WO2017038216A1 - Imaging unit, and vehicle windshield and vehicle equipped with same - Google Patents

Abstract

This imaging unit (100) includes: an imaging device (110) having an imaging lens (112); a housing (120) that stores the imaging device (110) and has an opening (130) allowing light incident on the imaging lens (112) to pass therethrough; and an extension part extending from the opening (130) along an imaging direction (N) of the imaging device (110). The extension part has an extension surface whereon a dispersion unit (136) is provided, which scatters light via structures thereon. Each structure is inclined toward the imaging direction (N) with respect to an axis normal to the extension surface, and has a surface structure that reflects the light parallel to a first vertical surface including an optical axis (L) of the imaging lens (112) and orthogonal to the extension surface in at least two mutually different directions inclined with respect to the first vertical surface with the extension surface in plan view.

Description

IMAGING UNIT AND VEHICLE WIND GLASS AND VEHICLE HAVING THE SAME

The present invention relates to an imaging unit, a windshield for a vehicle including the imaging unit, and a vehicle.

Development of driving support systems using in-vehicle cameras is in progress. For example, in the lane recognition device described in Patent Document 1, the position of a lane is detected from an image captured by an in-vehicle camera.
Such an in-vehicle camera is mounted in the vehicle such that the upper surface of the casing from which the camera lens is exposed faces the windshield of the vehicle. In the vehicle-mounted camera described in Patent Document 2, a part of the housing prevents reflection on the windshield by blocking light incident on the windshield from below in the vehicle.

JP 2007-264714 A JP 2012-166615 A

In the in-vehicle camera described in Patent Document 2, a part of the casing that prevents reflection on the windshield extends in the imaging direction from the position of the camera lens. That is, the upper surface in the concave portion reflects light transmitted through the windshield from the outside of the vehicle. Since the reflected light is incident on the camera lens, ghosts, flares, and the like may occur in the captured image.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and reduces light incident on the imaging lens that is reflected by a surface located on the imaging direction side of the imaging lens, thereby generating ghost and flare in the captured image. An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging unit capable of suppressing the above, a windshield for a vehicle including the same, and a vehicle.

(1) In order to achieve the above object, an imaging unit according to the first aspect of the present invention includes:
An imaging device having an imaging lens;
A housing having at least a part of the imaging device and having an opening through which light incident on the imaging lens from an imaging target of the imaging device passes
An extending portion extending from the opening of the housing in the imaging direction of the imaging device,
The extending portion has a first extending surface located on the optical axis side of the imaging lens,
The first extending surface is provided with a scattering portion that scatters incident light by a plurality of structures,
The optical axis of the imaging lens in which each of the structures is incident in a direction inclined with respect to the imaging direction of the imaging device with respect to an axis perpendicular to the first extending surface and with respect to the first extending surface. Light parallel to the first vertical surface perpendicular to the first extension surface, and when the first extension surface is viewed in plan, at least two different first vertical surfaces from each other It has a surface structure that reflects in an inclined direction.

(2) In the above (1), when the second extending surface perpendicular to the first extending surface and perpendicular to the first extending surface is assumed, and the first extending surface is viewed in plan, the structure Each of the bodies has at least a first surface and a second surface located on the imaging direction side of the imaging device, and a surface located on the opening side, and the first surface and the second surface These surfaces may be inclined with respect to the first vertical surface and the second vertical surface, and may be inclined in opposite directions with respect to the first vertical surface.

(3) In the above (2), at least one of the first surface and the second surface may be inclined in a direction in which the upper ends approach each other with respect to a surface perpendicular to the first extending surface. .

With the configuration as described in (1) to (3) above, the light that is reflected by the surface located on the imaging direction side of the imaging lens and incident on the imaging lens is reduced, and the occurrence of ghost and flare in the captured image is suppressed. it can.

(4) In the above (2) and (3), at least one of the first surface and the second surface may be a curved surface. With such a configuration, the structure reflects light parallel to the first vertical surface at different angles depending on the incident position, so that the light reflected by the surface located on the imaging direction side of the imaging lens and incident on the imaging lens. Can be further reduced.

(5) Further, in the above (2) to (4), the first surface and the second surface may be continuous. With such a configuration, the light reflected by the structure in the direction parallel to the first vertical plane can be reduced, and the light reflected by the surface located on the imaging direction side from the imaging lens is incident on the imaging lens. Light to be further reduced.

(6) In the above (2), the plurality of structures may be at least one of a pyramid, a truncated pyramid, a cone, a truncated cone, a hemisphere, or a cylinder.

(7) In the above (1), assuming a second vertical surface perpendicular to the first extension surface and perpendicular to the first vertical surface, the first extension surface is defined from the imaging direction of the imaging device. When viewed in cross-section, each of the structures has at least a third surface and a fourth surface perpendicular to the second vertical surface, and the third surface and the fourth surface are You may incline in the direction which a mutual upper end approaches with respect to a 1st perpendicular surface.

(8) In the above (7), the structure may have a fifth surface continuous to the third surface and the fourth surface.

With the configuration as described in (7) and (8) above, the light reflected by the surface located on the imaging direction side from the imaging lens and incident on the imaging lens is reduced, and the occurrence of ghost and flare in the captured image is suppressed. it can.

(9) In the above (7) and (8), at least one of the third surface and the fourth surface may be a curved surface. With such a configuration, the structure reflects light parallel to the first vertical surface at different angles depending on the incident position, so that the light reflected by the surface located on the imaging direction side of the imaging lens and incident on the imaging lens. Can be further reduced.

(10) In the above (7), the plurality of structures may be a pyramid or at least one of a truncated pyramid.

(11) In the above (1) to (10), when the first extending surface is viewed in plan, the structures are arranged in an imaging direction of the imaging device and a direction perpendicular to the imaging direction of the imaging device. May be.
(12) In the above (1) to (11), the extending part may be a part of the casing.
(13) In the above (1) to (11), an attachment portion for fixing the casing in the vehicle may be provided, and the extension portion may be a part of the attachment portion.

(14) The vehicle windshield according to the second aspect of the present invention provides:
The imaging unit is provided.

