The present invention relates to a stereo camera.
Background technology
[0002]
　A stereo camera, which is an in-vehicle imaging device, identifies a horizontal deviation (parallax) with respect to an object projected on a pair of captured images captured by a pair of imaging units, and based on this identified parallax, performs triangulation. The distance to the object can be measured using the principle.
[0003]
　In addition, the stereo camera also has a function to determine whether they are vehicles, pedestrians, or other objects from the shape and size of the captured objects at the same time as specifying the distance. ..
[0004]
　In such a stereo camera system, the pixel positions of feature points common to each other are specified from the pixel information contained in the pair of captured images, and the feature points are shifted between the pair of captured images. It is generally equipped with a dedicated LSI (Large Scale Integration) that performs processing to obtain a number (hereinafter referred to as parallax). In addition to the above-mentioned pair of image pickup units and LSIs, the stereo camera includes a circuit board internally equipped with a power supply circuit for driving them. Therefore, it is conceivable that the stereo camera becomes hot due to heat reception from sunlight and self-heating of each circuit.
[0005]
　In the circuit board in the stereo camera, when the temperature sensor detects that the mounted element has reached the specified temperature so that the mounted element does not exceed the heat resistant temperature, the control to limit or stop the function of the stereo camera may work. It is common.
[0006]
　Frequent function restrictions and outages in in-vehicle systems lead to impaired commercial value.Therefore, it is necessary to properly dissipate heat from the circuit board in the stereo camera. From the viewpoint of price and high reliability, high efficiency of natural cooling by the stereo camera housing is required.
[0007]
　International Publication No. 2017/163584 discloses a stereo camera having a heat dissipation structure that dissipates heat toward the lens.
Prior art literature
Patent documents
[0008]
Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2017/163584
Outline of the invention
Problems to be solved by the invention
[0009]
　However, in the stereo camera described in International Publication No. 2017/163584, there is room for improvement in heat dissipation efficiency.
[0010]
　The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a stereo camera having improved heat dissipation efficiency.
Means to solve problems
[0011]
　In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a stereo camera including a plurality of imaging units, a housing for accommodating the plurality of imaging units, and a circuit board on which electronic components are mounted. The body has a pedestal portion connected to a heat radiating portion, the pedestal portion has an end face on a side opposite to the side of the heat radiating portion, the end face is a surface parallel to the vertical direction, and the electrons of the circuit board. The mounting surface on which the components are mounted is a surface parallel to the vertical direction.
The invention's effect
[0012]
　According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a stereo camera with improved heat dissipation efficiency.
[0013]
　Issues, configurations, actions and effects of the present invention other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of Examples.
A brief description of the drawing
[0014]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a stereo camera according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front side.
FIG. 2 is a rear view of a stereo camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a stereo camera according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the rear side.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a stereo camera according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.
5 is a plan sectional view showing the stereo camera of FIG. 4 cut at a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view on the right side of a stereo camera according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side of the held portion.
FIG. 7 is a side view showing an example of the positional relationship between the windshield of a vehicle and a stereo camera.
FIG. 8 is a side view showing an example different from FIG. 7 in the positional relationship between the windshield of the vehicle and the stereo camera.
Mode for carrying out the invention
[0015]
　Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications and applications are included in the technical concept of the present invention. Is also included in that range. Further, when the term is orthogonal or parallel, in addition to perfect orthogonality and perfect parallelism, deviation within 45 degrees from perfect orthogonality and perfect parallelism is allowed. Further, in the present embodiment, the directions of each figure are indicated by the up / down, front / back, left / right arrows shown in each figure.
[0016]
　FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the stereo camera 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the stereo camera 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the stereo camera 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the rear side. In the perspective view of FIG. 1 and the rear view of FIG. 2, the cover 18 on the back surface (rear surface) is not shown. The stereo camera 10 of the present embodiment is attached to the windshield of the vehicle and captures an image in the traveling direction. In the present embodiment, the traveling direction of the vehicle is referred to as a forward direction, and the direction opposite to the traveling direction is referred to as a rear direction. Further, the vertical direction is called the vertical direction. Further, the right-hand direction when facing forward is called the right direction, and the left-hand direction is called the left direction.
