JP3281514B2 - Visual recognition device for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a visual recognition device for a vehicle which uses a television camera to capture an image around the vehicle and displays the image on a television monitor arranged around a driver's seat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a prior art in which a television camera is mounted on a vehicle to ensure visibility around the vehicle, a television camera is disposed at the center of a roof at the rear of a truck so as to face obliquely downward and rearward. By arranging the V-shaped mirror so that it can be moved in and out in front, the lower part of the vehicle is photographed with the V-shaped mirror retracted from the front of the TV camera, and the V-shaped mirror is advanced forward of the TV camera. One that captures the rear left and right of the vehicle (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-2251), and one that has TV cameras arranged at the front and rear of the vehicle and the angle of these TV cameras is movable (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 2-41843). ) And so on. Also, a vehicle having a rear-viewing television camera on a rear spoiler at the rear of the vehicle has been commercially available.

[0003]

Since the above-mentioned conventional visual recognition device for a vehicle can only take an image in a direction straight on the optical axis of the imaging lens of the television camera, the television camera must be tilted downward to capture the lower rear part of the vehicle. It was necessary to arrange for. In addition, in order to capture images in various directions, a large-sized mechanism and space for making the angle of the television camera movable are required. For this reason, it is difficult to dispose it in the vehicle interior, and it is disposed outside the vehicle interior such as a roof and a rear spoiler. However, when the television camera is disposed outside the vehicle compartment, a waterproof structure is required, the structure is complicated, the device is enlarged, and the cost is increased. In addition, it is necessary to provide a protective glass, a heater, and the like to prevent frost and fogging, and the number of parts increases.
The cost was high. In addition, when the power supply line and the signal line are disposed outside the vehicle compartment, it is necessary to lead a power supply line and a signal line into the vehicle compartment, so that wiring work becomes complicated and retrofitting is difficult. In addition, when the television camera is installed on a roof or the like outside the vehicle compartment, the TV camera protrudes, which impairs the vehicle design.

Further, in the case where a V-shaped mirror is disposed in front of the television camera to capture images on the left and right sides of the vehicle, the V-shaped mirror has a large size and a large protrusion amount, and a large space is required for disposing the V-shaped mirror. It was also difficult to dispose it in the passenger compartment. In addition, the driving mechanism for putting in and out the large and heavy V-shaped mirror has also been increased in size, resulting in higher costs.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and enables an image other than the original optical axis direction of an imaging lens of a television camera to be captured with a simple structure, so that the television camera can be easily placed in a vehicle interior. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle visual recognition device which can be arranged in a vehicle.

[0006]

According to the present invention, a prism composed of a plate-shaped transparent member having a crest and a valley formed in parallel on one side is arranged on the optical axis of a television camera. An image around the vehicle is captured. According to this, since the optical axis of the television camera is refracted by the prism, it is possible to capture an image other than the original optical axis direction of the imaging lens. Therefore, it is possible to image the lower rear part of the vehicle and the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle with the television camera facing the rear of the vehicle. Further, since the prism is formed in a plate shape, the amount of protrusion is small. Therefore, the combination of the television camera and the prism can be arranged compactly, and can also be easily arranged in the vehicle interior.

Further, the prism is disposed so as to be rotatable around the optical axis of the television camera or around an axis substantially parallel to the optical axis, or a plurality of prisms having different refraction directions are arranged on the optical axis of the television camera. By selectively movably arranging the images, images in various directions can be taken without moving the television camera.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. (Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
3 will be described. In FIG. 1, a rear window 14 is attached to an upper portion of a rear door 12 of a vehicle (a so-called one-box vehicle) 10. A vehicle visual recognition device 18 according to the present invention is disposed in the upper central portion of the rear window 14 on the vehicle interior 16 side (or at a position shifted left or right from the central portion). Vehicle visual recognition device 18
Is the rear door 1 above the rear window 14 on the vehicle interior 16 side.
It is attached to the two main bodies (metal parts) and the ceiling 20 of the vehicle interior 16 with mounting brackets 40 and the like.

As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, the vehicle visual recognition device 18 accommodates and fixes a television camera 24 (CCD camera or the like) in a case 22 and accommodates a prism 26 in an opening 30 of the case 22. The cap 27 is fitted and fixed. A harness 38 in which a power supply line 70 and an image signal line 72 are bundled is drawn out from the television camera 24. The image signal line 72 is connected to a television monitor provided in a driver's seat or the like. The plane of the prism 26 is substantially parallel to the plane of the rear window 14 (ie, substantially vertical).
It is arranged. The optical axis 28 of the television camera 24 (the optical axis of the imaging lens 32) is disposed substantially at right angles to the surface of the prism 26 in the direction of the case opening 30 (that is, the rearward direction of the vehicle).

