JP6279894B2 - Camera case and camera unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera case and a camera unit.

  In general, the left front corner of an automobile is a position that tends to be a blind spot, so a camera is placed in the bumper's left front corner, and the image captured by this camera is displayed on the monitor to inform the driver. Reductions are being made.

  Further, in order to image a position that becomes a blind spot, it is necessary to install the camera so that the imaging direction of the camera is obliquely downward. The position to be imaged by this camera is a position where light such as a headlight is difficult to reach at night. For this reason, a light source is arranged in the vicinity of the camera, and the imaging position is illuminated with this light source (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-267140 A

  Conventionally, however, the camera and the light source are arranged apart from each other. For this reason, there is a problem that a large arrangement space is required to arrange the camera and the light source in the automobile. In addition, since the camera and the light source are arranged apart from each other, the optical axis of the camera lens and the light emission center of the light source that illuminates inevitably differ, and a shadow is reflected in the captured camera image. There was a problem that the performance decreased.

  An exemplary object of an aspect of the present invention is to provide a camera case and a camera unit that can save space and can accurately illuminate an illumination position.

According to one aspect of the invention,
The camera is a camera case having a Luque over scan body is mounted,
The case body is
A camera mounting part in which a part of the camera on the side opposite to the camera lens on the rear side is mounted and a light source is disposed;
An incident portion provided at a position facing the light source in the camera mounting portion and receiving light from the light source;
An emission part for emitting the light incident from the incident part toward an imaging direction;
A light guide unit for guiding light incident on the incident unit to the output unit;
A has,
The light guide portion is inclined such that the inner diameter of the light emitting portion is smaller than that of the camera mounting portion .

  According to an aspect of the present invention, the case body is provided with an incident part, an emission part, and a light guide part for emitting light that irradiates the imaging position, so that space can be saved and the illumination position can be illuminated with high accuracy. Can do.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle equipped with a camera unit according to an embodiment. 2A and 2B show a camera unit according to an embodiment, where FIG. 2A is a front view and FIG. 2B is a side view. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a camera unit according to an embodiment. 4A and 4B are perspective views of a camera unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 4A is a front view and FIG. 4B is a rear view. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a camera unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a camera case according to an embodiment. 7A and 7B are perspective views of a camera case according to an embodiment. FIG. 7A is a front view and FIG. 7B is a rear view. 8A and 8B show a camera case according to an embodiment, where FIG. 8A is a plan view, FIG. 8B is a front view, FIG. 8C is a bottom view, FIG. 8D is a side view, and FIG. It is. FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams for explaining a light traveling path in a camera unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the camera unit, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of the camera unit. FIGS. 10A and 10B are circuit diagrams showing connection between the camera and the LEDs. FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining a camera unit mounting structure according to an embodiment. FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view in which an LED is arranged at the lower part of the camera, and FIG. It is sectional drawing arranged. FIGS. 12A and 12B show a camera case according to a first modification, where FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view, FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view for explaining a light travel path, and FIG. 12C illustrates a light travel path. It is a perspective view for doing. FIGS. 13A and 13B show a camera case according to a second modification, wherein FIG. 13A is a front view, FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 13C is a cross-sectional view for explaining a light traveling path. FIG. 14 is a rear perspective view of the camera case according to the second modification. FIGS. 15A and 15B show a camera case according to a third modification. FIG. 15A is a sectional view, FIG. 15B is a rear view, and FIG. 15C is a rear perspective view. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a light traveling path in a camera case according to a third modification.

  Reference will now be made to non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the description of all attached drawings, the same or corresponding members or parts are denoted by the same or corresponding reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Also, the drawings are not intended to show relative ratios between members or parts unless otherwise specified. Accordingly, specific dimensions can be determined by one skilled in the art in light of the following non-limiting embodiments.

  In addition, the embodiments described below are examples, not limiting the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

  FIG. 1 shows a corner monitor 3 to which a camera unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The camera unit 10 images the left front corner that is likely to be a blind spot of the automobile 1. This captured image is configured to be displayed on a display or the like in the driver's seat, thereby reducing blind spots.

  The corner monitor 3 is configured such that a camera unit 10 is disposed in an outer case 4. The outer case 4 is attached to the bumper 2 of the automobile 1. The camera unit 10 is fixed to the back side of the outer case 4.

