JPH09104291A - Vehicle end part sideway confirming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily surely confirm periphery of a vehicle with an inexpensive constitution, by fetching image information in the front and right/left both sidewards of the vehicle in an image sensor through a light course change means, thererafter displaying the information in a display device. SOLUTION: A vehicle end part sideways confirming device is composed of a device main unit 30 having a light course change means 10 and an image sensor 20 and a display device 40 displaying image information fetched in the image sensor 20. Image information A in the front of a vehicle is fetched in a lens 21 of the image sensor 20 through a filter 12 and a hole 11c of a mirror 11. Similarly, each image information B, C in the right/left both sidewards is fetched to be respectively reflected by a reflecting surface 11a of the mirror 11. Here, luminous energy of the image information A in the front is adjusted by the filter 12 to reduce so as to be equal to luminous energy of the image informations B, C in the right/left both sidewards. Further, all the image informations A to C are photoelectrically converted in a control circuit respectively on a circuit board 23 to be division displayed in an image plane 41 of the display device 40.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle end side lateral confirmation device for confirming both sides and front of a vehicle front end or both sides and rear of a vehicle rear end.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In particular, when a vehicle is put on a road from a garage
When moving a vehicle from an alley to a main road, the situation of the main road cannot be confirmed until the driver's seat moves to the main road. It had to be taken into consideration, and the work was troublesome.

In addition, since the driver is blind spots in front of or behind the vehicle, it is necessary to check the condition of the blind spot part when starting. This work is done before the driver gets in the vehicle, but since there is no confirmation from the start until the start, there is some concern about the start.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to easily and surely confirm both sides of the front end of the vehicle and the front side or both sides of the rear end of the vehicle and the rear side, and at the same time, the vehicle end side is inexpensive. It is to provide a direction confirmation device.

[0005]

A vehicle end side lateral confirmation device of the present invention is installed at a front end portion or a rear end portion of a vehicle, and outputs image information on both sides via an optical path changing means to one image sensor. And a device main body installed in the vehicle, in which a gap is formed on the extension of the axis of the image sensor and the image information of the other side of the image sensor is also captured into the image sensor through the gap. And a display device for displaying the captured image information.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The void is formed by forming a hole in a light path changing means arranged in front of the image sensor, or is formed by separating the light path changing means into two. You can also

The image information on both sides is incident on the image sensor via the light path changing means, whereas the image information on the other side of the image sensor is directly incident on the image sensor via the gap, so that the amount of light is reduced. Many. Therefore, a filter is interposed on a line connecting the image sensor and the air gap or on an extension thereof to reduce the light amount of image information incident on the image sensor through the air gap, and through the light path changing means. By setting the light quantity of the image information incident on the image sensor to be substantially equal to that of the image information, an image having a uniform light intensity is obtained on the screen of the display device, and the image is easy to see.

[0008] A light path changing means is adopted in order to capture two image information in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle into one image sensor. The light path changing means includes a mirror, a prism, There are optical fibers and the like.

When one (one set) of mirrors is used as the optical path changing means, the reflecting surface of the mirror is changed from a vertical plane including the axis line of the image sensor to approximately 135 degrees with respect to the vertical plane.
Place it to both the left and right sides with an angle of degrees.

The image information on both sides of the vehicle may be taken in the image sensor by one (one set) of mirrors, but in this case, the image is displayed inverted on the display device. Although it is sufficient to simply check the presence of other vehicles and people on both sides of the vehicle, it is necessary to get accustomed to check the conditions on both sides of the vehicle in detail. To easily check the detailed situation on both sides of the vehicle, use two (2 sets) mirrors, take in the image information on both sides of the vehicle with the first mirror, and reverse that image information with the second mirror. Then, if it is captured by the image sensor, a normal image can be easily displayed on the display device.

In this case, the first mirror is arranged such that its reflecting surfaces are oriented from the vertical plane including the axis of the image sensor to the left and right sides at an angle of 115 to 135 degrees with respect to the vertical plane. It is preferable that the second mirror is arranged such that its reflecting surfaces are directed from the vertical plane including the axis of the image sensor to the left and right sides at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the vertical plane.

