JP2013157248A - Vehicle lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure a camera angle, and reduce an effect of light and heat from a lamp unit, on a camera.SOLUTION: A camera 17 is integrally installed in a light source unit 6 supported turnably in horizontal direction, the camera 17 being located in a vehicle width direction outer side relative to the light source unit 6.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp incorporating an image pickup means.

  As this type of vehicular lamp, the one shown in Patent Document 1 is known.

  In the vehicular lamp described in Patent Document 1, a front imaging camera is attached to an upper part of a lamp unit having a swivel function capable of controlling a light distribution position in the horizontal direction. For this reason, a shift does not occur between the imaging direction of the camera and the vehicle traveling direction during steering.

JP 2008-105518 A

  Reflecting changes in vehicle design, vehicle headlamps in recent years are often designed such that a light-transmitting cover that covers the front of the vehicle headlight moves backward toward the outside of the vehicle. When the vehicular lamp shown in Patent Document 1 is applied to the vehicular headlamp having such a shape, when the camera is swiveled, the lamp body standing wall inside the vehicle, There is a concern that a part of the angle of view of the camera may be lost due to the light source unit.

  Further, in the vehicular lamp of Patent Document 1, since the lamp unit is attached immediately above the front imaging camera, the light emitted from the lamp unit is reflected by the front translucent cover, and the imaging camera is used. May affect the performance of the camera. Furthermore, there is a concern that the heat generated from the lamp unit affects the performance of the camera.

  The present invention has been made to solve at least a part of the above-described problems, and is capable of securing a field angle of a camera and is less susceptible to the influence of light and heat of a lamp unit. The purpose is to provide.

A vehicular lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:
A first light source unit;
A lamp body including an opening, and housing the first light source unit in the opening;
A translucent cover provided to cover at least the opening from the front side of the vehicle;
A camera provided integrally with the first light source unit;
The first light source unit is supported by the lamp body so as to be turnable in a horizontal direction,
The camera is provided so as to be positioned outward in the width direction of the vehicle with respect to the light source unit.

  With such a configuration, since the camera swivels in the same direction as the light source unit, the parallax between the camera and the lamp can be eliminated, and the detection frequency of the preceding vehicle can be improved. In this case, when the camera is swiveled, the standing wall on the inside of the vehicle, other lamps, and the like do not block the viewing angle, and it is possible to prevent image loss.

  Further, a second light source unit may be further provided inside the first light source unit in the vehicle width direction. Also in this case, the second light source unit does not block the viewing angle of the camera inside the vehicle.

  Further, the second light source unit may be arranged on the front side of the vehicle as compared with the first light source unit. Thus, it is possible to cope with the case where the second light source unit is in a position where the viewing angle of the camera is easily blocked.

  Furthermore, the camera may be provided at a position below the first light source unit. Thereby, it is possible to cope with heat generated from the light source unit.

  Further, an antifogging agent may be applied to at least a portion of the translucent cover that faces the camera. In this case, even when the camera is located at the end of the lamp, problems such as condensation can be dealt with.

In addition, the vehicular lamp according to another embodiment of the present invention includes:
A light source;
A lamp body having an opening, and housing the light source in the opening;
A translucent cover provided to cover at least the opening from the front side of the vehicle;
A camera disposed in the opening and disposed on the outer side in the width direction of the vehicle with respect to the light source,
The translucent cover includes an inner surface located on the opening side, and when the inner surface is viewed in plan, the inner side is positioned on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the outer side in the width direction of the vehicle. It is arranged so that it may be arranged.

  With such a configuration, the camera can be disposed at a position where the reflected light from the translucent cover is difficult to reach.

  In this case, the translucent cover may be arranged so that the lower side is positioned on the front side of the vehicle than the upper side, and the camera is arranged below the light source. With such a configuration, the influence of heat from the light source can be reduced.

A vehicle lamp according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a light source,
A lamp body that houses the light source in the opening;
A translucent cover provided to cover the opening from the front side of the vehicle;
A camera supported by the lamp body and provided inside the translucent cover;
The light transmission cover includes at least an anti-fogging means for preventing condensation at a portion facing the camera.

  With such a configuration, even if the camera is arranged at a position where heat from the light source is avoided, the detection performance of the camera is not impaired by the condensation that occurs in the translucent cover.

  In this case, the antifogging means may be an antifogging agent applied to the inner surface of the translucent cover.