(15) A vehicle according to a third aspect of the present invention is:
The imaging unit is provided.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the light reflected by the surface located on the imaging direction side of the imaging lens and incident on the imaging lens, and to suppress the occurrence of ghost and flare in the captured image.

It is sectional drawing which shows the cross section of the imaging unit which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows a vehicle provided with the imaging unit which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the housing | casing which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the regular quadrangular pyramid which comprises the scattering part which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the scattering part which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the incident light which injects into the imaging unit which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a top view for demonstrating the reflection in the regular quadrangular pyramid which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the regular quadrangular pyramid which comprises the scattering part which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the scattering part which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the inclination of the surface of the regular quadrangular pyramid when the upper surface of the lower stage part of the housing according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is viewed in cross section from the imaging direction. It is a top view for demonstrating the reflection in the regular quadrangular pyramid which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the housing | casing used for the optical simulation which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the scattering part which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a top view for demonstrating the reflection in the triangular pyramid which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the scattering part which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the hemisphere which comprises the scattering part which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a top view for demonstrating the reflection in the hemisphere which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the scattering part which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the cone which comprises the scattering part which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a top view for demonstrating the reflection in the cone which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the cylinder which comprises the scattering part which concerns on Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is a top view for demonstrating the reflection in the cylinder which concerns on Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the regular square pyramid which comprises the scattering part which concerns on Embodiment 7 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the inclination of the surface of a regular quadrangular pyramid when the upper surface of the lower part of the housing according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention is viewed in cross section from the imaging direction. It is a schematic diagram which shows the vehicle provided with the imaging unit and imaging unit which concern on Embodiment 8 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the housing | casing which concerns on Embodiment 8 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the attaching part which concerns on Embodiment 8 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the housing | casing which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the housing | casing which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the truncated cone which comprises the scattering part which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the square frustum which comprises the scattering part which concerns on this invention.

(Embodiment 1)
The imaging unit 100 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging unit 100 includes an imaging device 110 that captures an imaging target and a housing 120. The housing 120 has a box shape having a step in the height direction. The housing 120 includes an upper stage portion 122 that houses the imaging device 110 and a lower stage portion 126 that houses a circuit board (not shown).

The imaging unit 100 images an imaging target (not shown) in a predetermined area in the traveling direction M of the vehicle 10.
As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging unit 100 is attached to the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10 by bonding the upper surface 124 of the upper portion 122 of the housing 120 to the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10. In the imaging unit 100, the lower portion 126 of the housing 120 is directed in the traveling direction M of the vehicle 10. In this case, the upper surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126 of the housing 120 faces the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10.

The imaging device 110 includes an imaging lens 112 having an optical axis L and an imaging element 114. When the imaging unit 100 is attached to the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10, the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110, the optical axis L of the imaging lens 112, and the traveling direction M of the vehicle 10 match.
Light from the imaging target that has passed through the opening 130 of the housing 120 is incident on the imaging lens 112. An image to be imaged is formed on the image sensor 114.

The image sensor 114 is a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging device 110 is housed in the upper portion 122 of the housing 120 with the imaging lens 112 facing the opening 130 of the housing 120. Further, the imaging device 110 uses the optical axis L of the imaging lens 112 as the upper surface of the upper portion 122 in order to make the traveling direction M of the vehicle 10 coincide with the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110 and the optical axis L of the imaging lens 112. It is housed in the housing 120 in a state tilted in the direction of 124.

The casing 120 is made of a metal such as aluminum die casting or magnesium die casting. Moreover, the housing | casing 120 exhibits black.
The housing 120 houses the imaging device 110 in the upper portion 122.

The step side surface 128 of the housing 120 is inclined toward the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110 as shown in FIG. An opening 130 is provided in the center of the step side surface 128.
The opening 130 of the housing 120 allows light that enters the imaging lens 112 of the imaging device 110 from the imaging target to pass therethrough. Note that a translucent plate (not shown) having translucency is provided in the opening 130 of the housing 120.

A scattering portion 136 is provided on the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 of the housing 120.
In the present embodiment, the opening 130 of the housing 120 is provided on the step side surface 128 of the housing 120. The imaging device 110 is housed in the housing 120 with the imaging lens 112 facing the opening 130 of the housing 120. Therefore, the upper surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126 is a surface located on the optical axis L side of the imaging lens 112 in a portion extending from the opening 130 in the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110.

The scattering portion 136 is composed of a plurality of regular quadrangular pyramids 140 arranged on the upper surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126.

First, the arrangement of the regular pyramid 140 will be described with reference to FIGS. For easy understanding, only one regular quadrangular pyramid 140 is shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 4, each of the regular quadrangular pyramids 140 has a square bottom surface 142. Each of the regular quadrangular pyramids 140 is arranged such that the diagonal line 144 of the bottom surface 142 is parallel to the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110 (the optical axis L of the imaging lens 112) when the top surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed in plan.

Here, the axis perpendicular to the upper surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126 is the vertical axis 146, the surface including the optical axis L of the imaging lens 112 and perpendicular to the upper surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126 is the first vertical surface 148, and the upper surface of the lower stage portion 126. Surfaces perpendicular to 132 and perpendicular to the first vertical surface 148 are defined as second vertical surfaces 150a and 150b.
The second vertical surface 150 a is located at a corner of the bottom surface 142. The second vertical surface 150 b is at a position that crosses the regular quadrangular pyramid 140. Further, since the first vertical surface 148 includes the optical axis L of the imaging lens 112, the first vertical surface 148 is perpendicular to the opening 130 of the housing 120. These relationships are the same in the other embodiments.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, the surface 152 including the side 142 a of the bottom surface 142 and the surface 154 including the side 142 b of the bottom surface 142 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 are obtained when the top surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed in plan view. It is located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110 with respect to the second vertical plane 150b that crosses the pyramid 140. Therefore, the surface 152 and the surface 154 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 are surfaces located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110. Note that the second vertical surface 150 a is located at a corner on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110.

