CAMERA FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE AND MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a camera (2) for a motor vehicle (1), which includes a printed circuit board (16), on which a current connector (29) and a communication bus connector (30) and a video interface connector (31) each for connecting to the motor vehicle (1) are disposed, wherein the video interface connector (31) is connected to a capacitor (25) and a parallel-to-serial converter (26), wherein the video interface connector (31) and/or the capacitor (25) and/or the parallel-to-serial converter (26) are surrounded by a device (32) shielding electromagnetic radiation.

Claims

1. An arrangement comprising: a vessel for holding a liquid; at least one of a controllable lock to controllably enable a release of said vessel from a support and a controllable lock to controllably enable opening of said vessel; a controller to control the at least one controllable lock; and a sensor unit including at least one sensor to sense a mechanical interaction occurring when the vessel is gripped and to issue a sense signal that is indicative for said mechanical interaction, wherein said controller controls the at least one controllable lock dependent on said sense signal and on one or more safety conditions.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor is arranged in a handle for carrying the vessel and the at least one sensor is arranged to measure a contact area between a users hand and the handle, wherein the sense signal is indicative for a size of said contact area, wherein the one or more safety conditions include a first threshold value and wherein the controller prevents unlocking of the controllable lock, therewith disabling release of said vessel from said support, when said indicated size is less than the first threshold value.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor is arranged in a handle for carrying the vessel and the at least one sensor is arranged to measure a magnitude of force exerted by a users hand on the handle, wherein the sense signal is indicative for the magnitude of said force, wherein the one or more safety conditions include a second threshold value and wherein the controller prevents unlocking of the controllable lock, therewith disabling release of said vessel from said support, if said indicated magnitude is less than the second threshold value.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor is arranged to measure an amount of vibration, wherein the sense signal is indicative for amount of vibration wherein the one or more safety conditions include a third threshold value and wherein the controller prevents unlocking of the controllable lock, therewith disabling release of said vessel from said support if said indicated amount exceeds the third threshold value.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor is arranged to measure a magnitude of a force aiming to remove the vessel from the support, wherein the sense signal is indicative for the magnitude of said force wherein the one or more safety conditions include a fourth threshold value and wherein the controller prevents unlocking of the controllable lock, therewith disabling release of said vessel from said support when said indicated magnitude is less than the fourth threshold value.

6. The arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the one or more safety conditions include a fifth threshold value greater than said fourth threshold value, wherein the controller prevents unlocking of the controllable lock, therewith disabling release of said vessel from said support if said indicated magnitude exceeds the exceeds the fifth threshold value.

7. The arrangement according to claim 1, characterized wherein the controller does not enable unlocking of the controllable lock, until said one or more safety conditions are met during a predetermined consecutive minimum amount of time.

8. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a second sensor to measure a property of the liquid inside the vessel and to issue a sense signal indicative for a value of said measured property and wherein the controller is arranged to adapt at least one safety condition of said one or more safety conditions depending on the value of said measured property indicated by the sense signal.

9. The arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the sensor is a weight sensor and the measured property is a weight of the liquid inside the vessel.

10. The arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor and the measured property is a temperature of the liquid inside the vessel.

11. The arrangement according to claim 1 including a facility for logging and/or analyzing the sense signals.

12. The arrangement according to claim 11, further comprising additionally including a user identification unit for associating the sensed signals to an individual.

13. The arrangement according to claim 11, wherein said one or more safety conditions are adapted in accordance with said logged and analyzed signals.

14. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a feedback element coupled to the controller and arranged to indicate to the user whether the at least one safety condition is met.

15. A method for preventing unintended spill of liquid from a vessel for holding a liquid, the arrangement comprising at least one of a controllable lock to controllably enable a release of said vessel from a support, and a controllable lock to controllably enable opening of said vessel, the method comprising: sensing a mechanical interaction occurring when gripping the vessel; issuing a sense signal that is indicative of said mechanical interaction; and controlling said at least one controllable lock dependent on said sense signal and one or more safety conditions.

Description

[0024] Below, embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail based on schematic drawings.

[0025] There show:

[0026] FIG. 1 in schematic plan view an embodiment of a motor vehicle according to the invention with a camera;

[0027] FIG. 2 a schematic illustration of the camera, which is connected to the motor vehicle by a current connector and a communication bus connector and a video interface connector;

[0028] FIG. 3 a schematic sectional illustration of the camera, which includes the current connector and the communication bus connector and the video interface connector and a capacitor and a parallel-to-serial converter;

[0029] FIG. 4 a schematic illustration of a printed circuit board of the camera according to the prior art; and

[0030] FIG. 5 a schematic illustration of the printed circuit board with a parallel-to-serial converter shielded by a device shielding electromagnetic radiation according to an implementation of the invention.

[0031] In FIG. 1, a plan view of a motor vehicle 1 with a camera 2 according to an embodiment of the invention is schematically illustrated. The arrangement of the camera 2 on the motor vehicle 1 is arbitrary, however preferably such that an environmental region 3 of the motor vehicle 1 and/or an interior area 4 of the motor vehicle 1 can be captured.

[0032] The motor vehicle 1 can also include multiple such cameras 2.

[0033] The camera 2 can be a CMOS camera or else a CCD camera or any image capturing device.

[0034] FIG. 2 schematically shows the camera 2. In the embodiment, the camera 2 includes a housing 5, a rear-side cover 6, a lens 7 and a connection component 8. The camera 2 is connected to the motor vehicle 1 by the connection component 8. A current line 9 is led to a fuse box 11 of the motor vehicle 1 by the connection component 8. Moreover, a measurement line 10 is led from the connector component 8 to the fuse box 11. Furthermore, a communication bus line 12 connects the camera 2 to an onboard power supply controller 13 (BCM—body control module) of the motor vehicle 1. Furthermore, the camera 2 is connected to a main unit 15 of the motor vehicle 1 via a video interface connection 14.