It is a front view of the vehicular lamp which is the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is the III-III arrow sectional drawing in FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the viewing angle range of a camera at the time of attaching a camera to the vehicle width direction inside of a light source unit, (a) when a camera faces the vehicle front, (b) when a camera turns FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the viewing angle range of the camera in the vehicle lamp of 1st embodiment, (a) is a plane sectional view when a camera turns to the vehicle front, (b) is a plane cross-section when a camera turns It is. It is a front view which shows the modification of the vehicle lamp of 1st embodiment. It is a front view which shows the vehicle lamp of 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a VIII-VIII sectional view taken on the line. It is a plane sectional view showing typically the course of irradiation light in the vehicular lamp of a second embodiment. It is a plane sectional view showing typically the path of irradiation light when a camera is attached to the inside of the light source unit in the vehicle width direction. It is a front view which shows the modification of the vehicle lamp of 2nd embodiment. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. 11. It is a front view which shows the other modification of the vehicle lamp of 2nd embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the holding | maintenance unit of the light source unit in FIG. It is XV-XV arrow directional cross-sectional view in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicular lamp 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view thereof.

  The vehicular lamp 1 is used as a vehicular headlamp. In the figure, an example in which the vehicular lamp 1 is applied to a headlamp on the left side in the vehicle traveling direction is shown. As shown in the drawing, the vehicular lamp 1 includes a lamp body 2 and a translucent cover 3 provided so as to cover the opening 2a of the lamp body 2. A space between the lamp body 2 and the translucent cover 3 is formed as a lamp chamber S. In the lamp chamber S, light source units 5 and 6 are accommodated.

  The translucent cover 3 is formed so as to gradually recede from the inner side (right side in FIG. 2) to the outer side (left side in FIG. 2) along the shape of the front portion of the vehicle. The lamp body 2 is also configured so that the inner portion 2b of the vehicle is positioned in front of the vehicle and the outer portion 2c is positioned in the rear of the vehicle in accordance with the shape of the translucent cover 3. A step 2d is formed between the inner part 2b and the outer part 2c.

  The light source unit 5 is disposed in the lamp chamber S at a position corresponding to the inner portion 2 b of the lamp body 2. The light source unit 5 is configured using an existing light source such as an LED light source, a discharge lamp, or a halogen lamp, and functions as a high beam light source that projects irradiation light in the horizontal direction in front of the vehicle.

  On the other hand, the light source unit 6 is disposed in the lamp chamber S at a position corresponding to the outer portion 2 c of the lamp body 2 and is located on the vehicle rear side with respect to the light source unit 5. The light source unit 6 is a projector-type light source unit using a lamp-type light source, and functions as a low beam light source. The light source unit 6 includes a light source unit 7 composed of a lamp-type light source such as a discharge lamp or a halogen lamp, and a projection lens 8 for irradiating light emitted from the light source unit 7 toward a desired position in front of the vehicle. ing.

  The light source unit 6 is held from the lamp body 1 via the holding frame 10. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the holding frame 10 is connected to the lamp body 2 via the leveling portion 11. The leveling unit 11 includes a leveling actuator 12, and by driving the leveling actuator 12, the vertical inclination angle of the holding frame 10 can be adjusted. Thereby, it is possible to adjust the light irradiation direction by the light source unit 6 up and down.

  Further, the holding frame 10 is supported from the lamp body 2 by an aiming structure (not shown). The light source unit 6 is supported by the holding frame 10 via a shaft body 13, and the shaft body 13 can rotate around its axis by driving a swivel actuator 15. Therefore, by driving the swivel actuator 15, the light source unit 6 can be turned in the left-right direction via the shaft body 13. Thereby, the swivel function which controls the light distribution position of the horizontal direction by the light source unit 6 is realizable.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a camera 17 is attached to the vehicle outer side of the holding frame 10 (direction A in FIG. 1). The camera 17 is usually mounted so that the imaging unit 17a faces the front of the vehicle (direction F in FIG. 2). The camera 17 outputs the captured image signal to the image processing unit 18 (see FIG. 1). The image processing unit 18 is present in the front area of the host vehicle from the image signal output from the camera 17 and the image signal captured by the camera 19 built in the vehicle lamp on the right side of the vehicle traveling direction (not shown). Detects objects such as vehicles and pedestrians. The camera 17 is fixed to the light source unit 6, and the camera 17 can be turned to the left and right together with the light source unit 6 by driving the swivel actuator 15.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the anti-fogging coating agent is apply | coated to the inner surface 3a which opposes the imaging part 17a of the camera 17 among the translucent covers 3. FIG.