The surfaces 152 and 154 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 are arranged so that the diagonal 144 of the bottom surface 142 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 is parallel to the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110 when the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed in plan view. It is inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148 and the second vertical surface 150a. Further, the surface 152 and the surface 154 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 are inclined in opposite directions with respect to the first vertical surface 148. Furthermore, each of the surface 152 and the surface 154 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 is inclined in a direction in which the upper ends thereof approach each other with respect to a surface (not shown) that includes the respective sides 142a and 142b and is perpendicular to the upper surface 132 of the lower step portion 126. is doing.

The surface 156 including the side 142c of the bottom surface 142 and the surface 158 including the side 142d of the bottom surface 142 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 are the housing 120 with respect to the second vertical surface 150b when the top surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed in plan. Is located on the opening 130 side. Therefore, the surface 156 and the surface 158 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 are surfaces located on the opening 130 side of the housing 120.

As shown in FIG. 5, each of the regular quadrangular pyramids 140 is arranged in a direction R perpendicular to the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110 with the corners of the bottom surfaces 142 in contact with each other. Further, the arrangement of the regular quadrangular pyramids 140 in the direction R is shifted in the imaging direction N of the imaging apparatus 110 by being shifted by half of the regular quadrangular pyramids 140 in the imaging direction N and the direction R of the imaging apparatus 110. In the arrangement in the adjacent direction R, the sides 142a and 142d and the sides 142b and 142c on the bottom surface 142 are in contact with each other.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the reflection of light by the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 when the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed in plane will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, incident light 160 that is inclined from the vertical axis 146 toward the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110 by the angle θ (0 ° <θ <90 °) and parallel to the first vertical plane 148 enters the scattering unit 136. In this case, the incident light 160 also enters the regular quadrangular pyramid 140.
Of the incident light 160 incident on the regular quadrangular pyramid 140, the incident light 160 incident on the surface 152 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 is inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148 and the second vertical surface 150a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the light is reflected in a direction inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148.
Further, the incident light 160 incident on the surface 154 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 is also reflected in a direction inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148, similarly to the incident light 160 incident on the surface 152.

The surface 152 and the surface 154 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 are inclined in opposite directions with respect to the first vertical surface 148. Therefore, the incident light 160 incident on the surface 152 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 and the incident light 160 incident on the surface 154 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 are different from each other when the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed in plan. Reflected in a direction inclined with respect to 148.

The upper surface 132 of the lower part 126 of the housing 120 faces the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10. Therefore, the scattering light 136 provided on the upper surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126 receives the largest amount of parallel light, that is, incident light 160, from obliquely above the upper surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126 that has passed through the windshield 12.

In the present embodiment, when the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed in plan, the surface 152 and the surface 154 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 are different from each other in the incident light 160 that is most incident on the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126. Reflected in a direction inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148. Thereby, the imaging unit 100 can reduce the light that is reflected by the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 and is incident on the opening 130 of the housing 120 perpendicular to the first vertical surface 148.

As described above, the imaging unit 100 reduces the light that is reflected by the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 and enters the opening 130. Thereby, the imaging unit 100 can reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 of the lower part 126 and entering the imaging lens 112.
Similarly to the surfaces 152 and 154 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140, the surfaces 156 and 158 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 can also reflect the incident light 160 in different directions inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148. . Therefore, the imaging unit 100 can further reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 and entering the imaging lens 112.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, when the upper surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126 is viewed in plan, the diagonal 144 of the bottom surface 142 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 and the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110 are arranged in parallel. This arrangement is not limited to this.

The imaging unit 100 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. For ease of understanding, only one regular quadrangular pyramid 140 is shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 8, each of the regular quadrangular pyramids 140 is arranged in parallel with a direction R in which the side 142 a of the bottom surface 142 is perpendicular to the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110 when the top surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed in plan. Is done. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the regular quadrangular pyramids 140 are arranged in a matrix with the arrangement in the direction R being shifted by a half pitch for each arrangement. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Since the side 142a of the bottom surface 142 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 and the direction R are arranged in parallel, the surface 154 and the surface 156 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 are perpendicular to the second vertical surface 150a. Also, as shown in FIG. 10, the surface 154 and the surface 156 of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 are in relation to the first vertical surface 148 when the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed from the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110. It inclines in the direction in which the upper ends of each other approach.

As in the first embodiment, when the incident light 160 is incident on the scattering portion 136, the incident light 160 incident on the surface 154 is the first vertical surface when the surface 154 is a cross-sectional view of the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126. Since it is inclined with respect to 148, it is reflected in a direction inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148 as shown in FIG.

Also, the incident light 160 incident on the surface 156 is reflected in a direction inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148, similarly to the incident light 160 incident on the surface 154.

When the upper surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126 is viewed in a cross section, the surface 154 and the surface 156 are inclined in a direction in which the upper ends of the first vertical surface 148 approach each other, and thus the incident light 160 incident on the surface 154 The incident light 160 incident on the surface 156 is reflected in different directions inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148 when the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed in plan.

As described above, the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 reflects the incident light 160 in different directions inclined with respect to the first vertical plane 148 when the upper surface 132 is viewed in plan, as in the first embodiment. . Therefore, the imaging unit 100 according to the present embodiment can also reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and incident on the opening 130, that is, the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and incident on the imaging lens 112.

Next, the result of optical simulation of the ratio of the amount of incident light 160 incident on the opening 130 of the housing 120 to the amount of incident light 160 incident on the upper surface 132 (scattering portion 136) of the lower portion 126 will be described. .

In the optical simulation, as shown in FIG. 12, the width T1 of the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is 50 mm, the depth T2 is 20 mm, and the height T3 of the step side surface 128 is 15 mm. The angle φ of the step side surface 128 with respect to the upper surface 132 is 60 °, the width T4 of the opening 130 provided in the center of the step side surface 128 is 15 mm, and the length T5 in the height direction is 12 mm.
Further, the regular quadrangular pyramids 140 are arranged in the same matrix form as in FIG. In the regular quadrangular pyramid 140, the sides 142a, 142b, 142c, 142d of the bottom surface 142 have a length of 2 mm and a height of 1 mm.

