IN-VEHICLE CAMERA

• US 20170334365A1
• Filed: 03/13/2017
• Published: 11/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: IKENO, Eisuke
• Granted Patent: US 10,471,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0026 Windows, e.g. windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An in-vehicle camera including: a camera component that records out of the vehicle through a window glass; a cover that covers the camera component from the vehicle interior side, with a gap existing between the cover and the window glass; and a blocker that is secured to a vehicle interior-side surface of the window glass inside the cover and is configured to allow passage of air between the inside and the outside of the cover via the gap while blocking light passing through the gap and reflected into the camera component.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle camera comprising:

a camera component that records out of the vehicle through a window glass;

a cover that covers the camera component from the vehicle interior side, with a gap existing between the cover and the window glass; and

a blocker that is secured to a vehicle interior-side surface of the window glass inside the cover and is configured to allow passage of air between the inside and the outside of the cover via the gap while blocking light passing through the gap and reflected into the camera component.

2. The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, further comprising a bracket that is secured to the vehicle interior-side surface of the window glass and directly or indirectly supports the camera component, wherein the blocker is formed integrally with the bracket.

3. The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein

the blocker is configured to include a wall portion that extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the recording direction of the camera component, and

the wall portion has a slit or a hole that allows the passage of air.

4. The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein

the blocker is configured to include two wall portions that each extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the recording direction of the camera component and are placed opposing each other,

at least one wall portion among the two wall portions has a slit or hole that allows the passage of air, and

the other wall portion is placed so as to block the light passing through the slit or the hole in the one wall portion.

5. The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein

the wall portion includes a hole that penetrates the wall portion in the vehicle forward and rearward direction;

and

the hole is disposed sloping outward in the vehicle width direction heading from the vehicle front side to the vehicle rear side.

6. The in-vehicle camera according to claim 1, wherein:

the wall portion includes two holes that penetrate the wall portion in the vehicle forward and rearward direction;

the two holes are disposed side by side in the vehicle width direction; and

each of the holes is disposed sloping outward in the vehicle width direction heading from the vehicle front side to the vehicle rear side.