Image recording apparatus

• US 10,484,580 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2018
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Ten Limited (f/k/a Fujitsu Ten Ltd.) (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Ten Limited (f/k/a Fujitsu Ten Ltd.) (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Shimpei, Ogitani, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Philip P.
• Application Number:
  US15/878,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20180220049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An image recording apparatus includes: a camera unit that includes an image capturing lens, an image sensor, and a plurality of antenna modules each of which has a communication antenna; and a main unit that rotatably supports the camera unit so that an image capturing direction of the camera unit is (i) directed toward an outside of a vehicle and (ii) rotatable in an up-down direction. The main unit is configured to be installed on a window glass of the vehicle inside a cabin of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An image recording apparatus comprising:

a camera unit that is a second case at least a portion of an outer surface of which is convex, the camera unit including;

an image capturing lens;

an image sensor; and

a plurality of antenna modules each of which has a communication antenna, the plurality of antenna modules including;

a GPS antenna module having a GPS antenna, the GPS antenna module being located on the camera unit so that an antenna surface of the GPS antenna module faces vertically upward; and

a wireless LAN antenna module having a wireless LAN antenna, the wireless LAN antenna module being located on the camera unit so that an antenna surface of the wireless LAN antenna module faces a direction opposite to an image capturing direction of the camera unit; and

a main unit that includes a first case that is box-shaped, an outer surface of the first case of the main unit being configured to be installed on a window glass of a vehicle inside a cabin of the vehicle, the main unit rotatably supporting the second case, which is the camera unit, inside the first case of the main unit so that the second case rotates within and relative to the first case and so that the image capturing direction is (i) directed toward an outside of the vehicle, (ii) directed toward a front of the vehicle, and (iii) rotatable in an up-down direction.

2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the camera unit includes a camera board on which the image sensor is mounted;

the GPS antenna module is located on a first surface of the camera board on a side of the camera board that faces toward the image capturing lens; and

the wireless LAN antenna module is located on a second surface of the camera board on a side of the camera board opposite to the side of the camera board that faces toward the image capturing lens.

3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the camera unit is fixed to the main unit with an orientation of the camera unit relative to the main unit in the up-down direction set so that an optical axis of the image capturing lens is at a predetermined angle relative to a road surface, regardless of a tilt angle of the window glass of the vehicle.

4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the camera unit includes a camera board on which the image sensor is mounted;

and

the wireless LAN antenna module is located on a surface of the camera board on a side of the camera board that faces away from the image capturing lens.