The prism 26 is made of a highly transparent resin such as acrylic resin, PC (polycarbonate), or transparent glass. One side (outer side) 26 of prism 26
a is formed on a flat surface. On the other surface 26b (the inner surface) of the prism 26, a plurality of substantially V-shaped grooves extending in the horizontal direction are arranged in parallel in a vertical direction at a constant pitch (pitch shorter than the diameter of the imaging lens 32). As a result, the vertical cross section of the other surface 26a has a plurality of peaks and valleys extending in one direction (horizontal direction) in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction, as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. It is formed on a repeating saw-toothed uneven surface. The upwardly facing surface 34 of the serrated surface 26b
Is formed on a plane inclined obliquely upward and the downward surface 36 is formed on a substantially horizontal plane facing downward.

According to the above construction, the optical axis 28 of the television camera 24 set substantially horizontally in the rear of the vehicle is refracted obliquely downward on the upward surface 34 of the uneven surface 26b inside the prism 26. Further, the light is refracted further obliquely downward on the outer flat surface 26a. Thereby, the field of view of the television camera 24 is directed to the lower rear part of the vehicle. Therefore,
An image of the lower rear portion of the vehicle is displayed on a television monitor arranged in a driver's seat or the like, and the driver can safely retreat the vehicle while watching the image.

(Embodiment 2) In the first embodiment, the lower rear portion of the vehicle is visually recognized. However, it may be configured to be visible in various directions. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vehicle visual recognition device configured as described above. The vehicle visual recognition device 42 is attached to the vehicle, for example, in the same state as in FIG. The same reference numerals are used for portions common to the vehicle visual recognition device of FIG. A rotating ring 44 is rotatably fitted in the opening 30 of the case 22. The rotation axis of the rotation ring 44 coincides with the optical axis 28 of the television camera 24. The prism 26 is fixed to the opening of the rotating ring 44.

A motor 46 is fixed in the case 22,
The gear 48 attached to the rotating shaft is a rotating ring 44
Is engaged with a gear 50 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the gear. Limit switches 52, 54, and 56 (FIG. 5) are fixedly disposed at three positions in the case 22 at 90 ° intervals, and correspondingly, the protruding pieces 58 are arranged on the rotating ring 44 at 90 ° intervals. , 60, 62 (FIG. 5). Each of the limit switches 52, 54, and 56 is moved vertically (a) when the groove of the uneven surface 26b of the prism 26 extends in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. (B) and (c) when the protruding pieces 58 and 6
It operates by engaging with 0,62. Then, it can be determined which of the three limit switches 52, 54, 56 is turned on and which is turned off, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), (b), or (c). That is, when all of the limit switches 52, 54, and 56 are turned on as shown in FIG. 5A, the field of view of the television camera 24 is in the lower rear part of the vehicle. In a state where the limit switches 52 and 54 are turned on and the limit switch 56 is turned off as shown in FIG. 5B, the field of view of the television camera 24 is right behind the vehicle. Also, as shown in FIG.
When the switch 56 is turned on and the limit switch 52 is turned off, the field of view of the television camera 24 is on the left rear side of the vehicle.

In the case 22, a prism rotation angle control device 64 (FIG. 4) for controlling the rotation angle of the prism 26 is incorporated. Prism rotation angle control device 6
FIG. 6 shows the configuration of No. 4. The control circuit 66 inputs ON / OFF information of the limit switches 52, 54, 56, and compares the visual direction command given by the driver's switch operation or the like with the ON / OFF information of these limit switches 52, 54, 56. The motor 46 is driven via the motor driving device 68 until the viewing direction of the prism 26, which is determined by the ON / OFF information of the limit switches 52, 54, 56, matches the command direction. Thus, the field of view of the television camera 24 can be directed to the commanded viewing direction. FIG. 7 shows the visual field which can be visually recognized in each visual recognition direction. When the vehicle enters the road 78 from the parking lot or the alley 76, the visual field is sequentially switched to confirm the lower rear portion, the rear left side, and the rear right side on the television monitor 80. while doing,
It can be safely retracted. In addition, a command signal line 74 for giving a viewing direction command is bundled with the harness 38 in FIG. 4 in addition to the power supply line 70 and the image signal line 72.

The limit switches 52, 54, 56
Alternatively, an optical detection unit, a magnetic detection unit, or the like can be used.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 8 shows another embodiment in which the viewing direction can be switched. This visual recognition device 92 for a vehicle includes three prisms 84, 86, with different refraction directions on a slide plate 82 made of one resin plate or the like.
88 are formed integrally (or three holes are formed in the slide plate 82, and the prisms 84, 86, and 8 are formed separately).
8 may be fitted in each hole and fixed. ), The slide plate 82 is slid in the left-right direction (HH ′ direction, that is, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the television camera 24) by the power of the motor 90, and any of the prisms 84, 86, 88 is moved. It can move on the optical axis 28 of the television camera 24.

