KR20180060271A - Rear image acquisition apparatus for vehicle having functions of anti-droplet and anti-frost - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle image acquisition device and, more specifically, to the invention having a condensation and frost prevention function for an acquired image as a vehicle image acquisition device which acquires an image of a vehicle in real time and then transmits the image to a display device in the vehicle. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the device mounted outside a door to acquire a peripheral image of the vehicle in real time and then transmit the acquired image to the display device in the vehicle comprises: an outer cover which has a mounting space formed therein; a camera module which is mounted inside the outer cover to allow a surface of a lens to be exposed to the outside and photographs the periphery of the vehicle; a ventilation passage which is formed to communicate between an outer side and an inner side of the outer cover; and a heating means which is mounted inside the outer cover and supplies heat to the camera module.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus for a vehicle,

The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus for a vehicle, and more particularly, to an image capturing apparatus for a vehicle that captures an image of a vehicle in real time and sends the captured image to a display device in a vehicle, And the like.

The vehicle is equipped with various mirrors for securing the view of the rear of the vehicle when the vehicle is backed up by grasping the behavior of the surrounding vehicle while driving and changing the safe lane. The mirror mounted on the vehicle can be largely divided into a side mirror installed on the outside of both front doors and an inside mirror installed on the upper front side of the vehicle interior.

Among them, the side mirror can be seen on the driver's seat of the vehicle and the front door on the passenger's side to see the rear side. With the repeated research and development, recently, one button was used to adjust the angle of the mirror It is mass-produced by combining various functions such as an electric automatic folding function and a hot wire function for controlling the sex and moisture on the mirror reflection surface.

However, conventional mechanical side mirrors involve the risk of safety accidents due to the deviation of sight line. That is, since it is installed outside both front doors of the vehicle, it is necessary to turn the head to the side at any time in order to observe the dynamics of the rearward vehicle. Therefore, it is accompanied by the deviation of the line of sight.

Recently, a vehicle image capturing device (also called a 'side camera') has been developed and developed to a stage where it is mounted on an actual vehicle. This makes it possible to easily grasp the rear vehicle state while minimizing the deviation of the driver's gaze by realizing the image of the rear side of the vehicle in real time and then transmitting the acquired image to the in-vehicle display device to be implemented as an image.

When a vehicle image capturing device is applied, aerodynamic advantage is obtained because the conventional mechanical side mirror is disappeared. As a result, it is possible to solve the problem of the wind noise in addition to the effect of the increase of the fuel consumption rate at the high speed driving. Also, since the size is small, it is not necessary to fold the side mirror when parking and the parts for implementing the electric type automatic folding function can be omitted. It is advantageous.

The vehicle image capturing apparatus includes a camera module which is an electronic component for photographing the rear side of the vehicle. The camera module acquires the side rearward situation of the vehicle as an image and sends it to the in-vehicle display device.

However, in the case of a vehicle image capturing apparatus using a camera module, when various foreign matter, rainwater, and the like are buried on the surface of the lens of the camera module during the driving of the vehicle, images obtained through the camera module are blurred, There arises a problem that the image condition becomes very poor, and in this case, there is a problem that it is difficult to precisely understand the rear-side situation of the vehicle, and thus it is difficult to achieve safe driving.

The problem of the vehicle image capturing apparatus using the camera module will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a view showing the size of a water droplet recognized by a user when a water droplet is formed on the side mirror. FIG. 2 is a view showing the size of a water droplet recognized by a user when water droplets are formed on the vehicle image capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, when water droplets (or foreign matter) are formed on the surface of the lens, images are not well formed at the center of the camera module due to distortion of the camera lens, and water droplets are greatly enlarged Or a distorted image is provided, thereby causing a problem that the image quality and the visibility to the rear of the vehicle are considerably lowered. In addition, in the winter season, frequent sexual intercourse is more fatal in a vehicle image capturing apparatus using a camera module having a light incidence area much smaller than that of a side mirror.

