Vehicle mounted optical assembly

• US 6,170,955 B1
• Filed: 02/27/1998
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Original Assignee: Iteris Incorporated
• Inventors: Coleman, Jeffrey R., Campbell, Hugh
• Primary Examiner(s): Spyrou, Cassandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Treas, Jared
• Application Number:
  US09/038,666
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 359/507, 359/509, 359/513, 359/820, 359/395, 248/205.3, 248/187.1, 248/316.7, 248/208, 352/243
• US Class Current: 359/509
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle

Abstract

An optical assembly for mounting in a vehicle employs a two piece assembly including a bracket having a front surface and a back surface and an optical device having a front surface and a lens element on the front surface. The back surface of the bracket is connected to the vehicle and the front surface of the optical device is removably attached to the back surface of the bracket. The lens element focuses an image through a windshield of the vehicle. In one embodiment of the present invention, the optical device further comprises at least one notch member and a support extension member and the bracket includes an opening and further comprises at least one groove member. The at least one notch member is positioned to removably attach to the at least one groove member, and the support extension member is positioned to removably attach to the opening. In one embodiment, the assembly is mounted to the vehicle windshield so that a driver of said vehicle has an unobstructed view of a road.

Claims

1. An optical assembly for mounting in or on a vehicle windshield, the assembly comprising:

a bracket having a front surface, a back surface, and an opening passing from the front to back surface, wherein said front surface of said bracket is adapted to be mounted to said vehicle windshield; and

an optical device having a front surface and an optical element, wherein said front surface of said optical device is removably attached to said back surface of said bracket with the optical element configured behind the opening of the bracket such that an optical path is provided to the optical element from the windshield through the bracket opening;

and wherein said bracket further comprises an air flow channel for allowing air flow between the windshield and optical element and across the optical path and preventing fogging of said optical element and windshield.

2. The optical assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said optical device further comprises at least one notch member and a support extension member, and wherein said bracket includes a mounting opening and at least one groove member, and wherein said at least one notch member is positioned to removably attach to said at least one groove member, and said support extension member is positioned to removably fit within said mounting opening.

3. The optical assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said assembly has a partially wedge-shaped configuration to allow the assembly to be mounted to said vehicle windshield between the vehicle dash and the windshield so that a driver of said vehicle has an unobstructed view of a road.

4. The optical assembly as in claim 1, wherein the optical element is a lens element.

5. An optical assembly as set out in claim 1, wherein said air flow channel is oriented generally vertically across the vehicle windshield when the bracket is mounted to the vehicle windshield.

6. An optical assembly as set out in claim 1, wherein the bracket has a flat section with a flat front surface for engaging the windshield and a curved section curving away from the windshield and wherein the air flow channel extends through the flat section and a portion of the curved section.

7. An optical assembly as set out in claim 6, wherein said bracket is a single integral piece.

8. An optical assembly as set out in claim 6, wherein the curved section of the bracket has two portions on opposite sides of the flat section of the bracket.

9. An optical assembly as set out in claim 8, wherein the air flow channel passes through the flat section of the bracket between the two portions of the curved section of the bracket.

10. A method for mounting an optical device having an optical element on a vehicle, comprising

providing a bracket having a front surface, a back surface and an opening between the front and back surface;

mounting said front surface of said bracket to said vehicle; and

mounting the optical device having a front surface and an optical element on said front surface, wherein said front surface of said optical device is removably attached to said back surface of said bracket;

wherein said bracket further comprises means for preventing fogging of said optical element;

wherein said bracket includes an opening and wherein light is provided to said optical element through said opening, and wherein said means for preventing fogging is a sealing device located around said opening for creating a seal between said optical element and said vehicle windshield.

11. A method for mounting as set out in claim 10, wherein the optical element is a lens element.