The prism 84 is configured to have a cross section taken along line EE in FIG. 9A, and refracts the optical axis 28 of the television camera 24 arranged in the horizontal direction at the rear of the vehicle toward the lower part at the rear of the vehicle. The prism 86 is configured so as to show the FF cross section in FIG.
Is bent rightward in the rear of the vehicle. The prism 88 is shown in FIG.
(C) is configured to show a GG cross section, and refracts the optical axis 28 of the television camera 24 to the rear left direction of the vehicle.

The slide plate 82 is slidably supported in a case (not shown). Further, the motor 90, the television camera 24, the control device and the like are fixed in the case. A rack 94 is formed on the upper side of the slide plate 82,
The pinion 96 attached to the motor 90 is driven to engage with the pinion 96, whereby the slide plate 82 slides in the direction of the arrow HH '. A protruding piece 9 is provided on the lower side of the slide plate 82.
8, 100 and 102 are formed, and correspondingly, limit switches 104, 106 and 108 are fixedly disposed in the case. Limit switches 104, 106, 10
Which one of the prisms 84, 86, 88 is on the optical axis 28 of the television camera 24 can be determined from which of the prisms 8 is turned on and which is turned off. That is, when the limit switches 104 and 106 are turned on and the limit switch 108 is turned off, the prism 84 is on the optical axis 28, and when all of the limit switches 104, 106 and 108 are turned on (at this position, the arrow H of the slide plate 82). The slide in the 'direction is mechanically locked by a stopper (not shown).) If the prism 86 is on the optical axis 28 and the limit switch 104 is turned on and the limit switches 106 and 108 are turned off (the slide plate is at this position). The slide in the direction of arrow H of 82 is mechanically locked by a stopper (not shown).) It can be seen that the prism 88 is on the optical axis 28. Then, the limit switches 104, 106, and 108
By inputting the detection signal to the slide plate position control device having the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 6 and controlling the position of the slide plate 82, an image in an arbitrary commanded direction can be captured by the television camera 24. it can.

A portion 87 on which no prism is formed (that is, a mere transparent plate) is formed on the slide plate 82 adjacent to the prism 86, and the slide plate 82 is positioned on the optical axis 28. If it is possible to move one frame further in the direction of the arrow H 'than in the state in which the switch is turned on (at this time, the limit switches 106 and 108 are turned on and the limit switch 104 is turned off), the television camera 24 is turned on.
Can image the horizontal direction behind the vehicle through the transparent plate 87. This can be used, for example, to visually check the rear horizontal direction when retreating. Alternatively, it can also be used to visually recognize the rear horizontal direction during normal running.

(Embodiment 4) In FIG. 4, the optical axis 28 of the television camera 24 and the rotation axis of the prism 26 are made coincident with each other. FIG. 10 shows such a configuration, in which the optical axis 28 of the television camera 24 and the rotation axis 116 of the prism 26 are mutually shifted and arranged in parallel. A transparent portion or opening 118 where no prism is formed is formed in a part of the prism 26, and is used for viewing in the rear horizontal direction. By rotating the prism 26 and positioning each of the positions 26-1, 26-2, 26-3, and 26-4 on the optical axis 28 of the television camera (detection means such as a limit switch for detecting each position) Is provided.), And it can be visually recognized by switching between the rear left, the rear lower, the rear right, and the rear horizontal direction.

(Embodiment 5) In FIG. 8, a plurality of prisms are arranged on a slide plate and the slide plate is slid linearly. However, the prisms may be arranged on a rotary plate. FIG. 11 shows such a configuration, in which prisms 124 and 12 which repeat peaks and valleys in the same direction at respective positions of the rotating plate 120 are shown.
6, 128 (or 3 of the rotating plate 120).
Drill a hole in the place, there is a prism 1 composed separately
24, 126, 128 are fitted. ), The rotation axis 122 of the rotation plate 120 and the optical axis 28 of the television camera are mutually shifted and arranged in parallel. A transparent portion 130 (or an opening) in which no prism is formed is formed in a part of the rotating plate 120, and is used for viewing in the rear horizontal direction. By rotating the rotating plate 120, each prism 124,
By positioning the 126, 128 or the transparent portion 130 on the optical axis 28 of the television camera (detection means such as a limit switch for detecting each position is provided), the rear left, rear lower, and rear right are provided. , Can be viewed by switching the rear horizontal direction.