These problems ultimately cause difficulties in understanding the driving situation of the driver and increase the risk of accidents. Therefore, it is recognized as a prerequisite to be solved prior to mass production and application of a vehicle image capturing apparatus using a camera. However, the research on this is still insufficient.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2014-0018111 Korean Patent Publication No. 1997-0038088

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle image capturing apparatus capable of preventing foreign matter, droplets, frost, and the like from being formed on the surface of a lens of a camera module.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for transmitting an acquired image to an in-vehicle display device after acquiring a peripheral image of the vehicle on the outside of the door in real time, comprising: an outer cover having a mounting space formed therein; A camera module mounted on the inside of the outer cover so as to photograph a periphery of the vehicle so that a surface of the lens is exposed to the outside; A ventilation passage formed so as to communicate between an outer side and an inner side of the outer cover; And a heating unit mounted on the inside of the outer cover to supply heat to the camera module.

Here, the outer cover may be mounted outside the door.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the air pump may further include an air pump that adjusts a flow rate and a flow rate of the gas flowing through the air flow path,

According to an embodiment, the ventilation passage may be formed on an inclined surface at the rear end of the outer cover so that the ejection opening faces the surface of the lens.

Preferably, the ventilation passage is characterized in that the discharge port is located above the surface of the lens.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the inlet port of the ventilation passage may be connected to a cabin room of a vehicle to introduce indoor air.

Meanwhile, the heating means may be a heating coil having a shape to surround a part of the air flow path.

The control unit may further include a controller for controlling the operation of the heating unit and the air pump in accordance with the ambient environment.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an outer cover having a mounting space formed therein; A camera module mounted on the inside of the outer cover so as to photograph a periphery of the vehicle so that a surface of the lens is exposed to the outside; A ventilation passage formed so as to communicate between an outer side and an inner side of the outer cover; An air pump for adjusting a flow rate and a flow rate of the gas flowing through the air flow path; And a heating unit mounted inside the outer cover to supply heat to the camera module, the method comprising the steps of: (a) detecting whether the surface of the lens is contaminated with foreign matter, water droplets, or gender; (b) determining whether the air pump is operated; And (c) a step of determining whether the heating means is activated or not.

The image capturing apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform a function of ejecting air at a predetermined pressure to the surface of a lens to remove foreign matter or water droplets on the surface of the lens, and to remove the property.

This makes it possible to prevent the adhesion of foreign matter to the lens surface of the camera module, the formation of raindrops in rainy weather or the occurrence of the winter weather during the driving of the vehicle, and the quick removal even if foreign matter adheres or raindrops are formed. As a result, safe driving can be achieved by providing a display device with a clear image quality at all times by preventing image quality degradation or image loss due to foreign matter, water droplets, or gender.

The vehicle image acquiring apparatus of the present invention can be applied not only to the technique of acquiring the side rear image of the vehicle but also to the AVM system handling the omnidirectional image information around the vehicle and can meet the technical requirements of the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) There will be.

1 is a view showing the size of a water droplet recognized by a user when a water droplet is formed on the side mirror.
FIG. 2 is a view showing the size of a water droplet recognized by a user when water droplets are formed on the vehicle image capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view of a vehicle image capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an inner appearance of a vehicle image capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram showing a lens surface antifouling method of an image pickup apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The embodiments described below are provided so that those skilled in the art can easily understand the technical idea of the present invention, and thus the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the matters described in the attached drawings may be different from those actually implemented by the schematic drawings to easily describe the embodiments of the present invention.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being connected or connected to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but it should be understood that there may be other elements in between.

As used herein, the term "connection" includes direct and indirect connections between a member and another member, and includes all physical connections and electrical connections such as bonding, attachment, fastening, bonding, and bonding.

Also, the expressions such as 'first, second', etc. are used only to distinguish a plurality of configurations, and do not limit the order or other features between configurations.

In addition, the terms " part, "" unit," " module, "and the like, which are described in the specification, refer to a unit for processing at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software .

The singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Means that a feature, number, step, operation, element, component, or combination of features described in the specification is meant to imply the presence of one or more other features, A step, an operation, an element, a component, or a combination thereof.

Hereinafter, an image acquisition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 4. FIG.

3 is a perspective view of a vehicle image capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an inner appearance of a vehicle image capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The vehicle image capturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention can be mounted on a cab or a chassis of a vehicle or a base of a vehicle outside the front door of the passenger seat. For example, the vehicle image capturing apparatus 10 may be mounted in place of a conventional side mirror 1 outside the front door, and may acquire a peripheral image of the vehicle in real time, To the in-vehicle display device 2 connected to the circuit 11.

