Assembly for a vehicle

• US 9,731,662 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Wietkamp, Stephan, Barthel, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Findley, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US14/737,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20150360619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 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 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens

Abstract

A solution that offers increased comfort for the user and increases the value of the vehicle is obtained with an assembly for a vehicle, having a carrier housing, which has a through-hole, a drive unit, which is attached to the carrier housing, a camera unit, which can move between a standby position and an active position and a protective lid, which can move between an open position and a closed position. An actuating element is movably coupled to the drive unit and forces the protective lid into its open position when the vehicle is driven in reverse and the camera unit is in the active position. The camera unit assumes a collision monitoring position when the vehicle is being driven forwards, in which position the protective lid is disposed in its closed position, and in which the camera unit is disposed at a monitoring opening formed in the protective lid, for filming the following or preceding traffic.

Claims

1. An assembly for a vehicle, having a carrier housing, which is disposed in an opening in an exterior paneling of the vehicle, and which has a through-hole,

a drive unit, which is attached to a back surface of the carrier housing,

a movably supported camera unit, which can be moved by the drive unit between at least a standby position and an active position, in which at least a lens of the camera unit protrudes out of the through-hole of the carrier housing, and is oriented such that it is tilted in relation to movement direction of the camera unit,

a protective lid movably supported on the carrier housing, which can move between a closed position, in which it closes the through-hole of the carrier housing, and in which the camera unit is disposed behind the protective lid, seen from the outside, and an open position, in which it leaves the through-hole of the carrier housing open,

wherein an actuating element, movably coupled to the drive unit, is provided, which forces the protective lid into its open position when the vehicle is being driven in reverse, and when the camera unit is in the active position,

wherein the camera unit assumes a collision monitoring position when the vehicle is being driven forwards, in which the protective lid is disposed in its closed position and in which the camera unit is disposed at a monitoring opening formed in the protective lid, for filming the following or preceding traffic, and

wherein the lens of the camera unit is oriented in the direction of movement of the camera when the camera unit is arranged in the collision monitoring position.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the camera unit can furthermore be moved between a retraction position and a comfort position, serving to illuminate a region in front of the vehicle, in which the protective lid is disposed in its open position, wherein the camera unit is disposed further away from the protective lid when in the retraction position than when in the collision monitoring position, and wherein the camera unit is disposed between the collision monitoring position and the retraction position when in the comfort position.

3. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein the comfort position can only be assumed by the camera unit when it has previously been moved to the retraction position.

4. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the actuating element is designed as a control pin on the camera unit, and a push rod that is operatively connected to the protective lid and is movably supported on the carrier housing has a first contact surface, wherein, when the camera unit is moved from the collision monitoring position into the active position, the control pin rests against the first contact surface and the first contact surface pushes toward the through-hole, such that the push rod forces the protective lid into its open position.

5. The assembly according to claim 4, wherein a spacer having a second contact surface is rotatably attached to a longitudinal end of the push rod facing away from the protective lid, wherein the second contact surface is disposed on the side of the first contact surface facing away from the protective lid, and at a spacing to the first contact surface, wherein, when in the comfort position and in the retraction position, the actuating element designed as a control pin rests against the second contact surface of the spacer, and the second contact surface pushes toward the through-hole such that the push rod forces the protective lid into its open position.

6. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein, with a movement of the camera unit directed away from the protective lid, from the collision monitoring position into the retraction position, the control pin pushes the spacer out of its movement path, such that the control pin ends up at the side of the second contact surface facing away from the protective lid, and rests thereon.

7. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein with a movement of the camera unit directed toward the protective lid, from the comfort position into the collision monitoring position, a housing guide guides a return pin attached to the spacer, such that the second contact surface of the spacer moves out of the movement path of the control pin, and the control pin comes into contact with the first contact surface.

8. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein a drive device is movably coupled to the spacer, and its second contact surface moves out of the movement path of the control pin when the camera unit moves toward the protective lid, out of the comfort position into the collision monitoring position.

9. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the drive device is attached to the carrier housing or the camera housing, and a coupling element connects the drive device to the spacer, such that the spacer can be pivoted about a movement pin of the push rod.

10. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the drive device can be a servomotor or a solenoid, with which drive of the drive unit the camera unit is controllably coupled.

11. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein an accommodating housing attached to the carrier housing extends in the extension of the through-hole, in which the camera unit is supported such that it can be moved at least between its active position and standby position.

12. The assembly according to claim 11, wherein the camera unit includes has at least one pin element, which is movably guided in a complementary guide groove in the accommodating housing.

13. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein the standby position corresponds to either the collision monitoring position or the retraction position.

14. The assembly according to claim 4, wherein the push rod can be moved toward the carrier housing against the force of a spring element.

15. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the protective lid includes a printed circuit board, having a light source for illuminating the region in front of the assembly when the protective lid is in the open position, or for illuminating a vehicle make emblem attached on the outside of the protective lid.

16. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the protective lid includes a printed circuit board, having a light source for illuminating the region in front of the assembly when the protective lid is in the open position, and for illuminating a vehicle make emblem attached on the outside of the protective lid.