  The camera unit 10 is configured such that only the camera lens 36 and the emission unit 23 that emits illumination light are exposed to the outside from the outer case 4. Further, the other parts excluding the emitting part 23 and the camera lens 36 are accommodated in the outer case 4 so that they cannot be seen from the outside. Thereby, even if the corner monitor 3 is provided in the bumper 2, the design of the automobile 1 when viewed from the outside does not deteriorate.

  2 to 5 show a camera unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The camera unit 10 includes a camera case 11 </ b> A, a camera 12, and a cap 13.

  First, the camera case 11A will be described.

  The camera case 11 </ b> A is formed of a material that can transmit light therethrough. In the present embodiment, a transparent resin such as acrylic or polycarbonate is used as the material of the camera case 11A.

  However, the material of the camera case 11A is not limited to this, and other transparent materials such as a resin material or glass can be used as long as light can pass through the inside. In the present specification, “transparent” does not necessarily indicate only complete transparency, but also includes other constituent states (for example, translucent or the like) that allow light to pass through the inside.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the camera case 11 </ b> A includes a case body 20, a camera mounting portion 21, an incident portion 22, an emission portion 23, a light guide portion 25, and the like. Each of the constituent elements 20, 21, 22, 23, 25 constituting the camera case 11A is integrally formed. 5).

  In the following description, when describing the direction and position in the camera case 11A, the side on which a camera lens 36 described later is disposed is referred to as the front (front position), and the opposite side is referred to as the rear (rear position). There is.

  The case body 20 has a camera mounting portion 21 formed therein. A camera 12 to be described later is mounted on the camera mounting portion 21. Further, a recessed portion 30 in which a cap 13 to be described later is attached is formed at a rear position of the case body 20.

  The incident portion 22 is a portion that causes light emitted from the LED 38 serving as a light source to enter the light guide portion 25. Therefore, the incident portion 22 is provided at a position facing the LED 38 in the camera mounting portion 21.

  In the present embodiment, a chip-like LED is used as the LED 38. Two LEDs 38 are provided on a circuit board 37 provided in the camera 12. For this reason, in this embodiment, two incident portions 22 through which the light emitted from the LEDs 38 enters the camera case 11A are also provided corresponding to the number of LEDs 38 (FIGS. 7A and 8). (See (E)).

  In addition, the arrangement | positioning position and the number of arrangement | positioning of LED38 are not limited to this. For example, a plurality of LEDs 38 may be arranged in a ring shape, and the incident portion 22 may have a ring shape corresponding thereto.

  The emitting unit 23 emits the light guided from the incident unit 22 into the case body 20 toward the outside of the camera case 11A. The light emitted from the LED 38 is emitted from the emission unit 23, so that the imaging position of the camera 12 is illuminated.

  The emitting portion 23 is formed integrally with the case main body 20 at a front position of the case main body 20. Further, the emitting portion 23 has a cylindrical shape, and a lens mounting opening 28 is formed therein.

  When the camera 12 is mounted on the camera mounting portion 21 of the case body 20, the camera lens 36 of the camera 12 is configured to be positioned within the emitting portion 23 (see FIGS. 4A and 5). Further, in the state where the camera 12 is mounted, the optical axis of the camera lens 36 and the central axis of the emitting portion 23 (which is the same as the central axis of the lens mounting opening 28) are configured to substantially coincide.

  The front surface of the emission part 23 is an annular emission surface 24. The exit surface 24 is configured to surround (enclose) the camera lens 36. The light emitted from the LED 38 is emitted from the emission surface 24 formed in the emission part 23 toward the irradiation position. As described above, the optical axis of the camera lens 36 and the central axis of the emission part 23 (emission surface 24) are substantially coincident. For this reason, the light emitted from the emission surface 24 illuminates the imaging position of the camera 12.

  The light guide unit 25 guides the light incident on the incident unit 22 to the output unit 23 (the output surface 24). Therefore, the light guide portion 25 is integrated with the case body 20. In the present embodiment, the light guide unit 25 includes a first reflecting surface 26 and a second reflecting surface 27.

  The first reflecting surface 26 is configured to be inclined by a predetermined angle (an angle indicated by an arrow α in FIG. 6) with respect to a central axis (indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 6) of the lens mounting opening 28. The formation position and the inclination angle α of the first reflecting surface 26 are configured to reflect the LED light incident from the incident portion 22 toward the second reflecting surface 27 or the emitting portion 23.