In addition to the glass mirror, the mirror may be an aluminum plate or a stainless plate whose surface is mirror-finished to form a reflecting surface. Further, if a tape is attached to or printed on the boundary of the image information taken in by the mirror, the boundary becomes clearer. The image sensor may be a solid-state image sensor (Charge Coup).
led devices) are suitable. Further, the display device has a liquid crystal or cathode ray tube system, and in addition to a dedicated display device, a display device used in a navigation system may be shared, or an in-vehicle television may be shared. A battery installed in the vehicle can be used as a power source for the image sensor and the display device.

When the main body of the apparatus is installed at the front of the vehicle, not only the side of the vehicle but also the blind spot in front of the vehicle can be confirmed, and the safety can be easily confirmed especially when the vehicle starts. Also, if this device body is installed at the rear end of the vehicle, it is possible to check not only the sides of the vehicle but also the blind spots at the rear of the vehicle. Also, when driving a left-hand drive vehicle while driving on the left side of the road, by installing the device body at the front end on the right side of the vehicle, it becomes easy to confirm the front side when overtaking. When driving a right-hand drive vehicle under the condition of traveling on the right side of the road, the front of the vehicle can be easily confirmed when overtaking by installing the device body at the left front end of the vehicle. When driving a right-hand drive vehicle under the condition of traveling on the right side of the road, the front of the vehicle can be easily confirmed when overtaking by installing the device body at the left front end of the vehicle.

Further, in order to confirm the situation not only on both sides of the vehicle and ahead of the image sensor, but also behind the image sensor, the mirror located in front of the image sensor is slightly tilted upward or downward, It is effective to incorporate the image information of the back of the camera into the image sensor through the mirror. In this case, it is necessary to remove a part that is an obstacle to the image information on the back of the image sensor in the mirror. For example, the first
If the first mirror is obstructed when using the above mirror, it is necessary to form a hole or notch in that portion.

For example, when driving a left-hand drive vehicle under the condition of traveling on the left side of the road, by installing the main body of the device at the right end of the rear end of the vehicle, the vehicle is particularly moved backward to take out the garage. You can check the left and right sides of the road, the front when passing, the rear blind spot of the vehicle when moving backward, and under the situation of driving on the left side of the road,
In the case of a large right-hand drive vehicle, the vicinity of the rear wheels and the rear blind spot of the vehicle can be confirmed by installing the device main body at the left end of the rear end of the vehicle. In addition, when driving a right-hand drive vehicle while driving on the right side of the road, by installing the device main body at the left end of the rear end of the vehicle, the left and right sides of the vehicle, especially when the vehicle is moved backwards and garages are removed, You can check the sides, the front when passing, and the rear blind spot of the vehicle when moving backward. Also, in the case of a large left-hand drive vehicle, place the device body on the right end of the rear end of the vehicle. It is possible to check the vicinity of the rear wheels and the rear blind spot of the vehicle by installing it on the vehicle.

The above-mentioned installation position of the apparatus main body and its effect are merely examples, and the installation position of the apparatus main body may be set at an appropriate position according to the purpose.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle end side confirmation device of the present invention is a device main body 3 equipped with a light path changing means 10 and an image sensor 20.
0 and a display device 40 for displaying image information taken in the image sensor 20.

The device main body 30 is installed at the front end or the rear end of the vehicle 1, for example, on the bumper 2a as shown in FIG. 1, and the display device 40 is provided at an appropriate place inside the vehicle 3, for example, as shown in FIG. Is installed on the instrument panel 4.

Optical path changing means 10 and image sensor 20
And are housed in a transparent plastic case 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, the optical path changing means 10
Is a mirror-finished surface of a stainless steel plate with one surface mirror-finished and folded in two so that the sandwich angle is about 90 degrees (the angle between the reflecting surfaces is 270 degrees) with one surface facing outward. The mirror 11 having the reflecting surfaces 11a and 11b is used. A convex hole 11c is formed in the lower center of the mirror 11, and the reflecting surface 11 of the hole 11c is formed.
A tape 11d is attached to the upper edges of the a and 11b sides. Further, the hole 11c has a filter 1 for reducing the light quantity.
2 are provided.

The mirror 11 is installed such that the reflection surfaces 11a and 11b are each 135 degrees with respect to the vertical surface 22a including the axis 22 of the image sensor 20. The reference numeral 23 indicates a circuit board of the image sensor 20.