(Other Embodiments) In each of the above embodiments, only one direction is viewed at a time. However, it is also possible to simultaneously view a plurality of directions. For example, FIG. 12 is a plan view of the arrangement of the television camera 24 and the prism 110. The prism 110 includes a region 110a that refracts the optical axis of the television camera 24 in the left rearward direction of the vehicle and the rightward direction in the rearward direction of the vehicle. A region 110b that is refracted is formed. The field of view of the imaging lens 32 of the television camera 24 extends between the two regions 110a and 110b, so that images on the left and right sides behind the vehicle can be captured simultaneously.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the prism is configured as a dedicated part. However, as shown in FIG. 13, a prism 112 is formed by forming an uneven surface on the rear window 14 itself, and the television camera 24 is opposed to the prism 112. It can also be done.

In each of the above embodiments, the television camera 24
Although the irregularities are formed on the surface of the prism facing the prism, the irregularities may be formed on the surface 114a of the prism 114 opposite to the surface 114b of the prism 114 facing the television camera 24, as shown in FIG.

In each of the above embodiments, the visual recognition device for a vehicle is disposed in the vehicle interior, but the visual recognition device for a vehicle of the present invention does not prevent the visual recognition device from being disposed outside the vehicle interior.

[0026]

As described above, the visual recognition device for a vehicle according to the present invention can visually recognize the periphery of the vehicle with a compact configuration, and can be easily disposed in the vehicle interior. And if it arrange | positions in a vehicle interior, a fogging countermeasure and a waterproofing countermeasure become unnecessary, and it can comprise cheaply. Further, since it is not necessary to draw the wiring out of the vehicle compartment, retrofitting is easy, and the vehicle design is not spoiled.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a rear portion of a vehicle, showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vehicle visual recognition device 18 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a television camera 24 using the prism 26 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a refraction state and a visual field of the optical axis of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

5A and 5B are views showing the state of the prism 26 of FIG. 4 at each rotational position, as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 4;

6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a prism rotation angle control device 64 of FIG.

7 is a plan view showing a visual recognition range of the vehicle visual recognition device 42 of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a sectional view of each prism of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a side sectional view showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a side sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a side sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 10 vehicle 14 rear window 16 vehicle interior 18, 42, 92 vehicle visual recognition device 24 television camera 26, 84, 86, 88, 110, 112, 114, 1
24, 126, 128 prism 28 optical axis of TV camera 32 imaging lens 46, 90 motor (drive means) 52, 54, 56, 104, 106, 108 limit switch (detection means) 64 prism rotation angle control device (control means) 80 TV monitor 82 Slide plate (support member) 116 Rotation axis of prism (axis parallel to optical axis of TV camera) 120 Rotation plate (support member)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60R 1/00 G02B 5/04

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A television camera which is attached to a vehicle and captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle, and a plate-shaped transparent member in which peaks and valleys are repeatedly formed in parallel on one side, and an optical axis of the television camera. on which is disposed, comprising a prism for refracting the optical axis, Ri image around the vehicle to be imaged by the television camera through the prism name is displayed on the television monitor disposed in the vehicle, wherein The prism around the optical axis of the TV camera or
Is a drive mechanism that is driven to rotate around an axis parallel to the optical axis.
Step, detecting means for detecting the rotation angle of the prism,
Visual direction command given separately from the detection information of this detection means
The driving means is driven based on the information and the viewing direction command is issued.
The rotation angle of the prism is controlled to the rotation angle corresponding to the information.
A visual recognition device for a vehicle , further comprising control means for controlling the vehicle. 2. A television camera which is attached to a vehicle and captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle, and a plate-shaped transparent member having a mountain and a valley repeatedly formed in parallel on one surface, and an optical axis of the television camera. on which is disposed, comprising a prism for refracting the optical axis, Ri image around the vehicle to be imaged by the television camera through the prism name is displayed on the television monitor disposed in the vehicle, the refractive A plurality of prisms having different directions are provided.
Select any rhythm on the optical axis of the TV camera
A visual recognition device for a vehicle , further comprising a driving means for moving the vehicle. 3. The plurality of prisms are disposed on substantially the same plane by a plate-shaped support member, and the support member is moved in a direction along the surface by the driving means, and the plurality of prisms are moved. Detecting means for detecting a positional relationship between the optical axis of the television camera and a plurality of prisms, and a detecting means for detecting the positional relationship between the optical axis of the television camera and the plurality of prisms. And control means for driving the driving means based on the viewing direction command information separately provided from the information to control the positioning of the prism corresponding to the viewing direction command information on the optical axis of the television camera. 3. The visual recognition device for a vehicle according to 2 . Wherein said television camera and said prism is disposed on the vehicle interior side of the vehicle rear window, either the optical axis of the television camera according to claim 1-3 comprising lead outside the passenger compartment through the prism and rear window The visual recognition device for a vehicle according to any one of the claims.