Traffic accident photographing device for a vehicle

• US 20030059217A1
• Filed: 11/13/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: In-Sun Bae, Kyung-Il Baek
• Original Assignee: In-Sun Bae, Kyung-Il Baek
• Inventors: Baek, Kyung-II
• Granted Patent: US 6,676,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/427
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/004 outside the vehicle

Abstract

Disclosed is a traffic accident photographing device for a vehicle. The device comprises camera-fastening means for fastening a camera to the vehicle to allow the camera to photograph an actual scene upon occurrence of a collision; and shutter-pressing means for allowing a shutter of the camera fastened to the vehicle by the camera-fastening means, to be pressed by a weight member which is moved under action of inertia force generated by the collision.

Claims

1. A traffic accident photographing device for a vehicle, comprising:

camera-fastening means for fastening a camera to the vehicle to allow the camera to photograph an actual scene upon occurrence of a collision; and

shutter-pressing means for allowing a shutter of the camera fastened to the vehicle by the camera-fastening means, to be pressed by a weight member which is moved under action of inertia force generated by the collision.

2. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the camera-fastening means comprises:

a transparent cover bracket having a reflection mirror at a center portion thereof;

a roof bracket bolted to the roof of the vehicle along with the transparent cover bracket; and

a housing coupled to a lower surface of the roof bracket, and defined, at a center portion thereof, with a camera insertion space which is opened at an upper end, the housing being further defined with a lens exposure opening below the camera insertion space.

3. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claims 1 or 2, wherein the shutter-pressing means comprises:

a weight member-mounting hole defined through a side wall of the housing to be communicated with the camera insertion space;

a round bar-shaped weight member disposed in the weight member-mounting hole; and

a spring for biasing the weight member outward of the weight member-mounting hole.

4. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claims 1 or 2, wherein the shutter-pressing means comprises:

a circular groove defined on a part of an upper surface of the housing;

a pressing rod-mounting hole defined through a side wall of the housing below the circular groove, to be communicated with the camera insertion space;

a discus-shaped weight member and a round bar-shaped pressing rod disposed in the circular groove and the pressing rod-mounting hole, respectively, and connected with each other by a rope extending through a connection hole which communicates the circular groove with the pressing rod-mounting hole; and

a spring for biasing the pressing rod outward of the pressing rod-mounting hole.

5. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claims 1 or 2, wherein the shutter-pressing means comprises:

a rectangular groove defined on a part of an upper surface of the housing;

a receiving groove defined on a part of a bottom surface of the rectangular groove, to be communicated with the camera insertion space;

a rotary pressing member hingedly received in the receiving groove and having a forward projection and an upward projection;

a rectangular weight member disposed in the rectangular groove, and defined, on a lower surface thereof, with an inclined contact surface to be brought into sliding contact with the upward projection of the rotary pressing member; and

a plurality of tension springs having one ends connected to both lengthwise ends of the rectangular weight member and the other ends connected to side surfaces of the rectangular groove.

6. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claims 1 or 2, wherein the shutter-pressing means comprises:

a solenoid-mounting hole defined through a side wall of the housing, to be communicated with the camera insertion space; and

a solenoid disposed in the solenoid-mounting hole, and electrically connected with an impact switch and batteries which are received in a switch-mounting groove and a battery-mounting groove, respectively, defined at a side of the solenoid-mounting hole and opened at their upper ends, the impact switch comprising a hollow cylindrical body having plus and minus terminals, a spherical weight member supported by an elastic piece at a lower end thereof and in the hollow cylindrical body and serving as an electrode, and an electrode plate attached to a circumferential inner surface of the hollow cylindrical body at the same height as the spherical weight member.

7. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the reflection mirror is formed by a mirror body having a truncated quadrangular pyramid-shaped contour.

8. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the reflection mirror is formed by a mirror body having a truncated cone-shaped contour.

9. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the reflection mirror is formed by a mirror body having a contour of a triangle which is opened at a base thereof and has both sides symmetrized with each other.

10. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the camera comprises a camera body having four side walls;

camera lenses are attached to the four side walls, respectively, of the camera body;

film-supporting surfaces are continuously formed inward of the camera lenses; and

a film-supplying roll and a film-winding roll are provided inward of the film-supporting surfaces in a manner such that film can be supplied from the film-supplying roll along the film-supporting surfaces and thereafter wound around the film-winding roll.

11. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the camera comprises a camera body and first and second camera lenses installed on a front wall of the camera body;

and

an iris having first and second iris holes of different diameters is positioned behind the first and second camera lenses.

12. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the camera-fastening means comprises fastening projections integrally formed on both side walls of the camera and defined with bolt-locking holes;

the shutter-pressing means comprises a weight member movably disposed at a side of the camera, the weight member having a weight body and a bent portion which is integrally formed at an upper end of the weight body and connected to the camera shutter; and

a transparent cover having a reflection mirror is positioned in front of a camera lens.

13. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the camera-fastening means comprises a camera holder;

and

the camera holder has a front plate defined with a lens exposure opening, a rear plate positioned behind the front plate and extending in a vertical direction in a manner such that a camera insertion space opened at a lower end thereof is defined between the front and rear plates, and a pair of attachment plates integrally formed on an upper surface and at both sides of the front plate and each having an inclination angle corresponding to that of a front windshield glass.

14. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claim 13, wherein

the attachment plates of the camera holder are supported by a pair of vertical support plates, respectively, which are secured at their one ends to the front plate;

and

the opening of the camera insertion space can be opened and closed by a cover plate having one end which is hingedly coupled to the vertical support plates and the other end which has a fastening protrusion capable of being engaged with an engaging protrusion formed on a rear surface of and adjacent to a lower end of the rear plate.

15. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the shutter-pressing means comprises a weight member which is defined with an insertion hole at a center portion thereof in a manner such that the weight member can be fitted around the shutter of the camera;

and

the shutter is formed with a truncated cone-shaped portion, and an inner edge of the weight member, defining the insertion hole, is formed, adjacent to a lower end thereof, with a contact surface which is flared downward, in a manner such that the shutter of the camera can be pressed by the weight member.

16. The traffic accident photographing device as set forth in claim 15, wherein

an upper end of the camera shutter is extended upward to form a contact projection;

and

a closure member placed on the weight member fitted around the camera shutter has an auxiliary shutter which is to be brought into contact with the contact projection and has a predetermined elasticity.