In the vehicle end side lateral confirmation device thus constructed, as shown in FIG. 2, image information A in front of the vehicle 1 is displayed.
Is the image sensor 20 through the filter 12 and the hole 11c.
Image information B on the right side of the vehicle 1 taken into the lens 21 of
Is reflected by the reflecting surface 11a of the mirror 11 and taken into the lens 21 of the image sensor 20, and the image information C on the left side of the vehicle 1 is reflected by the reflecting surface 11a of the mirror 11 and taken into the lens 21 of the image sensor 20. . At this time, the image information A captured by the lens 21 is adjusted to be substantially the same as the image information B, C captured by the lens 21 via the mirror 11 by reducing the light amount thereof by the filter 12. It The image information A,
B and C are taken into the lens 21 of the image sensor 20 in a divided state, and the image information A, B and C are photoelectrically converted by the control circuit on the circuit board 23 and divided into the screen 41 of the display device 40. It is displayed in the state where it was displayed.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which a prism 13 is adopted as the light path changing means 10. In the case of this embodiment, the right-angled prism 13 has a vertical plane 2 in which the reflecting surfaces 13a and 13b include the axis 22 of the lens 21 of the image sensor 20.
It is arranged at an angle of 135 degrees with respect to 2a.
Further, a notch 13c is formed in the portion of the prism 13 corresponding to the extended portion of the shaft core 22 of the image sensor 20. Further, a filter 14 is arranged in the notch 13c.

In the apparatus body 30 of this embodiment,
Similar to the above embodiment, the image information A on the front side of the vehicle 1 is taken into the lens 21 of the image sensor 20 through the filter 14 and the notch 13c, and the image information B on the right side of the vehicle 1 is the reflection surface of the prism 13. The image information C on the left side of the vehicle 1 is reflected by the lens 13 of the image sensor 20 and reflected on the reflecting surface 13b of the prism 13 and is captured by the lens 21 of the image sensor 20. At this time, the image information A captured by the lens 21 is adjusted to be substantially the same as the image information B, C captured by the lens 21 via the prism 13 by reducing the amount of light by the filter 14. . The image information A,
B and C are taken into the lens 21 of the image sensor 20 in a divided state, and the image information A, B and C are photoelectrically converted by the control circuit on the circuit board 23 and divided into the screen 41 of the display device 40. It is displayed in the state where it was displayed.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to the present invention. In this vehicle end side lateral confirmation device, the light path changing means 10 has a sandwiching angle of 90 to 130 with a stainless plate having one surface mirror-finished as shown in FIG. Degree (reflection surface 1
The angle between 5a and 15b is 270 to 230 degrees. ), The first mirror 15 having mirror-finished surfaces as reflecting surfaces 15a and 15b, and the second mirror 16 made of a stainless steel flat plate having mirror-finished one surface as reflecting surface 16a It is composed of and. A circular hole 15c is formed in the first mirror 15 at the joining portion of the reflecting surfaces 15a and 15b, and a convex hole 16b is formed in the lower center of the second mirror 16. Further, on the reflecting surface 16a of the second mirror 16, a tape 16c reaching the upper edge of the hole 16b and the upper end side of the mirror 16 from the center of the upper edge is attached in order to make the boundary of image information clear. There is.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the first mirror 15 is installed on the mounting base 32 of the case 31 so as to cover the image sensor 20 with its rear surface, and includes the axis 22 of the image sensor 20. The reflecting surfaces 15a and 15b are installed so as to be 115 to 135 degrees with respect to the vertical surface 22a. The second mirror 16 is installed on the mounting frame 33 of the case 31 so that its reflection surface 16 a faces the reflection surfaces 15 a and 15 b of the first mirror 15. The first mirror 1 thus arranged
5, the second mirror 16 and the image sensor 20 are located on the axis 22 of the lens 21 of the image sensor 20.
Hole 15c of second mirror 16 and hole 16b of second mirror 16
Will be located. Further, a filter 17 for reducing the amount of light is arranged in the hole 16c of the second mirror 16. The circuit board 23 of the image sensor 20 is installed on the mounting base 32 of the case 31.

The first mirror 15, the second mirror 16 and the image sensor 20 are covered with a transparent plastic cover 34. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, the case 31 has the image sensor 2
The 0 axis line 22 is installed in the vehicle 1 so as to face upward at an angle of about 9 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane.

