Structure for mounting camera on vehicle

• US 8,337,099 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), Honda Elesys Co., Ltd. (Nidec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), Honda Elesys Co., Ltd. (Nidec Corporation)
• Inventors: Onishi, Motoyasu, Matori, Tadahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hancock, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US13/200,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20120099850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• Field of Search: 396419-428
• US Class Current: 396/419
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a structure for mounting a camera on a vehicle, the structure including: a base unit fixed to a vehicle body; a camera; a slide mechanism configured to allow the camera to slide in an attaching direction so as to be detachably engaged with the base unit; protrusions provided on one of the base unit and the camera, the protrusions being disposed at front left and right sides and rear left and right sides with respect to the attaching direction; and contact portions provided on the other of the base unit and the camera, the contact portions laterally contacting the front left and right protrusions and the rear left and right protrusions, respectively, thereby positioning the camera with respect to the base unit.

Claims

1. A structure for mounting a camera on a vehicle, the structure comprising:

a base unit fixed to a vehicle body, the base unit including;

a front edge;

a rear edge parallel to the front edge;

front longitudinal edges extending rearwardly from lateral outer ends of the front edge;

middle lateral edges extending laterally inwardly from respective rear ends of the front longitudinal edges; and

rear longitudinal edges extending rearwardly from respective inner ends of the middle lateral edges to reach lateral outer ends of the rear edge;

a camera;

a slide mechanism configured to allow the camera to slide in an attaching direction so as to be detachably engaged with the base unit;

protrusions provided on one of the base unit and the camera, the protrusions being disposed at front left and right sides and rear left and right sides with respect to the attaching direction; and

contact portions provided on the other of the base unit and the camera, the contact portions laterally contacting the front left and right protrusions and the rear left and right protrusions, respectively, thereby positioning the camera with respect to the base unit.

2. The structure of claim 1,

wherein the base unit includes

slide guide portions provided at the left and right sides in the attaching direction, the slide guide portions having a distance therebetween larger at the front side in the attaching direction than the rear side,

wherein the camera includes

sliding walls provided at the left and right sides in the attaching direction, the sliding walls having facing surfaces in which slide concave portions are formed, the sliding walls having a distance therebetween larger at the front side in the attaching direction than the rear side, and

wherein the slide mechanism is formed by the slide guide portions and the slide concave portions.

3. The structure of claim 2,

wherein the front left and right protrusions and the rear left and right protrusions are formed on the base unit,

wherein the front left and right contact portions and the rear left and right contact portions are formed on the camera,

wherein a distance between lateral outer ends of the front left and right protrusions is larger than a distance between lateral outer ends of the rear left and right protrusions, and

wherein a distance between the front left and right contact portions is larger than a distance between the rear left and right contact portions.

4. The structure of claim 3,

wherein the contact portions are formed by the facing surfaces of the left and right sliding walls.

5. The structure of claim 3,

wherein the contact portions are formed by left and right inclined surfaces which have a lateral distance therebetween increased toward the front side in the attaching direction.

6. The structure of claim 2,

wherein the front left and right protrusions and the rear left and right protrusions are formed on the base unit so as to be equally spaced apart in the attaching direction,

wherein the front left and right contact portions and the rear left and right contact portions are formed on the camera so as to be equally spaced apart in the attaching direction, and

wherein front recess portions are formed at the front sides of the front left and right contact portions in the attaching direction so as to have an increased lateral distance therebetween, and rear recess portions are formed at the front sides of the rear left and right contact portions in the attaching direction so as to have an increased lateral distance therebetween.

7. The structure of claim 6,

wherein the front left and right contact portions and the front left and right recess portions are formed by front left and right inclined surfaces which have a lateral distance therebetween increased toward the front side in the attaching direction, and

wherein the rear left and right contact portions and the front left and right recess portions are formed by rear left and right inclined surfaces which have a lateral distance therebetween increased toward the front side in the attaching direction.

8. The structure of claim 7, wherein the lateral distance between the front left and right inclined surfaces at a rearmost portion in the attaching direction is smaller than the lateral distance between the rear left and right inclined surfaces at a frontmost portion in the attaching direction.

9. The structure of claim 1, wherein the front longitudinal edges, the middle lateral edges, and the rear longitudinal edges form slide glide portions at the left and right sides in the attaching direction, and

wherein the protrusions are provided separately from the slide guide portions.

10. The structure of claim 9, wherein each of the protrusions are provided inward laterally of the slide guide portions.

11. The structure of claim 9, wherein each of the protrusions has a triangular pole shape that becomes thinner toward a lateral outer side.

12. A structure for mounting a camera on a vehicle, the structure comprising:

a base unit fixed to a vehicle body;

a camera;

a slide mechanism configured to allow the camera to slide in an attaching direction so as to be detachably engaged with the base unit;

protrusions provided on one of the base unit and the camera, the protrusions being disposed at front left and right sides and rear left and right sides with respect to the attaching direction; and

contact portions provided on the other of the base unit and the camera, the contact portions laterally contacting the front left and right protrusions and the rear left and right protrusions, respectively, thereby positioning the camera with respect to the base unit,

wherein left and right slide guide portions are provided on the base unit in plurality along the attaching direction,

wherein left and right sliding walls are provided on the camera in plurality along the attaching direction, slide concave portions being formed by the plurality of left and right sliding walls, and

wherein the slide mechanism is formed by the plurality of slide guide portions and the slide concave portions of the plurality of sliding walls.

13. The structure of claim 12,

wherein the contact portions are formed by the facing surfaces of the plurality of left and right sliding walls at positions corresponding to the front left and right protrusions and the rear left and right protrusions.