The incident light 160 inclined at an angle θ = 75 ° in the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110 from the vertical axis 146 perpendicular to the upper surface 132 was irradiated to the casing 120 in the vicinity of the center of the upper surface 132. The light source that emits the incident light 160 is a circular light source having a diameter of 2 mm, which is a size that prevents the incident light 160 from being blocked by the frame that supports the windshield 12. Furthermore, the reflectance of the regular quadrangular pyramid 140 was 100%.

Under the conditions described above, the ratio of the amount of incident light 160 incident on the opening 130 to the amount of incident light 160 incident on the upper surface 132 was simulated by commercially available ray tracing simulation software.

Further, as a comparative example, a simulation was performed in the same manner with respect to a casing that does not include the scattering portion 136 on the upper surface 132. The casing of the comparative example is the same as the casing 120 except that the scattering portion 136 (regular quadrangular pyramid 140) is not provided. Further, the incident light 160 incident on the casing of the comparative example is the same as the incident light 160 incident on the casing 120. The reflectance of the upper surface 132 was 100%.

As a result of the optical simulation, 1.0% of the incident light 160 is incident on the opening 130 in the case 120, and 100% of the incident light 160 is incident on the opening of the case in the comparative example.
That is, the optical simulation shows that the light reflected from the upper surface 132 and incident on the opening 130 can be reduced by providing the upper surface 132 with the scattering portion 136 composed of the regular pyramid 140.

As described above, the imaging unit 100 in the present embodiment can reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and incident on the imaging lens 112.

(Embodiment 3)
In the first embodiment, the scattering unit 136 includes a plurality of regular quadrangular pyramids 140. However, the structure that configures the scattering unit 136 is not limited thereto.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the scattering portion 136 includes a plurality of triangular pyramids 210. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.
For ease of understanding, only one triangular pyramid 210 is shown in FIG.

Each of the triangular pyramids 210 has a triangular bottom surface (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, each of the triangular pyramids 210 has a vertical line 216 extending from the bottom surface corner 214 to the bottom surface side 212 a facing the corner 214 when the top surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126 is viewed in plan view. 110 parallel to the imaging direction N.
A corner 214 on the bottom surface of the triangular pyramid 210 is located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110, and a side 212 a on the bottom surface of the triangular pyramid 210 is located on the opening 130 side of the housing 120.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the surface 218 of the triangular pyramid 210 including the bottom side 212 b of the triangular pyramid 210 is a second vertical crossing the triangular pyramid 210 when the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed in plan. Since the surface 150b is located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110, the surface is located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110. Further, the surface 220 of the triangular pyramid 210 including the side 212 c of the bottom surface of the triangular pyramid 210 is a surface located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110, similarly to the surface 218. The side 212b and the side 212c on the bottom surface of the triangular pyramid 210 sandwich the corner 214 on the bottom surface of the triangular pyramid 210.
The surface 222 including the side 212a of the bottom surface of the triangular pyramid 210 is located on the opening 130 side of the housing 120 with respect to the second vertical surface 150b when the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed in plan view. It becomes a surface located on the opening 130 side of the body 120.

Further, the surface 218 and the surface 220 of the triangular pyramid 210 are arranged such that the perpendicular 216 of the triangular pyramid 210 and the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110 are arranged in parallel, so that the first vertical surface 148 and the second vertical surface 150a It is inclined with respect to. Further, the surface 218 and the surface 220 are inclined in opposite directions with respect to the first vertical surface 148. Each of the surface 218 and the surface 220 is inclined in a direction in which the upper ends thereof approach each other with respect to a surface (not shown) that includes the respective sides 212b and 212c and is perpendicular to the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126.

Each of the triangular pyramids 210 is arranged in a matrix in the imaging direction N and the direction R of the imaging device 110 as shown in FIG. In the triangular pyramid 210 adjacent to the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110, the side 212a of the bottom surface and the corner 214 of the bottom surface are in contact with each other. Moreover, in the triangular pyramid 210 adjacent to the direction R, the ends of the side 212a of the bottom surface are in contact with each other.

When the incident light 160 is incident on the scattering portion 136, the incident light 160 incident on the surface 218 has the surface 218 inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148 and the second vertical surface 150a. As shown, when the top surface 132 is viewed in plan, the light is reflected in a direction inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148.
Similarly to the incident light 160 incident on the surface 218, the incident light 160 incident on the surface 220 is also reflected in a direction inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148 when the upper surface 132 is viewed in plan.

Since the surface 218 and the surface 220 are inclined in directions opposite to each other with respect to the first vertical surface 148, the incident light 160 incident on the surface 218 and the incident light 160 incident on the surface 220 are viewed in plan view on the upper surface 132. In this case, the light beams are reflected in directions different from each other and inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148.

As described above, the triangular pyramid 210 reflects the incident light 160 in different directions inclined with respect to the first vertical plane 148 when the upper surface 132 is viewed in plan. Therefore, the imaging unit 100 can reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and incident on the opening 130 as in the first embodiment. Thereby, the imaging unit 100 can reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and incident on the imaging lens 112.

(Embodiment 4)
In the first to third embodiments, the scattering unit 136 is formed of a pyramid, but the structure constituting the scattering unit 136 is not limited to this.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, the scattering portion 136 includes a plurality of hemispheres 510. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. For ease of understanding, only one hemisphere 510 is shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 15, the hemisphere 510 is arranged in a matrix with the arrangement in the direction R being shifted by a half pitch for each arrangement. In this case, the hemisphere 510 is divided into four by a first vertical surface 148 and a second vertical surface 150b that crosses the hemisphere 510, as shown in FIG. The surface of the hemisphere 510 is composed of four faces 512, 514, 516, 518.
Note that the second vertical surface 150 a is in contact with the circumference of the bottom surface (not shown) of the hemisphere 510 on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110.