  The second reflecting surface 27 is configured to be inclined with respect to the central axis of the lens mounting opening 28 by a predetermined angle (an angle indicated by an arrow β in FIG. 6). The formation position and the inclination angle α of the second reflecting surface 27 are configured to reflect the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 26 toward the emitting portion 23.

  The first reflecting surface 26 and the second reflecting surface 27 are formed integrally with the case body 20 made of a transparent body. Therefore, the formation positions of the first reflecting surface 26 and the second reflecting surface 27 are equivalent to the prism.

  In this way, the light guide 25 is made compact by integrally providing the reflecting surfaces 26 and 27 for guiding the light incident on the incident part 22 to the emission part 23 in the case body 20 in a prism shape. The camera case 11A can be downsized. In the present embodiment, each of the first reflecting surface 26 and the second reflecting surface 27 has a flat plate shape.

  The rib 29 is provided so as to extend backward in the camera mounting portion 21. The rib 29 engages with an engagement groove 41 of the circuit board 37 as described later (see FIG. 4B).

  Next, the camera 12 will be described.

  As described above, the camera 12 is attached to the bumper 2 of the automobile 1 as the corner monitor 3, thereby imaging a predetermined imaging position at the left front corner of the vehicle that is a blind spot for the driver. The camera 12 includes a lens holder portion 35, a camera lens 36, and a circuit board 37.

  The lens holder portion 35 is made of resin and has a substantially cylindrical shape. A camera lens 36 is disposed in front of the lens holder portion 35. The camera lens 36 is supported by the lens holder portion 35. In addition, a seal member 39 made of rubber and having an annular shape is disposed on the outer periphery of the lens holder portion 35.

  The circuit board 37 is disposed at the rear part of the lens holder part 35. The circuit board 37 has a configuration in which an electronic component 40 is mounted on a glass epoxy board body.

  The electronic component 40 includes an image sensor (not shown in the figure) that performs an imaging process at an imaging position, various circuit components that process image signals captured by the image sensor, and an LED 38 that serves as a light source that illuminates the imaging position. It is included.

  The image sensor is configured such that its optical axis substantially coincides with the optical axis of the camera lens 36. This optical axis alignment is performed by positioning the lens holder portion 35 that supports the camera lens 36 and the circuit board 37 on which the image sensor is mounted.

  In addition, a part of the circuit board 37 that extends outward from the lens holder portion 35 (extension portion 37a) is formed. LED38 is arrange | positioned by this extension part 37a. At this time, the LED 38 is disposed on the front side of the circuit board 37 (the side facing the camera lens 36).

  Next, the cap 13 will be described.

  The cap 13 has a cap main body 45 and an engaging protrusion 46. The outer shape of the cap body 45 is configured to correspond to the shape of the recess 30 formed in the camera case 11A. That is, the cap 13 is configured to fit into the recess 30 of the camera case 11A.

  The engagement protrusion 46 is formed so as to protrude toward the camera 12. The engagement protrusion 46 is configured to engage with a portion of the circuit board 37 where the electronic component 40 is not formed in a state where the cap main body 45 is fitted in the recess 30 of the camera case 11A.

  Next, the assembly process of the camera unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In order to assemble the camera unit 10, the camera 12 is first mounted in the camera case 11A. Specifically, after positioning the camera lens 36 forward, positioning is performed so that the camera lens 36 and the emitting portion 23 are coaxial, and the LED 38 faces the incident portion 22. Subsequently, the camera 12 is inserted into the camera mounting portion 21 formed in the case body 20 while maintaining this positioning state.

  A rib 29 is formed in the camera mounting portion 21 of the case body 20, and an engagement groove 41 is formed in the circuit board 37 constituting the camera 12. The formation position of the rib 29 and the formation position of the engagement groove 41 are configured to correspond to each other.

  Therefore, when the camera 12 is mounted on the camera case 11A, the camera case 11A and the camera 12 can be positioned by positioning so that the rib 29 and the engagement groove 41 are engaged. For this reason, the mounting process of the camera 12 to the camera case 11A can be easily performed. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the camera 12 is attached to the camera case 11A.

  When the camera 12 is attached to the camera case 11A, the cap 13 is subsequently fixed to the camera case 11A. Specifically, after applying a water-resistant adhesive to the recess 30 of the camera case 11 </ b> A, the cap 13 is bonded to the recess 30. Thus, the camera 12 is sealed in the camera case 11A, and the camera unit 10 is assembled. FIG. 5 shows the assembled camera unit 10.

