Passenger compartment monitoring apparatus

• US 6,710,940 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2002
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Takashi, Isogai, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harrington, Alicia M.
• Application Number:
  US10/255,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20030058545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 359/602-604, 359/613, 359/630-632, 359/838, 359/841-844, 359/872-876, 359/726
• US Class Current: 359/726
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01538 for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays

Abstract

A passenger compartment monitoring apparatus that guarantees the required monitoring area and can be installed in both right-hand and left-hand drive vehicles. The monitoring apparatus has a room mirror arranged in the passenger compartment and a plurality of imaging devices arranged in the room mirror. Each of the imaging devices is arranged in the room mirror at a predetermined angle so as to monitor a predetermined area in the passenger compartment regardless of whether the monitoring apparatus is installed in a right-hand or left-hand drive vehicle.

Claims

1. A passenger compartment monitoring apparatus comprising:

a room mirror arranged in a passenger compartment; and

a plurality of imaging devices arranged in the room mirror, wherein each of the imaging devices is arranged at a predetermined angle with respect to the room mirror so as to monitor a predetermined area of the passenger compartment when arranged in either one of a right-hand drive vehicle or a left-hand drive vehicle.

2. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the room mirror includes a reflection mirror and a case for accommodating the reflection mirror, and wherein the imaging devices are arranged on two lower ends of the case.

3. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the imaging devices is a CMOS camera including a CMOS imaging device.

4. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the room mirror is rotatable;

the imaging devices includes first and second imaging devices, wherein the first imaging device has a first horizontal angle of view and a first vertical angle of view and the second imaging device has a second horizontal angle of view and a second vertical angle of view;

when the room mirror is arranged so that a normal line with respect to a mirror surface of the room mirror lies on a horizontal plane of the vehicle,

the first imaging device has a first horizontal mounting angle that is formed by a first horizontal projection optical axis obtained by projecting an optical axis of the first imaging device on the horizontal plane and a horizontal reference line that is vertical to the normal line on the horizontal plane, the first horizontal mounting angle being set by subtracting a maximum rotation angle of the room mirror that faces a driver seat from half of the first horizontal angle of view;

the second imaging device has a second horizontal mounting angle that is formed by a second horizontal projection optical axis obtained by projecting an optical axis of the second imaging device on the horizontal plane, and the horizontal reference line and the second horizontal mounting angle is set by subtracting the maximum rotation angle from half of the second horizontal angle of view;

the first imaging device has a vertical mounting angle formed by a first vertical projection optical axis obtained by projecting the optical axis on the vertical plane and a vertical reference line that is vertical to the normal line on the vertical plane, and the first vertical mounting angle is set to half of the first vertical angle of view; and

the second imaging device has a second vertical mounting angle formed by a second vertical projection optical axis obtained by projecting the optical axis on the vertical plane and the vertical reference line, and the second vertical mounting angle is set to half of the second vertical angle of view.

5. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first and second horizontal angle of views are set so that imaging areas of the first and second imaging devices are overlapped with each other at a predetermined distance from the room mirror.

6. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the first horizontal angle of view is substantially equal to the second horizontal angle of view;

the first vertical angle of view is substantially equal to the second vertical angle of view;

the first horizontal mounting angle is substantially equal to the second horizontal mounting angle; and

the first vertical mounting angle is substantially equal to the second vertical mounting angle.

7. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the room mirror includes a reflection mirror and a case for accommodating the reflection mirror, and wherein the first and second imaging devices are arranged on two lower ends of the case.

8. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each of the first and second imaging devices is a CMOS camera including a CMOS imaging device.

9. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each of the first and second vertical angle of views is set to 90 degrees or more.

10. A passenger compartment monitoring apparatus comprising:

a rotatable room mirror arranged in a passenger compartment;

first and second imaging devices arranged on the room mirror, wherein the first imaging device has a first horizontal angle of view and a first vertical angle of view and the second imaging device has a second horizontal angle of view and a second vertical angle of view;

wherein when the room mirror is arranged so that a normal line with respect to the room mirror lies on a horizontal plane of the vehicle;

the first imaging device has a first horizontal mounting angle formed by a first horizontal projection optical axis that is obtained by projecting an optical axis of the first imaging device on the horizontal plane and a horizontal reference line that is vertical to the normal line on the horizontal plane, and the first horizontal mounting angle is set based on the first horizontal angle of view and a rotation angle of the room mirror that faces a driver seat;

the second imaging device has a second horizontal mounting angle formed by a second horizontal projection optical axis obtained by projecting an optical axis of the second imaging device on the horizontal plane and the horizontal reference line and the second horizontal mounting angle is set based on the second horizontal angle of view and the rotation angle;

the first imaging device has a first vertical mounting angle formed by a first vertical projection optical axis obtained by projecting the optical axis on the vertical plane and a vertical reference line that is vertical to the normal line on the vertical plane, and the first vertical mounting angle is set based on the first vertical angle of view;

the second imaging device has a second vertical mounting angle formed by a second vertical projection optical axis obtained by projecting the optical axis on the vertical plane and the vertical reference line, and the second vertical mounting angle is set based on the second vertical angle of view; and

wherein the first and second horizontal angle of views are set so that imaging areas of the first and second imaging devices are overlapped with each other at a predetermined distance from the room mirror.

11. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the first horizontal mounting angle is set by subtracting a maximum rotation angle of the room mirror that faces the driver seat from a half of the first horizontal angle of view;

the second horizontal mounting angle is set by subtracting the maximum rotation angle from a half of the second horizontal angle of view;

the first vertical mounting angle is set to half of the first vertical angle of view, and

the second vertical mounting angle is set to half of the second vertical angle of view.

12. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first horizontal angle of view is substantially equal to the second horizontal angle of view, and the first vertical angle of view is substantially equal to the second vertical angle of view.

13. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

the first horizontal mounting angle is substantially equal to the second horizontal mounting angle; and

the first vertical mounting angle is substantially equal to the second vertical mounting angle.

14. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

the first horizontal angle of view is substantially equal to the second horizontal angle of view;

the first vertical angle of view is substantially equal to the second vertical angle of view;

the first horizontal mounting angle is substantially equal to the second horizontal mounting angle; and

the first vertical mounting angle is substantially equal to the second vertical mounting angle.

15. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each of the first and second vertical angle of views is set to 90 degrees or more.

16. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the room mirror includes a reflection mirror and a case for accommodating the reflection mirror, and the imaging devices are arranged on two lower ends of the case.