JP2019162929A - Vehicle sensor device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle sensor device which can prevent occurrence of dew condensation in a transmission part of a vehicle sensor.SOLUTION: A vehicle sensor device 10 is mounted on a vehicle and includes: a camera 60 which acquires information of an exterior of the vehicle; and a housing 50 which houses the camera 60. The housing 50 has: a body part 20 which fixes the camera 60 to the vehicle; an outer lens 30 which transmits light entering into the camera 60; and a cover part 40 covering the camera 60. At least a part of the cover part 40 is formed thinner than the outer lens 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle sensor device.

  In order to monitor the outside of a vehicle, there is an external monitoring device for a vehicle that is disposed on the left and right front fenders of an automobile (for example, Patent Document 1). The camera module of the vehicle external monitoring device is covered with a translucent cover.

JP2015-223976A

  By the way, in a sensor such as a camera module, condensation may occur due to a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the translucent cover, such that the translucent cover is cloudy and water droplets are attached to the translucent cover. If such condensation occurs on the light-transmitting cover, it may adversely affect the image picked up by the camera.

  An object of the present invention is to prevent dew condensation from occurring in a transmission part of a vehicle sensor device.

A vehicle sensor device according to one aspect of the present invention provides:
A vehicle sensor device mounted on a vehicle,
A sensor for acquiring information outside the vehicle;
A housing for housing the sensor,
The housing includes a body part that fixes the sensor to the vehicle, a transmission part that transmits light incident on the sensor, and a cover part that covers the sensor.
At least a part of the cover part is formed thinner than the transmission part.

A vehicle sensor device according to one aspect of the present invention provides:
A vehicle sensor device mounted on a vehicle,
A sensor for acquiring information outside the vehicle;
A housing for housing the sensor,
The housing includes a body part that fixes the sensor to the vehicle, a transmission part that transmits light incident on the sensor, and a cover part that covers the sensor.
At least a part of the cover part is formed of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the transmission part.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can prevent that dew condensation arises in the permeation | transmission part of the sensor apparatus for vehicles.

It is a perspective view of the vehicle carrying the vehicle sensor apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the cross section which follows the horizontal direction of the sensor apparatus for vehicles. It is a figure which shows typically the cross section which follows the horizontal direction of the sensor apparatus for vehicles which concerns on the modification 1. As shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the cross section which follows the horizontal direction of the sensor apparatus for vehicles which concerns on the modification 2. As shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the dimension of each member shown by this drawing may differ from the actual dimension of each member for convenience of explanation. Further, U, D, F, B, R, and L shown in FIG. 1 indicate relative directions set for the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. U is upper, D is lower, F is front, B is rear, R is right, and L is left.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle 1 on which a sensor device 10 (an example of a vehicle sensor device) according to this embodiment is mounted. As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor device 10 is provided on a front fender 4 on the left L side that forms the tire house 3 of the front wheel 2. Although not shown, the sensor device 10 is also provided on the front fender on the right R side. Since the sensor device 10 on the right R side is symmetrical to the sensor device 10 on the left L side, hereinafter, the configuration of the sensor device 10 on the left L side (hereinafter also simply referred to as “sensor device 10”). And the description of the sensor device 10 on the right R side will be omitted.

  The vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 is not provided with a fender mirror or a door mirror. The function of observing the rear of the fender mirror and the door mirror is performed by a camera 60 (an example of a sensor) mounted on the sensor device 10 described later. The camera 60 acquires image information behind the vehicle 1.

  Next, the sensor device 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of the sensor device 10 along the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor device 10 includes a body part 20, an outer lens (an example of a transmission part) 30, and a cover part 40. The body 50, the outer lens 30, and the cover 40 are joined together to form the housing 50 in a sealed state.

  The body portion 20 is a portion of the housing 50 on the vehicle 1 side of the sensor device 10 (the right side R side of the left side L sensor device 10). By fixing the body part 20 to the front fender of the vehicle 1, the sensor device 10 is fixed to the front fender. The body part 20 is made of, for example, an opaque resin.

  The outer lens 30 has translucency that transmits light (optical axis Lx) incident on the camera 60. The outer lens 30 is made of, for example, a transparent flat resin that does not cause light collection and diffusion.

  The cover unit 40 is a member that covers the camera 60 from the outside of the vehicle 1. The cover part 40 is formed, for example with resin.

  The cover part 40 has a thin part 41 at least at a part of the cover part 40. The thickness of the thin portion 41 in the RL direction is thinner than the thickness of the cover portion 40 other than the thin portion 41 in the RL direction, and is thinner than the thickness of the outer lens 30 in the FB direction. The thin portion 41 in this example is formed by a recess 42. The recess 42 is formed so that a part of the inner surface of the cover 40 is recessed in the RL direction (the direction toward the outside of the vehicle 1).