The surface 512 and the surface 514 are located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110 with respect to the second vertical surface 150b crossing the hemisphere 510 when the upper surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126 is viewed in plan. Accordingly, the surface 512 and the surface 514 are surfaces located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110. Further, since the bottom surface of the hemisphere 510 is circular, the surfaces 512 and 514 are inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148 and the second vertical surface 150a, and are opposite to each other with respect to the first vertical surface 148. Inclined in the direction. Further, each of the surface 512 and the surface 514 is inclined in a direction in which the upper ends of the surfaces 512 and 514 approach each other with respect to a surface (not shown) perpendicular to the upper surface 132 including the arc located on the upper surface 132.

When the incident light 160 is incident on the scattering portion 136, the incident light 160 incident on the surface 512 has the surface 512 inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148 and the second vertical surface 150a. As shown, the light is reflected in a direction inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148. Similarly to the incident light 160 incident on the surface 512, the incident light 160 incident on the surface 514 is reflected in a direction inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148.

Since the surface 512 and the surface 514 are inclined in opposite directions with respect to the first vertical surface 148, the incident light 160 incident on the surface 512 and the incident light 160 incident on the surface 514 are viewed in plan view on the upper surface 132. In this case, the light beams are reflected in directions different from each other and inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148.

As described above, the hemisphere 510 reflects the incident light 160 in a direction inclined with respect to the first vertical surfaces 148 different from each other when the upper surface 132 is viewed in plan. Therefore, the imaging unit 100 according to the present embodiment can also reduce the light that is reflected by the upper surface 132 and enters the opening 130, as in the first embodiment. Thereby, the imaging unit 100 in the present embodiment can reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and incident on the imaging lens 112.

Further, since each of the surface 512 and the surface 514 is a curved surface, the incident light 160 incident on different positions is reflected at different angles with respect to the first vertical surface 148 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the imaging unit 100 in the present embodiment can further reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and entering the opening 130.
Similarly to the surfaces 512 and 514, the surfaces 516 and 518 located on the opening 130 side of the housing 120 can also reflect the incident light 160 in directions inclined with respect to the first vertical surfaces 148 different from each other. Similarly to the surfaces 512 and 514, the surfaces 516 and 518 can reflect the incident light 160 incident at different positions with respect to the first vertical surface 148 at different angles. Therefore, the imaging unit 100 in the present embodiment can further reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and entering the opening 130.

An optical simulation similar to that of the second embodiment was performed on the housing 120 in which the hemisphere 510 having a radius of 1 mm was arranged on the upper surface 132 in the same matrix as in FIG. In this optical simulation, a result that 0.02% of the incident light 160 is incident on the opening 130 was obtained.

(Embodiment 5)
In the first to third embodiments, the scattering unit 136 is formed of a pyramid, but the structure constituting the scattering unit 136 is not limited to this.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, the scattering portion 136 is composed of a plurality of cones 520. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. For ease of understanding, only one cone 520 is shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 18, the cones 520 are arranged in a matrix with the arrangement in the direction R being shifted by a half pitch for each arrangement. In this case, the cone 520 is divided into four parts by a first vertical surface 148 and a second vertical surface 150b crossing the cone 520, as shown in FIG. The surface of the cone 520 is composed of four faces 522, 524, 526, 528.
Note that the second vertical surface 150a is in contact with the circumference of the bottom surface (not shown) of the cone 520 on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110.

Since the surface 522 and the surface 524 are located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110 with respect to the second vertical surface 150b crossing the cone 520 when the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 is viewed in plan, the imaging device 110 The surface is located on the imaging direction N side. Further, since the bottom surface of the cone 520 is circular, the surface 522 and the surface 524 are inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148 and the second vertical surface 150a as in the fourth embodiment, and are first to each other. The vertical plane 148 is inclined in the opposite direction. Further, each of the surface 522 and the surface 524 is inclined in a direction in which the upper ends of the surfaces 522 and 524 approach each other with respect to a surface (not shown) perpendicular to the upper surface 132 including the arc located on the upper surface 132 of the lower step portion 126. ing.

When the incident light 160 is incident on the scattering portion 136, the surface 522 and the surface 524 are inclined in the opposite directions with respect to the first vertical surface 148, so that the cone 520 has an upper surface 132 as shown in FIG. , The incident light 160 is reflected in a direction inclined with respect to different first vertical surfaces 148. Therefore, the imaging unit 100 in the present embodiment can also reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and entering the opening 130 of the housing 120. Thereby, the imaging unit 100 in the present embodiment can reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and incident on the imaging lens 112.

Further, since the surface 522 and the surface 524 are curved surfaces, as shown in FIG. 20, incident light 160 incident on different positions is reflected at different angles with respect to the first vertical surface 148. Therefore, as in the fourth embodiment, the imaging unit 100 in the present embodiment can further reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and entering the opening 130 of the housing 120.
Furthermore, the surface 526 and the surface 528 located on the opening 130 side of the housing 120 can also reflect the incident light 160 in a direction inclined with respect to the first vertical surfaces 148 different from each other, similarly to the surfaces 522 and 524. . Like the surfaces 522 and 524, the surfaces 526 and 528 can reflect the incident light 160 incident at different positions with respect to the first vertical surface 148 at different angles. Therefore, the imaging unit 100 in the present embodiment can further reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and entering the opening 130.

The same optical simulation as in the second embodiment was performed on the casing 120 in which the cone 520 having a bottom surface radius of 1 mm and a height of 1 mm was arranged on the top surface 132 in the same matrix as in FIG. In this optical simulation, a result that 0.001% of the incident light 160 is incident on the opening 130 was obtained.

(Embodiment 6)
In the first embodiment and the third to fifth embodiments, the surfaces 152, 154, 218, 220, 512, 514, 522, and 524 located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110 are perpendicular to the upper surface 132. Although the surface is inclined with respect to the smooth surface, the surface located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110 may be perpendicular to the upper surface 132.
In the present embodiment, the scattering unit 136 includes a plurality of cylinders 530. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The cylinders 530 are arranged in a matrix similar to the fourth embodiment, with the arrangement in the direction R being shifted by a half pitch for each arrangement. In this case, as shown in FIG. 21, the cylinder 530 is divided into four by a first vertical surface 148 and a second vertical surface 150 b that crosses the cylinder 530. The surface of the cylinder 530 includes eight surfaces 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 536, 537 and 538. The surface 531 and the surface 532 are located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110. The surfaces 531 and 532 are surfaces perpendicular to the upper surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126. Further, the surface 533 and the surface 534 are located on the opening 130 side of the housing 120. The surface 533 and the surface 534 are surfaces that are perpendicular to the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126.
Note that the surfaces 535 and 536 located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110 and the surfaces 537 and 538 located on the opening 130 side of the housing 120 are surfaces parallel to the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126.

