recording device or a monitor (both not shown) via a cable (not shown), for example.

  The transparent bracket 4 is made of a transparent material such as acrylic resin, and has a facing portion 41, a detour portion 42, and a rear portion 43. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the facing portion 41 is disposed in front of the camera unit 1 in the traveling direction of the vehicle Cr and faces the camera unit 1. The facing part 41 covers almost the entire field of view of the camera unit 1. The detour unit 42 detours from the facing unit 41 to the rear of the camera unit 1 via the upper part of the camera unit 1. The rear part 43 is connected to the detour part 42 and supports the camera unit 1. The transparent bracket 4 of the present embodiment can be formed by bending a plate made of acrylic resin, for example. In the present embodiment, the transparent bracket 4 is attached to the front window Wdf of the vehicle Cr by the bracket 51.

  The mirror 2 is a general mirror or a metal film having a mirror finish, and is an example of the reflecting means referred to in the present invention. The mirror 2 is attached to the lower portion of the facing portion 41 of the transparent bracket 4 and has a horizontally long rectangular shape as shown well in FIG. With this arrangement, the lower half of the field of view of the camera unit 1 is occupied by the mirror 2.

  A light shielding film 3 is attached to the transparent bracket 4. The light shielding film 3 is, for example, a black resin film, and is an example of the light shielding means referred to in the present invention. As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the light shielding film 3 is affixed to the mirror 2 with no gap on the upper side of the mirror 2.

  In the present embodiment, the field of view of the camera unit 1 includes roughly three parts. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the first is a portion sandwiched between the boundary lines B11 and B12. The vertical viewing angle α1 of this portion is, for example, 50 degrees. Next, the second part is a portion sandwiched between the boundary lines B13 and B14. The boundary lines B13 and B14 are both bent by the mirror 2 in the traveling direction of the vehicle Cr. The vertical viewing angle α2 of this portion is, for example, 50 degrees. The third is a portion sandwiched between the boundary lines B12 and B13, and the light shielding film 3 is reflected. As shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal viewing angles α3 and α4 of the first and second portions are both about 120 degrees.

  Next, the effect | action of vehicle-mounted camera A1 is demonstrated.

  FIG. 4 shows an image of the camera unit 1. The front half of the vehicle Cr is displayed in the upper half. This corresponds to a portion sandwiched between the boundary lines B11 and B12 in FIG. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the in-vehicle situation of the vehicle Cr and the rear situation of the vehicle Cr are displayed in the lower half of the image. This is a portion sandwiched between the boundary lines Bl3 and Bl4 in FIG. As described above, according to the in-vehicle camera A1 of the present embodiment, the front situation of the vehicle Cr, the in-vehicle situation and the rear situation of the vehicle Cr are simultaneously photographed even though the configuration includes the single camera unit 1. Is possible. Therefore, the in-vehicle camera A1 can be used as a drive recorder for self-analysis purposes that records the situation in the vehicle longitudinal direction at the time of the vehicle accident, for example, and further used as a crime prevention drive recorder that records the situation of passengers in a taxi, for example. be able to.

  The image shown in FIG. 4 was taken in the situation shown in FIG. At this time, the vehicle Crf is on the front right side of the vehicle Cr, and the vehicle Crb is on the rear right side. In the image shown in FIG. 4, both the vehicles Crf and Crb are shown on the right side of the image. This is because the mirror 2 is arranged so as to occupy the lower part of the visual field of the camera unit 1. The person who sees this image can intuitively grasp that both the vehicles Crf and Crb are on the right side. This is suitable, for example, for preventing the situation in the rear from being recognized in the wrong direction when verifying the situation at the time of the accident.

  In the central portion of the image shown in FIG. 4, the light shielding film 3 is reflected as a black band. Thereby, there is little possibility that the boundary between the front situation reflected on the upper side and the rear situation reflected on the lower side is erroneously recognized. Further, when processing this image, it is possible to automatically distinguish the upper part and the lower part of the image automatically by recognizing the black band of the light shielding film 3.

  The configuration in which the mirror 2 and the camera unit 1 are supported by the transparent bracket 4 is suitable for downsizing the entire vehicle-mounted camera A1. In addition, it is advantageous to install the in-vehicle camera A1 in front of the driver's head, for example, in a portion that is unlikely to obstruct the room mirror confirmation.

  FIG. 5 shows a modification of the in-vehicle camera based on the first embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle camera A1 of this modification is different from the in-vehicle camera A1 described above in that a case 4 'is provided instead of the above-described transparent bracket 4.