  The thin portion 41 is formed at a position opposite to the outer lens 30 in the housing 50 with respect to the camera 60. In this example, the outer lens 30 is disposed on the rear B side of the housing 50, and the thin portion 41 is formed on the front F side of the housing 50 with respect to the camera 60.

The housing 50 accommodates the camera 60 inside. The camera 60 has a lens unit 61 and a camera housing 62. The camera housing 62 has an image sensor (not shown) inside. The camera housing 62 is fixed to the housing 50 via a support member (not shown) in a posture in which the imaging direction is directed rearward. The camera 60 is fixed to the vehicle 1 by fixing the camera housing 62 to the housing 50 and fixing the body portion 20 to the vehicle 1.
Power supply to the camera 60 is performed by a power supply line (not shown) extending from an ECU (Electric Control Unit) (not shown) or the like of the vehicle 1. The camera 60 transmits imaging information to the ECU via a communication line (not shown). The ECU transmits image information acquired from the camera 60 to a monitor (not shown).

Condensation may occur inside the sensor device 10 when the outside of the vehicle 1 on which the sensor device 10 is mounted cools and the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the sensor device 10 increases. At this time, due to the thinness, the thin portion 41 is more strongly affected by the cold air outside the vehicle 1 than the outer lens 30 and the cover portion 40 other than the thin portion 41 and is cooled. For this reason, when dew condensation occurs inside the housing 50 of the sensor device 10, the generated portion is the inner surface of the thin portion 41. That is, dew condensation occurs on the inner surface of the portion of the cover portion 40 that is formed thinner than the outer lens 30.
As described above, since condensation occurs on the inner surface of the thin portion 41 which is a portion formed thinner than the outer lens 30 in the cover portion 40, it is possible to prevent the outer lens 30 from forming condensation.

  When water droplets are generated due to condensation, the water droplets stay on the inner surface of the thin portion 41. More specifically, water droplets generated by condensation remain in the recess 42. As described above, since water droplets generated by condensation remain in the thin portion 41, it is possible to prevent water droplets from flowing to the outer lens 30.

  As described above, according to the sensor device 10 according to the present embodiment, the vehicle sensor device 10 mounted on the vehicle 1 includes the camera 60 and the housing 50 that houses the camera 60. The housing 50 includes a body portion 20 that fixes the camera 60 to the vehicle 1, an outer lens 30 that transmits light incident on the camera 60, and a cover portion 40 that covers the camera 60. The thin part 41 of the cover part 40 is formed thinner than the outer lens 30. For this reason, when dew condensation occurs inside the sensor device 10, the dew condensation occurs at the thin portion 41, so that dew condensation can be prevented from occurring on the outer lens 30.

(Modification 1)
The vehicle sensor device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described example. Hereinafter, modification 1 is explained about a sensor device for vehicles. Note that portions that are the same as or equivalent to those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section along the horizontal direction of the sensor device 10A according to the first modification. A housing 50A is formed by the body part 20, the outer lens 30A, and the cover part 40A. The outer lens 30A is a lens that is thicker in the FB direction than the outer lens 30 shown in FIG. The thickness of the cover portion 40A in the RL direction is thinner than the thickness of the outer lens 30A in the FB direction. Thus, in the present example, the entire cover portion 40A constitutes the thin portion 41A.

When the outside of the vehicle 1 cools and the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the sensor device 10 increases and condensation occurs inside the housing 50A, the condensation occurs on the inner surface of the thin portion 41A (cover portion 40A). That is, dew condensation occurs on the inner surface of the cover portion 40A formed thinner than the outer lens 30A.
As described above, since condensation occurs on the inner surface of the cover portion 40 formed thinner than the outer lens 30, it is possible to prevent the condensation from occurring on the outer lens 30A.

(Modification 2)
Next, a second modification of the vehicle sensor device will be described. About the part which is the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment, or an equivalent part, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to drawing, and the description is abbreviate | omitted or simplified.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section along the horizontal direction of the sensor device 10B according to the second modification. A housing 50B is formed by the body part 20, the outer lens 30B, and the cover part 40B.

  The thin portion 41B is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity higher than that of the outer lens 30B. The thickness of the thin portion 41B in the RL direction is thinner than the thickness of the cover portion 40B in the RL direction, and is thinner than the thickness of the outer lens 30B in the FB direction. In this example, the outer lens 30B is formed of a resin, and the thin portion 41B is formed of a metal piece 43 made of metal. The material of the metal piece 43 is, for example, aluminum or copper. The metal piece 43 is inserted in the cover part 40B.