  In a state in which the camera unit 10 is assembled, a space between the camera 12 and the emission unit 23 is liquid-tight by a seal member 39 disposed in the lens holder unit 35. Therefore, even when the camera unit 10 is disposed in the bumper 2 as the corner monitor 3, rainwater or the like can be prevented from entering the camera case 11 </ b> A through the lens mounting opening 28.

  Further, when the camera unit 10 is disposed on the bumper 2 as the corner monitor 3, rainwater or the like may enter from the rear part of the camera unit 10. However, the cap 13 is liquid-tightly fixed to the rear part of the camera case 11A. Therefore, according to the camera unit 10 according to the present embodiment, rainwater or the like can be prevented from entering from the rear part of the camera unit 10.

  The camera unit 10 assembled as described above is configured such that the engagement protrusion 46 formed on the cap 13 presses the circuit board 37 in a state where the cap 13 is fixed to the camera case 11A. ing. Therefore, the camera 12 does not rattle within the camera case 11A, and the imaging screen does not shake during imaging.

  Further, the camera unit 10 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the optical axis of the camera lens 36 and the central axis of the emitting portion 23 substantially coincide with each other when the camera 12 is mounted on the camera case 11A. Therefore, the emission surface 24 is configured to surround the camera lens 36. The LED 38 provided on the circuit board 37 is in a state of facing the incident portion 22 formed on the case body 20.

  9 and 10 show a light path (light path) when the LED 38 emits light. When the LED 38 emits light, the light enters the case body 20 made of a transparent material from the incident portion 22.

  The light that has entered the case body 20 from the incident portion 22 is reflected by the first reflecting surface 26 that constitutes the light guide portion 25, and its optical path is changed. The angle α (see FIG. 6) of the first reflecting surface 26 is set so that the reflected light travels to the emitting portion 23 or the second reflecting surface 27.

  The light that has been reflected by the first reflecting surface 26 and has traveled to the second reflecting surface 27 is further reflected by the second reflecting surface 27. At this time, the angle β (see FIG. 6) of the second reflecting surface 27 is set so that the light reflected by the second reflecting surface 27 travels to the emitting portion 23.

  Therefore, the light emitted from the LED 38 and incident into the case body 20 from the incident portion 22 is guided by the light guide portion 25 toward the emission surface 24 of the emission portion 23. At this time, light that has entered the case main body 20 from the incident portion 22 in the light guide portion 25 becomes diffused light by being reflected by the light guide portion 25 and by the inner wall of the emission portion 23. Therefore, the light emitted from the emission surface 24 is emitted from substantially the entire surface of the annular emission surface 24 as shown in FIG.

  As described above, since the central axis of the emission unit 23 and the optical axis of the camera lens 36 are configured to substantially coincide with each other, the imaging direction of the camera 12 and the emission direction of light from the emission unit 23 (emission surface 24) are The directions are substantially the same. Therefore, according to the camera unit 10 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reliably illuminate the imaging position of the camera 12, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of inconvenience that a shadow appears on the imaging screen.

  In the camera unit 10 according to the present embodiment, the camera 12 and the LED 38 are integrated. The camera case 11 </ b> A is also configured to function as a light guide member that guides the light from the LED 38 to the emitting portion 23. Therefore, the camera unit 10 according to the present embodiment can be reduced in size as compared with a camera unit having a conventional configuration in which a camera and a light source are separately provided and a light guide unit is provided separately from the camera case.

  The camera unit 10 (camera case 11 </ b> A) according to the present embodiment has a prismatic structure in which the first reflecting surface 26 and the second reflecting surface 27 are formed integrally with the case body 20. For this reason, the loss of light in the light guide unit 25 can be reduced, and the imaging position can be reliably illuminated even with a small amount of light.

  FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing a connection configuration example of the camera 12 and the LED 38. FIG. 10A shows a circuit example in which the camera 12 and the LED 38 are connected in parallel. FIG. 10B shows a circuit example in which the camera 12 and the LED 38 are connected in series. In any connection configuration, a plurality of LEDs 38 can be connected as necessary.

  The camera 12 and the LED 38 can be connected either in series or in parallel. When the camera 12 and the LED 38 are connected in parallel, there is a feature that power supply is easy. Further, when the camera 12 and the LED 38 are connected in series, the current consumption of the camera 12 and the LED 38 can be reduced.