[0035] The video interface connection 14 is formed as an LVDS (low voltage differential signaling) connection according to the embodiment. The video signal of the camera 2 is transmitted via the LVDS connection. The communication bus line 12 is configured as a CAN (controller area network) bus connection according to the embodiment.

[0036] FIG. 3 shows the interior of the camera 2 with its components. The camera 2 includes a printed circuit board 16 and a first additional printed circuit board 17 and a second additional printed circuit board 18. The printed circuit board 16 and the first additional printed circuit board 17 and the second additional printed circuit board 18 are each disposed against each other with connecting elements 19.

[0037] An imager 20 and a chip, in particular a 3.3 Volt chip 21, are located on the second additional printed circuit board 18. A memory 22 and a digital signal processor 23 are disposed on the first additional printed circuit board 17.

[0038] A capacitor 25 and a parallel-to-serial converter 26 are disposed on the printed circuit board 16 on a first printed circuit board side 24. The capacitor 25 is an alternating current capacitor according to the embodiment. The capacitor 25 is electrically connected to the parallel-to-serial converter 26 by a capacitor-converter connection 27. The capacitor 25 serves for protecting the parallel-to-serial converter 26 from short-circuits. The parallel-to-serial converter 26 can for example be a chip receiving a 24 bit data stream and converting it or transforming it in a two-channel video output signal.

[0039] On a second printed circuit board side 28 of the printed circuit board 16, a current connector 29, a communication bus connector 30 and a video interface connector 31 are disposed. According to the embodiment of FIG. 3, the second printed circuit board side 28 on the printed circuit board 16 is disposed opposite to the first printed circuit board side 24. The current connector 29 is connected to the current line 9 and thus also to the ground line 10. The communication connector 30 is connected to the communication bus line 12. The video interface connector 31 is connected to the video interface connection 14.

[0040] The video interface connector 31 as well as the capacitor 25 and the parallel-to-serial converter 26 are surrounded by a device 32 shielding electromagnetic radiation. Only the video interface connector 31 and the capacitor 25 and the parallel-to-serial converter 26 are shielded or encased by the device 32 such that electric and/or electromagnetic radiation cannot penetrate to the outside to the other mentioned components in the camera 2. The other components of the camera 2, for example the communication bus connector 30 and/or the current connector 29 and/or the imager 20, are protected or shielded from the electromagnetic radiation of the video interface connector 31 and/or the capacitor 25 and/or the parallel-to-serial converter 26.

[0041] According to the embodiment of FIG. 3, the device 32 has a first partial device 33 surrounding the video interface connector 31. The first partial device 33 is formed as a surface-mounted device of the printed circuit board 16 according to the embodiment. A second partial device 34 of the device 32 surrounds the capacitor 25 and the parallel-to-serial converter 26. The first partial device 33 and the second partial device 34 are connected to each other in electrically conducting manner. At a partial device junction 35 of the printed circuit board 16, the device 32 is partially integrated in the printed circuit board 16 or integrated in it with a first partial element 36 of the device 32. This means that the device 32 extends on the partial device junction 35 and in the environment within the printed circuit board 16. A second partial element 37 is formed as a surface-mounted device of the printed circuit board 16.

[0042] Furthermore—not further illustrated in FIG. 3—the device 32 is connected to a ground potential of the printed circuit board 16.

[0043] According to the embodiment, the device 32 is formed or manufactured from zinc and/or aluminum and/or brass.

[0044] By the device 32, the electromagnetic radiation from the video interface connector 31 and the capacitor 25 and the parallel-to-serial converter 26 is reduced such that the communication bus connector 30 and the current connector 29 can be used without the device 32 and/or a further device shielding electromagnetic radiation.

[0045] The arrangement of the current connector 29 and/or the communication bus connector 30 and/or the video interface connector 31 and/or the capacitor 25 and/or the parallel-to-serial converter 26 is to be understood as an embodiment and can be arbitrarily disposed within or on the camera 2 if this is feasible during the manufacturing process.

[0046] FIG. 4 shows the printed circuit board 16 with one of the connecting elements 19 and with the parallel-to-serial converter 26. According to FIG. 4, the printed circuit board 16 and the parallel-to-serial converter 26 are shown as they are present in the prior art, namely without the device 32. The electromagnetic radiation of the parallel-to-serial converter 26 can therefore radiate in unimpeded manner and propagate in unimpeded manner. Thus, other components of the camera 2 and/or other components of the motor vehicle 1 are impaired in their function by radiated and non-shielded electromagnetic radiation.

[0047] FIG. 5 shows the printed circuit board 16 with the connecting element 19 and the parallel-to-serial converter 26 shielded by the device 32 as an implementation of the invention. According to the embodiment of FIG. 5, the second partial device 34 of the device 32 is shown to shield or encase the parallel-to-serial converter 26. According to the embodiment according to the invention of FIG. 5, the electromagnetic radiation generated by the parallel-to-serial converter 26 is prevented from propagating in the camera 2 and/or in the motor vehicle 1 by the device 32. Other components of the camera 2, for example the communication bus connector 30 and/or the current connector 29, now are thus shielded or protected from the electromagnetic radiation of the parallel-to-serial converter 26. Thus, the device 32 shields the electromagnetic radiation, where it substantially arises.

[0048] According to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. 5, thus, a camera can be provided with the camera 2, which has a particularly good and high electromagnetic compatibility, respectively.