Abstract
A blind-spot image device with adjustment rings is applicable to a vehicle and includes a housing and a camera module in addition to two adjustment rings, wherein the housing has an opening and is protrudingly provided with an extension portion corresponding in position to the opening; the rear half of the camera module extends into the opening; the front side of the camera module is provided with a lens element; and the adjustment rings are mounted around the camera module and hold the extension portion between them, with one adjustment ring lying outside the housing and the other adjustment ring inside the housing. The blind-spot image device is characterized in that the corresponding sides of the two adjustment rings are inclined, and that the shooting angle of the lens element can be changed by rotating the adjustment rings.
Claims
1. A blind-spot image device with adjustment rings, wherein the blind-spot image device is applicable to a vehicle and comprises: a housing to be fixed on an automotive component exposed on an outer surface of the vehicle, wherein the housing is formed with an opening, is protrudingly provided with an extension portion corresponding in position to the opening, and is provided therein with an accommodating space that is in communication with the opening; a camera module at least a rear half of which extends into the opening, wherein the camera module has a front side provided with a lens element; a first adjustment ring mounted around the camera module at a position adjacent to the lens element and outside the housing, wherein the first adjustment ring has a side abutting against an outer side of the extension portion; and a second adjustment ring mounted around the camera module at a position inside the housing, wherein the second adjustment ring has a side corresponding to the first adjustment ring and abutting against an inner side of the extension portion such that the extension portion is clamped between the second adjustment ring and the first adjustment ring; the blind-spot image device being characterized in that: the side of the first adjustment ring is inclined, the side of the second adjustment ring is also inclined, and a shooting angle of the lens element is adjustable by rotating the first adjustment ring and the second adjustment ring.
2. The blind-spot image device of claim 1, further comprising a fixing portion, wherein the fixing portion is mounted around the camera module at a position inside the housing, and the fixing portion has a side abutting against an opposite side of the second adjustment ring to keep the second adjustment ring in position.
3. The blind-spot image device of claim 2, wherein the camera module is provided with an external thread, and the fixing portion is a nut screwed onto the camera module.
4. The blind-spot image device of claim 1, wherein both the first adjustment ring and the second adjustment ring are made of metal.
5. The blind-spot image device of claim 2, wherein both the first adjustment ring and the second adjustment ring are made of metal.
6. The blind-spot image device of claim 3, wherein both the first adjustment ring and the second adjustment ring are made of metal.
7. The blind-spot image device of claim 4, wherein the housing has a side provided with a flat area and protrudingly provided with a protruding portion, the protruding portion and the flat area form an included angle, and the opening is located at a free end of the protruding portion.
8. The blind-spot image device of claim 5, wherein the housing has a side provided with a flat area and protrudingly provided with a protruding portion, the protruding portion and the flat area form an included angle, and the opening is located at a free end of the protruding portion.
9. The blind-spot image device of claim 6, wherein the housing has a side provided with a flat area and protrudingly provided with a protruding portion, the protruding portion and the flat area form an included angle, and the opening is located at a free end of the protruding portion.
10. The blind-spot image device of claim 7, wherein the protruding portion has an axis forming an included angle larger than 90 degrees with the flat area.
11. The blind-spot image device of claim 8, wherein the protruding portion has an axis forming an included angle larger than 90 degrees with the flat area.
12. The blind-spot image device of claim 9, wherein the protruding portion has an axis forming an included angle larger than 90 degrees with the flat area.
13. The blind-spot image device of claim 10, further comprising a radar module, wherein the radar module is inside the housing and corresponds in position to the flat area.
14. The blind-spot image device of claim 11, further comprising a radar module, wherein the radar module is inside the housing and corresponds in position to the flat area.
15. The blind-spot image device of claim 12, further comprising a radar module, wherein the radar module is inside the housing and corresponds in position to the flat area.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The objectives, technical features, and effects of the present invention can be better understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments and the accompanying drawings, in which:
(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blind-spot image device according to the present invention,
(3) FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the blind-spot image device in FIG. 2;
(4) FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the blind-spot image device in FIG. 2:
(5) FIG. 4 shows a shooting angle of the blind-spot image device in FIG. 2; and
(6) FIG. 5 shows another shooting angle of the blind-spot image device in FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(7) The present invention provides a blind-spot image device having adjustment rings. According to an embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, the blind-spot image device 1 is configured to be mounted on an automotive component exposed on the outer surface of a vehicle, such as the base of a side-view mirror, the rear bumper, or the top of the vehicle. The blind-spot image device 1 serves mainly to take images of the blind spots of the vehicle, i.e., areas that a driver of the vehicle cannot see directly or in the rear-, left-, or right-view mirror. Please note that the exterior design of the blind-spot image device 1 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1 and may be adjusted according to product requirements.