The vehicle image capturing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention may first include two essential components. One is an outer cover 100 that is mounted and fixed to the vehicle, and the other is a camera module 110 that is mounted on the outer cover 100. The outer cover 100 may be a hollow cylindrical structure having a mounting space (not shown) therein, and the camera module 100 is mounted in the mounting space.

The camera module 110 captures the surrounding images including the side and / or rear of the vehicle in real time, and sends the acquired image information to the display device disposed in the vehicle. The camera module 110 has a lens barrel including a plurality of lens groups. An image sensor for sensing an image from light passing through the lens barrel, and an actuator for adjusting the focus of the lens barrel and correcting the shake.

The camera module 110 has a structure in which the lens surface 111 serving as an incident surface is exposed to the outside (including the side surface and / or rear surface) of the vehicle, Can be mounted. The camera module 110 photographs surrounding images including the side and / or rear of the vehicle in real time on the basis of the traveling direction and provides the acquired image information to a dedicated display device installed in the vehicle in the vehicle, So that it can be visually inspected.

The display device 2 may be provided in the form of a dedicated display device for displaying an image on the inside of the A pillar or the inside of the front door that confines the right side of the vehicle interior, for example, both sides of the windshield. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and may include means capable of displaying peripheral information of the vehicle in an image form, for example, all kinds of image display means installed in a vehicle interior, such as a cluster or a navigation apparatus.

The ventilation flow path 130 may be formed in the outer cover 100 on which the camera module 110 is mounted. (Air) through the ventilation channel 130 to remove foreign matter, water droplets, and the like on the surface of the lens of the camera module 110.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the air pump 120 may further include an air pump 120 for adjusting a flow rate and a flow rate of the gas flowing through the air flow path 130. The air pump 120 may be mounted in the inner space of one side of the outer cover 100 and connected to the air flow path 130 at a plurality of points to discharge air having a predetermined pressure in one direction from the other. Here, the predetermined pressure may be set differently in each embodiment such as the formation of foreign matter, water droplets, or defrosting, and may be set differently depending on the climate, the temperature / humidity environment around the vehicle, and the like.

The ventilation flow path 130 may be formed on an inclined surface at the rear end of the outer cover so that the discharge port 133 faces the surface of the lens. Referring to FIG. 3, the discharge port 133 of the ventilation flow path 130 is disposed so that the gas flows without a pressure loss along the inclination of the surface of the lens to sufficiently exhibit the effect of removing foreign matter.

Furthermore, the ventilation flow passage 130 may have the discharge port 133 located above the surface of the lens. 3, the discharge port 133 discharges the gas from the top to the bottom of the lens so that foreign matter, water droplets, and the like are discharged from the lens. So that they can easily fall in the direction of gravity.

The inlet 131 of the ventilation flow path 130 may be connected to the cabin room of the vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention so as to introduce the indoor air. More specifically, the position of the inlet port 131 can be set so that the air entering through the outer cover 100 flows into the closed internal space of the vehicle, not from the outside of the vehicle. This is because when the indoor temperature is higher than the outdoor temperature of the vehicle as in the winter, the use of the indoor air to remove the air is more suitable for melting the weather. It is desirable to remove the water droplet condensation by using a relatively dry indoor air rather than a high humidity outdoor air outside the vehicle even in the case of raindrops on a rainy day. The gas introduced into the ventilation flow path 130 passes through the air pump 120 and it is possible to prevent a problem that the high humidity air is condensed in the air pump 120 to cause a trouble.

The vehicle image capturing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a heating unit 140 mounted inside the outer cover to supply heat to the camera module, A heating coil having a shape that partially surrounds the air flow path 130 may be used. The heating coil 140 is disposed on the intermediate side of the ventilation flow path 130 at the rear end of the air pump 120 so as to heat the high pressure gas passed through the air pump 120, It is preferable to be positioned adjacent to the flow path 132. [ In addition, it is possible to prevent a danger that may occur by electrically connecting the camera module 110 to the camera module 110 by inserting a non-conductive insulating film around the heating coil or inserting the heating coil through the insulation coil in which the hollow portion is formed, have.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a description will be given of a lens surface antifouling method of the control unit and the image pickup apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention.

5 is a block diagram showing a lens surface antifouling method of an image pickup apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the water droplet is formed (or a foreign matter, a frost is impregnated, or the like) is recognized (S510), it is determined whether the air pump is operated according to the degree of water droplet condensation (S520).