In the vehicle end side lateral confirmation device thus configured, as shown in FIG. 4, the image information A in front of the vehicle 1 is displayed.
Is taken into the lens 21 of the image sensor 20 through the filter 17, the hole 16b of the second mirror 16 and the hole 15c of the first mirror 15, and the image information B on the right side of the vehicle 1 is stored in the first mirror 15. It is reflected by the reflecting surface 15a, and the second
Of the image sensor 20 through the hole 15c of the first mirror 15 and the lens 2 of the image sensor 20.
1, the image information C on the left side of the vehicle 1 is reflected by the reflecting surface 15b of the first mirror 15, further reflected by the reflecting surface 16a of the second mirror 16, and the hole 15c of the first mirror 15 is reflected. It is taken into the lens 21 of the image sensor 20 via the. At this time, since the image information A does not pass through the mirrors 15 and 16, the amount of light is less reduced than the image information B and C, so the image information A is reduced by the filter 17 and the image information B and C are reduced.
It is corrected so that it becomes the same as the light amount of. The image information A, B, C is taken in the lens 21 of the image sensor 20 in a divided state, and the image information A, B, C is obtained.
Is converted into an electric signal by the control circuit on the circuit board 23 and is displayed in a divided state on the screen 41 of the display device 40.

FIG. 6 shows still another embodiment of the vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to the present invention. In this vehicle end portion side confirmation device, the rear image information D can be confirmed by the device of the embodiment shown in FIG. for that reason,
In this device, the notch 15 is formed in the upper center of the first mirror 15.
The reflecting surface 16a of the second mirror 16 is formed so as to be slightly inclined upward with respect to the surface 22b that is perpendicular to the axis 22 of the image sensor 20. Further, a tape 16c is attached to the boundary of the second mirror 16 in order to make the boundary of the image information A, B, C and D taken in the mirror 16 clear. In this device, the image information A in front of the vehicle 1 is filtered by the filter 17, the second
Hole 16b of the mirror 16 and the hole 15c of the first mirror 15
The image information B on the right side of the vehicle 1 is captured by the lens 21 of the image sensor 20 via the, and is reflected by the reflecting surface 15a of the first mirror 15 and further by the reflecting surface 16a of the second mirror 16, The image information C on the left side of the vehicle 1 is taken into the lens 21 of the image sensor 20 through the hole 15c of the first mirror 15, and the image information C on the left side of the vehicle 1 is reflected by the reflecting surface 1 of the first mirror 15.
5b, and the reflecting surface 16 of the second mirror 16
The image information D on the rear side of the vehicle 1 is reflected by a and is taken into the lens 21 of the image sensor 20 through the hole 15c of the first mirror 15.
The reflection surface 16a of the second mirror 16 is reflected via 5d, and is taken into the lens 21 of the image sensor 20 via the hole 15c of the first mirror 15. At that time, image information A
Image information B, since it does not pass through the mirrors 15 and 16.
Since the decrease in the amount of light is smaller than that in C, the amount of light is reduced by the filter 17 and is corrected to be the same as the amounts of light in the image information B and C. The image information A, B, C, D is taken into the lens 21 of the image sensor 20 in a divided state,
Then, the image information A, B, C, D is converted into an electric signal by the control circuit on the circuit board 23 and is displayed on the screen 41 of the display device 40 in a divided state.

The vehicle end side lateral confirmation device of the above-described embodiment is used by installing the device body 30 at the front end portion or the rear end portion of the vehicle 1. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the device body 30 is installed in the center of the front bumper 2 a of the vehicle 1. In this case, the image information A, B, C on the front and both sides of the vehicle 1
Is displayed on the display device 40 in the vehicle 1. Therefore, when going out from the garage or alley to the road in forward,
The situation on both sides can be confirmed, and the situation of the blind spot in front of the vehicle 1 can be confirmed.

FIG. 8 shows an example in which the device body 30 is installed in the center of the rear bumper 2b of the vehicle 1. In this case, the image information A, B, and
C is displayed on the display device 40 in the vehicle 1. Therefore, when the vehicle goes backward from the garage or alley, the situation on both sides can be confirmed, and the blind spot situation behind the vehicle 1 can be confirmed.

