Vehicle surrounding viewing system

• US 6,472,995 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2001
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Imoto, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US09/832,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20010035904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 340/815.4, 340/815.42, 340/815.45, 340/943, 340/815.55, 340/461, 340/463, 340/540, 340/436, 340/435, 340/903, 340/905, 200/35, 248/549, 701/15, 359/843, 359/742, 359/726, 359/3, 359/18, 359/19, 362/3, 348/148, 348/151
• US Class Current: 340/815.4
• 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 1/006 Side-view mirrors, e.g. V-shaped mirrors located at the front or rear part of the vehicle combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08; side-view periscopes B60R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/25 to the sides of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/004 outside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views

Abstract

In the vehicle surrounding viewing system 1A, the light shielding member 27, that is coated on the areas other than the effective area of the surface of the prism 4 provided in the case 3, can transmit only the ray of light 18L, that enters into the transmit window 2L of the case 3, then passes through the prism side surface 8L, and then internally reflects at the prism side surface 8R, and subsequently is focused by the focusing lens 9 to be guided to the left half plane 10L of the image pick-up plane of the image pick-up element 10, and also the ray of light 18R, that enters into the transmit window 2R of the case 3, then passes through the prism side surface 8R, and then internally reflects at the prism side surface 8L, and subsequently is focused by the focusing lens 9 to be guided to the right half plane 10R of the image pick-up plane of the image pick-up element 10.

Claims

1. An image pick-up device in a vehicle surrounding viewing system comprising:

a light shielding case provided on the outside of the vehicle;

a pair of left and right transmit windows respectively disposed on right and left sides of the light shielding case;

a prism having an isosceles triangle section shape, the prism disposed in the light shielding case so that a vertical angle of the prism is directed to a front portion of the light shielding case and left and right prism side surfaces of the prism facing to two equal sides of the isosceles triangle respectively are directed to the right and left transmit window sides respectively;

an image pick-up element disposed at a rear portion of the prism, the image pick-up element having the image pick-up plane, the image pick-up element for receiving rays of light; and

converting into image signals;

a focusing lens for focusing onto the image pick-up plane the rays of light input from one surface of the left and right prism side surfaces, reflected at the other surface of the left and right prism side surfaces, and emitted from a prism rear surface of the prism; and

a light shielding member attached to the prism to cover a region except an effective area that passes through the rays of light that enter into the left and right transmit windows respectively, then pass through the left and right prism side surfaces respectively, then internally reflect at the left and right prism side surfaces on an opposite side, and then emit from the prism rear surface, and subsequently are focused by the focusing lens to be guided onto a left half plane and a right half plane of the image pick-up plane of the image pick-up element respectively.

2. The vehicle surrounding viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding member is formed integrally with the light shielding case on the peripheral portions of the left and right transmit windows to project from an inner side surface of the light shielding case.

4. The vehicle surrounding viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding member is constructed by setting angles of the right and left transmit windows with respect to the prism rear surface such that the rays of reflected light reflected at the right and left transmit windows passes through the right and left transmit windows, then totally reflect at the prism rear surface, then pass through the left and right prism side surfaces and the right and left transmit windows on opposite sides, and then emit to an outside respectively.

8. The vehicle surrounding imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the vertical angle δ

of the prism is larger than 60 degree.

3. A vehicle surrounding viewing system comprising an image pick-up device including:

a light shielding case provided on the outside of the vehicle;

a pair of left and right transmit windows respectively disposed on right and left sides of the light shielding case;

a prism having an isosceles triangle section shape, the prism disposed in the light shielding case so that a vertical angle of the prism is directed to a front portion of the light shielding case and left and right prism side surfaces of the prism facing to two equal sides of the isosceles triangle respectively are directed to the right and left transmit window sides respectively;

an image pick-up element disposed at a rear portion of the prism, the image pick-up element having the image pick-up plane, the image pick-up element for receiving rays of light; and

converting into image signals;

a focusing lens for focusing onto the image pick-up plane the rays of light input from one surface of the left and right prism side surfaces, reflected at the other surface of the left and right prism side surfaces, and emitted from a prism rear surface of the prism; and

a preventing structure arranged to cover portions of the left prism surface, the right prism surface, and the prism rear surface for preventing rays of reflected light, that pass through the right and left transmit windows and the left and right prism side surfaces in sequence respectively, then totally reflect at the prism rear surface, then pass through the left and right prism side surfaces on opposite sides, and then reflect at the right and left transmit window portions, from being focused onto the image pick-up plane.