Since the bottom surface of the cylinder 530 is circular, the surface 531 and the surface 532 are inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148 and the second vertical surface 150a as in the fourth embodiment. Further, the surface 531 and the surface 532 are inclined in opposite directions with respect to the first vertical surface 148. Therefore, when the incident light 160 enters the scattering portion 136, the cylinder 530 is inclined with respect to the first vertical planes 148 different from each other when the upper surface 132 is viewed in plan, as shown in FIG. Reflect in the direction.
Further, since each of the surface 531 and the surface 532 is a curved surface, the incident light 160 incident at different positions is reflected at different angles with respect to the first vertical surface 148.

Accordingly, the imaging unit 100 according to the present embodiment also reduces the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and incident on the opening 130 of the housing 120 and reflected by the upper surface 132 and applied to the imaging lens 112 as in the first embodiment. Incident light can be reduced.

An optical simulation similar to that of the second embodiment was performed on the casing 120 in which the cylinder 530 having a bottom surface radius of 1 mm and a height of 1 mm was arranged on the top surface 132 in the same matrix as in FIG. In this optical simulation, a result that 12.6% of the incident light 160 is incident on the opening 130 was obtained.

(Embodiment 7)
In Embodiments 1 to 3, the scattering unit 136 is formed of a pyramid, but the scattering unit 136 may be formed of a truncated pyramid. In the present embodiment, the scattering unit 136 includes a plurality of regular quadrangular frustums 540. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 23, the regular quadrangular frustum 540 has a square bottom surface 542 and a top surface 543. As in the second embodiment, the regular quadrangular frustum 540 has the side 542a of the bottom surface 542 arranged in parallel with the direction R when the top surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126 is viewed in plan. As in the second embodiment, the regular quadrangular frustum 540 is arranged in a matrix with the arrangement in the direction R shifted by a half pitch for each arrangement.
In this case, the surface 545 including the side 542b of the bottom surface 542 and the surface 546 including the bottom surface 542c are perpendicular to the second vertical surface 150a. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 24, the surface 545 and the surface 546 are inclined in a direction in which the upper ends of the surface 545 and the surface 546 approach each other with respect to the first vertical surface 148 when the upper surface 132 is viewed in cross section from the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110 is doing.
Note that the upper surface 543 of the regular quadrangular frustum 540 is continuous with the surface 545 and the surface 546. A surface 544 including the side 542 a of the bottom surface 542 and a surface 547 including the side 542 d of the bottom surface are perpendicular to the first vertical surface 148.

When the incident light 160 enters the scattering unit 136, the upper surfaces of the surface 545 and the surface 546 approach each other with respect to the first vertical surface 148 when the upper surface 132 is viewed from the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110. Since it is inclined in the direction, the regular quadrangular frustum 540 reflects the incident light 160 in a direction inclined with respect to different first vertical surfaces 148 when the upper surface 132 is viewed in plan.
Therefore, the imaging unit 100 in the present embodiment can also reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and entering the opening 130 of the housing 120. Thereby, the imaging unit 100 in the present embodiment can reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and incident on the imaging lens 112.

An optical simulation similar to that of the second embodiment was performed on the casing 120 in which the regular quadrangular pyramid 540 is arranged on the upper surface 132 in the same matrix as in FIG. Here, the length of one side of the bottom surface 542 in the regular square pyramid 540 is 2 mm, the height is 0.55 mm, and the length of one side of the upper surface 543 is 0.9 mm. In this optical simulation, a result that 10.1% of the incident light 160 is incident on the opening 130 was obtained.

(Embodiment 8)
In the first to seventh embodiments, the scattering portion 136 is provided on the upper surface 132 of the lower portion 126 of the casing 120, but the surface on which the scattering portion 136 is provided is not limited to this.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 25, the imaging unit 300 includes an imaging device 110, a housing 320 that houses the imaging device 110, and a mounting portion 330. Note that the configuration of the imaging device 110 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The housing 320 is fixed to the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10 via the attachment portion 330. In this case, the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110, the optical axis L of the imaging lens 112, and the traveling direction M of the vehicle 10 coincide. The fixing of the housing 320 will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 26, the housing 320 has a box shape. The housing 320 has an opening 324 on the side surface 322. The opening 324 of the housing 320 allows light incident on the imaging lens 112 of the imaging device 110 from the imaging target to pass, like the opening 130 of the housing 120 in the first embodiment.
The housing 320 is made of a metal such as aluminum die casting or magnesium die casting. The housing 320 is black.

The imaging device 110 is housed in the housing 320 with the optical axis L of the imaging lens 112 parallel to the housing 320 and the optical axis L of the imaging lens 112 facing the opening 324.

As shown in FIG. 27, the attachment portion 330 includes a bottom plate 332 on which the housing 320 is provided, side plates 334 and 336, and an upper plate 338. The attachment portion 330 is made of a metal such as aluminum die casting or magnesium die casting, for example. The attachment part 330 is black.
The side plate 334 and the side plate 336 are respectively connected to the opposing end portions of the bottom plate 332. The upper plate 338 connects the side plate 334 and the side plate 336 at the end opposite to the end connected to the bottom plate 332. The upper plate 338 is inclined in accordance with the inclination of the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10.

The bottom plate 332 includes an extending portion 342 extending from an opening 340 formed by the bottom plate 332, the side plates 334 and 336, and the upper plate 338. The housing 320 is fixed to the bottom plate 332 in a state where the side surface 322 having the opening 324 is fitted into the opening 340 of the attachment portion 330. The housing 320 is fixed to the bottom plate 332 of the attachment portion 330 by, for example, screwing.

