FRONT VIDEO CAMERA MODULE OF VEHICLE

• US 20160224848A1
• Filed: 01/22/2016
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: OH, Jaeheon
• Granted Patent: US 10,676,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/24 in front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0026 Windows, e.g. windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/202 displaying a blind spot scene on the vehicle part responsible for the blind spot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices

Abstract

A front video camera module for a vehicle includes a lens module having a lens that is configured to image a forward view of the vehicle, an image sensor that is configured to process the image received through the lens, and a lens case to which the lens and the image sensor are coupled. The front video camera module also includes a holder assembly that supports the lens module, the holder assembly being configured to attach to a front windshield of the vehicle via a windshield bracket, and a camera rotation assembly that is configured to rotate the lens module according to a sensed driving condition of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A front video camera module for a vehicle, comprising:

a lens module comprising a lens that is configured to image a forward view of the vehicle, an image sensor that is configured to process the image received through the lens, and a lens case to which the lens and the image sensor are coupled;

a holder assembly that supports the lens module, the holder assembly being configured to attach to a front windshield of the vehicle via a windshield bracket; and

a camera rotation assembly that is configured to rotate the lens module according to a sensed driving condition of the vehicle.

2. The front video camera module of claim 1, wherein the camera rotation assembly is configured to rotate the holder assembly in a horizontal direction about a vertical axis.

3. The front video camera module of claim 1, wherein the camera rotation assembly is configured to rotate the lens module relative to the holder assembly in a horizontal direction about a vertical axis.

4. The front video camera module of claim 1, wherein the lens module includes a pair of lens modules that are laterally separated by a predetermined distance in the holder assembly.

5. The front video camera module of claim 1, wherein the camera rotation assembly comprises:

an electric motion motor that is configured to be electrically driven; and

a motor shaft that is configured to rotate based on driving of the electric motion motor,

wherein the motor shaft defines a vertical axis about which the camera rotation assembly rotates the lens module.

6. The front video camera module of claim 5, wherein the electric motion motor is fixed to one of the holder assembly or the windshield bracket, and the motor shaft is correspondingly fixed to the other of the holder assembly or the windshield bracket.

7. The front video camera module of claim 5, wherein the electric motion motor is fixed to one of the lens module or the windshield bracket, and the motor shaft is correspondingly fixed to the other of the lens module or the windshield bracket.

8. The front video camera module of claim 1, wherein the camera rotation assembly is configured to rotate the lens module according to an estimated driving direction of the vehicle, the estimated driving direction being acquired based on driving information of the vehicle that is provided from a plurality of sensors configured to detect a driving state of the vehicle.

9. The front video camera module of claim 8, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise a steering angle sensor that is configured to acquire steering angle information from a steering angle handle of the vehicle, a yaw rate sensor that is configured to acquire yaw rate information of the vehicle, an X-axis G sensor that is configured to acquire forward and reverse acceleration information of the vehicle, a Y-axis G sensor that is configured to acquire width direction acceleration information of the vehicle, and a vehicle speed sensor that is configured to acquire vehicle speed information of the vehicle.

10. The front video camera module of claim 8, wherein the camera rotation assembly is configured to variably adjust a rotation angle of the lens module according to a driving speed of the vehicle.

11. The front video camera module of claim 8, wherein the camera rotation assembly is configured to proportionally adjust a rotation angle of the lens module according to a driving speed of the vehicle.

12. The front video camera module of claim 8, wherein the camera rotation assembly is configured to rotate, based on turning of the vehicle toward a driver side of the vehicle, the lens module by an angle at which at least an outer line of an opposing lane is imaged by the lens.

13. The front video camera module of claim 8, wherein the camera rotation assembly is configured to rotate, based on turning of the vehicle toward a passenger side of the vehicle, the lens module by an angle at which an outside line on the passenger side of a lane occupied by the vehicle is imaged by the lens.

14. The front video camera module of claim 8, wherein the camera rotation assembly is configured to rotate, based on turning of the vehicle toward a driver side of the vehicle, the lens modules by a first angle at which an outside line on a passenger side of a lane occupied by the vehicle is imaged by the lens, and is configured to rotate, based on turning of the vehicle toward the passenger side of the vehicle, the lens module by a second angle at which an outside line on the driver side of the lane occupied by the vehicle is imaged by the lens.

15. The front video camera module of claim 14, further comprising a switching unit that enables user selection of a rotation angle of the lens module that is performed by the camera rotation assembly.

16. The front video camera module of claim 4, wherein the camera rotation assembly is configured to rotate the pair of lens modules about a rotation shaft of each of the pair of lens modules according an estimated driving direction of the vehicle, the estimated driving direction being acquired based on information provided from a plurality of sensors that are configured to detect a driving state of the vehicle, and

wherein the image processed by the image sensor is corrected in a calibration mode based on a phase difference between a first focusing distance between a first lens of one of the pair of lens modules and a detected object and a second focusing distance between a second lens of the other of the pair of lens modules and the detected object, the phase difference occurring based on the pair of lens modules rotating about the corresponding rotation shaft.

17. The front video camera module of claim 1, wherein the windshield bracket is provided at an upper end portion of a center of the front windshield of the vehicle.

18. A front video camera module for a vehicle, comprising:

a lens module that is configured to image a forward view of the vehicle; and

a camera rotation assembly that is configured to rotate the lens module by a predetermined angle according to a turning direction of the vehicle,

wherein the camera rotation assembly is configured to rotate the lens module in order to image a blind spot that extends from a line of sight of a driver to an A-pillar at a turning side of the vehicle.

19. The front video camera module of claim 18, further comprising a display unit that is configured to display an image captured by the lens module,

wherein the image captured by the lens module through the display unit is displayed in real time.

20. The front video camera module of claim 19, wherein the display unit is provided in the A-Pillar and is configured to display captured images corresponding to the blind spot to the driver.

21. The front video camera module of claim 19, further comprising a storage unit that is configured to store the image captured by the lens module,

wherein the image captured by the lens module is stored at the storage unit.

22. The front video camera module of claim 19, further comprising an alarm unit that is configured to output a predetermined warning sound inside the vehicle, wherein the predetermined warning sound is output through the alarm unit during operation of the display unit.