  The case 4 ′ is made of, for example, resin and has a box shape with a polygonal cross section. As the material of the case 4 ', an opaque resin can be used, and a transparent resin may be used. The case 4 ′ supports the camera unit 1 like the transparent bracket 4 described above. A front window 44 and a rear window 45 are formed in the case 4 ′. The front window 44 is disposed at a position that occupies the upper part of the visual field of the camera unit 1, and enables the camera unit 1 to photograph the situation in front of the vehicle. The rear window 45 is located on the lower side of the camera unit 1 and at a position where the rear window 45 is reflected on the mirror 2 that occupies the lower field of view of the camera unit 1. Thereby, the camera unit 1 can photograph the situation behind the vehicle through the rear window 45. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to simultaneously photograph the front situation and the rear situation of the vehicle with one camera unit 1.

  6 to 18 show another embodiment of the present invention. In these drawings, the same or similar elements as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment.

  FIG. 6 shows an in-vehicle camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle-mounted camera A2 of this embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in that it is used as a so-called back view monitor.

  In this embodiment, the camera unit 1 and the mirror 2 are arrange | positioned on both sides of the window glass Wdb of the back of vehicle Cr. The camera unit 1 is attached to the inner surface of the window glass Wdb by a suction cup 52, for example. The camera unit 1 is configured to face the rear of the vehicle through the window glass Wdb. A cable 14 extends from the camera unit 1. The cable 14 is laid inside the vehicle Cr, and is connected to, for example, a monitor (not shown) provided on the instrument panel.

  The mirror 2 is attached to the outer surface of the window glass Wdb by a bracket 53, for example. In the present embodiment, the mirror 2 has a positional relationship that occupies most of the field of view of the camera unit 1. The mirror 2 is tilted so as to face downward. Thereby, the rear end lower portion of the vehicle Cr and the road Rd are reflected in the video of the camera unit 1.

  According to such an embodiment, the situation in the region immediately after the vehicle Cr, which is likely to be a driver's blind spot, can be properly grasped by the video of the in-vehicle camera A2. Since the camera unit 1 is installed in the vehicle, there is almost no risk of being exposed to wind and rain. Accordingly, the camera unit 1 can be provided with a simple waterproof measure as compared with, for example, the in-vehicle camera Y shown in FIG.

  Moreover, it is not necessary to lay the cable 14 from the outside of the vehicle to the inside of the vehicle. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the labor required for laying the cable 14. Moreover, deterioration and damage of the cable 14 can be suppressed.

  FIG. 7 shows an in-vehicle camera according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle-mounted camera A3 of the present embodiment is different from the vehicle-mounted camera A2 described above in that it is installed in a side window Wds located on the side of the vehicle Cr. In the present embodiment, the camera unit 1 is attached to the inner surface of the side window Wds, and the mirror 2 is attached to the outer side of the side window Wds. The video of the camera unit 1 shows the lower side portion of the vehicle Cr and the road Rd.

  According to the present embodiment, for example, a driver sitting on the right side of the vehicle Cr can appropriately grasp the situation on the lower left side of the vehicle Cr that is likely to be a blind spot.

  8 and 9 show an in-vehicle camera based on the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle camera A4 of this embodiment is different from any of the above-described embodiments in that the mobile phone 1A is used as a camera unit referred to in the present invention. The relationship between the mobile phone 1A and the mirror 2 is similar to the above-described in-vehicle camera A2.

  The mobile phone 1A has an imaging function and is held by a bracket 54 attached to the inner surface of the window glass Wdb, for example. In this posture, most of the visual field of the mobile phone 1 </ b> A is occupied by the mirror 2. An image taken by the mobile phone 1A can be displayed on another mobile phone 1B placed on the instrument panel, for example, using a videophone function. According to such an embodiment, a back view monitor can be constructed without using a dedicated camera unit.

  10 and 11 show an in-vehicle camera based on the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle camera A5 of the present embodiment is configured by a camera unit 1 disposed near the front inside of the vehicle Cr and a mirror 2 attached to the outer surface of the window glass Wdb. The camera unit 1 includes an elongated cylindrical case 11, and the lens unit 12 and the image sensor 13 are relatively separated from each other. Such a camera unit 1 has a remarkably narrow viewing angle, and most of the field of view is occupied by the mirror 2. The mirror 2 is inclined so as to face downward, and its reflection surface is convex in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  According to such an embodiment, it is not necessary to lay the cable 14 from the camera unit 1 so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle Cr, although it is possible to project the situation immediately after the vehicle Cr. . Further, as shown in the figure, the cable 14 may be connected to the mobile phone 1B.

  Since the mirror 2 is convex, the camera unit 1 has a relatively narrow viewing angle, while the mirror 2 reflects a wide area. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately grasp the situation in the area immediately after the vehicle Cr also by the in-vehicle camera A5.

  FIG. 12 shows an in-vehicle camera based on the sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the vehicle-mounted camera A6 of this embodiment, the shapes of the facing part 41 of the case 4 and the mirror 2 are different from those of the above-described embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the lower portion of the facing portion 41 has a shape that slightly bulges rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in the vertical direction. Similarly, the mirror 2 attached to the lower portion of the facing portion 41 slightly bulges rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in the vertical direction.

