JP2019131097A - Vehicular imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicular imaging device using an image imaged by a camera instead of a side mirror of a vehicle, capable of providing an image with high quality stably.SOLUTION: A vehicular imaging device 1 using an image imaged by a camera instead of a side mirror of a vehicle, comprises: a storage part 2 provided on a vehicle body 100 side; a movable member 3 which is movable between a storage position where it is stored in the storage part 2 and a protrusion position where it protrudes to a vehicle outside; driving means 4 for operating the movable member 3 between the protrusion position and the storage position; a camera 5 provided on the movable member 3, which can image a vehicle rear side and a lens surface 5S faces a vehicle rear side when the movable member 3 is at the protrusion position, and which is stored in the storage part 2 when the movable member is at the storage position; and washing means 11 for washing the lens surface 5S.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle photographing apparatus.

  In recent vehicles, there is a technique for displaying a video image taken by a camera in a vehicle interior instead of side mirrors on the left and right sides of the vehicle. With such a technique, the quality of the displayed captured image may be degraded due to the dirty lens surface of the camera.

JP 2017-197127 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a high-quality captured image stably in a vehicular imaging apparatus that uses a captured image of a camera instead of a side mirror of a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

In order to solve the above-described problems, a vehicle photographing apparatus according to the present invention includes:
A storage section provided on the vehicle body side;
A movable member movable between a storage position stored in the storage unit and a protruding position protruding outward from the storage position;
Driving means for operating the movable member between the protruding position and the storage position;
A camera provided on the movable member, capable of photographing the rear side of the vehicle when the movable member is in the protruding position, and stored in the storage portion when in the storage position;
Cleaning means for cleaning the lens surface of the camera;
It is characterized by providing.

  According to the present invention, the camera can move between the storage position and the protruding position by the movable member, and the rear side can be photographed from the side of the vehicle at the protruding position. Since an unused camera can be stored, there is no risk of the lens surface becoming dirty. Moreover, since the cleaning means for cleaning the lens surface is provided, even if it becomes dirty, it can be cleaned. For this reason, it is possible to stably provide high-quality captured images.

  As the cleaning means of the present invention, a liquid cleaning means for spraying a washer liquid onto the lens surface can be provided. As a result, the lens surface can be washed with liquid, so that the dirt adhering to the lens surface can be surely removed, and a high-quality captured image can be stably provided.

  The liquid cleaning means of the present invention may be configured such that the washer liquid injection port is provided in the storage portion. As a result, the spray port of the washer liquid is not exposed to the outside and the design is not deteriorated. If the lens surface is cleaned when the movable member is in the storage position, the cleaning itself is not exposed to the outside. In this case, the storage section may have a drainage means for draining the washer liquid used for washing out of the vehicle from a drainage port provided on the bottom surface.

  In the present invention, the spray axis of the washer liquid in the liquid cleaning means intersects both the lens surface when the movable member is in the protruding position and the lens surface when in the storage position. Can be set to As a result, the movable member can spray the washer liquid onto the lens surface at both the protruding position and the storage position, so that cleaning at various timings is possible. For example, it can be cleaned regularly during storage, and can cope with sudden dirt during photographing.

  As the cleaning means of the present invention, a contact cleaning means for cleaning the lens surface in the form of contacting a solid cleaning member can be provided. As a result, the lens surface can be cleaned in such a manner that a solid cleaning member such as a sponge or a cloth material is brought into direct contact with the lens surface, so that the lens surface can be reliably removed to stably provide a high-quality shot image. Can do.

  The contact cleaning means in the present invention may include biasing means for biasing the solid cleaning member so as to press the lens surface when contacting the lens surface. Thereby, dirt on the lens surface can be surely removed.

  The contact cleaning means according to the present invention may be configured such that the solid cleaning member wipes the lens surface while the movable member is moving. According to this configuration, dirt on the lens surface can be wiped off using the movement of the movable member.

  In the present invention, the movable member may be a rotating member assembled on the vehicle body side so as to be rotatable around a predetermined rotation axis. In this case, the solid cleaning member can be arranged so as to contact the rotating member rotating in the storage portion on the outer side in the rotation radius direction or on one side in the axial direction of the rotation axis. According to this configuration, the dirt on the lens surface can be wiped off by efficiently using the rotation of the movable member.