  When the outside of the vehicle 1 cools and the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the sensor device 10 increases, the metal piece 43 is cooled more than the outer lens 30B and the cover portion 40B due to its thinness and high thermal conductivity. When condensation occurs inside the housing 50 </ b> B, the generated portion is a metal piece 43. That is, condensation occurs on the inner surface of the metal piece 43 formed thinner than the cover portion 40B and the outer lens 30B. For this reason, it can prevent that dew condensation generate | occur | produces in the outer lens 30B.

In addition, although the example in which the thickness in the RL direction of the metal piece 43 is thinner than the thickness in the RL direction of the cover portion 40B and the thickness in the FB direction of the outer lens 30B has been described, the thickness of the metal piece 43 of the present modification example Is not limited to the above example. The thickness of the metal piece 43 in the RL direction may be thicker than the thickness shown in FIG. For example, the metal piece 43 may be formed so that its thickness in the RL direction is equal to the thickness of the cover portion 40B in the RL direction.
The metal piece 43 formed in this way is also easier to cool than the cover part 40B and the outer lens 30B due to the high thermal conductivity of the metal piece 43. For this reason, when dew condensation occurs inside the housing 50 </ b> B, the generated portion is the metal piece 43. That is, condensation occurs on the inner surface of the metal piece 43 that is a portion formed of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the cover 40 and the outer lens 30. For this reason, it is possible to prevent condensation from occurring in the outer lens 30B.

<Various modifications>
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner by the description of this embodiment. This embodiment is merely an example, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  In the above embodiment, the outer lenses 30, 30 </ b> A, and 30 </ b> B have been described with reference to a configuration that does not have lens functions such as light collection and diffusion, but the configuration of the outer lens is not limited to the above-described example. The outer lens may be a lens having an optical function such as light collection and diffusion.

Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the example in which the housing 50 was formed by joining the body part 20, the outer lens 30, and the cover part 40, the structure of a housing is not restricted to an above-described illustration. The housing may be formed by integrally molding the body portion, the outer lens, and the cover portion.
In the above embodiment, the example in which the outer lens 30 has translucency in the housing 50 has been described. However, the configuration of the housing is not limited to the above example. The outer lens and the cover part may be formed of a material having translucency. In this case, the region through which the light incident on the camera 60 (the optical axis Lx of the camera 60) passes corresponds to the transmission part (outer lens).

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the camera 60 was demonstrated to the example as a sensor, the sensor with which the vehicle sensor apparatus of this invention is provided is not restricted to the said illustration. The sensor included in the vehicle sensor device of the present invention may be a sensor that acquires information outside the vehicle, and may be a radar such as LiDAR, millimeter wave radar, microwave radar, or laser radar.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the example in which the sensor apparatus 10 is attached to the front fender of the vehicle 1, arrangement | positioning of the vehicle sensor apparatus of this invention is not restricted to an above-described example. For example, the vehicle sensor device of the present invention may be attached to the front portion of the vehicle 1, the rear portion of the vehicle 1, and the like to acquire information outside the vehicle 1.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the example of the sensor apparatus 10 which does not contain a light source, the vehicle sensor apparatus of this invention is not restricted to an above-described structure. The vehicle sensor device of the present invention may be configured to house a light source in a housing. As the light source, a lamp light source or a light emitting element can be used. Examples of lamp light sources include incandescent lamps, halogen lamps, discharge lamps, neon lamps, and the like. Examples of the light emitting element include a light emitting diode, a laser diode, and an organic EL element. For example, a vehicle sensor device in which a light emitting diode is housed in a housing as a light source, and a cover portion is made of a translucent resin colored amber or the like, and has a function of a side turn signal lamp It is also good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle, 2 Front wheel, 3 Tire house, 4 Front fender, 10, 10A, 10B Sensor apparatus, 20 Body part, 30, 30A, 30B Outer lens, 40, 40A, 40B Cover part, 41, 41A, 41B Thin part, 42 depression, 43 metal piece, 50, 50A, 50B housing, 60 camera, 61 lens part, 62 camera housing

Claims (2)

A vehicle sensor device mounted on a vehicle,
A sensor for acquiring information outside the vehicle;
A housing for housing the sensor,
The housing includes a body part that fixes the sensor to the vehicle, a transmission part that transmits light incident on the sensor, and a cover part that covers the sensor.
The vehicle sensor device, wherein at least a part of the cover part is formed thinner than the transmission part. A vehicle sensor device mounted on a vehicle,
A sensor for acquiring information outside the vehicle;
A housing for housing the sensor,
The housing includes a body part that fixes the sensor to the vehicle, a transmission part that transmits light incident on the sensor, and a cover part that covers the sensor.
At least a part of the cover part is a vehicle sensor device formed of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the transmission part.