  In the vehicular lamp 1 configured as described above, the light source unit 6 and the camera 17 are integrally supported from the lamp body 2 via the holding frame 10. Therefore, by driving the swivel actuator 15, the camera 17 can be turned in the horizontal direction. In this case, the light source unit 6 and the camera 17 are swiveled in the same direction, the parallax between the camera 17 and the light source unit 6 can be eliminated, and the detection frequency of the preceding vehicle can be improved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the camera 17 is provided so as to be positioned outward in the width direction of the vehicle (A direction in FIG. 1) with respect to the light source unit 6. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the camera 17 is provided inside the vehicle of the light source unit 6 (direction B in FIG. 4), when the camera 17 is swiveled as shown in FIG. 4B. There is a concern that the viewing angle range 21 of the camera 17 interferes with the light source unit 5, for example, and a missing portion 21 a occurs in a part of the viewing angle range 21. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A, the camera 17 is provided outside the light source unit 6 in the vehicle width direction, so as shown in FIG. Even during swiveling, the viewing angle of the camera 17 is not blocked by the step 2d of the lamp body 2, the light source unit 5 located adjacent to the inside of the vehicle, or the like. As a result, it is possible to secure an image detection range and maintain high-level object detection performance.

  Such an arrangement is particularly suitable in the case where another light source unit 5 is provided in front of the vehicle inside the light source unit 6 integrated with the camera 17 as in the present embodiment. is there.

  In the present embodiment, an anti-fogging coating agent as an anti-fogging means is applied to the portion 3 a of the translucent cover 3 facing the camera 17. When the camera 17 is arranged at the end of the lamp chamber S where the circulation of the air heated by the light source units 5 and 6 is unlikely to occur as in the present embodiment, the translucent cover 3 is positioned at a position facing the camera 17. There is concern that condensation will occur. However, in the present embodiment, the condensation at the portion 3a (see FIG. 2) is prevented by the anti-fogging coating agent, so that the imaging performance of the camera 17 can be stabilized.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the camera 17 may be provided at an obliquely lower position outside the light source unit 6 in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, the possibility that the camera 17 is affected by the heat generated from the light source unit 6 can be reduced, and the performance of the camera 17 and thus the detection performance of the vehicle ahead can be further stabilized.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
7 is a front view of the vehicular lamp 31 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a plan view of the vehicular lamp 31. It is sectional drawing. The vehicular lamp 31 is used as a vehicular headlamp. In these drawings, an example in which the vehicular lamp 31 is applied to a headlamp on the left side in the vehicle traveling direction is shown. The vehicle lamp 31 includes a lamp body 2 and a translucent cover 32 provided so as to cover the opening 2 a of the lamp body 2, and is formed between the lamp body 2 and the translucent cover 32. Light source units 33 and 34 are accommodated in the lamp chamber S.

  The translucent cover 32 is formed so as to gradually retreat from the inner side (right side in FIG. 9) to the outer side (left side in FIG. 9) along the shape of the front portion of the vehicle. In other words, the translucent cover 32 has an inner side (a direction A in FIG. 9) on the inner side (FIG. 9) when the inner surface 32a located on the opening 2a side of the lamp body 2 is viewed in plan. The middle B direction is disposed on the front side of the vehicle (the F direction in FIG. 9).

Further, the lamp body 2 is also configured so that the inner portion 2b of the vehicle is positioned in front of the vehicle and the outer portion 2c is positioned in the rear of the vehicle in accordance with the shape of the translucent cover 32, and a step portion 2d is formed therebetween. It has been configured.
Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the translucent cover 32 has a shape such that the lower side is located on the front side (F direction) of the vehicle from above.

  The light source unit 33 is disposed in the lamp chamber S at a position corresponding to the inner portion 2 b of the lamp body 2. The light source unit 33 functions as a high beam light source, is configured using an existing light source such as an LED light source, a discharge lamp, and a halogen lamp, and projects the irradiation light in the horizontal direction in front of the vehicle.

  On the other hand, the light source unit 34 is disposed in a position corresponding to the outer portion 2 c of the lamp body 2 in the lamp chamber S, and is located on the vehicle rear side with respect to the light source unit 33. The light source unit 34 functions as a low beam light source, and is formed as a projector-type light source unit using a lamp-type light source. The light source unit 34 includes a light source unit 36 composed of a lamp-type light source such as a discharge lamp or a halogen lamp, and a projection lens 37 for irradiating light emitted from the light source unit 36 toward a desired position in front of the vehicle. ing.