  In the present invention, the storage portion is formed as a recess formed in the side panel forming the left and right side surfaces of the vehicle and recessed from the opening toward the vehicle inward, and the movable member is in the storage position. The outer surface of the vehicle outer side can be formed to be flush with the peripheral surface of the opening in the side panel. Thereby, since the movable member is accommodated so as to be flush with the side surface of the vehicle during non-photographing, it is possible to realize an excellent design with no extra unevenness.

The top view which showed simply the vehicle carrying the imaging device for vehicles which is the 1st Example of this invention. The block diagram of the display system for vehicles comprised including the imaging device for vehicles of FIG. The perspective view which showed the state which has a movable member in a storage position in the imaging device for vehicles of FIG. The 1st perspective view which showed the state which has a movable member in a protrusion position in the imaging device for vehicles of FIG. The 2nd perspective view which showed the state which has a movable member in a protrusion position in the imaging device for vehicles of FIG. The side view which looked at the movable member of the accommodation position in the imaging device for vehicles of FIG. 1 from the washer nozzle side. Sectional drawing shown in the cross section which cut | disconnected the imaging device for vehicles of FIG. 3 in the horizontal direction. Sectional drawing shown in the cross section which cut | disconnected the imaging device for vehicles of FIG. 4 in the horizontal direction. Sectional drawing which showed the state which has a movable member in an accommodation position in the imaging device for vehicles which is a 2nd Example of this invention with the cross section similar to FIG. Sectional drawing which showed the state which has a movable member in a protrusion position in the imaging device for vehicles of FIG. 9 with the cross section similar to FIG. Sectional drawing explaining the washing | cleaning method of the camera which image | photographs the vehicle back of the imaging device for vehicles of FIG. Sectional drawing explaining the washing | cleaning method of the camera which image | photographs the vehicle downward direction of the imaging device for vehicles of FIG. Sectional drawing which showed the state which has a movable member in a storage position in the vehicle imaging device of 3rd Example of this invention with the same cross section as FIG. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the movable member is in the protruding position, in the same cross section as FIG. The perspective view which showed the state which has a movable member in an accommodation position in the imaging device for vehicles of 4th Example of this invention. The perspective view which showed the state which has a movable member in a protrusion position in the imaging device for vehicles of the Example of FIG. The perspective view which showed the state which has a movable member in a storage position in the imaging device for vehicles of 5th Example of this invention. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a state in which the movable member is in the protruding position in the vehicle photographing device of FIG. 17.

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

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicular imaging apparatus 1 shoots the rear side of the vehicle from the left and right sides of the vehicle with the outside cameras 5 on the left and right sides of the vehicle 100, and captures images of both the left and right cameras 5. The display system 50 for vehicles is comprised with the display apparatus 30 which displays a screen in a vehicle interior (refer FIG. 2). This vehicle display system 50, as with the side mirror, allows the driver to visually recognize the vehicle rear view from the side of the vehicle. Here, as shown in FIG. The control unit 20 displays captured images of the left and right cameras 5 on a predetermined display device 30 (display) based on the input shooting data. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a state in which the vehicle photographing device 1 is photographing the rear of the vehicle, but is shown in a more emphasized form than the actual size, from the size and the vehicle body side. The amount of protrusion is different from the actual one.

  The vehicle photographing apparatus 1 here is provided at the position of a conventional side mirror or in the vicinity thereof. Specifically, it is attached to the front fender of the vehicle 100. However, the mounting position of the vehicular imaging device 1 is not limited to the front fender of the vehicle 100 as described above, and may be any other position as long as the captured video is a video that replaces the reflected image of the side mirror.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the vehicle photographing device 1 includes a storage unit 2, a movable member 3, a driving unit 4, cameras 5 and 6, and a cleaning unit 11.

  The storage unit 2 is provided on the side of the vehicle body 100 as a recess that is recessed inward from the opening 101H by forming an opening 101H in a side panel 101 (here, a front fender panel) that forms the left and right side surfaces of the vehicle. Specifically, it is fixed to the inner surface side of the side panel 101.

