JP5807405B2 - Vehicle periphery photographing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle periphery photographing apparatus that photographs the periphery of a vehicle, in particular, the lower part of the periphery of the vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an apparatus for photographing the periphery of a vehicle with a camera mounted on the vehicle and using the captured image for driver's safety confirmation has been put into practical use.

  For example, the apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes a reflection unit that mounts a camera on a vehicle and occupies at least a part of the imaging range of the imaging unit of the camera. In the apparatus of Patent Document 1, the driver can check the periphery of the vehicle by guiding light from a subject or the like that is not in the optical axis direction of the imaging unit of the camera to the imaging unit by the reflecting unit. .

  In the apparatus of Patent Document 2, an imaging unit that captures an image of a monitoring area around the vehicle and a monitoring area expansion member that enters an image of the extended monitoring area outside the monitoring area into the imaging unit are mounted on the vehicle. The image of the monitoring area and the image of the extended monitoring area are captured by the imaging means. In the apparatus of this patent document 2, it is possible to photograph outside the imaging range on the imaging means by the monitoring area extending member, and the monitoring range can be expanded.

JP 2001-20669 A Japanese Patent No. 3,496,856

  Since the device of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is provided in the vehicle interior, even if the reflecting means is set so that light from a subject below the front or rear of the vehicle enters the imaging means, it is blocked by the vehicle body. Therefore, it is not possible to take a picture near the periphery of the vehicle.

  Patent Document 2 describes an example in which a camera (imaging means) and a lens (monitoring area expansion member) are installed at the rear end of the roof of the bus, and the vicinity of the rear of the bus is photographed by the camera. However, in general vehicles, the front and rear end portions of the vehicle body protrude from the front and rear end portions of the roof. Therefore, even if a camera or a lens is installed in the general vehicle as described in Patent Document 2, the vehicle It is not possible to shoot near the front or back.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle periphery photographing apparatus capable of photographing the vicinity of the vehicle immediately below the peripheral edge.

To solve the above problems, the vehicle periphery image taking apparatus of the present invention comprises a camera provided in a headlamp of a vehicle, a reflector for reflecting light of the headlights, integrated into the cover of the headlamp The lens is provided obliquely below the camera, guides the optical axis of the camera to the lower periphery of the vehicle, and includes a front and an upper side of the camera in the reflector. The light of the headlamp reflected on the part is guided to the lens and irradiates below the periphery of the vehicle .

  In this configuration, since the optical axis of the camera is guided to the lower part of the peripheral part of the vehicle by the lens, the lower part of the peripheral part of the vehicle can be photographed by the camera. In general, since the light source unit is hermetically sealed, the camera and lens provided therein can be protected from rain and dirt.

Further, in this configuration, since the lens is formed integrally with the cover of the light source unit, the lens can be arranged close to the vehicle periphery, and the vicinity of the vehicle periphery can be photographed more. It can also contribute to the reduction of the number of parts.

Further, in this configuration, since the light emitted from the light source unit is guided to the imaging range of the camera by the lens, an appropriate image can be taken even in an environment where external light is insufficient, such as at night. it can.

It is a functional block diagram of the vehicle periphery imaging device of the present invention. It is a side view of the front-end part of the vehicle carrying the vehicle periphery imaging device of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the front-end part of the vehicle by which the vehicle periphery imaging device of this invention was mounted.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle periphery photographing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle periphery photographing apparatus of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the vehicle periphery photographing device displays a camera 10, a control unit 20, an image acquisition unit 21 that acquires an image (video) captured by the camera 10, and an image acquired by the image acquisition unit 21. A display 22 is provided.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 20 and the image acquisition unit 21 are a CPU (Central Processing Unit).
Is composed of an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and software configured with a memory and other peripheral circuits. Of course, instead of CPU, DSP
Other logical operation processors and logic circuits such as (Digital Signal Processor) may be used as the core.

  In the present embodiment, the display 22 also serves as a display device for the navigation system. A touch panel 23 is formed on the display 22. The display 22 can be configured by a liquid crystal display, and the touch panel 23 can be configured by a pressure-sensitive or electrostatic instruction input device that can output a contact position by a finger or the like as location data.

  The control unit 20 controls the entire vehicle periphery photographing apparatus, including the processing of display on the display 22 and input from the touch panel 23.

  The image acquisition unit 21 acquires an image captured by the camera 10 and divides it into each frame (hereinafter referred to as a captured image) at a predetermined frame rate. When the camera 10 is configured by an analog camera, the image acquisition unit 21 may be provided with a function for converting an analog image into a digital image. The captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit 21 is displayed on the display 22 as necessary, and is used for driver safety confirmation and the like.