  Further, a camera 17 is provided outside the light source unit 34 in the vehicle width direction (direction A in FIG. 9). As shown in FIG. 7, the camera 17 is connected to the image processing unit 18 and outputs an image captured by the imaging unit 17a to the image processing unit 18 as an output signal. In the image processing unit 18, the vehicle existing in the front area of the host vehicle from the image signal output from the camera 17 and the image signal captured by the camera 19 built in the vehicle lamp on the right side of the vehicle (not shown), Detects pedestrians and other objects.

  As shown in FIG. 9, an anti-fogging coating agent is applied to the inner surface portion 32 b of the translucent cover 32 that faces the imaging portion 17 a of the camera 17.

  In the vehicular lamp 31 of the present embodiment, the camera 17 is disposed on the outer side in the width direction of the vehicle (A direction in FIG. 9) with respect to the light source unit 34, and the translucent cover 32 is viewed in plan. In such a case, the inner surface 32a of the inner side (the B direction in FIG. 9) is located on the front side of the vehicle (the F direction in FIG. 9) rather than the outer side in the width direction of the vehicle (the A direction in FIG. 9). Is formed. With such an arrangement, the camera 17 can be arranged at a position where it is difficult for the reflected light from the translucent cover 32 to reach. That is, since the inner surface 32a of the translucent cover 32 is inclined so that the vehicle inner side is positioned forward as described above, the reflected light from the light source unit 34 is reflected on the inner surface 32a of the translucent cover 32. As indicated by reference numeral lp in FIG. 9, the light is reflected toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction. Compared to the case where the camera 17 is arranged inside the light source unit 34 as shown in FIG. 10, in FIG. 10, the reflected light is likely to enter the imaging unit 17a of the camera 17, and the reflected light is stray light. Thus, there is a concern that the detection accuracy of the object in the front area of the host vehicle is lowered. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the camera 17 is located outside the light source unit 34 in the vehicle width direction as shown in FIG. It is hard to be influenced by the reflected light reflected in Therefore, in the vehicular lamp 31, it is possible to ensure the detection accuracy of an object such as a forward vehicle.

  Moreover, since the anti-fogging coating agent as an anti-fogging means is apply | coated to the inner surface part 32b facing the imaging part 17a of the camera 17 among the translucent covers 32, the dew condensation which arises in this part can be prevented. . Thereby, even if the camera 17 is disposed at the end of the lamp chamber S where the air heated by the light source units 33 and 34 is unlikely to circulate, the imaging performance of the camera 17 can be stabilized.

  In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the camera 17 may be disposed obliquely below the light source unit 34 in the vehicle width direction. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to particularly reduce the influence on the camera 17 due to heat generated from the light source unit 34.

  In this case, the translucent cover 32 is formed such that the lower side is positioned on the front side of the vehicle than the upper side, so that the irradiation light from the light source unit 34 is transmitted to the translucent cover 32 as shown in FIG. Reflected downward by the inner surface 32a as indicated by reference numeral lp. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, when the camera 17 is disposed below the light source unit 34, the irradiation light from the light source unit 34 is reflected downward, and thereby reflected to the imaging unit 17a of the camera 17. Light is likely to be incident. However, since the camera 17 is disposed outside the light source unit 34 in the vehicle width direction, even if the camera 17 is disposed below the light source unit 34 in this way, the influence of the reflected light on the imaging unit 17a is limited. It becomes. Therefore, according to the configuration shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, it is possible to ensure the detection accuracy of the object while avoiding the influence of the heat of the light source unit 34.

  Also in the cases shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, it is preferable to apply an anti-fogging coating agent to the inner surface portion 32 b of the camera 17 facing the imaging portion 17 a. Since the camera 17 is disposed below, the air heated by the light source units 33 and 34 is particularly difficult to circulate in the vicinity of the imaging unit 17a, and thus there is a concern that condensation may occur on the inner surface 32a of the translucent cover 32. However, by applying the anti-fogging coating agent to the position (inner surface portion 32b) facing the imaging unit 17a, it is possible to prevent condensation and to ensure imaging performance.