  The movable member 3 is a member that is movable between a storage position (see FIG. 7) stored in the storage portion 2 and a protruding position (see FIG. 8) that protrudes from the storage position to the vehicle exterior side. The movable member 3 here is a rotating member 3 assembled on the vehicle body 100 side so as to be rotatable around a predetermined rotation axis 3Z. Here, the rotation member 3 has a rotation axis 3Z set in the vehicle vertical direction. And the rotation axis 3Z is located in the vehicle front side of the rotation member 3, and the vehicle rear side of the rotation member 3 rotates to the vehicle side outward, and reaches | attains a protrusion position.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the movable member 3 includes an outer surface panel member 3A, an inner case body 3B, and an inner cover body 3C. 6 is arranged. The outer surface panel member 3 </ b> A is a plate-like member that forms the outer surface 3 a outside the vehicle when in the storage position. The inner case body 3B is a case body that accommodates the cameras 5, 6 and wiring thereof, and is assembled to the outer surface panel member 3A on the inner side of the vehicle. It is exposed (see FIG. 5). The inner cover body 3C is disposed in an internal space formed between the inner case body 3B and the outer surface panel member 3A, and the cameras 5 and 6 are fixedly installed at predetermined positions inside the movable member 3. The inner case body 3B is assembled. The movable member 3 receives the force from a driving source (motor 4M), which will be described later, and moves the whole between the protruding position and the storage position, and is assembled to the inner case body 3B.

  Here, in the outer surface panel member 3A here, the outer surface 3a on the vehicle outer side when the movable member 3 is in the storage position is flush with the outer surface 101a around the opening 101H in the side panel 101 (FIG. 3). And FIG. 7). As a result, there is no protrusion from the outer surface of the vehicle, and the structure is smart and harmless.

  The driving means 4 is a means for operating the movable member 3 between the storage position (see FIG. 7) and the protruding position (see FIG. 8). Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the movable member 3 is predetermined. As a means for reciprocating between the storage position and the protruding position, the motor 4M serving as a drive source and a transmission mechanism 4G for transmitting the rotation output of the motor 4M to the movable member 3 are well known. Is. As shown in FIG. 2, the motor 4M is driven and controlled by the control unit 20, and is driven and controlled so that the movable member 3 moves to the protruding position when the accessory power supply of the vehicle 100 is turned on, When the accessory power source is turned off, the movable member 3 is driven and controlled to move to the storage position. As shown in FIG. 6, the transmission mechanism 4G here is fixed to the inner case body 3B side, a shaft portion 4z extending in the direction of the rotation axis 3Z, and a gear portion 4g2 fixed around the shaft portion 4z. And a gear portion 4g1 that rotates integrally with the output shaft of the motor 4M in the movable member 3 and meshes with the gear portion 4g2. The drive unit 4 is not limited to such a configuration, and may be another configuration as long as the movable member 3 is operated between the storage position and the protruding position.

  The camera 5 is provided on the movable member 3, and as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the movable member 3 is in the projecting position, the lens surface 5S faces the vehicle rear side and the rear side of the vehicle can be photographed. The rear camera is housed in the housing portion 2 when in the storage position. On the other hand, the camera 6 is also provided on the movable member 3, and as shown in FIG. 5, when the movable member 3 is at the protruding position, the lens surface 6 </ b> S faces the vehicle lower side and the lower side of the vehicle can be photographed. The camera is a lower photographing camera and is housed in the housing portion 2 when in the storage position. The captured images of the cameras 5 and 6 are displayed on the display device 30 by the control unit 20 as an around view image that projects from the rear side to the lower side of the vehicle 100.

  The cleaning unit 11 is a unit that cleans the lens surface 5S of the camera 5. The cleaning means 11 here is a liquid cleaning means for spraying washer liquid onto the lens surface 5S, and the washer pump 11P (injection drive section) is driven and controlled by the control section 20 as shown in FIG. The driven washer pump 11P sprays the washer liquid in the washer tank (not shown) linearly from the washer nozzle 11N (injection port) shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 toward the lens surface 5S of the camera 5. As a result, the washer liquid is sprayed onto the lens surface 5S, and the dirt attached to the lens surface 5S can be removed. Here, when a predetermined operation input is made to a predetermined washing operation unit 40 that can be operated by the driver in the driver's seat, the control unit 20 drives the washer pump 11P, and the washer liquid is discharged from the washer nozzle 11N. Erupted.

