Rearward imaging device

• US 10,212,317 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2015
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murakami Corporation
• Original Assignee: Murakami Corporation
• Inventors: Sato, Hidenori, Ichikawa, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Braniff, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US15/121,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20160373620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0235 of flat type, e.g. LCD
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/004 outside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8046 for replacing a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices

Abstract

The present invention is a rearward imaging device attached to a moving body such as a vehicle, and is provided with an imaging device for capturing images rearward of the moving body, and a housing for accommodating the imaging device. The imaging device has a barrel for holding a transparent member, and a concave part is formed in the rear part of the housing. The barrel penetrates a bottom part of the concave part and protrudes further rearward than a bottom surface of the concave part.

Claims

1. A rearward imaging device for being attached to a movable body, comprising:

an imaging unit which captures an image of a rear side of the movable body; and

a housing which houses the imaging unit;

wherein the imaging unit includes a barrel which holds a transparent member;

a concavity is formed in a rear portion of the housing, the concavity having at least a portion thereof extending transverse to a front-rear direction of the housing so as to define a bottom surface of the concavity;

the barrel penetrates through the bottom surface of the concavity and protrudes rearward from the bottom surface of the concavity towards an opening edge of the concavity.

2. The rearward imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a distance from an inner surface of the concavity to an edge of a rear end of the barrel is equal to or greater than a protrusion length at which the barrel protrudes rearward from the bottom surface of the concavity.

3. The rearward imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion length of the barrel is greater than a maximum width of an annular area between a rear edge of an outer circumferential surface of the housing and the opening edge of the concavity.

4. The rearward imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion length of the barrel is greater than a maximum width of an annular area between a rear edge of an outer circumferential surface of the housing and the opening edge of the concavity.

5. The rearward imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the concavity is further defined by an annular wall that curves inwardly towards a central axis of the barrel so as to intersect the bottom surface of the concavity.