Patent ID: 6472995
Filing Date: 2002-10-29
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
An image pick-up device in a vehicle surrounding viewing system comprising:a light shielding case provided on the outside of the vehicle; a pair of left and right transmit windows respectively disposed on right and left sides of the light shielding case; a prism having an isosceles triangle section shape, the prism disposed in the light shielding case so that a vertical angle of the prism is directed to a front portion of the light shielding case and left and right prism side surfaces of the prism facing to two equal sides of the isosceles triangle respectively are directed to the right and left transmit window sides respectively; an image pick-up element disposed at a rear portion of the prism, the image pick-up element having the image pick-up plane, the image pick-up element for receiving rays of light; and converting into image signals; a focusing lens for focusing onto the image pick-up plane the rays of light input from one surface of the left and right prism side surfaces, reflected at the other surface of the left and right prism side surfaces, and emitted from a prism rear surface of the prism; and a light shielding member attached to the prism to cover a region except an effective area that passes through the rays of light that enter into the left and right transmit windows respectively, then pass through the left and right prism side surfaces respectively, then internally reflect at the left and right prism side surfaces on an opposite side, and then emit from the prism rear surface, and subsequently are focused by the focusing lens to be guided onto a left half plane and a right half plane of the image pick-up plane of the image pick-up element respectively.