  The washer nozzle 11N (injection port) can be provided in the movable member 3, but is provided in the storage portion 2 here. The washer tank is fixedly installed inside the vehicle body (not shown), and washer liquid is supplied from the washer pump 11P (see FIG. 2) to the washer nozzle 11N of the storage unit 2 and ejected.

  The washer nozzle 11N (injection port) sprays both the lens surface 5S (see FIG. 8) when the movable member 3 is in the protruding position and the lens surface 5S (see FIG. 7) when it is in the storage position. Arranged to be able to. More specifically, the lens surface 5S when the movable member 3 is in the protruding position and the lens surface 5S when the movable member 3 is in the protruding position are in a straight line from the washer nozzle 11N (injection port). It arrange | positions so that it may cross | intersect with respect to both the surfaces 5S, and it becomes possible to spray a washer liquid on the lens surface 5S in the position of both a protrusion position and a storage position by this.

  In addition, the storage unit 2 in this case has drainage means for draining the washer liquid used for cleaning to the outside of the vehicle. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, a drain port 2H is provided on the bottom surface 2b of the storage portion 2, and the bottom surface 2b is inclined to the drain port 2H, and from the drain port 2H to the outside of the vehicle. A drainage channel (not shown) communicating with is formed. The drain port 2H can be a position directly below the lens surface 5S when the movable member 3 is in the storage position.

  Further, in this case, the movable member 3 (inner case body 3B) has a photographing direction side of the lens surface 5S around the opening that exposes the lens surface 5S of the camera 5, as shown in FIGS. A protruding wall portion 3BT that protrudes from the center is provided. The protruding wall portion 3BT here forms a substantially U-shaped wall portion continuous with the vehicle upper and lower sides of the lens surface 5S and the vehicle outer side when the movable member 3 is in the protruding position. This suppresses contamination from the outside of the lens surface 5S when the movable member 3 is at the protruding position, and prevents the washer liquid from being scattered during the cleaning by the cleaning means 11.

  As mentioned above, although the 1st Example of this invention was described, this is only an illustration to the last, and this invention is not limited to this. For example, various modifications based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art are possible, such as omitting some of the configuration requirements in the first embodiment and adding other configuration requirements.

  Hereinafter, other embodiments and modifications of the present invention will be described. In addition, about the function part common to the said Example, and the same function part, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol. In addition, the above embodiment and the following embodiment and modification can be combined as appropriate within a range that does not cause technical contradiction.

  A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The vehicle photographing apparatus 1 of the second embodiment is different in cleaning means from the first embodiment. The cleaning means 12 of the second embodiment employs a contact cleaning means that cleans the solid cleaning member 10 in contact with the lens surface 5S or the lens surface 6S. The cleaning means 12 here is configured as a wiping cleaning means for cleaning the lens surfaces 5S, 6S by wiping the lens surfaces 5S, 6S with the solid cleaning member 10 during the movement of the movable member 3, and the cleaning operation unit 40 shown in FIG. unnecessary. The cleaning means 12 is a cleaning mechanism that uses the operation of the rotating member 3 that opens and closes to clean the lens. The solid cleaning member 10 is, for example, a cloth material, a paper material, or a sponge that hardly damages the lens surface. A water-absorbing porous material or the like. The solid cleaning member 10 has an outer side in the rotational radial direction 3D (see FIG. 11) with respect to the lens surfaces 5S and 6S of the movable member 3 that rotates in the storage portion 2, and one side in the axial direction of the rotational axis 3Z. (See FIG. 12).

  As shown in FIG. 11, the camera 5 here is arranged so that the lens surface 5S faces the outside in the turning radius direction 3D and faces the turning direction 3R from the protruding position toward the storage position. The member 10 is fixedly disposed on the opening 101H side (here, the back side of the periphery of the opening 101H) inside the storage unit 2. Thereby, the lens surface 5S is wiped and cleaned by the solid cleaning member 10 immediately before the movable member 3 is stored in the storage portion 2 (lower view in FIG. 11).

