JPH06156285A - Steering wheel and driver photographing device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To obtain a driver photographing device having a steering wheel capable of photographing the driver regardless of the rotation angle of the steering wheel. [Structure] A spoke 2 of a steering wheel arranged between a camera 7 installed on an instrument panel 5 and a driver.
Are made of a material transparent to the detection wavelength detected by the camera 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering wheel for a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly to a steering wheel used for photographing a driver with a driver photographing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional steering wheel for a driver photographing device is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-158303.
FIG. 2 shows a conventional driver photographing device, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a handle portion of the driver photographing device. A conventional example will be described below. In FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a steering wheel frame, which receives a driver's driving intention as a rotational movement. Reference numeral 3 is a spoke made of an opaque material such as iron, which is connected to the handle frame 1 and transmits the rotation of the handle frame 1 to the handle shaft. Reference numeral 4 denotes a steering wheel shaft, which is connected to the tire drive system of the vehicle and transmits the rotational movement of the steering wheel frame 1 which is the driver's intention to the tire. Reference numeral 5 is an instrument panel, 6 is an instrument such as a vehicle speedometer installed in the instrument panel 5, and 7 is a camera installed in the instrument panel 5 as a photographing means for photographing the driver.

Next, the operation will be described. Handle frame 1
Is connected to the tire drive system of the vehicle through the spokes 3 and the handle shaft 4, so that the driver can control the direction of the tire by rotating the handle frame 1.
Further, the left and right turning movements of the vehicle can be controlled. This is the normal usage of the handle.

The instrument 6 is installed in an instrument panel 5 connecting the driver's face position and the handle frame 1 so that the instrument 6 can be seen by the driver, and the instrument 6 is normally operated.
The spoke 3 is not interposed between the driver and the driver, and the driver can visually recognize the instrument 6. Similarly, in the driver photographing device, the camera 7 is installed in the instrument panel 5 connecting the driver's face position and the steering wheel frame 1 in order to photograph the driver's face, and in a normal driving state. The driver can be photographed correctly.

[0005]

Since the conventional steering wheel for the driver photographing apparatus is constructed as described above, the driver is photographed in a normal use state, that is, in a state where the steering wheel is only slightly rotated. However, when the steering wheel is turned about 90 degrees, the spoke 3 is located on the line connecting the camera 7 and the driver's face, and the spoke 3 interferes with the driver's face. There was a problem that could not be taken.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to obtain a steering wheel for a driver photographing device capable of photographing a driver regardless of the rotation angle of the steering wheel. .

It is another object of the present invention to obtain an easy-to-see handle of an instrument.

[0008]

The handle according to the present invention comprises a spoke made of a transparent material.

Further, in the driver photographing apparatus according to the present invention, the spoke of the steering wheel arranged between the photographing means installed on the instrument panel portion and the driver has the detection wavelength detected by the photographing means. On the other hand, it is made of a transparent material.

[0010]

Since the spokes of the handle of the present invention are transparent, the instruments inside the instrument panel can be seen well even when the handle is turned.

Further, in the handle for the driver photographing apparatus of the present invention, the spoke portion is made of a transparent material and does not obstruct the view of the camera 7 in the instrument panel. You can take a picture of the driver's face even when the vehicle is on.

[0012]

EXAMPLES Example 1. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a handle for a driver photographing apparatus of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are the same as those in the conventional example, and a description thereof will be omitted. Reference numeral 2 is a transparent spoke made of a material transparent to visible light, such as acrylic or glass. It is on the same plane as the handle frame 1, connects the handle frame 1 and the handle shaft 4, and transmits the rotational movement of the handle frame 1 to the handle shaft. Since it is necessary for the driver to grip a part of the handle frame, there is a gap between the transparent spoke 2 and the handle frame.

Next, the operation will be described. Since the operation of the handle is similar to that of the conventional example, the description is omitted. Similar to the driver photographing device using the conventional steering wheel, the camera 7 is installed in the instrument panel 5 and photographs the driver. This embodiment is characterized in that the spoke of the handle is transparent. In normal use, that is, when the steering wheel is only slightly turned, the driver can be photographed and the steering wheel can be rotated 90 degrees.
The transparent spoke 2 does not obstruct the field of view with the driver of the camera 7 even when the camera 7 is rotated about a degree.
Can photograph the driver. Further, whatever the angle is, the transparent spoke 2 does not obstruct the view between the camera 7 and the driver, and the camera 7 can photograph the driver.

Example 2. Although the transparent spokes 2 are installed on the same plane as the handle frame 1 in the first embodiment, the invention is not limited to installation on the same plane. In the first embodiment, the spokes 2 have a circular shape as shown in FIG. 1 so that the ends of the spokes do not affect shooting.
The shape is not limited to this. Further, although the camera is installed in the instrument panel 5, the camera is not limited to this, but may be in the vicinity of the front, rear, left, and right as long as the driver can take an image. In addition, a lighting device that illuminates the driver when capturing an image may be installed in the instrument panel 5, for example. In this case, by using the transparent spokes 2, the illumination light reaches the driver without being obstructed by the spokes even when the steering wheel is turned. Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, an image is picked up with visible light, but when an infrared element is used, the spokes 2 need only be transparent to infrared light and need not be transparent to visible light.

Example 3. In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the steering wheel in the driver photographing apparatus having the photographing means is described, but the transparent spokes 2 are also used for the steering wheel of a general automobile having no photographing means so that the steering wheel can be rotated even when it is turned. This has the effect of making it easy to see the instruments inside the instrument panel.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, the spokes of the handle are made transparent, so that the instruments in the instrument panel can be seen well even when the handle is turned.

Further, since the spoke portion of the steering wheel for the driver photographing device is made of a material transparent to the detection wavelength detected by the image pickup means, the view of the image pickup means in the instrument panel may be obstructed. The effect is that the driver's face can be photographed no matter how much the steering wheel is turned.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional driver photographing device.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged configuration diagram showing a handle portion of a conventional driver photographing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Handle frame 2 Transparent spoke 4 Handle shaft 5 Instrument panel 7 Camera

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Norihiro Tamiya 8-1-1 Tsukaguchihonmachi, Amagasaki City Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Industrial Systems Research Center

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A spoke between a handle frame and a handle shaft.
A handle characterized by being made of a transparent material. 2. A photographing means installed on an instrument panel portion, and arranged between the photographing means and a driver,
A driver's photographing device provided with a handle in which a spoke between the handle frame and the handle shaft is made of a material transparent to a detection wavelength detected by the image pickup means.