Vehicle camera having molded interconnect device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10137844-B2
Application number	US-201715784226-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2017
Priority date	Aug 4, 2014
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A camera for a vision system of a vehicle includes a housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion and configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have a field of view interior or exterior of the vehicle. The camera includes a connector portion for electrically connecting circuitry of the camera to an electrical connector of the vehicle when the camera is disposed at the vehicle. The front housing portion houses a lens assembly. A MID (Molded Interconnect Device) frame includes electrically conductive traces and is integrated in the rear housing portion with circuit board connecting elements and connector connecting elements exposed at an inner surface of the rear housing portion. The connector portion includes terminals that contact respective exposed connector connecting elements of the MID frame to electrically connect the connector portion terminals to circuitry of the circuit board via the MID frame.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A camera for a vision system of a vehicle, said camera comprising:
a housing comprising a front housing portion and a plastic molded rear housing portion mated with said front housing portion;
wherein said front housing portion houses a lens assembly;
wherein said camera is configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have a field of view interior or exterior of the vehicle;
wherein a MID (Molded Interconnect Device) frame comprising electrically conductive traces is integrated in said rear housing portion with circuit board connecting elements and connector connecting elements exposed at an inner surface of said rear housing portion;
a connector portion for electrically connecting circuitry of said camera to an electrical connector of the vehicle when said camera is disposed at the vehicle;
wherein said circuitry of said camera is disposed at a circuit board, and wherein said circuit board includes contacts electrically conductively connected to said circuitry;
wherein said contacts of said circuit board contact said exposed circuit board connecting elements of said MID frame of said rear housing portion; and
wherein said connector portion comprises connector portion terminals that contact respective connector connecting elements of said MID frame to electrically connect said connector portion terminals to said circuitry of said circuit board via said connector connecting elements of said MID frame, said electrically conductive traces of said MID frame, and said circuit board connecting elements of said MID frame.

2. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said electrically conductive traces of said MID frame are not exposed at said inner surface of said rear housing portion.

3. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said connector portion comprises a coaxial connector comprising a stamped and folded shield piece having a shield pad and a stamped and bent core piece having a core pad, and wherein said shield pad and said core pad are soldered at said connector connecting elements of said MID frame.

4. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said MID frame comprises more than one layer of electrically conductive traces integrated in said rear housing portion.

5. The camera of claim 4 , wherein said layers of electrically conductive traces enable crossing routing structures and creating routing layers.

6. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said MID frame is established at said inner surface of said rear housing portion.

7. The camera of claim 1 , comprising a second circuit board having circuitry and second contacts that electrically connect to exposed second circuit board connecting elements of said MID frame.

8. The camera of claim 7 , wherein said second circuit board connecting elements of said MID frame are electrically connected to some of said circuit board connecting elements of said MID frame to electrically connect circuitry of said second circuit board with circuitry of said circuit board.

9. The camera of claim 8 , wherein said circuitry of said second circuit board includes an imager comprising an imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements.

10. The camera of claim 8 , wherein at least part of said rear housing portion is overmolded over said circuit boards and said MID frame.

11. The camera of claim 1 , comprising a chip that is disposed in said rear housing portion and not disposed at said circuit board, and wherein said chip includes an imager comprising an imaging array having a plurality of photosensing elements.

12. The camera of claim 11 , wherein said imager is electrically connected to some of said electrically conductive traces of said MID frame that are exposed at said inner surface of said rear housing portion.

13. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said camera is configured to be disposed at the vehicle so as to have a field of view exterior of the vehicle.

14. The camera of claim 13 , wherein said camera is part of a surround view system for a vehicle.

15. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said camera is configured to be disposed at the vehicle so as to have a field of view interior of the vehicle.

16. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said MID frame includes front connecting elements for electrically connecting to connecting elements of said front housing portion when said rear housing portion is mated with said front housing portion, and wherein said connecting elements of said front housing portion are electrically connected to a heating element for heating at least a portion of said lens assembly.

17. A camera for a vision system of a vehicle, said camera comprising:
a housing comprising a front housing portion and a rear housing portion;
wherein said front housing portion houses a lens assembly;
wherein said camera is configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have a field of view interior or exterior of the vehicle;
wherein a MID (Molded Interconnect Device) frame comprising electrically conductive traces is integrated in said rear housing portion with first circuit board connecting elements, second circuit board connecting elements, and connector connecting elements exposed at an inner surface of said rear housing portion;
a connector portion for electrically connecting said camera to an electrical connector of the vehicle when said camera is disposed at the vehicle;
wherein first circuitry of said camera is disposed at a first circuit board, and wherein said first circuit board includes first contacts electrically conductively connected to said first circuitry;
wherein second circuitry of said camera is disposed at a second circuit board, and wherein said second circuit board includes second contacts electrically conductively connected to said second circuitry, and wherein said second circuitry includes an imager;
wherein said first contacts of said first circuit board contact said exposed first circuit board connecting elements of said MID frame of said rear housing portion;
wherein said second contacts of said second circuit board contact said exposed second circuit board connecting elements of said MID frame of said rear housing portion;
wherein said connector portion comprises connector portion terminals that contact respective connector connecting elements of said MID frame to electrically connect said connector portion terminals to said first circuitry of said first circuit board via said connector connecting elements of said MID frame, said electrically conductive traces of said MID frame, and said circuit board connecting elements of said MID frame; and
wherein at least some of said exposed first circuit board connecting elements are electrically conductively connected to respective ones of said exposed second circuit board connecting elements via said electrically conductive traces of said MID frame to electrically conductively connect first circuitry of said first circuit board with second circuitry of said second circuit board.

18. The camera of claim 17 , wherein at least part of said rear housing portion comprises an extruded construction, and wherein said MID frame is established at said extruded construction.

19. A camera for a vision system of a vehicle, said camera comprising:
a housing comprising a front housing portion and a rear housing portion mated with said front housing portion;
wherein said front housing portion houses a lens assembly;
wherein said camera is configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have a field of view interior or exterior of the vehicle;
wherein a MID (Molded Interconnect Device) frame comprising electrically conductive

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Wienecke Richard
• Biemer Michael
• Boegel Ruediger

Classifications

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/54

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• B60R2011/004

  outside the vehicle · CPC title

• B60R2011/0043

  for integrated articles, i.e. not substantially protruding from the surrounding parts · CPC title