  According to such an embodiment, light from a wider range in the vertical direction is incident on the camera unit 1 by being reflected by the bulged mirror 2. Therefore, a wider range of rear situations can be projected on the lower part of the image of the camera unit 1. For example, the viewing angle α2 in the rear vertical direction in the in-vehicle camera A1 is about 50 degrees, whereas in the present embodiment, the viewing angle α2 can be expanded to about 60 degrees.

  13 and 14 show a vehicle-mounted camera based on the seventh embodiment of the present invention. In the vehicle-mounted camera A7 of this embodiment, the shapes of the facing part 41 of the case 4 and the mirror 2 are different from those of the above-described embodiment. In FIG. 14, elements other than the camera unit 1, the mirror 2, and the facing part 41 are omitted for the sake of understanding.

  In the present embodiment, the lower portion of the facing portion 41 has a shape that slightly bulges rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in the horizontal direction. Similarly, the mirror 2 attached to the lower portion of the facing portion 41 also slightly bulges rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in the horizontal direction.

  According to such an embodiment, light from a wider range in the horizontal direction is reflected by the bulged mirror 2 and is incident on the camera unit 1. Therefore, a wider range of rear situations can be projected on the lower part of the image of the camera unit 1. For example, the viewing angle α4 in the rear horizontal direction in the in-vehicle camera A1 is about 120 degrees, whereas in the present embodiment, the viewing angle α4 can be expanded to about 152 degrees.

  FIG. 15 shows an in-vehicle camera based on the eighth embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle camera A8 of this embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in the shapes of the facing part 41 of the case 4 and the mirror 2.

  In the present embodiment, the lower portion of the facing portion 41 has a shape that slightly bulges rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Similarly, the mirror 2 attached to the lower portion of the facing portion 41 also slightly bulges rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  According to such an embodiment, light from a wider range in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is reflected by the bulged mirror 2 and enters the camera unit 1. Therefore, a wider range of rear situations can be projected on the lower part of the image of the camera unit 1. For example, while the viewing angle α2 in the rear vertical direction in the in-vehicle camera A1 is about 50 degrees and the viewing angle α4 in the rear horizontal direction is about 120 degrees, in this embodiment, the viewing angle α2 is about 60 degrees. The viewing angle α4 can be expanded to about 152 degrees.

  FIG. 16 shows an in-vehicle camera based on the ninth embodiment of the present invention. In the vehicle-mounted camera A9 of the present embodiment, the shape of the facing portion 41 of the case 4 is different from the above-described embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, a concave lens portion 41 a is formed on the upper portion of the facing portion 41. The concave lens portion 41a is formed by denting the front portion of the vehicle traveling direction with respect to the camera unit 1 in the upper portion of the facing portion 41. In the present embodiment, the surface of the concave lens portion 41a is recessed rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in the vertical direction. This shape is uniform in the horizontal direction.

  According to such an embodiment, light from a wider range in the vertical direction enters the camera unit 1 by being collected by the concave lens portion 41a. Therefore, a wider range of front situations can be displayed on the upper part of the image of the camera unit 1. This is advantageous, for example, for displaying the traffic light situation at an intersection.

  As a modification of the in-vehicle camera A9, the concave lens portion 41a may have a shape in which the surface is recessed backward in the vehicle traveling direction in the horizontal direction. In this case, in a horizontal direction, a wider range of front situations can be displayed on the upper portion of the image of the camera unit 1. The concave lens portion 41a having a concave shape in the horizontal direction may be configured as a so-called Fresnel lens. In this case, even if the concave lens portion 41 a is formed in a relatively wide region of the facing portion 41 in the horizontal direction, the thickness of the facing portion 41 can be suppressed.

  Of course, the configuration of the on-vehicle cameras A6 to A8 described above and the configuration of the on-vehicle camera A9 can be freely combined.

  17 and 18 show a vehicle-mounted camera based on the tenth embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle camera A10 of this embodiment is different from the configuration described above in the support structure of the camera unit 1 and the mirror 2. In this modification, the camera unit 1 is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the bracket 51 attached to the front window Wdf. The on-vehicle camera A10 includes a movable bracket 46. The movable bracket 46 is rotatably supported with respect to both the bracket 51 and the camera unit 1, and is made of, for example, resin. The mirror 2 is attached to the movable bracket 46. Thereby, the mirror 2 is rotatable with respect to both the bracket 51 and the camera unit 1. The rotation axes of the camera unit 1 and the mirror 2 are both perpendicular to the paper surface.