The extension part 342 of the attachment part 330 extends from the opening part 324 of the case 320 because the side surface 322 of the case 320 is fitted in the opening part 340 of the attachment part 330. In addition, since the imaging device 110 is housed in the housing 320 with the optical axis L of the imaging lens 112 facing the opening 324 of the housing 320, the extending portion 342 of the attachment portion 330 is captured by the imaging device 110. It extends in the direction N.

In the present embodiment, the scattering portion 136 is provided on the first extending surface 344 of the extending portion 342. The first extending surface 344 is a surface on the optical axis L side of the imaging lens 112 of the extending portion 342. The scattering unit 136 provided on the first extension surface 344 is configured by a plurality of regular quadrangular pyramids 140, for example, as in the first embodiment.

The fixing of the housing 320 to the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10 will be described.
The casing 320 is fixed to the windshield 12 by bonding the upper plate 338 of the attachment portion 330 to which the casing 320 is fixed to the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10. In this case, the extension part 342 of the attachment part 330 faces the traveling direction M of the vehicle 10, and the traveling direction M of the vehicle 10, the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110, and the optical axis L of the imaging lens 112 are matched.

In the present embodiment, since the upper plate 338 of the attachment portion 330 is inclined in accordance with the inclination of the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10, the casing 320 is placed in a state where the casing 320 is horizontal to the road surface. It can be fixed to the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10. And since it is not necessary to incline the optical axis L of the imaging lens 112 of the imaging device 110 with respect to the housing 320, the imaging device 110 can be easily arranged in the housing 320.
Further, a scattering portion 136 similar to that in Embodiment 1 is provided on the first extending surface 344 located on the optical axis L side of the imaging lens 112. Therefore, the imaging unit 300 can also reduce the light that is reflected by the first extending surface 344 of the attachment portion 330 and enters the opening 324 of the housing 320. Thereby, the imaging unit 300 can reduce the light reflected by the first extending surface 344 and incident on the imaging lens 112.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

For example, the imaging units 100 and 300 may be attached not only to the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10 but also to a rear glass, a side glass, a ceiling, and the like. Here, the vehicle 10 is a vehicle for transporting passengers / cargo such as automobiles and trains.
In addition, the imaging units 100 and 300 may be attached to a vehicle other than the vehicle 10 such as an aircraft or a ship. Attachment of the imaging units 100 and 300 is not limited to adhesion. For example, the imaging units 100 and 300 may be attached to the windshield 12 of the vehicle 10 via a suction cup.

The imaging device 110 only needs to be partially stored in the casings 120 and 320. For example, the imaging lens 112 of the imaging device 110 may be exposed to the step side surface 128 of the housing 120 through the opening 130. A lens barrel including the imaging lens 112 of the imaging device 110 may protrude from the opening 130 of the housing 120. The imaging lens 112 of the imaging device 110 is not limited to one, and may be a plurality of lenses.

The casings 120 and 320 are not limited to a box shape. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 28, the housing that houses the imaging device 110 may be a housing 420 having a triangular cross section. In the housing 420, the scattering portion 136 is provided on a surface 424 that extends from the lower end 423 of the opening 422 of the housing 420 in the imaging direction N of the imaging device 110.

As shown in FIG. 29, the scattering portion 136 may be provided on a surface 128 a extending from the lower end 134 of the opening 130 in the step side surface 128 of the housing 120 to the upper surface 132 of the lower step portion 126.

The casings 120, 320, 420, and the attachment portion 330 may be formed of a resin such as polycarbonate or ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene).

The scattering unit 136 is not limited to the casings 120 and 420 and the attachment unit 330, and may be provided in a lens hood or the like.

The structure constituting the scattering unit 136 is not limited to the regular quadrangular pyramid 140, the triangular pyramid 210, the cone 520, and the like. In the first embodiment and the third to sixth embodiments, the structure constituting the scattering unit 136 may be a truncated cone 550, for example.
The truncated cone 550 has a surface 552 and a surface 554. As illustrated in FIG. 30, the surface 552 and the surface 554 are located on the imaging direction N side of the imaging device 110 and are inclined in opposite directions with respect to the first vertical surface 148. In addition, the surface 552 and the surface 554 are inclined in a direction in which the upper ends approach each other with respect to a surface (not shown) perpendicular to the upper surface 132 including the arc located on the upper surface 132 of the lower stage portion 126. Accordingly, similarly to the cone 520, the truncated cone 550 can also reflect the incident light 160 in a direction inclined with respect to the first vertical surfaces 148 different from each other when the upper surface 132 is viewed in plan. Furthermore, since the surface 552 and the surface 554 are curved surfaces, incident light 160 incident on different positions can be reflected at different angles with respect to the first vertical surface 148.

Therefore, the imaging unit 100 in which the scattering unit 136 includes the truncated cone 550 can reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and entering the opening 130 of the housing 120. Thereby, the imaging unit 100 can reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and incident on the imaging lens 112.
Further, in the truncated cone 550, the surface 556 and the surface 558 positioned on the opening 130 side of the housing 120 are inclined with respect to the first vertical surface 148 that is different from the first vertical surface 148 that is different from the surface 552 and the surface 554. Can be reflected in any direction. Similar to the surfaces 552 and 554, the surfaces 556 and 558 can reflect the incident light 160 incident at different positions with respect to the first vertical surface 148 at different angles. Therefore, the imaging unit 100 can further reduce the light reflected by the upper surface 132 and entering the opening 130 of the housing 120.
For example, in an optical simulation similar to that of the second embodiment with respect to the casing 120 in which the truncated cone 550 is arranged on the upper surface 132 in the same matrix as in FIG. 18, 3.2% of the incident light 160 is an opening. The result that it injects into 130 was obtained. Here, the bottom surface radius of the truncated cone 550 is 1 mm, the height is 0.45 mm, and the top surface radius is 0.437 mm.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment and the third to sixth embodiments, the structures constituting the scattering unit 136 are arranged as a quadrangular pyramid, an n-pyramid (n is an integer of 5 or more), and a predetermined interval. A triangular prism or the like may be used.

