Camera arrangement for a motor vehicle

• US 20080283782A1
• Filed: 07/01/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Weber, Thomas, Blaesing, Frank, Boebel, Ralf, Richwin, Matthias, Boehne, Gregor
• Granted Patent: US 7,855,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/573
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0003 inside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0026 Windows, e.g. windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0844 including a camera

Abstract

A camera arrangement includes a camera, a light source, and a light-guide which are in an inside region separated from an outside region by a window. The camera and the light source are pointed at the window. The light-guide is between the camera and the window and between the light source and the window. The light-guide couples light incident to the window from the outside region towards a portion of the camera. The light-guide couples light from the light source into the window which is reflected at the interface between the window and the outside region and couples the reflected light towards another portion of the camera. The camera records an image indicative of the incident light from the outside region through the light-guide and records an intensity of the reflected light from the light source through the light-guide.

Claims

1. A camera arrangement comprising:

a camera separated from a window which divides an outside region from an inside region, wherein the camera is in the inside region and is pointed at the window;

a light source in the inside region and pointed towards the window; and

a light-guiding element in the inside region between the camera and the window and between the light source and the window, wherein the light-guiding element couples light incident to the window from the outside region towards a portion of the camera, wherein the light-guiding element couples light from the light source into the window which is reflected at the interface between the window and the outside region and couples the reflected light towards another portion of the camera;

wherein the camera records an image indicative of the incident light from the outside region through the light-guiding element and records an intensity of the reflected light from the light source through the light-guiding element.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the light-guiding element has a refraction index substantially similar to the refraction index of the window.

3. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the light-guiding element and the window are of the same material.

4. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the light-guiding element is a prism.

5. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the light-guiding element is formed by a tube filled with an optically active material.

6. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the light from the light source is a beam of parallel light rays.

7. The arrangement of claim 6 wherein:

the light source includes a lens to generate the beam of parallel light rays.

8. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the light from the light source includes at least one of convergent and divergent light.

9. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the portions of the camera lie alongside one another without intersecting in an imaging plane of the camera.

10. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

a field of view of the image recording function of the camera and the reflection region of the intensity recording function of the camera overlap at least partially on the outside of the window.

11. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the camera is focused on a plane lying in the outside region.

12. The arrangement of claim 1 further comprising:

an ambient light sensor independent from the camera.

13. The arrangement of claim 12 wherein:

the ambient light sensor collects light from the outside region through the light-guiding element that does not lie within the field of view of the image recording function of the camera.

14. The arrangement of claim 12 wherein:

the ambient light sensor forms a structural unit with the light source.

15. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the light source and the light-guiding element form a structural unit with one another.

16. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the light-guiding element is mechanically connected with the window.

17. The arrangement of claim 16 wherein:

the light-guiding element is integrally connected with at least one of the window and the camera.

18. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the camera, the light-guiding element, and the light source are combined into one structural unit.

19. The arrangement of claim 1 further comprising:

an evaluation device for equalizing the image recorded by the camera.

20. A camera arrangement comprising:

a camera separated from a window which divides an outside region from an inside region, wherein the camera is in the inside region and is pointed at a portion of the window;

a light source in the inside region and pointed towards the portion of the window; and

a light-guiding element in the inside region between the camera and the window and between the light source and the window, wherein the light-guiding element couples light incident to the portion of the window from the outside region towards a first image point of the camera, wherein the light-guiding element couples light from the light source into the portion of the window which is reflected at the interface between the window and the outside region and couples the reflected light towards a second different image point of the camera;

wherein the first point of the camera records an image-indicative of the incident light from the outside region through the light-guiding element and the second point of the camera records an intensity of the reflected light from the light source through the light-guiding element.