  Further, instead of the configuration shown in FIG. 11, the camera 17 may be held on the holding frame 40 of the light source unit 34 as shown in FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 13, the holding frame 40 is formed in a rectangular frame shape, for example, and is disposed so as to surround the light source unit 34. The camera 17 is disposed at a lower end portion 40a of the holding frame 40 on the vehicle outer side (direction A in FIG. 13). As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the holding frame 40 is supported from the lamp body 2 via aiming screws 41 and 42 and a pivot 43. As shown in FIG. 14, in order to avoid interference with the camera 17 installed on the vehicle outer side (A direction in FIG. 13) of the light source unit 34, the pivot 43 is arranged on the vehicle inner side of the holding frame 40 (see FIG. 14). Aiming screws 41 and 42 are respectively disposed at a lower end portion 40c on the vehicle inner side and an upper end portion 40d on the outer side of the vehicle.

  By adopting such a configuration, the aiming of the camera 17 can be performed simultaneously with the aiming of the light source unit 34.

  Although the first and second embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and other configurations may be made as necessary without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Can be adopted.

  For example, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the light source units 5, 6, or 33, 34 are arranged side by side in the width direction of the vehicle. These light source units may be arranged vertically in the lamp chamber S. Further, the light source unit 6 or 34 may be disposed alone in the lamp chamber S, or three or more light source units may be continuously disposed in the lamp chamber S in the width direction of the vehicle. .

  In the first and second embodiments, the light source units 5 and 33 are high beam light sources and the light source units 6 and 34 are low beam light sources. The units 5 and 33 may be low beam light sources, and the light source units 6 and 34 may be high beam light sources.

  Furthermore, the light source units 5, 6 and 33, 34 are not limited to lamp-type light sources, and may use light emitting elements such as LEDs as light sources. When the light source units 6 and 34 are formed of LED elements, the amount of heat generated is small, so that the camera 17 can be disposed above the light source units 6 and 34.

  Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, the headlight on the left side in the vehicle traveling direction has been described as an example. Needless to say.

In the first and second embodiments, the anti-fogging coating agent is applied to the inner surfaces 3a and 32b of the translucent cover 32 facing the imaging unit 17a of the camera 17, but the present invention is not limited to this. The fogging coating agent may be applied to other parts, and other mechanical or physical / chemical means may be used as an antifogging means.
In addition to this, it is needless to say that other structures, materials, and the like can be employed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,31 ... Vehicle lamp, 2 ... Lamp body, 2a ... Opening part, 3, 32 ... Translucent cover, 3a, 32a ... Inner surface, 32b ... Inner surface part, S ... Lamp chamber, 5, 6, 33, 34 ... Light source unit, 10 ... holding frame, 15 ... swivel actuator, 17, 19 ... camera, 17a ... imaging unit, 18 ... image processing unit

Claims (9)

A first light source unit;
A lamp body including an opening, and housing the first light source unit in the opening;
A translucent cover provided to cover at least the opening from the front side of the vehicle;
A camera provided integrally with the first light source unit;
The first light source unit is supported by the lamp body so as to be turnable in a horizontal direction,
The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the camera is provided outside the light source unit in the width direction of the vehicle.   The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, further comprising a second light source unit disposed on an inner side in the vehicle width direction of the first light source unit.   The vehicular lamp according to claim 2, wherein the second light source unit is disposed on the front side of the vehicle as compared with the first light source unit.   4. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the camera is provided at a position below the first light source unit. 5.   The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an antifogging agent is applied to at least a portion of the translucent cover that faces the camera. A light source;
A lamp body having an opening, and housing the light source in the opening;
A translucent cover provided to cover at least the opening from the front side of the vehicle;
A camera disposed in the opening and disposed on the outer side in the width direction of the vehicle with respect to the light source,
The translucent cover includes an inner surface located on the opening side, and when the inner surface is viewed in plan, the inner side is positioned on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the outer side in the width direction of the vehicle. A vehicular lamp characterized by being arranged as described above. The translucent cover is arranged such that the lower side is positioned on the front side of the vehicle than the upper side,
The vehicular lamp according to claim 6, wherein the camera is disposed below the light source. A light source;
A lamp body that houses the light source in the opening;
A translucent cover provided to cover the opening from the front side of the vehicle;
A camera supported by the lamp body and provided inside the translucent cover;
A vehicular lamp provided with anti-fogging means for preventing condensation on at least a portion of the translucent cover facing the camera. The vehicular lamp according to claim 8, wherein the antifogging means includes an antifogging agent applied to the translucent cover.

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