(8) As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the blind-spot image device 1 includes a housing 11, a camera module 13, a first adjustment ring 15, and a second adjustment ring 17. The housing 11 is configured to be fixed on the aforesaid automotive component and is formed with an opening 110. Also, the housing 11 is protrudingly provided with an extension portion 111 corresponding in position to the opening 110, wherein the extension portion 111 extends toward the center of the circle defined by the opening 110 (or the axis of the opening 110). An accommodating space 112 is provided in the housing 11 to accommodate the necessary components of the blind-spot image device 1. The accommodating space 112 is in communication with the opening 110. In this embodiment, one side of the housing 11 is provided with a flat area 113 and is protrudingly provided with a protruding portion 114. The protruding portion 114 and the flat area 113 form an included angle θ1 (see FIG. 4), and the included angle θ1 is larger than 90 degrees (by way of example but not limitation). The opening 110 is located at the free end of the protruding portion 114. In other embodiments of the present invention, however, the protruding portion 114 may be dispensed with or modified in shape to meet product requirements.
(9) With continued reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the rear half of the camera module 13 is configured to extend into the opening 110, and the front side of the camera module 13 is provided with a lens element 131. It should be pointed out that cables related to the camera module 13 (e.g., the power cable and the image transmission cable) are omitted from the drawings for the sake of simplicity. The camera module 13 in the present invention can be any camera module provided that it can take images of the surroundings and send the images to a predetermined device in the vehicle (e.g., an onboard computer). The first adjustment ring 15 is mounted around the camera module 13 at a position adjacent to the lens element 131 and outside the housing 11. The first adjustment ring 15 has one side abutting against the outer side of the extension portion 111. The second adjustment ring 17 is mounted around the camera module 13 at a position adjacent to the rear half of the camera module 13 and inside the housing 11. One side of the second adjustment ring 17 that corresponds to the first adjustment ring 15 abuts against the inner side of the extension portion 111. The extension portion 111, therefore, is clamped between the second adjustment ring 17 and the first adjustment ring 15 (see FIG. 4) to fix the camera module 13 on the housing 11 and prevent the camera module 13 from separating from the housing 11. In this embodiment, the first adjustment ring 15 and the second adjustment ring 17 are made of metal in order to be highly durable and robust; in other embodiments, the adjustment rings may be made of other materials instead.
(10) In this embodiment, referring again to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the aforesaid side of the first adjustment ring 15 is inclined such that the peripheral wall of the first adjustment ring 15 does not have a uniform height. For example, the first adjustment ring 15 is shown in FIG. 3 as having a smaller thickness on the right than on the left. The aforesaid side of the second adjustment ring 17 is also inclined such that the peripheral wall of the second adjustment ring 17 does not have a uniform height, either. By rotating the first adjustment ring 15 and the second adjustment ring 17 as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the camera module 13 can be fine-tuned in position with respect to the housing 11, and the shooting angle of the lens element 131 will be changed as a result. For example, by rotating the first adjustment ring 15 from the position shown in FIG. 4, in which the first adjustment ring 15 has a smaller thickness on the right than on the left, to the position shown in FIG. 5, in which the first adjustment ring 15 has a greater thickness on the right than on the left, the angle G1 in FIG. 4 is increased to the angle G2 in FIG. 5. In the meantime, the second adjustment ring 17 is rotated in the same direction as the first adjustment ring 15 to keep the camera module 13 mounted securely on the housing 11. Therefore, once the blind-spot image device 1 is mounted on the vehicle, the shooting angle of the lens element 131 can be rapidly and easily adjusted by rotating the first adjustment ring 15 and the second adjustment ring 17, allowing the camera module 13 to take images of the blind spots of the vehicle effectively. According to the above, the blind-spot image device 1 of the present invention can adapt to various vehicle models, does not require a complicated mounting process, and hence features great convenience in installation and use.
(11) In addition, referring back to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a fixing portion 19 is mounted around the camera module 13 to ensure that the first adjustment ring 15 and the second adjustment ring 17 will clamp the extension portion 111 securely between them without getting loose. The fixing portion 19 is in the housing 11 and has one side abutting against the side of the second adjustment ring 17 that faces away from the first adjustment ring 15, thereby keeping the second adjustment ring 17 in position (i.e., between the extension portion 111 and the fixing portion 19) and preventing the second adjustment ring 17 from separating from the camera module 13. In this embodiment, the fixing portion 19 is a nut, and the camera module 13 is provided with an external thread so that the nut can be connected threadedly to the camera module 13 and press tightly against the second adjustment ring 17.
(12) Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the blind-spot image device 1 further includes a radar module 12 located in the housing 11 and corresponding in position to the flat area 113. As the included angle θ1 of the structure formed by the flat area 113 and the protruding portion 114 allows the radar module 12 to emit and receive radar beams over a wide angle, effective detection by the radar module 12 is ensured. That is to say, the blind-spot image device 1 of the present invention can be integrated with a conventional parking sensor to provide radar sensing as well as image monitoring and therefore has high industrial applicability.
(13) While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.
