US 12,472,882 B2
Camera unit and occupant monitoring system
Hideyuki Hirota, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 18/286,720
Filed by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Jun. 22, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/023500
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 12, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/269732, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 29, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0198925 A1, Jun. 20, 2024
Int. Cl. H04N 23/00 (2023.01); B60R 1/29 (2022.01); B60R 11/04 (2006.01); H04N 23/23 (2023.01); H04N 23/51 (2023.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01); B60R 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC B60R 11/04 (2013.01) [B60R 1/29 (2022.01); H04N 23/23 (2023.01); H04N 23/51 (2023.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01); B60R 2011/0022 (2013.01); B60R 2011/0045 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A camera unit that is housed and attached in an internal space of a pillar of a vehicle, the camera unit comprising:
a step-shaped mount portion that is attached in the internal space of the pillar;
a camera module to take an image of an object in the vehicle via an opening positioned inside the vehicle and formed in a cover included in the pillar; and
an illumination module to illuminate the object in the vehicle via the opening,
wherein the pillar corresponds to an A-pillar provided between a windshield and a door glass of the vehicle, and
wherein the step-shaped mount portion includes:
a first stepped surface having a first flat face directed to an inside of the vehicle;
a second stepped surface having a second flat face positioned lower than the first flat face, and on a vehicle external side with respect to the first flat face; and
a flat face extending from a lower end of the first stepped surface to an upper end of the second stepped surface,
the illumination module is provided on the first flat face, and the camera module is provided on the second flat face,
a vehicle-interior-side end portion of the illumination module is positioned higher than a vehicle-interior-side end portion of the camera module, and on a vehicle-interior side with respect to the vehicle-interior-side end portion of the camera module,
the vehicle-interior-side end portion of the illumination module is positioned on a vehicle-interior side with respect to the first stepped surface.