Further, FIG. 9 shows an example in which the device body 30 is installed at the right end of the rear end bumper 2b of the vehicle 1 when driving a left-hand drive vehicle under the condition of traveling on the left side of the road. In this case, the image information A, D, B, C of the rear, front and both sides of the vehicle 1 is displayed on the display device 40 in the vehicle 1. In particular, it is possible to check the conditions on the left and right sides when the vehicle is moving backward and when unloading the garage. In addition, it is possible to check the front condition when passing and the rear blind spot of the vehicle when moving backward. .

[0033]

As described above, according to the vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to the present invention, the display device allows the front end side and front side or the rear end side and rear of the vehicle while being in the driver's seat. Can be confirmed. Therefore, when the vehicle is taken from the garage to the road or when the vehicle is taken from the alley to the main road, the condition of the road can be confirmed in advance and the driving operation becomes extremely easy. Also, if the device body is installed at the end of the vehicle, for example, at one end of the bumper, it is easy to check the front situation when overtaking.

The vehicle end side confirmation device according to the present invention has a simple structure and can be realized at a low cost. If the display device of the navigator system, a television and the like are shared, the device can be obtained at a lower cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view conceptually showing a vehicle equipped with a vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an operation of the vehicle end side lateral confirmation device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to the present invention, and is a perspective view showing only the device main body.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing still another embodiment of the vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing an attached state of the apparatus main body shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing still another embodiment of the vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a confirmation range when the device body of the vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to the present invention is attached to the center of the front end of the vehicle.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a confirmation range when the device body of the vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to the present invention is attached to the center of the rear end of the vehicle.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a confirmation range when the device body of the vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to the present invention is attached to the rear end right side end of the vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Vehicle 2a Front bumper 2b Rear bumper 3 Indoor 4 Instrument panel 10 Light path changing means 11 Mirrors 11a, 11b Reflecting surface 11c Hole 12 Filter 13 Prism 13a, 13b Reflecting surface 13c Notch 14 Filter 15 First mirror 15a, 15b Reflective surface 15c Hole 15d Cutout 16 Second mirror 16a Reflective surface 16b Hole 17 Filter 20 Image sensor 21 Lens 22 Shaft core wire 23 Circuit board 30 Device body 31 Case 40 Display device 41 Screen A, B, C Image information

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle is installed at a front end or a rear end of a vehicle,
The image information on both sides is taken into one image sensor via the light path changing means, and a void is formed on the extension of the axis of the image sensor, and the image information on the other side of the image sensor is also transmitted via the void. 1. A vehicle end side lateral confirmation device, comprising: a device main body that is taken into an image sensor; and a display device that is installed in a vehicle and that displays image information taken into the image sensor. 2. A light path change is made by interposing a filter on a line connecting the image sensor and the air gap or on an extended line thereof to reduce the light amount of image information incident on the image sensor through the air gap. 2. The vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to claim 1, wherein the light amount of the image information incident on the image sensor through the means is made substantially equal. 3. A mirror in which the light-path changing means is arranged in front of the image sensor from the vertical plane including the axis of the image sensor toward the left and right sides at an angle of approximately 135 degrees with respect to the vertical plane. The vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the image information on both sides of the vehicle, which is configured by the mirror, is made incident on the image sensor. 4. A first mirror in which the light-path changing means is disposed from a vertical plane including an axis of the image sensor toward left and right sides at an appropriate angle with respect to the vertical plane, and the image. A reflecting surface is formed in front of the sensor by a second mirror arranged toward the image sensor,
The image information on both sides of the vehicle is reflected by the first mirror,
The vehicle end side lateral confirmation device according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that the second mirror reflects the light to enter the image sensor. 5. A first mirror in which the light path changing means is arranged from the vertical plane including the axis of the image sensor to the left and right sides at an appropriate angle with respect to the vertical plane, and the image. A reflecting surface is formed in front of the sensor by a second mirror arranged toward the image sensor,
The image information on both sides of the vehicle is reflected by the first mirror,
Further, the light is reflected by the second mirror to be incident on the image sensor, and the second mirror is appropriately moved upward or downward with respect to a surface whose reflection surface is perpendicular to the axis of the image sensor. 3. The image sensor is arranged so as to be tilted at an angle, and image information behind the image sensor is directly reflected by the second mirror and made incident on the image sensor. Vehicle end side confirmation device. 6. The solid-state image sensor is used as the image sensor, and the light-receiving information of the solid-state image sensor is photoelectrically converted and displayed on the display device. Vehicle end side confirmation device.