DEVICE FOR OPENING A VEHICLE LOCK AND FOR CAPTURING AN IMAGE ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE

• US 20090309971A1
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Schuetz, Heiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,243,137 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/78 as part of a hands-free locking or unlocking operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/57 Operators with knobs or handles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5889 For automotive vehicles

Abstract

This device has the double function of opening the lock upon actuation of a handle (20), and as the need may arise, of capturing the exterior of the vehicle in an image via a camera (31). In order to optimally carry out these two tasks, and for a space-saving configuration, it is proposed to configure a hole in the back wall of a support shell (10) receiving the handle (20), the housing (23) of a module being mounted on this hole. The camera (31) is supported in a pivoting and translatory manner in the module housing (23) via a camera mount (32) between a retracting position and an extending position (31.2). Furthermore, a drive (30) and a gear are mounted on the module housing (33) for a rotational-translatory displacement (32.2) of the camera (31).

Claims

1. A device for opening a lock, which acts between a moving part of the body of a vehicle, such as a trunk lid (15), and a stationary part of the body, said device serving at the same time for the acquisition of images of the area outside the vehicle by means of a camera (31), with a shell-like support (support shell 10), which is located in an opening (16) of exterior cladding (17) of the body of the vehicle, with a handle (20), which is rotatably supported (11) in the support shell (10) on a hinge (21) and can be moved between two positions (20.1, 20.2), namely, a closed position (20.1), in which the unactuated handle (20) closes the shell opening (12) of the support shell (10) and leaves the lock unactuated, and an open position (20.2), in which the actuated handle (20) is manually swung on a hinge (21) out of the support shell (10) and/or into the support shell (10) and actuates the lock, where the camera (31) used for image acquisition is mounted on a rear wall (23) of the support shell (10),

wherein the rear wall (23) of the support shell (10) has a hole (25), behind which the housing (33) of a module (module housing) is mounted, where in the module housing (33), a mount (32) for the camera (camera mount) is both rotatably supported and translationally guided in order to swivel the camera (31) between two positions (31.1, 31.2), namely, a retracted position (32.1) and an extended position (31.2), and where both a drive unit (30) and a gear unit for the rotational-translational movement (32.3, 32.5) of the camera mount (32) are mounted on the module housing (33).

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein, in the retracted position, the camera (31) faces away from a window (37 in the module housing (33) and occupies a space-saving longitudinal position in the interior (35) of the module housing (33).

3. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein, in the extended position, the camera (31) occupies an inclined position in the housing interior (35), and its image-recording end (36) extends from the module housing (33).

4. A device in accordance with claim 3, wherein, in the extended position, the camera (31) also extends from the shell opening (12) of the support shell (10) and that the drive unit is an electric motor.

5. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein, in the extended position (31.2) of the camera mount (32), the camera (31) in the module housing (33) is arranged approximately parallel to the open position (20.2) of the handle (20) in the support shell (10).

6. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein a single type of module (30) can be assigned to several different types of the device and that this uniform module (30) can be optionally mounted on one of the various devices and detached from it again.

7. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the window (37) of the module housing (33) can be covered by a cover (38), which is part of the module (30).

8. A device in accordance with claim 7, wherein the cover (38) in turn is rotationally supported (39) on the module housing (33) and is acted upon by spring tension (27), which acts to press the cover (38) against the window (37) of the module housing (33).

9. A device in accordance with claim 7, wherein a gasket (28), which is arranged between the window (37) of the module housing (33) and the cover (38), serves to seal the interior (35) of the module housing (33) from the interior (13) of the support shell (10) in the closed position (38.1) of the cover (38).

10. A device in accordance with claim 7, wherein an actuator on the camera mount (32) or on the gear unit for producing the movement (32.3, 32.5) of the camera mount (32) effects the movement (48) of the cover (38) with respect to the window (37) of the module housing (33).

11. A device in accordance with claim 8, wherein the actuator consists of a projection (46) on the camera mount (32), which swivels the cover (38) open against its spring tension (27) during the swiveling movement (32.3) of the camera mount (32) out of the retracted position (32.1) and into the extended position (32.2) of the camera (31).

12. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the motor (50) of the module (30) is mounted on the outside of the module housing (33).

13. A device in accordance with claim 12, wherein spacers (51) are arranged between the motor (50) and the module housing (33) and that at least part (52, 53, 54) of the gear unit that serves to move the camera mount (32) is arranged between the spacers (51).

14. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one connecting link guide (40.1, 40.2) serves to produce the rotational-translational movement (32.3 to 32.5) of the camera mount (32).

15. A device in accordance with claim 14, wherein the swivel bearing (34) of the camera mount (32) is integrated in the sliding block (42.1, 42.2) of the link drive (40.1, 40.2).

16. A device in accordance with claim 14, wherein the link drive consists of a two-part (42.1, 42.2) sliding block on the camera mount (32) and a two-part (41.1, 41.2) slotted link on the module housing (33).

17. A device in accordance with claim 11, wherein the module housing (33) consists of a sleeve with a rectangular profile, where the window (37) of the module housing (33) is set in the front wall (33.2) of the sleeve, and where corresponding parts (41.1, 41.2) of the slotted link are located on sidewalls (33.2, 33.4) of the sleeve that are arranged on both sides of this front wall (33.2) of the sleeve.

18. A device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the sliding block (42.1, 42.2) consists of a section of a pivot element (34) of the camera mount (32), about which the camera (31) can be swiveled (32.3) between its retracted position (31.1) and its extended position (31.2).

19. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein a gear drive (52, 53) is used to move the camera mount (32), where a double-arm lever (54 to 56) is connected on the output side of the gear drive (52, 53), where the two arms (54, 56) of the double-arm lever are nonrotatably connected with each other and are rotatably supported in the module housing (33) with their common bearing shaft (55), where one of the arms (54) acts on the output gear (53) of the gear drive by means of a guide (57) and a guide element (58), and where the other arm (56) of the double-arm lever articulates with the camera mount (32).

20. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein a gear drive (43, 44) is used to move the camera mount (32), where an output gear (44) of the gear drive is nonrotatably connected with a bearing shaft (55) of a lever arm (56), and where the lever arm (56) articulates with the camera mount (56).

21. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein a gear drive (52′

, 53′

) is used to move the camera mount (32′

), where the shaft (55′

) of an output gear (53′

) of the gear drive is nonrotatably connected with a lever (47), which is rotatably supported in the module housing (33′

), where the end of the lever (47) articulates with the camera mount (32′

, 49), and where at least one link drive (60.1, 60.2) acts on the camera mount (32′

, 49).

22. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the rotational-translational movement of the camera mount (32′

, 49) can be controlled by a double link drive (60.1, 60.2), and that the double link drive (60.1, 60.2) consists of two slotted links (63.1, 63.2) offset from each other on the module housing (33′

), which are engaged by two sliding blocks (64.1, 64.2) located on the camera mount (33′

, 49).

23. A device in accordance with claim 5, wherein the cover (38) is provided with control devices that produce an opening movement and/or a closing movement of the handle (20) in the support shell (10) during the swiveling movement (48) of the cover (38).

24. A device in accordance with claim 23, wherein the control devices of the cover (38) consist of a shoulder (65) on the cover (38) and a cooperating shoulder (66) on the handle (20). and that the handle (20) is under spring tension in the direction of its closed position (20.1).

25. A device in accordance with claim 23, wherein the opening movement (21) and/or the closing movement of the handle (20) is effected by a motor, where the motor starts the movement of the handle (20) in the opening direction no later than the beginning of the camera activation and/or ends the movement of the handle (20) in the closing direction after deactivation of the camera.

26. A device in accordance with claim 25, wherein the same motor (50) that is used for swiveling the camera mount is used for the hinged rotation (21) of the handle (20).

27. A device in accordance with claim 26, wherein the motor has two gear outputs and/or couplings, one of which is used for the control movement of the camera mount (32), while the other is used for the rotational movement (31) of the handle (20).

28. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein, when the handle (20) is operated, it acts on the lock by means of mechanical elements.

29. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein, when the handle (20) is operated, it acts on the lock by means of electric or electronic elements.