INDICIA AND CAMERA ASSEMBLY FOR A VEHICLE

• US 20130215271A1
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lu, Yuesheng
• Application Number:
  US13/774,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20130215271A1
• 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: B60R 13/005 Manufacturers' emblems, name plates, bonnet ornaments, mascots or the like; Mounting means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A vehicle indicia assembly includes a vehicle indicia element having an indicia surface with indicia established thereat and having an attaching surface opposite the indicia surface. The attaching surface of the vehicle indicia element is configured to be mounted at a vehicle with the indicia surface facing outwards away from the vehicle. The vehicle indicia element has a light transmitting portion. A vehicle camera is disposed at the attaching surface of the vehicle indicia element. The vehicle camera is positioned at the vehicle indicia element so that the vehicle camera views through the light transmitting portion and is operable to capture image data. When the vehicle indicia assembly is mounted at a vehicle, the vehicle camera is disposed at the vehicle and views through the light transmitting portion of the vehicle indicia element and is operable to capture image data representative of a scene exterior the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle indicia assembly suitable for use on a vehicle, the vehicle indicia assembly comprising:

a vehicle indicia element, the vehicle indicia element having an indicia surface with indicia established thereat, wherein the vehicle indicia element has an attaching surface opposite the indicia surface;

wherein the attaching surface of the vehicle indicia element is configured to be mounted at a vehicle so that, when the vehicle indicia element is mounted at the vehicle, the indicia surface faces outwards away from the vehicle;

wherein the vehicle indicia element has a light transmitting portion;

a vehicle camera disposed at the attaching surface of the vehicle indicia element, wherein the vehicle camera is positioned at the vehicle indicia element so that the vehicle camera views through the light transmitting portion and is operable to capture image data; and

wherein, when the vehicle indicia assembly is mounted at the vehicle, the vehicle camera is disposed at the vehicle and views through the light transmitting portion of the vehicle indicia element and is operable to capture image data representative of a scene exterior the vehicle.

2. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 1, wherein the light transmitting portion of the vehicle indicia element comprises a passageway through the vehicle indicia element.

3. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 1, wherein the light transmitting portion comprises a passageway that extends partially through the vehicle indicia element and wherein the passageway does not extend through the indicia surface.

4. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 1, wherein the vehicle camera has a lens assembly and wherein the lens assembly is disposed at the light transmitting portion of the vehicle indicia element.

5. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 4, wherein the light transmitting portion of the vehicle indicia element comprises a passageway through the vehicle indicia element and wherein the lens assembly is received at least partially through the passageway.

6. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 5, wherein at least a portion of the lens assembly of the vehicle camera generally matches the indicia surface at the passageway.

7. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 6, wherein an element of the lens assembly is at least partially coated with a coating that generally matches the indicia surface at the passageway.

8. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 6, wherein an element of the lens assembly comprises a material that generally matches the indicia surface at the passageway.

9. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 5, wherein at least a portion of the lens assembly of the vehicle camera is generally flush with an edge of the passageway.

10. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 5, wherein a lens optic of the lens assembly has an outward-facing surface having a curvature that approximates the curvature of the indicia surface at the passageway.

11. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 10, wherein the lens assembly comprises a wide-angle lens assembly.

12. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 10, wherein the lens assembly has at least about a 130 degree field of view.

13. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 10, wherein the vehicle camera is positioned relative to the vehicle indicia element to horizontally align the lens assembly when the vehicle indicia assembly is mounted at the vehicle.

14. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 1, further comprising a camera controller operable to adjust image data captured by the vehicle camera to compensate for optical distortion.

15. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 14, wherein the camera controller is operable to adjust image data captured by the vehicle camera to compensate for optical distortion below the horizontal.

16. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 1, wherein the vehicle camera comprises a housing and wherein the housing and the attaching surface are configured to mount the vehicle indicia assembly at a body portion of the vehicle.

17. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 1, wherein the vehicle camera is mounted to the vehicle indicia element and wherein the vehicle indicia assembly is mounted at a vehicle as a unit.

18. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 1, wherein the indicia surface includes a graphical portion and a background portion, and wherein the light transmitting portion is at the background portion.

19. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 1, wherein the vehicle camera has a vertical field of view at least about 125 degrees.

20. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 1, wherein the indicia established at the indicia surface is representative of at least one of a vehicle emblem, a vehicle manufacturer logo, a vehicle manufacturer name, a vehicle manufacturer identifier, a vehicle model logo, a vehicle model name, a vehicle model identifier and a vehicle model brand.

21. A vehicle indicia assembly suitable for use on a vehicle, the vehicle indicia assembly comprising:

a vehicle indicia element, the vehicle indicia element having an indicia surface with indicia established thereat, the indicia representative of at least one of a vehicle emblem, a vehicle manufacturer logo, a vehicle manufacturer name, a vehicle manufacturer identifier, a vehicle model logo, a vehicle model name, a vehicle model identifier and a vehicle model brand, wherein the vehicle indicia element has an attaching surface opposite the indicia surface;

wherein the attaching surface of the vehicle indicia element is configured to be fixedly mounted at a vehicle so that, when the vehicle indicia element is fixedly mounted at the vehicle, the indicia surface faces outwards away from the vehicle;

wherein the vehicle indicia element has a light transmitting portion;

wherein the indicia surface includes a graphical portion and a background portion, and wherein the light transmitting portion is at the background portion;

a vehicle camera fixedly disposed at the attaching surface of the vehicle indicia element to establish a modular vehicle indicia assembly, wherein the vehicle camera is fixedly positioned at the vehicle indicia element so that the vehicle camera views through the light transmitting portion and is operable to capture image data; and

wherein, when the vehicle indicia assembly is fixedly mounted at the vehicle as a unit, the vehicle camera is disposed at the vehicle and views through the light transmitting portion of the vehicle indicia element and is operable to capture image data representative of a scene exterior the vehicle.

22. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 21, wherein the light transmitting portion of the vehicle indicia element comprises a passageway through the vehicle indicia element, and wherein a lens of the vehicle camera is at least partially received through the passageway.

23. The vehicle indicia assembly of claim 21, wherein the light transmitting portion comprises a light transmitting window at the indicia surface and wherein the light transmitting window comprises a material that transmits light therethrough.

24. A method of mounting a vehicle indicia assembly at a vehicle, the method comprising:

mounting a vehicle camera at a vehicle indicia element to form a modular vehicle indicia assembly, the vehicle camera positioned at a light transmitting portion of the vehicle indicia element when mounted thereat; and

mounting the vehicle indicia assembly at a vehicle as a unit, wherein, when the vehicle indicia assembly is mounted at the vehicle, an indicia surface of the vehicle indicia element faces outwards from the vehicle and the vehicle camera also faces outwards through the light transmitting portion to capture image data representative of a scene exterior the vehicle.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein mounting the vehicle indicia assembly at the vehicle comprises mounting a housing of the vehicle camera at a body of the vehicle.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the light transmitting portion of the vehicle indicia element comprises a passageway through the vehicle indicia element.