Device for Capturing an Image of the External Area of a Vehicle by Means of a Camera

• US 20090231430A1
• Filed: 05/05/2007
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Dammers, Bernd, Buschmann, Gerd
• Granted Patent: US 8,305,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0023 the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0082 collapsible, e.g. for storing after use
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0084 with adjustment by linear movement in their operational position
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0085 with adjustment by rotation in their operational position
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0094 characterised by means for covering after user, e.g. boxes, shutters or the like

Abstract

In a device for capturing an image of the external area of a vehicle by means of a camera (20), there is a motor with a secondary transmission (40) which moves the camera (20) between a retracted position (10.1) and an extended position (10.2) relative to an aperture (51) in a vehicle wall (50). In order to realize a compact positioning of the camera in the retracted position, it is proposed to provide the sliding carriage with a sleeve-like cavity (11) which extends in the direction of movement (12) of the sliding carriage (10). The sliding carriage is therefore a sliding sleeve (10). The camera (20) is stored in a manner in which it can swivel (21) in the cavity (11) of the sliding sleeve (10), wherein the swivel axis (21) extends diagonal to its direction of movement (12). The camera (20) in its idle position is swivelled into the sleeve cavity, whereas in its operating position it projects at least partially through a side opening in the sleeve wall (16).

Claims

1. A device for image acquisition of the outside region of a vehicle by means of a camera (20),

which can be linked with an image display system in the interior of the vehicle,

with a sliding carriage (10) that supports the camera (20),

where a motor (30) with a crank mechanism (40) connected on the load side allows said sliding carriage (10) to displace (12) the camera (20) relative to an opening (51) in a vehicle wall (50) between a retracted position (10.1) behind (52) the wall (50) and an extended position (10.2) in front (53) of the wall,

wherein

the sliding carriage has a sleeve-like cavity (11), which extends in the direction of displacement (12, 13) of the sliding carriage (10) and constitutes a sliding sleeve (10),

where the camera (20) is rotatably (22) mounted on a shaft (21) in the cavity (11) of the sliding sleeve (10), said shaft (21) preferably extending transversely to the direction of displacement (11, 12),

and where when the sliding sleeve (10) is displaced (12, 13), the camera (20) is swiveled (22) between two positions (20.1, 20.2), namely,

on the one hand, a retracted resting position (20.1), in which the camera (20) is located in the sleeve cavity (11), and the sliding sleeve (10) is in its retracted position (10.1),

and, on the other hand, an extended operating position (20.2), in which the camera (20) stretches out and projects through a lateral opening (15) in the sleeve wall (16), and the sliding sleeve (10) assumes its extended position (10.2).

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the camera (20) rotates (22) conformally with the displacement (12, 13) of the sliding sleeve (10).

3. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein, in its retracted resting position (20.1), the camera (20) is positioned in a longitudinally oriented way in the sleeve cavity (11).

4. A device in accordance with claim 1, with a cover (31), which is simultaneously moved by the motor (30) and covers the opening (51) in the vehicle wall (50) in the retracted position (10.1) and uncovers it in the extended position (10.2),

wherein

the cover (31) is part of the sliding sleeve (10) and carries out a linear stroke (32) during the displacement (12, 13) of the sliding sleeve (10),

and where the cover (31) closes and seals the opening (51) in the vehicle wall (51) in the retracted position (10.1).

5. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cover (31) is rigidly mounted on the outer end face of the sliding sleeve (10) and forms an outer base (17) of the sleeve cavity (11).

6. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cover (31) is the support of an emblem (33), an ornamental wheel, or a functional part, e.g., a light unit.

7. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the camera (20) is positioned in a mount (24) which has the axis of rotation (21),

and where the axis of rotation (21) of the mount (24) serves to rotationally support the camera (20) on the inner wall (16) of the sleeve.

8. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the same motor (30) and the same crank mechanism (40) are used both to displace (12, 13) the sliding sleeve (10) and to rotate (22) the camera (20).

9. A device in accordance with claim 8, wherein the crank mechanism (40) is self-locking, and the camera (20) is secured in its operating position (20.2), its resting position (20.1), and/or in every intermediate position between them.

10. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the motor (30) reverses its direction of rotation when it changes from the extension movement (12) of the sliding sleeve (10) to the retraction movement (13).

11. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the motor (30) is a stepper motor that determines the retracted position (10.1) and/or the extended position (10.2) of the sliding sleeve (10) without limit stops.

12. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the drive unit comprises not only the motor (30) and the crank mechanism (40) but also at least one spring force (35) acting on the sliding sleeve (10),

and where the spring force (35) endeavors to move (12) the sliding sleeve (10) into its extended position (10.2).

13. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the crank mechanism (40) comprises a crank (42) rotationally driven by the motor (30) and a connecting rod (44, 45),

where the connecting rod (44, 45) articulates at one end with the end (46) of the crank (42) and articulates (47) at the other end with an arm (27) of the camera mount (24).

14. A device in accordance with claim 13, wherein the connecting rod consists of two segments (44, 45), of which the first (44) is attached to the crank (42), and the second (45) is attached to the arm (27) of the camera mount (24),

and where the two connecting rod segments (44, 45) can be coupled (48) with each other.

15. A device in accordance with claim 14, wherein the coupling (48) allows the connecting rod (44, 45) to be assembled and/or its length to be adjusted.

