Patent ID: 7136091

Claim:
A vehicle imaging apparatus for generating a picture of a predetermined area outside a vehicle having a rearview mirror, wherein the rearview has a housing and is located on the passenger side of the vehicle, wherein the housing includes an opening located at a lower portion of the rearview mirror and extending from a rear side to a front side of the housing, and wherein the opening is covered by a transparent cover, the vehicle imaging apparatus comprising: a reflection mirror arranged in the housing of the rearview mirror and having a curved surface; and an imaging device arranged in the opening of the housing of the rearview mirror to generate a picture from an image reflected on the reflection mirror, wherein the reflection mirror is arranged in the opening of the housing of the rearview mirror so that an upper portion of the reflection mirror is covered by the housing and a portion excluding the upper portion is exposed, and wherein the reflection mirror is generally conical, has an apex facing a basal portion of the rearview mirror, and is located closer to a distal end of the rearview mirror than the imaging device.