5. The vehicle surrounding viewing system according to claim 3, wherein the preventing structure is constructed by a light shielding member disposed on a surface area of the prism to shield the rays of reflected light, that are reflected at the right and left transmit windows, then enter again into the prism from the left and right prism side surfaces, then internally reflect at the left and right prism side surfaces on the opposite side, and then emit from the prism rear surface to enter into the image pick-up element.

6. The vehicle surrounding viewing system according to claim 3, wherein the preventing structure is constructed by a reflection preventing film disposed onto at least any one of inner surface sides of the right and left transmit windows and the left and right prism side surfaces.

7. A vehicle surrounding imaging system for picking-up simultaneously images around a vehicle in two mutually opposite directions, the system comprising:

a prism formed as a triangular prism having an isosceles triangle sectional shape, and whose respective surfaces having first and second side surfaces that put a vertical angle of the isosceles triangle sectional shape between the first and second side surfaces, and a bottom surface opposing to the vertical angle, the prism causing the ray of light, that enters along one direction, out of rays of light that enter in two mutually opposite directions, to enter into the inside from the first side surface, then reflect toward the base surface at the second side surface, and then emit from the base surface to the outside, the prism causing the ray of light, that enters along the other direction, to enter into the inside from the second side surface, then reflect toward the base surface at the first side surface, and then emit from the base surface to the outside; and

an image pick-up device for receiving the ray of light emitted from the base surface of the prism, and picking up images in above two directions;

wherein a refractive index n of the prism, a half field angle θ

of the image pick-up device, and the vertical angle δ

of the prism are set to satisfy the following respective Inequalities;

$\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}=90-\frac{\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}{2}-{\sin }^{-1}<br><br>\left(\frac{1}{n}·<br><br>\sin <br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{\theta <br><br>}\right)><br><br>{\sin }^{-1}<br><br>\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)$$\frac{\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}{2}-{\sin }^{-1}<br><br>\left\{n·<br><br>\sin <br><br>\left(\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}-\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}\right)\right\}\le <br><br>0.$

9. A prism angle setting method for a vehicle surrounding imaging system for picking-up simultaneously images around a vehicle in two mutually opposite directions, the system comprising:

a prism formed as a triangular prism having an isosceles triangle sectional shape, and whose respective surfaces having first and second side surfaces that put a vertical angle of the isosceles triangle sectional shape between the first and second side surfaces, and a bottom surface opposing to the vertical angle, the prism causing the ray of light, that enters along one direction, out of rays of light that enter in two mutually opposite directions, to enter into the inside from the first side surface, then reflect toward the base surface at the second side surface, and then emit from the base surface to the outside, the prism causing the ray of light, that enters along the other direction, to enter into the inside from the second side surface, then reflect toward the base surface at the first side surface, and then emit from the base surface to the outside; and

an image pick-up device for receiving the ray of light emitted from the base surface of the prism, and picking up images in above two directions;

the method comprising;

setting the vertical angle δ

of the prism with respect to a refractive index n of the prism and a half field angle θ

of the image pick-up device within a range to satisfy following respective Inequalities;

$\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}=90-\frac{\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}{2}-{\sin }^{-1}<br><br>\left(\frac{1}{n}·<br><br>\sin <br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{\theta <br><br>}\right)><br><br>{\sin }^{-1}<br><br>\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)$$\frac{\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}{2}-{\sin }^{-1}<br><br>\left\{n·<br><br>\sin <br><br>\left(\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}-\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}\right)\right\}\le <br><br>0.$