16. A device in accordance with claim 13, wherein the crank (42) and the connecting rod (44, 45) with which it articulates form a first pair of arms of a toggle joint,

which is basically straight in the extended position (10.2) and bent in the retracted position (10.1).

17. A device in accordance with claim 13, wherein the connecting rod (44, 45) and the arm (27) of the camera mount (24) with which it articulates form a second pair of arms of a toggle joint,

which is bent in the extended position (10.2) and basically straight in the retracted position (10.1).

18. A device in accordance with claim 11, wherein the crank (42) of the crank mechanism (40) carries out a rotation (43) between the retracted position (10.1) and the extended position (10.2) that is less than or equal to 180°

.

19. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the sliding sleeve (10) is held in a stationary guide sleeve (18) in a way that allows it to be longitudinally displaced,

where the outer end face opening (36) of the guide sleeve (16) spans the opening (51) in the vehicle wall (50),

and where, during the transition from the retracted position (10.1) to the extended position (10.2), the sliding sleeve (10) can telescope from this end face opening (36) of the guide sleeve (18).

20. A device in accordance with claim 19, wherein the outer end face of the guide sleeve (18) has a flange (19), which rests on the vehicle wall (50) in the mounted position of the device.

21. A device in accordance with claim 19, wherein the flange (19) has an outwardly directed annular zone (29), which serves as a contact surface for the linearly displaceable cover (31) or sleeve base (17),

in which case, wherein the cover (31) contacts the annular zone (29), the sliding sleeve (10) is then positioned in its retracted position (10.1) and closes the end face opening (36) of the guide sleeve (18).

22. A device in accordance with claim 19, wherein the guide sleeve (18) has a peripheral cylindrical surface (28), but the crank mechanism (40, 42) enters the interior through an opening at the inner end face (38) of the guide sleeve (18) and continues as far as the sliding sleeve (10).

23. A device in accordance with claim 19, wherein at least certain segments of the guide sleeve (18) are enclosed and protected by a housing bushing (60),

and where the base (61) of the housing bushing (60) has a hole (62), through which the crank mechanism (40) extends into the guide sleeve (18) and reaches as far as the sliding sleeve (10).

24. A device in accordance with claim 23, wherein the spring tension (35) is produced by a compression spring,

and where one end of the compression spring is supported on a support point (37) of the base (61) of the housing bushing (60), and the other end of the spring is supported on an axial shoulder (39) of the sliding sleeve (10).

25. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the longitudinal center axis (14) of the guide sleeve (18) and the direction of displacement (13, 14) of the sliding sleeve (10) are parallel or inclined to the travel path (49) of the vehicle.

26. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein, at least in the area of the zone that faces the roadway (49) on which the vehicle is located, the sliding sleeve (10) has an opening (15) in its cylindrical surface (16),

and in its operating position (20.2), the camera (20) can swing at least partially out of the opening (15) in the sleeve wall.

27. A device in accordance with claim 23, wherein the housing bushing (60) has a mating flange (63), which is supported around the opening (51) on the rear surface (55) of the vehicle wall (50),

and where the vehicle wall (50) is clamped in sandwich fashion between the flange (19) of the guide sleeve (18) and the mating flange (63) of the housing bushing (60).

28. A device in accordance with claim 21, wherein the housing bushing (60) supports an additional jacket of the motor (30) and/or the crank mechanism (40).

29. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the rotatably supported camera mount (24) has one or more limit stops (56, 57), which, in the retracted resting position (20.1) of the camera (20), are supported on shoulders (58, 59) inside the sliding sleeve (10) and/or the guide sleeve (18).

30. A device in accordance with claim 29, wherein the limit stops (56, 57) consist of webs in the peripheral area of the camera mount (24),

and where the shoulders (58, 59) that serve as supports consist of inner surfaces of the sleeve wall (16) of the sliding sleeve (10) and/or the guide sleeve (18).

31. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein, in the retracted position (10.1), the camera (20) and its axis of rotation (21) are positioned behind (52) the vehicle wall (50), while in the extended position (10.2), they are located essentially in front of the vehicle wall (50).

32. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein, in the retracted resting position (20.1) of the camera (20), the optical axis (64) of the camera (20) is positioned parallel to or at a small angle (65) to the longitudinal center axis (14) of the sliding sleeve (10), which points in the direction of displacement (12, 13), while in the extended operating position (20.2), the optical axis (64) of the camera assumes a large angle (66) relative to the longitudinal center axis (14).

33. A device in accordance with claim 19, wherein the sliding sleeve (10), the guide sleeve (18), and the housing bushing (60) are telescoped within one another and have a linear arrangement relative to one another in the vehicle, which is determined by the direction of displacement (12, 13) of the sliding sleeve (10).

34. A device in accordance with claim 33, wherein the motor (30) and/or the crank mechanism (40) described above is at least partly aligned with the linear arrangement of the sliding sleeve (10), the guide sleeve (18), and the housing bushing (60).

35. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein a light unit is integrally connected with the camera (20) and moves conformally with the camera (20) to carry out both the translational movements (12, 13) between the retracted position (10.1) and the extended position (10.2) and the rotational movements (22) between the resting position (20.1) and the operating position (20.2).

36. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the extension movement (12) starts when the vehicle is placed in reverse.

37. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the retraction movement (13) starts when the vehicle is moving forward at a well-defined speed and/or a certain time after the reverse movement of the vehicle has ended.