  FIG. 2 is a side view of the front end portion of the vehicle V to which the vehicle periphery photographing apparatus of the present invention is applied. As shown in the figure, the vehicle V includes a headlamp 1 (an example of a light source unit of the present invention) that irradiates light in front of the vehicle V, and a bumper 2 positioned below the headlamp 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the front end portion of the vehicle V equipped with the vehicle periphery photographing apparatus in the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the headlamp 1 includes a light source 1 a and a reflector 1 b that reflects light from the light source 1 a in a housing H that opens in front of the vehicle V. The opening of the housing H is closed with a translucent cover 1c, and the inside of the housing H has a sealed structure. This prevents rain or dust from entering the housing H. The light source 1a includes a halogen lamp, an HID (High Intensity Discharge) lamp, and an LED (Light Emitting).
Diode) lamp or the like can be used. The reflector 1b is formed of a metal plate, and has a shape that reflects light from the light source 1a and guides it forward of the vehicle V.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a lens 13 is provided on a part of the surface of the cover 1 c of the headlamp 1. In this embodiment, the lens 13 is integrally formed with the cover 1c by processing a part of the surface of the cover 1c into a Fresnel lens shape. Note that a general wide-angle lens can be used as the lens 13, but a Fresnel lens is preferable because the lens thickness can be reduced. A camera 10 is provided inside the housing H. The camera 10 is installed obliquely above the lens 13 so that the optical axis of the camera 10 faces the lens 13.

  The photographing signal of the camera 10 is acquired by the image acquisition unit 21 and displayed on the display 22 as necessary. The positional relationship between the camera 10 and the light source 1a is preferably a positional relationship such that light from the light source 1a does not directly enter the camera 10. When it is difficult to achieve such a positional relationship, it is desirable to prevent light from the light source 1a from directly entering the camera 10 by a shielding plate or the like.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, a part of the surface of the cover 1 c is processed as the lens 13. Therefore, as compared with the case where the lens 13 is provided inside the housing H, the lens 13 can be positioned closer to a range to be photographed (immediately below the periphery of the vehicle V). It is easy. From this point, when a part of the surface of the cover 1c is processed as the lens 13, it is desirable that the lens 13 is formed in the most protruding portion of the cover 1c. In the present embodiment, the lens 13 is formed at the lower end of the cover 1c. Further, by forming the lens 13 integrally with the cover 1c, an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed.

  The lens 13 is configured to guide an image of a subject near the bumper 2 of the vehicle V to the camera 10. In other words, the lens 13 is used to guide the optical axis of the camera 10 to a position immediately below the bumper 2 of the vehicle V (see the solid line arrow in FIG. 3).

  By installing the camera 10 and the lens 13 as described above, the camera 10 can photograph the vicinity of the bumper 2 of the vehicle V. Therefore, the driver can confirm the situation immediately below the periphery of the vehicle V from the captured image.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the optical means is constituted by the lens 13, so that it is difficult to hinder the irradiation of the light from the headlamp 1. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the lens 13 is provided near the lower end of the cover 1c, so that it is more difficult to inhibit the light irradiation of the headlamp 1.

  3, the lens 13 reflects the light emitted from the light source 1a or the light reflected by the reflector 1b in the photographing range of the camera 10, that is, near the bumper 2 of the vehicle V. It is configured as follows. Therefore, the camera 10 can capture an appropriate image even when the outside light is not sufficient, such as at night. In the present embodiment, the lens 13 is used to illuminate the shooting range of the camera 10, but a mirror for illuminating the shooting range of the camera 10 may be provided separately.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, a part of the surface of the cover 1c is processed as the lens 13, but the entire surface of the cover 1c may be processed into a lens shape. Further, a lens 13 that is separate from the cover 1c may be used.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the headlamp 1 includes the camera 10 and the lens 13, but these are used as a fog lamp (an example of the light source unit of the present invention) and a backlight (an example of the light source unit of the present invention). It does not matter as a structure provided.

  In a typical vehicle, the headlamp is at a position retreated from the bumper, and the fog lamp is below the bumper. Therefore, when the camera 10 and the lens 13 are provided in the fog lamp, it is possible to avoid the shooting range from being narrowed by the bumper. In other words, in this configuration, it is possible to take a picture near the bumper. On the other hand, when the camera 10 and the lens 13 are provided in the backlight, it is possible to check the situation near the rear bumper. Moreover, you may provide the camera 10 and the lens 13 in the inside of several housings among a headlamp, a fog lamp, and a backlight. In this case, the control unit 20 may control to switch and display a plurality of captured images, or may control to display a composite of a plurality of captured images.

  The present invention can be applied to a vehicle periphery photographing apparatus that photographs the lower part of the periphery of the vehicle.

V: Vehicle 1: Headlamp (light source unit)
1c: Cover 2: Bumper 10: Camera 13: Lens

Claims (1)

A camera provided in the headlight of the vehicle;
A reflector for reflecting the light of the headlamp;
A lens formed integrally with the cover of the headlamp ,
The lens is provided obliquely below the camera, and guides the optical axis of the camera below the periphery of the vehicle.
A vehicle periphery photographing device in which light of the headlamp reflected from a front part and an upper part of the camera in the reflector is guided to the lens and irradiates a lower part of a peripheral part of the vehicle.

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