Camera module for a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11032452-B2
Application number	US-201716099528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2017
Priority date	May 11, 2016
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

A camera module (12) for a motor vehicle having a lens assembly (20), a housing (22) with a back plate (32) and a lens holder (53). The back plate (32) carries an image sensor (24) within the housing (22). The lens holder (53) is mounted to the back plate (32) and holds the lens objective (20) such that the image sensor (24) is arranged in or close to an image plane (A) of the lens objective (20). The back plate (32) is formed of at least one bi-material element (31) holding the image sensor (24). The bi-material element (31) having at least two layers (33, 34) of materials having significantly different thermal properties and being joined together such that the bi-material element (31) is adapted to bend with changing temperature.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A camera module for a motor vehicle, comprising; a lens objective, a housing having a back plate and a lens holder, wherein the back plate carries an image sensor within the housing, wherein the lens holder is mounted to the back plate and holds the lens objective such that the image sensor is arranged in or close to an image plane of the lens objective, the back plate comprises at least one bi-material element holding the image sensor, the bi-material element formed of at least two layers of materials having different thermal properties and being connected together such that the bi-material element is adapted to bend with changing temperature, wherein the bending behavior of the bi-material element formed in the back plate changes the spacing between the image sensor and the lens objective, and wherein the lens holder is made of materials having thermal properties and an end of the lens holder is directly attached to the bi-material element such that a thermal displacement of the bi-material element is able to compensate a thermal expansion of the lens holder and a shift of the image plane caused by changes of and within the lens objective.

2. The camera module as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, bending of the bi-material element acts towards keeping the image plane in a predetermined positional relation to the image sensor.

3. The camera module as claimed in claim 2 further comprising, the materials of the layers of the bi-material element have different coefficients of thermal expansion.

4. The camera module as claimed in claim 2 further comprising, the materials of the layers of the bi-material element have elastic moduli.

5. The camera module as claimed in claim 2 further comprising, the bi-material element is formed with a geometry of the bi-material element.

6. The camera module as claimed in claim 5 wherein, the geometry of the bi-material element is chosen with a thickness of the layers.

7. The camera module as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, the bi-material element to bend away from the lens objective with rising temperature.

8. The camera module as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, the bi-material element is adapted to bend towards the lens objective with rising temperature.

9. The camera module as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, in that the material of at least one of the at least two layers is a metal.

10. The camera module as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, in that the layers are formed by layers of a sandwiched structure, including a metal layer, and a non-metal composite layer.

11. The camera module as claimed in claim 10 further comprising, the metal layer formed of copper and in that the bending properties of the bi-material element are tuned by adjusting a copper coverage in the metal layer of the sandwiched structure in the form of a square grid.

12. The camera module as claimed in claim 10 further comprising, in that the bending properties of the bi-material element are tuned by providing slits in at least one of the layers to mechanically decouple from the lens holder.

13. The camera module as claimed in claim 10 further comprising, that the bending properties of the bi-material element are tuned by providing an inhomogeneous pattern in the metal layer, wherein the inhomogeneous pattern comprises stripes in a direction, a circular pattern, or combinations thereof.

14. A camera module for a motor vehicle, comprising; a lens objective, a housing having a back plate and a lens holder, wherein the back plate carries an image sensor within the housing, wherein the lens holder is mounted to the back plate and holds the lens objective such that the image sensor is arranged in or close to an image plane of the lens objective, the back plate comprises at least one bi-material element holding the image sensor, the bi-material element formed of at least two layers of materials having different thermal properties and being connected together such that the bi-material element is adapted to bend with changing temperature, wherein the layers are formed by layers of a sandwiched structure, including a metal layer, and a non-metal composite layer, and wherein the metal layer is formed of copper and the bending properties of the bi-material element are tuned by adjusting a copper coverage in the metal layer of the sandwiched structure in the form of a square grid.

15. A camera module for a motor vehicle, comprising; a lens objective, a housing having a back plate and a lens holder, wherein the back plate carries an image sensor within the housing, wherein the lens holder is mounted to the back plate and holds the lens objective such that the image sensor is arranged in or close to an image plane of the lens objective, the back plate comprises at least one bi-material element holding the image sensor, the bi-material element formed of at least two layers of materials having different thermal properties and being connected together such that the bi-material element is adapted to bend with changing temperature, wherein the layers are formed by layers of a sandwiched structure, including a metal layer, and a non-metal composite layer, wherein the bending properties of the bi-material element are tuned by providing an inhomogeneous pattern in the metal layer, and wherein the inhomogeneous pattern comprises stripes in a direction, a circular pattern, or combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Veoneer Sweden Ab

Inventors

• Knutsson Per
• Fredriksson Peter

Classifications

• H04N23/52 Primary

  Elements optimising image sensor operation, e.g. for electromagnetic interference [EMI] protection or temperature control by heat transfer or cooling elements · CPC title

• H04N23/55

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

• H04N23/54

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

• G02B7/008 Primary

  with means for compensating for changes in temperature or for controlling the temperature; thermal stabilisation · CPC title

• G02B7/028

  with means for compensating for changes in temperature or for controlling the temperature; thermal stabilisation · CPC title