  The portion of the movable bracket 46 to which the mirror 2 is attached slightly bulges rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in the vertical direction when taking the posture shown in FIG. As a result, the mirror 2 also slightly bulges rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in the vertical direction. In addition, like the vehicle-mounted cameras A8 and A9, the movable bracket 46 and the mirror 2 may have a shape that bulges in the horizontal direction, or a shape that bulges in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  When the camera unit 1 and the mirror 2 are held in the posture shown in FIG. 17, the mirror 2 does not appear in the field of view of the camera unit 1. For this reason, the camera unit 1 images only the front in the traveling direction. The viewing angle α1 at this time is about 100 degrees, for example.

  On the other hand, when the camera unit 1 and the mirror 2 are held in the posture shown in FIG. 18, the mirror 2 is reflected in the field of view of the camera unit 1. For this reason, the camera unit 1 photographs the front in the traveling direction and the rear in the traveling direction at the same time. At this time, the viewing angle α1 in front of the traveling direction is about 50 degrees, for example, and the viewing angle α2 behind the traveling direction is, for example, about 73 degrees.

  According to this modification, the user arbitrarily selects a mode in which only the front in the traveling direction is captured by the camera unit 1 at a relatively wide angle, and a mode in which the camera unit 1 simultaneously captures the front and rear in the traveling direction. be able to. In addition, by appropriately changing the angles of the camera unit 1 and the mirror 2, it is possible to arbitrarily set the forward ratio and the backward ratio in the traveling direction in the captured image of the camera unit 1.

  The in-vehicle camera according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The specific configuration of each part of the in-vehicle camera according to the present invention can be varied in design in various ways.

A1 to A5 Car-mounted camera Cr Vehicle Wdb Window glass Wdf Front window WDs Side window Rd Roads Bl1 to Bl4 Border lines α1 to α Viewing angle 1 Camera unit (imaging means)
1A mobile phone (imaging means)
2 Mirror (reflection means)
3 Light-shielding film (light-shielding means)
4 Transparent bracket 4 'Case 11 Case 12 Lens unit 13 Image sensor 14 Cable 41 Directly facing portion 41a Concave lens portion 42 Detour portion 43 Rear portion 44 Front window 45 Rear window 46 Movable bracket 51, 53, 154 Bracket 52 Sucker

Claims (18)

An in-vehicle camera provided with an imaging means attached to a vehicle,
A vehicle-mounted camera, further comprising a reflection unit that occupies at least a part of an imaging range of the imaging unit.   The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit and the reflecting unit are both disposed in a vehicle. The imaging means is facing forward in the vehicle traveling direction,
The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 2, wherein the reflection unit occupies a lower side in a vertical direction in an imaging range of the imaging unit.   The in-vehicle camera according to claim 3, further comprising a light shielding unit adjacent to the celestial region improvement side of the reflecting unit in an imaging range of the imaging unit.   The in-vehicle camera according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a rear region in the vehicle traveling direction outside the vehicle is reflected on the reflecting means.   The in-vehicle camera according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein a passenger sitting on a rear seat in the vehicle is reflected on the reflecting means.   The in-vehicle camera according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the reflecting means bulges rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in the vertical direction.   The in-vehicle camera according to claim 3, wherein the reflecting means bulges rearward in the vehicle traveling direction in the horizontal direction. It further includes a transparent bracket that is disposed forward of the image pickup means in the vehicle traveling direction and directly faces the image pickup means,
The in-vehicle camera according to claim 2, wherein the reflecting means is attached to the transparent bracket.   The transparent bracket includes a facing portion that directly faces the imaging means in the front in the vehicle direction, a detour portion that extends from the front in the vehicle direction to the rear in the vehicle direction via the heaven region improvement side with respect to the imaging means, and the imaging means The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 9, further comprising a rear portion that is located rearward in the vehicle direction and supports the imaging unit.   The in-vehicle camera according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the transparent bracket is provided with the light shielding means adjacent to the reflection area on the heaven region improvement side.   The in-vehicle camera according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein a concave lens portion that condenses light on the imaging means is formed on the transparent bracket.   The in-vehicle camera according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the reflection means takes a posture that occupies a top and bottom direction in an imaging range of the imaging means and a posture retracted from the imaging means. The imaging means is disposed in the vehicle,
The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting means is disposed outside the vehicle. The imaging means is arranged inside the window glass of the vehicle in a posture to capture the outside of the vehicle through the window glass,
The in-vehicle camera according to claim 14, wherein the reflection unit is disposed at a position facing the imaging unit across the window glass.   The in-vehicle camera according to claim 15, wherein a lower portion of the vehicle and a road are reflected on the reflecting means.   The in-vehicle camera according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the imaging means is a mobile phone having an imaging function.   The said imaging means is arrange | positioned in the position spaced apart in the vehicle advancing direction front with respect to the window glass of the vehicle rearmost part, The said reflection means is attached to the outer side of the said window glass. In-vehicle camera.

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