Vehicle driver assist system

• US 10,527,910 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive USLLC (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive USLLC (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Kang, Shaoying, Hart, Michael A., Shah, Harsh G., Jazwiecki, Matthew M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US15/689,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20190064636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/026 combined with automatic distance control, i.e. electronic tow bar
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 11/045 Lens hoods or shields
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means

Abstract

A vehicle driver assist system includes a housing having a main body portion and a viewing window in the main body portion. A camera is provided in the main body portion and has a field of view through the viewing window. A glare reduction portion is adjacent the camera. The glare reduction portion has a textured surface for attenuating light reflection off of the glare reduction portion and into the camera.

Claims

1. A vehicle driver assist system comprising:

a housing having a main body portion and a viewing window in the main body portion;

a camera provided in the main body portion having a field of view through the viewing window; and

a glare reduction portion adjacent the camera, the glare reduction portion having a textured surface configured to attenuate a reflection of light off of the glare reduction portion and into the camera, the textured surface including a plurality of concave dimples and a plurality of convex protrusions.

2. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of concave dimples includes at least two concave dimples having at least one of different shapes and different dimensions.

3. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of concave dimples includes at least two concave dimples having different shapes and different dimensions.

4. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of concave dimples and the plurality of convex protrusions is shaped as one of a circle, oval, ellipse, parallelogram, square, rectangle, triangle, rhombus, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, and decagon.

5. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 1 comprising a mounting bracket for attaching the housing to a vehicle windshield, the textured surface being provided on the mounting bracket.

6. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 5, wherein the mounting bracket includes spaced apart first and second sidewall panels and a bottom wall panel that interconnects and extends between the sidewall panels, the sidewall panels and the bottom wall panel being received by the camera viewing window, the textured surface being provided on at least one of the first sidewall panel, the second sidewall panel, and the bottom wall panel.

7. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 1, wherein the textured surface is provided on the housing.

8. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 7, wherein the housing includes a mounting face, the viewing window being defined by spaced apart first and second sidewalls that extend away from the mounting face and a bottom wall that interconnects and extends between the sidewalls, wherein the textured surface is provided on at least one of the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the bottom wall.

9. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 1 comprising a mounting bracket for attaching the housing to a vehicle windshield and a shield received in the housing, the shield being separate from the mounting bracket, the textured surface being provided on the shield.

10. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 9, wherein the shield has spaced apart first and second sidewall panels and a bottom wall panel that interconnects and extends between the sidewalls, wherein the textured surface is provided on at least one of the first sidewall panel, the second sidewall panel, and the bottom wall panel.

11. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 5, wherein the mounting bracket includes a vent configured to facilitate airflow to the camera.

12. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 5, wherein the mounting bracket includes resilient arms that engage ribs on the housing to connect the housing to the mounting bracket.

13. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 1, wherein a depth of the plurality of concave dimples is equal to a height of the plurality of convex protrusions.

14. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 1, wherein a height of one of the plurality of convex protrusions is greater than a height of one other of the plurality of convex protrusions.

15. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of concave dimples and the plurality of convex protrusions have an alternating arrangement in a first direction.

16. The vehicle driver assist system according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of concave dimples and the plurality of convex protrusions have an alternating arrangement in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction.