Vehicular camera and lens assembly and method of manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10708476-B2
Application number	US-201816025062-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2018
Priority date	Mar 25, 2009
Publication date	Jul 7, 2020
Grant date	Jul 7, 2020

Abstract

A method of assembling a vehicular camera includes providing a printed circuit board and dispensing an adhesive in an uncured state at the printed circuit board. A front camera housing is mated with the circuit board, and the lens optics are aligned with respect to the imaging array at the circuit board by utilizing a multi-axis positioning device operable to translate the circuit board or lens assembly relative to the other along one or more orthogonal translational axes and manipulate the circuit board or lens assembly relative to the other about one or more orthogonal rotational axes. After aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array, the adhesive is cured to a first cure level and the joined lens assembly and the front camera housing are moved to a further curing station, where the adhesive is further cured to a second cure level.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of assembling a vehicular camera, said method comprising:
providing a lens assembly comprising a lens barrel and an attaching portion, the lens barrel including lens optics;
providing a front camera housing;
securing the lens assembly at the front camera housing;
providing a printed circuit board having an imaging array disposed thereat;
dispensing an adhesive in an uncured state at the printed circuit board laterally outboard of the imaging array;
mating the attaching portion of the front camera housing and the printed circuit board with the adhesive in its uncured state therebetween;
with the front camera housing mated with the printed circuit board and with the adhesive in its uncured state therebetween, aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array;
wherein aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array (i) utilizes a multi-axis positioning device operable to align the lens optics with respect to the imaging array by (a) translating the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly along one or more of x, y, z orthogonal translational axes and (b) manipulating the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly about one or more of pitch, yaw and roll rotational axes or (ii) utilizes a multi-axis positioning device operable to align the lens optics with respect to the imaging array by (a) translating the lens assembly relative to the printed circuit board along one or more of x, y, z orthogonal translational axes and (b) manipulating the lens assembly relative to the printed circuit board about one or more of pitch, yaw and roll rotational axes;
after aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array, curing the adhesive to a first cure level via exposure of the adhesive to ultraviolet light to join the printed circuit board and the front camera housing;
moving the lens assembly and the front camera housing joined with the printed circuit board by the adhesive at the first cure level to a further curing station; and
at the further curing station, further curing the adhesive to a second cure level.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array utilizes the multi-axis positioning device operable to align the lens optics with respect to the imaging array by (a) translating the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly along one or more of x, y, z orthogonal translational axes and (b) manipulating the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly about one or more of pitch, yaw and roll rotational axes.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array comprises grasping, via the multi-axis positioning device, the printed circuit board and manipulating, via the multi-axis positioning device, the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein, after aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array and after curing of the adhesive to the first cure level via exposure to ultraviolet light to join the front camera housing and the printed circuit board is completed, the printed circuit board is released by the multi-axis positioning device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array utilizes the multi-axis positioning device operable to align the lens optics with respect to the imaging array by (a) translating the lens assembly relative to the printed circuit board along one or more of x, y, z orthogonal translational axes and (b) manipulating the lens assembly relative to the printed circuit board about one or more of pitch, yaw and roll rotational axes.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-axis positioning device comprises a multi-axis robot.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-axis positioning device comprises a five axis robot.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-axis positioning device comprises a six axis robot.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array comprises bringing the lens optics into focus at the imaging array.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the front camera housing and the printed circuit board joined by the adhesive at the first cure level to the further curing station is accomplished without utilizing the multi-axis positioning device.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array utilizing the multi-axis positioning device comprises aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array while using the imaging array to capture images of a target object, and wherein said method comprises curing the adhesive to the first cure level via exposure to ultraviolet light to join the front camera housing and the printed circuit board when the target object appears in suitable focus and at a suitable position relative to the imaging array.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the further curing station comprises a thermal curing station.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the thermal curing station comprises an oven.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein further curing the adhesive to the second cure level comprises heating the adhesive to a temperature of at least 85 degrees C.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein further curing the adhesive to the second cure level comprises heating the adhesive for at least ten seconds.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the further curing station comprises multiple curing fixtures.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the further curing station comprises a moisture cure station.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein curing the adhesive to the first cure level comprises exposure of the adhesive to ultraviolet light for a first time period, and wherein further curing the adhesive to the second cure level comprises further curing the adhesive for a second time period, and wherein the first time period for curing the adhesive to the first cure level is less than the second time period for further curing the adhesive to the second cure level.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first time period is less than ten seconds and the second time period is greater than ten seconds.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the first time period is greater than three seconds.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the first time period is less than seven seconds.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein curing the adhesive to the first cure level comprises exposure of the adhesive to ultraviolet light for less than ten seconds.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein curing the adhesive to the first cure level comprises exposure of the adhesive to ultraviolet light for less than seven seconds.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein curing the adhesive to the first cure level comprises exposure of the adhesive to ultraviolet light for greater than three seconds.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein curing the adhesive to the first cure level comprises exposure of the adhesive to ultraviolet light for five to seven seconds.

26. The method of claim 22 , wherein further curing the adhesive to the second cure level comprises a further exposure of the adhesive to ultraviolet light.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein further curing the adhesive to the second cure level comprises further exposure of the adhesive to ultraviolet light for a per

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Sesti Matthew C
• Devota Robert A
• Lu Yuesheng
• Byrne Steven V
• Gibson Joel S

Classifications

• H04N23/54

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

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• G02B7/025 Primary

  using glue · CPC title

• H04N23/55 Primary

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

• H04N23/63

  by using electronic viewfinders · CPC title