  Next, a structure for attaching the camera unit 10 to the bumper 2 will be described.

  The camera unit 10 configured as described above is screwed and fixed to the back side of the outer case 4 using a holder 14. Then, by fixing the outer case 4 to the bumper 2, the outer case 4 is mounted on the automobile 1.

  The holder 14 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is made of resin or metal and has a unit fixing portion 50 and a pair of fixing arms 51. The camera unit 10 is fixed to the unit fixing unit 50. The method of fixing the camera unit 10 to the unit fixing unit 50 is not particularly limited, but can be fixed using, for example, an adhesive or a screw.

  The pair of fixing arms 51 are provided so as to extend outward with the unit fixing portion 50 as the center. An insertion hole 52 and a positioning rib 53 are formed in the vicinity of the end of each fixing arm 51.

  In order to fix the camera unit 10 to the outer case 4, first, the positioning rib 53 is engaged with a positioning groove (not shown) formed in the outer case 4. Thereby, the camera unit 10 and the outer case 4 are positioned. Subsequently, a fixing screw (not shown) is inserted into the insertion hole 52 and screwed into the screw hole formed in the outer case 4. With the above processing, the camera unit 10 is fixed in a state of being positioned on the outer case 4.

  The outer case 4 is fixed to the bumper 2 as shown in FIG. 1, whereby the camera unit 10 is attached to the automobile 1. At this time, the optical axis of the camera lens 36 is arranged to face obliquely downward.

  FIG. 11 shows a structure for attaching the camera unit 10 to the automobile 1. FIG. 11A shows an attachment structure of the camera unit 10 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 11B shows an attachment structure as a reference example. In each figure, the camera 12 is configured to be inclined at an angle θ with respect to the horizontal direction (the extending direction of the solid line indicated by the arrow L in the figure).

  The mounting structure according to the present embodiment is configured such that the position of the LED 38 is positioned below the position of the camera 12 when the camera unit 10 is mounted on the automobile 1. On the other hand, the mounting structure according to the reference example is configured such that the position of the LED 38 is located above the position of the camera 12.

  The part of the camera case 11A where the LED 38 is formed is inevitably slightly protruding outward (this protrusion is indicated by an arrow A). For this reason, in the configuration in which the LED 38 is positioned at the upper portion as in the reference example, the protruding portion A extends upward as it is, so that the height from the lowermost position to the uppermost position of the camera unit 10 (see FIG. (Indicated by arrow H2).

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the protrusion part A will be in the state which adjoined the lowest part (state which adjoined the line segment L). For this reason, the protruding portion A does not affect the height of the camera unit 10 at the time of mounting, and the height from the lowermost position to the uppermost position of the camera unit 10 (indicated by an arrow H1 in the figure) is a comparative example. It can be made lower (H1 <H2).

  Thereby, the outer case 4 in which the camera unit 10 is mounted can be downsized, and the design of the automobile 1 can be improved.

  12 to 16 show camera cases 11B and 11C which are modified examples.

12 to 16, the same reference numerals are given to the components corresponding to those shown in FIGS. 1 to 11, and the description thereof will be omitted from the pineal gland sample. FIG. 12 shows the first modification. A camera case 11B is shown. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 described above, the configuration in which the LED 38 is disposed on the circuit board 37 of the camera 12 is shown.

  On the other hand, this modification is characterized in that the figure LED 38 is provided in the camera case 11B (detailed in FIG. 12A). The LED 38 is disposed in an LED mounting portion 31 formed integrally with the case body 20. Further, the LED 38 is configured to face the incident portion 22 in a state where it is disposed in the LED mounting portion 31.

  Therefore, when the LED 38 emits light, as shown in FIGS. 12B and 12C, light is emitted from the emission surface 24 as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 in which the LED 38 is disposed on the circuit board 37. Can be emitted. In the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to provide the LED 38 in the camera 12, the degree of freedom in designing the camera 12 (particularly the circuit board 37) can be increased. Furthermore, since the LED 38 is provided integrally with the case body 20, the positional accuracy between the LED 38 and the incident portion 22 can be increased, and the light emitted from the LED 38 can be efficiently incident on the incident portion 22.