[0017]
　The stereo camera 10 is, for example, an aluminum die-cast housing 11, a pair of lenses 12 arranged on the left and right sides of the housing 11, and an image formed through the lenses 12 arranged behind each of the pair of lenses 12. It is configured to include a pair of left and right imaging elements 13 for capturing the image, a circuit board 14 on which an electronic component 17 that realizes the function of the stereo camera 10 is mounted, and a cover 18 that closes the opening 11a of the housing 11. NS. The cover 18 has a flat plate shape, and this shape improves the mounting workability.
[0018]
　The housing 11 has a plurality of fins 15 that are heat radiating portions. The housing 11 has a heat radiating portion, and the shape of the heat radiating portion is not limited to the fin shape, and may be any known shape. The housing 11 has a pedestal portion 15a which is a plate-shaped portion extending in a direction parallel to the vertical direction and parallel to the horizontal direction. The pedestal portion 15a is connected to an end portion 15c (described later in FIG. 5) which is an end portion on the rear side (root side) of the plurality of fins 15. The pedestal portion 15a has an end face 15b which is a rear end face. The end surface 15b is a surface parallel to the vertical direction and parallel to the horizontal direction (a surface orthogonal to the front-rear direction). The plurality of fins 15 and the pedestal portion 15a form a heat dissipation structure. Each of the plurality of fins 15 is a plate-shaped portion extending in a direction parallel to the vertical direction and parallel to the front-rear direction, and the end portion 15c is connected to the pedestal portion 15a. The end portion 15c extends in the vertical direction. The plurality of fins 15 and the pedestal portion 15a are integrated with the housing 11, and the plurality of fins 15 and the pedestal portion 15a are also made of die-cast aluminum.
[0019]
　A plurality of fins 15 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. The distance between the plurality of fins 15 is open in the vertical direction, and convection is generated by the airflow flowing through the distance between the plurality of fins 15, and the heat dissipation efficiency of the fins 15 can be improved. The distance between the plurality of fins 15 is set to an appropriate value with good heat dissipation efficiency.
[0020]
　The housing 11 has a held portion 16a at the center of a plurality of fins 15 in the front-rear direction, and has held portions 16b and 16c at both ends in the left-right direction. The held portions 16a, 16b and 16c are held by the holding portion of the holder attached to the windshield, whereby the stereo camera 10 is held by the holder in a three-point support. The positions of the held portions 16a, 16b and 16c are not limited to the positions shown in the drawings, and fins 15 may be provided at the positions of the held portions 16a instead of the held portions 16a.
[0021]
　The housing 11 has an opening 11a at the rear, and the lens 12, the image sensor 13, and the circuit board 14 are housed in the housing 11 from the opening 11a. The opening 11a of the housing 11 is closed from behind by the cover 18 with the lens 12, the image sensor 13, and the circuit board 14 housed in the housing 11. The lens 12 is arranged so that its optical axis is parallel to the front-rear direction. The stereo camera 10 is provided with a pair of combinations of the lens 12 and the image pickup element 13, but the present invention is not limited to this, and three or more combinations of the lens 12 and the image pickup element 13 may be provided. ..
[0022]
　As shown in FIG. 2, the circuit board 14 is fixed to the housing 11 by the fixing portions 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d. The fixing portions 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d are composed of a screw hole provided in the housing 11 and a screw that penetrates the circuit board 14 and is screwed into the screw hole of the housing 11. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the cover 18 is fixed to the housing 11 by the fixing portions 18a, 18b, 18c and 18d. The fixing portions 18a, 18b, 18c and 18d are composed of a screw hole provided in the housing 11 and a screw that penetrates the cover 18 and is screwed into the screw hole of the housing 11.
[0023]
　The circuit board 14 mounts the electronic component 17. The electronic component 17 generates self-heating by being supplied with electric power and operating. The mounting surface of the circuit board 14 on which the electronic component 17 is mounted is a surface parallel to the vertical direction and parallel to the horizontal direction. The circuit board 14 may be arranged at a position where the mounting surface faces the end surface 15b of the pedestal portion 15a. The circuit board 14 may be arranged at a position where the back surface of the mounting surface faces the end surface 15b of the pedestal portion 15a. By arranging the circuit board 14 in this way, the size of the stereo camera 10 in the front-rear direction can be reduced as compared with the case where the circuit board 14 is arranged so that the mounting surface thereof is parallel to the front-rear direction. can. Further, by arranging the circuit board 14 in this way, the electronic component 17 mounted on the circuit board 14 can be brought closer to the end surface 15b of the pedestal portion 15a. As a result, the heat generated by the electronic component 17 can be efficiently transmitted to the pedestal portion 15a, and the heat can be efficiently dissipated by the plurality of fins 15 connected to the pedestal portion 15a.
[0024]
　When the stereo camera 10 is viewed from the rear side, the fixed portions 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d and the fixed portions 18a, 18b, 18c and 18d are arranged alternately. With this arrangement, the fixing portions 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d and the fixing portions 18a, 18b, 18c and 18d do not overlap in the front-rear direction, and the circuit board 14 and the cover 18 are individually fixed to the housing 11. be able to. Therefore, the size of the stereo camera 10 in the front-rear direction can be reduced. Further, by fixing the circuit board 14 to the housing 11 by the fixing portions 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d, the circuit board so that the mounting surface of the circuit board 14 is parallel to the vertical direction and parallel to the horizontal direction. 14 can be arranged.
[0025]
　Further, by arranging the circuit board 14 so that the mounting surface of the circuit board 14 is parallel to the vertical direction and parallel to the horizontal direction, the strength against bending of the stereo camera 10 in the vertical direction can be increased.
[0026]
　FIG. 4 is a plan view of the stereo camera 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view showing the stereo camera 10 of FIG. 4 cut at a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction. The width of the end portion 15d, which is the end portion of the front side (tip side) of each of the plurality of fins 15, is narrower in the left-right direction than the width of the end portion 15c in the left-right direction. As a result, the connection area with the pedestal portion 15a is increased at the end portion 15c to improve the efficiency of heat transfer, and the distance between the end portion 15d and the adjacent fins 15 is widened to widen the convection area and the heat dissipation efficiency is improved. It is improving.
[0027]
　In FIGS. 4 and 5, θ represents the angle of view of the lens 12. The fins 15 are arranged at positions that do not cover the angle of view θ. For example, in the front-rear direction, the front tip of the lens 12 is located at the same position as the front tip of the fin 15. Further, for example, in the front-rear direction, the front tip of the lens 12 is located in the front direction of the front tip of the fin 15.
[0028]
　FIG. 6 is a right side sectional view of the stereo camera 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side of the held portion 16b. In the present embodiment, the circuit board 14 is arranged at a position where the mounting surface of the circuit board 14 is orthogonal to the front-rear direction, and the end surface 15b of the pedestal portion 15a is a surface orthogonal to the front-rear direction. Therefore, the mounting surface of the circuit board 14 and the end surface 15b of the pedestal portion 15a are arranged in parallel. As a result, the electronic component 17 mounted on the mounting surface of the circuit board 14 can be brought closer to the end surface 15b as compared with the case where the mounting surface of the circuit board 14 and the end surface 15b of the pedestal portion 15a are not parallel to each other. It is possible to improve the efficiency of dissipating the heat generated by the component 17 to the outside. A gap may be provided between the electronic component 17 and the end face 15b, the electronic component 17 and the end face 15b may be brought into contact with each other, or the electronic component 17 and the end face 15b may be brought into contact with each other as shown in FIG. The space may be filled with a heat conductive member 16h such as a heat radiating grease, a heat radiating gel, or a heat radiating sheet. By doing so, the heat dissipation efficiency can be further improved.