  Further, the solid cleaning member 10 here includes not only a lens surface 5S of the camera 5 shown in FIG. 11 but also a lens surface 6S of the camera 6 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the camera 6 is arranged such that the lens surface 6S faces one side (here, the lower side in FIG. 12) in the axial direction of the rotation axis 3Z. Is fixed to the opening 101H side (here, the back side of the peripheral portion of the opening 101H). Thereby, the lens surface 6S is wiped and cleaned by the solid cleaning member 10 immediately before the movable member 3 is stored in the storage portion 2 (between the central view of FIG. 12 and the lower view of FIG. 12).

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the cleaning unit 12 includes an urging unit 15 that urges the solid cleaning member 10 to be pressed against the lens surfaces 5S and 6S when contacting the lens surfaces 5S and 6S. . The urging means 15 here is a spring member, but may be other urging means such as an air damper.

  A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The vehicle photographing apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment is different in cleaning means from the first embodiment and the second embodiment. In the cleaning means 13 of the third embodiment, the same contact cleaning means as that of the second embodiment is adopted, but the cleaning means 13 here is a push that presses the solid cleaning member 10 against the lens surface 5S of the camera 5. It is configured as a contact cleaning means, and the cleaning operation unit 40 in FIG. 2 is not necessary. The cleaning unit 13 is a cleaning unit that uses the operation of the rotating member 3 that approaches and separates from the storage unit 2 for lens cleaning, and the solid cleaning member 10 is made of, for example, the same material as in the second embodiment. it can. The solid cleaning member 10 is disposed so as to be fixed so that the lens surface 5S of the camera 5 is held in a pressing state with respect to the movable member 3 in the storage position in the storage unit 2, and when the movable member 3 is in the storage position. The lens surface 5S of the camera 5 is held in a pressed state (pressed state), and when the movable member 3 leaves the storage position, the lens surface 5S moves away from the solid cleaning member 10. The solid cleaning member 10 may also be provided with the urging means 15 already described so that the lens surface 5S is urged when the movable member 3 is in the storage position.

  A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The vehicle photographing apparatus 1 according to the fourth embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in the moving direction of the movable member 3. The movable member 3 here is the same as in the first to third embodiments in that it is assembled on the vehicle body 100 side so as to be rotatable around a predetermined rotation axis 3Z. They differ from those embodiments in that the axis 3Z extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction. In the vehicle photographing apparatus 1 of the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the rotation axis 3Z extending in the vehicle front-rear direction has an inner edge side (here, the opening 101H of the opening 101H) on the movable member 3. The other inner edge side portion of the movable member 3 (here, the lower portion of the movable member 3) rotates outwardly from the vehicle side (see FIG. 16). Is rotated in the opposite direction to reach the storage position (see FIG. 15). Cameras 5 and 6 are disposed on the movable member 3, and a wiping and cleaning unit 12 similar to that in the second embodiment is disposed as a cleaning unit for cleaning the lens surfaces 5S and 6S.

  A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The vehicular photographing apparatus 1 according to the fifth embodiment is different from the first to fourth embodiments in the moving direction of the movable member 3. The movable member 3 here reaches the protruding position in a form that is linearly drawn outward in the lateral direction of the vehicle, and reaches the storage position in a form that is linearly drawn inward in the lateral direction of the vehicle. . Cameras 5 and 6 are disposed on the movable member 3, and a wiping and cleaning unit 12 similar to that in the second embodiment is disposed as a cleaning unit for cleaning the lens surfaces 5S and 6S.

  Note that the above-described cleaning means 11, 12, and 13 may be provided only for the camera 5 that captures the rear, or may be provided only for the camera 6 that captures the lower part, 6 may be provided. The above-described cleaning means 11, 12, and 13 may be used in combination with other cleaning means, and different cleaning means may be provided for both lens surfaces 5S and 6S, or each lens surface 5S, A plurality of different types of cleaning means may be provided in combination with 6S. For example, instead of the cleaning unit 11 similar to the camera 5 that captures the rear of the camera 6 that captures the lower part of the first embodiment, a different cleaning unit 12 or cleaning unit 13 may be provided. Further, not only the cleaning means 11 (liquid cleaning means) but also the cleaning means 12 and 13 (contact cleaning means) are provided for the camera 5 that captures the back of the first embodiment, and these are combined and cleaned (ie, , Combined cleaning of liquid cleaning means and contact cleaning means).