  13 and 14 show a camera case 11C as a second modification.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 described above, an example in which the first reflecting surface 26 and the second reflecting surface 27 constituting the light guide unit 25 are both planar has been shown.

  On the other hand, this modification is characterized in that at least one of the reflecting surfaces constituting the light guide unit 25 is a curved reflecting surface that is a curved surface. Specifically, the light guide unit 25 is configured by the first reflecting surface 26 and the curved reflecting surface 32 (detailed in FIGS. 13B and 14).

  In the present modification, the light that has been reflected by the first reflecting surface 26 and has traveled to the curved reflecting surface 32 out of the light that has entered the incident portion 22 from the LED 38 is reflected by the curved reflecting surface 32. At this time, since the curved reflecting surface 32 has a curved shape, the degree of diffusion is higher than that of the second reflecting surface 27 which is a flat surface. Unevenness can be prevented. In addition, when the curved reflecting surface 32 is formed, it is possible to suppress the light incident from the incident portion 22 from returning to the rear, and thus it is possible to efficiently emit light from the emission surface 24.

  15 and 16 show a camera case 11D which is a third modified example.

  As described with reference to FIG. 1, the corner monitor 3 on which the camera unit 10 is mounted is disposed on the bumper 2 or the like of the automobile 1. At this time, depending on the mounting position of the camera unit 10 or the characteristics of the camera 12 mounted on the camera unit 10, it may be desired to increase the amount of light emitted from the emission surface 24.

  In this modification, in order to increase the amount of light emitted from the emission surface 24, a larger LED 65 is used compared to the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14 and the LED 38 used in the modification. (Hereinafter, this LED is referred to as a large LED 65).

  Generally, as the size of the LED chip, the vertical dimension and the horizontal dimension are shown. For example, an LED chip having a vertical dimension of 1.6 mm and a horizontal dimension of 0.8 mm is called a 1608 type chip. Similarly, an LED chip with a vertical dimension of 60.0 mm and a horizontal dimension of 70.08 mm is called a 6070 type chip. Further, as the LED for displaying the size in this way, chips of each type of 1608, 2012, 3010, 3020, 3216, 3528, 5050, 5730, 6070 are commercially available.

  In this specification, the 1608 to 3216 type chip is referred to as a small LED, and the 3528 to 6070 type chip is referred to as a large LED.

  The large LED 65 increases the amount of light emission compared to the small LED. In view of this, the present modification is characterized in that the incident area of the incident portion 60 that receives light from the large LED 65 is increased in correspondence with the large LED 65.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the camera case 11 </ b> D according to this modification has an incident portion 60 having a first incident portion 61 and a second incident portion 62, and the first reflecting surface 26 (light guide portion 25). ) Has a vertical reflection surface 26a and an inclined reflection surface 26b.

  The 1st incident part 61 and the 2nd incident part 62 are formed in the position which opposes large LED65, as shown to FIG. 15 (A). The first incident part 61 is configured to be formed on the inner side (upper side in FIG. 15) with respect to the second incident part 62.

  The first incident portion 61 has a first incident surface portion 61a and a second incident surface portion 61b. The first incident surface portion 61 a and the second incident surface portion 61 b are formed integrally with the case body 20. The angle of the first incident surface portion 61a (indicated by the arrow α in FIG. 15A) with respect to the optical axis of the large LED 65 (indicated by the arrow LA in FIG. 15A) is set to 0 ° ≦ α ≦ 90 °, for example. ing. Further, the angle of the second incident surface portion 61b with respect to the optical axis of the large LED 65 (indicated by an arrow β in FIG. 15A) is set to 90 ° ≦ α ≦ 180 °, for example.

  Further, on the surfaces of the first incident surface portion 61a and the second incident surface portion 61b, a minute protrusion 64 having a semicircular cross section (shown schematically by solid lines in FIGS. 15B and 15C). A plurality of are formed. That is, the surfaces of the first incident surface portion 61a and the second incident surface portion 61b are configured to have fine irregularities formed by forming the protrusions 64. The ridge 64 has a cross-sectional diameter set to, for example, 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15B, the protrusion 64 is formed so as to form an arc in a rear view, but is not limited to this shape, and is formed in a straight line. Alternatively, it may be formed in a lattice shape.

  The 2nd incident part 62 is made into the concave curved surface shape dented inside. The second incident portion 62 is also formed integrally with the case body 20. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 64 is not formed on the second incident portion 62, but the protrusion 64 may be formed in the same manner as the first incident portion 61.