[0029]
　The fin 15 has tapered portions 15e and 15f, whereby the length of the end portion 15d in the vertical direction is shorter than the length of the end portion 15c in the vertical direction. The tapered portion 15e is an upper tapered portion of the fin 15. The tapered portion 15f is a tapered portion on the lower side of the fin 15. It is desirable that the angle of the tapered portion 15e is an angle corresponding to the angle of the windshield of the vehicle to which the stereo camera 10 is attached. The plurality of fins 15 have a tapered portion 15e having a high rear portion and a low front portion at the upper portion
　. FIG. 7 is a side view showing an example of the positional relationship between the windshield of the vehicle and the stereo camera 10. FIG. 8 is a side view showing an example different from FIG. 7 in the positional relationship between the windshield of the vehicle and the stereo camera 10. In the example of FIG. 7, the windshield 21a of the vehicle shows a case where the vehicle is, for example, a sedan type vehicle and the angle formed with the horizontal is about 30 degrees. In the example of FIG. 8, the windshield 21b of the vehicle shows a case where the vehicle is, for example, a truck type vehicle and the angle formed with the horizontal is about 75 degrees.
[0030]
　As shown in FIG. 7, the angle at which the tapered portion 15e of the stereo camera 10 is horizontal is the same as the angle at which the windshield 21a is horizontal. That is, the tapered portion 15e and the windshield 21a are parallel to each other. According to this structure, the fin 15 can be brought close to the windshield 21a, and the stereo camera 10 can be attached to the windshield 21a. When the fins 15 approach the windshield 21a, the exhaust heat from the fins 15 is transmitted to the windshield 21a, and an anti-fog effect can be expected.
[0031]
　Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the stereo camera 10 having the tapered portion 15e having an angle corresponding to the windshield 21a of FIG. 7 can also be attached to the windshield 21b whose horizontal angle is larger than that of the windshield 21a. .. By providing the tapered portion 15e, the stereo camera 10 can be attached to the windshield 21b without the fins 15 colliding with the windshield 21b. Further, since the fins 15 do not protrude in front of the lens 12 in the front-rear direction, the lens 12 can be brought closer to the windshield 21b, and the lens 12 can be arranged so that the angle of view of the lens 12 is within the wiper wiping area. can.
[0032]
　The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to the one including all the described configurations. Further, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is possible to add / delete / replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.
Code description
[0033]
10 Stereo camera
11 Housing
12 Lens
13 Image sensor
14 Circuit board
15 Fins
16a, 16b, 16c Held
17 Electronic components
The scope of the claims
[Claim 1]
　A stereo camera including a plurality of imaging units, a housing for accommodating the plurality of imaging units, and a circuit board on which electronic components are mounted, and the
　housing has a pedestal portion connected to a heat radiating portion. The
　pedestal portion has an
　end surface on the side opposite to the side of the heat radiating portion, the end surface is a surface parallel to the vertical direction, and
　the mounting surface on which the electronic component of the circuit board is mounted is parallel to the vertical direction. A stereo camera characterized by being a surface.
[Claim 2]
　In the stereo camera according to claim 1, the
　heat radiating portion is a plurality of fins extending from the pedestal portion, and the
　end surface is a surface of the pedestal portion opposite to the side on which the plurality of fins extend. , A stereo camera that features.
[Claim 3]
　The stereo camera according to claim 2,
　wherein the end surface is a surface orthogonal to the optical axis of the imaging unit, the
　mounting surface is a surface orthogonal to the optical axis of the imaging unit, and the
　end surface is , A stereo camera characterized in that it is a surface facing the mounting surface.
[Claim 4]
　The stereo camera according to claim 3,
　wherein a heat conductive member is arranged between the end surface and the electronic component mounted on the mounting surface.
[Claim 5]
　The stereo camera according to claim 4,
　wherein the heat conductive member is thermal paste.
[Claim 6]
　The stereo camera according to claim 2,
　wherein the plurality of fins are arranged at positions that do not cover the angles of view of the plurality of imaging units.
[Claim 7]
　The stereo camera according to claim 6
　, wherein the front tips of the plurality of imaging units are located in the front direction of the front tips of the plurality of fins in the front-rear direction. Stereo camera.
[Claim 8]
　The stereo camera according to claim 2,
　wherein the plurality of fins have a tapered portion having a high rear portion and a low front portion at least at an upper portion.