  In addition, the above-described cleaning unit 11 (liquid cleaning unit) does not have to perform cleaning based on a user operation on the cleaning operation unit 40 provided in the vehicle interior. For example, the movable member 3 is in the storage position. The control unit 20 may be automatically executed at a predetermined timing, such as a timing at which the movable member 3 is detached from the storage position, a timing at which the movable member 3 reaches the protruding position, or the like.

  Further, the inner case body 3B may have a shape that closes the opening 101H of the side panel 101 (here, the front fender panel) when the movable member 3 is in the protruding position. For example, in the fourth embodiment and the fifth embodiment, when the movable member 3 is in the protruding position, the inner case body 3B also appears outside the opening 101H, and the opening 101H is blocked by the appearing portion. The back of the opening 101H is not visible (see FIGS. 16 and 18). A slight gap is formed between the inner edge of the opening 101H and the movable member 3 in order to avoid contact with the movable member 3 that moves. In the present invention, the movable member 3 at the protruding position closing the opening 101H includes not only a state where the opening 101H is completely closed without a gap but also a state where a gap exists. As described above, the mode in which the opening 101H is closed when the movable member 3 is in the protruding position is naturally applicable to the first and third embodiments. In particular, when the cleaning means 11 (liquid cleaning means) as in the first embodiment is used, an elastic member for sealing or the like is arranged and the opening 101H is hermetically sealed with the movable member 3 so that the storage portion 2 can be removed from the outside of the vehicle. In addition to preventing dust from entering the interior, it is possible to prevent the washer fluid from splashing from the inside of the storage portion 2 to the outside of the vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle imaging device 100 Vehicle 101 Side panel 101H Opening 101a Outer surface around opening 2 Storage part 3 Movable member 3Z Rotating axis 3a Outer surface 4 Driving means 5 Camera 5S Lens surface 6 Camera 6S Lens surface 10 Solid cleaning member 11 Cleaning Means (liquid cleaning means)
12, 13 Cleaning means (contact cleaning means)
15 Energizing means

Claims (9)

A storage section provided on the vehicle body side;
A movable member movable between a storage position stored in the storage unit and a protruding position protruding outward from the storage position;
Driving means for operating the movable member between the protruding position and the storage position;
A camera provided on the movable member, capable of photographing the rear side of the vehicle when the movable member is in the protruding position, and stored in the storage portion when in the storage position;
Cleaning means for cleaning the lens surface of the camera;
An imaging device for a vehicle, comprising:   The vehicular photographing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a liquid cleaning unit that sprays washer liquid onto the lens surface as the cleaning unit.   The vehicular photographing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the liquid cleaning means is provided with an outlet for the washer liquid in the storage portion.   The spray axis of the washer liquid in the liquid cleaning means intersects both the lens surface when the movable member is in the protruding position and the lens surface when the movable member is in the storage position. The vehicle photographing device according to claim 3, wherein the washer liquid can be sprayed onto the lens surface at a position.   The vehicle photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit includes a contact cleaning unit that cleans the lens surface in contact with a solid cleaning member.   The vehicle photographing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the contact cleaning unit contacts the solid cleaning member so as to wipe the lens surface during the movement of the movable member.   The vehicle photographing apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the contact cleaning unit includes a biasing unit that biases the solid cleaning member to be pressed against the lens surface when contacting the lens surface. The movable member is a rotation member assembled on the vehicle body side so as to be rotatable around a predetermined rotation axis.
8. The solid cleaning member according to claim 7, wherein the solid cleaning member is disposed so as to contact the rotating member rotating in the storage portion on the outer side in the rotating radial direction or on one side in the axial direction of the rotating axis. An imaging device for a vehicle. The storage portion is provided as a recess that forms an opening in a side panel that forms the left and right side surfaces of the vehicle and is recessed inwardly from the opening.
The movable member according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an outer surface of a vehicle outside when in the storage position is flush with a peripheral surface of the opening in the side panel. The vehicle imaging device described.

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