In the second and seventh embodiments, the structure constituting the scattering unit 136 may be, for example, a quadrangular frustum 560 in which one opposing side surface is parallel. As shown in FIG. 31, the quadrangular frustum 560 has one side surface 562 and a side surface 568 that are opposed to each other. In this case, the side surfaces 562 and 568 are arranged in parallel to the second vertical surface 150a. The other opposing side surface 564 and side surface 566 are perpendicular to the second vertical surface 150a and are inclined in a direction in which their upper ends approach each other with respect to the first vertical surface 148. Note that the side surface 564 and the side surface 566 may be curved surfaces.
Furthermore, the arrangement of the structures constituting the scattering portion 136 may be irregular.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-169016 filed on Aug. 28, 2015 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-056079 filed on Mar. 18, 2016. In this specification, the specifications, claims and entire drawings of Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-169016 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-056079 are incorporated by reference.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Vehicle 12: Windshield 100, 300: Imaging unit 110: Imaging device 112: Imaging lens 114: Imaging element 120, 320, 420: Housing 122: Upper part 124: Upper surface of upper part 126: Lower part 128: Step Side surface 128a: Surface extending from the opening of the housing to the upper surface of the lower portion 130, 324, 422: Opening portion of the housing 132: Upper surface of the lower portion 134, 423: Lower end of the opening 136: Scattering portion 140: Regular pyramid 142 : Bottom surface of regular quadrangular pyramid 142a, 142b, 142c, 142d: side of bottom surface of regular quadrangular pyramid 144: diagonal line of bottom surface of regular quadrangular pyramid 146: vertical axis 148: first vertical surface 150a, 150b: second vertical surface 152, 154 156, 158: regular quadrangular pyramid surface 160: incident light 210: triangular pyramid 212a, 212b, 212c Side of the bottom surface of the triangular pyramid 214: Corner angle of the bottom surface of the triangular pyramid 216: Vertical line from the corner of the bottom surface of the triangular pyramid to the opposite side of the bottom surface 218, 220, 222: Surface of the triangular pyramid 322: Side surface of the housing 330: Mounting 332: Bottom plate 334, 336: Side plate 338: Top plate 340: Opening portion of attachment portion 342: Extension portion 344: First extension surface 424: Surface extending from the lower end of the opening portion of the housing in the imaging direction 510: Hemisphere 512, 514, 516, 518: Hemispherical surface 520: Cone 522, 524, 526, 528: Cone surface 530: Cylinder 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 536, 537, 538: Cylinder surface 540: Regular Pyramidal frustum 542: bottom surface of regular quadrangular pyramid 542a, 542b, 542c, 542d: side of bottom surface of regular quadrangular pyramid 543: top surface of regular quadrangular pyramid 544, 545, 546 547: the surface of the regular truncated pyramid 550: the surface of the truncated cone 552, 554, 556, 558: the surface of the truncated cone 560: the surface of the truncated pyramid 562, 564, 566, 568: the side surface of the truncated pyramid M: the traveling direction of the vehicle N: Imaging direction L: Optical axis L of the imaging lens 112
R: direction perpendicular to the imaging direction T1, T4: width T2: depth T3, T4: length θ, φ: angle

Claims (15)

An imaging device having an imaging lens;
A housing having at least a part of the imaging device and having an opening through which light incident on the imaging lens from an imaging target of the imaging device passes;
An extending portion extending from the opening of the housing in the imaging direction of the imaging device,
The extending portion has a first extending surface located on the optical axis side of the imaging lens,
The first extending surface is provided with a scattering portion that scatters incident light by a plurality of structures,
The optical axis of the imaging lens in which each of the structures is incident in a direction inclined with respect to the imaging direction of the imaging device with respect to an axis perpendicular to the first extending surface and with respect to the first extending surface. Light parallel to the first vertical surface perpendicular to the first extension surface, and when the first extension surface is viewed in plan, at least two different first vertical surfaces from each other An imaging unit having a surface structure that reflects in an inclined direction. Assuming a second vertical surface perpendicular to the first vertical surface and perpendicular to the first vertical surface, the first extended surface in plan view,
Each of the structures has at least a first surface and a second surface located on the imaging direction side of the imaging device, and a surface located on the opening side,
The first surface and the second surface are inclined with respect to the first vertical surface and the second vertical surface, and are inclined in opposite directions with respect to the first vertical surface. The imaging unit according to claim 1. The imaging unit according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the first surface and the second surface is inclined in a direction in which the upper ends of the first surface and the second surface approach each other with respect to a surface perpendicular to the first extending surface. The imaging unit according to claim 2 or 3, wherein at least one of the first surface and the second surface is a curved surface. The imaging unit according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the first surface and the second surface are continuous. The imaging unit according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of structures are at least one of a pyramid, a truncated pyramid, a cone, a truncated cone, a hemisphere, or a cylinder. Assuming a second vertical plane perpendicular to the first vertical plane and perpendicular to the first vertical plane, when the first extended plane is viewed in cross section from the imaging direction of the imaging device,
Each of the structures has at least a third surface and a fourth surface perpendicular to the second vertical surface, and the third surface and the fourth surface are the first vertical surface. The imaging unit according to claim 1, which is inclined in a direction in which the upper ends of the two approach each other. The imaging unit according to claim 7, wherein the structure has a fifth surface that is continuous with the third surface and the fourth surface. The imaging unit according to claim 7 or 8, wherein at least one of the third surface and the fourth surface is a curved surface. The imaging unit according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of structures are at least one of a pyramid or a truncated pyramid. 11. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the structure is arranged in an imaging direction of the imaging device and a direction perpendicular to the imaging direction of the imaging device when the first extending surface is viewed in plan. The imaging unit described in 1. The imaging unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the extending part is a part of the housing. An attachment portion for fixing the housing in the vehicle;
The imaging unit according to claim 1, wherein the extension part is a part of the attachment part. A vehicle windshield including the imaging unit according to any one of claims 1 to 13. A vehicle comprising the imaging unit according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

Images