Here, the method of recognizing the water droplet formation includes automatically recognizing whether the water sensor or wiper provided in the vehicle is in operation or not, and manually recognizing (manually) the human body. For example, when the driver operates the wiper, it is possible to simultaneously operate the air pump to prevent water droplets from forming on the surface of the camera lens.

For example, in the case of a commercialized propulsion sensor, it is detected as three stages (strong, medium, and weak) to determine whether the air pump is operated depending on the degree of water droplet formation. And so on.

Alternatively, according to an embodiment, the driver may operate a part of the image acquisition apparatus of the present invention regardless of the sensing information of the sensor manually. In case of car washing or the like, the driver recognizes that water droplets are formed through the image information transmitted to the display screen of the vehicle display 2 regardless of the driver's sensor and the wiper driving state, and operates the air pump.

If it is determined that the air pump is in operation (S520), it is determined whether the heating coil is operated (S530).

The information required to determine whether the heating coil is in operation (S530) also includes information obtained through the sensor and manual operation intention of the driver. Here, the sensor may be a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor provided in the vehicle, and may be an auto-deforming sensor attached to a windshield of an ordinary vehicle to automatically detect fogging and automatically remove fogging. According to one embodiment, when a water droplet is formed on the entire surface of a vehicle glass, or a water droplet is formed on the entire surface of the vehicle glass or a fogging or fogging occurs, a control command is issued to a heating coil included in the vehicle image capturing apparatus of the present invention, It is possible to remove and / or prevent foreign substances, water droplets, or fumes or fogging.

In a situation suitable for operating the heating coil, the heating coil is operated (S540) together with the air pump, and only the air pump is operated (S550) in order to save energy when the heating coil is not suitable for operating.

The above-described control can be performed by the control unit 150 included in the vehicle image capturing apparatus 10 of the present invention. The control unit 150 actively controls the operation of the heating unit and the air pump according to the ambient environment.

Accordingly, adhesion of foreign matter to the lens surface 111 of the camera module 110, formation of raindrops or the like during rainfall can be prevented during the running of the vehicle, and foreign matter can be prevented instantaneously, and even if foreign matter adheres to the surface or raindrops Rapid removal is possible. As a result, deterioration of image quality due to foreign matter, water droplet, gender, and the like are prevented, so that an image of a clear image quality can be always provided to the in-vehicle display device.

In the foregoing detailed description of the present invention, only specific embodiments thereof have been described. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms thereof, which are to be considered as being limited to the specific embodiments, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. .

The present specification is not intended to limit the present invention by the specific terms given. While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, Modifications, alterations, and modifications can be made.

10: Vehicle image acquisition device
100: outer cover
110: camera module
120: air pump
130:
140: Heating means
150:

Claims (9)

An apparatus for transmitting a captured image to an in-vehicle display device after acquiring a peripheral image of the vehicle in real time by being mounted outside the door,
An outer cover having a mounting space formed therein;
A camera module mounted on the inside of the outer cover so as to photograph a periphery of the vehicle so that a surface of the lens is exposed to the outside;
A ventilation passage formed so as to communicate between an outer side and an inner side of the outer cover; And
And a heating unit mounted inside the outer cover to supply heat to the camera module.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the outer cover is mounted on the outer side of the door.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising an air pump for adjusting a flow rate and a flow rate of the gas flowing through the ventilation flow passage.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the ventilation passage is formed on an inclined surface of the rear end of the outer cover so that the discharge port faces the surface of the lens.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the ventilation passage has a discharge port located at an upper portion from a surface of the lens.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the inlet of the ventilation passage is connected to the cabin room of the vehicle and the indoor air is introduced into the cabin room of the vehicle.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the heating means is a heating coil having a shape that wraps around a part of the air flow passage.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a controller for controlling the operation of the heating means and the air pump in accordance with the ambient air environment.
An outer cover having a mounting space formed therein; A camera module mounted on the inside of the outer cover so as to photograph a periphery of the vehicle so that a surface of the lens is exposed to the outside; A ventilation passage formed so as to communicate between an outer side and an inner side of the outer cover; An air pump for adjusting a flow rate and a flow rate of the gas flowing through the air flow path; And a heating unit mounted inside the outer cover to supply heat to the camera module, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) determining whether the surface of the lens is contaminated with foreign matter, water droplet, or gender;
(b) determining whether the air pump is operated; And
(c) determining whether the heating means is in operation according to the ambient air environment.

Images