  The incident portion 60 (the first incident portion 61 and the second incident portion 62) configured as described above is formed in an angle range indicated by an arrow γ in FIG. That is, the incident portion 60 is formed in a fan-shaped range having an angle γ when the camera case 11D is viewed from the back.

  The light guide unit 25 includes a first reflecting surface 26 and a curved reflecting surface 32 as in the second modification. In this modification, the first reflecting surface 26 has a vertical reflecting surface 26a and an inclined reflecting surface 26b. The vertical reflection surface 26 a is formed so as to be substantially orthogonal to the optical axis LA of the large LED 65. The inclined reflecting surface 26 b is formed to face the second incident part 62.

  FIG. 16 shows an optical path in the case main body 20 of light incident on the incident portion 60 from the large LED 65. Most of the light incident on the first incident surface portion 61 a of the first incident portion 61 from the large LED 65 reaches the emission surface 24 of the direct emission portion 23 and is emitted to the outside.

  The light incident on the second incident portion 62 from the large LED 65 is first reflected by the inclined reflecting surface 26 b of the first reflecting surface 26. A part of the light reflected by the inclined reflecting surface 26b is reflected by the vertical reflecting surface 26a, and then sequentially reflected by the curved reflecting surface 32 and the inner wall surface of the emitting portion 23, and then is emitted from the emitting surface 24 to the outside. The Further, the remaining light reflected by the inclined reflection surface 26b reaches the output surface 24 directly and is emitted to the outside.

  Even if the light emitting area is increased by using the large LED 65 as described above, the light incident on the large LED 65 is reliably obtained by configuring the incident portion 60 to include the first incident portion 61 and the second incident portion 62. The light can enter the case body 20. Therefore, the incident efficiency of light at the incident portion 60 (ratio of the amount of light incident on the incident portion 60 with respect to the amount of light emitted by the large LED 65) can be increased, and the amount of light emitted from the emission surface 24 can be increased. it can.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. It can be modified and changed.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the camera unit 10 and the camera case 11A are mounted on the automobile 1 has been described. However, the application of the camera unit 10 and the camera case 11A is not limited to the automobile. For example, the present invention can also be applied as a camera used for other purposes such as monitoring.

The present invention can be used for various types of cameras.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car 2 Bumper 3 Corner monitor 4 Outer case 10 Camera unit 11A-11D Camera case 12 Camera 13 Cap 14 Holder 20 Case main body 21 Camera mounting part 22, 60 Incident part 23 Outer part 24 Outer surface 25 Light guide part 26 1st Reflective surface 26a Vertical reflective surface 26b Inclined reflective surface 27 Second reflective surface 28 Lens mounting opening 31 LED mounting portion 32 Curved reflective surface 35 Lens holder portion 36 Camera lens 37 Circuit board 38 LED
39 Seal member 45 Cap body 50 Unit fixing portion 51 Fixing arm 61 First incident portion 61a First incident surface portion 61b Second incident surface portion 62 Second incident portion 65 Large LED

Claims (8)

The camera is a camera case having a Luque over scan body is mounted,
The case body is
A camera mounting part in which a part of the camera on the side opposite to the camera lens on the rear side is mounted and a light source is disposed;
An incident portion provided at a position facing the light source in the camera mounting portion and receiving light from the light source;
An emission part for emitting the light incident from the incident part toward an imaging direction;
A light guide unit for guiding light incident on the incident unit to the output unit;
A has,
The camera case, wherein the light guide portion is inclined so that an inner diameter of the emitting portion is smaller than that of the camera mounting portion . The light guide is
The camera case according to claim 1, further comprising one or a plurality of reflecting surfaces that reflect the light incident from the incident portion. The reflective surface is
3. The camera case according to claim 2, further comprising a curved reflecting surface which is a curved surface. The emitting part is
The camera case according to claim 1, wherein the camera case is provided so as to surround a lens position of the camera lens .   The camera case according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light source is disposed integrally with the case main body. A camera that performs imaging processing via the camera lens;
The camera case according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Having a camera unit. The camera unit according to claim 6, wherein the camera has a circuit board on the rear side, and the light source is provided on the circuit board. The emission part has an annular shape,
8. The camera unit according to claim 6 or 7, wherein an optical axis of the camera lens and a central axis of the emitting part coincide with each other.

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